A Forgotten Legend: Anaivere the First

Part One: The Childhood

In the year of 1184, the reign of good King Henry, was a peaceful period. Nottinghamshire, became the county of stunning and majestic castles, among high taxes and greedy nobilities. A young daughter of the king, the Countess of Brittany, Princess Anne, bore a child in the early morning of 25 May 1184. She was christened at the chapel inside Nottingham castle by the Bishop of Nottingham, with the appearance of King Henry and Count of Brittany, by the title of Marchioness of Normandy, Princess Anaivere of England. Henceforth, the little princess had lived an indeed royally childhood, inside the stone walls of Nottingham castle.

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February 1190,... Nottingham market...

"This is the last time, brat! Don't ye dare picking any apple on my stall!"

A little girl of eleven or twelve, standing before an angry greengrocer who was holding her right hand, quivering and as pale as grave. She had stolen an apple on the greengrocer's stall and had been caught. She was starving, her brother was in prison as he had hunted the King's deers to feed his family. She had no choice, nowhere and no one accepted her for an assistant, hence she had to steal for food. The Countess Anne, mother of the little princess Anaivere, passed through at that moment and see the poor child was shivering in front of a big and scary man.

"What is the matter going on here?", asked the countess.

"This brat steal an apple on my stall, Your Ladyship", replied the man. The child was about to cry when she saw a noblewoman came, but the countess showed a gesture of care toward her.

"How much does an apple cost?", asked the countess. The greengrocer let the child's hand away then he replied: "Twopence, Your Ladyship"

The countess took two sixpence coins out of the pocket which was in her gown sleeve. "I will pay thee six apples, including which this girl stole", said the countess.

The greengrocer received the coins and happily gave the countess a basket which had six apples inside. "One apple I spared for Your Ladyship", said he.

The child, who was still scare of the greengrocer, looked at the countess nervously. "Come with me", said the countess. The girl followed her.

"Wouldst thou like to be my daughter's friend, a lady-in-waiting? I will care for thy family and thou doest not have to steal for food", suggested the countess. The girl at first confused, later she nodded.

"Show me thy family, I will talk to them", said the countess.

The girl led the countess to a cottage located by the edge of Sherwood Forest, where a peasant woman were cuddling an infant wrapped in a piece of fabric just like a tablecloth. "Mom", yelled the girl, "I'm going to leave"

"Leaving?", surprised the woman, "Where are you leaving?"

"With this lady, Mom", the girl showed her mother the countess. The woman gasped in nerve.

"Doest thou not need to worry, I would like to hire thy daughter as a servant in the castle", said the countess.

"O, please, my children, although we are starving, I will not let my children become servants", said the woman nervously.

"I will pay thee four gold coins a month, for your daughter to be my daughter's nanny", replied the countess.

After a while of thinking, the girl said: "I will, Your Ladyship, I will to help my family". The countess smiled, "That is better, what is thy name?"

"The name is Sylvia Walther, Your Ladyship", said the girl.

"What a beautiful name. Doest thou vow thy loyalty unto me and mine royal family?", said the countess.

"I do", replied the girl.

The countess smiled, took out four gold coins and gave to the peasant woman. "Now I will make thy daughter a noblewoman"

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May 1190,... Nottingham castle...

"I beg you, Your Highness, you have to change into Sunday gown, or Her Ladyship willst punish me!"

"Why I have to wear that black Sunday gown?"

"Because you have to go to the church"

"But I want to practise archery!"

Sylvia, holding a church dress, tried to convince the little princess to wear. That was two month since she moved into the castle and be the little princess' lady-in-waiting. She was given fine gowns to wear instead of the former filthy rags, given fine food to eat instead for stealing along with four sovereign gold coins a month sent for her family and the only trouble was the curious little princess who always want to go outside beside the castle and the church. The little princess had odd hobbies: she enjoyed horse-riding and archery.

Alas, the little princess was worn the church dress, a white veil on her hair with a golden diadem made for special occasions, went to the Nottingham Cathedral with her parents, and her lady-in-waiting. After the mass, the little princess wandered around the Nottingham Abbey and met some sisters were as young as her. One of them betted a sister to befriend with the little princess for extra soup at brunch. Then, that sister slowly approached the princess, with a circlet of fragrant moringa flowers on her hands. The little princess saw her first, then smiled and warmly greeted: "Good morning!"

"A good morning, little princess", replied the sister while shivering down spine. Then she showed the princess her flower circlet.

"It is fragrant", said the princess while happily received the gift, "and as pure as thou art. I thank thee"

"Am I... impolite to you?", ask the little sister, nervously. "You seem didn't mind at all, little princess..."

"I do not fancy rules about being polite or impolite. Even whether thou callst me by name, it doth not matter. They who standing there seem are waiting for thee", said the little princess.

The little sister stopped sweating nervously, started seeing the princess as her friend, not a granddaughter of the king. It seemed that the princess also saw that little sister equal to herself, not an apprentice nun or a peasant girl. Although, the little sister was still drenching in sweat.

"Would you mind if I know thy name?", smiled the little princess.

"Ah... I... I am Maiseline, Maiseline Kertineur", replied the little sister.

"Anaivere, Princess of England, Marchioness of Normandy. And cut off the title, I refer myself as Anaivere", said the little princess.

"May I call you... Princess Anaivere? I do not want to get any trouble from other aristocrats and royalties just to call a princess by her name", asked the little sister while still shivering down spine.

"Refer me as what thou want", smiled the little princess and turned away.

The Count's family left the chapel, and that little sister won the bet of her friends. Years later, when Maiseline became abbess of the abbey, she still acted as a friend of the princess from childhood. Anyway, the princess didn't mind about what people called her, nor her heritage of being the successor to the throne.