Chapter 1 #1 The Sleeping Girl

　　Bellmont is a small and peaceful community near a forest. The residents of this quaint town live their lives harmoniously which gives it a very welcoming aura. Nothing out of the usual community life ever occurs here. But on this particular evening, something essential to this tale is about to transpire.

　　The night is very chilly and dark. In such a night, the mood brings a foreboding feeling that something eerie is taking place. The trees seem to whistle with the wind. This gives a scarier scenario at this point. However, this is not a horror affair. The atmosphere just gives it that impression.

　　It was a very late hour and the lights were out on every house that a hooded shadow passes. If someone wakes up and looks out the window, he will not see anything outside. But for a keen eye, the scene is like a ghostly entity is out there.

　　However, this tale has a closer semblance to a strange turn of events on a particular being. To state it clearly, it is rather a long journey with an uncertain outcome. At the moment, an important undertaking is at hand. This particular night, a significant mission will come to its temporary destination.

　　For the time being, the focus this evening is the arrival of an unusual character. It is rather odd that despite of the complete silence, the footfalls of the peculiar pilgrim cannot be heard. Not a single sound at all. The traveller also seems to be floating instead of walking since there is no trace of footprints along the path where the strange character came from.

　　The mysterious figure suddenly stops, and then looks up at the moon, almost hidden by the dark clouds. The hood slides off and reveals a pale but very lovely face. Her face appears to glow even with the lack of illumination. Her exterior is captivating to gaze upon. The mystery emanating from her persona will keep one seems hypnotize.

　　She looks young but seems aged by the expression on her face. She looks around her surroundings, as if making sure where she is. She nods to herself as confirmation for her precise location.

　　She instantly puts on her hood to cover her cold pointy ears. She wears full dark green clothes, made of canvas, and green leather boots. Her outfit is rather out of place in this town.

　　The stranger glances at a willow tree nearby then beyond it. She is captivated by the moving leaves of the willow tree, as it makes whistling sounds in the middle of the night. Her facial expression is indecipherable.

　　"Hmm, he's late," she whispers to herself, frowning a little bit disappointed.

　　Her thoughts start to wonder towards home. What is taking him so long? Has anything gone wrong? This waiting can be worrisome. She sighs deeply. Her attention is drawn towards the huge willow tree. Its leaves move gracefully with the wind.

　　After a while, a faint sound can be heard from the direction where she came from. She pulls her sharp dagger from her belt instinctively, with one swift movement. Her stance reveals a stature of a warrior.

　　"Sorry I'm late Mel!" the newcomer apologizes hurriedly. This new arrival is wearing a hooded cloth similar to hers. He was carrying a green basket, unusually bigger than the ordinary kind, with a swaddle of blanket over it.

　　"Shh, be quiet Aldar. You might wake her up!" replies Mel as she puts away her dagger, upon realizing that there's no danger. She takes a deep breath and frowns at her companion.

　　The man, whose name is Aldar, looks much older than Mel but has a more laid back aura than her. He wears a playful smile on his face as he stares back at Mel.

　　"How was your journey? You took a while to get here. Did you lose your way? Are you sure you were not followed by anyone?" Mel questions, while glancing towards the direction of the trees.

　　Aldar nods, "Take it easy Mel, we're fine," he responds and hands the green basket carefully to Mel. He readjusts his hood and fixes his bow and quiver pouch on his backside.

　　"You should loosen up a bit sometimes." Aldar teases.

　　"I had a little difficulty leaving the rest of our rangers behind. I wanted to be sure that they will be able to handle the rest of the fanatics out there." Aldar suddenly turns serious with a bit worried look on his face.

　　"Of course I am serious. There is so much to be worried about." She glances around them once more.

　　"However, there is nothing we can do now but fulfill our part of this plan. The Queen made us promise to do this. She knows this is the best way to protect her baby. She must be kept hidden until things settle. This is our last resort should the other rangers fail to stop the forces of our enemies. The King is out there with our rangers. This is our mission,” Mel says with a determined tone.

　　"I apologize for leaving her with you. I know things are so tense in the realm but I had to make sure our Queen is safely hidden,” Mel explains in a weary tone.

　　"Poor baby, she will never grow up knowing her true family. She will be alone, without any idea of the life that she should really have, not even her true lineage," Mel tearfully exclaims, as she winds a necklace with an emerald locket on the tiny wrist of the baby in the basket.

　　"I think it is for the best that she will not know anything, for now. It will be very painful for her if she finds out the truth. Growing up without this knowledge will ensure her safety and will let her grow up as a normal child. The time will come when she will be able to handle all this. Then, we shall both help her understand and guide her." Aldar replies with certainty.

