Early the next morning, both I and Julianna woke up early. Serena woke up with us but she was still too sleepy to accompany us. We laughed at her as she struggled with waking up. Julianna and I ended up leaving her in the room and we grabbed our sickles and baskets and headed out of the room. Serena liked or loved to sleep and unless it was a biological clock which was around 8am, she would never wake up and would even struggle to wake up at 8 am. That was the type of person she was.Julianna led the way as she walked out of the place, our baskets carried over our backs like medicine attendants as she walked towards the back mountain. Everywhere was still foggy and not clear yet Juliana walked with dexterity and I was quick and sharp to follow her with agility. It was something that had been honed from over time. Julianna and I exchanged one or two words as we walked towards the back mountain.It was an area I had never gone to at all so I tried to look curiously around if I could rec
I hadn’t expected to run into Masoma in the back mountains. I had imagined various times how it was going to be like if we ever ran into each other and especially at the king’s chambers but we never ran into each other and I was already slowly giving up the idea of even running into her. I had imagined and thought of the things I would say to her if she ever spoke to me but when I saw her, all those words had evaporated.I had planned to ignore her but I just couldn’t. A part of me still hated how foolishly I had accepted her friendship, I had liked her and yet it was all facade. It was all a lie.While Julianna had gone back to sleep, I had gotten to work, using a small part of the room that we had created the day before arranging the plants, herbs and barks in containers. Using the medicine books, I stored them in a way that would retain their use. I had to soak some in water immediately, had to store some in jars, had to spread some of them to air dry them and soon the smell in the
Tending to my herbs and plants became my all time favourite. Making pastes and concoctions to try out new things and sometimes forcing down my throat was both exciting and interesting but I got lucky every time and whether I had to spit it out or not, I never had the opportunity to be affected by the things I was making. Sometimes if the pastes and conctions didn’t look bitter or scary, Serena and Julianna didn’t mind helping me try them to see the different reactions it would give everyone.And after so many trails; I had successfully made a paste that stopped bleeding, I had sliced my arm with a knife to prove that point and the paste, thick and with a rather nude smell had stopped the bleeding and not only that, my skin had scalded over the wound in a few things so easier. The paste would be effective for soldiers in minor injuries, I couldn’t say if it would be effective if tried on deep wounds but I knew that it would at least do something but my discoveries and inventions were m
I didn’t run to my room, I knew that Serena would be there and that I would have to explain what happened to her and I honestly wasn’t ready to explain anything to anyone about what was wrong with me. I didn’t even know if I would be able to get the words out. Would they even understand? Before I even opened my mouth, wouldn’t I be looked at like I was crazy and that would be very valid, to look at me like I was crazy. I was very stupid and every single thing seemed to be reminding me of that. I found an empty abandoned room and hid in a corner, holding my face and hiding my mouth in my stomach as I sobbed, the tears wouldn’t stop, neither did the hurt and pain I felt from my chest.The mere thought of it brought a lot of ache to my stomach. I couldn’t believe that while I was enjoying the thoughts of his care and thinking that he definitely felt something for me, definitely or maybe liked me, he was there telling everyone else that I was a slave and I was leverage for his people.
Avoidance.That was the path I took in dealing with the situation. I couldn’t sort out my feelings even after sleeping and I couldn’t face Jonathan either so I avoided him perfectly. I waited till I was sure he was out of the room before cleaning, I made sure that I was gone before he even thought or imagined that I was in the room. I stopped cleaning the store room for now since I didn’t want to overhear something else.The room had successfully left a shadow on me and I was just generally tired. Cleaning the store room meant that I was allowing myself to run into Jonathan and I certainly didn’t want to see him. I was avoiding him. I couldn't pretend that everything was fine when I saw him.And so I spent my time n the medicine room he had found someone to give me. At first, I was too hurt to use it, I didn’t want to use it but I didn’t have a reason not to. It was easier to work in and I could make whatever sort of mess in there. It gave me ease and made me calm down. Working with t
I didn’t know how long I struggled against Jonathan but at a point, I just stopped, allowing tears to run down my cheeks in torrent. I was sad. I was hurt. I was in pain and my heart ached badly. Even worse now that I was in his arms.The familiar comfort cloaked over me as he hugged me tighter. I didn’t hug him back and I just stood in his arms, allowing him to hug me. His head pressed tightly to head and I sobbed slowly.“Do you hate me so much, your highness, that you wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice me for your people?” I asked slowly and that made Jonathan slowly let me go. He stepped back as he stared into my eyes and swallowed.“No, no, Princess, you’ve got it all wrong” He replied softly. It was the softest voice ever. I had never heard Jonathan use this voice with anyone ever.“I don’t hate you” he replied as he met my eyes and I froze.“I promise you, I don’t hate you” he repeated again pausing a bit, “I can’t” he added quietly but I heard him clearly and I chuckled.“Of cours
