chpter 3 : the meet

Dear Jeffer,
I have made a new friend. But unfortunately, she is also my servant. It is the only way of how I can keep her away from the horrendous world - she is an orphan, like I. Only she is not inheriting any amount of fortune. My uncle - the Slasher, remember? - has been whipping her for how long, Lord knows. I shudder at the thought.
Speaking of spine-chilling thoughts, how is your counselor? Based on your description of him, I am confident that your counselor & my uncle shall be the best of friends.
Let us push the subject away. So are we meeting at the same place the later evening?
Please write soon.
From,
Amy

Amy bit her lip as she had nearly signed love.
'Love...' she thought wonderingly. 'How familiar I am of you. Yet the pleasant side of you have not approached me. The painful part has.'
She blinked away her tears & decided not to think about that.


Knock knock.

Amy turned around & heard her friend's voice.
"Um... Mistress? May I come in?"
"Yes."

The recognisable creak of the door was heard. With a silent lock, the sounds of footsteps were inching closer towards her.
She took a deep breath & turned around.

"Amy! Are you crying?" her friend said in alarm.
"No, dear friend. No." Amy lied with a sniff.
"You are not telling the truth. & you are not very good at doing that, either. Your eyes are ringed with red & your face is tear-stained. Were you thinking of our Pharaoh?"

Amy mutely nodded her head & wiped gently at her eyes.
"Please. Send this letter to the son of Geraldine, Anna. Ramley, I think, is his name. He must be at the stables, by now. He is the care-taker of the foals. This is - say, a secret ritual we have. He delivers all my letters to the Pharaoh in discreet. Asides Jeffer, Benjamin is the most trustworthy boy I have ever met. Do take care of not being caught by the Slasher."

Anna took the rolled parchment into her bag & went off, closing the door quietly behind her.





'Son of Geraldine? Hmm... In... The stables, if I'm not mistaken, was that what my mistress had said?' Anna thought & fumbled with the string of her bag.
The stables was placed behind the kitchen, which explains the foul smell of manure.
'Thank the Lord I have not ventured with the food they serve here.' Anna thought to herself.

She carefully walked around the kitchen & into the stables.
Althought it has been just a week, Anna is still not comfortable with her new clothes Amy had bought for her. She was too used to running in rags & pants, not feminine caftans which hides her knees.

"Whoa, boy... Whoa." a male voice said in a hushed manner.
Anna was alarmed. How could such a young boy have a deep voice?
'Maybe puberty has struck one too early.' she decided.
The voice seemed to be behind the second stable.
Anna took in a deep breath & knocked on the stable-door.

A boy her age turned around & looked at her, his hand resting on a black horse's mane.
His brownish-reddish hair was unkept, ruffled & short. He was wearing rags which had a resemblance of Anna's old clothes. Only his was a little tighter, around the arms, showing off his figure.

His eyes, Anna could not help thinking, were such a pale blue, nearly a harsh tone of grey.

"May I help you?" the boy said in a polite manner.
"Um... Yes, you may." Anna found it very uncomfortable giving orders to someone at a lower status than she is. "Are you Ramley, the son of Geraldine?" she asked.
He nodded his head.
"I am here to send a letter from my lady, Amy Shari?" she whispered & took out the letter.
"Oh! So you must be the new girl of Master Zeddy to his niece, I see?"

'Why does everyone know of my story?' Anna thought & blushed furiously.
"Do not mind me. My hands are a little... Dirty from work, I'd say." he chuckled & wiped his hands on a rag at the fence.
He stood up from the stool & walked towards Anna.
'Heavens... I have never met a boy so tall. Taller than me!' Anna thought as she looked up into the face of Ramley.
He was just a head taller than she was.

Anna gave the letter to him & he kept it safely in his pocket.

"Well... That is all for now. Thank you." Anna said & gave a small curtsy & turned around, heading for the stable-door.
"Wait."
She froze & spun to see Ramley smiling at her.
"What is your name? You know mine. I think it is fair that I know yours." he said.
She felt a tug at the end of her lips & found herself smiling at the boy.
'Charming fellow...' she thought.
"Ah... My name is Anna." she said.

"Anna..." he muttered. "Well... I'll see you around, Anna."
"Yes, I am sure we will see each other soon, Ramley." she said & gently push open the stable-door.

