CHAPTER 02: EIGHT YEARS AGO (Part 01)

“It is by divine mandate that we immortals must rule; it’s both our burden and our blessing. Now, recite the Daimonlance axiom with me: Three are the races. One to-” the teacher interrupted herself, recognizing far too late that her student was nowhere to be found. “Princess Malia?”

Malia was running with all her might. She was quite skilled at slipping away; she had learned to be silent enough as to not be caught by her tutors most of the times. She rushed through the big hallways of the castle and reached the lush garden. Despite its exuberant beauty, she had never liked how the huge stone wall that enclosed it prevented the eye from seeing what was outside. Even though her lessons were boring, she enjoyed the thrill of escaping. Hiding among the bushes made her feel safe, and she was fond of being surrounded by the mixed scent of the plants and her own sweat.

She was about to lean back on the stone wall, as she often did to relax during her getaways, when the unforeseen absence of part of it caused her to bump her head on the ground. After sitting up in bewildered annoyance, she discovered something concealed behind the thickets she had never noticed before. “Is this a crack? In the great stone wall? ...Well, it's more like a hole!”

Before giving a second thought to the matter, she crawled through the fissure, excited about what she would find on the other side of the wall. I've never left the palace on my own before... I wonder if there will be weird creatures... I may even come across a demon!

Going through the hole was taking more time than she expected, as even her small frame had to advance slowly through the narrow crack. When she finally made it, she stood up and let her eyes take in the view. It can’t be… Is that… a village? She squinted as to confirm that what she could see in the distance were small cabins. She started walking forward, and the closer she got to the far away village the more dilapidated and damaged it appeared. They always tell me all the immortals in this area, even the servants, live inside the great stone wall... so who could possibly live out here?

Malia kept walking, her curiosity overpowering her apprehension. When, after long minutes of nervous exploration, she reached the outskirts of the humble town, she was surprised to spot a modest group of children scrambling and hiding across the precarious roads. One of them spotted her in turn, “Hey, are you from the scouting group too? What are you standing there for? Come hide with us.”

Malia beamed and ran towards them, her fears and worries dissolved by the prospect of interacting with kids her own age, “Sure!”

But when she approached, the boy who had invited her saw something that changed him; hanging from Malia’s neck was a pendant with the Daimonlance clan emblem on it. Raging heat flooded his veins, a visceral resentment that had no place in one so young, and yet it was there. He punched Malia with all the strength he could gather in those furious seconds.

“It’s your fault! It’s all your fault! It’s your fault they’re dead! How dare you, how dare you-!”

He was preparing the second hit when another boy grabbed his hand, “Luke, you said you were ready. And this is the first thing you do while on duty?”

“Ugh,” Luke failed to hold back his tears. He knew he couldn’t afford to challenge the trainee in charge, “I… I’m… I’m out of here… Let’s go guys.”

Malia watched the scene in confusion. Her cheek was swollen, and it hurt a lot, but she didn’t cry. She was more interested in understanding why the kid was so mad at her. She was sitting on the ground and the only one left with her was the boy who had stopped Luke. 

“I’m sorry about what Luke did." He offered a hand to help her stand, "Please forgive him. My name is Gorken.”

“It’s fine, thank you for helping me. I’m Malia.” She paused, glancing behind Gorken’s shoulder and confirming they were alone, “Can I ask you why he was so angry? I’m pretty sure it’s my first time meeting him...”

“You really don’t know?” He stared at her, unable to tell if she was as innocent and ignorant as she seemed, or if she was trying to trick him. She could be dangerous, but I think she’s not lying. Maybe I’ll be able to get some information from her.

“Why would I ask if I knew!? Everyone is so weird out here!”

Gorken was about to answer her when he heard a loud growl coming from Malia’s stomach. She blushed forgetting her frustration, and Gorken gaped at her vacantly. “If you’re hungry you can come with me. I’ll share some food with you if you want.”

Malia’s eyes widened, “Really? You’re too nice! Thank you!”

And you're too naïve, he kept the thought to himself. Gorken led the way through the bleak town. The empty roads made Malia feel uneasy. Every now and then she would catch a glance of a person or two, but she found them unnerving; their eyes were dead and devoid of expression, as if they were absorbed by the simple tasks they were performing. A few moments prior to reaching Gorken’s hut, she saw a woman sitting on the ground with a baby on her arms. Both her face and the infant’s were equally lifeless, their stares lost in a horizon that wasn’t there. Not even when Malia and Gorken walked in front of them did their bodies react. What shook Malia the most was Gorken’s lack of response; she was forced to assume that the state of the village and its people was normal for him.

When they arrived to Gorken’s home, Malia was dubious of the food he could provide. The wooden shack was mostly empty and she deduced the blanket on the floor played the part of a bed. She sat on it, observing Gorken in silence. He took a knife out of his pocket and chopped onions and potatoes on a clay plate. Without thinking, Malia left the blanket to stand behind Gorken and watch him work, amazed by his skills with knife and fire.

“There.” He said as he handed her the plate after taking a portion for himself.

When Malia tasted it she couldn’t believe it, “You’re a great cook!”

“I’m in charge of feeding the kids this time, so I guess I got used to it.”

Malia pondered as she chewed. Gorken couldn’t be much older than she was, so how could he be in charge of anything? He was no more than a kid himself. When they were done eating she wasted no time, returning to the question she had made before, “Why was Luke so outraged? Why was he angry at me?”

Gorken studied her face, “Because we’re humans.”

Malia jumped from her place, “What?! That’s impossible! I mean, the teacher always says humans are horrible creatures, primitive and mindless. There’s no way you guys are humans! Luke did hit me, but he behaved normally enough, right? He was not a beast, I’m sure of it!”

