Recap (present story): Daniel discovered that his father and Yisroel Meir’s father are actually brothers, and he and Yisroel Meir are cousins.

Recap (past story): Ava tried to warn Galla’s family that King Abar is coming to attack anyone who associated at all with Queen Annabelle. Nazanin starts saying that there is a secret she needs to tell Ava.

 “Secret?” I didn’t know what Nazanin was talking about, and I didn’t want to waste time on secrets. I’d come to save their lives.

“Did you ever wonder about how different you look from the rest of your family?” She lit a pipe from the fireplace and blew smoke into the air.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you know that Annabelle and I aren’t really cousins. Our parents were good friends; so when I was a little girl, my mother told me to call Annabelle’s mother ‘cousin,’ but it wasn’t a blood relationship.”

So, that was the secret. Fine. We were still treating each other as cousins. I rose to go. I had a long trip ahead, and we had to leave before morning.

“Did you ever wonder who your real mother was?”

I felt a tightness in my throat.

She rose and moved closer to me. “Ava, your hair. Look at the color of your hair and your fair skin. Do they match anyone you know?”

I backed away.

She extended her arm to my shoulder and then dropped it. She sank back onto the suffah and dropped her pipe onto a table.

“You were such a beautiful baby. Your golden hair. Everything was perfect but––”

I glanced at my left hand. I felt as though I’d been struck.

She was sobbing. “Omer said we couldn’t keep a baby with a deformed arm. It wasn’t right. We gave her to Annabelle. We gave you to Annabelle.”

She stopped speaking. The only sound in the room was her soft sobs and my heart pounding.

Nazanin and Omer were my parents! Galla was my sister!

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

How could a parent give up her child? How could I ever forgive them?

So many feelings bubbled inside. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. Hot tears streamed down my cheek.

How could this be? No, no! These were not my parents. This was not my family!

Please, Hashem. Help me!

I kept finding myself calling out to Hashem.

I thought of something Aunt Annabelle taught me. Her words echoed in my brain: “Hashem wants us to forgive. When we can give the benefit of the doubt and be forgiving, then Hashem will forgive us.”

The sky was starting to lighten. I had to leave. I took a deep breath and stood. I moved close to Nazanin – my mother. I swallowed. I lifted my arm and placed it on her shoulder. I leaned towards her and whispered, “I forgive you.” I kissed both her cheeks and turned towards the door. I called over my shoulder, “Please leave. Don’t stay. You are in grave danger.”

I hurried out the door. I jumped back on my horse and headed at a furious gallop back towards the palace.

The wind blew through my hair. I concentrated on the road ahead and tried not to think about the revelation I had just heard.

The moon lit the path. I galloped on and on. What would happen to Nazanin and Omer and Galla?

An hour later, I heard the early chirping of birds. I slid off my horse and tied it up. There were no servants to help.

I rushed into the palace. Aunt Annabelle was in the foyer, surrounded by sacks and chests. “Everything is packed, Ava. Where are Nazanin and Omer?”

“They wouldn’t come. I tried to explain. I told them they were in danger. Omer would not hear of it.”

“I’m so sorry! They’re in danger.”

“I didn’t know how to convince them. They wouldn’t listen and—”

“You did the best you could, dear.” Annabelle reached out and hugged me. I fell into her embrace and cried. I cried for the mother I’d never had, and I cried realizing how lucky I was to have my Aunt Annabelle, who was in the real sense my real mother after all. I wanted to tell Aunt Annabelle what Nazanin had told me, but the words stuck in my throat. I couldn’t say them.

Arash strode into the room carrying sacks of food. “We have to hurry, Your Majesty. Dawn is coming!”

Mihran came into the room, and we all headed outside. There was no time even for one more look around the palace. The home I’d known all my life was to become a distant memory.

Arash and Mihran loaded the carriage, and then Aunt Annabelle and I climbed inside.

Mihran rode our horse ahead, and Arash steered the carriage. He lifted the reins, and we were off.

He took us through back roads and shady paths away from the main drag.

We had a long trek ahead of us to reach Jerusalem.

I tried to imagine Jerusalem with the beautiful Temple. Aunt Helena had written, describing it. She wrote of Leviim singing and spiritual beauty beyond imagination.

I’d never thought I’d be on my way to Jerusalem. I watched the road disappear under the wheels of the carriage, and I thought about how strange life can be and how you think things are one way, and then suddenly everything switches.

Then I thought of the big decision I must make. Would I convert? If only Jasmin were here with us. She was my special friend and confidant. I so longed to discuss this decision with her. I thought of the pageant, how I’d been disgusted with the whole thing. The pretty dresses had not absolved the coarse, unrefined behaviors I’d seen. I wanted no part of that anymore. Was I ready to become a full-fledged Jew with all the obligations that entailed?

 To be continued…

Susie Garber is the author of a newly released historical fiction novel, Captured (Menucha Publishers, 2025), as well as historical fiction novels Please Be Patient (Menucha, 2024), Flight of the Doves (Menucha, 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha, 2022), A Bridge in Time (Menucha, 2021), Secrets in Disguise (Menucha, 2020), Denver Dreams, a novel (Jerusalem Publications, 2009), Memorable Characters…Magnificent Stories (Scholastic, 2002), Befriend (Menucha, 2013), The Road Less Traveled (Feldheim, 2015), fiction serials, and features in Binah Magazine and Binyan Magazine, and “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021–2022) and Alaskan Gold (2023–2024).