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The Story of Leila II
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2024-10-29 19:42:56It had been raining non stop since the king found out about her pregnancy. Leila was in despair, stroking her flat stomach.
“It would be good if I didn’t have to bring you into the world,” she whispered softly.
“You shouldn’t speak like that!” admonished a booming voice from the doorway. Leila swiftly looked up to see her torturer. He wore a grand fur cape with gold chains and broaches. “This child is a gift, you should be thankful you are able to serve your king in such a way.” Leila didn’t respond, only looking through the window at the downpour outside. The king, angered by being ignored by this woman, gripped her chin with his hand. He put some pressure just so he could hurt her. “Listen to me when I talk to you!” he roared.
Her vacant
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Leila couldn’t tell how long she had been walking, all she knew was that she had been walking for a long time. Her bare feet ached and were caked with mud, and her loose nightgown was torn at the edges. The sheet she had wrapped around her body was dragged through the dirt road, and smelled of animal feces and grass. Occasionally a carriage would pass by, and Leila would hide behind the nearest cover, be it a tree or a rock. The road was on the open, dead grass, and it was quite hard to hide all the time, so she covered her face with the disgusting sheet, despite its horrendous odor.It took the entire night for Leila to walk the twelve mile journey to the guard’s hometown. No doubt it would have been a shorter trip, if not for Leila’s fugitive status and the fact that she was heavily pregnant.When the sun rose over the horizon, L
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Leila’s unexpected return was a surprise to her parents but also a celebration. But when they saw the pouch on her back with the small child with Vasil-like features, her mother could only speculate.Leila’s father was still bed-ridden and terribly ill. After all, he had been relying on Leila’s constant payments from her job as a maid in the palace being sent to the nearest town, where her mother would ride to pick it up. Mysteriously, those payments stopped around ten months ago… and the child was about a month old…No. Leila’s mother was just glad her precious only daughter had returned to their village. She had warned Leila of the outside world. How vicious cruel the reigning Vasils could be. Leila’s mother only hoped her daughter didn’t have to experience that cruelty first hand.
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