The Bee Keeper's Daughter. Kingdom of Meridian. Vol 1.

Shian Serei

В 1290 (год н.э.) в Ростове молодой девушке Марии удаётся избежать захвата в плен. Ей предстоит захватывающее путешествие на север по реке Волге, чтобы остаться в безопасности, находясь вдалеке от своих родных. Путь Марии очень опасен. Солдаты неоднократно пытаются захватить её в плен, но ей удаётся сбежать на грузовом судне с незнакомцами. Она открывает для себя новый мир за пределами фермы её отца, познаёт романтические отношения и узнает себя как молодую женщину, сталкивается с приключениями.

The Bee Keeper's Daughter

Kingdom of Meridian. Vol 1.

Shian Serei

© Shian Serei, 2016

ISBNВ 978-5-4483-1648-7

Created with intellectual publishing system Ridero

Preface

The Beekeepers Daughter is the first ofВ five books inВ the Kingdom ofВ Meridian Series. The story begins with Maria, aВ young woman struggling toВ survive inВ medieval Russia. Through aВ series ofВ tragic events, she must travel across Northwestern Russia toВ find safety with relatives inВ aВ distant city. Along the way, her conservative life inВ aВ village fades as she navigates aВ new world filled with danger. Her experience becomes aВ personal journey inВ trust, adventure, love and destiny.

You are about toВ be taken on an exciting journey filled with folklore, Russian history, and romantic encounters. The pace is fast as Maria travels North on the Volga River trying toВ evade Tatar soldiers seeking toВ return her toВ Rostov. Armed only with aВ handful ofВ items and the knowledge her parents gave her; she must trust her life toВ complete strangers while learning toВ survive inВ aВ world where nothing is as it seems. Her story unfolds with chaotic twists that drive her toВ aВ destiny far greater than she ever imagined.

A word about Russian culture, you’ll notice the names shifting a bit during the dialogue between characters. This shift is intentional and is a key element in how conversations take place, beginning with full formal names and then as the familiarity grows the names «soften’. For example «Maria’ becomes «Masha’ or «Manya’. Mikhail becomes Misha, Svetlana becomes Sveta and Natalya becomes Natasha or Natalie. This trend continues throughout the book and reveals when the characters are formal, friendly, serious or playful.

It was my wish toВ make this aВ historically and geographically accurate tale, but there were some points where aВ fact had toВ be sacrificed for the greater good ofВ the story. IВ hope you can embrace the fictional detours as aВ means toВ further enjoy the book.

– Shiån Serei

Language Notes: The story is replete with anglicized words, meant to capture the color of Russian and other languages. These words are written in the way they are pronounced, as a benefit to the reader. You’ll find an index at the end of the book with the complete translation of each phrase.

One Night inВ Rostov

It is the year 1290В inВ the city ofВ Rostov. Russia has changed dramatically after being conquered byВ the Tatar horde. Within months ofВ the invasion, many ofВ the local people had been forced out ofВ their homes or were killed for resisting the army. The autumn sun is setting on aВ small farm at the edge ofВ the city, where the local beekeeper, Alex, and his family, live.

Alex loaded the last barrel ofВ Mead onto his small cart. His back ached from loading so many barrels, but the order for all his mead and honey was too good toВ pass up. The Tatars had destroyed so many ofВ his hives and fields during the invasion, leaving him with limited means toВ pay for safe passage out ofВ Rostov. He walked into his small farm