Tales of Love and Power

Chapter 3: Mahaila

As the first ray of light rose to the sky, Supervisor Kayza arrived to wake the new arrivals. Mahaila struggled to pull herself out of bed as Kayza walked down the center aisle of the room clapping her hands and calling for them to wake. "Time to rise, time to rise."

Her assistants followed her each with a pile of neatly folded dresses in their hands."Make your beds and step forward to receive your uniforms. You have a big day ahead."

Each of the girls stepped forward and swiftly dressed in their maroon uniforms. The gown felt unfamiliar to Mahaila. The fashion of the Khazeti kingdom was far more constricting than the style of the free cities. In Andara, both men and women wore loose tunics tied with small leather belts.

But as Mahaila knew she would never again wear the clothing of Andara she attempted to make herself comfortable in the foreign garment.

"Shut your mouths and stand in line. Bow your heads down, quickly." As Kayza rushed them to follow her instructions she clapped her hands at an alarmingly loud volume. "Today after morning meals, Supervisor Kalza will give you a tour of the palace. From there you will be inspected and given your assignments. Starting now you are no longer children. You will conduct yourselves in a manner befitting one of his majesty's slaves."

Supervisor Kayza clapped her hands again, this time the cooks who had been waiting outside of the door entered with trays with food in their hands. The newest arrivals ate their breakfast on their beds. As Mahaila ate, she turned to one of the sisters she arrived with.

"Your name is Annika?" She asked her.

"Mmm." she responded. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for protecting my sister yesterday."

"There's no need. It was the right thing to do." Mahaila looked over at her sister, who was too engrossed in her eating to notice their conversation. "You both have southern names. Which island are you both from?"

"Tsuria." She answered. "You speak their language really well. Are you from the mainland?" She questioned curiously.

Mahaila nodded her head before answering her question. "I grew up at the northern border by the red villages. I learned it from my father. He knew five languages and he taught me three but I must admit that I am out of practice." Mahaila said a bit shyly.

"Three languages, I can't even imagine. My father tried to teach me Athzaki for years but I don't have a mind for learning languages." She said with a laugh. " I suppose that since we're stuck here I'll have no choice but to learn the language," Annika spoke her voice full of sadness.

Mahaila knew very little of the southern island, as it was so far from her homeland. But the one thing she knew was that the Muharib never raided their islands, as if was too far from the mainland.

Since she wasn't taken during a slave raid, Mahaila came to understand that the only way Annika and her sister could become slaves would be if they were sold by their family. Mahaila couldn't understand what could lead a family to sell two of its daughters as slaves.

"It must be hard being so far away from your home."

"It's not home anymore. Not since our father died." Annika said despondently. "Our stepmother didn't want the daughters of a concubine to stay in her house, so she gave us to a traveling merchant.

"I'm sorry that you and your sister have suffered so much," Mahaila spoke to her. Mahaila was no stranger to the pain of losing a parent. Though it had been years since she lost of mother and father, the pain of their death remained fresh in her heart.

Supervisor Kalza entered the room, and upon noticing her Kayza bowed to her. She was much older than Kayza with gray hairs already beginning to show. Mahaila saw this power dynamic and swiftly took notice that even with supervisors there was a strict hierarchy.