1 Chapter 1: The Queen Loves Green!

At the heart of Amazonia rainforest, there is a kingdom named Jumbalaya which is ruled by King Garnet and Queen Jade. They are happily married and has lived together for seven years already. Their constituents love them dearly because they are fair, kind, and easygoing.

Everything is going smoothly in the kingdom and both Garnet and Jade enjoy their lives, but they still have the intense longing for a child. They have fervently prayed to Bathala and offered songs and dances in front of Obando Church for seven long years.

It was too long that they have almost given up all hope, especially when they visited their healer who said that the queen was weak and she would have difficulty conceiving because she has irregular periods.

Then, one day, the queen experienced dizziness and vomiting in the morning. She brushed it off because it might have been simply due to stress or the food that she ate.

However, her vomiting continued for the next few days so she decided to take a pregnancy test to confirm her suspicions.

Lo and behold, there were two lines! She is pregnant and she could hardly wait to tell the king.

When the king heard the news, he was ecstatic and said, "My queen, order anything you want." The queen smiled coyly and kissed the king sweetly on the lips. She then replied, "My king, thank you. I am craving for green mangoes dipped in fish sauce with salt, guavas, kamias, calamansi, steamed watercress with shrimp paste, and starapples too. Oh, and these must be green."

The queen would always request anything and everything green. She said, "Change the paint and the curtains. I want green only." Besides this intense craving for green things only, the queen had a smooth pregnancy. She carried the baby to full term without complications, contrary to what their healer said.

After waiting nine months, it was finally time for the baby to come out and so they called for the best midwife in the world.

She prepared the queen and all her materials. The queen pushed and pushed. She got exhausted, but the baby did not come out yet. The midwife chanted a few orations and told the queen to push again, and this time, a baby girl came out. The queen passed out due to exhaustion.

However, the midwife still felt that there is something in the womb of the queen so she pressed it a bit. A few minutes after, something else came out of the queen's vagina and it was a fish which they believe to be a symbol of good luck. The midwife got the fish and put it in water. She will let the king decide about the fish's fate.

A few hours after, the queen was awakened and she immediately looked for her baby. The king showed her the baby girl and they both were awed at the uniqueness of her green eyes that glisten like emerald gems and strawberry blonde hair which she probably got from her father, King Garnet. The king announced, "Today, we welcome our princess to the world. She shall be known as Emerald."