Chapter 1
The rumbling sounds of thunder made it seem like the world was about to end.
It was not raining but the heavy wind seemed never-ending. Like the gods were angry although that was not the case. In fact,they were very happy.
In The Palace Of Lopena…
An old man in white clothing is chanting some words and prayers to the goddess of fire. He is the seer of the great Lopena kingdom.
With a loud laugh,he says "good will. The child will be born today." he laughs again, looking at the King and the Queen, their little son beside them.
"will he really save our kingdom?"asked the king
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Inside a small room which was considered as a delivery room,a woman screamed in pain as she gave birth to the baby. The two junior midwives were astonished at what they saw. Even the senior midwife was surprised.
The baby's skin color was different from everyone's. It was a dark skinned baby girl. She is the second dark skinned person in the whole of the five kingdoms.
The stormy wind stopped abruptly and the child started crying. The mother looked at her baby with a smile. She had longed so much for a child to call her own. She was the first wife of a noble man but since she didn't have any children,her rank was reduced by her co wife who had a son for her husband.
Back At The Palace
"it's a girl." said the seer
"a girl?" asked the Queen in shock
" yes, your majesty" the seer replied "she will be the servant of the great goddess."
"how will we know who she is?"
"skin color. She is unique."
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"Lady Enya, milady isn't looking good, she is bleeding a lot." Darla, the second midwife said to her senior.
"quick, get me the herbs. She cannot die in my hands we need to stop the bleeding." Darla nodded and brought a small container containing a mixture. She gave it to Lady Enya and the juniors left the room with the child without lady Enya's notice.
"Darla,Lena come here and help me out. Darla, this is not the correct container. This is… poison." realization hit the woman as she saw the effect of the herbs she was given. She turned around to see no one there. "these girls."she turned back to look at the woman lying lifeless on the mat. "I have killed someone today. Oh great goddess, have pity on the soul of your child." she closed the eyes of the dead woman, stood up and left the house. She looked around but didn't see the girls. She told the messenger from the woman's family " tell your master that we were not able to save the lady. He can lay his wife to rest and for the child, she is an atrocity therefore she will be taken to the temple of the gods" without saying any other thing, she turned and left to clean the body.
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Twelve Years Later…
"Father! father!!" a girl called her father, a blind man who was known as a beggar. The man turned the direction of her voice and smiled like he could see her.
"Addy,where are you?" he stretches his hands to feel the girl.
" I'm here father." she holds his hands and sit in front of him. " here. I got a shoe for you today."
" Did you steal it?" he asked cautiously
" No no" she replied hastily. "I got a job now. I work at mama Chaya's pottery. I fetch the woods for the oven."
"it's an honest job."
"yes papa,it is honest. Now wear the shoes. I want to see how they fit." she helps him to put on the shoes
" how is it?" asked the man
" it fits perfectly,papa. But I have to go home now. Lady Guinevere must be waiting for me. I have to run errands."
" Don't worry about me. Go on. I'll come later. You don't want to make the tigress angry. She might eat you." the two of them laugh as they thought of the lady.
Lady Guinevere was a mistress of an academy that accepted the less privileged. The home was built in the name of the king's first wife as a memorial. The lady was corrupt and swindled money from sponsors. She was cruel only to Adelaide because of her skin color.