Prologue
"Oh, aren't you so cute," Queen Rea
cooed. She tickled her baby son and he gave her a dashing smile. She picked him
up and walked onto her balcony. Rea turned to look at her son, "Someday,
Darien, someday all this will be yours. All of England will bow at your feet."
She turned her gaze back into the night and was silent while the twilight
melody of a summer's day played.
* * *
"Ah!!" Mara screamed with pain. She
clenched her teeth while beads of sweat popped out of her forehead.
"That's right," the midwife encouraged,
"one more push."
"Ah!!" Mara screamed again. There was so
much pain. She wanted this to be over. Mara summoned the last of her strength
and pushed with all her might. "Ah!!!!!" she gave a last aching scream. Then
suddenly it felt like a burden was lifted from her. The pain was finally gone.
She collapsed onto the pillow in exhaustion. She looked over to the midwife
with a weak sadness in her eyes. The old lady smiled and handed her a bundle.
"Congratulations, Mara!" the lady said.
Mara looked down at the face of her
newborn daughter. The baby didn't cry, which was remarkable on its own. Instead
she looked so serene like as if she know exactly what was happening.
The plump, little woman looked so happy.
"What will you name her, Mara?" she asked eagerly.
The mother gazed into her daughter's
clear blue eyes, "Serena." She looked away, "Serena Claymore. The unknown
daughter of Trevelyn Langford." Mara hugged Serena tight while the silent tears
of heartbreak and death fell down her cheeks.
* * *
Stanton crept so silently into the king's
chambers. He could see the King's figure in the royal bed. Stanton took a deep
breath. He firmed his determination. With the King dead, his five-year-old son
would take over the kingdom and with Stanton as the royal advisor; it would
almost be as if Stanton himself was ruling the country.
Slowly, Stanton moved to the bed. With a
wicked look in his eyes he sneered, "Goodbye, Your Majesty!" With a swift
movement, he drove the seven-inch dagger into the king's sleeping body.
Suddenly, the room was lit up and
soldiers filed into the room. Among them a cloaked figure emerged. The king
shed his hood, "Duke Claymore," he said with an icy look, "I guess I was right
not to trust you. This is a direct act of treason." He waved his hand, "Guards,
take him away!"
Stanton was a step ahead, before anyone
could do anything, he jumped out the window and ran into the safety of the
woods.
"Your Majesty, would you like us to
follow?" the guard asked.
"No. That's not necessary. Stanton
Claymore will not come back."
(Three months later)
"I can't believe it. Are you sure?" the
kitchen maids were gossiping.
"Yes, I'm sure," the other one replied,
"my sister is, no was, Duke Langford's maid, and this morning she went
to bring him breakfast because he's been feeling sick for a while." She looked
matter-of-factly at the first woman, "and Louise said that when she opened the
door to his chambers, there he was, hanging on the rafters." She shook her head
regretfully, "He was King Peter's best friend, and he was quite a pleasant man.
No one could figure out why in the world would he want to commit suicide."
The other woman sighed, "That is beyond
me. Why would he want to give up such a wonderful life? Some people would kill
to take his place." The plump maid sighed again, "The noble folk are all
eccentric. Let's not speak of that anymore, it's bad luck."
The other woman nodded in agreement.
"What a pity," she murmured under her breath.
So, that was the beginning, the scene is
set. What do you think will happen? Find out in the next chapter- A New
Beginning!
Until Next Time…
