St. Petersburg, Russia
1875
Spring had come to Russia.
as many people came outside to take advantage of the slowly warming weather, I noticed that Slavena was being moved to the royal nursery at the request of the Czar himself. This irked Leopold, as he had had his other women give birth to his daughters in the nursery; he felt that I deserved to be in the room.
His father was of the same opinion, as he was not fond of George Shapiro and regularly denounced the marriage of Leopold and Slavena as fictitious. He also believed that Slavena was only pretending to be pregnant to get Leopold on her side and away from Megan. (I guessed that the Shapiro family must have forgotten that Megan came from an unpopular German family as well as being part Roma, and she was terrifying whenever she was angry.) I bet the woman in question was offended by the rumors of Slavena's psuedopregnancy.
But that's not all, as Megan had me moved to her grandfather's former bedchambers (as Bernard and Michaela Kroger had left the court in disgrace in 1872 after the church bombing. (Many people had blamed them for the bombing that had killed Leopold's stepmother and three of his brothers. As such, they had made up a false story about how the Krogers had hated the Turner family and wanted to destroy them because they were witches. Of course, Sir David and Leopold did NOT believe that story, as the story was full of lies, but that's for a different time.) As the room where the Krogers had once lived in was empty, Leopold had taken over the rooms and put his families there, keeping them away from the czar and his lackeys, who would use them to further their own greed.
As I'm preparing to give birth to what many people believed was Leopold's fourth daughter (as the people believed that Slavena would give birth to Leopold's first son, thus permanently establishing the Shapiro family as the most powerful family in Russia) I get an unexpected visitor in the form of my own brother, who told me that he planned to return to Ethiopia and take up the mantle of Chief, as Amanuel and his mother's family had fallen out of favor with the people and Kaleb wasn't allowed to take over the village as its chief. Which meant that our family was now in charge of the village.
Ephraim told me, "The British are making their way here and many of the Atlanteans who had lost family members in Paxton's Rebellion are also coming here, so we are in luck."
"What does that mean?" I said, terrified to know what that meant.
"The Atlanteans are starting another colony, this time in Africa," said Ephraim. "Even though they already have colonies in India, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, New York, and Mexico, they don't have a colony in Africa."
"But what about the colonies in West Africa?" said Debebe. "Especially the colonies in Liberia?"
"Even though the Atlanteans helped ferry over 100,000 former slaves back to Africa on the orders of King Ihon, they will not start a new colony there. Yet, the Estilvans and Nefarians have a small city built on the edge of the Ivory Coast, so there's that," said Ephraim.
I nodded, saying, "And what will happen to us once King Laesslo Luciferian decides that the Atlantean Empire needs to expand to Africa?"
"Now that I don't know, seeing as there was once an Atlantean kingdom in Africa before the trouble with slavery began," said Ephraim. "If we could somehow find that Empire and link up with them, we will not only unite the world, but we can help bring Atlantis back to what it once was before the wicked Ainysians showed up and ruined everything."
"But Leopold and his family are Ainysians," I said in turn. "My child is an Ainysian. What do I do about that?"
"Not all us Ainysians are wicked as people would have you believe," said Leopold as he came into the room. We all stared at him as he continued, "For every time you claim that all Ainysians are evil, a good person suffers. And when a good person suffers, the whole world suffers as well. Remember that when someone tells our child they are a terrible person because they happen to be an Ainysian."
I nodded, wondering what Leopold was talking about. What exactly was an Ainysian? Were they from this earth? No one told me that I would have to deal with Atlanteans when my mother was recruited for the Atlantean army in 1863.
But that wasn't all, since I had to come out of seclusion and face an angry Czar and his court. (I did inform you that I had stayed away from court shortly after I discovered that I was pregnant, which gave the Shapiro family the tools needed to dominate and control Leopold Trichenberg.) Of course, Ephraim's arrival had sent shockwaves throughout the palace, which prompted Czar to summon me to the court.
As I entered the room where court was held, all eyes turned to me. Even George Shapiro stared at me, and he was furious. But I had no time for his insults, as I had more important things to deal with.
The Czar said to me, "I see that you have decieved and lied to me when you failed to come to court. I hear that you are pregnant and you did not say anything about that. What is your explanation for why this happened?"
