Chapter 1
So let’s travel to another world, which looks like the one we know but isn’t. In another era, in a parallel time from ours. This world is the Land of Five Kingdoms and consists of five kingdoms as its name suggests, Voras (the North kingdom),Notos (the South kingdom, Anatolia (the East kingdom), Dysi (the West kingdom) and Centro (the kingdom on the centre of this land). The first four are located at the four points of the horizon and the Central one is located in the centre and covers most of the island.
The kingdom we will be transferred to is Notos, in a time that is a bit difficult, so to speak, as the mobsters that existed there often terrorised the people and carried out terrorist attacks for no apparent reason . But this, on that sunny spring day, did not seem to deter Pericles and his three daughters, who lived happily even though they were poor. Their mother, Anthea, was not with them, in fact she never was. That day was Sunday and because the weather was fine, Pericles decided to go on a picnic with his three daughters, who were in their rooms getting dressed.
His eldest daughters were twelve years old and twins, but although outwardly they looked like two drops of water, in character they were completely different. Both of them were blond and had big brown eyes. Katherine or Katya, was very quiet, shy and obedient, she did all the housework. Maria, on the other hand, was the most awkward and grumpy of them all. Many times she behaved as if she were eight, playing and running constantly without being able to sit on one place.
His youngest daughter, Angelica or Angela, was ten years old and yet she seemed very mature for her age. She had curly black hair and gray eyes, and Pericles kept saying that she reminded him of Anthea. She was very kind, she also did the housework together with Katya and everyone who saw her was sure that when she grew up she would become a very beautiful woman and she would steal hearts.
Maria approached the bathroom door and shouted:
“Dad, we’re ready! Will you come? When are we leaving?”
“In a moment, my Katya, you go downstairs and I’m coming.”
“I’m not Katya, daddy! I’m Maria. Don’t you recognise our voices?′
“But your voices sound the same.”
Maria called her two sisters and they came down to the living room. After a while, Pericles also came down. He was very happy that his girls were wearing the brand new dresses he had bought them: Katya in red, Maria in pink and Angela in purple. He was wearing a white shirt and beige pants. They climbed into the cart, in which Pericles had already harnessed their horse, he sat in the driver’s seat, and set off for the Great Clearing .
Pericles was a repairman in various houses in the city. The money he received was not much, but he tried to make sure that his daughters did not lack anything.
That is why he had put aside some of his savings to buy a horse and built a cart to move them around so that his “princesses”, as he called them, would not walk. Also, to protect them from the sun, he also made a roof on the cart, to which he attached a large awning cloth.
When they reached the forest in which the Great Clearing stood, Pericles began to curse because he could not find a place to leave his cart, because all the empty places in the shade were occupied by large chariots. The poor horse could not be left in the sun to suffer. After a few laps, he finally found a spot under the shade of a tree near the pond. He got down and opened the cart door for the girls to get out. Katya was holding the basket of food they had brought. It was very hot and Pericles rolled up his sleeves and watered the horse.
It was the beginning of April and yet it had the heat of summer, which was very common in Notos since it was the southest and hottest kingdom in the country.
“Daddy, can we swim in the pond?” Angela asked.
“No, Angela, for it is Spring and its waters are still cold.”
“But it’s very hot!” grumbled Maria, who had been grumbling all the way.
The Great Clearing was full of people. After they had struggled to find a place to sit, Pericles took three hats from the basket and gave them to his daughters to wear. But Maria didn’t want it and threw it away. Pericles went to argue with her, but his sister’s voice interrupted him:
“Pericles? Girls? What a pleasant surprise!” Pericles turned and saw his overweight sister trying to get up.
Christine, as she was called, was sitting under a tree with her friends. After finally getting up, she ran towards them. She was wearing black, as always, and her brown hair was tied up in a bun. She had lost her husband three years ago and was still grieving. They did not have the chance to have children.
“Aw, little brother, long time no see!” she said and then addressed the girls:
“Look how you’ve grown up! Katya, my dear, how are you?” she said stroking her cheek.
I’m not a baby to pet me like that! She wanted to tell her, but she didn’t dare. Christine turned to Angela:
“But you’re getting prettier as time goes by.”
“Thank you, aunt, you too.” Angela said kindly.
