One with the mark of the beast

ONE WITH THE MARK OF THE BEAST (The rebirth of the beast).

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CHAPTER ONE.

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The villagers of Orramander stood in awe as they watched the sky turn red at night with blue comets flashing down the sky at full speed.

"It's happening..."

"It's the curse. Our village has been cursed."

"Oh no!"

Scared about the uncanny and peculiar colors and movement in the sky, the villagers wailed in awe.

The king's royal announcer dashed his way into the King's chamber and bowed his head, immediately his eyes and the King's eyes came into contact.

"Yes Kelvin, and to what do I owe this rude visit, in the middle of the night?" The King stated, adjusting his golden robe.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but the villagers are in great dismay for the sudden misfortune that has fallen upon us."

"A misfortune?" the king repeated, standing up.

"Yes your majesty, for the sky is red and strange lines keep passing by, your majesty this is exactly as the priest prophesied two full moons ago" The royal announcer kelvin stated, his hands shaking in fear.

The king breathed out and tightened his robe on his body, he flounced out of his room and headed to the royal planetarium.

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"This is outrageous... This is blasphemy! We're doomed!" the king breathed out, shaking his head as he watched the sky.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the queen walked in with her dress sweeping the floor, her brows furrowed in worry.

"My lord," she called, running towards the king.

"Please be careful, my queen" The king sighed.

"What is the meaning of this!" The queen asked.

The king sighed and shook his head in melancholy.

"Answer me, my lord!." The queen yelled.

When she saw that the king wasn't ready to tend to her question, she turned to the royal announcer.

"Kelvin, what is going on? The sky is strange, and I keep hearing about a curse... Is this something I don't know of?"

"Kelvin bowed. Your Highness, two full moons ago when you fell ill, a priest visited Orramander and prophesied about a curse falling upon every one that lives in the village."

"And what is this curse?" The queen's eyebrow arched.

"The priest stated that after the red turning of the sky and the strange passing lines, Orramander will foresee a great misfortune where once in every passing year, millions of children will be born, but a child will bear a black marking on any part of his body, and that will serve as great misfortune because the priest, announced that any child born with the black marking belongs to the beast of Orramander and should be annihilated immediately!"

The queen gasped.

"And I thought she was just being an imposter, I believed the sky can never turn red, but I spoke too soon!" The King sighed.

"Killing children because of a silly marking? I laugh not. This is outrageous" The queen scoffed.

The king turned to the queen. "My lady, I know you must feel vexed by this, but you've heard the stories about the beasts of Orramander, we should not make this a project of our smiles and put this into action." The king explained, and the queen shut her eyes in sadness.

"Kelvin" The king turned to the royal announcer.

"Yes, your majesty" kelvin bowed.

"Make this known to everyone in Orramander, that every pregnant maiden must be watched from now and henceforth, to prevent malodorous and foul things from happening in Orramander, every newborn child must be inspected and the one with any black marking, be brought to the castle and be put to exile, and to those who will not be able to coat with this law, may leave Orramander and never return and to those who will fail to offer their child, will be killed by force along with their child, if the child happens to possess the black marking".

Kelvin bowed even lower.

"For the people will hear this".

Kelvin left the room at full speed and the Queen almost fell to her feet, but luckily the king caught her.

"My lord" she cried. "This is too much to take in, killing innocent children, you'll be staining your hands with blood"

"My queen, killing a single child and saving my people, or letting a child live and letting my people die..."

The queen wept even more and the king hugged her.

"We will get through this Saphira, just trust me," The king said and placed a small kiss on the queen's forehead.

*

The Royal announcer passed the King's New law to the people of Orramander and most of them were shocked by it, pregnant women wouldn't sleep at night, for they would stay up all night praying to the gods of Orramander to keep their child away from the black marking.

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Two years passed with the curse over Orramander but surprisingly, no child with a red marking was ever found, every newborn child was inspected and so was a pregnant maiden, but all gave birth to children without any marking on any parts of the body and the people start to believe that the curse over Orramander was just a prevarication.

The Queen got pregnant as the years passed, and her royal physician visited her every single day and told the queen she will be giving birth In a few days. The King couldn't wait, either.

But surprisingly the queen fell into labor two days before her due date and her royal physician was called into the castle along with some midwives to help deliver the child.

The delivery bell could be heard all over the small village of Orramander, as the people rejoiced with happiness at the Queen's safe delivery of a female child.

"Finally, an heir to the throne."

"Wow, this is wonderful, a princess is born" "survival of this great kingdom"

"The king must be so happy."

The village was filled with happy laughter and joy in the air, all happy for the queen and her safe delivery of a female child.

Despite the village being joyful for the queen, the castle was different.

It was quiet and gloomy, every maid, and eunuchs servants stood in front of the ballroom, all heads bowed in sadness.

The midwives stood in shock in front of the queen, who was lying on the floor, looking very feeble and weak.

