THE TAYAMA KINGDOM
Saliah scrunched up her nose when a strong, floral smell invaded her nostrils. She opened her eyes, rubbing them as she sat up.
She yawned and stretched her arms before opening her eyes fully, jumping back from shock when she saw a woman sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with unconcealed curiosity.
"Who—who are you?" Saliah muttered, her heartbeat far from calm.
The thin woman watched her with a soft smile before rubbing her arm softly, as if comforting Saliah. Saliah moved away from the woman, raising her blanket to her chest as if hiding her naked self.
"Sister, are you feeling okay now?" The thin woman spoke up. Her voice was sweet, and her tone was comfortingly calm. She had short, brown, curly hair that fell just above her eyebrows. Her skin was rough, and her face had slightly unnoticeable pimples. She had beautiful features, and her eyes were the kindest Saliah had ever seen.
"Good thing you're awake. If the others ask, just tell them that you're unwell," the thin woman advised with a smile. Influenced by her kindness, Saliah unconsciously nodded her head.
"Sister, are you from here?" The thin woman asked, her eyes scanning Saliah's face. "Your skin is so soft and clear! My, oh my! Only the heavens know what I would do if you were a man," the thin woman gushed as she spoke, not noticing the look of embarrassment on Saliah.
"Did you wish for good skin at the blue moon?" The thin woman sighed, "Else you must be royalty; no palace maid has enough time to care about their skin."
Saliah paused. The word palace slapping her face. She then looked around the room and jumped back in shock at what she saw.
The room was small with only two stone beds. The floor was concrete, the walls were unpainted, and there was only one small window that barely let any air in.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The thin woman was still seated on her bed, eying Saliah's every move with admiration.
"Where am I? Did you kidnap me?!" Saliah questioned suddenly. She jumped out of bed, but the moment her feet touched the ground, her body came tumbling down to the floor.
The thin woman caught her midair and sat her onto the stone bed. Her eyes filled with concern.
"Let me go," Saliah protested. She stood up again, this time balancing her body before taking steady steps out of the room.
"Stop right there!" The thin woman said coldly.
Saliah stopped in her tracks but did not turn around.
"You cannot leave without the king's permission," she chided.
"King's permission? What the hell are you talking about?!" Saliah asked when she turned around. "Listen, if you don't let me go, I'll call the police!"
The thin woman knitted her eyebrows and stared at Saliah for a while before walking towards her.
"You must be a foreigner. I'm sorry, sister, but these are the rules of Tayama. You cannot leave without the king's permission," the thin woman spoke firmly.
"Tayama? What are you talking about? I don't understand what you're saying...."
"You have never heard of Tayama?" The thin woman was caught by surprise again.
"I've never heard of it...."
"Perhaps it's the mild concussion you suffered from drowning."
"Drowning? I'm sorry, I really don't understand…" Saliah furrowed her brows.
"Please do not stress yourself; it's normal to not remember." The thin woman smiled slightly as she reassured her.
Saliah eyed her suspiciously, but before she could ask further, the door suddenly swung open, and in walked a short, fat woman who had on an annoyed expression.
"Elaiza! Are you not aware of what's happening tomorrow?! Off to the kitchen this instant!" The woman bellowed.
"Yes, Sister Nami, I was just helping the new girl here. She's still under the weather, I'm afraid," Elaiza said softly as she bowed her head slightly.
Nami glanced at Saliah only once, her expression turning ugly.
"Do not make me teach you the rules of the maid's quarters! Bring the foreigner with you to clean"
"But sister Nami—"
"Are you talking back now?!" Nami chided. Elaiza shook her head immediately, her fear unhidden. "You're suddenly generous enough to let strangers eat for free?" She scoffed before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.
-------
The maid's quarters was a huge house consisting of twenty bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and four spacious bathrooms that were mainly used for doing laundry. A big farm was located behind the maid's quarters, and a long hallway connected the maid's quarters to the Tayama Palace.
The maid's quarters was traditionally decorated; old wooden furniture filled the house, and the kitchen had ceramic plates and clay pots for cooking.
Saliah was puzzled when she saw the maid cooking porridge in a huge black clay pot over firewood.
It was only after coming out of the small room that she realized how differently they dressed. They wore long, conservative yellow garments that showed no skin and brown rubber slippers.
The garments all had one symbol on them, the symbol of a full moon.
Elaiza had made her change from her translucent nightgown to their office yellow uniform.
They spent the morning sweeping, dusting, and mopping the floors of the maid's quarters while the others washed and cooked a meal for the royal family.
"There now, make sure you rest before lunch. It's the busiest time of the day," Elaiza advised as she hung the mop on the branch of a tree.
Saliah nodded, seemingly lost in thought. She fiddled with her hands as she leaned against the tree, watching Elaiza as she diligently hung the mops they had used that morning.
"Do you clean like this every day?" Saliah suddenly asked.
"Not really, the prince will be visiting tomorrow, so we have to prepare," Elaiza said with a dreamy-like smile.
"There's really a prince here? What is this? A fairy tale?" Saliah laughed, making Elaiza chuckle.
"Do you not have a prince where you live?" She asked curiously.
"Nope."
"So who rules over your kingdom?"
"Kingdom?" Saliah raised her eyebrows. "I must be dreaming..." she muttered.
"I don't think we're dreaming right now... We're in the kingdom of Tayama. One of the strongest kingdoms in the land of Ogin."
Saliah bit her lip and looked away from Elaiza.
"Sister, do you really not have a king where you come from?" Elaiza asked yet again.
"Mmh."
"Who rules the land then?"
