Birthright

By Jodee-Lee Davis

Ozaria lived her life knowing she was a sorceress or a fairy that is capable of magic. Until come an astonishing revelation she had no memory of her real life before she became daughter of the fairy queen. There was simply something more about Ozaria but this remains a mystery until she rediscovers it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514441398

Jodee-Lee Davis

Jodee lives in Queensland, Australia, with her three children, her soon-to-be husband David, and their cat named Sabrina. She has always loved to write for as long as she can remember. Jodee’s future plans for writing are to write some more children’s stories, a novel or two, and even gather up the poems that are left lying all over the house cluttering up draws and put them into a book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Jodee-Lee Davis.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015916285

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-4137-4

                Softcover        978-1-5144-4138-1

                eBook              978-1-5144-4139-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/06/2015

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

DEDICATED TO

MY DAUGHTER

ZOE

I hope I’ve written a book my tween daughter and all the other tween’s out there can enjoy.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

M y children for their love and not thinking it strange having a mother who hears the voices of others in her head, definitely my husband for his support and being a sounding board and being there with suggestions if I can’t make up my mind, to my parents for raising me so I can be here to write today, to my on-line friends for being supportive, encouraging and for putting up with my quirkiness, to Skye Davis for her great job helping me by editing this book when I really needed the help, to Joy Daniels for being such a patient and understanding publishing representative and understanding when I’ve had to put the book on hold because of my medical condition, to Gerry Masdal for being a great book consultant and putting up with my excessive emails, to Mark Anthony Bao you are a genius. The cover may not be what I originally envisioned but your design is magnificent, thank you so much.

Despite all the help any author gets there are always a mistake here or there. I would like to say that any mistakes made are fully mine and I take full responsibility for any mistakes found in the story. Despite the mistakes you may or may not find, I really hope you enjoy the book.

CHAPTER ONE

M any years ago a time of happiness had been stolen most cruelly and a time of great evil existed in its place. Laughter became nothing more than whispers on the wind and fear became the cloak that every person wore. People were lost in despair and lived only to survive. Only the patience of Nature could read the signs of change.

And change there was. Trees as grand as any royalty with stoles of varying greens bowed to extend their branches as they welcomed the change they had all been awaiting. People were at a loss at what to do about their situation and it had been said long ago that it would take something beyond human to save them from the disasters that had become their livelihood.

If there were chapels to pray at, people would have lined up for days to pray to one deity or another and begged the God or Goddess to save them from their hopeless lives.

All was silent in the forest, not even the soft breeze made a sound as it whispered through the green leaves on the trees. Sunshine shone brightly through the floating white cushion of clouds. Each cloud parted so that the rays of sunshine could bathe the miracle that had been long awaited by them.

Nothing stood in the way of the bright blue sky, as clouds and sun watched from above; welcoming the miracle that the universe had created. Creatures of all shapes, sizes and species gathered as they came to witness the most spectacular event.

This kingdom had been lost and communication and relationship between human and animal had become non-existent. For too long human, animal and creature had been prey to each other. For this one day, each and every creature stood by each other in complete harmony. Lions stood beside deer, cats stood by mice. No creature would dare harm another, as they would not want to jinx the miracle they had not thought would ever come to them. An event that gave them hope for the first time in many years.

Only the trees themselves had been waiting patiently for an event like this, as they had the patience that could only be learned by a century of contemplation. Leaves of the most glorious greens and flowers that ranged in so many colours that many of them didn’t even have names, had been keeping watch for any sign that may one day save them all from the disasters of the past.

Not far from a dwelling that housed humans was a sight that none had thought to ever behold. The land had long since become dry, only the trees had maintained the rich greens and grass had shriveled until only thick clods of dirt were seen from every angle.

Unaware of the audience that surrounded her was a girl laying in a curled up position, a small pale girl with hair curled in the most shocking shade of red. A shade of red that other’s had thought had become extinct, along with the family that the girl had inherited it from. The creatures surrounding this small girl had only ever seen this shade of red hair once in all of existence. Like all, they had thought that the colour had perished, along with the family.

There was a magic that drew the animals to this very spot. Not the simple magic of humans, but a magic that could not be explained. None of the animals would allow any harm to come to this child. Even the most placid of creatures would fight to the death to save this girl from any harm. The magic that drew them there may have been a mystery to the humans, but the magic was not something that the animals and creatures could turn their back on or ignore.

Not one of the animals or creatures knew the child’s story, nor did it matter to them. The magic they felt from the small human girl demanded obedience, and obey they did.

Hurried foot falls could be heard coming closer to the ring of creatures and confusion dispersed from the people as they neared the child. Shock soon replaced confusion as they beheld the child for the first time.

For the first time, they felt the trembling of hope. A hope that could not be misplaced. Each person that beheld the child knew where she had once come from; where she had been in the past several years was unknown. One thing that could not be mistaken was who the child was.

Seeing the girl lying upon the ground bought back memories of how the lives of the villagers had been changed in a way that had left them suffering.

