Chapter Two

Although she was but eight years my senior, Priestess Ahnn was the closest thing I had to a mother, but she came too late to save me.

A baby needs to be loved and nurtured, or their minds alter for the worst. Priestess Ahnn came to the Dawn Palace when I was already nine and the High Priestess’ words of censure had already taken their affect. I was uncared for until my childhood was all but over. That is why my mind is so dark at times.

I am sure that is it.

“Stop fussing little bean, you look beautiful, like the rays of the sun on a clear day,” Priestess Ahnn’s voice was like silk, she sung the words and smiled with her perfect teeth. Her golden crown was always on straight.

“But what if he doesn’t like the way I look?” I asked. Tucking my short black hair behind my ears, I smoothed my parting down. I had put on a dress, even though I despised dresses, in particular this one, with its gaudy floral embroidery on insipid pink linen, but I figured if I were to be his princess, I must look the part.

“Then he is a simpleton. For there are none more beautiful than you,” she squeezed my knee as the carriage bumped over the dirt road. I looked out of the window, but all I could see was dust, kicked up by the horses.

I blew upwards, trying to cool my face and dry the tiny beads of sweat that had begun to form on my forehead. It was only mid morning, but already the heat had crept into the carriage, and I had forgotten my fan.

“My eyes are too dark. I wish they were blue like yours, like the ocean,” I said, turning back to her.

“Yours are a deep, rich, brown, like chocolate cake. And there is nothing more delicious than chocolate cake.”

“Or like dirt,” I said. “Or the manure I shall shovel at my new home.”

“Both are necessary to grow food for the people, and delicate flowers that bloom in wondrous colours,” she gave me a knowing nod, as if to say I would not win, for Priestess Ahnn was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside, and possessed a never ending treasure trove of compliments for me.

I sighed instead, and went back to staring out the window, squinting to catch a glimpse of the world through the swirling golden dust. I had never been on this side of the island before. We had been climbing high up the mountain road, but now it had began to level. Through breaks in the dust storm we were creating, I could see the lush green canopies of the trees below. Then slowly the carriage began to tilt forwards, we were going back down the other side of the mountain.

After a time, the trees began to dissipate, making way for rolling hills. I could just make out the terracotta roofs of a settlement down the way, their white stone walls almost glowing in the warm sunshine.

“What if he’s stupid?” I asked, not looking away from the window.

“Then you shall teach him,” she replied.

“What if he has cows?”

“You shall drink milk and feast on roasted rump,” she laughed.

“But I hate cows,” I glared at her.

“But you love beef,” she shook her head, rolling her eyes with a smile.

“That’s true. I love it when you stick the knife in to carve it, and the blood pours out. The perfect sauce for potatoes,” I licked my lips.

“Perhaps you should keep talk like that to a minimum. At least in the beginning,” Priestess Ahnn joked, but I knew she was really serious. She was the only priestess who could bare to talk to me for longer than a minute.

“What if he’s hideous?”

“What if he is kind?” she countered.

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“How could he not?”

“What if-” I began, but the carriage screeched to a halt before I could finish.

“We’re here!” Priestess Ahnn put her arm around me and pulled me into her. My heart began to beat a little faster and my hands grew clammy like the girls in my books, strange, when I hadn’t even met him yet.

The carriage door was opened and the coachman helped us down into the heat of the day. The pilvi bugs were screeching loudly in a silver olive tree, laden with ripe fruits. In front of us was a modest house of the usual white chalky brick, mined from the mountains. It was surrounded by freshly dug fields. The front door comprised of a stained glass panel depicting creeping grape vines framed with rotting wood. The windows were in the same state of disrepair but with clear glass not patterned. Our national flower - giant sunflowers - bloomed from the cracked dirt patch that was apparently a front garden and they swayed as a fat ginger cat meandered through them, scratching his side on their thick hairy stems.

I brushed the skirt of my dress trying to rid it of its creases to no avail and I cursed myself under my breath for choosing linen for such a long journey.

