The cool evening breeze filtered into the temple, cooling my nerves and my brain. Both Arizona and old lady Papirus hadn't said a word ever since Melissa left. I stared intensively at the ground with a lot of things on my mind.
"We had a daughter" Arizona suddenly spoke bringing me back from my line of thoughts.
I looked at her with a confused expression written all over my face. She smiled briefly and continued.
"We had a child after we couldn't get hold of ourselves. We had a daughter when our lust overpowered our self discipline and we couldn't help but sleep with each other".
"When both you and Hijirar had sex, you got pregnant, right?" I asked, maybe trying to confirm what I heard.
"I got pregnant three weeks after I had sex with Hijirar" Arizona said while nodding slowly.
My gaze fell on the old lady who was also lost in thought.
"Tell me more, I need to know how it all started" I raised my head as I looked at Arizona.
Arizona equally looked at me and a frown lay on her face. I gave a raised eyebrow at her sudden frown.
"What is it?" I simply asked.
"You look just like him" Arizona said as her frown deepened.
I smacked my lips as I gave a confused stare. I stood up from my chair and walked over to Arizona. Stopping right before her, I squatted and stared into her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked with the same confused stare.
All of a sudden, Arizona smiled.
"Just like your father" Arizona's words were more like a bombshell, but I continued staring into her enchanting eyes.
Her last sayings did remind me that she knew who my father is. Especially the fact that my father and mother are both alive and only she knows the truth about them, peradventure old lady Papirus may also know who my parents are.
Ever since Arizona had started her 'truth saying' she had only talked about her life and being the priestess. Also how her love story with Hijirar started and the real origin of Umuguor community.
But she never really did explain who my parents are and it's really aching me to know.
All my life, I had lived with a woman who had perhaps, rescued me during the war. But it still ached me knowing that I never really had parents. And it looks like I was wrong about it, I really did have parents of my own.
"Who is my father?" I asked while being on my feet.
I walked over to a statue, ignoring the chair, I was really getting tired of sitting. I leaned on the statue with my eyes fixed on Arizona.
"Your father is not someone of mere being" Arizona stood up from her own chair and walked up to me. "Your father is someone of great power which you never would have imagined".
My eyes fell on old lady Papirus who was simultaneously staring at me. A smile was on her face and I couldn't help but grin.
"Then tell me,who is he?" I asked again, focusing my gaze on the powerful snake immortal before me.
Just as I asked the question,tears seemed to fill her eyes. Arizona took in air as the tears welled up in her eyes.
I was a lot confused but I decided to wait and see how everything would play. Looks like I'll be knowing what was hidden from me very soon.
Tears trickled down Arizona face. She covered her mouth with her two hands as if she had done something bad and was regretting it. I smirked at her sudden change of behavior.
"Naagin,if you must know your father. You must know how to drink a bitter wine cause 'the Truth is bitter' but it must be told.
"What are you saying?" I said,a slight arrogance in my voice.
With Arizona strange behavior after I had asked that question, I got only more confused but I tried to understand everything that was playing out.
Old lady Papirus stood up from her chair and walked up to the both of us. She hugged the crying Arizona and she looked at me with an utmost concern.
"What's really going on old lady Papirus?" I asked as pure frustration filled my voice. "Is that difficult to tell me who my parents are?"
After moments of sobbing, Arizona got rid of the tears on her cheeks but she sniffled continuously. Old lady Papirus who was hugging Arizona as a sign of comfort, let go of Arizona and faced me clearly.
"Naagin, I'm begging you to not get angry" old lady Papirus pleaded with her two hands together.
I gave a raised eyebrow.
Why would they think I would be angry? Why would they be begging me if not what they wanna tell me is going to get me angry.
I looked at the two ladies waiting for them to drop the bombshell about my parents and they did just that.
"I... I...am.... your..... mother" Arizona stammered dropping the bombshell. "And, Hijirar....is your... father".
For what seemed like eternity, I stared at the two women before me. My face was emotionless and I had a blank expression on it. I felt like I didn't hear well. It was like my ears were playing tricks on me.
I didn't really want to believe what I had heard through my ears. I didn't trust what I had heard. But somehow it all connected.
Arizona and old lady Papirus looked at me with expectations. They seemed to be expecting me to lash out or be filled with rage. They didn't really expect me to be this calm after being told that I was Hijirar's daughter.
They must have originally thought I had already learnt the truth from somewhere. Maybe because of my calm demeanour.