"Oh, Anna?" he said again.
She turn around & looked at him, not at all annoyed for being called by him so many times, instead smiling like a fool.
'Odd...' she thought to herself.
"Do call me Adam." he said with a grin.

Anna flustered as he looks so handsome with a smile.
"Okay, Adam. Well, see you soon." she said & walked towards the kitchen.
For a reason she cannot figure out why, it felt as if Anna was floating on air.








Two days later, Amy heard a familiar knock on the door.

Knock knock!

Soft yet sharp, it was a signal which indicates that it is her best friend who is behind the door.
"Come in." she said softly, just for good measurements.

Anna came in with a letter in her hand. During the past few days, Anna seemed to be so happy.
She had a smile plastered on her face - but not intentionally.
'Ah... I have done my friend a good deal. It seems that she has met her first love.' she thought.

The brunette rushed towards her lady & handed her a parchment - clean, neat.
On it read the familiar addressed to Amy Shari with the recognizable spidery handwriting.

Amy opened the letter carefully as she always does & read it aloud:

"Amy,
It is so good to hear from you again! A new friend, you say? That is good to hear. What has the Slasher done now? Whipping innocent girls. If I had proper evidence on this disturbing news, it is he who shall be whipped! Yes, you are right - as usual.
The counselor has seemed to be breathing down my neck every now & then.
I have always wondered whether it is his latest hobby, seeing as how he has no wife to love or friends to talk to fill his time.
I am looking forward for our meet.
Same place, same time.

- Jeffer
PS: I do hope this is the soonest the letter had arrived"

Amy sighed & hugged the letter. Even if it had been nearly a quarter of the month, it feels as if Anna has been her best friend since eons ago & she does not give an iota on how ridiculous the sight of a girl hugging a letter.
'It is, after all, a letter from Jeffer. I am sure that that is perfectly acceptable.' Amy thought.

Like every other letter she has received, she carefully folded it & put it in the box under her canopy.

"That is very endearing of the Pharoah." Anna said & smiled at her friend's joy.
"Yes, he is the type of person who would care." she replied.

The past 2 nights since the day she had met Adam, Anna had gone out with Adam to pat horses.
The first night he had asked her to follow him to the stables, as he had late-night duties he had to attend.
Anna was too happy but to follow his invitation.
While he groomed the foals, he had talked about his past life. How all his 14 years he had no choice but to follow his father as his mother had passed away.
Anna told him of her story & he tut miserably.

The second night Adam had asked Anna to follow him to the hills.

She had heard of it, the Hilltops. It was supposed to be where lovers ran off through the night. There was a believed omen that if it rained as you run at the Hilltops with your lover, it is considered as true love.
Of course, Anna had never believed at these superstitions, seeing as how she was cynical of the idea of love.

Now, she had changed & secretly hoped that it was true.
The two of them laid flat on their backs & did star-gazing, managing to make a wish at a shooting star.
Soon, it began to rain & Anna & Adam made their way back to the Hut laughing.




Later that day, Amy went to the Sacred Garden & sat at the marble bench, looking at the dark blue sky & wondering where the Pharaoh is.
"Boo!" a voice said behind her & she jumped in fright.
A boy exceedingly tall for his age was laughing so hard that tears were rolling at the corner of his eyes. Amy glared at the boy furiously & put her hand to her heart - only because it was beating so fast out of shock... & excitement.
The boy wiped his eyes & walked slowly towards Amy, his hands in his silk-pants pockets.
"Well, well... If it isn't my dear friend, Shari. Your highness." he said with a mock-bow.
"Nice to see you too, Jeffer." she said with a smile.

During the day, Jeffer would have been a no-nonsense boy, trapped within the four walls to finish the taxes, rule over his country properly while sitting in a throne.
But at night, when he meets up with Amy, he feels just like a care-free boy, who has rights to jump around or tap-dancing or parading around for the sake of Amy.

"So... Has the Slasher done any damage to you?" Jeffer said with concern, his eyebrows knit together.
"No, friend. He has not. But he has whipped my new friend, Anna." she said with a bitter tone.
"We-ll, lets forget about the Slasher & the egghead of a counselor! Let us escape the worlds as we always do! A one-night runaway from reality!" he said & leaned over Amy, acting tipsy at the joy of freedom.
Amy let out a laugh & Jeffer laughed with her.



