Ada_The Untold Story

by Zola Tau

  Dear readers

  Beyond my love for writing, I want to give a much-needed thanks to you all as my reader for your comments as well as your encouragements. I want to always show my gratitude simply because I know how often I misspell words and some scene make no sense yet you've all managed to get through my hidden meanings and encourage me.

  I also never want to encourage a fetish or promote the ideology of attraction to all races but my own. Having grown up in a diverse society yet still seeing the bountiful amount of hatred towards others due to their stepping out of dating those in other races I've always felt comfortable writing about such. It's frowned on just as healthy black love is due to its absence to television and books. The same occurs when it comes to the invisible line that seems apparent between those of darker tone and the Asian community. My love of writing comes in the gift of merging cultures and creating things outside of my scope, rewriting a forgotten history such as this story for example.

  The Go Joseon era is based on one of the many stages of the Korean empire's reign as a cast of nobility and citizen. I chose this era to write about due to the intriguing laws and alliances always made, it left room for me to interject my main female lead. Also based off my find of an interesting fact that trades were often made between Asia and Africa long ago before the disorganization of war and prejudice. This only gave me more of an encouragement to write this story. Which I hope you all enjoy.

  Throughout it all I wish you all to stay healthy to continue encouraging me as well as commenting your thoughts for me to read. It all means more to me than you can ever imagine!!

  Much love! From your author - Zola

  [ All Rights Reserved.]

  " To fall deeply into love with another, you first have to love yourself so greatly, that's there's an abundance of space left for another to fill. Only that way, true love and confidence is achieved.

  - Zola Tau

  [제 1장]

  “A rose thorn never apologizes to

  Its victim for the pain it gave...”

  She held the strangely bleached rose flower by its stem with assistance of her right hand. With her left hand, she allowed her fingertips to dance along the lines of the rose petal's soft and rounded tips. Meanwhile, the early afternoon light peered over the white brick wall that separated the rose garden from the woods, therefore proceeding to shine on the petals and all that of nature's decor that surrounded it. With her burnt caramel, shaded eyes glared deadly at the flower petals, intrigued, and mesmerized by their intrinsic beauty. Ada got lost in the mindless sweetness of slightly satisfaction it gave, by grasping tightly onto the flower as if something unworthy to let go. As a result; unknowingly by a fault of her own, the force she released mentally, subconsciously also released along with the pressure she physically allowed onto the stem and its thorns.

  Several of the thorns, aligned with where her fingertip resided slowly slid into her thumb causing a slow puncture that allowed a passageway for a slow thin, line of the wine red substance to slide down towards her wrist, decorating the white bracelet on her wrist that was sitting in its path. With a quick whence of pain, Princess Ada let go of the flower allowing it to fall to the ground. From her bracelet the blood fell elegantly onto the rose flower that she allowed to fall on the ground. The grass’s frail and lightly burnt ends seemed to have smiled at the small amount of blood it received to drink. The young woman bit her bottom lips and stared at her bloody fingertip in nothing short of acceptance, of her immaturity.

  "I don't know why my futility seems at play so often. This has surpassed even the level of amusement that I am willing to handle." She thought to herself as she began sucking on her teeth in aggravation, before bringing her fingertips towards her lips as aid to slow down the trail of blood. A distracted princess Ada tuned out her present world, as she fell into deep thought about how much she yearned to be anywhere, anywhere but where she currently stood. “Should I escape and run away?” she murmured towards her unanswered thoughts. As if magic her thoughts were soon broken by the call of her name "Princess, Princess Ada!" A voice called out. The voice sounded much like a gentle call a mother may give a child or one a concerned caretaker would give to those she nursed. In some ways, it proved to be true, due to the spirit and occupation of the owner of such a voice. For, in fact, it was Ada's given servant, Nari.

