The Chosen Star

Chapter Eight

Jasmine was surprised to hear that, but she didn't interrupt King William.

He took a deep breath, then confessed, "After I was taken away, I met Eleanor. She was to be my wife since I was in an arranged marriage. But she also happened to be best friends with Zuri and could travel to wherever she wanted. And Zuri happened to be a day's travel away from me, so I couldn't sneak away to see her secretly."

"So whenever she got the chance, I asked Eleanor to give Zuri letters I wrote to her to let her know that I was doing alright. And Eleanor gave me your mother's letters in return, letting me know that she was alright."

The king's eyes shifted away from Jasmine as he took a brief pause before beginning to speak again.

"After spending a bit more time together, Eleanor and I fell in love. And she admired the sibling relationship I had with your mother. From there, she was determined to have Zuri and I reunite while my parents were still king and queen. Shortly after I got married at 18, Eleanor found out she was three weeks along with Seren."

"Zuri was already married to your father by then. Three years later, she got pregnant with you. I couldn't go visit; otherwise, my parents would know and punish Zuri for no reason. So I kept writing the letters, and so did she."

"After Seren was born, I found out from Eleanor after she visited your mother that you were a delayed baby, so you weren't going to be born for a little while. And that's when I got the idea to make a gender-colored hooded cape for Zuri in honor of having a child."

"Zuri forgot to mention what gender you were in one of her letters, but Eleanor knew and told me that you were a girl, so I made the cape a special shade of pink. I was proud of myself because I didn't have to pay anyone to help me make it or pay someone to make it at all. I was very good at sewing since your mother taught me, and I'm grateful that she did."

The king smiled as he finished, "And when you were born, your mother illustrated a drawing of you. You were the brightest baby I've ever seen in my whole life, aside from my two children."

Jasmine giggled at that last part, then thanked the king for telling her how her mother got the cape.

She was also surprised that he made it.

The king had sewing skills; it was obvious that her mother taught him since she also sewed.

"Now observing it a little more," she thought, "their styles of sewing are strikingly similar."

He digs into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, then hands it to Jasmine.

She narrowed her eyes carefully in a way that didn't offend the king as she took it.

She unfolds it, and her eyes widen in surprise.

It was a drawn portrait of herself when she was an infant.

It was instantly recognized since her mother left her only two portraits of herself as an infant when she was six years old.

Now, at 19 years old, she's staring at one of those portraits that she hasn't seen in 13 years.

The king smiled at Jasmine's reaction to her own baby picture.

"My parents were still king and queen, so I still couldn't see your mother. However, I drew a sketch of my son, Seren, when he was an infant as well. Eleanor gave the portrait to Zuri when she visited her, and I got one of you," the king said.

"This is the one your mother gave me."

Jasmine hugged the picture for a moment before giving it back to King William.