"When will the young maidens, virgins and damsels in Philopolis learn how to show an iota of kindness to any strangers at all?" asked the old women, aged men and young folks altogether, incessantly every single day without their longing for any answers. The old women often said, "Perhaps, when they would have realized that being kind and generous towards strangers as well as one another's neighbour, draws one even much closer to the gods and goddesses of our ancient village here in Philopolis"

As for the aged men and young folks they had kept observing to know why neither a young lady nor a maiden nor even a virgin at all in their village has ever had the urge to help any of the strangers who required help from them each time they came across them on the main pathway to the river in Philopolis and which had ever since it had appeared miraculously during the great, ancient hunter's era in Philopolis. River Aphrodite had long set herself as the boundary between Philopolis and Sophipolis a nearby village for a reason best known to only the gods of the lands.

The inhabitants of both Philopolis and Sophipolis had used the water source ever since River Aphrodite appeared suddenly and the two villages have always benefitted from only a single source of water and which has hitherto been the River Aphrodite. During those ancient times, Aphrodite was the ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified with Venus by the Romans.

She was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility and occasionally presided over marriage. Poseidon the great hunter of ancient times had once narrated to his own people that River Aphrodite had appeared miraculously during his day because she had wanted the natives of Philopolis to intermarry with the indigenous people of Sophipolis.

This ageless river, which is controlled by Aphrodite the goddess serves all the endemic people of the land of Philopolis until this day. River Aphrodite had appeared miraculously when their first ancient, warrior king of the natives of Philopolis had fought fearlessly in bravery to conquer all the neighbouring villages surrounding Philopolis. This powerful and strong king was Poseidon the promised, predicted and prophesied son of Pergamos, who had also, been a great hunter of ancient times. In fact, Poseidon had taken after his father the charms and skills of hunting.

In Philopolis, another great hunter named Philadelphia had needed just a son to inherit all of his wealth and prosperity nonetheless, his beautiful wife Drusilla couldn't bear him at least one child. Philadelphia the great hunter had purposed in his heart to be kind to any strangers that he would meet while on his three-day hunting journey into the deepest and thickest parts of the most feared forest in Philopolis. Drusilla had prayed to the gods of the land for two decades and her loving husband Philadelphia had done same on his part for several years without stopping his prayers.

All their efforts to bear a child had proven futile hence, many of the women especially the wives of other men in Philopolis had capitalized on Drusilla's childlessness as if she was barren. She kept being calm upon all name callings and proverbial words of castigation at her by almost all of the women who have had the privilege of bearing more than one child for their husbands.

Philadelphia had had a good name in Philopolis however, this good name was barely turning into a bad one at all cost owing to the fact that his wife Drusilla couldn't bear him a child. He used to hanker after a son from his wife nevertheless, the inability of bearing a child had pushed him to have no choice. His choice had been any child thus, whether a boy or a girl was good enough for them.

One fateful morning, when the Sun had risen so early and was almost scorching, Drusilla endeavoured to walk away steadfastly and stealthily, a few meters away from her humble abode to reach River Aphrodite with her pitcher to draw water from it. After a long while she had reached there to fetch water from River Aphrodite and was returning home safely.

On reaching home she came across an old woman whom she had never seen in Philopolis before and who was neither a native of the village of Philopolis nor of the neighbouring villages. She was a bit disturbed however, she was ever willing to offer any assistance to this strange woman. All that this strange, old woman could ask for was a bowl of sweet potato porridge which coincidentally, Drusilla had loved eating as her favourite local cuisine and which she was used to preparing all the time in her impoverished kitchen. "But, how could this strange woman from nowhere know that I've got some sweet potato porridge in my kitchen for her to ask me?" declared Drusilla as she stared unfailingly at the old stranger without losing focus.

She had asked the stranger if that was enough for her after bringing her some sweet potato porridge. The old woman replied, "My daughter Drusilla, it pleases my heart for you to share with me what you've got in your kitchen and I do know that you've got nothing else apart from what I do ask of you to give to me" Drusilla now gets into her kitchen to fetch more of the sweet potato porridge for the old woman and also adds some cashew nuts to it for her to take away. The old woman was quite grateful and asked Drusilla how she knew that she liked cashew nuts that much.

Drusilla had explained that it was her premonition which told her that. After a brief conversation with her, the stranger left her abode and blessed Drusilla and predicted that she would hear the cry of a baby girl a year from now. She cautioned Drusilla to keep quite over it except for the fact that she could tell her husband, Philadelphia about the good news. Drusilla had been over flabbergasted to some extent as she had told nothing about herself much to this strange woman.