"I guess the president," Saliah said casually.
"What's a president?" Elaiza paused her actions and turned to look at Saliah.
Saliah, caught off guard, turned to look at Elaiza, who had on an innocent expression, pouting her lips as she waited for an answer. Saliah suddenly chuckled, slightly amused by her innocence.
She patiently explained who a president was, laughing at her innocent yet dumb questions.
"Sister Liah, can...can you take me there one day?"
Saliah smiled, "You're ready to leave your prince?"
Elaiza wore a horrified expression and shook her head vigorously.
"He's that good?" Saliah widened her eyes, shocked by her loyalty.
"The crowned prince is the most handsome man in the Tayama Kingdom. He's also the kindest among the princes. All women want to woo him." Elaiza's eyes twinkled as she spoke about him.
"And he'll fall for you?" Saliah asked with a raised brow.
Noticing the sarcasm in her voice, Elaiza shrugged and pouted, picking up another mop from the bucket to hang.
Just as Elaiza had said, the lunch hour was the busiest. They had to not only cook for the royal family but also cater to the royal guards as well as clean the palace.
Each maid was tasked with what to do. Each maid except Saliah. Because she was new, they had forgotten to add her to the working rota, giving her the chance to leave the maid's quarters without anyone's knowledge.
The palace, as told by Elaiza, was near the capital city of Tayama. The town was said to be a trade center for jewelry, weapons, as well as antiques.
The path was narrow and filled with grass. Tall green trees surrounded the place, exuding cold air that seemed to caress Saliah's cheeks.
The tall trees had green leaves, the path was slightly damp, and the air tasted like... magic?
Saliah halted in her steps. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in; the air that entered her lungs was fulfilling, energetic, and...magical?
She frowned.
She took another deep breath, not noticing the blue flickering light on her tattoo, and exhaled. Feeling more refreshed than before. She smiled a little and looked around, taking in the beautiful scenery as she walked.
"We're in the Tayama kingdom...."
Elaiza's voice sounded in her mind.
Tayama kingdom....
She sighed.
How on earth did I end up here? This is weird, too weird.
She bit her lip.
Could this really be another dream?
"Sister, what are you thinking coming out here alone?" She heard a voice say.
She looked up and saw three burly men, smiling teasingly at her. They each had yellow sticks in their hands as they approached her.
"This one is pretty boss; these palace maids are getting prettier and prettier," one man whistled.
The said boss grinned as he looked at Saliah like a predator. She felt her heart skip a beat when she met his eyes.
She could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes.
"Don't worry, we only need two hundred silver stones." The leader smiled slyly.
The two other men looked at each other and smiled too.
Saliah furrowed her brows, confused about the stones they had brought up. She took two steps back, and before she could move further, she felt a strong force restraining her legs.
She tried to move, but her legs were locked in place. Saliah looked up at the men, and when she saw their expressions, her heart sank.
They moved closer to her as she struggled to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she failed to move her legs.
Just then, a gust of wind blew in their direction, rustling the leaves on the ground. The air around her became colder, and the winds moved faster.
"You dare to cause trouble near the palace?" A deep, melodic voice sounded in the air. The voice was laced with dignity and unquestionable command.
Saliah looked around but saw no one; she felt a chill run through her. She looked at the men and frowned when she saw their horrified expressions. The moment the voice was heard, the invisible force that kept her legs in place disappeared.
All three men had their gazes fixed on the sky. Dumbfounded, Saliah looked up at the sky, and that's when she saw him.
He was dressed in black from head to toe, his floating figure standing proudly with a hint of indifference on his face.
In his hand was a black stick that exuded an unnoticeable blue mist. His sharp features had Saliah's heart racing, her eyes unable to leave his figure.
"Your Majesty!" The three men shouted in unison and bowed.
"Your Majesty, please pardon us; we thought too highly of ourselves," the leader spoke with a cracked voice, not daring to raise his head.
Mallory glanced at the beautiful petite girl that stood five feet away from the three men, her gaze unwavering as she met his. Her skin was flawlessly smooth, her hair as dark as night, and her eyes...a whole new world he knew he wanted to explore.
He descended to the ground with little effort and stood in between the three men and Saliah.
"You do realize that behaving this way is an insult to the royal family, right?" Mallory asked. His tone was soft, yet his aura was extremely imposing. The three men trembled in fear, not daring to speak.
Mallory smirked devilishly and lifted his stick, waving it in circles with blue mist wafting from it as he watched their panicked expressions.
"How about a fight? If you win, I'll let you go," he smirked.
The three men shook their heads and knelt, begging him to let them go. Seeing them like that bored Mallory. He rolled his eyes and waved his stick, the blue mist wafting from his stick to the three yellow sticks that the men had carried. As soon as the blue mist collided with the yellow sticks, the color on the sticks faded, making them look like ordinary wooden sticks.
The three men looked at their sticks with pained expressions; though feeling wronged, they remained silent, making Mallory feel annoyed.
In the Tayama Kingdom, earning the yellow stick took ten years of practice, and while every civilian of the kingdom was allowed to practice, very few people would qualify to hold one. Though having a yellow stick came with praise from the ordinary people, those with the yellow sticks were at the bottom of the radar, and those with the black sticks were at the top, making them forces that could not be trifled with, as they had access to magic equal to death.
"I won't kill you; leave my sight," Mallory said with a sigh.
He turned around and saw no one. Increasing his annoyance.
"Was I hallucinating?" He muttered under his breath. He looked around but still did not see her, the girl that had been appearing in his dreams for the past few days. The girl that he wanted but could not have.