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  The Girl at the Well

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 1987490118

  ISBN-13: 978-1987490114

  Visit the author’s blog at: https://jcauthor.weebly.com/

  © 2018 J.C. Ahmed

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter One

  “I have awoken

  I was asleep my whole life and didn't know it

  Now I'm awake and desperately want to return

  to the unknowingness of sleep

  But if I sleep, thousands will die”

  — Journal entry by Liralexa Abbingdon

  Liralexa Abbingdon’s delicate, alabaster fingers pushed a sewing needle through a napkin stretched taut on an embroidery hoop. With great focus, she pierced the linen fabric again and again. A pale blue flower slowly but surely took shape as she rhythmically pushed and pulled the needle. It was a simple activity, sure, but she took great joy in her many hobbies. She sat in the shade of the porch but exposed her bare feet to the sun’s warmth. Wayward strands of golden brown hair hung around her face.

  A stranger who happened upon the girl clad in a simple red frock would never guess she was a princess. They would also never guess the white brick house with a rocking chair and a wooden bench on the porch was a royal residence. Yes, the house was large, very large, but royal families usually lived in magnificent castles.

  Liralexa’s parents King Cameron and Queen Stella presided over a realm known as the Kingdom of the Nine Regions. On maps of the known world, it was labeled a minor kingdom which did not please the king and queen. They couldn’t increase the size of their kingdom, but they were determined to increase its wealth and importance. And in the process, increase their own stature.

  The young princess knew little about such things and cared little. She barely noticed the stream of visitors marching up the steps to the front door. Except for the few who wished her a good afternoon. When someone addressed her, she looked up from her sewing. The intense concentration which marked her perfect features briefly softened to a smile as she acknowledged their greeting. From a distance, our imagined stranger may deem her an unapproachable beauty, but everyone who knew her liked her. She was known to be vivacious, charming and friendly. She barely noticed the bell echoing through the vestibule when the doorman pulled on a braided satin rope to alert the royal couple’s assistant to a new visitor. The harried assistant bustled down the stairs, then hastened the caller upstairs for an audience with the king and queen.

  Liralexa was proud of her father and mother and excited to be next in line to rule the Nine Regions. She didn't know much about the other eight. In fact, she didn't know much about her home region. The overprotective royals wouldn't let their only heir set foot outside the palace grounds until she turned seventeen. Her life was charmed but confined, and gave her little exposure to her future subjects. Still, she was often privy to palace business due to conversations around the dining room table. Not that she always paid attention. But due to mealtime discussions, she knew seven of the regions were quite troublesome. Her parents often complained about them when advisers, military leaders and dignitaries came to dine. When a region caused trouble King Cameron and Queen Stella called on General Noah Hackett to deal with them.

  Anger was a rare emotion for Liralexa. But the obstinacy of the subject regions irritated her. Her father and mother were kind and hardworking monarchs who cared for the people they ruled over. They devoted their lives to making the kingdom a better place. She couldn't fathom why the troublesome regions wouldn't want to cooperate with such a caring and dutiful royal couple. But Liralexa rarely focused on serious matters.

  Parties and celebrations with music, dancing, beautiful ball gowns, and food, lots and lots of food, were a big part of life on the palace grounds. Cameron and Stella loved to throw lavish celebrations for the people of the Golden Region, the seat of government in the realm. The appellation was ostentatious but also descriptive because the area was enormously wealthy. Liralexa spent hours getting ready with the help of her personal servant Alma. Did she want braids or curls? Or maybe an updo? What about a bun? She could be very indecisive. Alma held up the new ball gown the palace dressmaker designed for the occasion while her mistress decided which hairstyle would be most complementary. After much vacillation, she made her choice. The young servant girl styled her hair and helped her into her gown. Dressed to the nines, the royal family sashayed through the ornate wood paneled hallway, swept through the front door, and gingerly stepped into a golden carriage pulled by eight horses for the one-mile trip to the party. Twenty one palace guards arrayed in dark blue formal dress uniforms and feather topped helmets accompanied them. A boy ran ahead of the group to alert the party goers to the imminent arrival of the royals. Everyone stepped aside as the lead guard shouted “Make way for your king and queen, and Princess Liralexa.” When the carriage came to a stop, the family alighted and greeted those in attendance.

  Lessons were a big part of Liralexa’s day-to-day life. Her tutor Master Aldrin Caan taught her subjects like math, history, languages and music. She also had teachers for art, dancing, acting, embroidery and archery. In her quieter moments she enjoyed wandering in the woods, drawing and reading books. After her lessons were done, she was free to read, wander, and pursue her hobbies. Her life was a happy one.

  “Liralexa, dear.”

  She looked up from her work. Attired in a flowing sky blue chiffon dress, Stella stood at the door, an affectionate smile lighting up her face. Gold and jewels decorated her neck, wrists and fingers. Voluminous raven hair rested gently on her shoulders. An objective observer would have deemed her resting expression icy and dour, but in her daughter’s eyes, she was most beautiful.

