Adventures of Sinbad and Layla

When Layla Died (Part I)

A young girl, with crystal grey eyes and curly purple-coloured hair, chased after older brother. He was a older than her and a lot bigger.

"Kikiriku, this isn't fair!"
"If you want your gift, you're gonna have to remember your training, Esra!"

Kikiriku was 30 years old and Esra had just turned 14. He was 8ft tall and she was 5ft'4. She always knew she was adopted by Hinahoho and Rurumu. After all, it's not like it could be hidden. Her parents and siblings were all so much taller than her and she was practically petite compared to their enormous statures. The only thing that she didn't know was where she truly came from. She never knew who her birth parents were.

Kikiriku laughed as he ran purposely slow so that she thought she was keeping up with him. But soon she stopped chasing him and huffed with a frown.

"I'm telling mom!" she yelled.
Kikiriku's eyes widened as he skidded to a stop. "Wait! No!" He jogged over to her and shook his head. "You're such a blackmailer."
She chuckled evilly and held out her hand. "Present, please."
"Fine."

He opened the small bag tied around his waist and pulled out a scroll. He waved it around in front of her face and as she tried to grab it, he held it up in the air. She jumped up and down, reaching out to it but she couldn't quite grab hold of it.

"Bro, stop it!"
"Kikiriku," came Rurumu's voice. "Stop teasing her."

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Rurumu, Hinahoho, his twin sisters and his younger brother enter the room they were in.

"Yes, mother."

Looking down at Esra, he stuck his tongue out at her before giving her the scroll. She returned the gesture and took the scroll before skipping off to her parents.

Hinahoho smiled and ruffled her hair with his large hand. "Happy birthday, littler one."
She grinned up at him. "Thank you, dad."
"That gift you hold in your hand is a gift from all of us."
She opened it slightly and read the title. "The Adventures of Sinbad." She gasped excitedly as she looked up at him. "This is the book about King Sinbad!"
Rurumu nodded with a gentle smile. "Yes. He started his journey when he was just 14 years old. That's why we saved it for today."
Esra squealed and hugged it tightly. "Thank you so much! Are you guys in it?"
"Yes," Hinahoho answered.
"And Uncle Jafar?"
"Yes."
"Uncles Mystras and Spartos?"
"Yes."
"Uncle Drakon?"
"Yes."
"Aunt Yamraiha?"
"Yes."
"Uncle Sharrkan?"
"Yes."
"Aunt Pisti?"
"Yes."
"Uncle Masrur?"
"Yes."
"Aunt-"
"They're all in it, okay?" Kikiriku interjected, seeing no end in sight.
Esra smiled brightly. "I can't wait to read it."
Hinahoho laughed. "You can start now if you want to."

Esra didn't even wait another second. She zoomed out of the room and went straight to her bedroom. She climbed onto her bed and got comfortable before she began to read.

She loved to read. Mainly about the stars and the scientific wonders of the world. But she liked to dabble into books about philosophy and history. She had always known about King Sinbad and the country of Sindria. He was a great man with a goal to change the world. But then something happened in his life, she wasn't quite sure what, but whatever it was made him fall into depravity. And then he left Sindria and secluded himself from the world. She didn't know why and no one else seemed to know either. Still, she loved his dream of changing the direction of the world.

However, upon reading the book, there was a name that frequently appeared throughout Sinbad's journey. A woman named Layladria. This woman not only journeyed with him from the very beginning but they were also childhood friends who eventually fell in love.

"King Sinbad had a girlfriend?" she mumbled to herself.

The book ended at the point when Sindria was founded. And as she made it to the end, she found a picture. It was a painting of a couple on a piece of parchment that had been rolled into the scroll. Although the painting was fairly old, it was in great condition. Her brows furrowed as she examined the painting. From the look of the outfits, it seemed to be a wedding picture.

"This must be King Sinbad and Layladria..." she thought aloud. "Did they marry?"

Turning it around, she found a message written on the back. She read it out loud.

" 'Happy birthday, Esra.' " She raised a brow. 'Did mom write this?' she thought to herself before continuing to read. " 'I had asked for this to be saved until your 14th birthday. That is when Sin began his travels and I knew you would be old enough now. I fear your father has fallen into darkness.' " She became even more confused. " 'I need you to find him. Bring him back and change the world together. I'm running out of space to write more now. Oh, look at that, I'm just wasting more space. Oops...' " Esra wanted to laugh but her mind couldn't think straight. " 'This is something only you can do. I love you, Esra. From your mother. Layla.' "

Esra's eyes suddenly shot open wide at the last part. She sat there just staring at the last four words. Then she turned the picture over and stared at the woman's face. It only just hit her that the woman had the exact same eyes as her.

"Layladria is my mother..?" she breathed out.

Tears began to sting her eyes and she leapt out of bed, taking the picture with her. She ran to where the rest of her family were and they looked at her in surprise. She looked both sad and angry as she glared at Hinahoho.

He went to her, already knowing why she was so upset. "What's wrong, princess?"
"It's funny that you call me that." She sniffed and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "It's true, isn't it? You know the truth."

She then held up the picture of Sinbad and Layladria to his face. Rurumu, Kikiriku and the others remained silent, knowing how difficult it would be for her. Hinahoho sighed and looked down at the picture. It was their wedding picture. He remembered the day clearly like it was just yesterday. Taking the picture, he read the message on the back. He already knew what was written but he had to read it again. He couldn't hold back his nostalgic smile.

"I used to call her 'little one', you know," he told her with a light laugh. "I walked her down the aisle on that day as well. Sinbad almost fainted when he saw her."
More tears welled up in Esra's eyes. "You knew all along..? Why didn't you tell me?"
"She asked us not to tell you until you were 14."
"Well, I know now," she said with frustrated anger in her tone. "So, tell me. Why they didn't want me? Was I not good enough for them? Did they break up and not want the responsibility?"
Hinahoho crouched down and shook his head as he wiped away her tears. "I understand you're angry, but this wasn't what either of your parents wanted."
"Then what?!"
"As you know, Sinbad fell into depravity. He wasn't in the right state of mind to take care of a child," he explained.
"And Layladria? Where is she?"
He sighed. "She died."

Esra froze at his words and instantly felt guilty for being so angry at her birth mother. Hinahoho closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Today is her 14th death anniversary..."
She stared at him in shock and horror. "What..?"

He looked at her again, this time with tears in his eyes. It was the first time Esra had ever seen him cry.

"Sinbad fell into depravity because Layla died the day she gave birth to you."

She couldn't believe what he was telling her but something shattered inside her. King Sinbad was her father and Layla was her mother. She suddenly broke down and burst into tears. Hinahoho pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly as she cried for her fallen parents.

(To be continued.)