"Having you here has done much to ease my sorrow. You remind me of her and it makes it seem that it wasn't so long ago when I shared deep discussions with my Queen."
Kewero patted Flindra's hand, which was still resting on her arm. "The Spirit has extended my days so I can be the connection between you and the King and Queen."
"Are you immortal?" Flindra asked in an awed tone.
"No, not at all. I have aged over the years, just more slowly and I'm sure I will know death when my purpose here is ended." The old woman sighed. "I have no wish to be immortal, Flindra. It is the natural order of things to die and rejoin the Spirit."
Kewero's eyes became distant when she returned to her memories and her story. "My Lady Queen told me she had a dream just before she gave birth to her daughter and only child. In her dream, the Spirit warned her that she needed to hide her baby to keep the child safe from the Ansu. King Meldh made plans to hide her as soon as the Queen told him of this warning.
"The King and Queen used a contraction of their names to name the new princess. Her name would always honor her parents for she would never know them and the name would become a reminder of her heritage." Tears appeared in Kewero's eyes. "Princess Melenth was a beautiful babe and had her mother's auburn hair. I didn't get to see much of her, no one did. The King and Queen didn't want to risk her life by keeping her too long. Melenth needed to be hidden where she could survive and where she would be safe to continue the dynasty. They grieved at her loss but they understood it was the only way to keep her alive.
"They decided to hide her among the simple people of the forest. This was the safest place they could think of for they believed that the Ansu wouldn't bother to hunt down the scattered woodsmen." Kewero smiled through her tears. "When the Spirit chose Dakra and Eghero to be your family it brought the line of King Meldh full circle. The first and last children to be hidden from the Ansu grew up in the homes of woodsmen."
"I, for one, am very glad of that. I could not have had a happier home."
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