Asaíra's part of the middle class in a land where status is all that matters. But love causes her to break all the rules with great consequences. Once her King chooses to use her mistake to his advantage, Umærium has yet to feel the wrath that Asaír...
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The third and last moon was up in the middle of the eggplant coloured sky. They all shone with great light; the moonlight cascading off the leaves of the tall pine trees with a deep purple hue as their tips swayed in the light wind. In the distance, light-blue lights shot down unto obsidian streets from silver street lamps, illuminating humanoid figures that walked up and down the sidewalks every now and then.
A view from an almost isolated tower in the trees, which made one feel close, yet so far from civilisation. My hands dropped to my sides as I stood there, the light wind making its way to my porch and swirled at my bare feet.
I felt a presence behind me. I already knew who it was.
Läera gripped my hand so tight that the blood nearly drained through.
"It is time," she leaned and whispered in my ear. We left the grand patio and slowly walked down the beige marble halls with our long, ivory gowns dragging at our feet. Torches were perched on the walls, creating a dancing mustard glow inside.
"But I don't feel anything," I replied.
She gripped my hand even tighter until we came to the end of the long hall. A large door stood before us and opened with a creak. Inside was a pale blue room with an overlooking balcony; quite similar to the previous one. A cool breeze flew in, lifting the thin, white curtains to form all sorts of odd shapes.
There was a large, white bed near the balcony where two servants stood. They were chatting with each other but stopped altogether once they noticed my presence. Their hair was pulled back into a tight low bun and both wore long turquoise gowns and black gloves.
I took a deep breath, anticipating what was going to happen next. This is it, I thought. I was thrilled but terrified at the same time. This was a big step for me in my life, and I wanted the events that followed after to be perfect. Life was going to be perfect.
On the other side of the room was a large light brown sofa. A medium-sized glass table stood before it, and on top was neatly stacked with several types of fruits and pastries. I looked at Läera questioningly.
"Your mother wanted you to be comfortable," she explained, her deep hyacinth eyes trained on me. She gently placed her hand on the huge bump of my stomach. Her lips stretched into a smile. "None of us expected this," she laughed. "But it's truly a blessing, for the whole of Umærium."
I smiled in return but was a bit baffled. I didn't ponder on it though. My womb was never strong enough to nurse a child. Reaching this far in my pregnancy was truly something I never thought would happen. This was why my parents had gone through such lengths to ensure everything went smoothly. However, it was strange that they weren't present to witness the birth itself.
The one saddening fact that lingered with me from the start was that Dekel wouldn't be there to see his child. And he never would, because he was dead. And it was my fault. I knew getting intimate with him would have put him at risk, but I succumbed to my own selfish desires.
Läera sensed my discomfort.
"Hey. Don't worry about him." I lifted my eyes to her. "You'll be a great mom." I forced a smile, nodded and she bought it. "I'll be right back."
Läera and I were great friends but I sometimes wished she couldn't decipher my emotions so easily. There were still some things I wished she hadn't known, given that I wasn't much of an open person.
She left the room, and I was alone with the two servants who still stood at the foot of the bed. I sighed and walked to the sofa, and carefully bent to sit. The plush cushions were comforting. Then I began to reminisce.
It all began at a classic ball my family hosted, in honour of Prince Orion's return. My parents had close ties with the royal family of Umærium; they even tried to arrange a marriage for him and me, but that didn't pan out great.
Any umærian girl would have killed for that opportunity! You're so ungrateful! My parents spat. I couldn't help but feel guilty, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The guilt followed me everywhere I went until I met Dekel.
Dekel had coal-black eyes to match his dark coloured hair, and that made him unimportant. Umærians were classed by their eye colour, and we only had three types. The first-class title belonged to those with rich scarlet eyes. It was a rare gene among our people, so they deemed them sacred. They were called the Royauz.
The second class was those with violet eyes; that included me. They called us Milleuz. We were kind of in-between with some variations. Some of us had close ties with the Royauz or inner family wealth, while others weren't so lucky, but still had an important role to play in society.
The final class was those with eyes as dark as our skies when none of the three moons rose. They were deemed the scums or Paurz of Umærium, and did the jobs that no one wanted to do. Personally, I think the rest of society were frightened by how intimidating they naturally seemed. The people believed to eliminate a living threat would help keep it from gaining the benefits the Royauz owned. I found it unfair since the Paurz never asked to be like this, but no one in this world dared to speak out in disagreement with the laws the Royauz had put in place.
So I, a Milleuz, being intimate with a Paurz, Dekel, looked bad for the family... according to my parents. My mother immediately forced us to break it off once she found out about it. It was my father who had pity and after hours of my begging, he had permitted me to have a proper farewell with Dekel. Although I wasn't even allowed to touch him for the time.
And a few days later, Dekel was found in one of the mine tunnels, hanging from a rope, like he'd committed suicide. I felt as if all my insides were being pried out from me that day. All the servants were ordered to stay at my side, in case I decided to join him. I really wanted to.
Läera and Prince Orion stayed with me for days after that, and as time passed, I came to the realisation that I was carrying his child. How did I know it was his? He was the only one I ever gave myself to. That's how. I was ecstatic that I was still able to carry a little memory of him for me to raise as my own. I didn't think my parents would have allowed it, but they were too excited that I was expecting a baby after the doctors deemed me barren. And now, here I was.
I picked up a piece of food from one of the platters. I released a shaky breath and placed it in my mouth, savouring the taste.
I can do this, I reiterated to myself. I took slow breaths to calm myself. I suddenly felt excruciating pain in my belly, causing me to cry out. The two servants immediately rushed to my side. The pain stopped abruptly, and I paused to catch my breath.
"What the hell was that?" I asked myself. One of the servants responded.
"Your contractions are starting miss." My brows furrowed as I lifted my head to get a better look at her.
"My what?" Another jolt of pain thrashed through my body once more; this time, stronger than the first one. I cried out once more, only louder. This time, Läera rushed in, followed by my mom, and Prince Orion on her heels. Läera's wild eyes locked with the servants. They nodded and she swallowed.
"It's time."
***
And that was Chapter One. Thank you guys immensely for taking the time to read this. Please consider commenting and voting. It'd be deeply appreciated. Enlighten me on your opinions.