She believed this old woman and encouraged herself with the ancient words of the wise men that, "The gods had urged us to be kind to strangers for in so doing some had entertained the gods and goddesses without knowing" She had kept this from everyone else except for her husband, Philadelphia whom she had told because he's her husband. Philadelphia had told her that, "My beautiful wife Drusilla, peradventure you've served the gods of our land, the kind of meal which they so deserved from you"

It's been three months already, since Drusilla had met the strange woman and surprisingly she brings to her husband now a bunch of good news that she had missed her menstrual cycle for three months now. And according to her she was feeling quite disturbed nonetheless, she had to ascertain why she's not been able to menstruate for three months so far. Her husband by now has started to thank the gods of their land and hopes to become a father like every other husband or man no sooner than later. "Now I'll be a father in six months' time because the gods of our sacred land, Philopolis have smiled at us" The whole day had been used to celebrate the arrival of a new baby in advance already.

When Drusilla's pregnancy had reached six months she decided to start walking to the river bank to draw some water as she used to do in the past. Her younger sister Andromeda had been of help to her for many years and she had kept being loyal to them. She's been the only young lady who had kept encouraging her elder sister to keep her hopes alive for she would pull through by the help of the gods of their land someday. Andromeda had been a wonderful soul and so after having stayed with them for over ten years a good man from a far distant land had come to ask of her hand in marriage.

Now about Drusilla walking to River Aphrodite, she almost stumbled on the road to the river bank however she met with a young man whom from a few meters away she had thought that he was someone whom she knew until she had beckoned him. It was this young man whom she had seen that helped her to get even closer to the river bank to draw water from River Aphrodite. She then returned with the young man as he was still helping her almost to her home. When the young man had observed that Drusilla was almost home he excused her to take leave of her in order to get to the neighbouring village so he could pay his mother a visit as his mother had hailed from another village.

On her arrival home, Drusilla meets that old woman whom she had come across on her way home several months earlier and who had predicted and blessed her. Drusilla was gladder meeting her than she had ever been because this strange woman had been sent by the gods to her at an appointed time. She says, "My daughter how're you doing with the unborn child?" Drusilla answers, "I'm hale and hearty, my mother" and thanked her for how she had availed herself to be used by the gods to bless her with a child for in three months from now she'd be a mother. "What brings you here, mother?" asks pregnant Drusilla.

The old woman replies, "I've come to give you a special name for the unborn child" Drusilla finds out, "What should my child be called?" The woman responds, "She'll be called Annabelle, the new Queen of the Kingdom of Athens" And immediately, the old woman says this she disappears into thin air. This makes Drusilla realizes that she's been dealing with one of the goddesses after all. She exclaims, "Indeed, one good turn deserves another" The gods and goddesses had come to visit me she had thought in herself. It was obvious that she had met with one of the goddesses and they have found favour with her.

2 The Birth of Annabelle

It's been nine months already and Drusilla had put to bed a bouncy baby girl, who looked gorgeous and beautiful in countenance. Philadelphia the great hunter, who has now become a father had loved his daughter and Drusilla always yearned to satisfy her with whatever she had asked for from her as a mother. Annabelle grew gradually and after over a decade she had become a beautiful teenager and an adolescent girl already and was being led into womanhood by her own mother.

She's being loved and pampered by her parents nevertheless, she had never allowed all of that to get into her head. Annabelle was a diligent teenager who liked to work carefully and tried to clean the whole compound. Her mother had cautioned her several times to take it easy on house chores as she could have left some of the house chores for her mother to do. Annabelle loved to help her parents and she was an obedient girl who often would go on errands everywhere she's being sent by her parents. She had never disobeyed her parents in whatsoever instructions she was given by her parents to follow as far as those instructions were important and importunate.

Her mother often told her of how she had suffered with her father to bear her as they hadn't gotten it easy at all. She's being told about the mystery surrounding how she was born and that she's been a gift from the gods and goddesses of Philopolis. Philopolis was being ruled by Poseidon's son called Telemacus.

Annabelle had grown into a curvy-shaped and beautiful lady. She had been both respectful and kind despite her beautiful countenance. The young maidens and virgins of her village had not and still have not learnt any didactic lessons on why they should be kind to strangers hence they kept being callous towards strangers and even towards themselves.

Annabelle's parents had died leaving behind her brother Hermes and Annabelle herself. And Hermes her only brother then had taken after his father to be a great hunter also anyhow, their parents had left for them so much wealth besides. They had kept using their inherited wealth to help the poor and needy until one day one of the gods visited them to promise them royalty in one of the most powerful kingdoms in Athens.

