Chapter 56
The galley ship maneuvered through the heavy ocean, the Hark clouds above them threatening to pour down rain on them
Queen Melinda of Eldrador stood at the end of the ship, one hand on the rail, a thick blanket over her shoulders and down her back, her eyes fixed on the distance horizon where the mountains and the dark sky met.
The clouds rumbled in the distance, lightening appearing every now and then. From behind her, Queen Melinda paid no attention to the faded voices from the crew members as they navigated the ship through the water, heading for Eldrador.
Queen Melinda thought their meeting with the Japanese merchants had gone awfully well. Were they scared of attacking first in fear of starting a war? Or did they just agree to leave the lands and move back where they came from? Queen Melinda couldn’t quite place what she missed.
She felt a hand slip around her waist and pulled against a bigger body. She smiles softly as she felt the jaw of king Remera brushed her cheek gently and she moved closer into him for more warmth.
“I have told you to stop worrying, my beautiful queen.” King Remera whispers into her ear and she smiled. He moves his hand forward to feel her now very swollen bump in front of her.
Queen Melinda places a hand over one side of her stomach too, taking a deep breath as she tried to feel her baby kick. It was believed that she was having a boy child. She would finally give him an heir.
Queen Melinda turns around to face her husband. She watched his eyes and saw the bravery that never wavered in them, then smiled softly.
“I’m just scared for our daughter, my king,” she whispers to him “Aurora is still so young. If something were to happen, she has to be the next Queen. She can’t handle that on her own, she’s still a child…..”
“Shhhhh….” He cuts her mid sentence“nothing is going to happen. I’m going to protect us, protect you and our little one.” His hand drags over her stomach soothingly and she smiled again.
Just then, a sound came from the front side of the ship, where it was being manned. King Remera pulls away from Melinda to see what was happening.
“We’re under attack!!!”
Invaders had boarded their ship. But there wasn’t a ship in sight. The guards started running over to protect them, just in time for king Remera to see the men who were all dressed in black, like ninjas fighting his men in the distance.
“Get me my
sword!” He wailed.
“You must not fight your Highness.” One of his guards said but he doesn’t listen. He isn’t going to listen..
Queen Melinda watched in horror as the invaders slaughtered their men from the distance. They were covered in black garment from head to toe so he couldn’t say if they were the Japanese merchants or not.
King Remera turns around to hold her face in his hands, peering hard into her eyes. “Listen to me, Melinda, you are going to be okay.”
She nods her head vigorously to try to convince herself that they would be alright. She knew it was looking impossible. They were already outnumbered and some of their men were already lying lifelessly on their own pool of blood.
Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision as she watched the king leave her, the rest of his men covering her protectively.
Queen Melinda shook in fear, her hands protectively cradling her stomach as she heard the clashing of swords in the distance.
09:05 Frt. NOV 2 BU
Chapter 36
And she desperately prayed that they would walk out of the alive, that they would win this fight and her husband would retum back to her safely.
But she didn’t know that the night had a different fate in stall for them.
BACK IN ELDRADOR KINGDOM.
AURORAS P. O. V.
I will to be killed by the sword and taken by the waters” I mentally read the written scriptures engraved into the walls of the ancient goddesses room, my fingers caressing and tracing every engraved lines tenderly.
My name is Aurora and I am the daughter and only child to Queen Melinda and King Remera Aumero and heir to the throne and ruler of the seven swords and seas of Eldrador.
The night seemed completely strange, I couldn’t sleep. I seemed to have been awakened by something, for a reason. I turned to the side and watched through the window the familiar sight of the mountains pecking over the trees. A mirage distorts the view beyond the window shields, and it’s impossible to tell where the asphalt ends and the ocean begins.
I don’t come into this room enough, but something had led me here tonight and I was compelled to remain here and watch the mountains from here, what the night held.
My parents were returning from their trip by ship. They had left with some of their guards to meet with the Japanese merchants and pirates who had settled along one of the seven seas enclosing Eldrador kingdom.
hief army, Mario has been worried. A couple of times before the night There’s a thunderstorm in the distance and the came up on us, Mario had returned from the shores, worried that he hadn’t heard anything from my parents‘ ship. But wanted to believe they were going to make it. And that they were fast approaching.