The way the truth co-exists was such a weird way. Just because you don’t agree with it doesn't make it any less of the truth and that was the case scenario in my case. I didn’t know how long I stayed in Jonathan's arms that day. How long he held me because he didn’t have an answer to my question, and because even I didn’t know if I was ever going to leave. It was an unforgettable ache in my heart and there was nothing I could do about it.Juniper sighed softly as he rubbed my arm, "You look terrible Ami” he said softly and I chuckled.“You can't blame me” I replied and he nodded his head rubbing my back.“Nobody is blaming you. I don’t dare” he replied and I turned to him with a small chuckle.“I’m tired Juniper, really tired” I replied and Juniper’s eyes softened.“I don’t know what to say Ami, I’m as tired as you but I have to be less tired than you so that I can be strong for you” he replied and I chuckled.When I realized that Jonathan couldn’t answer my question that day, I had a
“You look way better” Serena commented as I slowly applied the paste on my wrist and I turned to her chuckling slightly.“Well I guess you look better when applying beauty products” I replied and Serena burst into laughter.“That’s a total lie” she argued and I merely chuckled at her shaking my head.Of course it was an half truth. I never really looked excited to have beauty products all over my face but that wasn’t the case for my mind. She was always excited and she talked about how each product worked and how they were important to keep my skin youthful and glowing. I wasn’t a vampire, I didn’t exactly need to keep my skin youthful but she thought otherwise. I never listened to her but it is obvious that sometimes her excitement and happiness was always inflicted on me.After the conversation with Juniper, I slowly realized that almost all of my decisions had been made with emotion. I hadn’t made any rational decisions. I needed to get my head back on track to make a rational deci
THIRD POVKareem’s hand slowly slid away from the door and he turned to see that the Queen was right, Serena was standing right behind her, based on how she was looking, she had obviously been tricked there as well.“Kareem” she whispered and ehr voice carried so much pain and hurt that it almost made Kareem crumble.Amira’s words echoed in his head and he didn’t know what to do. What happened between the two of them was something that no one had seen coming, it was something that neither of them could control. It had been over four months since he found out Serena's true identity and he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. Not that she deceived him, contrary to what everyone and including her believed he was way past that.He could see clearly that she didn’t look good, her voice was so small, so quiet that he could barely hear it. He knew that his actions had also hurt her and on the spot he regretted it. He had been avoiding her, refused to speak to her or even do anything with
AMIRA’S POV“Is it ready?” I asked and Elora nodded her head.“Ready my queen” she replied and I smiled mischievously.“They have to settle whatever is wrong today” I said and Elora shook her head.“Hopefully it doesn’t backfire” she commented and I snorted.“More than anything what they both need is this. He needs to listen to her, that’s how they get past what happened” I responded.Holding a crying Serena in my arms two days ago that totally broke my heart. I knew she was hurt and I also knew that Kareem was hurt and I also knew that they loved each other. I had caught Kareem throwing a few glances at Serena in the throne room during meetings each time she wasn’t looking so I knew that he didn’t hate or despise her, he was just angry and maybe there was some other emotions for him but that exactly wasn’t my business, the both of them could sort it out themselves.Serena had been a support and pillar for me, while I was a slave, in my earliest days here as a girl who loved and as Jo
THIRD POVSerena closed her eyes as Julianna kept fanning her. She was tired, metally, physically and emotionally. There were a lot of things happening with her but the most important was Kareem’s obstinate decision not to speak to her unless he had no other choice and all of her efforts had proved abortive.She didn’t think that hiding her identity from him would cause something like this and would make him so angry. It wasn’t her choice to keep or hid her identity is secret, It was something that was very important to her, it was for her safety, for the safety of Jonathan so that no one would think she was trying to usurp the throne, she was also trying to protect herself, she just didn’t know that this was what was going to happen. She had thought several times about how she was going to tell him but the time was never right and besuche f what happened to Amira, she had to come out and show her true identity and surprisingly, Amira hadn’t even bothered to hold it against her, it h
