2 Ominous Dream- Chapter 1

"My lady wake up!"

A rather loud voice made me open my eyes. I huffed and touched my chest. My heart beats fast as I slowly sat on my bed.

"Did you have that strange dream again my lady?"

I looked at my one and only handmaid Uli as she worriedly wiped away the sweat off my forehead and down to my neck. I sighed deeply then replied,

"Yes, Uli. But this time my dream... it's not blurry unlike the past dreams I had. I saw, smelt and felt everything."

Uli stopped what she is doing as she stared at me and sat on my bed and she said,

"Tell me everything, my lady."

I looked at Uli and hesitated. If I tell her now, what if she will tell someone? I will be branded as a witch or worse... A demon. In this country, people don't know how to dream. But of course, I am an exception.

I bit down my lower lip and I stared at Uli. I realized that Uli is the only person I can trust in this world. I sighed and decided that I am going to tell her.

"Esmur... This country was attacked by Balomnia, the capital of Presia Empire." I whispered.

I saw Uli's eyes widened and she gasped. She grabbed and squeezed my hands then replied with a whisper and said,

"This is an ominous dream, my lady. You should share it with the high priest."

I shook my head as I slowly grabbed my hands off her grasp and moved out of my bed. I stared outside and my heart calmed down as I savour the fresh air and peace. I tried to erase the horrible dream I just had but it felt so real and remembering the blood-curling screams of the people makes me dizzy.

I felt the presence of my handmaid on my back and I heard her say,

"You should eat your breakfast, my lady. Please consider informing the high priest. Maybe they can interpret the significance of your dream."

I sighed and without turning and facing her, I replied,

"I know Uli. Let me decide within this day. You are aware that my position in Esmur is not great and the main family of the high priest does not wish for me... and my existence. My housing arrangement is proof of it."

Then my eyes shifted to the white marble temple.

"I beg your pardon, my lady. I didn't mean to stir unwanted sentiments..."

I stopped whatever Uli is going to say by facing her and gave her a kind and apologetic smile. She nodded her head in understanding as to why I cut her off.

"Well, follow me downstairs after you freshen up my lady. I will prepare the breakfast for you."

Uli said, then she smiled back at me as she exited my room. I sighed again and I stared back outside. My eyes then focused on the temple. From my home, I can see people going up and down the stairs of the temple and they seem like ants from here. I realized how far the temple is from my home.

That's how far the high priest family wants you to stay. Specifically, this is how far the wife of the high priest wants you to stay... clear away from her family... And her husband.

I sadly and bitterly thought.

The sky is blue, the streets are lively with kids playing and running. I smiled and sighed on contentment. I closed my eyes, clasped my hands together and I earnestly prayed. Thanking the gods for another day and life and praying for the protection of the country... My beloved country of Esmur.

My country Esmur is located on the eastern part of the Empire of Presia. My country is small but extremely rich and powerful. So powerful that it can rival the current Emperor's power and influence. My country is close to a river that is why crops are abundant and so are the fishes.

Esmur unlike any other countries in the Presia Empire is ruled not by kings or queens but by priests and priestesses. The priests and priestess in Esmur are treated like nobility because Esmur is a country that holds the seat of the religion of the Presia Empire.

I, Lilith, the eldest daughter of the high priest Nosgar of Esmur is hidden away by my father but to put it more bluntly, my father agreed to hide away the fact that he has a daughter outside his marriage. Besides, I don't look like I am from this country or even from Presia Empire.

Citizens of Presia, Esmur and other countries have bronze coloured skin, caramel coloured eyes and long silky black hair. However, I... look exactly the opposite of them. I have a long hair that is described by my father as golden threads weaved by the gods, turquoise coloured irises and alabaster white skin.

The only take away that I am high priest Nosgar's daughter is that, I resembled him so much but more feminine. My father is like the king of Esmur and his wife is treated like a queen and his two daughters treated like princesses. Sadly, my father has no son. His wife said, it is a punishment from the gods for his insistence in keeping me in Esmur instead of abandoning me.

I know how his wife, my stepmother abhorred my existence and I know how my father, married my stepmother because of an alliance. A political marriage they say. While father and his family kept the pretence of a perfect and happy family in public, that's not the case behind closed doors.

When I was 10, father decided to introduce me to his family as he wants to introduce me to the society of Esmur but I saw the contempt in his wife's eyes with tears brimming out of it. The calm composure she displayed while trying her hardest to smile at me, but I know, that smile didn't reach her eyes. My father's wife Erish, accepted me half-heartedly into their home and soon my horror started.

I grow up and I experienced my sister Hili, my father's eldest daughter to my stepmother, kept on mistreating me in both words and actions while the other daughter, Shuri, just stood by and watch. The maids in that house mistreated me too. Doing household chores, getting pushed by, thrown dirty and smelly water, starved me for days when father and step-mother is away and even letting me eat spoiled food. That continued on for 3 years.

My father got to know of this and he immediately took me out of the house as he searched for another house for me to permanently live. That night, I saw my father raised his hand and slapped my stepmother and my two other sisters. Now I understand why they treated me with so much contempt... I am an illegitimate child but I have his love while they are the legitimate family and my father doesn't care to grant them his love and attention that they think they deserved.

It's been 5 years since that incident and I steered clear of my stepmother and sisters path. I don't want to cause trouble and burden my father even more. Even if father doesn't say a word, I know his family is wearing him off. Every time my father visits me, I saw how weary and tired he is and I know that my step-mother and sisters are giving him a hard time. I can only sigh.

I decided to go down and have breakfast but I caught my reflection on the mirror. I stopped and stared at my face on the glass and I remembered how Uli kept raining praises on my physical looks especially my hair and my eyes but what she sees and what I see are different. I look ordinary and I didn't inherit my father's power to communicate to the gods or even have the ability to call on nature like the wind, the water, the earth and the fire. I am just a strange looking esmurian citizen without any power and ability.

I saw how my first sister Hili awakened her powers and she kept bullying me with it. Hili is said to inherit my father's position in the temple and that made my stepmother looked down on me more. My other sister Shuri, just recently awakened her powers to call on the earth and this made me realize how useless I am to my father.

I changed my sleep wear, wash my face, brush my hair and changed to my daytime clothes as I decided it is better to continue staying low and not to attract the attention of my father's family until I become 18. Two more years and then I can go out of Esmur and travel to another country. Far from my father's family and far from their clutches.