The Gifted One
The next morning, Elora was awoken by the loud call for her before the door of her bedchambers was suddenly flung open.“My Lady.”“Your highness.”“My lady.” Hula and Brenda burst in at speed. They raced to either side of the princess, their breath coming in short loud gasps.“Did something happen?” Elora tiredly helped herself sit on the bed. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her palms before forcing them open to glance at the two maids. She’d barely gotten two hours of sleep. After sending the servants away the night before, she’d been unable to sleep. Hula’s words had continuously rang in her head all throughout the night and to distract herself, she’d resorted to reading a book and it was only after her body and eyes grew heavier that she finally gave in to sleep.“My lady, this is so surprising,” it was Brenda who spoke.“What is?”“A tree… the part of a silver tree suddenly turned green,” she cried. “Since it was morning, we were all about to retire to bed when some servants noticed the tree. It’s truly surprising, your highness.”“I…I do not understand. There are no green trees in Elyria.”“Yes, my lady. But half of the tree had suddenly turned green. It’s been more than two centuries since Elyria had a green leaf.” The servant sniffled and wiped the side of her eyes. It was rare for a vampire to cry but a green tree in Elyria? It was enough for her tears to stream even more down her cheeks. “We’re truly happy, your highness. It only means that the Holy One has decided to have mercy on our kingdom.”Whilst the maid spoke, Elora flung the covers off her body and got out of bed. Dressed in only her white undergarment, she threw a cloak over her body and began to head to the door. “I need to see it right away.”The servants trailed after her as she hurriedly walked out of the room and headed to the courtyard. They met with servants also rushing to the scene to see the tree that had magically grown life overnight.Although it was daytime and some of the vampires should’ve been retiring to bed, the number of servants hurrying down was a surprise.Elora’s eyes widened as she set foot into the courtyard and her eyes fell upon the tree.“Oh my,” she breathed, her hands clasping her mouth in astonishment. It was indeed as Brenda had said. Half the tree retained its ethereal silver hue while the other half blossomed with green branches and leaves.She took steps forward.“Your highness,” the servants bowed their heads in greeting. They parted the way in the middle for her to walk through until she stood before the half-green green-half half-silver tree.“How…how is this possible?” She wondered out loud.Hula answered, her voice trembling. “It is unbelievable. All of Elyria would be in shock if they found out about this. Our land is finally going to be fruitful again,” she cried.“Someone, inform the royal castle about this,” Enor, the head maid commanded and one of the servants tore away from the crowd and rushed to do her bidding.The older woman turned back to the tree and let out a sigh, a smile plastered on her lips. “Oh heavens, you have finally decided to look at the people of Elyria. This must be the sign of the arrival of The Gifted One. I must relay this news myself.” Without another word, she dashed out of the courtyard.“The head maid is right. It must be The Gifted One.”“Have we finally been blessed with The Gifted One after all these years?”Elora heard the servants speak amongst themselves. She frowned. The Gifted One. What was that? She pondered. Pretending to examine the green part of the tree, she focused even further on the servant's conversation.“Lady Zireya,” one exclaimed. “It must be Lady Zireya.”“You’re absolutely correct. Lady Zireya touched this tree just yesterday.”“Oh my. I can not believe she’s The Gifted One all this time. Do you think she knew about it? Was that why she’d refused to leave her father’s mansion for years? We’re doomed and…”“Be grateful,” one sharply cut in. “At least Elyria would be blessed again.”“His highness’s union with Lady Zireya is inescapable now. It would happen sooner.”“Shh. The princess is here. Lower your voices.”Elora gulped down the lump in her throat. She wasn’t certain why but the mention of Zireya’s name made her stomach churn. Or perhaps she did know why. It was because the name was associated with that of her husband.Straightening herself, she turned and began to walk out of the courtyard, her steps down the path that led to the training ground.“My lady, are you going to look for his highness?”She paused. She hadn’t realized that her legs were already leading her to the training ground where the prince would usually spend his day.“No,” she denied. “I only want to take a stroll.” After a while of thoughtful silence, she sharply turned to her servants. “What is The Gifted One? What are the servants saying about Lady Zireya?”“Your highness, years ago, our land was cursed by the Holy One. But a few years later, a prophecy was made,” Brenda explained. “The curse would only be lifted by the appearance of the gifted one. They said that she would bring peace and life back to Elyria. Lady Zireya’s arrival yesterday and the sudden turn of the tree she touched, everyone is convinced that it’s no coincidence.“Trees turning green and life returning to Elyria is a sign speculated in the prophecy,” she finished.Hula added in a sorrowful tone. “And if it’s confirmed that she’s the one, I’m afraid nothing would be able to stop the union between Lady Zireya and his highness, the second prince.”