The Golden Princess

Chapter |

Hello to you. This is Chapter 1, and I hope you enjoy! This is my first book on wattpad.

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The Great Oak tree that grew on a little island in the centre of Goldenheim possessed a circumference of over 90 feet, standing in towering magnificence and proudly displaying the sheer enormity of its size. Its long limbs, extends almost infinitely, like advanced wings of a great eagle in flight. Soft, shapely leaves, a vibrant green in spring which will slowly begin to taint to a maple orange-brown ready for the coming autumn. The tree was the heart of the Pure Folk, and they believed it was there where The Great Mother Earth herself took human form millions of years ago. There where the first Pureblood was born; Aurulentus Cybelle Arianwen.

There were godly creatures, some freakishly gigantic and some grievously small, that inhabited the lagoon encircling the little island. But ordinarily, they were as harmless as a baby. Only one that possessed a heart full of immoral darkness could the creatures have cause to create mass destruction. Though the Oak was extremely sacred, the creatures that dwelt within the lagoon were the most crucial part of all. Without them, what else to guard the holy tree?

When Orianna first crossed the Aurulentus lagoon to see The Great Oak, she was told to visit as often as she could to pray or to just listen to the whispers of her ancestors.

When Orianna heard of this and voiced her disbelief, her mother laughed and replied, " Truly precious, I know this." The girl was three years old then.

Orianna, now seven years old, and unlike normal children was quite intelligent. As her daily ritual, she walked around The Great Oak 5 times and counted each step. 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59...

"21, 22, 23, 35!"

"Quiet! you are getting me all muddled." She stopped. "Do it again, and I will have no choice but to start again. I know you will not like that." She grinned and continued ...58...no. 60, 61, 62 ,63, 64...

"How many steps have you counted?" The boy interrupted again.

"Orion. Stop. Or I will tell Mother what you did just before. Do not think I did not see you." When the boy blanched at her semi-threat, she giggled and said, "Right. I have counted sixty-four." 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75. She ended at her mark. May The Mother bless me with all things good, and the ancestors rest in peace.

She turned on her heels towards her twin where he stood patiently, and they both waited for Ray.

"Are you really going to tell mother?" Orion asked meekly.

"Never. You are just lucky I am your sister. Ray is not so hesitant as me."

Orion trusted her word. A Pure does not lie. When he thought about what she had said about Ray, he shivered. To pee in Aurulentus lagoon was to sin. What if Ray did see me? He thought. Mother and Father would be most displeased. But I desperately needed to relieve myself. It might have been worse. Then he thought about the tree.

Ray arrived within minutes. With one oar he halted the raft to a complete stop and let it float on the still lagoon. One in each arm he picked, almost daintily, the two siblings up as if they were no heavier than a leaf.

He put them on top of the wooden raft, and they stood simultaneously. He joined them, collected the oar and calmly rowed them back to shore where their parents waited.

Naturally, he questioned, "Princess, how many steps were counted this beautiful morning?"

"Seventy-five Ray." The girl answered. 'Princess' was a term Ray had accustomed himself to using for Orianna since two years ago when she as a little girl wanted to go out and collect as many different flowers she could find around the island.