I said, "In case you haven't noticed, I didn't tell anyone about my pregnancy because I knew that would upset many people. Also, what gives you the right to control the Trichenberg family, especially after all the hurt that you saw fit to hand them when you introduced Catherine to Sir David and Leopold?"
Everyone in the room gasped in horror at what I had just said, but I kept going, "And there is the matter about the Shapiro family and how they are trying to manipulate Leopold Trichenberg, mainly by forcing him to marry Slavena and have a child with her while pushing away his other families and forcing them to take their children and leave the palace. And who was responsible for this travesty, a man who not only willfully committed adultery against his own wife with a younger woman, but moved that woman to the palace, which destroyed the relationship that he had with his children?.
None other than Czar Alexander II of Russia!"
"Outrageous!" the Czar snarled as he stared at me in disbelief.
"You would dare!" George snapped at me in anger.
But I had faced more cruel opposition before from Amanuel and his family, so dealing with two foolish older men was easier than I thought.
Just then, Megan came rushing into the room, saying, "And I suppose that you would try to deny these charges against you, wouldn't you, Count George Shapiro? I know who you are, and I know what kind of man you are. You forced your sickly and weak daughter to marry a man who cannot help your family advance, but he can help it to fail. Leopold Trichenberg is a man you cannot tie down, nor can you control him. But with your lies and manipulations, you have ensured the destruction of your family!"
I watched in shock as Megan faced George. The older man had a look of shock on his face as he stared at Megan. His children (save for Slavena, who was still in the nursery), servants, and group of sycophants also stared at her, their eyes full of anger and hatred. But the other courtiers watched this scene in shock; yet some of them were glad that Old Count Shapiro was getting exactly what he deserved. (I did tell you that very few people in the imperial court liked him for various reasons.)
But the czar wasn't finished with me, as he said, "And this was why you never came to court, especially when I needed you?"
"I have treated your ailing wife for several months, and she tells me of her anger and rage over your foolish decision to take that woman as your mistress," I said in turn. "Do you know that she tells me of how happy she was during her marriage to you and how proud of her children she is? She especially tells me of her high hopes for the Grand Duke Nicholas, who she knows will be a great Czar someday. But she is angry with you for abandoning her, and no amount of apologies will be able to remove the damage that you inflicted on her!"
The czar glared at me, but Sir David said, "Saba is right, Alexander. You have not only insulted her by introducing Catherine as your mistress, but you have also insulted me by introducing her at that banquet you held for me. Because you have done that, you've done this family an irreparable disservice, one that can never be undone..."
Just then, the door swung open and the one person that I had spent most of my life avoiding walked into the room. Amanuel, as it turned out, had been a guest of George Shapiro for the last three months, when I had first secluded myself from the imperial court. But how and why it took him so many years to find me was a mystery, as in why didn't he capture me when he had the chance.
Mother, Debebe, and Lemma said, "He's here."
"I know," I said. "After all these years of hiding, he has finally found us."
"But one must wonder...why," said Ephraim as he glared at the man before us.
To be perfectly honest, I had expected a strong warrior king surrounded by his guards to come barging into the room, grabbing me by the neck, and dragging me away from the palace in front of a crowd of horrified onlookers. He might even try to kill the Czar and his son, or he could go after sir David and Leopold for keeping me away from him.
But the Amanuel I saw was a hollow shell of a man, as in, he looked considerably older than his 30 years. His hair had gone grey, his bronze skin was sallow, and to top it all off, he carried himself the same way my grandmother walked shortly before her death when I was seven years old.
At age 24, I was in good health.
I said to him, "it took you long enough to find me."
"Yes it did, Saida," said Amanuel as he glared at me. "Did you know how long it took me to find you? It took 12 years, Saida. Twelve blistering years! During that time, you had a chance to grow up, to live your life, and to make your own decisions regarding where your future would be! I never had that privileged, as I had to be the chief!"
"What is going on here?" said Ephraim as he glared at Amanuel. "Where are you going with this? Saida is now an adult and forever your of your reach, and she has found some powerful friends and allies who will not stand for your wickedness! So you are too late for her!"