“But that’s what I am, a human. I am sure.”

“Then…” Malia sat back down, “My teacher’s a liar? I do run away from classes a lot, but I can’t be remembering wrong.”

“Before doubting your home, you could doubt my words, you know?” Gorken interjected, picking up the empty plates, “I could be deceiving you.”

Malia fixed her turquoise eyes on his, a proud grin on her face, “You’re not a liar, I can tell. I’m pretty good at that kind of stuff.”

Gorken was taken aback by her nonsensical words. By all accounts he should have considered her a foolish girl, and she was, but he couldn’t deny the warm feeling that filled his chest and almost made him smile.

Malia kept talking, “So, you guys are humans... but that doesn’t really explain why Luke is so mad at immortals, right?”

“Think a little about the definition you had of us humans. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

Malia felt embarrassed at her own stupid question.

“Immortals treat us as if we really were all like that, heartless beasts. Immortals are the rulers, I guess you know that much. This village is close to the castle so, as run down as it is, members of the rebellion and their informants use it as a hideout sometimes.” He lowered his head, avoiding Malia’s clear eyes, “Luke’s parents were discovered, so immortal soldiers made an example out of them and dismembered them in front of everyone in the village. Most people didn’t even register what was going on, they’re always like that. No one cared. They can’t care. But Luke did. I haven’t been able to get his screams out of my head.”

After a long, heavy pause, Gorken raised his head to look at Malia, but he was shocked by what he saw. Tears were streaming down her face. “...Why are you crying?”

“How… How are you not crying? You’re talking of… chopping people up, and… How come I didn’t know anything about this?” She sniffed.

“I don’t know... You see, I’m just like you.”

“What do you mean?” Malia rubbed her eyes.

“Well, we were always told immortals were all cruel and evil, but here you are, crying like a baby. We’re kids anyway, we can’t change anything.” He fixed his stare on the floor, “We can only obey adults and wait until we’re big enough to yell louder than them and hit harder than them.”

He stopped talking. Before he knew it, Gorken had opened up to Malia. He had never told anyone about his frustration, not even his master. Malia broke the silence before he could decide whether that was a good thing or not, “It’s settled then! I’ll join the human rebellion!”

For a moment Gorken didn’t know if the girl was joking. But the resolve he could clearly see in her expression made him understand she was actually being serious. “What are you talking about? There’s no way you can join the rebellion. You’re just a little girl... and an immortal!”

Malia frowned, “I know! But it’s the best I could think of, so there’s no need to be so negative about it!”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, motionless, before bursting into laughter. They didn’t understand why, but they laughed. As their chuckles died down, Gorken tried to recall the last time he had had fun. He couldn’t. Malia tried to recall the last time someone had listened to what she had to say. She couldn’t.

When silence returned, Malia noticed the sun was setting, “I should go back... I know! I'll come tomorrow! See you then!”

She went out in a hurry, preventing Gorken from voicing a response. He sat on his blanket, bewildered. The girl was an immortal and yet he felt completely at ease with her. I guess it's fine if I don’t tell my master about her.

As she traversed the gardens of the northern palace, Malia was careful not to be seen by anyone. She knew no one should find out about the hole in the great stone wall, or she would never be able to go out again. On her way to her bedroom she was startled by someone calling her name: “Malia! There you are. Look at you, you’re a disaster.”

“Mother!”

Clarissa crouched in front of her daughter, caressing her hair and getting rid of the dirt that stained the little girl’s light dress. “What happened to your face? Does it hurt?” The queen asked when she saw the bruise.

Malia was thankful for her mother’s care, but she didn’t feel comfortable speaking in front of the guards that followed the queen everywhere she went. Malia could never talk to her mother alone, and she hated that. Clarissa shared the same plum hair as her daughter, the deep purple color of the Eirian clan. Her guards on the other hand, always had the turquoise eyes of the Daimonlance. Malia didn’t know what that meant at the time; all she knew was that the guards annoyed her.

“I got into a fight with a fat cat in the garden.” The princess lied.

“Of course you did.” Clarissa kissed her daughter’s good cheek. “Go change, it will be dinner time soon. I’ll make sure they serve your favorite dessert tonight.”

The next morning, Malia woke up as early as she could to sneak into the kitchen when no one was around. She filled a sack with some of her favorite fruits, and hid it near the bushes where the big crack in the wall was. Then she went back to sleep. Later, when the time for her classes was approaching, she snuck out and took the sack with her. She knew the people in the castle were used to her disappearing during her classes, so she also knew it was imperative that she didn't change the times of her escapes; that way, no one would suspect anything. She had trouble dragging the sack through the hole in the wall, and as soon as she got out she encountered Gorken leaning on a tree nearby.

“You came back.” He said as he raised his head.

“Were you waiting for me?” She asked happily. In truth, the thought of wandering around the grim village on her own frightened her. Gorken’s presence was a sweet relief.

“Yes,” he mumbled, “you said you would come. I wanted to believe you. What’s with the bag?”

“Oh!” She stood boastfully, “I brought some food! You said something about cooking for kids, so I thought this would help. We have tons of food no one eats at the castle, so it seemed like a good idea to me!”

“You didn’t have to...” Gorken had no chance to feel moved before his better sense prickled him, “But isn’t this really dangerous? What if someone catches you?”

“Don’t worry, we have lots of food, no one will notice if a few apples disappear. Moreover, I’m a master at sneaking out. This is the least I can do as a member of the rebellion.”

At that moment, Gorken felt he risked smiling again, “I’ll go call the other kids.”

“I have to go back soon. My magic lessons are the only ones I never miss. I’ll return in a couple of days.” She dashed back to the stone wall, “See you later, Gorken!”

Why is she always running off? He wondered as she vanished in the distance. Did she just say magic?