Chapter 3 A Deep Tale

• Azalea sat beside her mother with a bowl of water, and pieces of dry cloth to clean her body. Hama's state of health had deteriorated over the past months, that she could barely lift her body again. Trying various herbs she had learnt from her mother to cure symptoms like hers had been used, but her condition never seemed to get better, which broke Azalea's heart so much.
• Within her, was a great immeasurable fear that grew by the day, as she watched her mother lose weight and remain on a spot all day. When she had told her mother any exciting news about their new hope of living through the next week, Hama only had a weak smile with so much forced effort on her face to encourage her daughter.
• Her body was so weak and empty, that she could feel it with every inch of her.
• During the past years, Hama had always prepared various types of wild herbs, to manage the sickness she had hidden for so long. The poison she had thought would have killed her a long time before now, had finally overpowered her at the later time and that, she was thankful for.
• Never could she forget the day her body system became poisoned, and all those who had been shot by the same laced arrow, either died on the spot or on the run.
• But due to her deep knowledge about medicine, she had managed to keep herself for more years, even if she had to endure the pain. Azalea who was oblivious to all this bothered all day, and continued to think of positive ways and method of new herbs to help Hama get better.
• "How come you never have a tailed end of hair," Giselle asked Azalea as they walked together in the market, drawing the attention of the two other girls. Giselle was a petite young girl, who had a short ginger coloured hair and cute chubby cheeks. Her hair was always cut short because of the hereditary hair growth system in her family. Their hairs never grew past their chins.
• The other two girls Maude and Sabina who were cousins, both had thick, black, long hairs and round bodies. Maude had a high nose bridge and thin lips, while Sabina was had a round nose and fuller lips.
• "A tailed hair?" Azalea asked, without a full understanding of what Giselle had pointed out.
• "See both Maude's and Sabina's hair, they are both penciled and of unequal length at the top, like an horse tail. While yours are always straight like you cut them regularly or something," she noted, and turned to face the two cousins who nodded in agreement to her observation.
• "I do, cut it everytime," she answered truthfully, running her hand along the curled lines of her thick hair.
• "What!!" The three exclaimed suddenly and simultaneously, which had her taken aback by their sudden outburst.
• It was a compulsive action that probably did not require the way they had overreacted.
• "Is there any reason why you cut it? Don't you like to keep your hair? How often do you need to cut it everytime?" Were the questions they had asked almost at once hurriedly, because her hair still appeared longer than a standard length.
• Azalea watched the curious looks on her friends faces and wondered if she could them the truth, about how her hair grew super long and fast in just few days. How tired and stressed of it she was.
• "I just meant to say trim, and not cut," she quickly corrected, making them even more confused.
• They wondered if there was really any young lady that had the luxury of time, to trim her hair every single day and time. But they believed her anyway, and the four friends continued their way into the market.
• They had met in the market and always dispersed there too in the evening. It was just more of a company friendship to Azalea, and she made sure to maintain that boundary, as her mother had always said all the time.
• "Well, you said you knew where we could get those medicinal herbs, right?" Azalea asked Maude, diverting their attention from the previous talk they just had.
• "Yeah, but it's quite far. What do you want to use it for anyways? My aunt used it when she was bedridden after she fell sick."
• "I am trying to excel better in my skills, of putting all herbs of such together and making sure to see, if they can work better together without any adverse effect," she explained to them, not wanting to divulge too much information.
• She had never talked about her mother, family or where she lived before. And she was glad they had not made a big issue out if it.
• "You are quite intelligent, Azalea. I think you are really good at things you do," Giselle said, and the cousins both nodded, in agreement with what she had said.
• "I'm just curious to things. It is nothing much," she said and turned to look at the part they were to take, "Now you can lead the way, noble, lady Maude," she bowed, flipping the hem of her dress to the right with her left hand, and showing the direction of the way to them with right hand, which made them chuckle at her mimick.
• Azalea watched carefully the part they had followed through the city, the places she had not gone to before or that no one had told her about.
• The three friends chattered lightly with she following at the back, and taking note of every route closely. She was not paying attention what they were saying.
• They came across the brick bridge they were to walk on, and noticed that it was unusually higher than the others they had always seen. Maude suddenly stopped and gave a surprised scream, making the others wonder what had astonished her.
• "Wow, see the palace over there," she said excitedly, with a marvelled expression on her face, "This is the second time this year, that I am seeing it."
• "I think it is the first for me this year," Sabina cut in, straining her neck to see the palace walls at a better angle, while Giselle struggled than the others because of her short height, which made her huff frustratedly.
• The palace wasn't some building they could see well from that distance, but they could just catch a glimpse of the upper part and the beautiful gate.
• "Do you see the large golden wolves there?" Maude pointed, showing them the two beautifully sculpted wolves with raised forelimbs like they were about to fight, just at the apex of the palace, "They signify victory and triumphance."
• "It is so beautiful," Sabina remarked.
• "Well, there is a deep story to it," Maude said, as she turned to them smiling. She spontaneously covered her mouth with her palm, with her eyes wide open, knowing she had hinted her friends on the tale she should never tell.
• "What is the story about?" Sabina and Giselle had asked almost immediately after one another, curious about what their friend was about to talk about.
• But she looked like she not going to say anything after.
• "What does covering your mouth means? Are you implying that you won't tell us anymore?" Giselle asked irritably, still angry at her inability to see the golden sculptures they had talked about earlier. And now, her friend was acting up about not saying, what she had wanted to say.
• "I don't think I should really talk about it," Maude answered nervously, "I heard it by chance from my father's mother. People should not been heard, or seen talking about it."
• "Then we would leave this place and act like we were talking normally," Giselle stressed the sentences, already frustrated about Maude's sudden timidness.
• Azalea just remained calm with so many curiosity in her mind, she sure was the person that wanted to hear about the tale most, amongst the three of them.
• But she tried to comport herself and curbed the urge to show her eagerness. She really hoped Maude would complete everything she wanted to tell them because, it was either that day or never again.
• Maude who succumbed to her friends inquisitiveness, looked left and right before turning to her them, "Let's go pick the herbs, while I narrate then. But promise you would never tell a soul," she told them and hasten her steps forward, while they followed her accordingly since she was the one that knew the route initially.
• "We promise!"
• They had gotten the place they could get the herbs, as the Giselle and Sabina quickly found a spot to seat, forgetting the main purpose they had come for.
• "Do you know that this kingdom was once for werewolves, witches and elves?"
• "What do you mean witches. In the seventeen of my living, never have I once heard of witches living around, or having existed in this city," Giselle countered, turning to Sabina whose facial expression showed that she was also in support with what Giselle had said.
• It wasn't something they could believe so easily.
• Only Azalea, maintained a straight face, as she picked the herbs as much as she listened to every words they spoke.
• "That was why I said it is a deep tale. Now listen."