CHAPTER 2 - An unexpected turn

9:26 PM 2/24/2024
Chapter 2: An unexpected turn.
Claressa sped through the castle hallways after waking up just in time to hear it."Push, push, Queen Esmeralda, you can do it”, the
midwife coaxed. Through the room door she heard her father screaming just as her mother screamed before she then heard a baby's cry. “It’s a girl”, the midwife shouted. Claressa rushed in and shouted “Let’s call her Areida".
For the first time in 14yrs, Claressa heard that her mom was pregnant of her third child. She was so elated and happy that she had already started picking out baby's names for both boys and girls. Her friends were already getting tired of her talking everyday about it.
"No Claressa, it’s too simple, I was thinking about Cassandra”, her father, King Cole, replied.
Claressa came over to sit on the bed and said, “Dad, another C name, I think her name starting with another letter will make her feel special".
And boy, was she special. When the royal seer, Gamaliel, was called in to check what her ability was, he declared her human. Her parents were shocked, wondering how she could be human.
"How is this possible?”, Maxwell asked Claressa who was standing close to him.
"How do you expect me to know?”, Claressa replied.
"Looks like your prophecy about being special came to pass".
She didn't reply him but just glared at him. She couldn't do much there because her parents were in a bad mood and Maxwell knew that well. But she just smiled and vowed to get back at him during training sessions in the afternoon.
Later that afternoon,
"Maxwell, guys! “Claressa shouted from below their windows “Won’t you guys come down for practice, it’s already late into the afternoon"
In a jiffy, they were all downstairs for different reasons. Maxwell came down for training while the others came to watch a show cause they all knew what she wanted to do.
Today, Claressa specially decided to compete against Maxwell. Immediately they had worn their training gear, she attacked him. He tried to fight back but she made it hard for him to do that. All he could do in the end was defense and she capitalized on it. After some time while still fighting, Maxwell remembered her mysterious smile in the morning and finally realized that she was getting back at him for what he said that morning. Claressa saw that he was distracted and she brought him down and gave a smile that said 'I warned you’. The other guys were just standing at the side and laughing at him.
"Hey, stop laughing”, Maxwell shouted at them while still on the ground. But that only made them to laugh harder.
Regarding Princess Areida humanity, the royal council came together and decided that as the princess was human, she couldn't be allowed outside the castle walls and se was to be protected 24/7.
"No, how can that be, she needs to experience her childhood, just like Claressa and Clark. At least, she should be allowed to around the castle's forest with a nanny and some guards at least. She can't just be stigmatized in the castle “the queen said in worry.
"Esmeralda dear, she can't be allowed. We’ll be putting her in danger if we do that. She’s human and we don't know what lurks in that forest”, the king said while trying to soothe her. He was doing this for her but he knew that his wife was very stubborn.
"I am not having any of that. All of you here need to find a way around this. My Areida will grow up normally. And when you are done deliberating this, you meet me in my chambers”, the queen said and then got up and left the throne room.
Seeing the queen go out like that, the king felt really helpless.
"News of the princess's humanity must not get out of these walls”, he thundered in the throne room “Nothing must happen to her, not even the
people of the kingdom must know; you must pass this order round this castle. If anyone is found guilty of spreading this outside, he or she will be executed".
"You have spoken well, my king”, a minister said.
"How so?"
"News have been heard of rogue warlocks looking for the weaknesses of kingdoms. Two kingdoms have been brought down just last month”, the minister, Cedrick, replied.
"And for this kingdom, Your Majesty, I think it's only weakness is our human princess”, another minister chimed in.
The king was quiet for a while but still said, “Nevertheless, no one will know if we don't spread it. My wife wants our daughter to have a
normal childhood and a normal childhood she will have. She will be protected always".

Chapter end