Anna Alexander: queen of fire

The father of the family was convinced that sons were more valuable than daughters and would inherit the small part of his estate: an old cottage on the edge of a poor village, where they kept nothing but livestock and subsisted on milk, cheese, and veal.

He was especially strict with his daughters. Monika always received the most blame, likely because she was the eldest and responsible for the education of the younger ones. But the true reason for his dislike lay in something else. She reminded him of the only woman he had ever truly loved, whom he had lost so early, perhaps out of foolishness.

Once, in distant times, when Monika’s father worked as a groom for wealthy gentlemen, he took a liking to a beautiful girl who often visited the family, namely her friend. He watched for hours as the young and charming lady, as you have already guessed, did not reciprocate his feelings, not even noticing him. Gussa secretly admired her but did not dare to approach, fearing the loss of his job and condemning himself to a miserable existence.

But fate had other plans. One day, while taking a walk, the beauty was swimming in a lake near her home when she became entangled in nets left by the servants. The master’s daughter managed to escape, only scraping her knees and slightly scratching her head, but Ayghul, the guest, would have said goodbye to life forever if not for the stable boy who was nearby. In gratitude, the girl’s father generously rewarded her savior with gold and invited him to dinner. How wonderful it was for the young man to find himself in luxury next to his beloved! He blissfully watched her every move and couldn’t believe his happiness.

And so, at the banquet held in honor of the miraculous rescue of his daughter, the father introduced the guests to the modest but now wealthy stable boy. Discussions about this did not die down for weeks.

– How could he do such a thing and shower this filthy stable cleaner with gold?! – exclaimed a lady, a close relative of Ayghul.

– Apparently, he has lost his mind to have done such a thing! – her sister echoed.

Father Ayghul was no longer young and devoted all his time to his children. He was madly in love with his daughter and was ready to fulfill her every whim. Nothing was forbidden to her. The spoiled girl was beautiful, but excessively proud.

Choosing the moment, our hero, forgetting about his origin, decided to ask for Ayghul’s hand. His heart was pounding wildly, and many thoughts were swarming in his head. Ayghul’s father was somewhat annoyed by the young man’s impudence that he asked to go with him to the office in order to discuss the proposal, and invited his daughter to them. The guy was embarrassed to see his beloved in a depressed state, because his father flatly refused to marry her. But she insisted, ahead of her father in her convictions.

– Father, let me make this decision myself. You’ve always been on my side, so what’s changed? – the girl said eagerly.

– But, Ayghul, you are still very young and you will always have time to get married. At any age, crowds of men will be at your doorstep, why rush so much? – father insisted.

– Dad, just let me go, and that’s the end of the conversation!” – the daughter repeated.

Since then, the head of the family lost his peace. He walked in circles around the house, as if measuring its square meters. His gait became weary. He stopped eating properly, and health issues began to manifest. On that fateful day when he refused her marriage proposal, the girl didn’t wait long and ran away to her suitor.

Ayghul managed to take some jewelry with her, but all of it was long gone, just like the generous gifts from Gussa. She was proud that she had never turned to her family for help, even though she needed it, as well as the blessing of her parents and support. After all, she had received the best since birth, and now her life was becoming worse and more difficult.

Ayghul’s parents no longer saw their daughter. She simply disappeared for them. Inflicting such a wound is akin to eradicating all life in a person. The strength was leaving the parents with the inevitability of a snow avalanche, gaining speed and burying all hopes beneath it, and when their light finally extinguished, the world for the girl plunged into impenetrable darkness.

– They left without saying goodbye! – Ayghul said through tears to her husband.

– It’s a pity and unfair! – he replied, clenching his fists tightly.

Monika’s father hated his daughter, fearing that she would repeat her mother’s fate and run away with someone, which he could not allow under any circumstances. Since that dreadful moment, Ayghul and Gussa’s children, like her, often went hungry. Only illness freed the woman from worries about her family, as she passed away early. Gussa left soon after his wife, unable to bear the loss of his beloved. As he promised, the sons inherited the pitiful scraps, and Monika received only a tortured heart.

Fleeing from the wrath of her barbarian brothers, she found shelter on the fertile land of India, where fickle fate reserved for her a modest role as a servant in the wealthy home of an Arab aristocrat. Thus began her acquaintance with Jim’s father, whose life could overshadow even the most beautiful fairy tales about princes from the enchanting East.

For many years she tried to find her footing, to set her life in order. But luck seemed to have turned its back on her forever, condemning her to repeatedly ascend the gallows of her endeavors. However, the brother of her haughty and cruel mistress, Aylin, was of a completely different kind. Legends were told about his wealth. It was said that for just one caravan of sold goods, he received so much gold that his servants scooped it with shovels and poured it into sacks. Whether this was true or a fabrication, it is now impossible to know, but no one doubted his generosity and undeniable riches. Monica’s fate changed at that moment, turning into a real fairy tale, when she happened to meet Soleiman. He visited his sister for just a few days but was struck by the beauty of this lovely girl.