Sitting up on my knees, I pressed my nose against the glass window of the carriage. "Whoa! Is that it? Is that your castle?" I asked, excitedly. It's huge! Though many castles had been my temporary home, this one had to be the most gorgeous! It is his castle after all. The architecture stunned me. Whoever had built this, had a good eye for structure and aesthetic, not too far off from my good tastes.
"You've been to Clarines before, haven't you?" Izana asked, not looking away from the report he held in his hands. Always working. That was the life of being a prince, and being the first born.
"Well, yes, but never here! One of the outer regions used to be my home for a while, but that didn't last long," I replied, plopping back down on the seat and kicking my legs back and forth. My rambling about my past owner stopped when I saw his serious expression. "Hey Master, what is that?"
Izana sighed, scribbling his signature at the bottom. Setting it on the seat beside him, he avoided my question, instead, bringing up his brother again. "This will be the first time you will be meeting my younger brother, Zen. Do you remember what we spoke about?"
Nodding my head, I grinned. "He doesn't know that I'm a genie, and until you say otherwise, it is to remain a secret. I will do my best not to disappoint you, Master." It is my duty to serve him until the contract is over. This would be an easy job. "Oh, should I change into more appropriate attire?" My usual outfit made me stand out, as I wore what Izana had imagined a genie would dress like. Being here at the castle, to keep a low profile, it might require me to put on more clothing.
"No, I quite like you just the way you are. No one will question it, I assure you," Izana replied, picking up the lamp that had been resting in his lap. He examined it again, still perplexed at how all this worked. As the carriage pulled to a stop, he tapped on the bronze oil lamp. "For now, remain inside until I call for you."
Sticking my bottom lip out in a pout, I folded my arms. "As you wish, Master," I mumbled, sad that my role for now had been sentenced to being a table piece. This happened a lot, to be honest. Most masters would only allow me outside the lamp when they had a wish to make. Closing my eyes, I sent myself into the lamp.
The lamp shook suddenly, knocking off my balance. I stumbled forward, swinging my arms quickly to try and stop the inevitable fall, but failed. Landing smack onto the carpeted floor, my nose throbbed from the impact. "Ouchie!" I whined, holding it tightly.
"Be a good girl and it won't be too long before I'll call for you, Nyoko," Izana's voice whispered through the room.
He said my name! That's the first time since he gave it to me originally two weeks ago! Through the pain, I smiled happily. Master seems to be enjoying my service very much which makes me even happier! Sometimes my masters wanted to flaunt my powers in order to make their subjects fear them, but Izana hadn't proved to be like that yet. He already had the affection of his people, and that was a much stronger bond than fear.
He's different from my previous masters.
This one could actually keep his promise to release me when he reached his goals.
Plopping down on the pile of soft pillows in the corner of the room, I giggled to myself. Covering my mouth with both hands, it was hard to stop. Master can hear me even if I'm in the lamp. That's one of the bonds we share. For the first time in a long time, it feels good to be needed by my master, instead of just being used.
Time passed slowly.
Bored.
"I'm so bored," I mumbled, rearranging the décor for the second time. Humming an old lullaby to pass the time, I spun around in circles, dancing slowly to the beat that had been engrained into my memory. The song of genies. Not many genies remained in this world, and this song meant a lot to me.
After what felt like forever, Izana called for me, "Nyoko."
The room I appeared in was spectacular! With wide eyes, I smiled. "This place is wonderful!"
"I'm glad you like it; however, my brother will be here momentarily. While now is not the right time for you two meet, I don't want to keep you cooped up in your lamp. You're free to explore the castle so long as you keep your identity a secret," Izana said, breaking off the long stem of the flower. He slipped it behind my ear.
A present from my master? It warmed my heart. Clapping my hands together, I replied, "Thank you, Master!" It was a beautiful bloom, one I'd never seen before.
A loud knock at the door caused him to look away from me. "Go on, now, Nyoko."
Exploring the castle grounds was tiring. The building itself was extensively large, not to mention the forest, and the gardens, and other buildings that were inside the large walls. It overwhelmed me. It would be easy to get lost if I wasn't paying attention. The hallway I turned down led to a big set of doors. Pushing them open, it seemed to be a study. "Whoa," I said, moving over to the balcony. The view here is breathtaking!
