A Story of Forever

Part 15

Now Sakava was the personal servant of Thrash's wife Tovera. And Tovera was very radiantly beautiful. This was because she never had to get herself dirty and sweaty with work. This was because she could afford the most intricately-prepared mix of herbs and plants and honeys to wash her face and her body snd her hair in. All prepared by Sakava of course. Tovera was beautiful because she had the time and the resources to take a hot bath every day. And she could sit around having her long hair be brushed out. And she could afford many many beautiful dresses.

Sakava saw how beautiful her mistress was, and how plain she herself was in comparison to her. She felt a great sadness in her heart at this, for she felt like she was nothing in comparison to her mistress.

Naia and Mamon saw this, and tried to explain to her that Tovara's beauty was all on the outside. True beauty was what was on the inside. Tovara was pretty because of what she had, not because of who she was. If she were to lose what she had, she would no longer be pretty. Sakava on the other hand was beautiful because of who she was, and no-one could take that away from her.

Sakava listened, but she still didn't believe. There was still a great sadness in her heart.

So Mamon set out to show how shallow and fallible the Uzras beauty truly was. They took a small knife that they made with their magic. And they hid it deep within their clothes. And they snuck into Tovera's chambers through a tiny crack in the wall. And there, in the darkness of the night, they cut her long, beautiful, shining, golden hair. And they thought of Sakava, the sweet, sad-eyed girl. And they smiled.

Tovara woke up and she was outraged. She was humiliated. She looked at herself in the mirror and she had a fit. She cried and screamed and threw things against the walls and tore at her clothes. And all the other Uzras saw this and they laughed. They saw her and they laughed.

Naia took Sakava aside and explained to her that Tovara was still the same person she was before. But without her hair, something that is external, she had been reduced to an ugly creature. And so this was how Tovara's beauty was. Shallow and external and fleeting. Meanwhile Sakava's beauty was much deeper and much more enduring.

Sakava understood this now, seeing Tovara's beauty crumble before her eyes. And she smiled softly to Naia, and the two shared a small, secret hug before going back to their tasks for the day.

But all was not good, however, as the Uzras figured out who was behind this little prank. They went up to Mamon and they beat them until they were full of bruises. For they often beat Mamon. This was the way that they always dealt with Mamon, by beating them. But they did not account for the fact that their hands and feet always struck Mamon's body, never their spirit.

Mamon admitted to the prank, for what other choice did they have? And the Uzras stated that today was the day. Today they would finally kill Mamon. But Mamon pleaded their case, saying that they would do anything if they were allowed to live. Mamon did not want to live for themselves of course, death would be a much better fate than the type of life they had to go through. But Mamon needed to live for the sake of all the children.

The Uzras decided that they would let Mamon live, but only on one condition. Mamon had to get a potion for making hair grow. And they had to gain treasures for the Uzras in order to make up for all the destruction that they had caused.

Mamon was used to bringing the Uzras wealth. It was what they had been doing for most of their life. But they got a foreboding feeling about the task they were sent to undertake. They knew that, for some reason or another, it would be much harder than the other tasks that the Uzras made them do.

So Mamon went down to Arvenhom, which was where all the workshops were. There they asked the masters of the workshops to please craft for the key Uzras in high places a potion for the growth of hair and some other treasures. The masters of the workshops had many Yemars to aid them and could make very fine crafts using their Yemars.