　　"She will grow strong like her Mother. In time, she will understand." Mel utters in finality as she gives the baby a soft kiss on the forehead. The tiny new-born baby remains fast asleep, without a single care on her angelic face.

　　Both Mel and Aldar slowly walk to a house at the end of the street near the edge of the forest.

　　It was past midnight already. The moon still hides behind thick clouds.

　　Mel checks the baby in the basket for the last time, making sure the blanket is perfectly tucked. With a sad expression, she places the green basket with the sleeping baby in front of the house with the blue door.

　　"Good bye, our little Princess Aria. Sweet dreams and always be safe. Be brave and strong. Until we meet again..."

　　Suddenly, from beyond the forest, a thick smoke rises. Then the moon is engulfed by very dark and unnatural clouds. The wind brings a suffocating smell.

　　Aldar and Mel looks at each other at the same time with panicked expressions.

　　"What is happening? I thought Marion and the others got everything under control before I left?" Aldar exclaims in shock.

　　"Oh no, the King!" Mel gasps in horror. "Let's hurry!"

　　Aldar and Mel sprint across the street towards the willow tree and disappear in the forest without a single sound.

　　In the distant horizon, the color of the night sky turns from black to blazing orange.

　　 

Chapter 2 #2 Answered Prayer

　　Everything seems ordinary this early morning. Bellmont is such a small community where people are more laid back. This is a normal morning for most of them to still be in slumber for such a chilly weather.

　　The cold weather from last night carries on throughout this early dawn. The trees continue to rustle with the light breeze that makes one feel lazy to even leave his bed.

　　But then, this is not the case for Reed Rivers.  A weather like this is even a better time for him to get up and get going. He is such an early riser.

　　Reed is in his middle twenties and has a muscular physique. He emerges from his house wearing a jogging gear. He is on his way to his usual early morning jog when he sees a basket at their doorstep. The basket is not something you will ignore since this particular one is enormous and very green.

　　He automatically scans their street to have a clue on whoever left it there. Maybe someone is playing a prank on him?

　　Everyone in the neighbourhood knows he is the only one who takes a run this early, no matter the weather. He comes out to jog as early as four in the morning so this is definitely a very strange occurrence. Who will lurk around in such a very early time except for him?

　　He inspects the nearby houses at a glance and there is definitely not a single one of their neighbours is even awake at this very moment.

　　Reed stares at the very green and extra big basket in front of him. He bends to take a closer look.

　　"Oh my!" he exclaims in surprise upon seeing a sleeping baby girl inside the basket. This is getting stranger by the second.

　　"Rose honey, come quickly! Look at what we have here." Reed hollers in a hurried voice.

　　A woman peeks behind Reed, and inquires, "What’s wrong?"

　　Upon realizing the reason for his husband's surprised tone, she inspects the basket herself.

　　“Oh, goodness! What do we have here? Where did this baby come from?”

　　Rose is also in her mid-twenties but has a frail built. Her motherly instincts kick in. So she slowly picks up the little baby from the mysterious and very green basket with a puzzled expression. She seems automatically enamoured towards the new born baby quickly.

　　Like her husband, Rose is astonished on how this pretty little angel came to be on their doorstep.

　　"Poor baby, such an angel. How can anyone do such a terrible thing? Who knows how long has the baby been left here out in the cold," she muses.

　　As if replying, the little baby yawns and awoke from slumber. However, the baby doesn't seem to be affected by the cold weather. In addition to that, the baby has never made any attempts to cry.

　　"The angel is waking up, let's go inside," Reed suggests.

　　"Never mind my run for today…" he decides as he grabs the basket from the ground and closes the door behind them.

　　Rose hurriedly carries the baby along with the green blanket wrapped around it. She keeps making cooing sounds as if to communicate with the little one. The little girl just stares at her intently as if she understands any of these.

　　"What shall we do now? Are we to call the authorities? Surely they will put this little one in social services. And then what, a foster home?" Rose asks as she sits down to cuddle the baby better.

　　"But what will happen to this poor baby? There must be a good reason why someone chose our house for this little innocent child. I don't like to sound selfish or anything but i think, us, finding this tiny blessing is what is meant to be,” she continues to rant.

　　Rose cannot contain her overwhelmed feeling, as if this child was destined to stay with them. There's a certain feeling of warmth that this baby radiates. Rose and Reed felt it as soon as they go inside.

　　Reed sits down, still holding the basket, thinking hard. This is something big but something wonderful at the same time.