She’s lying, for sure! She tries to look polite. Katya said to herself.
“But... where is Maria? Pericles, where is she? She was standing here just a few seconds ago.”
Pericles turned and saw his daughter running towards the pond. Fortunately he caught up with her and carried her back despite her protests.
“Leave me alone, I want to swim!” she was shouting. When they returned, Pericles saw his sister walking back to her friends. He cursed her inwardly, because she did not even suggest that they go sit with them in the shade, but instead she left them unprotected in the harmful rays of the sun.
“You have to grow up sometime, Maria. You are twelve years old.” Angela told her calmly.
“You won’t tell me what to do! You’re younger!”
“But I’m more mature than you. You’re the same age as Katya and yet you act like an eight-year-old.”
“Don’t say that again...” Maria continued angrily.
“Calm down, girls.” Pericles intervened. “Well. Listen what we’re going to do. Katya and I will prepare for us to eat and you, Angela and Maria can only dip your feet in the lake.” So he thought that maybe if Maria saw how cold the water was, she would forget her idea of swimming. “Do you agree, Maria?”
“Kind of.” she replied and immediately took off her shoes. Angela did the same and Pericles and Katya started preparing the stuff for the picnic.
They took out a checkered tablecloth and spread it on the grass together. Angela and Maria had already reached the lake, where Maria put one of her toes in, realised how cold the water was and squealed. Then Pericles and Katya took out the food from the basket: a large loaf of bread, a large piece of cheese, tomatoes, three large boiled potatoes, tuna, sardines, a jar of mayonnaise, earthenware plates and glasses, forks, a knife and a large bottle of water.
They divided the bread and cheese among the four plates, cleaned the tomatoes and potatoes, cut them into pieces and covered them with mayonnaise. Then Pericles opened the sardines and tuna, called the girls, who immediately left their playing in the lake because they were hungry and began to eat in silence. Maria broke the silence after a while:
“Tell us, Dad... How was Mom?” Everyone was surprised by her sudden question.
Pericles brought the image of Anthea to his mind and immediately became sad.
“She was very pretty.” he began to describe her. “She had long black hair, gray eyes and was tall and with a nice body.”
“And why did she leave?” Angela asked.
Pericles was afraid that this moment would come, when he would have to tell them the truth. What would he tell them now? That she snuck out in the night with the king of the north, leaving him a note that another man stole her heart? Of course not. The moment for them to learn the truth had not yet arrived. And especially on such a beautiful day.
“She went off to find a job and... she promised to come back one day, bringing lots of money and gifts for us all.”
He was about to cry, but held back. He felt terrible for lying to them, but there was no other way. He didn’t want to ruin the wonderful image his girls had of her, and hurt them like she had hurt him.
“Do you love us all three equally, Daddy?” Katya asked.
“Of course, my little one. I love you, in fact, more than my life.”
This touching family moment was to be their last, as quite suddenly, seconds after Pericles’ words, three shots rang out and a man fell dead to the ground.
“Mobsters!!” shouted a woman. Everyone turned and saw three men in black, who started shooting more people. People got up and started running in panic, screaming.
“Run. Run for your life!” cried Pericles to his daughters and, embracing the slowest of them all, Katya, he too began to run.
But a problem he had in his heart made him tire quickly and he left his daughter on the ground again.
“Run...” he breathlessly told her, leaning over his heart and struggling to breathe. But Katya didn’t move. They were in the woods behind them,she saw in horror the mobsters. Pericles raised his head and looked at her.
“Run for your life, Katya!” he shouted at her.
“No! I’m not leaving you!″ she shouted back and grabbed his arm to make him run too. But a shot rang out behind them and she felt their hands part. She turned around and saw her father covered in blood on the ground. Just then another gunshot rang out and she only managed to see the expressionless faces of the mobsters before she felt the world disappear around her. And then, darkness.
Daddy, don’t be afraid, I’m coming with you. She said inside of her.
She woke up in a bed. She felt a sharp pain in her side and wanted to scream, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Her eyes were still blurry. Inside the room she could hear some people crying.
But why are they crying since I didn’t die... she thought, and then she remembered her father’s lifeless body, his bloody white shirt, and now she was sure they weren’t crying for her. They were crying for her father.