Their royalty had been connected to the Kingdoms of Pergamos III and Poseidon I, whose father had been a great hunter of ancient times. Poseidon's and Annabelle's deceased father have had something in common in their lives---both had been great hunters of the land of their nativity in the past. Furthermore, they both had been good men whose lives had transformed many young men and old men alike throughout the district of the Kingdom of Athens.

Hermes had gone to woo his sweetheart Eros while Annabelle has always had the timeless hopes of being made a new Queen of one of the most powerful kingdoms in all of Greece some day. Annabelle was almost thirty years old and still she had kept her hopes alive until she was fully thirty years old. Hermes had succeeded in wooing his sunshine, Eros and the two had tied the knot in a holy matrimony.

Their marriage had been the talk of the town of Philopolis as well as in the neighbourhoods of Philopolis and was heard of by many Grecians in Greece. Now Telemachus rules in the stead of his father King Poseidon I, the great hunter of ancient times. He's being regarded by all his subjects and many from far and near had heard a lot about him. He was a powerful and wise King who had used his wisdom to amass wealth for his kingdom.

King Telemachus II, has come to feel that it's time for him to fall in love with a good and kind maiden precisely a virgin was his best choice. And interestingly, Annabelle is almost the age of King Telemachus however, she's not broken her virginity as she's not been married yet. After a handful of months King Telemachus II, had sent his announcers to herald news of the search for a new Queen and the same would be chosen as his bride.

3 The Search For A New Queen

King Telemachus II longs for a wife and gives out his criteria to his wise advisors to comb the nooks and crannies of Athens in search of a maiden who befits his criteria. More over, that maiden should be the one whom he had seen countless times in his dreams for he believed that, that lady had been chosen for him by the gods of their lands and of his forefathers.

The Search for a maiden as the King's wife-to-be had begun and the wise men and magicians have had the chance of combing the whole of Athens for the King's best choice. Many old women had yearned for their daughters to be chosen however such a choice of a wife for their great King should meet certain criteria and should be the lady whom he had seen in his dreams.

They had searched everywhere and had brought different beautiful ladies who almost befitted the criteria however King Telemachus II had rejected them. He tells his advisors to go again in search of more beautiful maidens and virgins for in three weeks the Kingdom of Athens will host a grand ceremony of maidens and virgins of which one of them must be handpicked and chosen by the King and also one who would befit the King's selective choice as shown him by the gods of our ancestors.

The day had approached and many of the maidens and virgins who had reached marital status were handpicked however the King was not pleased with any of them. Annabelle had been invited by her brother Hermes and she was feeling reluctant to attend this ceremony nonetheless, she thought of visiting for once to see how this ceremony would be organized. She had wished that she was one of them but, practically she wasn't. Little did she know that the gods were drawing her closer to her destiny in order to be chosen by King Telemachus as both his wife and the new Queen of the Kingdom. She had arrived and was part of all those who were spectating and witnessing this grand ceremony.

King Telemachus II, was seated on his royal golden stool and relaxed as he relaxed the gods bring to his memory a vivid picture of the maiden he's been seeing in his dreams all along. Annabelle had not dressed like those ladies who were being paraded and flaunted before their King for his choice of wife and so nobody would have thought that Annabelle qualified for such a wonderful occasion. The King whispers into the ears of one of his advisors and communicates with him about the description of the lady whom he had seen in his dreams of which he had described to this particular advisor about the said virgin who would be the King's bride.

4 Annabelle Becomes The New Queen

The King is stunned that Annabelle appeared to be the exact lady, woman and wife of his dreams and so he sends one of his messengers to beckon and get her for him. Already, King Telemachus II had been told the actual name of the woman who would be his wife in his dreams by the gods. To the King's surprise the messengers came back telling the King that the maiden comes forward to him. When she gets close to the King he finds out about her name. She responds in a sweet and captivating voice giving out her name as Annabelle.

And the King not being able to control himself began shouting, "I have found my wife. I have found her. I have found Annabelle, whom the gods of our Kingdoms had foretold and shown to me in my dreams". He continues to state: "Annabelle is the one whom the gods of our lands and of our forefathers had shown me for many years in my dreams". And the King declared her officially and traditionally as his wife and said, "Annabelle is the new Queen of the Kingdom of Athens" This was how Annabelle became the new Princess and Queen of the Kingdom of Athens and the King with his beautiful wife and bride had lived happily ever after in the Great Palace of the Kingdom of Athens.

The End.