𝔘𝔯𝔰𝔲𝔩𝔞 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔢𝔭

Chapter 1

Her voice melodiously floated through the air, carried by the winds that whipped Mara's bare arms. She didn't own a jacket or shawl to warm herself, left in only her sleeveless pale periwinkle purple dress that hung to her bare feet.

However, the cold didn't seem to bother Mara's spirit or voice. Nothing did, in fact. She was in a whole other world when she sang. A world with no audience waiting for a single slip up or an empty stomach that ached for days. A world where she was the instrument and the songbirds were her muse. A world where her mind remained completely blank and void of all the struggles covering her broken heart. 

But fantasy worlds weren't real, and things that weren't real never lasted very long. When she opened back her eyes, there Mara stood in the village next to the statue of the king and queen. Her metal bucket sat beside her, filled with coins from those who had enough money to spare.

She was back in the town of Solaris, back to reality. Mara's voice faded and she was left with neither a smile nor a scowl as the ache in her belly started to grow. It was the same as everyday, scrounging enough money to buy the most basic commodities. All she had was her voice to keep her alive.

She could still vividly remember those long nights when Mother would hold baby Mari in the other room while Father would scream at Mara to find a job. For 2 years, Mara endured helping out at the market to avoid her Father's constant remarks about how she was useless as a girl. When her kind employer died, Mara was pressured to go to the extreme of selling herself. Full of pride, she left home and was deemed dead by her family.

Somehow, whether it was intentional or not, she never passed by her former parents. Sometimes Mara saw Mari at the market, but she had been too young to remember her face. No one else seemed to remember her, so she was labeled as a random orphan by the other villagers too.

Mari was a beautiful young woman now, who inherited her mother's curly chestnut brown hair and Father's emerald green eyes. No one would've ever guessed that Mara was truly a part of their family at one time, and she never had the heart to tell Mari that her older sister was indeed alive. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Who would believe a homeless stranger when her cheap gravestone lay in the cemetery outside of the village?

Sometimes Mara wished she had given in to her father's demands, but even her ink black hair and pale opal skin wasn't enough to compete against girls with long golden locks and just as golden skin. She was now completely worn out from years of begging with only a shred of diginity in tact for keeping her body.

Brushing a clump of tangled hair out of her face, Mara counted the earnings for the day: only two dollars. She had been receiving less and less for the past few months because of the raising taxes.

Mara could see the top of the palace from where she stood, and she couldn't control the envy devouring her heart like a wolf and his unwitting prey. Rumors floated around about the royal family all the time, but Mara wouldn't even make an appearance if they decided to ever come to the village.

How would a dirty and poor young woman like her ever be able to remain in the presence of the monarch? They were often described as cold and heartless by whispers going by. Those who found themselves in their presence could barely respond to the King's booming voice and Queen's cold demeanor.

The girl trudged along the streets. The asphalt felt cool on her bare feet as the sun started to disappear behind the clouds. It would become even colder soon, which would only multiply the goosebumps decorating her arms. Mara hurried over to her usual stand where a woman with an apron and protruding stomach stood with a smile.

"Mara!" she greeted, giving her a wave. The tired woman plastered a grin on her face and hurriedly thrusted out a few coins.

"One apple and a bowl of cucumber soup please Bia," she requested. This stand had the best choices of soups in her opinion, even if she didn't have enough to buy most options. As the seller started to ladel the soup into a plastic bowl, Mara couldn't help but spot a new item of clothing hanging by a hook.