"If you could tell me the truth so easily,why didn't you just go straight to the point when we were all ready to hear the truth?" I asked a lengthy question.
The question could maybe,be the only question I could ask or otherwise.
"That's because I wanted you to at least know everything from the beginning or maybe because I wanted to beat around the bush in order to prepare you for the truth" Arizona explained,her voice a little bit filled with fear and frustration.
Looks like my calm demeanour and silence was taking a toll on her.
To tell the truth, I wasn't really angry. I wasn't angry that my real parents were a god and his priestess. I wasn't angry that I was born out of a mere love affair.
Instead, I was happy that I was finally going to have parents of my own. But it could also mean that Melissa is my sister,my senior sister at that.
All I needed to know was,Why? Why had they left me in the bush to be rescued by old lady Papirus during the war. And to top it, old lady Papirus had to give me out to a young woman who had raised me.
But why couldn't I be raised up like a spoilt brat like Melissa in Hijirar's Abode. Then if I really am Arizona's second daughter,why did I have to be the chosen one?
"Naagin" old lady Papirus called out, bringing me back from my line of thoughts.
My eyes rested on the two women before me, I smiled strangely and both Arizona and old lady Papirus looked at each other.
"I'm not angry neither I'm I in all rage" I calmly said but I maintained a Stern outlook. "But I have one question which I need you to answer".
"You want to ask why and how it all happened?"
Arizona cautiously took my two hands in her hands. I nodded at her question.
"It was all Hijirar's plan,in order to stop Huck" Arizona smiled briefly and she removed her hands from mine. "Have a seat and I will tell you everything and I will not beat around the bush".
I again nodded slowly waiting for the next storytelling (so I call it)
★★★
"Before you were born (Naagin), by that time Melissa was a year and a plus. A man named Huck came into existence after finding the secrets of infinite sorcery. And by that time, I had already began living in Hijirar's Abode because Hijirar had already taken me as his mate. But we kept it a secret from the other priests and priestesses of Casablanca. No one even knew that I had a child,it was believed in the community of Umuguor, that I was called into infinite service by Hijirar".
"After I had cultivated a field of land in the Umuguor forest,I found out that I was pregnant again. Normally, Hijirar actually wanted another child,a child that would look like him. Just the way Melissa looks exactly like me".
"When I discovered I was pregnant, Hijirar was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness that he gave his Jewel as a gift to Umuguor community and by that time, old lady Papirus was the priestess. When the other zones of the country of Casablanca,they were jealous including their priestesses and priests. But I never knew that there was a sorcerer who was a lot greedy for the Jewel, because he knew that the Jewel contained strong powers and rare immortality".
"So it all plays out that, Hijirar had actually gave the Jewel to Umuguor community because of his joy of having another child. He had actually blessed the people of Umuguor community because of you(Naagin). After Hijirar had gifted Umuguor community with his Jewel,it wasn't long until you were born".
"And you looked so much like Hijirar. That day was the best day for Hijirar, he even had to invite a lot of gods and Galaxy gods for a banquet after your birth".
"But I never knew that there was a man called Huck who was so greedy for the Jewel that he had to kill the priest of Agbejor community in order to gain power and become the priest. Huck took over the priest of Agbejor community after killing him. This angered Hijirar to a fault but Hijirar tried his best to ignore Huck's deeds".
"But when Huck had waged war with Agbejor community in order to get the Jewel, Hijirar was enraged and he knew he had to do something or else Umuguor community would be erased. So he deviced a plan by using our newly born daughter as a way to punish Huck for his continuous evil deeds".
"I didn't quite well agree with Hijirar's plan of using my new born child as a way of ending Huck. But I had to because, Umuguor community would have been wiped out by Agbejor community along with the powerful sorcerer, Huck. Hijirar sent two snake spirits from his Abode down to Umuguor community. These two snake spirits had abandoned you in the bush and had waited for old lady Papirus to rescue you".
"Hijirar's main plan was to use you as a way in putting an end to Huck but Huck was so blinded by greed for the Jewel that he fell right in place into Hijirar's trap. Immediately old lady Papirus had rescued you and lent you over to someone, every other thing had gone according to Hijirar's plan".
$$$
I was somewhat lost in thought as Arizona narrated everything that I needed to know.
"But why had Hijirar used his own daughter in passing judgement on an evil sorcerer?" I asked the obvious waiting for a corresponding answer.
Arizona only smiled and again, took my hands in hers.