The Guide to Paradise
Grey clouds parted.
Showers of light descended upon the land as Apollo cracked his mighty reins and chased away the shrouding darkness. The sun began its slow ascend into the clear blue sky, rising higher, and higher, until all land was exposed to its golden rays.
Sparrows sang their morning carols as roosters crowed. Livestock and mammals alike rose on cue and flurried about as they did on such fine weather. While the population of the animal kingdom embraced the beautiful new day, the woman in the small train compartment said her farewell to the clutches of a restless slumber.
Tired eyes opened in time to catch the swap from city to rural landscape. The vision she saw was so stunning, the remaining tendrils of sleep vanished from her fuzzy brain in an instant.
Mountains after verdant mountains rose from a distance and reached in vain for the high heavens. Rivers flowed between lush crop fields before disappearing into the horizon. Cows milled about the grassy pastures, grazing, mooing to their hearts’ content. Farmers ploughed in their fields and reaped their seasonal harvests.
The tranquillity in the country was another lifetime away.
She peeled her eyes from the window and extended her arms forward, shifting ever so slightly in the cramped space. Careful not to wake the figure curled in her lap, she stretched a fraction of an inch before settling back onto her uncomfortable seat.
Body muscles burned in protests at the sudden movement. Her long legs felt like deadweight. She smiled down at the crown of tousled chocolate locks. One hand pulled the threadbare shawl around narrow shoulders and stroked a smooth, flushed cheek.
‘Who would have expected this head to weigh a ton?’ she mused fondly.
She brushed silken strands away from the matted forehead, tucked Sleeping Beauty closer, before returning her attention to the magnificent view outside. Absently, her hand strayed to the gilded locket around her neck and she flicked it open. The right frame held the portrait of her child. On the left sat a similar one of her beloved.
The two persons she cherished above her own life in this world. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for their sake.
She had received the locket on her eighteenth birthday, when she left her family and travelled alone into the city. There had been much uproar and outrage in her household then. Her father threatened to disown her. He called her an ungrateful daughter for going against his wishes.
Her brothers, likewise, cited their collective concerns. There was nothing extravagant to be coveted by a lady of noble descent. They had visited the city and knew what demons lurked in the shadows.
“City folks were sinister and conceited,” warned her brothers, “They cheated and conspired and worked evils upon the innocent.”
Pimps aided by corrupted officials entice gullible young girls into prostitution.
Famished children travelling in packs picked pockets amidst busy markets.
The impoverished and underfed tricked and died of overdose in dark alleys.
And that was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Decadence slouched around the town at every corner. The grandeur she had read in romance novels existed only on paper.
Big, fat lies.
All her family wanted was to groom her into the picture perfect bride and negotiate a reputable marriage with some dying landlord as old as her grandfather. Her happiness ranked levels below preserving the family name. That was why she had jumped at the opportunity to leave her prison once and for all when offered the option.
Her escape came under the name of one Nicholai Richardson. Once upon a time the only son of a prestigious family, heir to a considerable inheritance, and beloved brother to three elder sisters. Though all was lost to him after his service with the army, he had an unrivalled determination to rebuild his life grain by grain. Come hell or high waters, he vowed to do it in the memory of his family.
In her father’s eyes, strong will alone could not sustain life. A man of no dependable connection could be a liability (for he could be easily bought over with an attractive sum), nor could he be trusted to provide for his wife and children. Thus, when she presented Nicholai — who had resembled a vagrant from travelling — to her father, the old lord had relayed his disdain without exchanging pleasantries, and insisted that the two sever their courtship at once.
On the surface, she followed his command. When it was dark and all the occupants in the manor sound asleep, she would sneak out into the open to meet her ragged prince. Cloaked from head to toe and wearing a servant’s garments, she believed her disguise could have fooled any unsuspecting strangers.
For months she had enjoyed her nightly rendezvous with Nicholai. He discovered an abandoned cabin around ten minutes away from her manor, and that shelter also became her hideaway whenever conflicts arise within her family. During those short but incredibly sweet months, she had fallen in love with Nicholai. He treated her like a grown woman and told her stories of the outside world, knowing she had never left the country for her life. She was able to learn about another human being in ways she had never imagined possible. And through Nicholai’s experience, she could finally understand the truths that she had been told as a small child.
Perhaps it was his charisma, or perhaps it was his gallantry, there was something about Nicholai Richardson that intrigued her, and called out to her soul. It was a whole new experience, one that she had never known to exist.
