"Beautiful is the sun
Beautiful is the moon
Beautiful are the stars
People here, people there
Birds, reptiles,
Animals like friends, those like enemies
God has created wonders in the world".
Hazel sang as she danced and hopped home from the market with her fish basket.
"Evening Aunt Tora, how is market", she greeted the vegetables seller near their home.
" Evening Hazel, market is great thank you, are you going home?" the woman asked with a smile
" Yes Aunt I sold all my fishes so I am going home, good night" Hazel replied with a smile and ran off.
"Hazel such an happy child, may the gods bless her", the woman said to herself with a smile and continued what she was doing.
"Mum, dad I am home", Hazel yelled from the door on entering their house.
"I am in the kitchen Hazel", her mother replied her from inside the house. Hazel ran to the kitchen and dropped her basket on the ground.
"Mom I sold all the fishes", she happily told her mother, "You always sell all the fishes Hazel that am afraid all the other fish sellers who are unable to sell because of you are going to chase us out of the market soon" Mrs Sarah, her mother said with a smile.
"no mom don't worry, who will want to chase away a sweet girl like me" Hazel replied being narcissistic.
"Right my daughter is too sweet" Her father came into the kitchen and kissed her cheeks, "Of course dad" Hazel said and the family of three laughed. They all had dinner together and chatted for a while after which they all went to bed.
The next morning, the three of them left early for the river and caught about six baskets of fishes, Hazel and her parents took the baskets to the market and they both left her there to sell the fishes before going to their vegetables farm.
At six in the evening Hazel had already sold all of her fishes and she went back home singing as usual. She got home and overheard her parents arguing about something
"We should tell her the truth Saman, the royal guards have been coming here for the past six days she will find out sooner or later", Sarah said to her husband
"We have kept the promise for thirteen years but this was always meant to happen and we knew that from the beginning, let's just tell her everything" Sarah added again
"I can't bring myself to tell her anything Sarah, what if she doesn't understand...." Saman was saying to his wife when Hazel entered.
"Who are you telling what truth mom, and what is this about some promise and Royal guards, why will Royal guards even come here", Hazel asked looking between both her parents.
"For how long have you been standing there Hazel" Sarah asked her
"Enough to hear what you both were saying" she replied, Sarah and saman exchanged looks and Saman quickly went to hazel and collected the basket from her
"Its nothing Hazel don't worry about it, come on lets have dinner", he said pushing her into the kitchen
"Are you sure dad", Hazel asked looking at him
"Yes my dear don't worry come let's have dinner", her mother said and escorted her to the kitchen.
Hazel noticed her parents were extra quiet that night and they were acting so suspicious too but they wouldn't tell her what happened no matter how many times she asked, they all quietly had dinner and once they were done they retired to bed.
The next morning the whole family went to the river early in the morning as usual and after they had caught their fishes theu helped hazel carry the fishes to the market then Sarah and Saman left for thier vegetables farm.
Hazel was at the market later in the day when she realized she had forgotten her knife at home, she said to the girl selling fruits beside her
"Norah can you watch my fishes for me please I have to go home quickly, I forgot my knife",
"Sure Hazel", Norah replied, "Thanks I will be right back", Hazel said and ran home. When she got there she saw her parents in front of the house talking to some men dressed in some kind of military attire and a woman elegantly dressed, she looked like some rich woman or maybe a high ranking official. There had even brought a Palanquin, that means "they aren't from this kingdom only the Dukes family ride palanquins here", she thought as the approached them "why were are parents talking to this kind of powerful people people though",
Hazel went up to them and called out "Mom" and everyone turned to look at her
"Hazel what are you doing home at this time", Sarah asked " I forgot my knife so I came to pick up but Mom who are these people", she asked "Its nothing Hazel don't worry and go inside", Sarah said anxiously.
"This must be her right", the unknown elegantly dressed woman said pointing at Hazel, she was about approaching her when Saman yelled
"Go inside Hazel", Sarah quickly pushed her inside the house and locked the door.
"Stoping me from talking to her isn't going to change anything, she will be going back with me anyways, you people have been trespassing a lot but I hope you won't be disobeying the royal order again", the woman said to Saman and Sarah.
"We are sorry High chief, but we will only hand over Hazel to the royal family over our dead body", Saman said
"This is an order from His Majesty the King and disobeying it is akin to insulting His Majesty which is considered treason, an offence punishable with death", the woman yelled,
"And its also seems to me that you people keep on forgetting that Hazel is the Third princess of Lexan Kingdom and is a part of the royal family, its only by right she goes back there", the woman said again.
