The Mad Queen, Hint It's My Mom

Chapter 2: Michael?

"What happened to my mother, Abdul?" Asked the now King of Bapule who was named Michael.
Abdul sighed hoping this day would never come, "She went mad, the years of power hindered her ability to keep a sane mind." He explained softly, "Tell me about her." He asked with longing in his voice, and that was when Abdul realized even though Michael was legally able to become king without a regent, he was still a boy deep down. A boy who longed for a mother whom he never really knew.
"Well back in her youth she had-"
~
An apprenticeship with a blacksmith. She spent long hours in the forge, sun-up to sunset.
She spent so much time there, that you could tell she was an apprentice of the blacksmith by the smog that littered her hands and face. Some even say it littered her lungs, and that's why she coughed so much despite rarely being sick.
"Michael!" Yelled the blacksmith as 'Michael' looked out at the other children played around the village. "Coming, Sir!" He yelled back, as rushed inside the blacksmith's workspace. He could feel the dread fill inside him as another day work laid ahead of him. He had finally been allowed to work metal, but the harsh reality of his world, he could never fully acknowledge. "Michael just sweep up and watch the shop while I'm gone!" Yelled his Mentor, and he nodded in response. It got busy when the soilders came back from the glory of battle, luckily 'Michael' was too young for that only turning 12 in the next season yet to come. One solider that had come in too get his sword mended began to tell Michael all the glories of his battle against the Nianame people. "They are truly savage men, Michael. I hope you never come into contact with those of the Isle either, they are even worse than the men we fought these past few months I've heard." Spoke the solider, whom Michael would come to know Henry Talyor. "Truly? Are they all savages there?" He asked as he looked at the heavily damaged sword. "Yes they are, all they seek is bloodlust." He explained to the very impressionable 11 year old. "Wicked." He whispered in response, although many of the soilders shivered at the mention of the war and of these 'savages' all Michael could wonder how much they differed from himself, he wondered if they treated their women well, and allowed them to work when necessary, he wondered if they got educations like the rich of Michael's homeland. "Don't worry solider, you'll join us soon." Hinted Henry Talyor to which Michael looked confused, "I'm only 11, though." He spoke with confusion , which caused him to direct his full attention to the very tall solider, who wore a very terrible beard. "I hear their dropping the draft to 12 years old. Aren't you about to come up on your 12th birthday, Michael?" He asked the blacksmith's apprentice who now looked utterly traumatized, "They can't." He spoke with some confidence but it was wavering as they talked further. "Ohh but they can, just hope they don't drop it 11 and take you away right now." The older solider who had premature grey hair spoke. "I'll never leave Taza." Swore Michael mostly to himself, but it caused all the soliders to laugh.
|"-so mom was a boy, who was named Michael as well?" To which Abdul laughed, "Of course not! She merely took on the likeness of her brother and his mannerisms to survive, here I'll explain it like this-"|
At the ripe age of 8 a young girl lived in her large peasant family, they were farmers. Then there was a fire, everybody else, the house, the fields, everything burnt to a crisp. She survived but was burnt, she had her hair was burnt off and her skin was very tender afterwards. When she was taking by another family who lived near by to the healer, they confused her at first for her brother, Michael. To which she agreed to be, she claimed to be Michael to be able to work and live with these people. Because even at 8 she knew being a girl was no financial victory. So she pretended to be Michael Bishop, the boy who was her brother.