Truly... This would be one of the nights she shall cherish in her memories...

chpter 2 : her secret

Anna had never been happier in her entire life! Not only does she have a friend - something she had practically wanted or maybe needed - but her friend happens to be her mistress. Whenever Amy had asked for something from Anna, she would never hit Anna if she was disrespectful or tardy. Merely smile & tut.

After fulfilling a week of being a servant to Amy, things had changed for Anna's status. The heap of rags she once called a bed was replaced with a real bed! Her clothes, once torn & tattered & covered with sewn patches, were replaced with newly bought merchandise from Amy (Anna had realised on the first day itself that Amy's hobby was bargaining in the Market).

Amy's uncle was not pleased with her "unneccessary kindness" but she did not care as she was the heir to her late grandfather's riches, her uncle was merely at the guardian status, not a real uncle.

One day, Amy called Anna to her chambers.
"Yes, my lady?" Anna said with a curtsy.
"Don't curtsy, Anne! How many times have I told you that there is no need of this politeness. We are friends! Don't just sit there grinning! Come here & sit next to me." Amy giggled & patted the empty spot on her bed.

Anna refused to & Amy sighed, "Very well. Then just... Sit down near me. Yes, thank you."
"So, what is it that you need me to do, my la- Erm... Amy? From the urgent tone in your voice I had suspected there was a need for me to wash your sheets?"
Amy burst out laughing & stopped abruptly, a grim look on her beautiful face.
"No, Anna. I have decided that you shall be the first person whom I shall share my deepest secret to..."
"Oh?" Anna's heart beat in excitement. She has a friend who would share secrets with!
"Yes, but this may take a long time to explain. Do get comfortable. So I told my uncle that we are both busy making signs of admiration for the up-coming ceremony of the Pharoah's..." at the mere mention of the pharaoh, her cheeks went a deep red.


Amy took a deep breath & began the story...


"Four years ago, before I was born into this world, my late mother had a best friend named Jenny R."
'Jenny R...? Why does that name sound so familiar to me?' Anna wondered.
Amy interrupted Anna's thoughts. "Ah. I think you recognize the name, do you not? For she is the mother of our Pharaoh."

Anna gaped at her friend incredulously, for who has heard of a close relationship with the lord?
"Both our mothers, his & mine, were planning for us to be... Well..." Amy's face turned a bright red again & cleared her throat. "... Lovers. It must have been exciting, hoping to be related with one's dearest friends. But the Pharaoh's parent did not expect him to be the heir to the throne, as the previous Lord was hoping for more children. It seems that Je- the Pharaoh was the only true heir to lead our country."
"Though as everyone knows, the Pharaoh had claimed his throne at the mere age of 10. Before that age, we were great friends. He was my only friend before you. The other girls in the village hated me, for some infathomable reason. When we were 7, Jeffer - oh, do excuse me if I keep calling the Pharaoh by his name - & I used to go up the hills & scream out our wishes. At the age of 6, we would have chased each other around the neighbourhood, laughing off the warnings from the notorious old hag at the corner. Those were the true childhood memories I had held onto till now. Eversince my parents had past, he was the only one I could count on. But he moved on, without me.
"No, it was not fair to blame him for my status. That I am still just the heiress to the fortune of my family. Yes, I may not be poor. But I would give all the money in the world just to spend time with him..."

Amy's lips quivered with misery.
How Anna was touched by her mistress's vulnerablity. That she had a weakness too.
Loneliness. Just like what she had gone through nearly her entire life.

"So, Mis- Amy. Are you & the Pharoah's just friends?" Anna asked, a little intrigued & curious.
Again, Amy turned a beet red.
"Well... Yes, I presume." she mumbled.
"But anyway... Jeffer & I are childhood friends, to cut it short. He grew up with me but is going through his lfie without. He has his duties, I have mine. We both live in different worlds.
"But sometimes, when we just want to escape from these worlds, we would meet somewhere. In the Sacred Garden."
Anna gave a small sigh. How exciting it must be to live in her mistress's world! To have a dear friend who is a royal! & they meet in the Sacred Garden.
The Sacred Garden was a blessed place where it was believed that true soulmates were meant to be. The ideal location for a romantic scenery.
But wait? Were the two not merely friends, as said by her mistress? What were friends doing at a scenery such as the Sacred Garden?
"We still correspond. Through letters, I mean. Sometimes I pay him a visit to the palace but it was a little awkward... To see the Pharaoh not for a request to the village or an increase for the tax. But to catch up with friends. I still keep his letters. Locked safely here." Amy looked under her bed & pulled a box.