  "By the roses, Nari” Ada responded back in a rush, to the voice; both by the cause of her surprise of being searched for, as well as her hideaway's discovery. Or perhaps her fear was of guilt and it was caused by the mishap of causing herself harm that was also another misfortune she wanted to avoid explaining. To prevent being lectured of her lack of responsibility, Ada made an effort to act as if the mishap never occurred because as a female heir or a princess rather, above all it was her responsibility to keep distant from even the slightest harm or scar to her body, that was the way things were. Ada did so by hiding her right hand, and shoving the fallen rose deeper into the bushes it was taken from, Princess Ada makes an effort to stand upright and be as natural in action, as she could be. As natural as one could be when they were bleeding from several small punctures.

  With her dark tinted hand quivering by the sight of the dripping blood, Ada quickly hid her hand behind her hanbok sleeve. In spite of the situation of the small misfortune, it did not take away from the beauty of the draped beige layered golden hanbok she elegantly wore that was decorated with lily patterns which seemed to bring her a tint of materialistic comfort. With a sigh of admiration Ada awkwardly got into her role as a princess, a duty she had often abandoned when she was alone, just like she did in the present case, being how she stayed hidden by the roses. Ada, as flustered as she seemed to often be, was quickly taking long breaths, in the effort to calm down as footsteps of her assigned assistant grew louder towards where she stood.

  "Princess, the King may take it to disrespect if you don't greet him with a bit of gratitude, for his gift." The familiar voice spoke while it grew closer and closer. As the words of concern were initiated, a young woman appeared along with them looking for Ada. Average in height, she had fair cloud skin with only a natural hint of sunrise peach in colour on her cheeks and a small, thin set of one lidded, beautiful brown eyes, decoratively outlined by long dark lashes. She also was owner to a thin and pointed nose which complimented her slim and yet somehow softly rounded face. Her nose, which was one of her best features sat gently above her slightly full pink lips. As if she couldn't look better than she already had, Nari was blessed with healthy looking long raven black hair. Hair which, like a princess was braided, and found room sitting over her right shoulder. The tip of her hair was patterned with a red ribbon which was tied into a bow, hovering right underneath the cup of her breast.

  As blandly dressed as she was, one could easily have mistaken her for a royal both by how she handled herself and by how hypnotizing her beauty was. As a form of distraction from her own personal appearance, Ada shifted the attention towards her servant. "Why are you dressed in such a bland hanbok?" The princess asked referring to the less elegant hanbok the maiden decorated herself in. Ada did so all while deliberately ignoring her servant's words of warning if she didn't show gratitude to the King's gift to her. "The king doesn't allow us, which makes sense don't you think, princess? Should a servant dress like a queen?" Nari asked awaiting a response she was not going to receive.

  Princess Ada sighed and shrugged her shoulders unsure what to say, she didn't want to tell the servant she was correct, it would make Ada seem beneath her, nor did Ada want to say Nari was wrong because that she wasn't. As the Princess was debating with herself, the servant brought Princess Ada's self-debate to a truce with the words she proceeded to say; "Don't worry about me, princess. This o
ne suits me just fine, because of your prior request to create a new addition to the uniform for me, I am thankful." Nari answered referring to the pastel pink hanbok she had on, which only possessed a blue threaded flower design on the breast pocket for décor. With a bit of observation and slight remorse for the young servant’s pitiful unassuming nature, Ada walked over slowly towards Nari and placed a random rose flower in her hair, in gratitude the servant girl bowed. "Be careful those flowers can be dangerous!" Ada said to her assistant as a call of warning as the thankful servant reached her small hands towards the flower in her hair: Ada warned her over again in a calm and insecure tone of observation.

  Nari chuckled softly "Well, we better not keep the king waiting, princess, " Nari said as she started on her way back up to face the princess, who had begun to get distracted by the sight of a singing robin that flew about. The tweeting bird, got its wing stuck in the bush, but before Ada could be of assistance, Nari raced over and helped the bird flew away shortly after being freed. “To let a small hindrance such as that stop her from singing would be a crime.” She narrated in reference to the robin.

