Dandelions

Chapter 0.5

Mara's POV

"Who is there? Who?" I exert all my forces to push open the large wooden door with no knob I always wanted to explore through. "Can you hear me?" I shout expecting any sort of a noise from the other side. But for my amazement all what I hear is nothing, even the noise that bought me here has turned to a dead silent.

"Princess, oh my princess" Hearing her voice gives a tickle in my belly. "Why did you come here?" I rearrange my posture seeing her shuffling through the stairs, her large black robe sweeping them. "forgotten your promise?" I shrug as she throws a dirty look which doesn't suit a kind lady like her at all.

"Hab...I.."

"Have I not asked you to come here? Come soon" she caps my wrist with her gentle fingers. "How long have you been here?"

"Not more than a minute Habeeba" I say lifting my long velvet gown an inch up so that my feet will cooperate the fast movements of Habeeba who almost runs through the stairs, my hands still locked in hers. "I'm sorry, I believe that I heard a noise, probably as someone walking"

"Your ears might have tricked you princess. Leave it! Today I have brought you fish, let me cook it soon for you" Habeeba, the mother who didn't give birth to me ever since I know adds locking the door that leads to the stair case.

"I'm not hungry" I lie.

"Princess, don't show your anger on your tummy. If I say something, then that would be for your own goodness, don't you trust me my dear?" she asks pulling her robe that covers her long ivory gown. "I admit your curiosity and your thirst of adventure, but certain things would be good only until we leave it unnoticed"

"Do you believe in black magic? Do you believe what you said other believe?" I throw myself on the bed disappointedly.

"This is not on what I believe and what I don't, but this is how I was commanded and I do follow that. That's all" she adds gently brushing my silky hair. "Now you look so much like the queen, your ummi" she adds as her words push two drops of tears out of my eyes.

Asma's POV

"This is unfair ummi" I say loudly ignoring the weird looks those fall on me.

"Shhh..Asma" my ummi, gestures from her eyes as she places the silver coins in the hands of the well-built guard. "How long I should pay this tax?" she asks in a low voice.

"The queen has the power to decide it"

"Please show mercy on this old lady, I struggle to collect these" my ummi's words make me to blame our own fates.

"You should have thought of it before you go beyond the words of the queen" he adds slipping the coins to a large leather pouch. "And your daughter has fuelled her anger by calling the public to act against the queen" I frown as he throws a dirty look on me.

"But I.."

"Asma..go in"

"Ummi but it's our right to learn, why should we pay ransom for.."

"As.." before she finishes her words we exchange a look seeing another royal guard marches forward to mutter something in the ears of the first one.

"The queen has ordered to cut off the tax you pay for her" the first guard adds a second later slipping hands back to his large leather pouch. "here take back your money"

"The queen has given this letter to your daughter as well" the second one throws a letter to my trembling hands. I can see some fears replacing the happiness I saw not a second ago in the eyes of my ummi. Isn't it something strange for a slave girl to receive a letter from a heartless queen? I untie the thread of the rolled letter to read what kind of a shock is waiting for me.

***

Hi dear all,

Sorry for keeping my first chapter too short. But i promise that the next chapter is long and more interesting as well. don't miss it. kindly vote and comment.

Thank you!