“Stop fussing, Mara,” Priestess Ahnn whispered as a tall man with a cane and a hefty moustache came down the garden path to greet us.

“You from the Dawn Palace?” he asked with a gruff voice.

“We are indeed sir, I am priestess Ahnn and this is-”

“Jorrin’s round back,” he interrupted, gesturing with a thumb to the back of the house.

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“- Oh – quite, excellent, yes,” Priestess Ahnn raised a finger, “I assume that Jorrin is-”

“My son, aye,” the man nodded and went back inside; leaving us alone with the cat that was now rubbing up against my leg. Kicking it away, for I hated cats, I hoped he didn’t have fleas.

“Well, he certainly likes to get to the point, no messing around. It’s refreshing,” Priestess Ahnn kept her usual positive demeanour, but I was beginning to feel less of a princess and more of a commodity, a delivery to be signed for.

“We should go,” I said, turning towards the waiting carriage.

“No. We should meet Jorrin. He may not be like his father,” she said, guiding me towards the back of the house.

“True,” I said, “he might be worse.”

“Mara!” she whispered, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

We turned the corner and I saw him. Feeding a flock of noisy chickens. Oh I how I hated birds the most. Their constant squawking and flapping of dusty wings, coming at you from all angles, their pecking beaks ready to pluck your eyes from their sockets, and there he was, surrounded by a hundered of the bastards. He was tall, like his father but gangly; his arms looked far too long for his skinny frame. His clothes were torn and stained and I blushed for being such a fool as to hand pick the perfect dress, when clearly he thought so little for appearances. Just when my thoughts returned to making a quick getaway, he looked up at us. His face. I could now see where his ‘troubles’ came from. His nose was large and crooked as if he had been in a tavern fight - or twenty. Wispy hairs protruded in patches from his chin and curled in every direction, but did not hide his large wart bulging from near the corner of his mouth, nor was it enough to distract from his eyebrow. Yes, a singular eyebrow, thick - like a fat caterpillar crawling above his tiny rat-like eyes. Sniffing when he spotted us, he wiped his nose on the back of a hairy hand, and he smiled. The four teeth I counted were all wonky and his eyes gleamed like a cat seeing a mouse, sending a shiver down my spine.

“I’m sure he has a wonderful soul,” Priestess Ahnn’s voice faltered; she was not convincing herself, let alone me.

“I’m sure he would murder me in my bed,” I retorted.

“Behave, Mara, he’ll hear you,” she hissed.

“I’m sure he will, with those giant ears. I’ve read about elephants, but I’ve never seen one before. Until now.” I sniggered at myself.

“Mara!” Priestess Ahnn scolded, as the man climbed over the fence to greet us.

“Alright, love,” his eyes looked wild and he licked his lips in a disgustingly exaggerated way, slobbering down his chin, “nice to meet ya.”

I struggled to hide the distain on my face, even when nudged by Priestess Ahnn.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Jorrin. This is Mara,” she raised her hands to me as if presenting a prized pig for slaughter.

“Hello,” was all I could muster.

“Pretty dress,” he said, sucking on his few remaining teeth. I wished that they would come loose from his blackened gums and choke him.

I said nothing.

“Yes, it - is indeed,” Priestess Ahnn struggled.

“Would look better on me floor,” he erupted into the most hideous sounding cackle I had ever had the misfortune to hear.

“Nope!” I said and turned and walked as quickly as I could towards the carriage.

“Oh, wifey! Where you off to? Come on back, don’t be shy now!” he called after me.

“We better be going, I’m afraid. It’s a long journey back to the Dawn Palace, and Mara is very tired. I shall let you know her decision regarding the marriage within the week,” Priestess Ahnn grimaced.

“If she won’t marry me, you can,” he said. Turning around to check that Priestess Ahnn was following, I was just in time to see him grab her backside with a grubby paw and squeeze. Squealing, she tried to pull away but he pulled her closer to him instead.

