JiMina Collection

More Than Gold ~ Part 1

      Another day, another coin in the cup. 

     Mina laid her broom against the doorway and promptly slid down to the cobblestoned floor in exhaustion. The summer sun beat down without mercy over the tiny municipality she called home, for now. Mina took out the strip of fabric she used to tie up her hair, using it to wipe the drops of sweat that beaded her forehead. Leaning back to catch her breath, she let the back of her head hit the wall behind her. From this angle she could just make out the silhouette of the castle in the distance; a looming shadow against the sun's unforgiving stare. The king's castle was situated on the lush green hills, high above the rest of the kingdom. For a brief second, Mina dared to wonder what life up there must be like, before she turned away and scoffed. They were probably living their dainty little lives, happily not caring about the villages they governed. They probably hadn't had an honest day of work in all their lives, unlike her, sprawled in the dirty streets of the quaint village on the far outskirts of the kingdom. 

     Mina sighed and looked back down at the worn cloth in her hands. She wasn't always like this. At least she didn't think so. The earliest memory she had was a mere collection of sensations; a scream, the thudding of hooves, the sickening feeling of her head hitting the ground. She was only eight then. She had woken up in an orphanage, not knowing where she lived or who her parents were. All she knew was that her name was Mina, and that she couldn't stay there. The orphanage was cruel, using the children they 'saved' for manual labour. Mina quickly learned to cook and clean. She learned how to take care of herself. And so, at the tender age of fifteen, she ran away.

      For years, Mina hopped from town to town, finding work and shelter where she could. Sadly, many were quick to slam the door in the face of a hungry child. Mina was almost disgusted at how finding work seemed to become easier as she matured into a young woman. And yet, that was only because many of her potential employers were men who looked at her as if she was merely a piece of meat, a prize to be won. She tried to stay away from those people, feeling safer to work for women if possible. You see, Mina was far from foolish. In fact, people like her didn't get education. How could they possibly afford schooling? On top of that, she was a woman. Girls never went to school. Only the boys did. Nonetheless, the poor pushed education to the background in hopes of turning their lives around, but Mina knew better. She pored over any book she could lay her hands on, teaching herself knowledge beyond what the regular students were taught. 

     From a young age, she was smart, determined, and definitely a force to be reckoned with. If it weren't for those traits, she wouldn't have gotten this far. But then again, this wasn't far enough.

"Mina!" Her employer's commanding voice rang out from the house behind her. "Sweep faster! How long does it take? I don't have all day!"

"I'm finished!" Mina called back.

"Well then don't just sit around, go fetch me some bread from the village square. We're running low."

"Yes, madam." Mina sighed. Pulling her hair back up and dusting herself off, Mina set off towards the heart of the village.

     She really didn't have it bad, in retrospect, she was rather lucky. Her boss was a middle aged lady with a stern brow. She always seemed angry at something, but Mina knew she cared on the inside... Maybe. It was definitely better than her last job. A few months ago, she worked for the town blacksmith, who had a son her age. The father was unforgiving of any mistakes she would make, threatening to drop the anvil on her head while she slept. It was an empty threat, but not any less terrifying coming from a giant of a man. However, in comparison, the son was worse. 

     Over the years, Mina deduced that she must be quite decent-looking, as she would always receive offers from the men she met. These offers ranged from helping with whatever task she was preoccupied with, to straight up marriage proposals. She would either turn them down or wait for the men to turn away in disgust once they learned she had no money to her name. Apparently pretty girls can't be poor. She had merely raised herself to be kind and proper. But sadly, that often gave off the impression that she was weak; the perfect quality in a wife according to society. To top that off, she was always graceful and her voice was soft. Thus, no one took her seriously.

     The son of the blacksmith seemed to remind her of this all the time. He was constantly trying to get her in trouble with his father. And even worse, he kept forcing himself on her, as if she would ever agree to court someone like that. Mina saw how badly he treated others, as well as how he saw her as some kind of sick trophy to be collected. And so, on one day when he made yet another comment about how great of a wife she would be, cooking and cleaning and doing whatever he tells her to, Mina quit on the spot. And now, she was here, working for the town seamstress and getting paid more than just a meal. Her current boss tolerated her enough to offer her a place to stay and a gold coin each day in return for her labour. Speaking of which, Mina was about to make her third bread-run of the week.

     "And what would the pretty little lady over here want?" The man at the market stall leaned towards her. Mina tried to smile politely. 

"Two loaves of bread, please."

"Coming right up." He ducked under the table and produced the items she asked for. "That will be seven gold coins. But I'll make it five if you give me a kiss?"

     Mina wordlessly produced seven coins and left with the bread. It's not like she hated them for trying. It was just that she felt sick of it. All the men she met seemed to want her only for her looks and her adeptness in the kitchen. Nothing more, nothing less. 

     She was about to leave the square when the galloping of hooves thundered behind her, drawing her attention. It was a seedy little man atop a horse. He was dressed in gold-lined cloth, the kind only the palace would have access to. It was obvious that this was the King's messenger. As if confirming her thoughts, the man pulled out a paper scroll and began to read out loud. 

"Our majesty wishes to inform the peasants -er...peoples of this land of the coming arrival of the prince's 24th birthday in one month's time. As per tradition, the crown will be handed down to the heir on this day, marking the start of his reign. However, due to the prince's inability to secure a bride by this time, a select few young maidens will be chosen at random to try their hand at courting the prince. Tomorrow at noon, only 30 names will be hand-drawn by the prince himself. Those chosen are to present themselves to the castle by the same time the following day. That is all."

     And with that, the man rode off. Mina stood in place for a while. She wasn't even aware that the kingdom had a prince. Most of all, she was put off by the fact that he was supposed to "secure a bride", as if they were animals in a petting zoo. He was probably yet another one of those brainless men she was so often approached by.

"I want to marry the prince!" A little voice beside her proclaimed. Looking down at her leg, she saw a little girl standing there, covered in dirt and quite thin, no older than six. 

"But you're too young for such things!" Mina crouched down to the little girl's level, smiling at her.

"Oh." She seemed to reconsider. "But you  can! You're so pretty."

"Thank you." Mina combed through the girl's matted hair with her fingers. "But I'm nowhere near as beautiful as you are, little one." The girl just giggled in response. "Anyways, I don't think I'd want to marry the prince."

"Why not?" The girl stared up at her in wonder.

"I'm my own person. Sometimes being a girl means that others will try to take advantage of you. But we're stronger than that. The prince is probably just one of those people who look down on us, just like everyone else does." Mina explained. 

"You won't know until you meet him." The tiny girl shrugged, still smiling. Mina grinned and broke off a piece of bread to give away.

"Keep that hope inside of you, and you'll go far in life, little one." Mina gave her one last pat on the head and left the town square. She smiled sadly as she walked back to the seamstress' house. The little girl was most likely wrong, as Mina had not once met a decent guy in her entire life. But still, it made her happy to see such a young person be so optimistic. And who knows? Maybe in the future, girls would hold the same prowess as their male counterparts.

     Mina wondered if she'd ever meet someone who would actually value her. She wasn't asking for much, and she wasn't unreasonable. But so far, the world seemed to only have one type of guy: The wrong type. And so, Mina pushed those thoughts away and continued making her way along the dirt-covered, cobblestone path. She had her own hope to power her forward. Mina knew that someday, she would make it out of here. She would find out what it feels like to be truly happy. Truly free. Maybe even truly loved.