She opened the box & Anna gasped.
It was filled with letters! Some aging - pages so yellow - some new.
But they were obviously tucked in carefully.

Each letter was folded by three & on it was a spidery-handwriting, which wrote,

"To Ms Amy Shari."

"Oh! How romantic!" Anna said out loud.
Amy cringed.
Anna had not realised that she had voiced out her thoughts to her mistress! How embarrassing...
"It is not romantic. We are merely friends, Anna." Amy said coolly.

'Too coolly...' Anna thought suspiciously. 'Was that a bitter tone I had heard from my mistress? I truely had thought that she may have a small admiration for the Pharaoh like the other girls in the village.'

"Are you sure, Amy? Why then am I having a thought that you are, maybe, more than friends?"
Amy kept quiet & looked away, playing with one of the letters.
"Amy, as I tell you this, you are sworn to the Lord himself that you shall not repeat the information that you are about to hear from me, Amy Shari."

Anna nodded.

"I... We... Jeffer... We are more than friends." Amy admitted. "Or maybe just on my side. It is just that... I... I do not wish to remain as friends. I wish to be more than that."
Amy looked up in Anna's eyes. Anna was startled that Amy's eyes were swimming in tears.
"I... I like him, Anna. No! I... Love him..."
Anna kept silent. She was speechless. But she had found this very common throughout the female population. All the girls always express their feelings for the Pharaoh at the palace & would be kicked out for harrassment.

But this. Amy looked as if she meant it.
Why else would she have cringed at the name of the Pharaoh's? Why else would she cry for the burden of having a passion for him? Why?
The thoughts were swimming in Anna's head, but she dared not to voice them out.

"But there is nothing I can do! He does not love me. He would never love me. When he can have the power of attracting any woman he would want with the snap of his fingers. But what can I do? The pain. Having a load of carrying this secret with me every single minute, day, night. It hurts everytime. When he walks down the street, he does not acknowledge me - as our friendship is very private - but he pass by. He walks behind his bodyguards & pass me, the cold air trailing behind. Have you not felt this stinging, Anna? Have you not long for more than just companionship?"

Anna shook her head.

Amy sniffled & wiped her tears with the sleeve of her blouse. She cleared her throat & straightened her posture. "Well then." she said with a bright smile, when just minutes ago she had been crying of the love she suffers for the Pharaoh, "Lets get started on the decoration for the Pharaoh, shall we?"

She picked up a few cloths & started sewing patters on in silence.

Anna stared at her mistress for a while.
'Maybe it is not easy for the mistress to cope with her life. Maybe we all had just... Overestimated her. But I shall never feel the pain that she is going through now.' she thought & decided to join her mistress with the sewing.

chpter 1 : the meeting of Anna & Amy

Long time ago, there was a Pharaoh named Jeff R. Nobody knew why the infamous Pharaoh kept his initial R a secret but they called him "Jeffer" for short.
Pharaoh Jeffer ruled a country successfully & the citizens did not neccessarily love him like the usual citizens in a folks' tale do because Pharaoh Jeffer was a very arrogant boy.

He ruled over a country but mainly focused on a village. In that village lies a story which no one knew about.

... until now.






'Lord, please do not punish me for my sins of not following the rules of punctuality...' a girl thought as she ran as fast as her legs could take her, a basket under her arm.
She knew the village's secret shortcuts to the Hut like the back of her palm. Cross the old woman's home, pass the streets in the Market, turn right to the alley & nearly there...


CRASH!


All the clean silk material from the basket went flying in the air & landed on the ground, being dusted with golden sand.

"No...." the girl said into her hands.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry! Oh Lord, I did not mean to... Please pardon me..." came a faint voice with a hint of worry.

The girl looked up & saw a girl probably around her age, half her face hidden behind a cloth of thin silk, her face framed with a loose silk scarf.