  With a smile as of acknowledgment to Nari's her words, Ada followed close behind as Nari walked. At the random of moments, Nari would stay still to try and get behind Princess Ada as a servant should, but recurring events of Princess Ada, continuously reverting back to walking behind her grew tiresome. By the third try, Nari gave up. There was no convincing the headstrong princess to stay put and not reroute her way back to being behind Nari. In the same way, from the eyes of those working around the palace, they gazed back and forth at the Princess, feeling sorry for Nari. Their pity was the cause of their pride, that they felt was being threatened. Not only did they have their Ruler to please but now a foreign leader and his infantile daughter. As for Nari, she felt as if both she and Princess Ada looked naive. Ada coughed lightly as she grew uncomfortable from the stares she was receiving. She paused for a moment and sighed. Looking childish would only confirm the others prior suspicions of the idea that exotic princesses had no value of reputation or poise, though Nari knew different of the Princess, the others didn't and for that, they often spoke negatively about her in the absence of her presence. In the deep thought of how she could help her lost Princess, Nari studied her mentally with both envy and pity.

  In her eyes the Princess was beautiful, but beauty wasn't confidence which was what the Princess seemed more than anything to lack, whether it was the fault of the new land she resided or problems before arriving it didn't change the fact that the princess lacked confidence, she tripped over her own words even when she was correct, which caused her to appear more childish than she actually was. Just a few sunsets ago, at a dinner she shared with the king and his men, she was questioned about the reliability of a princess’s role to be formatted to serve her husband. She humbly stated: “like the man the woman has a mind of her own, I will serve as I am served.” Her father gave a small smile yet because of the directed sword glares she received from a few of the men about the table, she quivered and stayed silent not giving anymore reason to back up her prior statement. With a sigh seconds to reaching the palace the bold servant spoke.

  "Princess, if I may ever be so bold as to instruct you, forgive me if you take my words to offense.” Nari started as she began to lower her glance and positioned herself in a bow. “You may speak.” Ada stated as she touched Nari’s left shoulder to rise. With a nod the servant began to speak. “Be sure to wash the blood off your hands before we enter the palace, Princess. I'll call the physician to your room this evening to disinfect it. It wouldn't be right, nor would my intentions be for your father to become angered with the king because of a fault of becoming hurt in a foreign land.”

  “As below you, as I am my duty first comes to my kingdom and protecting its sound name." Nari said with a bow, though earnest in the message Nari smiled slightly towards the end primarily on the satisfaction of how many questions were possibly going through Ada's mind at the moment. Ada squinted at Nari, questioning when it was that Nari knew or saw the blood on her hand. Ada felt as if she was so careful to hide it, because only a small amount had continued to trail. With a guilty chuckle one may do childishly, Ada did as Nari suggested and made a detour, a few steps back to a stream they strolled past prior to her injuries discovery, the dining hall was much too far, to walk towards when there was a body of water available to do the same. Ada calmly walked over to the stream, slow by pace taking in her time alone with the alien land, and its landscape.

  “It’s beautiful to say the least.” Ada stated to the sky, once she arrived to the clear, body of water that slithered west, before her. For a moment she peered over the stream staring at it, with envy. She squats down slowly hovering over the body of water, and just for a minute she found herself staring at the motion of the trees around it, welcoming the slightly cool breeze from the stream that kissed her face. She smiled but only for a moment, it was at the moment she was residing within, alone she was awed in wonder and gifted with just a bit of freedom. Cupping her left hand, she drove it into the stream to fill it with enough water to trickle onto her right hand and wet the dry blood just enough to rub it off. When she finally finished entertaining herself with the water's patterns as it changed in direction to the position of her hand, Ada gave a shake of her hands, and gently she patted off the excess water onto her hair and used it to enhance her course curls.