  “Look, mother!” Liralexa held up her latest creation, a blue hydrangea with a stem and two leaves, embroidered onto the corner of a napkin.

  “That's beautiful, darling. Come along now. It’s time to eat.”

  “Coming, mother.”

  Liralexa usually had breakfast and dinner with her parents. When she had lessons, she ate lunch with Aldrin who patiently indulged her constant chatter. On her days off, she often took a packed lunch into the woods. You see, Liralexa wasn't a prim and proper princess. She liked to dress up for special occasions, but much to the chagrin of her parents, she preferred pants, or simple frocks and skirts to fine dresses. And she loved to climb trees. As sleek and lithe as a panther, she moved from tree branch to tree branch until she found a comfortable spot to nestle and read a book.

  When she stayed home and became engrossed in her hobbies, she often lost track of time. Knowing her daughter could be absentminded, Stella made sure to arrange her lunch. Liralexa followed her mother down a spiral staircase to the nether part of the house. They entered the kitchen on the windowless side of the underground floor. The cavernous space
, dimly lit by lamps, made the princess’s skin crawl. The busy cooks briefly stopped their work to bow.

  “Marcy, how are the meal preparations coming along?” Stella asked the head cook.

  “Three beef roasts, two stuffed turkeys, and five salmons are almost ready for cookin’, yer majesty,” the elderly, almost toothless woman answered. “Beef stew is cookin’ away.”

  “Ah, very good. The guests will arrive at seven. Make sure everything is on the table by half past.”

  Liralexa hungrily eyed the pot of stew. Her eyes scanned the kitchen until they alit on a bowl and a ladle hanging on the wall.

  “Please prepare lunch for the princess,” Stella ordered, before she bustled out of the kitchen. Irritation flashed across the old woman’s face. So much had to be done before the big dinner.

  “Git ‘er some lunch,” she ordered a teenage boy who was busy chopping vegetables.

  “Right away, ma'am,” the harried boy mumbled.

  A teenage girl side-eyed Liralexa when she grabbed the bowl and ladle and headed toward the fireplace. Beef stew in a big black pot bubbled over the fire. She liked to imagine it was a witch’s brew.

  “This looks like it's done,” she said to the elderly servant.

  “Aye, that it is,” she sighed. “Help yourself if you must.”

  The kitchen staff threw scornful glances at each other as Liralexa ladled the stew into the bowl.

  “I need a tray for this.”

  Her tone wasn’t rude, but it wasn’t polite either. Matter-of-fact was the most apt description. The head cook brought a tray to her. Without a word of thanks, the princess left. Disdainful eyes followed her. She hated the dreary, dimly lit kitchen and was glad to escape it. Her mother insisted on taking her there almost every day. The princess had to learn how to run a kingdom and knowing how to command servants was part of her education. She crossed the hall and entered the dining room. The stew was too hot to eat. After placing it on the table to cool, she pressed her hands and face against an enormous window to better admire a city glimmering in the distance. It looked both close and far away at the same time. The hilltop location offered a view of Golden City. Soon she would visit the only city in her region for the first time. Unable to control her excitement, she clapped her hands and giggled. The kitchen boy interrupted her wistful longing. Without saying a word, he set a tray down and scurried out of the room. Liralexa sat at the heavy oak table, which could accommodate up to thirty-six people. The head of the table was wide enough to seat the royal couple. Liralexa usually sat at the opposite end. Sitting there gave her a feeling of importance. Administrators, advisers, ambassadors, business people and military officers often sat around that table to discuss regional affairs with her parents.

  Someday Liralexa would be queen. Every parent of a teenage boy who sat around that table hoped their son would be her future husband. On many a fine evening big parties were held in the woods for prominent and wealthy families. Hundreds of people conversed, laughed and danced in tents filled with food, games and music. The teenage boys came dressed in their finery. The young suitors were always on their best behavior, each one hoping to win over the future queen. She acted demure, but she loved the attention. Which one would she pick? She didn’t know, but wasn't in a hurry to choose. Her seventeenth birthday was a week away. According to tradition, the future king or queen would pick their spouse when they turned twenty-one. Even though marriage was still years away, Liralexa had fun thinking about who her chosen would be.

  “Roderick is tall and handsome but a little on the quiet side. But James is too talkative and brash. I need someone in the middle. Raul maybe?”

  Chapter Two

  “Where should my loyalties lie?

  With blood or with water?

  Can I leave water at the mercy of blood?

  Could I live with myself if I did?”

  — Journal entry by Liralexa Abbingdon

  Liralexa didn’t know it yet, but this was the day her perceptions of the world would collide with reality. She gulped down her lunch. Her mother wouldn't have approved, but she wasn't there to stop her. The princess had a rebellious streak but only broke the rules when no one was around to catch her. In the presence of her parents, she was an obedient and dutiful child. Defying them wasn't worth it. When she broke the rules, they sat her on a chair and launched into seemingly interminable lectures on the importance of obedience, duty, personal responsibility and etiquette. She loved her parents, but their painfully long speeches were to be avoided at all costs.