"And who are you to deny me what I want?" Amanuel said to him.
"My name is Ephraim Adinew Mekonnen, who was once your brother Barnabas," said Ephraim, "and you are now nothing, not even worthy of the title of chief. I have been chosen to serve as the next chief of our village, and I have some changes that will be made to the place. Your brother Kaleb will be allowed to keep his life, yet he is banished to the new Atlantean colony that is being started in India, yet everyone who has served under your mother and grandfather will be executed for their crimes against the people. There will be no escape for you, Amanuel Debaleko Girmai."
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Ephraim?" said Lemma.
"What does it matter that I want?" said Ephriam. "I have every right to do whatever it takes to protect my family, and if i have to kill anyone to do that, I well."
"Very well," said mother as she and Debebe sighed in frustration. "Get on with it."
Amanuel snarled at Ephraim as the confrontation continued. Many courtiers now shifted their attention from George Shapiro to the African standing before their healer and her family. "You stand accused of murder, treason, and manipulation," I snapped as I stared at Amanuel. "How do you answer to these charges, Amanuel son of Debaleko of the House of Buhari?"
Immediately, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared at him. Amanuel glared at them all, from the richest courtier to the poorest servant. "My sister just asked you a question," said Debebe with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Forgive a man for his silence, but I'm quite confused," said Amanuel.
"Let's go over this, shall we?" I said in turn. "You allowed your uncles and grandfather to poison our father when he refused to allow you to marry me, is that true?"
"I know not of any marriage plans," said Amanuel as the people gasped in disgust.
"But you were complicit in our father's death, which made you the chief," I said in turn. "Then you affter became chief, you plotted my mother's execution so you could keep me and my brother and sisters as your prisoners. Do you deny that?"
"Why would I deny that?" said Amanuel. "You know who you are and I know what you are. You never should have been allowed to exist."
"I see," said mother. "You allowed your family to kill your father so you could take the throne and destroy me. You wanted to keep your brother and sisters as your personal slaves. Do you deny that?"
"Yes, I deny it!" said Amanuel. "None of you know what it's like to lose your mother and have her be replaced by a new woman..."
"But I do," said Leopold as he approached him. "Amanuel Debaleko Girmai, you are a man without honor, and men without honor are a plague upon this unhappy world. Now your sister has told me that you mistreated her and her siblings because they are not your mother's children, yet they and Addis have shown you nothing but kindness. for that, I shall have you sentenced to death, not just because your uncles killed your father, but because you did not punish them for killing their king. And to kill a king is a terrible thing indeed."
Amanuel fell to his knees, crying out, "Saida, I bet you to assist me! You are my sister..."
"I think not," I said as I stared at the weak and pathetic form that was in front of me. "Sometimes, I wonder if you truly are my brother with the way you wanted us either dead or enslaved. What is the worst possible reason you would want misfortune to fall upon the children of Addis Adinew Mekonnen? Why would you want Addis to suffer for marrying her chief when he demanded her in his bed? I don't know. But what I do know is that you have gone to the family of my worst rival, seeking their assistance when you should have gone to the Trichenbergs, who would have gladly helped you with your problems. You just couldn't let go of your hatred for Addis, couldn't you? Because you didn't, now it will destroy you."
With that, Megan pulled out a tiny dagger she always kept hidden under her dress and ran it across his throat. He fell to the ground dead, his body jerking around in its death throes. As the blood poured out all over the floor, I felt a bit of sadness overcome me. No one who sentences another person to death should not feel some sadness over the death of that particular person.
But the story wasn't over yet, as the czar had everyone who came to Russia with Amanuel arrested for treason. With that shocking event being exposed to the entire court, the Shapiro family soon lost favor with the czar. At the same time, my family was known for exposing a damning secret about the Shapiro family to the czar, causing their downfall.
I don't know about you, but once that day was over, Slavena Shapiro Trichenberg was moved from the imperial nursery to a much smaller room in the palace. Leopold wasn't allowed to speak to her or her nurse, who was fired for being part of a conspiracy to get rid of Sir David and Leopold's other daughters.
Such is life, I guess.