You see, there had once been a family of royalty that had been protectors of all who lived in the villages of the east. The king was a gallant man and was a fair and just ruler. A king that never abused his authority and worked with those he ruled. His Queen had been loved by all; her heart and spirit both kind and gentle. People shushed when she spoke just so they could hear the musical lilt of her voice.

Between them, they had been adored by the people and offered protection to all that sought it. The king and queen were pure of heart and shared their kindness with all who required it and many that didn’t even deserve it.

Many people from distant lands tried to take advantage of their kindness and often left the kingdom full of guilt and sorrow. Guilt for their greed. And sorrow that they did not possess the same love and kindness that the king and queen had.

In the kingdom of the east no one ever went hungry. No one was in danger from another and each person lived in harmony side by side. The king and queen had three children.

Each child born with red hair that could match the brightest flame in colour. The shade of red was the birthright of the royals. Each royal child was born with the same shade of hair, regardless of the other side of parentage. The king and queen had been blessed with three children, but were saddened by the loss of their first born.

A son that had tragically passed away when he was on a hunting trip. It had been a tragedy when the prince’s horse had reared from a snake and the prince had been thrown to the ground. When the prince had fallen his head had come in contact with a large rock. Despite the best efforts of the royal huntsman, the bleeding was impossible to stop and the beloved prince had died minutes after his fall.

As tradition had it, no one may speak the name of those that passed, for to speak the name was to bring the persons spirit back from the next world and would leave them wandering painfully in a place where no one could see or hear them ever again.

The other two children were a set of twins that were the same, yet different. One was a small girl with red curls, large brown eyes, alabaster skin and lips the colour of roses. Her brother was very similar in looks, yet looked masculine where his sister looked feminine. Though the kingdom mourned for the loss of the eldest prince, they were not prepared for the tragedy that was yet to come. A tragedy that no one had ever prepared for had been brought upon them from a king that ruled the kingdom far to the south.

The southern kingdom was ruled by a greedy tyrant of a king. He was jealous of the love the people felt for the royal family that ruled in the east. Not only was he jealous, he was also envious. Where the eastern king ruled with love, the southern king ruled with blood.

Executions were a daily spectacle, murder a way of life, and fear the glue that held the common people together. Those that attempted to flee were killed and their corpses left to hang as an example and warning to others.

The valleys in the east had rivers that were filled with deposits of gold. Gold held no interest for the people of the east, as they were a practical people. They were prosperous in food, wool and rich with the strongest of creatures. What need did they have of gold? None of them cared for shiny things; they had food on their tables, warm blankets to sleep beneath and clothing that protected them from all forms of weather that Nature threw at them. The people had family and friends to love, was not love something that made one feel rich?

The King and Queen had worked alongside their people and made sure that each one of their subjects had plenty of food to feed their families. If a family’s farm produced no crops for one reason or another, the royal family would distribute food from their own larders. If storms ravished through the kingdom and destroyed people’s homes, the king and queen would fund the repairs that were required.

Instead of throwing away clothing as it became out of fashion for the royal courts, the clothing was distributed among the people so that the people would never be bereft. Though the king and queen often dipped into their coffers to help their people, the royal treasury was never emptied. Taxes were a bane in everyone’s lives, but the people understood the need. Objections were minimal because the taxes were quite low and the people paid them gladly. Those that did complain were silenced when they realised that the taxes were often given back to the various families in the kingdom, in the form of food or other necessities that are needed to survive.

The king of the south had no respect for his subjects and cared not if they had food for their families. As long as the best food decorated his table and his larders were full, he was content. He had a greed for all things gold and anything with precious gems. Gold decorated almost every surface in his palace and he adorned his fingers with many golden rings full of various gems.

The people of his domain worked long hours digging in the ground to uncover diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. He had them digging for gold, silver and bronze. Discontent with the speed his people worked, he commanded some of his soldiers to over-look the mining. Large strong men stood over the people with whips to make them work faster. The people would often die of starvation or from the injuries that were inflicted by the whips.

Gold and silver was used for the kings own possessions and bronze was used to make armour and weapons for the soldiers. Many mother’s and wives pleaded with the king to spare their sons and husbands. Each woman was sent away with tears leaving dirty streaks down her face. Fresh water was only made available to the army and pestilence ravaged many homes.

Each time a woman begged the king would laugh and deny their requests. If a young and beautiful wife begged for her husband to be spared, the king would have the husband killed and take the wife as one of his concubines. Life for the concubines was not pleasant and they comforted each other where they could. The king of the south was harsh and enjoyed inflicting pain with various devices on the women that shared his bed. He became jubilant when a woman screamed in agony.

The southern king charged large taxes and would often take the food that the people had to feed their families. Over time, there was no more gold or other precious materials to be found in his kingdom. The greed of the fiendish king knew no bounds. It was not long until the man decided to lay attack on the kingdom he thought the weakest and the richest. That kingdom was the one to the east.

At first the king of the south sent demands of tribute from the eastern kingdom. After proclamations were sent to the kingdom of the east and then sent back rejected, the loathsome king became enraged. Each and every piece of parchment that had the rejections written upon them was thrown into the waiting flames in the hearth. Threats were sent to the eastern kingdom and those threats were ignored. The king of the south expected the threats to cause fear and had waited expectantly for the tributes to arrive with letters of apology.

