Hello everyone, It's been a while, apologies for not being active. I usually write fanfiction for Castle but this story has been in my head for months and I just needed to write it all down! I hope you guys will give it a chance.

Now I know that not everyone is familiar with the story of Esther in the Bible so I'll give you a little background to that and then include the plot of my story. I'll also include the characters so you guys don't get confused.

Fun Fact- My name is actually Hadassah who is the main character. I'm Israeli/American Jewish and am so thankful I live in today's day and age. I can't imagine what the women back then felt like when they were taken and turned into concubines for the rest of their lives. Even men were taken and turned into eunuchs which meant they could never have children or have a normal life.

The book of Esther takes place in ancient Persia which is modern day Iraq. Hadassah was a Jewish girl who became an orphan at a young age because of the persecution of the Jews at the time. King Xerxes (also called Ahasuerus but that's too long to type so we'll stick with Xerxes) was the current king of Persia. He was married to Queen Vashti but because of trickery by many people he was forced to banish her. He created a competition to find the next queen by rounding up all the eligible maidens and virgins. Hadassah who we're told had great beauty was among the women. Now her cousin Mordecai who raised her made her promise to hide the fact that she was a Jew because of the persecution going around by Haman the Agagite who's ancestors were almost completely destroyed by King Saul almost 400 years ago. God had told Samuel the prophet that he wanted the Amalekites to be destroyed because they were child sacrificing Pegans sought revenge on every Jew. Keeping her promise Hadassah used the name Esther which means star in Arabic and Hidden in Hebrew hence the title the Hidden Queen. Esther won the favor of all those around her including the King's heart. Now because this story follows the true narrative of Esther I won't spoil any more. I would highly recommend reading the book of Esther though.

*This story is a mixture of the Biblical book, the movie -One Night with the King, and my own.* It's not going to be totally factual because I'm making this a romance novel which will be more fictional. But certain scenes will be factual.

Here is a list of characters and a background of them-

Hadassah/Esther- A Jewish Orphan girl living in Susa, Persia who is captured by the King's men and thrown in a beauty competition for the title of Queen. She is kind and humble to those around her and deeply cares for her people. She is naturally beautiful and wins the hearts of everyone.

Xerxes- The King of Persia who recently banished his queen when she broke protocol. He is stern, powerful yet kind to those who earn it. He doesn't think true love exists and resists the facts of those around him. He never thought that the young girl he met years before would end up winning his heart.

Mordecai- Hadassah's cousin whom she calls Uncle. He is a scribe in the King's court and well spoken. He is from the tribe of Benjamin and was took Hadassah in when her parents were killed. He is very protective of Hadassah and never stops looking out for her.

Haman- The ancestor of an Amalekite king. He seeks revenge on the Jews and plots to destroy them while deceiving Xerxes. He is married to a conniving woman named Zeresh and has 10 sons. He is tricky and deceptive through out the whole story and uses his power to destroy.

Hegai- King Xerxes royal Eunuch who is like a second father to him. He takes a liking to Hadassah immediately and helps her as much as he can.

Jesse/Hatach- Hadassah's childhood friend who is in love with her. He is captured by the king's men and becomes a eunuch to serve the queen's candidates.

I hope you guys enjoy this story! I don't know how many chapters it's going to be but probably more than 20. Enjoy!

This story is also available on my Wattpad account under the same title.