Gold Waters
Doesn't every good story start with Once upon a time...? Well then I guess you could call this a bad story. The tale that I would tell took place in a medieval kingdom like any other. For only one thing was far different about this one. This secret went unknown for many centuries before it was finally discovered.
In a kingdom called Aurora there lived a greedy King named Wraith. He was 27 when his father past away and he took on his duties. He was soon married to a young princess from a neighboring kingdom, Penelope. She was a beautiful young woman with blue eyes and long blonde hair. Her people for her kindness and grace admired her in her kingdom. On her 18th birthday she was married to the new king. Pleased isn't exactly the term you would use to describe her when she was informed of this. For this new king was known to be greedy, cold, and cruel.
Princess Penelope's father King James was given hundreds of pounds in gold for his daughter's hand in marriage. Though King James declined multiple times he eventually gave in and promised his daughter to the twisted king. No one was ever quite sure why the king was so crooked, although everyone knew he didn't get it from his father. His father was a wise and knobble man whom above all desired prosperity and good health for all his people.
His son though was hated by all his people and unwanted. Though his mind was nieve and had not been poisoned with the rumors that spread about him. He was unaware of the hatred that dwelled in the hearts of his people, and his new wife. Either unable or unwilling to except the disgust they expressed towards him.
On the brink of their third year of marriage the queen conceived her first child. Though she hoped with everything she had that it would be a daughter she was disappointed when the wise sage in their kingdom told her she was to have a son. The queen soon became very depressed and weak. When it came time to birth her child she did indeed but she had died before she could know that it was a girl for she was to weak to carry on. Her first and only child was a beautiful healthy girl and she never knew.
Unbothered by neither his wife's death nor his child's birth he sat quietly in a vault counting his riches. The child was named jade for her eyes sparkled like the glisten of an emerald. Jade was named by one of the handmaidens that had cleaned her off. The king never even saw Jade until she was three years old. Though the maids offered to bring him his daughter he declined every time.
Once word of this reached the unsettling ears of his people they felt more ashamed to live in his kingdom. Some moved to a neighboring kingdom, others dwelled in their hatred of the king and felt sympathy for the Princess Jade.
Jade was raised well by maids and was tutored by the brightest that gold could buy. Though one day only days before her seventh birthday she asked a question of one of the maids.
"Jazel, what of my mother and father, have they not died?" The young princess asked of her maid and the closest thing to a mother she had ever had.
"This is so of your mother. She died while birthing you. Yet this is not of your father. He lives in the far side of the palace surrounded by his gold." the maid answered her.
"Why then have I never seen my father? If then he's not dead." She asked looking at the maid.
"My Lady, we are not sure he isn't dead. For he has not opened the door in 8 years. We slide food and water under the door hoping he will take them," She said brushing the young girl's hair.
"Explain this to me for I do not understand." The young girl said
"I'm sorry your highness I can not, for I do not either." The maid said leaving the room and shutting the rather large door.
Jade didn't understand these words but she accepted them. Being only a child she knew very little about life and reasoning behind things. But, one day it would come to be that she would be one of the wisest.
Jade's 7th birthday was wonderful. As was her 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th birthday though never did she see her father. Every year she received a beautiful gift from him, and every year the gift became more and more exquisite.
On the eve of her fifteenth birthday Jade became very excited for her cousin from a distant kingdom would be coming to celebrate with her. The last time Jade had saw her cousin Anthony they were both 5 years old. She was very pleased to see that someone in her family knew she existed.
In the morning she woke up to the sunshine in her eyes. She bathed and dressed. It was a blue velvet gown with a bodice that had gold lacing. Her Blonde hair was French braided and adorned with a golden crown decorated with a rather large sapphire in the center. She was as beautiful as her mother and she had grown to be well known for her kindness, generosity, and poise.
She was led into the grand hall and she sat at the head of the table. The table was ornamented with foods of all sorts, meats, vegetables, breads, deserts, and fine wines. Every one spoke of the happenings over the last year, and laughed and joked as old friends would. The party was of great splendor and the whole room was filled with delight.
"I would like to propose a toast to my glorious cousin Jade." Said Anthony standing to Jade's side and raising his glass.
"Jade has grown to be the blossom that has illuminated this kingdom. Thy heart is true and thy mind has been blessed with many gifts. You are wise far beyond your years and your beauty surpasses all. You are envied and yet humble. You have grown into the woman that your mother would be proud to call her daughter..." said her cousin but was interrupted.
