Original King Series

1870

• The year 1870, kingdom located outside the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Egypt •

• December 2nd 1:00 a.m. •

The night would normally be quiet in the south end of the palace. This area was where the servants and slaves lived together. It wasn't like the main area of the palace, which was luxurious and had furniture made out of the gold from India. Silks covered the beds and rugs lined the floor. The shade of blue was all over the walls covering the throne room. It was beautiful, and anyone could dream of living there. In the south end, the beds were hard and some dirt covered parts of the floors. But at least it wasn't the dungeons, wasn't it?

Tonight was not peaceful. In one of the main living rooms in the rusted house, there were screams on agony from one of the harem women. Ai'sha was a girl taken from the West by the kingdom when she was 15. She was then forced to be apart of the harem, where she was used as an object for sexual pleasure. That was 4 years ago, and she never expected she'd end up here. She lied down on the chaise lounge as two of her fellow woman held her legs apart. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead and her breathing was rapid. The pain she felt was unconditionally horrible. She wished she could just shrivel up and die in that very moment, but the words of encouragement from her peers kept her pushing. A nurse kneeled between her legs, her hands inching closer towards her vaginal area. There was blood, lots of blood. multiple towels lied on the chaise, making sure nothing stained. Most of the harem women were inexperienced in this, but they knew they needed to help Ai'sha. "Keep going girl, it will be over soon." The nurse spoke up to her. A woman swiped the wet and cool towel across Ai'sha's forehead, removing the sweat and tears. She gave a faint nod, continuing to push. By now it was the 7th hour into this ordeal and she prayed to Allah that it will end soon. It would take nearly another hour before it was finished.

Ai'sha knew it was finished when she heard the crack of a cry. A baby's cry. The nurse immediately cut the cord connecting the infant to its mother, then placed it into the towel held by a woman. They continued to wrap more and more towels around it, shielding it from the cold desert air. These next few hours will be crucial for its survival, many babies will be dead by the end of night due to their vital state. Once it was wrapped, they brought the baby over to Ai'sha, leaning it into her arms. She held her child with care, looking down at it's messy yet pale face. The baby cried and cried, but feeling its mother's arms around it soothed it's whining, and relaxed softly. "It's a boy." The nurse said to Ai'sha, but she was too happy to reply. She was choking back tears, looking down at her son.

"What shall you name him?" One of her fellow women asked her. Ai'sha already had a named picked out, it was a name that she had loved since she was a child. But before she could answer, the curtain to the house flew open. There revealed a woman, who was also apart of the harem. She had left hours ago to retrieve the father of the boy, Daikichi Washuu. He was the Vizier to the Sultan and was of Japanese descent. His wife was also Japanese, being the emperor's daughter who he asked for her hand in marriage. Together they had 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls, the oldest being Yoshiu Washuu. But, despite him being married, it was common for him to use the harem women in the castle. All married men did, it was custom. And 9 months before, he used Ai'sha, who was then 18. Little did either of them know the teen would fall pregnant.

Daikichi looked around at the women, then his eyes fell to Ai'sha. "Leave us be." He ordered the others, who in return bowed and left the room. Daikichi walked over to Ai'sha's side, looking down at the now sleeping boy. "What is his name?" He asked the girl. She spoke it softly, but enough for the Washuu to hear. He had never heard the name before and was confused by the meaning of it. "It means song." She spoke, looking down still at her beautiful son. It all clicked to Daikichi, he knew how Ai'sha loved music. She aspired to be a singer in her home village before she was taken, it was only custom she would name her child this.

"You knew Ai'sha, he is at danger being alive," Daikichi stated. Ai'sha remembered what he meant by that. Daikichi is a ghoul, a being which can only feed on human flesh. She was aware of this when she became pregnant and went to great lengths to save her child's life. So much so that she knew that if she was ever discovered for what she had committed to save her boy's life, it would have her beheaded. "I am aware." She spoke softly, refusing to look up at the man who fathered the boy. She knew that he will forever be at risk himself. He is a half-breed, a human and ghoul. She began to discourage herself, feeling like that she will not be able to mother him correctly. She does not know what life as a ghoul can be, how will she be able to raise a child who is part of that species? Her thoughts though were interrupted by Daikichi's voice. "Lend him to me and my wife, we will raise him as our own, but during the nights he may stay with you. I will promote you to a handmaiden, allowing you to stay in the castle and be with him. You will work alongside my life in her aid." Daikichi proposed. In that moment, Ai'sha's worries had disappeared. She knew her son would be safe with his father and step-mother, and she would continue to see him more and more. "Ok, I will lend him to you." She spoke, turning her glance to the man, but she quickly moved back to her son.

She softly moved the towel over the newborn's face, wiping away the fluids that covered him. She then got a more in-depth look at his face. The pale skin radiated again the soft glow of the candles, which in return showed the more details on his face. His hands were curled up in tiny fists, up by his face as he awoke from the soft slumber. His eyes opened to reveal what seemed to be brown, but on further inspection had a more red shade to them. His eyes first fell onto his father standing above, who was watching him. But once his eyes fell onto his mother, his feet seemed to kick with joy. He knew who his mother was, he could tell. Human instinct is a powerful ability. He kept on watching the pair until he fell back asleep into the slumber he was just in.

Daikichi let out a soft sigh and made his way towards the curtain he recently busted through. "Get some rest, I will be back in the morning to assist you in the palace." He spoke then left the house. Ai'sha nodded her head and looked back down once again at her baby. Oh, how beautiful he was. She could see the small blonde hair that was on his scalp, which her hand rubbed softly. She couldn't help it but cry. She cried as she watched her son sleep peacefully. Because despite the situation in which he was conceived, he was still her baby boy. It was a true mother's love. A love that could never be broken over 100 years, or more.