I left the Zadok kingdom with the greatest fanfare anyone could leave with. Everyone was both excited and elated to see me go, it was such a beautiful sight and by the time the carriages were rolling out from the gates of the Zadok, I had tears in my eyes and Jonathan merely held my hand tightly and tighter.“You can always come back whenever you want” he said softly and I nodded my head softly. It is very comforting to hear people tell me that I could always come back. It had been a long time since I left home but luckily for me I experienced how it felt for home to be called home. It was a sweet feeling and I loved it but luckily for me, I have more than one place to call home.I used to think that whenever I got married, I wouldn’t cry when leaving Zadok, that my parents wouldn’t cry or even be bothered but I saw my mother’s red eyes as I left, I knew her status was the only reason why she was trying her best to hold her composure and I didn’t blame her, deep down we both knew the
I was now a married woman.The feeling was too much and I just couldn’t help but keep smiling, my smile was about to tear my mouth to the back. The wedding lasted till late in the night where I and Jonathan danced so hard and we retired to our beds in the early hours of the morning. I snuggled into Jonathan’s arms as we slept as husband and wife. It was beyond my imagination, the excitement I was feeling as Jonathan’s wife.By the next morning, we were done packaging and we were about to leave. I walked back to my room to stare at the place I had lived for so many years. I didn’t know how hot it would feel to leave. Of course I knew that Zadok would always be home but leaving in this way made it look as though I wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon and it made me laugh. The Zadok kingdom held a lot of memories for me and I was going to leave those memories behind. Luckily for me, the last few months I had lived in Zadok were full of happy memories and my terrible and worse memories w
I was now a married woman.The feeling was too much and I just couldn’t help but keep smiling, my smile was about to tear my mouth to the back. The wedding lasted till late in the night where I and Jonathan danced so hard and we retired to our beds in the early hours of the morning. I snuggled into Jonathan’s arms as we slept as husband and wife. It was beyond my imagination, the excitement I was feeling as Jonathan’s wife.By the next morning, we were done packaging and we were about to leave. I walked back to my room to stare at the place I had lived for so many years. I didn’t know how hot it would feel to leave. Of course I knew that Zadok would always be home but leaving in this way made it look as though I wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon and it made me laugh. The Zadok kingdom held a lot of memories for me and I was going to leave those memories behind. Luckily for me, the last few months I had lived in Zadok were full of happy memories and my terrible and worse memories w
Weddings.I had always watched weddings take place inside of Zadok, my older cousins and some other family members and it always left a particular type of feeling on me. Back then, I never thought I would find someone of my own, felt foreign, felt like why would I even imagine that I would fall in love but years later, I was covered in the royal wedding regalia, the red veil covering my face as well. My chest was thumping harder than anyone, than everyone but it was from excitement, from happiness that the day has finally come, the day that I and Jonathan become husband and wife.My mother held my hand as we slowly walked the long terrain as my little cousins threw flowers at me and even though a veil was covering my face, I could make out people's expression, the excitement on their faces, they looked as excited as I did, they were happy for me. I could feel my mom’s palm getting sweaty, I didn't know whether she was nervous or too excited.“Mother are you alright?” I asked and my mo
The wedding.It was finally in full swing, the entire palace was busy with my wedding preparations and a huge quarter of the palace had been cleared out for the people of the Berg kingdom who came to the wedding, every other day were for new fittings and for slowly packing me things, after my wedding, I was going to the Berg kingdom to be the new Luna, I was going to be their new queen, a queen they loved, a queen they adored and praised, that was what I was going to be. Because of the wedding preparations, even though Joathan and Serena were present in the palace, I barely saw them, I was shipped off from one room to another, one lesson to another but in truth there was nothing much to learn, I had learnt everything on my own before now, in a baid to prove that I was the better sister, I had done everything within my capability and now it all paid off.I could easily see the look of surprise on my teachers faces each time they spoke about a topic and I answered flawlessly. I could s
It was two weeks after Jonathan proposed to marry me and my mother confirmed if I wanted to marry him and with all of the culture and traditions that she sent her answer to Jonathan that the Zadok kingdom was excited to have them as their in laws. Jonathan had immediately sent over carriages of gifts and bethroral presents that made it the talk of the town, even Imyself was stunned but I knew that was just Jonathan’s way of telling me and everyone just how important I was to him. Our relationship was growing and growing and I couldn’t but bless the moon goddess some times.“Your highness, are you ready?” Elora asked and I stared at my reflection in the mirror again.“You can’t keep his highness waiting, you already look very beautiful” Elora added and I laughed standing up from my vanity table. Jonathan had come visiting, we needed to go through some customs together before marriage and I was so excited to have him at the Zadok kingdom, I couldn't wait to show him everywhere, my garde