  As she began to stand, she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection the water gave. Her thick kinky brown hair decorated with random placement of golden beads. Her dark brown skin glowing from the sun's rays, Ada nodded her head and smiled, as she stuck her left hand’s second finger’s tip lightly onto the water to trace her reflection’s outline but then at a halt, she quickly grew sad. As familiar as the young woman in the reflection seemed, she also reflected the loss and disorientation the water mocked her with, as it continued to flow, widening and shrinking her face, due to its movement as water did.

  Ada felt embarrassed at herself, not because of her looks alone but also of the struggle that resided in the infinite trials of striving to fit into that of the tangible and intangible aspects of herself as a Princess felt, from her martial goods, actions, taste, and her wisdom. As much as she wanted to try, the voice of her conscience reminded this was not home. If it were not her father whose work brought them to the King's palace; here in this land of Gojoseon. Ada would have been exceptional in her paradise many seas from here, even though she was occasionally entertained by the attention she received but only slightly. The attention here was different it was amusement they had towards her, not respect for her.

  As it was implied some saw her and called her attractive, others flared their nostrils at her dark skin, her skin which was everything but light and fair like the one those native to the land carried. She was exiled mentally by all she was surrounded by, by no choice of her own. The young citizens of the land were more curious about her gravity-defying curls than the color she carried on her skin. As good as some of the things were, many couldn't see her like a princess as they did the king's daughters.

  Though it was understandable, it was still hard to accept, for this reason, Ada often stayed hidden. If it were not for the fear they had for her father, it was uncertain the way they'd treat her. Her father was by far one of the richest men to be alive, but King Wook was in charge of one of the wealthiest lands developing in all of East Asia, so the king and her father made an effort to bring together forces for trade and power. Therefore the people could only be thankful and hide their hatred in order to perfectly achieve their gains.

  [제 2장]

  “A role of nobility at times is

  More righteous than the noble themselves”

  Thinking on her predicament Ada dwelled on her father's words "An African princess, my father calls me... a daughter of power" as Ada said the words she stared deeply into her own eyes, feeling nothing but pity for herself and her uncensored emotions. With a si
gh, she rolled her eyes. "Then why do I feel so worthless here..." Ada silently asked herself as she was finishing her thought. She softly, got up very calmly from her previous position, hunched over looking at her reflection and she straightened her back.

  Now standing she took a deep breath as she caught another glimpse of nature around, the trees and their leaves waved in the gentle blow of the wind. She kicked a small amount of dirt into the water, watching the patterns of distorted rings take place. Like an admire, she gave a smile and held her hands together in front of herself like a child, proper, unsure and yet prepared to walk to the palace gates where Nari resided waiting for her return. The young servant smiled and pointed in front of her, where Princess Ada walked towards reluctantly.

  " It's only proper stance Princess. " Nari said. Princess Ada nodded her head and sighed after making a bit of a pouting gesture as she upper lips twitched in annoyance. "After you, Princess." Nari directed once again.

  Princess Ada proceeded to walk: " Just smile Ada, the stay here shouldn't be too bad, and it shouldn't be too long." she said to herself reassuringly.

  The Palace wasn't an environment one would be able to see once and not yearn to return for another helping, the Palace left an imprint of radiance on the hearts of anyone who comes near it and transmits a want for greatness on the eyes that glance upon it. As golden statues of warriors stood bravely in line at the gate’s entrance, even they, as unable as they were to comprehend anything, because of their material nature, even they seemed to have indicated some form of respect at the sight of the palace. The guards stood upright, as they stared directly into the space between Nari and Ada, they didn't seem to flinch, not even in the slightest by the knowledge of their presence. Rather they were profoundly entertained with even the slightest attention from others, though they didn't display it. Even so, it was hard to differentiate whether it was the statues guarding the guards, or the guards guarding the statues. To anyone who came upon them, it seemed that they both worked together in protecting the entrance to the king.