Her face was blurred but her long, black hair blew in the wind. "My child, what would you advise me to do? He keeps sending men out into the Dark Forest to find the elixir and they never return."
Ameera wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Just maybe she could see the face of the Woman that spoke to her. Her voice was soft and soothing, like whispers but she heard the question.
She glanced around her. Surrounded by beautiful and colourful chrysanthemums, she knew the realm was not real. This must be a dream, she thought.
"Speak to me, child. Yes, you are in a dream," the Woman said calmly.
"How about you choose someone to represent you? To let the king know that his search for the elixir is futile," Ameera suggested quietly and watched as the blurry figure of the tall woman in a flowing white gown, hovered a little above the ground and moved towards her. The Woman nodded in approval. Ameera could tell she smiled as well even though she could not see her facial features.
"You are wise and I have chosen well," the Woman said, reaching for Ameera's hands. They both held hands.
"Go. Tell the king to stop the search. Touch his daughter and my strength will flow through you to her by tomorrow. Do not delay."
Ameera trembled from her contact with the Woman. She was going to ask for the Woman's identity and how a lowly, young girl from a poor family like her would approach the king with such a message. But she woke up suddenly in her old mattress in the room she shared with her mother and sister.
Her breath came out of her in a rush like she had run a marathon but her memories were crystal-clear and sharp as glass. She remembered everything. Could it be real? She wondered as golden lights painted a part of the sky heralding the rise of the sun.
The king's eighteen-year-old daughter had been bedridden for three years, slowly dying from a terminal disease of the blood and only the elixir of life could save her. The whole kingdom knew how much the king loved his daughter. He sent men to search for the elixir from the Dark Forest but none of them returned. They just vanished and the kingdom was in a state of unrest.
"Have you heard?" Nori, Ameera's sister, announced as she stepped into the house in the afternoon. "The king has called for every male from fifteen years old to join his Fighters so they can expand the search for the elixir."
Ameera glanced at her mother who appeared tired. "Mother? That means Amin, our only brother, is included. You can't let them take him," she pleaded.
Her mother glanced up from her knitting. Tears welled up in her mournful eyes. They trembled on her lashes suddenly, waiting to be shed. "What can I do, daughters? He's the king. His word is the law."
Ameera stood up abruptly and walked towards the door. "Where are you going?" Nori asked. Ameera spoke without looking back. "I have a message for the king."
It was dusk by the time Ameera got to the King's gate and smuggled herself in through the dressmaker's delivery cart. She suspected the guards at the gates would not let her in. She mingled with the kitchen staff and by nightfall, the palace was quiet except for the musicians who played for the king's amusement in the palace.
Ameera pretended to be a maid, walked into the palace, her head bowed, carrying a silver tray containing a jug of red wine for the king. As she drew close, a guard thrust out his spear in front of her. She reflexively raised her head to gaze at the king seated on his throne.
"Bow your head, maid!" The guard said aloud. Ameera obeyed immediately but not before seeing anger cross the king's face.
"I've never seen you in this palace before," another guard observed. "Who are you?"
Two sharp spears thrust forward to join the first one. Ameera began to fear for her life. What if the dream was not real? She thought.
"It was real. I am real. Hold your ground and give him my message," the soft voice hummed in her head.
Two strong hands grabbed her forearms, the silver tray slipped off with the contents spilling on the marble floor. The guards began to roughly pull her away.
"No! No, please. Wait! I have a message….My king, I have a message for you!" Ameera screamed at the top of her voice as the guards dragged her away to the dungeon. "My king! Iris sent me to you!
"WAIT!" The king stood and ordered. The guards stopped. The palace became deadly still and quiet. Only the footsteps of the king could be heard as he walked towards the guards holding her. The king looked at her keenly.
"Goddess Iris has not spoken to anyone in over a century and you claim she sent you?" The king growled quietly.
Ameera could not help the tears that streamed down her face from fear of facing the king. "Y-yes. She did. I swear it on my mother's life," her voice quavered.
The king sighed. "Speak."
One of the guards nudged her in the ribs. She winced. "My king, Iris asks that you stop searching for the elixir of life because you will never find it…"
"WHAT?" The king bellowed. "How dare you? Take her to the dungeon."
"Wait. My king. Please hear. She sent me to heal your daughter!" Ameera blurted out quickly before the guards could take her away.
"Wait!" The king ordered the guards. He stared into her eyes for a long moment. It was considered a sign of disrespect punishable by imprisonment in the dungeon to look the king in the eye but Ameera could not look away. The strength and anger in the King's eye held her in place. Even the guard could not react as they glanced between the both of them.
The king was desperate to try anything, including the rambling of a sixteen-year-old girl claiming to have healing powers. "Alright, girl. Let's say I take your word for it. If you don't heal my daughter, you will be sent to the gallows by sunrise."
Ameera shook in fear but nodded vigorously as she was taken by the guards to the sick daughter's bed-chamber. A very thin, frail girl lay under the silk sheets. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly opened. Her face gaunt like a skeleton.
Ameera remembered Iris' instruction. She arrived at the palace at nightfall and hoped it was past midnight. "Is-is it a new day yet?" She asked.
"Yes," the king growled. He stood beside his daughter and watched Ameera intently.
Go ahead. Lay your right palm on her heart. Ameera heard the soothing voice of Iris in her head. She sighed with relief and gently laid her hand on the king's daughter as directed. Two guards drew closer instinctively, their spears thrust forward.
Everyone watched as the king's daughter became paler, her skin translucent. Simultaneously the hue of the room became brighter as light filtered through Ameera's hand into the sick girl's body.
The guards lowered their spears in awe and watched as the king's daughter's eyes fluttered open. Her cheeks became warm and slightly flushed.
"By the gods," the king whispered and gently sat on the bed. "Anastasia, my princess. How do you feel?"
Ameera stepped back quietly as everyone surrounded the Princess' bed. She was momentarily forgotten but happy that her brother, Amin, was saved. Her family would not be torn apart like the others. She turned to leave when the king's deep voice reverberated in the room. "Don't leave."
Ameera turned to face the king and stared at her feet. "From today onwards, you are the goddess' oracle. Your abode will be right here, in this palace," the king declared and turned to his daughter.
Ameera was going to protest when she heard the soothing voice again. "Stay. You are my oracle now and your journey has just begun."
The End.