QUEEN OF BABYLON - BOOK ONE

3~QUEEN OF BABYLON

Dedicated to my loving sister for her ideas @ileriayoadewumi and my amazing friend for keeping me on check @Beast-Blaze2134 XoXo ♥♥♥

Tired of doing nothing in the room nephrite sneaked out unnoticed. She was already tired of having servants going everywhere with her. She hated being bowed to, she couldn't even brush her hair, a servant does it.

Wandering round the Harlan, she came upon a beautiful cottage. She entered the room. The room had golden and purple ban that was been weaved into embroidery.

Nephrite touched each tapestry embroidery in the room, she noted the skillfulness and richness. Each tapestry had a different story to tell. The one she licked best was the one of a man touching a woman's cheek, in a little cottage, the picture was so enchanting.

She moved closer in and found a woman weaving an embroidery. Nephrite took a closer look at the woman and smile.

"Sybil?"

The woman turned and smile at her,then stood up. "My lady? What are you doing here?" she ask.

Nephrite roll her eyes. "I was getting bored of the palace,so I decided to take a walk. May I sit?" She ask. "Yes please do!" Sybil said making space for nephrite on a stool.

"You shouldn't be here, where are the servant?" Sybil ask resuming the weaving. "Why not? Is it unprincess like?" Nephrite ask. "No,am just surprise. I mean all the other princesses are busy trying to make them selves beautiful." Sybil said watching the young maiden in front of her, she looks like Nebuchadnezzar's mother.

Nephrite gave a small laugh then said,"I am not the other, I am me and I hate wasting my time on irrelevant things, and beside I love weaving."

"You do?" Sybil ask. "Yes, my mother taught me." Nephrite said feeling proud of her talent. Sybil watch the maiden with so much interest. "Then tell me what else you like doing?" She ask.

Nephrite ceased the opportunity to tell the eunuch what she likes doing, how she always hunt with her father,lent the skill of swordsmanship and archery, planting and growing flowers or trees, reading and her favorite playing harp. Sybil listened with so much interest, she is everything like the late Queen Amtrak,Nebuchadnezzar mother. The queen hated having servants at her beck and call, she loved hunting, planting a garden, weaving, playing harp.

"Isn't all that too much for a princess?" Sybil ask after Nephrite finished talking. "Absolutely not! I don't believe in all this princess stuff, what is a princess when she can't do anything?" Nephrite ask. The last thing she will ever do is act like a stupid princess like the ones she has seen in the palace, they walk with their noses in the air not looking sideways, they eat little quantity of food and grow thin, she don't want that. Ever!!!!

Nephrite picked up a tapestry, "Did you weave this?" she asked. It was a tapestry of the kingdom and all its splendour. "No the queen did it!" Sybil said.

"The Queen?"

"Yes, the King's mother. This cottage belongs to her, she weaved almost all the tapestry. She also taught me how to weave too" Sybil said smiling at the painting in nephrite hands.

Nephrite looked at the painting and smile,"Tell me about her" she enquired.

Sybil smile at the sweet memories of her beloved Queen. "Queen Amtrak was the most beautiful in the whole land, she was so beautiful kings from other kingdoms paid homage to her. The king Amherst loved her so much he built this place for her. I was her head servant. She treated me like a sister and fed me off her plates"-she paused-" Queen Amtrak had one thing, she couldn't have a child but because of her kindness,the supreme maker blessed her and gave her a son. He was so much like his mother, the fairest man in all the world, queens were ready to betroth their daughters to him but Queen Amtrak refused. Tragedy came when the queen health started detailing, the whole kind was thrown into gloom. Young Prince suffered more because his only friend and alloy was dying, the king did all he could to save her. Brought healers from far and wide earth but nothing could be done." Sybil sighed.

"One fateful morning, the day was still dark, there was heavy rainfall and sunshine that day. The queen was talking to the Prince and she ask him to summon his father. Before he could even stand up. She died. The whole kingdom wept for months, weeks almost a year. The king couldn't handle the grief he died two years later. The Prince couldn't handle his grief but later overgrew it" she concluded wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"And how come you are still here?" Nephrite ask. If the Queen is dead why is Sybil till working in the palace. "The Queen asked me to take care of her son, help him choose a good wife. I raised the king as my own son. But I didn't do it alone with the help of my husband, Sybille. He is the king personal adviser and head eunuch" Sybil explained. Nephrite nodded,now she understands why Sybil is in charge of the Harlan.

Nephrite sigh, this is one step to knowing the palace and its ways.

"The king is against the idea but I made it my duty to find him a good wife and Queen like my beloved Queen Amtrak" Sybil added with so much determination, nephrite wondered if she don't plan to marry the king herself.

Standing up nephrite yawned, then smiling earnestly she said "it was a deep pleasure to converse with you Sybil, I hope we will be doing it soon" she said. Sybil nodded with a big smile, she genuinely hoped to be seeing the young maiden soon.

"I have to get back now,or else they might announce my absence"-they laughed -" thank you Sybil for being my first friend" Nephrite said bowing down. Sybil smile as she watched the maiden walk out, maybe this is the Queen's way of showing her, her search to find a true queen for her son is not futile. She clutched the necklace inside her pocket and sigh. Maybe nephrite is the destined Queen of Babylon....