Year 1239,
"Aunt?" came the very soft and timid voice of a thirteen-year-old girl with blue eyes and black hair, her physique frail.
"Shut up, you dork!" shouted a large, unattractive woman at the girl. "And keep cleaning the floor."
"If it weren't for your cursed looks, maybe they would have chosen you," she continued, scowling as she glanced toward the door.
A middle-aged man walked in from outside and sat down beside the woman on one of the two chairs placed there. Seeing the man, she asked with greed. Her eyes were full of maliciousness.
"What did they say?"
Seeing the shaking head of the man, the woman's eyes went straight to the girl, and a bowl hit the back of the girl. A faint, painful cry came out of her mouth. Afraid of another beating, she didn't cry out loudly.
"They feared for any bad omen," as if it were normal for the woman to beat the girl. He ignored the little girl, too, and thought of the faces of the people. Full of fear and confusion.
They were talking about the people they met to sell the girl to merchants. But they denied after seeing the blue eyes of the girl.
"There was a strange fear in their eyes, after they saw her," the man said solemnly, shaking his head.
While they were talking, they didn't even lower their voices, thus all heard by the girl, who was wiping the floor with eyes full of tears. She was sad and fearful of this couple and was quietly wiping the floor, lowering her presence.
"Let me tell you, I heard a prophecy many years ago, but I didn't know if it was true or not." The man suddenly thought of something and hushed.
"What prophecy?" the woman exclaimed.
"Shh, quiet. If anyone heard us, we would be dead," he said, still hushing. Not understanding, the woman looked at the man.
"There is a prophecy that says, a child with blue eyes and grey hair is cursed. Anyone who tries to touch his/her with any harm will be doomed." The man said, still thinking about that time. " So even if she has black hair, they don't want to take any risk."
"But, when I was coming back, I saw an old man on the way, looking for a slave to buy." The woman's eyes lit up. " Tomorrow I am taking her to him and will see how much he can give for her." Saying this, the man gestured with his eyes. The woman frowned after a second thought.
"If we sell her to any of those wretched people in the village, we will be beheaded. Don't you know?"
At this time, finally, she lowered her voice and took a look at the girl from the window, who was washing clothes at the back of the house.
" When we found her in the jungle, the head soldier warned us, remember."
The girl was not their niece or any relative. She was found by them in the deep jungle five months ago with no memory of any past. And when they were taking her out of the jungle, they met a few soldiers with the royal badge. In the intense enquiry, they claimed her as their niece.
So, the soldiers let them go and also told the village chief to keep an eye on them, because the girl's appearance was too beautiful to be their relative. As selling and buying slaves was banned in the human race.
Now, after a few months of realizing that everything was okay and neutralized, they were trying to sell the girl.
"That old man was not from here. If I remember, his clothes were neat and well-tailored like the people from the town, and I had never seen him before." With certainty, he spoke.
"Make him buy her at any cost. I am done with her daily episode," the woman said solemnly, remembering how every night their house turned upside down after she came.
"I am more eager to get her out of here. All my savings were gone just in a few months on food." He sounds frustrated.
"She was possessed for sure. Otherwise, how can a girl so thin can go without eating for a week straight?" the woman also chimed in, thinking of the time when they locked the girl in the room for seven days, after their house's first event.
The next day woman gets the girl ready while cursing and abusing her and lets the man take her to the place they decided to meet. The place they decided was outside the village and into the deserted area of the forest, afraid of being seen by the villagers.
When the man reached the spot and saw the old man standing there under the tree, he walked up to him in large strides, grabbing the little girl's wrist tightly. A sharp pain ran through, and she hissed. Tear welled up in her watery blue eyes. Her eyes were so mesmerizing, as if the ocean was ready to flow out of her eyes. Anyone with a kind heart would want to love and protect her like this. The Old man looked down at her, and a strange emotion flashed in his eyes.
"Sir, this is the girl I was talking about." He ignored the pain and sob of the girl and presented her to the old man as if selling a piece of antique.
"She is good at house chores, although a little clumsy," he smiled sheepishly, "But she is very quiet and most importantly, she is easy to take care of."
Throughout his introduction, the old man was silently observing the little girl and saw many marks, cuts, and wounds on her, and the newly made mark on her wrist too. He closed his eyes and took a breath before opening them, then looked at the man. Nodding his head, he opened his mouth,
"What about the village chief?" And his rough voice reached into the girl's ear, who looked up after hearing the familiar voice.
"I will tell him that she went to her grandparents' house," he replied with of smile.
The old man again nodded his head and grabbed the pouch that was hanging on his waist, throwing it to him. The man caught it, and the clinking sound echoed in the silent forest. He laughed with greedy eyes and opened the pouch. After seeing lots of silver coins, he forgot about the girl and turned to leave.
Fearing rejection from the old man, he sped up and soon disappeared without looking back. The old man who was left behind was also looking at the back of the man until his eyes couldn't see him anymore.
A creepy smile took over his face, as if he was going to kill a complete troop. Suddenly, he thought of the little girl, and after hiding his emotion, he again looked down at her. He took the girl's sore wrist and covered it with his palm. When he removed his palm, the mark was nowhere to be seen.
The little girl terrifyingly looked at the old man, but his face with white hair and beard was not giving her any threat feeling.
Seeing her confused and surprised eyes, he chuckled before touching her head gently. And in the next second, she collapsed. The old man caught her in his arms and lifted her.
"Nolan, do as planned," His commanding voice called out.
A shadow jumped out of the tree he was standing under. He knelt before the old man and replied," Yes, Majesty." Then he looked at the little girl in his king's arms.
" Is she the one Majesty?" he asked with confusion, seeing the girl's black hair.
Without replying to him, the old man turned and left. With the girl in his arms, his facade changed after every step he took, turning him into a very handsome, tall, and robust man, with black hair and greenish-blue eyes. Nolan deep down knew that no one could understand this man. But he was still confused that out of every face, he decided to turn into an old man. Nolan has fair skin and beautiful features, but he is still far from the looks of his majesty.
After a few seconds, he also went in the direction the man had gone after taking the coins.
" Mother, why did we leave Father behind? He was injured," the little girl said in a sleepy voice.
"Sweety, don't be afraid, your father will be with us soon. He was just making a safe place to live for us." The woman with silver eyes and black hair was running with the little girl of age five, in her arms, soothing the little girl in a hoarse voice.
Many armed men were following her from behind, and their footsteps, as well galloping of horses, were echoing around.
She hugged the girl tightly, and tears flowed out of her eyes. Thinking of her injured husband, her heart torn into pieces, but her girl was the last resort for the world, so she had to keep her safe, even if she had to give up lives.