Mila's dream

Mila had finished cleaning up the kitchen and taken her night bath in preparation to go to sleep when Cordelia her mother called on her. She was surprised knowing she was not the only one still awake in the house.

"Mother I will be with you soon" please let me dress up" she answered wondering why she was still awake at that time of the night. She dressed up quickly and went outside her room to meet her mother sitting on a two armed chair waiting for her.

" Mother you called me" she said

"Yes my dear I called you because I want to discuss something with you" Cordelia started..." I will be taking you to the palace tomorrow morning. You will be introduced first to the queen and then the palace maids. I need to show you around the palace that way you will get familiar with your work environment before you fully start".

" Okay mother but why does it have to be tomorrow? can we not wait for a few more days? " Mila asked with her face down

Mila has never liked the idea of replacing her mother's position in the palace. She knew her been there will limit her free movements because she will always need to be in the palace doing one thing or the other. If there was another way out Mila would never have agreed but there was nothing else she could do than to just obey.

"what is the problem my child? " she asked seeing how sad Mila has become

"Nothing is the problem mother, am fine" Mila replied

" Look I know and I understand how you feel about all this but I promise you will love it. Working in the palace is fun, you get to see and interact with the royal family everyday, if it were to be that bad I would not have worked there for all these number of years so my dear cheer up, you will enjoy it all" her mother told her trying to make her feel better".

" Thank you mother, I would like to go to bed now am feeling sleepy...." she said standing up from where she sat to go back into her room... "goodnight mother"....

"Good night my dear, sleep well" Cordelia answered but still sitting down on her chair.

She watched her daughter as she walked back into her room. Memories starting to build up in her mind, she remembered when she was tender and just a little baby now she has grown into a beautiful young girl. Mila was not just beautiful but obiedient and humble as well.

Mila was walking with her younger brother Alex, they were delivering some fruits to one of their customer's home, As they approched the house, people began to run Helter skelter, with confusion and noise everywhere. They tried to ask questions to find out what was happening no body said a word to them , they only pointed at one direction as they ran. Mila and Alex could see nothing. They only stood there in the middle of the road confused. Suddenly darkness covered everywhere. They just held each other tight trembling with fear.

Mila could hear a voice calling her for help..... she looked around but could see no one.

"Can you hear anything Alex?" she wispered to her brother who inturn wispered back to her

"No Mila I can hear nothing"

This made her to know she alone was hearing the voice.

The voice called again, this time it became louder that Alex could hear it as well.

They both looked at each other wondering who it was and what type of help the person needed.

The voice called again the third time, this time she looked towards her left hand side and saw a wounded boy who was finding it difficult to stand nor walk

"Alex look!!!" she shouted... running towards the kid with her brother running after her.

She asked him what happened to him and why he was there all alone

The boy answered her saying "

" I really don't know nor can I say exactly what happened . Please I am very thirsty I need water the boy pleaded

"Where would she get water from?" she asked herself as she looked at him in confusion.

"I know ... you don't know where to get the water from" the boy said looking at her with a little smile on his face...

There!! he pointed at a corner and Mila could see a very small jug of water , she ran over and picked it up and gave him little to drink.

"Thank you so much" he said

"Mila please take this bracelet he said pulling off a golden bracelet from his right hand, it will help you. You must keep the kingdom alive, you must I say Mila" he said as he handed over the bracelet to her.

" She and Alex were afraid and confused at the same time , they did no understand anything nor what he meant but he was not going to explain anything to them.

"Now go Mila you have no time" he said Immediately the darkness that once covered everywhere disappeared everywhere became normal but the boy was gone....

Mila jumped up from her bed, she had been dreaming... she took a deep breath and lay down again Wondering what the dream meant. She decided she would speak to her parents by morning about what she saw.

Mila woke up late the next morning. Alex had come to knock on her door so she would come out for breakfast.

"Mother she began, I had a strange dream last night...." she went on and narrated everything she saw to them.

They told her it meant nothing, that she dreamt as a result of thinking too much about going to work in the palace. Mila kept quiet but deep down in her heart she knew there was more to that dream but decided to forget about it. She went back into her room to get ready to leave with her mother to the palace. She hoped the day would favour her.

They left for the palace while her father and Alex left for the fruit store.

****************

The queen had just left the Royal treatment chambers where she went to see her son Hedy and back to her chambers when Cordelia arrived with her daughter Mila.

They went into the Queen's chambers and their arrival was announced , the queen ordered that they be allowed into the visitors room where she receives her visitors

"Your Highness", they both greeted the queen slowly bowing down before the queen immediately she entered.

"Rise and come sit down" she said smiling at them

" Your Highness, this is my daughter, her name is Mila, I have brought her for you to see her, I want her to be the one to take over my position her in the palace" Cordelia explained

" Yes Cordelia, you have done well, I must say you have a very pretty daughter. I believe she will be as good as you have been to us here in this palace" the queen said

" Thank you your highness, I believe she will definitely do her best and I promise to support her in every way I can to make sure she does well" said Cordelia.

" Alright Cordelia I will hold you by your words, you may now go and show her around so she gets familiar with people and things around here" the queen concluded.

Cordelia and her daughter got up, bowed before the queen once more and left.

The queen was more beautiful and kind more than Mila had expected, her warm welcome to them made Mila feel a little more at home making the fear and anxiety that she had battled with earlier to disappear. Her mother took her round all the places she was expected to work and showing her to the other maids and guards too. After that they left and headed back to the fruit store. She was expected to resume work in the next day.

She felt more relaxed now that she had gone to the palace and seen it was nothing like what she had expected, she was now ready to face the challenge starting from the next day.