Queen Amber's story (2)

She bade us all who knew about her pregnancy to keep it a secret, never to be told, and disappeared with the baby in her arms.

Amber came back a few months later and re-joined the army, but the girl wasn't with her."

Professor Thomas sighed and looked down.

It looked to Aria he was blinking back tears, but he looked up the next moment and continued,

"I went to have a talk with Amber. I asked her where was her baby daughter. Amber acted nonchalant and told me that she had left her with some relatives she had recently discovered. But Amber had always been a very bad liar. Once pressured, she broke down.

She cried a river and told me that she would never have been able to look after a child alone. I told her we would look after her child for her, but she cried even harder and told us that there wouldn't be any need.

Amber told me that at first she thought she could keep her place in the army while taking care of her child. But during the later stages of her pregnancy, when it was too late to abort the baby, she realised that she would never be able to do it. So, Amber had done the cruelest thing possible. She left her daughter on the edge of a forest. She left the little, unnamed child up to her fate.

Nobody knows what happened to the child."

Professor Thomas added the last line looking at Aria.

Aria could feel everyone who knew her story looking at her. From their point of view, Aria could easily be queen Amber's daughter.

She was the right age, had golden hair, and had enough affinity to elements to even shame royalty.

"But why would the night warriors think that Helen was queen Amber's daughter? She clearly isn't." A woman spoke. Her voice seemed to bring everyone put of a trance as people started looking around and debating the issue.

"They probably mistook her for someone else. Maybe because of the golden hair and beautiful face." Professor Iris spoke for the first time.

Suddenly, Aria realised something that seemed to have an actual impact on the back of her head. Helen had been wearing her clothes!!!! It was not only the people in the parlour who thought Aria was the queen's daughter. The night warriors had mistaken Helen for her too! And they thought that Aria was the queen's daughter!

But why did they think that? And about her wearing pants? Not many people knew about that. Not many people knew her nevertheless. Certainly less than Helen.

Aria shook her head. This was not the time to think of why. What had happened had happened. Her legs almost gave out as she realised one more thing. "Then they will soon be realising that Helen isn't the one they have been looking for." Aria whispered.

A collective shudder ran throughout the parlour as they realised that as soon as Helen lost her value as a hostage, anything could happen to her.

Aria's head suddenly snapped in the direction of the main door and she spoke, "I think it will be better if we check the grounds once again." she spoke.