The Tragedy of Ashonee

 The tragic prequel to: Slave Princess.

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Ashonee was a young woman when she was taken from her home in Veshia and sold into slavery in the kingdom of Lanka. Barely out of girlhood, Ashonee was afraid to be surrounded by the people she had grown up thinking of as her enemy.

"They hate you, you and everyone like you." Ashonee could clearly remember her mother’s words when she was a small child, before she’d been taken from her home. "They are evil, monstrous people. They will kill you if they ever get their hands on you."

Ashonee remembered her mother's advice upon being captured, and knowing she’d be killed if any of the Lankanese people found out about her birthplace, she kept her nationality a secret.

When Ashonee was first purchased she vowed to hate her owner. But her hatred and fear soon dissipated when the noble woman who brought her home turned out to be a sweet and gentle woman named Nanya.

Ashonee spent several years with the Nanya and was soon treated more like a daughter than a slave. Sadly, shortly before Ashonee’s twentieth birthday, Nanya passed on and left Ashonee to her eldest son. Ashonee and Haben had been on friendly terms before his mother fell ill. While tending to her, the two grew close, and upon Nanya's death the pair grew closer still. Drawing comfort in one another during their time of grief, they fell deeply in love.

It was on Ashonee’s twentieth birthday that Haben asked her to be his bride. 

Ashonee rejoiced, for she loved Haben as much as she had loved his mother. Her love for the mother and son finally made Ashonee realize that not all Lankanese people were her enemy. With this belief and love in her heart, it was on her wedding night that Ashonee shared with her one true love her greatest secret: she was Veshian.

So horrified by the news, Haben he had their marriage annulled and promptly reported Ashonee to his king. He portrayed Ashonee as a traitorous spy sent to get close to him and his mother. Ashonee was immediately arrested and thrown in the palace dungeon as punishment for her supposed crimes.

Ashonee wept and grieved for her lost love right up until her sentence was announced after a mockery of a trial. She was to be put to death for her treachery. 

From that moment on Ashonee cursed Haben’s name and the entirety of his kingdom. She had nothing left to loose and she refused to waste any more of her time and tears on a man who she was convinced had never loved her.

Shortly before her sentence was to be carried out, Haben sought out his former bride one final time. Seeing her locked away in the dark and damp cell caused Haben’s stomach to clench. Gazing upon her pale face and into her lackluster eyes, Haben’s heart broke. It was then that he realized that he was still in love with Ashonee despite the secret of her nationality.

 Haben begged her to forgive him.

Ashonee refused.

Still, Haben went to his king and recanted all of his accusations against Ashonee.

The next morning Ashonee was brought forth in chains for all of Lanka to see. When the king asked her if she was guilty or innocent of the crimes she’d been accused, Ashonee stood before him and his entire kingdom with her shoulders back and her chin lifted high in the air. She declared her self to a true Veshian and snarled that she would never owe loyalty to Lanka or any Lankanese man. She boasted of the hatred she had for them and their kingdom, and most importantly, announced that everything said about her was true and that she’d never loved Haben or his mother.

What she claimed was, in truth, a lie.

Knowing this, Haben desperately tried to convince Ashonee to change her mind and recant her statement. However, Ashonee was too proud and angry to take back what she said. So hurt had she been by his betrayal of her deepest secret that she refused to speak to him again. She turned him away and cast him out of her thoughts, refusing to think of him any longer.

Ashonee was executed at dawn the day after she met with the king.

Haben claimed her body and had her buried beside his mother. It was an honor she would have been afforded has she remained his wife. Haben then dug a grave beside his beloved Ashonee and buried a blade in his aching heart. He fell into the empty hole he’d created and his faithful manservant buried him. The devoted servant then planted daffodils in the fresh dirt over both fresh graves.

Daffodils had been Ashonee’s favorite. She had loved them so much that she hated to pick the bright yellow flowers. Instead, she preferred to admire them while they were growing healthily in the ground.

For years after the death of Ashonee and Haben the tale of their love, her secret, his betrayal, her pride, and finally both of their deaths circulated until the tragedy was known throughout the entire kingdom of Lanka.

The name Ashonee became a symbol of courage and keeping the secrets of those you loved.

The name Haben represented the breaking of trust as well as cruelty and the ability to hurt those you love the most.

And daffodils were henceforth known as the flower of unfulfilled love and broken hearts.

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To find out more about the two lovers read: Slave Princess.