"Sorry to disrespect you high chief, but where was your Royal family when Hazel's Mother was in labor with her life hanging on the line?, where was His Majesty the king when Hazel a princess who was meant to live in luxury and wealth was raised in this delapitated countryside. We have raised Hazel by ourselves for thirteen years ever since her mother passed away and we have no plans of handing her over to the Royal family", Saman yelled at them.
"Fine then, how about we make a deal that benefits both side, you hand over Hazel to the Royal family and in return you will be given high positions in the Lexan Kingdom, 1000 gold bars with 500,000 silver coins, a large mansion in the city center and a free pass to the royal properties", the woman said confidently believing they wouldn't reject such an offer.
"Are you kidding us right now, is that all the Lexan Kingdom third princess is worth to your Royal family. What made you think you can buy us over with money, for your information high chief we raised Hazel as our daughter because we love her not because of her family's wealth or status and we made a promise to her late mother, Her Highness Lady Astra that we wouldn't hand over Hazel to the royal family no matter what happens, I guess she knew that this day would come" Sarah said.
"So you people won't budge, fine then you will do this the hard way", the woman said again.
"With all due respect high chief please leave now", Saman said and bowed.
"We will be back again and then we won't be leaving without Hazel, lets go guards", the woman said and entered the Palanquin. Once they left Sarah and Saman looked at each other and entered their house.
"Who are those people mom, and you better not tell me its nothing", Hazel asked immediately they entered the house. "My dear we have to tell you something very important and I think the right time is now", Saman said sitting beside her,
"What is it dad", she asked looking at him
"We are..., we are not your biological parents dear",
"And you aren't even a citizen of Elainor Kingdom but that of the parent Kingdom, Lexan Kingdom"
"You are a royal by birth my dear, the third princess of Lexan"
Saman dropped the bombshells one after the other.
"No dad wait...., you are confusing me, you are joking right, this is not possible. Me: a royal, a princess of Lexan. How is all of this possible" Hazel asked in a shocked and confused state
"It's possible my dear and its the truth" Sarah began
"Your mother was the King of Lexan's second wife, dear"
"She was forced on your father by his mother, the Queen Mother fifteen years ago because if a crime he committed against your mother and an old promise, your father never loved your mother and she was most times left to the care of the Queen, your step-mother. The Queen hated your mother immensely and she maltreated your mother with no one to stop her from doing so, since your mother never told the truth about how she was treated to her mother in law. The Queen already had two daughters for the king when your mother fell pregnant with you, the Queen was mad with anger when she found out about your mother's pregnancy because she couldn't tolerate your mother giving birth to the Kingdom's Crown prince so she arranged for your mother to be killed. When your mother and the Queen went for fishing one day she had your pregnant mother thrown into the ocean knowing fully well she couldn't swim and left her to drown, then went back and told everyone she had accidentally fallen in the ocean and washed away by the waves".
"Immediately the Queen mother heard the news she ordered all the guards to search every nook and cranny of Lexan along with its neigbouring kingdoms for your mother but they never found her. Two days after the incident Saman and I saw your unconscious mother by the ocean shores when we went fishing she was washed here by the water waves, since she was unconscious we had taken her to the physician to take a look at her. The physician then told us back then that she was alive and that she was three months pregnant, he had said it was a miracle the baby survived that kind of accident, we had brought your mother home after that, we had assumed she was a rich woman because of the clothes on her body . We took care of your mother and she finally woke up on the third day. After she woke up she told us her storu and origin and begged us to let her stay with us because she didn't want to go back to the palace where hers and her baby's life were threatened. We were scared at first because we didn't want to get in trouble with the royal family but after a lot of persuading from her we later agreed and she stayed with us for eight months and I believe they were the happiest months of her life. Your mother's health started deteriorating after she gave birth to you Hazel, and she finally passed away when you were a month old.
When your mother was on her death bed she had only one worry, and that was you, she didn't want you to be sent back to the palace or the Royal family that was when Saman and I stood up and decided to raise you as our daughter since we never had a child of our own and your mother finally left the world in peace. Her last wish was that you are never taken back to the palace or even taken anywhere near those people and if a situation ever arises that you have to go back there then you have to be at least 18 years old", Sarah said