　　"You know what Rose? You maybe right about this. There must be a very good reason for this."

　　Reed puts the basket on their living room table then walks carefully towards his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. He absentmindedly caresses the baby's forehead.

　　"Remember what we have wished and prayed for? We have been trying for years now. Even the doctors tell us there's nothing wrong with us. This is it! Our little ray of sunshine! Our answered prayer," Reed rationalizes with finality, his voice full of excitement.

　　Reed recalls the countless times when Rose thought that she was already pregnant but turned out to be false alarm. Her wife’s frustrated face keeps popping in his memory because she wonders every time that maybe the doctors are wrong.  Their ages are the prime period for having a baby though they inexplicably always fail.

　　He stares at the lovely pale face at the same time touching the tiny hands of the quiet baby. They are such soft and gentle hands.

　　How can such a pale faced baby radiate such warmth that makes them feel that things are going to be alright? That is when he notices a necklace on the right wrist. The emerald locket seems to glow. They can easily tell that the locket’s make is not anything like the ordinary ones you see in a jewelry shop.

　　"Maybe there could be a clue here," Reed says, thoughtfully unwinding the necklace and examines it. The pendant is not like any ordinary jewel. It glows even without any light around to make it sparkle.

　　"It's an emerald locket!" Reed exclaims in amazement. He excitedly, but carefully opens it.

　　Both Reed and Rose suddenly smell a peculiar fragrance like a combination of morning dew and sunshine. Inside the locket, Reed sees something engraved in intricate gold letters.

　　"Arianna, our sunshine," Reed says out loud.

　　The baby seems to smile upon hearing her name.

　　"So that is the name of this precious little girl! Arianna! What a lovely name. We shall call you Anna, our sunshine." Rose replies teary-eyed, cuddling little Anna once more.

　　"But what if someone comes back for her? What shall we do?" Rose worries.

　　"When that time comes, we will face it together. We will tell Anna the truth about her arrival in our lives. We will let Anna decide for herself. What we can do now is care for her and love her as our own with the time given to us." Reed says with a resolute face.

　　"I wish things are that simple, Reed. I hope you're right." Rose sighs.

　　"Don't worry little child. We will love you as our own and keep you safe always. This is our promise to you." Rose has bonded very soon with this special baby.

　　The tiny angel seems to understand as she continues to smile at the faces of these two generous people who will play a big part in her complicated life ahead.

　　Our princess has found a home to shelter her with love. This will help her later on to have the strength and courage to face the storms ahead of her.

　　Both Reed and Rose have decided that this innocent child is the most precious being for them from this day on. They didn't have the slightest idea how little Anna is much more important in the lives of others somewhere far away, in another realm, where she truly belongs.

　　For them, she is Anna their answered prayer.

Chapter 3 #3 Her Tenth

　　Anna looks at her reflection in the mirror with a frown on her face. It is a special day for her but she looks unhappy instead of delighted for this special occasion.

　　She stares disappointedly at her own face and her eyes travels to her hair. Noticing the girlish green bow on top of her head makes her grimace all the more.

　　The green dress is nice. It's her favourite colour. But then she prefers jeans and her regular cotton shirts. However, her Marmee Rose surprises her with this dress. She sighs a bit.

　　"Why does Marmee insist on making me wear this stupid dress? It's my birthday so am I not allowed to choose what I like to wear?" she exclaims to her reflection, as if it will answer back.

　　"I think I should change. Popsie will understand. He has always been understanding with what I like." she continues to complain.

　　She looks back on her morning jogs with her dad. They love the time spent together breathing the fresh morning dew and earthy aromas. They take the trail past the willow tree. Both doesn't mind the early morning chill. It's very relaxing for them.

　　Anna and her Popsie Reed spend their time talking almost about anything. Even her fantasy stories about werewolves, vampires, fairies and other creatures are lengthy topics for their discussions. His dad shares her adventurous personality.

　　Anna's reflection gave her a wide grin, as if to tease her.

　　"Marmee is right you know? We should be ladylike, like a true Princess. Besides, that green dress brings out the glow in our green eyes." interrupts her reflection, praising Anna so as to convince her otherwise.

　　"Well, you and Marmee don't really understand! I wish Jo is here already. She will agree with me better than you!" Anna argues back as if it's a normal thing to discuss with your reflection like that.

　　With a last frown towards the mirror, Anna rushes out the door as her reflection disappears from the mirror.

　　Downstairs, Popsie Reed and Marmee Rose are already waiting for Anna. Standing between them is a skinny girl in blue sweater, black jeans and white sneakers. The girl is as tall as Anna but has a little darker shade of skin tone than hers.