I felt a fire ignite inside of me. A rage like I had never felt before. It churned and crackled in the pit of my stomach, like a volcano readying itself to erupt. Clenching my teeth hard, my jaw ached, but the pain simply spurred me on. Bending down, I grabbed a rock from the cracked earth. Standing, I cocked my elbow, bringing the rock close to my ear, I aimed and threw it. It soared through the air hitting him square in the jaw.

He let out a moan like a dying moose and released Priestess Ahnn. Lifting her robes, she hurried towards me. Cupping a hand below his chin, Jorrin spat out blood and two of his remaining teeth.

“You little wretch!” he spluttered, grabbed a shovel from the ground and charged.

Priestess Ahnn fell into me and I quickly pushed her into the carriage. Clambering up the step, I called to the coachman to go as I slammed the door shut. Jorrin reached us just in time to receive a face full of dust as the carriage charged away.

Catching our breaths from the whole ordeal, we rode in silence for a short while, before I heard Priestess Ahnn tut next to me and then snort. Looking to her with confusion, expecting scorn for my violent actions, I was instead met by her biting down on her lip, trying her best not to laugh. I sniggered at the sight and suddenly we both erupted in hysterics, hardly able to stay on the carriage bench from convulsing with laughter, we clung to each other until the tears rolled down our cheeks and we could laugh no longer, just open mouthed silence in the motion of a laugh.

“Oh, Mara!” Priestess Ahnn took a deep breath.

“Would look better on me floor.” I mimicked Jorrin and the giggles returned. This time I actually did fall off the bench, which simply made Priestess Ahnn laugh harder.

“Stop it!” She squealed, her eyes screwed up from the tears.

“What a simpleton indeed!” I howled.

“Oh, little bean, no! I’m sure he -”

“No!” I shout, kneeling, I pushed a finger to her lips. “Even you cannot find the goodness in him, I won’t allow it!”

“I don’t think I could even if I wanted to.” She snorted and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. “What an odious boy!”

“The worst!” I clambered back onto the bench. “To think I made an effort for him!”

“Well, it is a very pretty dress.” She shrugged.

“No it’s not, it’s hideous!” I gestured to the garish embroidery.

“No, you’re right it is awful! What an insipid colour!” Priestess Ahnn brought a hand to her mouth, hardly believing she had said such a thing, I could hardly believe it either. It was wonderful.

“What was the High Priestess thinking?” I shook my head.

“I do not know. I think she was just desperate to-” She stopped herself.

“To be rid of me,” I finished her sentence for her.

“It’s not like that,” she said, her smile had been all but wiped from her face.

“Yes it is,” I said, and shuffled to the window.

“She feels like she has failed you.” Priestess Ahnn put a hand on my shoulder.

“She has,” I said.

“You came to her as a gift from the dawn. She sees you as some kind of test, one she failed, for she hasn’t found a place for you in the world.”

“Why all this talk of places and paths? Can I not simply be content in the library with my stories?”

“That is no life, Mara.”

“Yes it is. It’s just a different one to yours. I don’t need to be of use to feel like I belong in this world.”

“But how can you belong when you shut yourself away?”

“You’re a fine one to talk. You gave up your name, your life, your belongings, your freedom for the confines of the Palace.” I turned to her with pleading eyes, for I did not want to argue, not with her, not my Priestess Ahnn, but she was baiting me.

“I gave it all up, not to hide, but to serve my people.”

“And how do you serve them? You pray for the dawn to come each morning, but it would come regardless.”

“You do not know that. Perhaps it would for a while – but if we do not show Goddess Ansha our love, our appreciation- she could forsake us and doom us to darkness and the death that would bring.”

“Good. Perhaps she should.” I said.

“You do not mean that.”

“I have no path to walk, no place in the world, what would I care if it should die.”

“You may care not for yourself, but what of those you love? Are their lives in this world worth nothing to you?”

“I care only for you.” I said, wiping a solitary tear from my cheek.

“Then become a Priestess, and stay in the palace with me. I will show you the good that we do. We deliver light in the darkness. The Dawn delivered you to us, I believe this is your path.”

“As you wish.” I whispered and stared out of the window.