Their whereabouts was exposed about six months later. Nicholai was at once banished away from the country. Her father had been so furious and ashamed of her behaviour the old lord declared that she was to be married into the family he had chosen on the following dawn to salvage what was remained of her reputation.
That had been the final straw. Wounded and humiliated, she decided that she should run away to seek the meaning of her life’s existence. Naïve and irrational as the action was, she trusted her instincts. She embarked on the first train that she could find. It took her to the same place a certain someone had made his new home.
It hadn’t been easy to adjust to her new life. When she had reached the city, she didn’t depend on Nicholai or live with him like she had always read about in her romances. She rented a room from an old couple at a tiny sum and, in return for their kindness, helped out in their bakery, and took charge of the delivery service. Each day of her new life was fruitful, never a moment too dull, she slowly became accustomed to the routine her old life couldn’t have provided. Only when she had fulfilled her day’s work did she allow herself to be excused to join Nicholai in his excursions. And when she had saved up an ample sum from her jobs, she gladly gave her consent in marriage.
Alas, as Fate would have it, their happiness did not last for very long.
Soon after she found out that she had conceived, Nicholai was summoned to assist in a civil war at a neighbouring county. He left with the promise of a swift return. Nothing would detain him from hearing their child’s first cry of life, said he. Their last kiss felt like goodbye.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. And still no news came from the garrison or the mayor.
Somehow, she knew what might have become of his fate.
She shed not a tear. Deep in her heart, she held onto the belief that he would return for her and their unborn child.
Years later, her prayers were answered.
The rumbling beneath her feet was almost foreign to her ears. Thump thump, thump thump. On and on it continued. Not quite like the rhythm of a beating heart, nor was it anything like a drummer’s music. She marvelled at the other passengers’ ability to sleep through the litany on the ride.
She felt rather than saw her child stir in her sleep. A small smile broke out on her face as the young girl opened her green eyes and lifted herself from her lap. It was about time. Soon they would reach their destination. She had recognized the scenery the moment it changed into a familiar village.
Almost as soon, the train began to slow its pace as the station loomed from a distance. Mother and daughter straightened their appearances and grabbed hold of their belongings. Like a shepherd herding his sheep, they followed the other passengers onto the platform.
A whoosh of fresh, country air entered their lungs as they took in their surroundings. People kissing and engulfing one another in big hugs. Long lost acquaintances or relatives giving friendly pats on the back and shoulder. She didn’t need a scholar’s opinion to understand the love that hovered around them.
Grasping her daughter’s small hand in hers, they passed the crowds to the exiting area. She hailed a nearby carriage for their ride. Whispered some instructions to the driver. The horses broke into a fast trot under their owner’s merciless whip.
She had a brief flash of her old life before meeting Nicholai.
She blinked the ghostly images away. Phantom fragments of a life without freedom had no bearing in the present. Bygones belonged to the past times best forgotten. Useless to remedy what couldn’t be changed.
“Mama, where are we going?”
Her daughter’s soft voice woke her out her trance. Deep-set green eyes clashed with inquisitive emeralds. The childish innocence reflected in her child’s face filled her heart with a renewed hope for the future.
She hugged her little girl to her side and rested her cheek against soft chocolate curls. Her own flesh and blood depended upon her for love and survival. No one would be able to shield her from the evils she herself had seen and experienced. There would never be anyone to provide the protection, except …
“Home, darling. We are going home.”
Half an hour later, the carriage skidded to a halt outside a small cottage. The driver gave her a hand to the ground, her little girl jumping down a moment after. She deposited several gold coins into the driver’s waiting palm and watched with indifference as he drove off.
Turning towards the cottage, she exhaled a deep breath. Her heart began to skip erratically when she saw a familiar figure emerged onto the front porch.
Their five years apart hadn’t changed him much. His left leg might have been crippled, and his face aged from the harsh reality of life, but he was exactly as she had remembered him.
Her bags dropped to the ground with a loud thud when he approached them on unsteady steps. Her child tugged at her dress, green eyes blinked up at her inquiringly. Smiling, she gave her little girl a gentle push and urged her forward.
“Don’t be shy, sweetheart. Say ‘hello’ to daddy.”
The little girl nodded. Straightened her small shoulders and walked towards the tall man.
Nicholai met their child halfway. Dropping to his knees, he gathered her into his strong arms. His broad shoulders shook. No words needed to explain how the dam of emotions had broken inside him.
Meagan brushed the tears away from her eyes. She had longed for this moment for too long. She didn’t care if she would ever achieve peace with her father. Nicholai and her child would always be by her side. That much she was certain.
They were her salvation, her guide to a never ending paradise. She wasn’t about to let them go now.