　　Upon seeing Anna going down from her bedroom, the girl smiles widely.

　　"Happy birthday, Anna! You look really pretty my friend!"

　　Anna stares at her best friend’s clothes and wishes she was wearing the same as her. However, seeing her friend is enough reason for her to forget how she feels ridiculously awkward with her attire today. She smiles back widely.

　　"You're here already! What took you so long? I can't start my birthday party without my best friend!" Anna jokingly complains as she gives Jo a tight hug.

　　They both giggle excitedly as if they haven't seen each other for a while when in truth, they were busy early morning helping Marmee Rose make sandwiches.

　　"Sorry I had to finish some packing of my unused toys and things. My mom says she has to get rid of some stuff too. So, I took some time sorting my things. A bit wrong timing but you know how Mom is when she starts on something, she would not stop until they are done.”

　　“But I'm here now so let's start the party." Jo replies apologetically, handing Anna a small wooden box. "I hope you'll like this." She gives her best friend a proud smile. "Popsie and I worked really hard on this very special project for your birthday," she adds.

　　"Thanks, Jo. Let's eat! I'm hungry already." Anna grabs Jo's hands as she leads her towards the dining table filled with all of her favourite food.

　　"Marmee you're the best! Thanks for all of these. I love you, heaps!"

　　"You're most welcome dear. Anything for our little sunshine!" Marmee Rose responds happily.

　　“By the way Joanna, where is your mom? I prepared so much food which is more than enough for all of us.” Marmee Rose asks.

　　“Sorry about that Marmee. Mom told me to apologize that she cannot join us today. She went to Aunt Lila’s house. She finds it an urgent matter to bring her extra stuff there today.” Jo replies with humor.

　　Anna stares at all her favourites; tomato pasta, baked potatoes, cheese bread, garden salad and a lime cake! The cucumber sandwiches that Jo, Marmee and Anna prepared this morning are also enticing Anna to start eating.

　　"Darling, aren't you going to wait for your other guests to arrive before you start?" Marmee Rose asks.

　　Anna and Jo look at each other, smiling at the same time. Then Anna replies, "I didn't invite anyone else because I am positive no one else will come anyway. I am totally fine with just me and Jo here!"

　　Anna shrugs her shoulders to show that it's not a big deal for her. Holding her best friend’s hand, Anna moves closer to the table. Jo lights the green candles on the lime cake. Anna stares at the ten sparkling candles, lost in deep thought.

　　Jo, the girl who has been her protector from other kids who kept making fun of her too white skin and excessive love for nature, compared to other kids with their gadget games and internet stuff. Jo has been her ally since the day they met in preschool. Her only friend but the best there is.

　　"Well, whatever the birthday girl likes!" Popsie Reed blurts out gently taking Marmee Rose's hand leading her towards the table.

　　"Wait, I like to say a little thanks for what Mother Nature has given me for my birthday."

　　Anna holds one of Jo's hands and reaches out to hold her Marmee Rose's hand while Popsie Reed holds the other and Jo's free hand. They are standing around the table holding hands in a praying position.

　　"Mother Nature, we thank you for all of these food, which are my favourites by the way. Thank you for my Marmee Rose who worked so hard to prepare them for my birthday. Also, thank you for my Popsie Reed for always taking care of me and Marmee. Lastly, thank you for my very bestest friend Jo, for being here always for me. Thank you for my tenth! Thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you!" Anna excitedly ends. She blows the candle lights and makes a wish. The three applauds and laughs.

　　Anna hugs Popsie Reed and Marmee Rose at the same time then starts to grab the cucumber sandwiches with Jo after her. Both girls love the same kind of food so they are satisfied to be just the two people to share these delicious spread of food. They savour all the goodies on the table with a contented heart.

　　Just by observing the girls, it really is such a party already. That is what Anna prefers than spending the day with other kids pretending she enjoys their company. Her tenth birthday is perfect that way.

　　All the people important to her is already here. That’s all she ever wanted. Well of course, she plans to change into more comfortable clothes later when she hangs out with Jo at their tree.

　　Reed and Rose stand back a little to observe the two girls happily devouring whatever their hands can reach. Apparently, both of them have the same thought.

　　Has it really been ten years since this girl unexpectedly came to their lives? They prayed so hard for this blessing and now they will do anything to make sure she is happy and safe.

　　Reed kisses Rose's hands as if they were having a silent conversation. Both are wondering if it is time to have that talk with Anna. Is it the time to tell the truth to the baby in the green basket?