A Lost Memory: Alitheia

Episode 13: Part 5-7 [Before; Chesa, Mandisa & Kacey]

Philippines (Chesa)

A grand study hall echoes pleas for mercy.

"Please, she's your daughter you can't do this!"

"Silence! She is no daughter of mine, and as such since you refuse to lay with me, that illegitimate child will, "

"Okay, okay I will do as you wish, please just leave her be"

Their voices turned to whispers and then silence, behind her bedroom door.

"Chesa," Her mother whines struggling to open the door.

"Unlock the door, darling" soft hiccups.

"I'm sorry, my sweet child that I birthed you into this world to suf-" kneeling down against the door.

"No, Mama you did not" Chesa's head thumps against the wood which creates a barrier between them.

"You did not," she mumbles softly.

Her mother lingers, before retreating.

"Chesa," A stern voice rings clear, halting her from returning to bed.

"Servant Guard Venancio you should not be here," she hears the clacking of metal against the wood above her.

"Never mind that, are you alright?"

"Uh- ye- yes I am alright"

"That's good,"

"Sleep well" he concludes.

Chesa waits upon the noise of his armor fading out, before finalizing her decision.

She takes the prepared rope of blankets, her backpack filled with coins, clothes and tosses them outside her window.

Her room was on the highest floor of the palace and occurrences such as the one prior were not uncommon, which aided in her decision. She climbs out the large window with her makeshift rope. She flees in the middle of the night to an open field before her.

Chesa thinks about how her life had been become a mess after rumors of the Crown Prince not being her biological father. Rumors that she had soon come to realize were true.

She liked that her father was not the Crown Prince because through all the years of her living in the palace he had not shown her any form of love or caring. She felt it odd that a servant guard had chosen to love her despite the confusion.

After much wandering around she finds a willow tree and decided to rest underneath it though battled to fall asleep due to the villagers banging on pots and pans. This reminded her of a story her friend from New England, Eliza had told her about.

Chesa had not been one to go out and play with the village children around the Palace. She felt comfortable with her own company but one day a young maiden visited her then father at the palace.

She had told her about the legend of Bakunawa and how this moon eating dragon came to be. In order to ward off this serpent one must make a loud noise to disturb it or play soft music to put it to rest. Her eyes became heavy and she fell asleep to the sound of Baroque music playing.

The next morning, Chesa is woken up the bustling of a nearby village with various markets and hollering about. She made her way down the lane in hopes of finding transportation, her destination, New England.

She asked a few sellers if they knew of anyone going to the main city.

"Dear, I overheard you looking for someone to take you to the main city," an elderly woman said while holding onto her shoulder.