Neither arrived, only a letter requesting that the threats cease. That enraged the southern king and he took no liking to the insult he saw in that simple request. As a man that was not used to being thwarted, his rage knew no bounds.

He ordered his armies to set forth immediately and to enslave the people and make them pay tribute with all the gold they had in their rivers. Of course, the royal family in the east could not allow the people to be treated as such. They sent forth their own armies to protect the people and ordered them to prevent the coming army from enslaving the people. Orders were sent to all the villages in the eastern kingdom and the people were told to prepare to leave for the castle so that the royal family could protect them.

Of course there were too many people to be housed in the castle and many of the villagers had confidence in the eastern army. None of the villages were prepared for the onslaught that came at them. All the soldiers at the castle were sent to protect the people.

Hoard after hoard of soldiers invaded their peaceful land and destruction was what the invading army left behind. The unmerciful and demonic king knew the royal family from the east would react to defend and he had a second plan in place. He sent assassins to obliterate the eastern royal family so that he could have control over the whole kingdom.

No one was prepared for such animosity and there were not enough soldiers to protect the beloved royal family. Most of the men in the eastern kingdom were farmers or tradesmen. Though the life of a soldier was pleasant, most were not interested in a career that involved violence. Though the majority of boys did not choose the life of a soldier, the army was still substantial. Unfortunately, it was not substantial enough.

The king himself took up arms and tried to protect his wife and infant children. Several of the royal guards tried to protect their king and queen, but were too overwhelmed with enemies and violence. It can only be called a blessing that the prince and princess were too young to comprehend the danger they were in. It was a mercy that they could not comprehend their father lying upon the floor in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by assassins. In haste, the queen bundled her two children into small baskets and ordered a group of guards to escape the kingdom and protect the prince and princess. With a farewell kiss upon the cheek of each of her children, she turned to do what she could to distract the other assassins so that the guards could make their escape. Ten guards took advantage of the distraction to escape through a secret passage that lead out of the castle. Once they were safely outside with the children, a force of enemies attacked and the group was separated. Chaos reigned and thick black smoke filled the air as fire spread from carelessness.

The southern king had not said anything about the assassination being quiet or discreet. Candles were knocked into curtains and paintings, leaving a trail of confusion from the royal hall to the royal private chambers. Through the confusion and smoke filled air outside, five of the guards managed to escape with the princess. Unfortunately the other five were not so successful.

The people mourned greatly as they realised their beloved king, queen and prince had been brutally murdered. The fiendish king was unconcerned about the escape of the princess. He was arrogant and was convinced that there was no way that anyone would ever dispute his so called victory over the kingdom. Because the southern king was so selfish he did not approve of others having position or power.

Once his victory was assured he removed all titles from all nobility. This did not bode well on those that had their titles and holdings removed but the southern king used force to make them accept. Those that objected the most were executed and their remains impaled on stakes to warn others of how futile it was to argue. After several deaths the other nobles feared for their lives and surrendered to the new ‘king’.

Some years passed and the kingdom came into dark times. Children thought it was only folk tales when their parents told them stories of how the kingdom had once been happy and prosperous. The children had been too young to remember the happier times in their home villages.

Land that had once been fertile became barren and dry. Seeds no longer sprouted and crops became rare. Food had become difficult to find. Forests became thick and dense, no light shone through the thick tree tops and animals sought shelter within the confines of the trees. Whenever a human felt desperate he would enter the forests in search of food but was never seen again. Stories darker than reality begun to spread and soon the forests were avoided. Occasionally strange noises could be heard from the forests and this only added to the superstitions.

Part of the monthly taxes to the new king was food as well as anything else that was classed as a luxury. It was futile to attempt hiding anything, as soldiers came and ransacked the villages and took all that they found. Clothing became old and worn and barely kept in warmth. Many children and adults alike became ill and had no way to be nursed back to health.

Merchants from other kingdoms no longer came to offer trade as they knew they would receive no trade in return. So many believed that this is how life would continue. There were a few, however, that believed that the tiny princess had escaped and would one day return to claim her stolen throne. The king had the same fear and ordered anyone caught saying this to be put to death. People became fearful of their lives and soon the rumours were no more than whispers from the strong willed as they hovered over the tiny fires that were shared by many to keep warm.

Some scoffed at the thought that the princess lived and would one day return, and told the others to accept their lives and make the best of what they had. Even the life in which they lived was better than no life at all.

Even in darkness life can still be good. Food may have been scarce and warmth and shelter a luxury, but the people were still with those they loved. Despite the tragic way they lived, they had each other and did what they could to help one another. They mourned for their lost king, queen and prince. Most mourned for the loss of the princess, but as she had not been found there was an uncertainty about her death and people had a shimmer to hope that somewhere somehow she lived.

It may be an overstatement to say they felt a shimmer of hope, it was more the desire to feel that shimmer of hope. They mourned for the lost children that were not strong enough to survive starvation or the harsh winters. They mourned for those that had died protecting the village from the onslaught that came from the southern kingdom. Many tears had been shed for those that had passed. Many tears were shed for those that were left living in these dark times.

Life became