BREED

PICKER WILLOW

I decided to take a walk today. It was something that I craved the most. For the past few days, I have been stuck inside the house. Today, it was supposed to rain and there was nothing that I loved more. I loved the feeling of the rain on my skin. It was refreshing and it brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. It has been hard trying to adapt to my new life. But I'm learning as much as I can every day. There isn't much to do since my main duty is to give Tristian children. But I decided to change that for today. I've spent enough time locked inside our bedroom. I looked up at the sky and smiled. I could see the rain approaching, I could practically smell it. It was the most amazing, pure, and soothing smell to me. As I made my way into the meadow, I picked flowers along the way. The flowers were standing tall and swaying side to side gently. This was my happy place, and I was glad that I was able to at least have this part of me. It seems like since I've been here, all I've done is change who I am. But loving nature was a part of my very spirit. I would always be one with nature when I was outdoors. I wouldn't let anyone change that about me. I walked towards the gazebo slowly. I hesitated a little when I saw someone standing there. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here, not that I minded but I wanted to be alone. I walked up the steps and the person turned to face me. It was a woman, and she was wearing a long black cloak. The hood hung low on her face, so it was hard to see her.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my queen."

She started to bow to me, and I stopped her. "Please, there's no need."

"You are so kind. It's shocking though to see you out here. You know it's going to be a bad storm soon."

"Yes, I know that a storm is coming. But I can say the same for you. You should be seeking shelter as well."

She laughed a little, "you shouldn't worry yourself with me. I am beneath you after all."

I frowned stepping towards her. "No, that's not true. Just because I married the king doesn't mean that my life is more important than yours. You're just like me, you have people who care about you. Your life is just as important as mine. So, please make sure that you seek shelter when the storm arrives."

"I'm happy to know that you feel that way, my queen."

"Please, call me Eden." I didn't have anything against the term queen, but I wasn't. I may be a queen because I was married to Tristian but that's all that it was. The word queen had no meaning to me. I wasn't in charge, I didn't make any rules, and this was not my kingdom. I was the king's breeder and nothing more.

"Eden," she whispered. She smiled and turned her back to me. "Well, if I know your name, it's only fair that you know mine. My name is Cara and it's a pleasure to meet you. You aren't at all what I expected you to be."

I smiled, "Is that good or bad?"

"It's a good thing because I know that change will come soon."

I didn't know what she meant by that, and I wanted to question her further. It seemed like she knew more than what she was telling me.