Chapter VII, Reading 4

Flindra reached over and grasped her arm in a gentle and supportive touch. "You loved her, didn't you?"

"Very much." With a sigh, she looked at her pupil. "I told you once that you looked like your mother. You also look a great deal like Queen Kwenth. You could be her daughter."

She smiled. "You take after her in many ways, Flindra. Her auburn hair has marked all the children born of her line. It is a stamp of royalty. You share some personality traits with her, too. My Lady Queen was much loved by my people for she was so kind and good. I think you will match her kindness when you become Queen."

"Thank you," she answered with a shy smile.

"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."

"Which pleases me. I have served you well and by doing so have served my beloved Queen and the Spirit. She asked me to become the hidden guardian of Princess Melenth and to find safe places for all the children who would follow. We both knew that eventually the Ansu would discover our survival and would hunt down the children of her line to prevent the birth of our prophesied champion. The Spirit has guided me in my selections of homes to hide your ancestors in. I have placed them with many different types of people so no one group would be singled out in the Enemy's hunt. The Spirit's strategy was most wise for the line continued to you. You were born and have reached me. It is time for you to begin your destiny."