Queen of Exile

The Beginning

**Based on a true story:)**

If anyone told me I would be known throughout the kingdom someday, I would tell them they were crazy. Well, here's my story:

I tugged on the rope pulling up the water filled bucket from the well. I remembered watching my mother do this when I was young. I had wondered then how the water filled up in the bucket, if little people were down there filling it up or, I don't know what. But now she was dead, both of my parents were. I had barely known them, because it happened when I was very young. Out of the darkness I saw the bucket come up with refreshing water. My mouth watered at the sight, I licked my dry lips, but I knew I couldn't drink, the man of the house always drank first. I poured a stream into a pitcher and carried it inside my small household.

"Hello Esther! Thank you, now would you go get the eggs? I need to go into town to get more sugar, so you can sell them with me."

"Of course Mordecai."

Mordecai is my cousin and took me in like a father after my parents died. I love him like a father and he loves me like a daughter. I walked straight back out the door. I knew he wasn't really asking, because I didn't have a choice! Women always obeyed their husbands and fathers. We would be greatly punished if we said 'no'. The day before I had heard a rumour that Queen Vashti said 'no' to the King when he summoned her. Like I said, it was illegal to disobey your husbands, but the King? You would be hanged for even the littlest offence, so I wondered what happened to her, probably something not good. I picked up the eggs carefully, as to not
disturb the hens, but also so I wouldn't break them. My mother had shown me how to do this as well.

In case you are woundering, I'm a Jew. I have never seen my homeland, my people were exiled here in Persia when Juda was captured. Some of us were sent back home to rebuild the temple of our God, but we stayed back. Mordecai wasn't good for manual labor so he wouldn't of done much there.

I met Mordecai at the door and we started walking down the long road toward town.