The king's first wife

The start

It was 3 in the morning. Her mother's labor had started 12 hours ago and her being the first child was putting a lot of strain on the young, 15 year old mother's body but nevertheless, she pushed and pushed till finally, a small cry could be heard throughout the palace. She wasn't born the princess of the country, she was born as the next king's wife. Her birth, it was was marked and that cry, it was only happy to the ears of one old wench. To others, the cry was just an indication of a mother losing her child. 

But as she roared in the small, sweaty room filled with women, the first person she was made to see was the 6-month-old prince. Before her mother could even hold her and her father could even say goodbye, she was put in a crib that stayed at another corner of the room. A mother-in-law who was herself crying at her luck carried her to the other small baby who had supposedly been waiting for him to wake up for over 6 months now. And the first thing she did when her eyes opened and saw him instead of her own mother, was pout, frown, and hit him with her strong fist in anger. She didn't remember but even back then, she would much rather be with someone else. Although it wasn't like she had an option. She was labeled his wife, from the start. She belonged to him, since the start. She was his to keep, like some sick doll and except the old woman outside, no one was happy with that tradition. 

" Jiji," her mother tried to move and run to her. She tried to hold her, at least once. Her first child, she just couldn't let her go away like that without any struggle 
" Pari," she called the name she had decided to give to her daughter and the woman who had kept the small life in the crib looked back at her with tears in her eyes 
" Jiji," she begged that woman to let her hold her daughter through her red eyes alone. At such a young age of 14, she had such complicated emotions behind her blue eyes, that they made the woman in front of her feel compelled to give her the baby. 

Straight orders from Rani ma had told all the women in the room to not let the mother hold her daughter after she is born. According to a prophecy, that child would change the country and bring it out of its misery and so, in a pretense to protecting her, the kid was supposed to be locked in the palace, and not allowed to know how the world works. The old woman controlling the king didn't want to change anything in her country. She was not fine with it, at all... 

But the other women were not in agreement with that rule. When it came to their own daughters, would she lock them out and not let them even see their daughter's faces too? Even if they agreed that it was important to save that poor soul's life, all the women in the room felt torn. They couldn't even face the young mother after seeing her begs and wails. The way she hit her own chest while crying, the current queen couldn't handle it. So, after finishing the Moh Dikhai of the two kids that were married off in their mothers' wombs itself, she picked the blue-eyed girl. She took her out of the crib and started walking back to the bed, to give that miserable mother her baby back. 

" Maharani," the midwife was shocked but the queen only shook her head. She knew what she was doing. She knew what was right and what was wrong. She wasn't the one overshadowed by greed and old, outdated preachings of crooked, political queens. At an age of only 16, her wisdom was greater than the 60-year-old wench celebrating outside. If that old wench would've taken her son away at childbirth, she would've suicided straight away and she could the agony the mother was in, and hence, she decided to take the control of that room by handing the baby to her mother. Only for once, but at least the mother could see how her daughter looked. Only for once but at least she could hold her first child. Only once but at least, the child could feel her own, real mother's warmth and love...

It was when the moon reflected over her face as her mother hugged her and cried to her heart's content that she had her first laugh. She was so small, so very delicate, and such an innocent soul. She didn't know anything that was happening in there. All she knew was the fact that the first time since her birth, she was in a familiar embrace. All she knew was that the woman who was crying was her mother and she would keep her safe. But that wasn't true. The moment she and her mother both fell asleep, she was slowly taken away from her mother and carried out, to the royal palace, a place her real mother could never step in. She was no longer safe, from anyone or anything. All she was now depended on the small 6-month-old kid she so very much hated. All she could call hers was that kid now because everything else she owned belonged to him. Now, she just needed to learn to survive there among the other kids, maidens, and courtroom politics.