But then, I thought about the son Slavena was rumored to have. That poor boy would never have a good life, as his legitimacy could be stripped away from him when he is born. He might also be labeled a bastard, which is extremely hurtful to a small boy.
But before anything could happen, I was being moved back to Leopold's rooms, where the midwives were speaking about the daughter I would have. The daughter could very well gain her father's last name if I wanted that to happen. The czar might even bestow an honorable title on me if he was so inclined. But after his disgraceful behavior in the last year, I don't think I would allow my daughter to grow up in the imperial court.
Yet, I don't have any time to make those big decisions, as I found out that I had been in labor for over 24 hours, or since the confrontation with the czar and Amanuel began...546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTJWiF7l81
They say that the first time you give birth to a child is very painful, as you're trying to push another human being into the world. But why do they say that the birth of a child is a beautiful thing when giving birth to a child is the worst pain in the world?
When I opened my eyes, I saw the midwife holding what appeared to be a huge bundle in her arms. That bundle was crying, as if she was not happy to leave the safety of my womb and be forced into the harsh coldness of the outside world.
But when the midwife spoke to me, she said, "You have a son."
A son.
I have a son.
The son the Shapiro family wanted to have was now mine.
As an unexpected joy washed over me as I realized that I had somehow defied the Shapiro family, I began to wonder about what happened to Slavena Shapiro. I knew that she was pregnant with a son at the same time I was, but did she have the baby or did she lose it? Or was she even pregnant at all?
When I voiced those questions, mother said, "She gave birth to twin daughters early this morning, but both girls are as weak and sickly as their mother."
I was surprised; as I knew that karma had caught up with the Shapiro family, taking the son they desired and handing him to me while they ended up with two sickly weak useless daughters. I know I was wrong to celebrate their misfortune, but at the same time, it was quite shameful that they had to suffer because they had stretched themselves too far and they hurt and belittled so many people, me among them.
Leopold came into the room, saying, "My son is here, isn't he?"
"He is," said the midwife. "And it's a good thing that he is healthy and strong, unlike those two sisters of his. They will never have a good life because of what their grandfather had done to your family."
"Indeed," said Leopold as he stared at the baby.
He had soft brown skin the color of the sand on the Italian beaches, yet his hair was dark as the night skies. His eyes were a bluish color, which would eventually give away to the green that his father and grandfather had. Yet the moment he opened his eyes and saw us, I knew then that he was definitely his mother’s son.
Mother said, “This is a good thing; it’s a sign that it’s time for our family to grow again. He’s a perfect son, the son I had hoped you would have.”
“You actually wanted me to have a son?” I cried out. “Why not a daughter?”
“I already have too many daughters,” said mother. “I only had one son. I always wanted another son, but your father wasn’t around to give me another. But a grandson, I can manage with that." (I could tell that she was happy that I had a son.)
The child was named Jember Adinew Mekonnen, yet the czar wanted him to be named Milorad Leopoldovitch Turgenev. Leopold and Slavena's daughters were named Lara and Serafima, yet Sir David objected to the girls being given the title Ublyudok, which was Russian for the word "bastard". He never allowed his other granddaughters to be referred to as bastards (Megan had beaten several people who insulted her daughter Emaria using that word on several occasions). He wouldn't allow that to happen to Lara and Serafima, as they had married parents. Leopold also wanted his daughters near him, so he had hired nurses to take care of them and another nurse to help Slavena as she recovered from the birth. George took his other children Lizena and Sergio and left the imperial court in disgrace.
As for my sisters and brother, we were now free from the man who pursued us. We may have gotten rid of Amanuel Debaleko Girmai, yet his shadow still hung over our heads, mocking us. I knew that we could never truly be freed from our past.
Ephraim returned to the village and rebuilt it, endearing himself to the people living there. He kicked out everyone who worked for Amanuel and restructured the royal court, which gave partial control to the people. Debebe and Lemma also prospered in their new lives, which took them to India and Brazil to help build Atlantean colonies there.
As for the imperial family, Leopold began spending time advising the czarevitch Alexander as the other man gained more responsibilities from his father. I'm sure that while neither man liked each other for obvious reasons, they seemed to work well together. Which was a good thing because I had a feeling that the czarevitch would become the czar sooner than everyone thought...
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