'Oh praise the Pharaoh! This is a wealthy woman I have ran into!' Anna thought.
"Beg my un-gracefulness! I am so sorry. I did not mean to..." Anna started to babble while picking up the scattered silk material on the ground.
"No need, no need. It was all my fault." replied the girl.

"What is your name, girl?" the mysterious girl asked.
"M-my name?" Anna stuttered.
In all her 13 years, no one had ever asked her for her name - let alone right after she had crashed into them by accident! If she had crashed into the Master, she would have been whipped ten times.

"I am... Anna." she whispered softly.
"Anna? & what is that you are carrying? Is that silk, I see?" the maiden asked.
"Y-yes..." Anna said, even softer this time.
"Is your master... Mr Zeddy?"
"Y-yes." Anna said, startled that the girl knew her master.
His merchandise - silk, of course - was brilliant, high-quality. Yet their hut was never very popular. Anna often wondered whether it was because of Master Zeddy's cocky high prices or because of his notorious rude manners.
She did not know that Master Zeddy could be known.


The maiden looked at Anna with wide eyes & gasped.
"Are you the new girl Master Zeddy took you in for from orphanage?"
"Y-yes." Anna perked up. Who was this girl? How did she know of her story?
To the others, Anna was invisible.

"I am Mr Zeddy's niece! Amy!" the girl said.
"Oh!" Anna gasped as Amy jumped & hugged her.
"It is so good to meet someone my age! My name is Amy! But I think you already knew that." Amy giggled & looked at Anna.
"Here, let me help you..." Amy said & helped pick up the dirty cloths on the floor.

Following Anna's every move - fanning at the silk in hope of the tiny specks of sand coming off.
After that, they folded the cloths of silk & placed it gently in the basket.


Amy & Anna walked along the path & finally, reached the Hut.
"ANNA, is that YOU?" a voice boomed from within.
"Y-yes?" Anna stuttered.
"Come in... NOW." the voice said.
"Yes, master."


With her head down, she dragged her feet onto the floor & went inside the Hut, a building made out of pieces of cloths being held up with a few thick sticks.
"Where were you, girl?" he spat. "Where is my silk? Did you drop it? For your sake, I hope not. Or my new cane may need another replacement."
Anna kept silent. Amy stared at her uncle in aghast at his cruelty.

Master Zeddy picked up the cloths & examined it.
"Hmm... Well, you dropped it. I know you dropped it. You, Anna, could never succeed into walking without tripping over your own feet!" he laughed at his own joke & stopped abruptly.
"But you managed to try & get the sand out of my silk. Very well. I shall not cane you for today. Now go to your tent & rest. Tomorrow there shall be another day of tasks."

Amy followed behind Anna into a tent of what seemed like rags.
Anna crawled on all fours into the tent & laid at a heap of torn cloths.
"Wh-? Is that your bed?" Amy said, horrified.
"Yes. I think I am lucky that Master Zeddy is showing me kindness."
"Kindness?" Amy cried. "This is not kindness! How could anyone be so cruel-hearted like my uncle? Even the great Pier would never be this heartless!"
"No. This is truly kindness. Out there is a world... A world that us 13s should not be exposed to. We are innocent - or... you are innocent. I have already been out there, not being sheltered." Anna said sadly.
"For nearly twelve years, I have been sleeping on the floor, hard or sandy, either one while the little ones get the heap of rags. I consider this extremely generous. I have never been so fortunate." Anna continued.

"Anyway... I should have warn you. Please do not follow me. I do not mean to sound cruel but please, for your respect, do not. No maiden should be caught with a girl like me, in heaps of rags. It can do many for reputations." Anna said & looked at her dirty hands.
"No. I shall not. You are my friend & I never want to abandon a friend." Amy said confidently.
"But... What will your uncle say?"
"To the Underworld my Uncle!" she said.
Anna still looked sad, even as she gave a little smile to Amy.

"But if it troubles you that much... I shall ask my uncle for you to be my... servant." Amy said, wincing at the wod.
Anna perked up. "Really? Do you honestly want me to be your maiden?"
"Of course!" Amy laughed, surprised at Anna's enthusiasm, & not her bitterness.

"Well then... It is settled. You are now my maiden till now & henceforth!" Amy said & hugged Anna.

'A friend... A real friend...' Amy thought happily & hugged Anna tighter.