"I've never seen you around here before," a male voice came from beside me. He leaned back against the railing, raising an eyebrow at me. "This is my master's personal study. Did he ask you to wait here for him?"
Master? Oh! "N-no! My master is busy and said I could explore his castle. You're like me then?" I asked, genuinely interested in this boy. Typically, genies could sense when another was near.
"Like you? What does that mean?"
I laughed, and replied, "A genie, duh! My master is Izana, first prince of Clarines." That was the title he gave me when he found my lamp. Meeting his gaze, it became apparent that he was not a genie. My eyes grew wide as I realized what I'd done. My first day at the castle and I've already messed it up! "I-I mean, not that genies are real. That was a joke!"
The boy stared at me, leaning in closer, and tapped his finger on my nose. "Of course not, Ayame." He said the name quietly, as if he wasn't sure it was the right name.
"My name is Nyoko," I said, alarmed that he knew one of my previous names. Had we met before? If we had, then he should already know what I am. None of my other masters had made it a secret. Master Izana is the first, and the only one who truly cares for me. He made that clear the first week we were together. "H-have we met before?"
"I'm Obi," Obi said, holding my face in his hands. His yellow eyes peered down into my golden ones. He sounded desperate, like his name should hold meaning to me. "Ayame…" He said the name with reverence this time. "He really did make that demand to you, didn't he?"
I blinked, confused. This boy knows about demands? Or was that just coincidental word choice? "Demand?" Does he know about my powers? Is he harmful to me? Should I tell Master about this? As I began to pull away, frightened by this mysterious boy, he surprised me again.
Wrapping both arms around me and pulling me close, he rested his chin on the top of my head. "An absolute order from your master that cannot be reversed by any known genie magic. It's more absolute than just an ordinary order, or wish." He must have felt me tense and he responded by holding me tighter. "Your secret is safe with me, as it always has been. Ayame… I mean, Nyoko… I'll keep you safe this time."
I could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and his words felt genuine. Whoever he was, he had known me when I was in service to a previous master. One from a neighboring country. Ayame had been my old name, four… or five masters ago. Each one gave me a new name, as well as reinvented everything about me. Their preference in outward appearance shaped me, from my body shape, hair and eye color, to the attire I wore.
"Are you happy?" Obi asked softly.
The doors flew open, causing Obi to jump back, awkwardly leaning on the railing. A white-haired boy walked in with the same piercing blue eyes as Master's. This must be Zen, the second prince of Clarines. His posture showed anger, and he turned it on Obi. "Who is this girl? And why is she in here?"
Obi laughed with a shrug. "She just came inside. Apparently, she accompanied Prince Izana back here from his travels. Seems she got lost. I thought she could wait for you, Master, to show her back to where she needs to be."
He is making an excuse…
Zen turned his attention to me, raising an eyebrow. "You're a… friend of my brother?"
I bowed politely. "I am a servant to Master Izana."
"Servant? What kind of servant?" Zen asked.
His question went unanswered when Master arrived. He didn't seem upset. "A maid told me she'd seen you wander in here. Strange how it happened to be your study, Zen. Nyoko, I have a job for you," Izana said, giving me a smile. He avoided Zen's questions about me.
My whole body tingled with excitement. "Yes, of course Master! Anything you want!" It had been a whole day since he'd given me a command. Unable to contain myself, I jogged across the room to him, practically jumping up and down.
"Lord Brother!" Zen called out, more forceful this time.
Izana patted me on the head, signaling me to calm down silently. "All you need to know is that Nyoko will be staying at the castle in service to me. Once you prove yourself to be a worthy prince, I will tell you more." With that said, Izana began to leave.
I followed beside him, excited for whatever he needed me to do. No job is too big, and no job is too small for a real genie to accomplish! I can handle whatever it is he orders me to do! We arrived at a room filled with documents, stacked taller than me. Disorganized! Clutter. I hated clutter.
"Nyoko," Izana said, this time with his orders to me ready. "Organize these documents by date, and bring me any reports that have been marked urgent."
I saluted him with a big grin. "Yes, Master!"
He left me there to work, saying that he would return soon. There were a lot of documents here. A normal human could spend days on this and get frustrated, probably giving up. It might even take two or three humans to get through it all! But I'm a genie, and my magic could do anything! The dates were easy locate, and counting was simple. My problem began when I remembered he wanted the documents labeled urgent… and…
I can't read.