Blood Rose

#1

Everyday, I see things. Beautiful things. Birds going from tree to tree, singing songs, never melancholy. I wonder what their destination is, in life. Perhaps they don't have one. Just a carefree life, just flying around, seeing the world. Maybe they haven't seen their death yet, or wondered how it'll come. Maybe that is why they don't have any worries. And if you ask me, that's the best way to live life.

But we can't do that. God gifted us with an amazing brain, the ability to do things any other creation of his can't. But he didn't make us immortal like him. And death, it's the one uncontrollable fate that awaits us all. The second when man learns this, he starts fearing it, because that's the end.

She wasn't royalty by blood, but then the king adopted her. She became Matthias's daughter and whole Cyprus rejoiced because they finally had a princess. Not that the king didn't have children. Queen Kalliope died after giving birth to Oreste, their youngest son. Herakles was the older son and the heir to the throne. Matthias was one of the best Kings Cyprus ever had.

There were no poor, no orphans, no slaves. Matthias loved all his people a lot and they loved him back. He gave all of them work, whoever needed it. It didn't matter if the person was differently abled, someone who migrated from a foreign kingdom or was kicked out because they were too weak to do their job. Under the rule of Matthias, everyone was respected as long as they gave respect.

The king took special care of all the widows, most of whom lost their husbands to war. He brought orphans from all around the town and gave them to widows, or to women who lost their children to war or any calamity. She was an orphan too.

Herakles was 11 when she was adopted. He saw her come in that small boat with the woman who brought her, whom he considered probably her mother. She collapsed on the beach and the king's men who guarded the beach found her. She was bleeding and wounded and soon, before the people could help, she breathed her last. The king was called. She was still in her mother's arms, then the king picked her up. She was covered all in blood wrapped in a white cloth. She wasn't very old, and the king estimated that she was less than one year old, and the day he found her, he announced it her birthday.

He didn't give her away to one of the widows. One of his men said, "Your honour, we don't know who she is." Another man said, "That woman came from a country of war, we know that from the way she was wounded."
"We can't be sure." The first man said.
"I know. This child has suffered a lot at such a tender age. And I've always wanted a daughter. And she looks so much like Kalliope." He said, looking at her with eyes full of love.
"But she comes from a foreign land, no one came with her, just that woman. For all we know, maybe their king didn't want this child alive. He left the child with a wounded woman alone on a boat in the vast sea. He obviously didn't think she'd reach here." The first man said.

"Just think of how much this baby has been through." Matthias said.
"My Lord, if she's just a countrywoman who fled from the wrath of war, then there's no problem. But if I'm right and the king wanted the woman and the child killed, we're just inviting danger to Cyprus by taking the child in."
"So what, do I just let her die?" Matthias turned to him with eyes flaming.

The men were silenced. Matthias walked away, turned around with her in his arms and said out loud, "She's Idylla, my daughter from now on. No one should question this anymore."

It'd been 18 years since that day and there had been no war because of her. After she was adopted, when Cyprus came to know about her, all of the people rejoiced. No one knew how she'd been found, except the few king's men, Matthias, Herakles, Oreste and her. The people thought she was just some orphan from the country. But she wasn't.

Both her brothers grew up to be valiant warriors. Every time that Cyprus was attacked, the attacker surrendered or fled and Cyprus came to be known as the land that couldn't be conquered.

***

Everyday she walked in the forest, on the wet mud. It's always raining in Cyprus from time to time and snowing when the weather gets more extreme. That day was cold, not too much. It had rained the last night. And she loved rains.

She used to walk barefoot inside the forest and go to that place. It was a pond, not too large, with trees all around, casting their reflections on it.
She was a princess, but she never fancied Royal life, getting everything at the tip of her fingers. She learnt fencing, horse-riding and everything Matthias taught the boys. They kept saying, "Sister, you don't have to worry. We'll protect you, always."
And she used to reply, "Herakles, Oreste, no doubt that you will protect me. I just want you to not need to."

She sat down and dipped her feet into the cooling water. There couldn't have been a calmer place than where she was. She lied down and closed her eyes. But she couldn't for very long. She jumped up, turned around, pulled the sword out of its cover tied to my waist and kept it on my throat.
"Who are you?" She asked.

Different genre, not something common. I had doubts if all of you would like something of this sort, but I had to give it a try! If you like it, please:
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Love, Kaninika xoxo