Suddenly, I heard the toll of the bell from the first tower. I gasped quickly as I heard it, turning towards the first tower bell at the big gates. There was only ever one reason why that bell would be hit. It only meant one thing: Death of a royal. More tower bells began to ring, followed by the strong winds that came with the storm happening around Eldrador.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching from out side, causing me to snap towards the exit to find my court lady, Asmira bowing from the door.
“You must come with me, your Highness.”
I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach as I saw her face through the darkness. Then I quickly followed her out of the room, joining with the rest of my maids waiting at the door. They escort me towards my room where I met some of the royal council men stood waiting for me. They held faces I couldn’t ring but I knew something was wrong somewhere.
They bow to me as I stopped before them. I watched chief Maric blackwood’s face as he struggled to make his words. “We have a bad news your Highness,” he said but I already knew “the king and queen has been found dead, their ship capsized in the big ocean. They were attacked.”
I let out a sharp breath at the news. It felt like a knife had been driven into my heart and it was being twisted. I knew there was a reason why I couldn’t sleep. I was having bad feelings and I just knew.
Someone killed my parents. Someone attacked and killed the king and queen of Eldrador and this meant war.
“But you must get ready princess,” Maric said urgently “you have a lot of preparation to do. You need to be assigned as queen before the day breaks tomorrow.”
I nodded gently and they paved way for me and my maids to enter my room. My heart was hurting but I didn’t have the luxury to grieve and cry my pains out, because I had a responsibility to my kingdom and I needed to be strong for that.
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Chapter 36
As I reached my remmed my maids started to pull my dress off, the bells still ringing loudly from the entire kingdom. my mind traveled to what might have happened to my parents that ship in the middle of the ocean. I tried to picture their lifeless bodies sinking deep under the ocean. But I cannot ery.
In Eldrador kingdom, it was a tradition that whenever a ruler died, an heir was to be crowned immediately after his
passing. This was said to be highly important so as to maintain tower and strength throughout the kingdom. A kingdom
without a ruler was a weak space waiting to be overtaken by her enemies. They say a moment without a ruler was bad luck to that kingdom.
Today, I was wearing a different kind of dress, not the usual dresses that I used to wear as a princess. I’m dressed in a beautiful long satin dress with hands long enough to flow on the floor next to the rest of my flowing gown ends. But I was given the royal golden belt around my waist today, which symbolizes leadership. Then I was escorted out of my room and towards the palace room.
As we walked along the open verandas, circling the royal house to reach it, my eyes kept moving towards the darknened mountains from afar. Lightening was wavering in the distance as it prepared to rain. The darkness was supposed to be calming and suiting, but everything about it seemed sad and depressing.
The walk through the palace compound to the main palace was long and by the time they reached the doors to the palace room, my legs were tired and weak. But I have to
I tried to take a quick second to think about what i
move on.
about to face as the doors gently pulled open.
I was about to walk into a room filled with older men who would dictate my future to me, who would sit a crown on my head and tell me what to do. I knew my life was going to change from this day onward.
As a child, I only remember coming here a few times. I never liked being in the company of all the older men even when they always gave me all the attention and respect. I liked to come around the throne room when my father was alone with one or two of his chief men.
But as I grew older, I found myself distancing myself from the throne room. I never liked being around it or having to know what was going on. The royal politics never interested me. I preferred being with my mother and the rest of the maids doing girly things. Other than that I always looked forward to going to the mountain far behind Eldrador. Because there I get to try new things without an extra care from my teachers because I’m a princess. In Eldrador, I wasn’t the only princess or daughter of a noble. And I get to be with my friends and pretend to be a normal girl for once. And I get to see someone
too.
When my mother got pregnant and her stomach became visible enough, the royal physician told us she was going to have a son, an heir to the throne.
I was happy because I would be having a little brother. And most importantly I was happy because I wouldn’t have to take the burden of being a queen some day.
But as I stood in front of the throne room and watched the door slowly pull open, I couldn’t help the strange feeling inside of me.
It was like my biggest fear was coming to reality and I never prepared for it. My parents were dead and I’m about to sit on that throne and pretend like there was nothing wrong and that I was strong and ready for this responsibility.
Everything stopped for a second as the doors opened to a room full of council men, the same people I have never sat down with to discuss any royal matters with.
I was only eighteen years old, how could I be a Queen? How could I shoulder all of this responsibilities? How could I not be allowed to grieve the deaths of my parents?
