Tales From Long Ago and Far Away by Charity Rau

Author:Charity Rau
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wonderstruck Books
Published: 2024-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

The Hidden Princess

Once upon a time, a servant girl bore the king a child. Angry that the child was a daughter and not a son, the king banished the servant and the baby to the tallest tower in the kingdom.

The same night, another baby was born in the cottage of the castle’s groundskeeper. The groundskeeper and his wife were thrilled as they had given up all hope of ever having a child. When the king heard this child was a boy, he sent his soldiers to seize the baby, for he had proclaimed to the entire kingdom that his barren wife was going to have a child. Having banished the baby girl that was to be the “queen’s child”, he needed a baby to present to the kingdom.

He demanded silence from everyone involved in his plotting. Death would be the penalty for a wagging tongue. But even the threat of death can’t keep some secrets.

The next morning, the king declared there would be a three day feast to celebrate his son’s birth. He invited everyone in the land, and the party was a great success. No one suspected that the baby wasn’t truly a prince.

The king named his stolen child Edward, and on Edward’s eighteenth birthday the king threw a massive party. Red, white, and blue flags flew throughout the entire kingdom. All men of eligible age were invited to come and compete for a chance to become a knight.

Meanwhile, in the tower, the servant still lived with her daughter. Even more misfortune had befallen the maid, for she had become gravely ill. Her daughter pleaded with the guards to bring help. Most ignored her pleas, but the new guard on the night watch, Caden, took mercy upon her and went for help. By the time he brought the old medicine woman to the tower, it was too late.

The medicine woman recognized the girl’s mother for she had been the one who had delivered the girl so many years ago at the palace.

“You’re the true heir -the only offspring of the king. What is your name, child?”

“Aria, ma’am. But what am I to do now? No one would ever believe that I’m heir to the throne.” Tears trickled down her face as she looked down at her worn dress. “I can’t stay in this tower any longer. Without my mother, I’ll go crazy.”

“Don’t worry, dear. You can come with me,” the medicine woman said.

The medicine woman and Caden formed a plan. They would spread Aria’s story throughout the kingdom in hopes of rallying the people to her side.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.