  There were still some hours to kill between her late lunch and dinner. Bored with needlework, she threw the strap of a brown leather bag over her shoulder, and sauntered into the woods. She loved the woods and the hills they graced. The Nine Regions were littered with flat-topped hills, unusual in much of the rest of the known world. But few had the length and breadth of Palace Hill and its sister hills. To reach her favorite spot, Liralexa pushed through woodland, which gently dipped and rose again to another plateau. There was a paved carriage path, which she always avoided. When she explored in nature, she preferred to avoid signs of civilization.

  She spun and twirled into a grassy clearing and laughed when an attempt at a pirouette almost caused her to fall flat on her face. Her wrists hurt a little after her hands broke her fall, but she gave little heed to the pain. Making the best of her unexpected meeting with the ground, she decided to pick some flowers. She gathered up daisies, bluebells and primroses, and set about making a flower crown. After admiring her floral creation, she placed it on her head with great care. She rummaged around in her bag, pulled out a mirror and admired herself. While gazing at her reflection, she imagined her crowning ceremony. In her mind’s eye, she and a vague figure representing her husband sat on their thrones with hands joined while the head of the Sigils Guild chanted in a mystical language. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a golden jewel studded crown was placed on Liralexa’s head. As the crown inched closer to the head of her imagined consort a nagging thought wormed its way into her mind.

  “What if I don’t fall for any of the boys I know?”

  It's not that she disliked them. But she wasn't attracted to any of them. And while the person she married would be her choice that right to choose came with severe limitations. She had to marry a boy from the Golden Region. And he had to belong to one of the prominent families. She already knew all the boys her age. It was unlikely someone new who would catch her eye, would come along. Overwhelming sadness washed over her. It was one of the few times in her life she felt sad. Most other moments of sadness involved a deceased grandparent. Had her own father ever felt this way when thinking about his future queen? Her parents adored each other. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad. Still, she really couldn't imagine being married to any of the boys she knew.

  As she brooded over her future marriage prospects, she saw a small glow appear behind her melancholy reflection. Her head turned first, followed by the rest of her body. She felt afraid. Fear was another rare feeling for her. There was little crime or violence in the Golden Region. In an area where the government made sure everyone was well provided for, there was little need to break the law. The royal couple’s only child ran alone and free in the woods with no fear of harm coming to her. Of course, she could only roam in wooded areas in the hills located on the palace grounds, the perimeter of which hundreds of soldiers guarded day and night.

  Liralexa inched toward the strange violet light, blinking her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. An eerie glow emanated from an old unused well. Liralexa loved that old well. She often sat on the round red brick wall, pulling the bucket up and down, noting how the cacophonous clank of the chains contrasted with the tranquility of the woods. Fear shimmied down her spine, goosebumps spread across her skin and a lump formed in her throat as the size and luminosity of the glow intensified. Afraid to get any closer, she peeked out from behind a tree. She opened her mouth to scream whe
n the glow burst into a radiant arch and a soldier leading a horse emerged from it. From her perspective, it looked like they were coming up out of the well, then through the shimmering window. Recognizing the man as a member of the royal army the scream came out as a gasp. Liralexa remained still as a statue as soldiers and horses poured out of the arch. The last to exit was General Hackett.

  “Good job, boys. That will teach those troublemakers in the Step Region a lesson.”

  Liralexa’s muscles tensed up when she noticed a soldier who appeared to be scanning the trees while the others mounted their horses. A black band decorated with golden stars lined the bottom of his helmet. The band signified he was a member of the Sigils Guild, a group of magicians who had sworn loyalty to the Abbingdon clan a thousand years before. Modern members were still bound by that ancient oath. His fear-filled eyes swept the area. Liralexa turned around, pressed her back against the tree trunk, held her breath and remained perfectly still. A sense of panic coursed through her body. What if he used a spell to detect her presence? Sure she was the princess, and this was her parents’ army, but she had a feeling this was something she wasn’t supposed to see.

  “Is something wrong?” the general asked.

  “No,” the magician answered. “I thought I heard something, but it was just a rabbit.”

  “Let’s go, then,” the general commanded.

  Liralexa didn't release her breath until the sound of thundering hooves faded away. With her mouth wide open, she emerged from her hiding place and stared at the tracks and disturbed dust left in the horses’ wake.

  The Nine Regions were connected by a system of portals. She figured this had to be one. But how had she never seen anyone enter or leave the well before when she hung out there so often? She cautiously approached and looked inside. The well, once used to supply water to the Royal House, dried up long before she was born. She often threw stones down the shaft and strained her ears but never heard them hit bottom. Her mind filled with questions. How far down did it go? Should she get inside? Horses and soldiers had come out safely. Surely it was safe for her to go in. What if she fell down and broke her neck? But horses and soldiers had come out safely. What if she became trapped and died of thirst and starvation, or just one of those? But horses and soldiers had come out safely. She knew she shouldn't get into the well but curiosity was getting the better of her. And horses and soldiers had come out safely.