The Heir

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The waves from the waterside began to rumble and suddenly, a deafening silence filled the atmosphere. The priest reached for a python skin bag around his neck. He poured the content on bare sand. His pupils faded away and he began to fiddle with bones, feathers, and cowries parting them from side to side. ”I see the princess, I see a crown and a kingdom, I see a throne. Ahh!” The priest’s body vibrated like jolts of electricity through a body. “Ahh! I see the water. It comes. No! it races in anger and it washes the throne away. Everything. The princess and her crown”. The waves rumbled again even more aggressively this time.

“What does that even mean?” My father thundered irritated by the priest’s revelation. “My king, it is what the bones say”.The priest looked in the direction of the waves. His eyes went white again. “If the waters could talk, they would speak”. He began gathering his bones one after the other cautiously and placing them in his bag.

“Don't you understand? It means that the Princess is going to drown”. My mother ran to stand in front of my father. She searched his eyes with terror in her own. “Starting today, she will be banned from visiting the water. Any guard found accompanying her will be in serious trouble”. She turned toward the guards with fire in her eyes.

The priest looked at her and without a single word, he shook his head and walked backward out of the palace. I was only six years old but I remember that event like I knew my palms. It was the day earth almost stood still for me. How was I ever supposed to live without visiting the water? It was my favorite happy place.

When I turned twelve, I conceived a means to sneak off every night to my paradise. I called it ‘my cradle’ because, for me, it was the place I felt alive the most. The feeling I get when I am inside the water is total peace and submission. The water always had a way of making me feel safe and at home. As a child, my parents never understood this.

“Listen to me Leah, you are heir to this throne and nothing must happen to you. You must remain safe”. My mother's words were always so odd to listen to. I always wondered if it was an heir she wanted or a child.

Things changed when I began having terrible dreams. I would see myself walking into the water and being slowly carried away by the waves. When I told my father about my dreams, he was hysterical. He sent his guards on a journey of a thousand miles to the Loca fountain. The fountain whose water supersedes all waters and is said to have the powers of protection. I wore the very tiny water bottle with a rope around my neck ever since. My parents felt it would protect me from the priest’s revelation.

The day I turned sixteen, my mother came to me and said.“You need to be ready my darling. This week is your pre-coronation. You shall be introduced to the people as the princess and future ruler of the land, the Queen”. My mother’s joy knew no bounds.

That day, the villagers had gathered by the water near the palace. Drummers created magical sounds, and maidens wriggled. Cups of wine and meat flew in trays. It was an epic moment of merriment and excitement.

“You already know what today is and why we are gathered here”. My father got off his throne, adjusted his crown, and began to speak. “My precious daughter Leah is my heir. Your princess and future queen”.

The priest came forth. He was handed a crown by my father. I stepped forward feeling exquisite in front of everyone. However, there was an uneasy feeling inside of me. Carefully, the priest tried to place the crown on my head but it fell off. Everyone exclaimed with eyes wide open. It was taboo for the crown to fall off the head of a royal. He tried three more times but the crown would not stay on my head. I froze and the hair on my body stood.

“Give me that”. My mother angrily snatched the crown and tried to force it on my head. Every time she tried, it fell. It only meant one thing, that the crown and throne weren't mine.

“I demand an explanation”. The King roared. The seer displayed his bones and once again his eyes turned white. “My king! I see the princess with her crown on a throne. That is what the bones say. Leah will rule”.

“Then why is the crown on the ground and not on her head?”. My father’s eyes were bloodshot.

“I only convey the message of the gods. I do not interpret them. At that moment, a cascade of cool wind enveloped the air. The silence was replaced by an eerie siren sound.

“My heir”. A Very strong resounding voice erupted from the water. The waves began to spark splashes of water violently. Soon, the particles began to align in big waves following a pattern. The pattern swirled splashing water all over until it revealed a figure. Everywhere went dead silent. Fear could be smelled in the air.

A being emerged from the water. It was as though he commanded all the gravity of the water body. With every step he took, the waves vibrated splashing in big puddles unto the earth. He was tall, strong, and oozed confidence. The people had begun to shudder at the spectacle. No one had ever witnessed anything like this before. Not even the priest and wisest ones of the land.

“It is time child, let's go”. He came to where I was standing and held my hand. Fear gripped me at first. I ripped the tiny water bottle from my neck and splashed it on him. But then I began to feel it. That peace and home the water brings. It was a sensation that passed through my entire body. Instantly, my fear vanished and was replaced with longing.

He touched his wet skin and examined the moisture on his palm. He smiled. “What did you think the waters of loca were going to do to me? I am water itself-seed of Poseidon. And you? You are a mine”. His voice reverberated in the air.

“A pact is a pact”. My mother stepped forward and spat. You promised you would let me have her”.

“You prayed to me for a child. I let you conceive by placing my seed in you, only if you’d fulfill your part of the bargain. To spare her human royalty. No child of mine oversees the affairs of mortals. You broke the pact and now, my kingdom needs an heir. He lifted his hands into the air.

“Come dear child. Come home. Your kingdom awaits you”.