*** IN A WORLD CALLED ABBADON, IN THE KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, IN THE TYLER’S RESIDENCE ***

*** NAVINA ***

Navina wanted to throw the clay mug she is holding in her hands. Which of the two brothers she wanted to throw it to she didn’t know. WHY she is holding that stupid mug in the first place, she doesn’t even know.

All she knew is that her blood is boiling. It is like the universe is conspiring to keep her down. To make sure she doesn’t fulfill her full potential.

And these two brothers are the agents of demons that are pulling her down into the mud.

Ever since she was born, Navina knew she is destined for greatness. With her wavy black hair and expressive blue eyes, along with her voluptuous drop dead body, Navina is able to manipulate any man to get what she wanted, at the age of five.

Her family were the top merchant of the clan at the time, and she live like a princess. Then she met the young Amriel, and she fell madly in love.

The boy’s green eyes seems so vivid, so intense like he always has a plan. His father was the clan’s head carpenter, but he is already grooming his older son Tyler to replace him. With his younger son having no more place in the art of wood working, he sent Amriel to Master Abishi, the clan iron smith, to become his apprentice instead.

Since he is the second son, naturally her father is against their relationship. Amriel’s father is also against the union because he is backing the new rising star of the clan: The young and ambitious Burrlock, who is eyeing Navina’s father’s job as the head merchant of the clan.

But she was madly in love and she ignored her parent’s warnings and threats. She became even more smitten when Amriel shrugged off the opposition.

“I will work hard and become rich just like your father. You’ll see, I will slowly earn their respect!” A fourteen-year-old Amriel said. “Then one day, they will accept me and then we can get married in the eyes of everyone!”

“And I will become the most beautiful bride in all of Abbadon!” Navina exclaimed.

Amriel laughed, and they were happy. Everything is just so intense and flowery when they were together.

But then she couldn’t take her parents constant nagging and spouting nonsense. That Amriel is not good enough for her, that she doesn’t know anything about hardship and responsibility. And so she ran away and went to Amriel.

At the time, Amriel is staying with his mentor, Master Abishi. The old man ranted all night and demanded that Amriel returns her to her parents. But Amriel defended her and they started their own little hut away from the clan compound.

Immediately, her parents disowned her, and Amriel’s parents followed suit a few days later. For a while, both of them were happy and didn’t care. But as the months move on, Navina began to feel the discomfort of being poor. Amriel is working nonstop but it doesn’t seem like their station in life is improving. She began to complain and bitch about everything. She convinced herself that it was Amriel who stole her from her parents and she started hating him. Amriel tried to be patient with her but Navina just knew which button to push and small arguments become screaming matches.

It didn’t help that it was around this time when Master Burrlock launched his campaign to take the head merchant position from Navina’s father. Burrlock’s agents began to give crucial information to rival merchants, they undermine prices, damage some of the more important goods and sometimes even hiring bandits to attack clan convoys. Navina’s father retaliated by going after Burrlock’s supporters within the clan.

On one occasion, a group of masked men ambushed Amriel’s father on his way to the town of Gentra to deliver four wooden barrels. They beat him up so hard that Amriel’s father never woke up ever again. Someone found him in the dusty road and deliver him back to the clan. He was in a coma for an entire ten-days before he succumbs to his wounds. Unable to deal with her grief, Amriel’s mother died 2 ten-days later.

His brother Tyler asked to stay with them because he too could not handle his grief alone. Because Amriel feared what his older brother will do if he is left alone and because he truly love him, Amriel agreed to keep Tyler with them.

To this day, Navina could not tell exactly why she seduced Tyler. She didn’t know if she simply lost her respect to Amriel or if she really fell for Tyler, but one night she simply slips into Tyler’s bed and they become lovers.

When Amriel found out, she admitted to everything. Her original plan was if Amriel found out about her and Tyler she will scream bloody rape and pin it all to Tyler. But there was something about Amriel’s blank stare, that piercing emerald eyes, that infuriated Navina and next thing she knew she was screaming at him that Tyler was so much better as a lover, that she was happier with her older brother and that she is glad that he finally found out about it. Amriel looks at his brother who could not look back at him. It infuriated Navina even more that Amriel cared about his brother’s betrayal even more than hers. Amriel turned around and never look back.

Everything would have been fine for her except that a few days later, a great disaster arrives in her life. The clan was in an uproar when it was reported that her father killed her mother for allegedly having an affair and then committing suicide himself. Head Elder Quillan convened an emergency meeting, and she was called in. They gave her a watered down version of what happened and asked her for additional questions. When she couldn’t wait any longer, she blurted out and asked them, “Did my parents leave me anything?”

Sadly, Master Lohan handed her a letter. “This was found with your parents. We believe that your father wrote this before his… er, end.”

With trembling fingers, she opened the letter and read:

“I have no daughter. What’s left of my personal wealth will go to the clan. May the source forgive me, and I hope I will become happier in my next life.”

Despite this, the elders still gave her 30 emerald pieces. A small fortune by clan standards, but a pittance to her. Eventually, she and Tyler got married and settled in.

Six ten-days later, a royal envoy arrived and announce that the army was expanding due to the increasing threats on the border. Since there was a lackluster result in the numbers of volunteers, a mandatory service is announced. A lottery with the name of all men 16 yrs. old and up, but no more than 40, was drawn and five names came out in their sector, including Tyler’s name.

Navina smiled, thinking she will be a widow in due time. But the coward runs away. Two days later, Amriel appeared to the envoy, declared that he is tyler and took his brother’s place in the army, despite the fact that he is barely 15. Navina wanted to shout and protest, but the clan, including the elders, accepted it so no one spoke.

And so life returned to its boring routine. For 4 years, she wasted her life away with Tyler, with nothing exciting happening in the clan compound. Then one silent night, Amriel appeared at their door like a ghost and with a baby in his strong arms. The grimness of his face did not hide the fact that little Amriel is now a man, and strangely her heart fluttered for a moment. He and Tyler argued for a while until Amriel reminded his brother what he did for him. “You owe me your life, brother,” Amriel said harshly.

Eventually, the coward, of course, gave in and now we are stuck taking care of Amriel’s bastard. He called the baby Ella, as if Navina cared.

And now his back for good five years later. But he still doesn’t have the decency to take the brat away, so now we are still stuck feeding two children.

She admits that part of her irritation is the fact that Amriel barely noticed her. As if she is now just another unimportant person in his life.

While the way she looks at Ella… She deserves that same devotion and love from someone as well. After all, she is Navina the first of TwoTree.