Chapter 4

The children grew. Their adventures riding their horses in the countryside, learning in school and learning how to wrestle each other as well as others, kept them busy all of their days. Neither of them knew what was in store for them. Neither aware of the coming events that would shape their lives and bring them together as husband and wife.

Flower went back home to see her mom and dad at the harvest festival as well as the spring planting and celebrated both occasions with her family. Her mother had given birth to a little brother while she was gone. Queen Zia had also given birth while she was there giving Rock another little sister. Both babies were cute as a button and healthy.

While all was happy and good for Rock, Flower and their families, a crack had formed in the mountains between the three countries. The crack was in a valley near a goat path where a few more adventurous sheep may end up if the shepherd wasn’t paying attention. The crack released an ooze. The ooze was black as midnight and as thick as molasses in the winter. It bubbled up from that crack and formed a small bubble above the crack and sat there. Sunlight did not reach this spot in the valley. This spot was shaded by the peaks, a perfect spot for something to form.

The grass around the bubble died. The grass could not grow where there is no life and there was no life in this bubble.

There it sat.

There it waited.

Years pass for the kids. Just after Flower’s 13th birthday, she wakes up with a great pain in her belly and a sick feeling in her stomach. She managed to get to the bathroom and make her water, but the pain is still there. Even worse, she finds blood on the cleaning wipes.

“Oh shit. I’m dying.” she gasps. Flower wraps a robe around her body and rushes to see the queen, her mom here in Orinova.

“Mom! Mom! Mom!” she says, then groans as another spasm of pain hits her.

The queen, having just gotten done helping the king to release his essence, answers the girl’s panicked call for help and rushes to her while wrapping a robe around her naked body.

“What is it honey? What’s wrong?”

“I’m dying.” Flower groaned.

“What? Why would you say that?”

“Blood when I wiped after peeing.”

She then doubled over groaning in pain.

The queen knew what this was and called one of her attendants to help her. Flower was quickly taken to the Red Blossom Spa and Wellness Retreat so that she could have her first blood in peace.

She was undressed, helped to sit on a special seat with an open center so that her blood could be released. Candles and incense were lit and the room was filled with relaxing and calming smells. Flower relaxed and allowed her body to do what it was designed to do, expel her blood just like every other woman of the world.

“Ugh”, she groaned as the pain passed and she felt immensely better, she opened the door and found a Wellness Attendant standing there with a robe for her. She was taken to a pool where other women and girls her age were all being washed with sweet smelling soap. Their hair was being washed while candles and incense were burning nearby.