The Royal announcer kelvin who delivered the news about the Queen giving birth to the villagers walked back into the castle to receive the sudden news.

"The queen's baby has the black mark, which is known as the mark of the beast"

"No..." The queen yelled, "No..." she cried.

A heavy tear dropped from the King's eyes as he turned to kelvin, then walk out of the labor room with Kelvin walking behind him,

they both walk to the king's chambers.

Kelvin stood in shock as he watched the king take off his crown and rubbed his brows in sorrow.

"You already gave the villagers the happy news, how are we ever going to feed this to them" The King sighed, just then the queen scream again as all attention focused on her.

"Midwives back to your position" Her physician announced.

"Another baby is coming out," the physician said

//. .

"Your majesty... Twins!! The queen just gave birth to another baby boy" one of the servants who rushed into the King's chamber stated and both the king and kelvin dashed out of the king's chamber and run back to the room to see the king's son

everyone looks at the baby boy happily

with the hope that one of the babies will be alive

the King and the queen smile welcoming the baby.

"Kelvin" The King's voice shook.

"Yes your majesty".kelvin bow

"Tell the people of Orramander, that the queen had two babies and lost one of them".

"I understand your majesty" Kelvin bowed and walked out of the room.

"No... Your Majesty... No... Please" The queen cried, taking her baby from the midwife and clutching it to her body.

The king stood up. "Leave us alone, I'll end this baby myself, take the other baby with you"

Immediately the king said that, the midwives, the royal physician, and every other person in the delivery room left with the baby boy, the Queen, and King with their soon-to-be-dead child.

As the king moved closer to the queen, she shook her head.

"Please don't come any closer"

"My lady, if I enforce the law and do not go by it, what kind of king will the people call me? My first child who should be alive is cursed, to prevent any bad luck in Orramander, we need to destroy this baby" The king stated as a single" tear left his eye.

"Then... Why don't you destroy me too, kill me before killing our child, I'm not concerned about a silly black marking, children are born with marks on their bodies every once in a while" The queen cried.

"Marks that aren't black My queen I know your pain, but for the people of Orramander and the sake of the other child"

"I don't care! If this baby dies, I die too, I can't lose one of my twins because of a birthmark you won't do this to me..." the queen shook her head.

"But my queen..." The king was confused as ever, of course, he wanted a child, but not the one with a curse plus both children are twins

The queen stood up, despite the pains she felt in her stomach, she moved closer to the wall where an emergency sword was hung, and she grabbed the sword immediately.

"My queen, what are you doing?" The king asked.

"I'm ending my life, I can't watch myself live and watch you kill my daughter" The queen replied, breathing heavily.

The king rushed up to her, but she pointed the sword at the king.

"Do not come any closer" The queen yelled. "Is there any reason to live if my child dies, tell me how, Elliot, is there any reason?".

"But my queen we have another child, not with the mark of the beast," the king said trying to convince the queen

"I want my both babies alive," she said in tears

seeing tears drop from the queen's tired face, the king became weak in the knees.

He had no choice. Of course, he loves the queen like he loves his life.

"Then drop the sword, my queen... For your child will live... Our child." The king stated.

The queen clutched the baby into her hand and shut her eyes.

"You promise?" she sniffed.

"I swear on my parent's grave, our child will live" The king sighed, and the sword dropped from the queen's hand, making some clashing sound as it collided with the floor.

The king quickly rushed up to the queen and held her hand, taking the baby from her.

"You're weak... Please sit" The king stated making the queen sit.

"Our child will live, but he won't be staying here, the people of Orramander believe we have only one child and the other Is dead, so she can't live here, for she will live in the other castle outside Orramander, to prevent calamities, she will have enough food and enough servants to tend to her, you need not worry anymore my queen, I will stand by my words" The king sighed.

"I don't care where she goes, for she lives and breathes is all I care" The queen stated, and her eyes went shut immediately.

The king quickly called for the royal physician, who attended to the Queen immediately.

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Standing in the ballroom with half of the servants in the castle, the king clutched the baby in his hand very tight. His royal guard standing beside him.

"To every servant here, you have been picked to serve the crown princess!" The King's voice spread out through the whole place, and a little wave of murmurs filled the whole ballroom.

"Silence!" The king ordered.

"Yes! My second child is alive, and the first one was born with the curse mark of the beast of Orramander. For she still carries the royal blood, my blood, she cannot be dead. But she will live in a faraway place, a castle outside Orramander and the servants present here will serve her until we see the outcome of her growth, by dawn tomorrow the crown princess will leave for the castle and so will the servants here, and let this been known as a secret for if anyone happens to be a tattle tale, will have their head cut off at all cost!" The king stated and left the ballroom, leaving the servants to murmur all they want.

And just At the cry of the morning rooster, hundreds of Servants, hundreds of guards, two royal physicians, and four midwives, set out on the journey to the other castle with the crown princess in the Royal carriage, living the Queen and the crown prince at home.

T. B. C

BY DOREEN EMO