Soon all became silent as the king, King Wraith walked into the great hall. All soon became silent. The man now nearing fifty looked around the room.
"This is one sight my eyes have yet to see." The king said bowing and again looking around the room.
"May we help you," the princess inquired.
"May not a father come to his own daughter's birthday?" He said staring into her face.
"Sir, you must be mistaken," she said looking back at him.
"Is this not the celebration of Princess Jade's birthday?" he questioned her.
"It tis. And who might you be?" she asked now folding her arms.
"I am King Wraith, do you not know of this name?" he said looking confused.
"I beg your pardon sir. This name has yet to reach my ears but just now." She replied.
"Would your father not have a seat next to you, his only daughter?" he asked.
"No, he wouldn't. My father abandoned me for gold." She said as she stormed out of the room.
Weeks past and the king that remained as a book collecting dust in his gold filled cage now arose from the back of their minds. Gossip of the king spread like wild fire thru the kingdom. To the date it was three weeks from when she first saw her father and she declined that she had a father. She stood her ground and would not be told differently.
Jade began to fill with a hatred that she had never felt towards her father before. She hoped that he would die, she didn't care for him and she would not miss him. Though she feared that she would then have to control the kingdom herself she would rather that. She was very confused and uncertain at that.
She stood on the edge of her balcony and gazed up at the stars. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she swung around.
"What do you want? I do not wish to speak to you." She said glaring at her father pulling his hand from her shoulder.
"What then do you wish upon me? To be with out my sight, to lack in what little hearing I have?" the king said looking as if thru her.
"I pray you die. I pray you are painfully taken from god's green earth that you were placed on for reasons that are beyond me. If nothing else that is what you deserve." She said as she gestured for him to leave her alone.
She waited until morning to set her plan in motion and this was a plan that was sure to succeed. She told one of her maids to ready a carriage and have it waiting for her. She summoned 20 maids to help her. They each took large bags into the kings room and filled them up with gold. Then they took the bags out to the carriage and filled it up until there was only room left for Jade. This went on for a month until the entire room had nothing but a bed and a door in it.
All the while this king was being held back from hitting the princess. As much as he tried to have it stopped no one would listen to him, for every one was taking orders from the princess. The hatred for the king had grown in his people and they adored his daughter as well.
After all the gold was loaded into the carriage Jade rode thru the kingdom throwing gold on the ground to the people of the kingdom. The princess felt that they deserved it more than her father.
The love for the princess grew in the hearts of the people. As there fondness of the princess became stronger and the hate towards the old king began to overwhelm the people.
The king was getting older and older as the years went by and on the eve of her 21st birthday he died. He was lying in his bedroom when he had a stroke. The funeral was very large and all the people came to see it. They buried him in the graveyard were his father and his father's father before him had been laid to rest.
Jade went to the funeral but she felt no remorse. She never loved the father she never knew. She had no felling but anger towards the dead king. She wished upon him death and so it was. Though she had a deep sense of guilt she still had little regret.
She was to take the thrown the following morning but she was very unsure. She had never ruled over anyone, she was told how to do everything all her life and now she had no one to instruct her. She had to find her path and she had to find it herself.
She had no siblings, and no one person to turn to. She had to look within herself to find how to rule what was rightfully hers.
That evening it began to rain. This was something that hadn't happened since the former king had come out of the room. The people were rejoiced for the crops would grow taller and the riverbed would be replenished.
Something happened then right after sundown. A small scroll was left on the princess's bed. It read:
Dear Jade,The guidance you seek is within you. You need but to look within yourself to see who truly you are. A river just beyond the mountaintop will show to you your true self and with in you lay the Queen with the wisdom and kindness that surpasses all others.
Jade looked around for the person who had left it, but no one was there. She felt as if this was something she needed to do. The old castle bound her like a prisoner in the dungeon. She could not just leave she was to rein over her father's kingdom and very well.
She sent a message to her Anthony that asked him to come and rule over Aurora while she was away. This was something he was very capable of doing because he was very wise and responsible.
When Anthony received the message he promptly came went to the kingdom. He arrived at sunrise as Jade was leaving. "Don't worry I will watch well over the kingdom and have a good time do this for yourself." He said, "And don't come back without a husband." He said sarcastically.
She slipped right out of the kingdom before anyone could notice her. So there she started her journey. She walked for two days until she reached the stream. It was a cold stream that descended from the snow in the high points of the mountains. It was clear as crystal and as sparkling as diamonds. She kneeled down by the edge of the river and took a long drink.