Maki
It is still early in the morning, but Maki is already struggling with her work. Still tired from her tasks the day before, Maki struggles to drag the overfilled laundry basket. It does not help that Suzuka's room is so far away from the small courtyard behind the castle, either. Stopping to wipe the sweat from her eyes, Maki can only feel relieved by the fact that she can feel the warm, wet, moss-covered stones of the courtyard beneath her feet. Just a few steps more, and Maki was able to let go of her overweight burden. Maki cannot help but let out a sigh of relief as she finally reaches her destination and gets a brief break from dragging the heavy basket.
Maki rests the basket against a knee-high wall made of white stones that surrounded a small fire pit. Above the pit is a black cauldron already filled with water and giving off a sweet smell indicating that something else has been added to the liquid. The ground is wet enough that Maki can tell someone else only just finished using the wash pit. "Most likely the queen's laundry maid," Suzuka has a laundry maid as well. However, Maki still finds herself doing her friend's laundry every morning. The maids whose job it is gets to relax with the other servants. And if Maki refuses, she will be the one to be punished instead of that lazy laundry maid.
Looking down at the laundry basket contents, Maki cannot help but be astonished by the sight. It always leaves her speechless that her friend can go through so many clothes every day. Maki cannot help but think of times when Maki even had to help Suzuka change into three or four different outfits in a single day. The frilly outfits and beautiful designs make Maki's own simple tan tunic, a zigzag of black cord at the neck holding it closed, and brown breeches look plain in comparison. There were countless times when Maki was mistaken for a boy because of her outfit and shoulder-length hair. Even after she found certain parts of her body filling out, there are still some people who think she is a boy. Suzuka, meanwhile, could never suffer that fate with all the pretty dress she gets to wear and her long red hair. Although part of her misses her childhood dresses, Maki knows she is better off without them with her hellish workload.
It was not always like this. When Maki first came to the castle, she did not have any work and got to spend all day playing with Suzuka. Even when they got older, and Maki found herself working, Iroha made sure Maki had a laughable light workload. Iroha has always been kind to her, acting more like a mother than a woman at the top of the castle's food chain. But that only gave the other servants more of a reason to pick on her. Maki knows that her close relationships with both Iroha Suzuka are partly to blame for how her workload slowly increased over the years. Now, playing with her friend is nothing but dreams as Maki finds herself having little time to even breathe between her chores.
The only good thing about her day outside of the brief chances to talk with Suzuka while helping her friend change clothes is the allotted time of day when both Maki and Suzuka are trained to handle a sword. Guard Lorne may still be strict with her, but Maki is relieved that he does not point out her lowborn status and gives her a chance to vent her anger every day. Another benefit to his lessons is that Maki came to appreciate her breeches as the movement they allow far exceed what the restricting dresses allowed her to achieve. Maki knows she has Suzuka to thank for the blessing of being able to train. At first, the queen only wanted her daughter to be trained with a sword, but Suzuka insisted that Maki be allowed to train with her. The queen seemed surprising accepting of that request, but Maki could understand when she thought about her reasoning. Suzuka lives her life under the threat of assassins. With Maki normal nearby her friend, she could provide another layer of protection for the princess.
But Maki cannot think about the past too much. Not when she has the laundry of the princess to wash. Maki winches as the bruise on her left knee complain about the movement of kneeling down beside the fire pit. One of the servants, Maki, who did not see who, decided to push her down the stairs yesterday. Maki suspects it was Wakako Naeba, but she has no proof and doubts anyone would do anything about it if she complained. Only Suzuka would try to help her. Maki does not know whether she should be worried or happy that her friend would get angry on her behalf, but more than once, Maki has witnessed Suzuka tearing into any servant who tried to bully her.
It is sort of funny to Maki when she thinks about how Suzuka always defends her when it should be the other way around. Maki knows how much her friend needs protection. Maki is often ignored by the people in the castle unless they are looking to bully her. More times than she can count, Maki has overheard meeting and quiet conversations because the people in the castle do not pay her any attention. Maki only wishes that the news she overhears would not always be so bad. Only yesterday, she overheard the queen complaining about another unfavourable turn in the war.
Japan's army was outnumbered from the start, with Mokusa having three warriors to everyone Japanese soldier. When the war first began, Japan's soldiers were able to beat back the Mokusa army thanks to their heavy armour and superior weaponry. Unfortunately, Mokusa soon learned how to fight soldiers in full plate armour and the fact that they have more mages than Japan also slowly turned to war in their favour. Being forced on the defensive, Japan also aided their enemy. Mokusa used their great numbers to spread out the Japanese army and then lunched small raiding parties at their weak spots. Maki started to dread cleaning the war room as every time she entered that place, she would be given another reason to worry about her friend.
Shaking her head and refocusing herself on the task at hand Maki dips her hand into the cauldron to test the water. Finding the water hot enough, she grabs the first dress and throws it into the water. Taking a moment to roll up her sleeves before she gets started, Maki hopes today would not be like yesterday. For some reason, Yukina was feeling partially cruel yesterday and forced Maki to spend over nine hours straight on her hands and knees scrubbing floors. Both her knees and elbows are sore, and that bruise is screaming as Maki gets to work washing her friend's clothing. Hearing giggling, Maki looks over her shoulder to see the laundry maid who should be washing the clothes walking by with one of the kitchen boys. It takes every ounce of strength Maki has not to angrily yell something at the girl. "I will be the only one in trouble," Maki tells herself as she gets back to work and hating the way the angle, she is forced to bend her body, agitates her aching limbs and strains her back.
Maki is forced to endure the pain and discomfort as she continues washing the princess clothes. A few more servants walk past her with most glaring or making harsh comments but a pair of giving her a warm smile. The stable master gives her a friendly greeting and a hearty wave as he leaves the kitchen after grabbing a quick pro breakfast snack. The castle staff who worked outside of the castle and Yukina's influence were always kind to her. Some of the kitchen staff were also nice, but then the head cook was just as bad as Yukina punishing those under her charge whenever she caught them being kind to Maki. But despite hardly seeing them, the kindness those few servants showed her was enough for Maki and made her feel better whenever she was down.
An hour passes, and Maki is only halfway through her pile of laundry. She is starting to wonder again about how Suzuka could wear so many clothes in a single day. Sweat coated her skin running down her face and the back of her neck after spending so much time hovering over the streamy water. Leaning the back, Maki takes a moment to enjoy the cool breeze before getting back to work. Being outside with the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin is something Maki prefers to being cooped up indoors. It certainly beats being trapped in some dark, stuffy corridor or listening to the queen talk with her advisers about how bad the war is going, in Maki's opinion.
Four men in suits too fine to be servants exit the kitchen through a door typical only used by the servants. Maki can quickly tell they were taking a shortcut as they approach her on their way to the stables. Rorick, the castles Gamekeeper, leads the group and smiles at Maki as he approaches. Rorick has always been kind to Maki, letting her go on hunts with Suzuka when she was a kid or helping her with her chores before his back started acting up.
"Good day, milords," Maki bows her head as they walk past her. "I pray you have good fortunes on your hunt."
Rorick smiles brighter and nods his head as he passes by. Still, the noblemen he is guiding pay Maki no attention, only sparing Maki a single brief glance. She keeps a pleasant face as she raises her head, trying not to glare. Maki has become skilful at hiding her true feelings, telling herself that if she lets them see how much it bothers her, she will only be letting them win. She wished more people were like Suzuka. Suzuka never cared how poor she was or that she does not hold any titles. Maki smiles, thinking of Suzuka and how she would play with her without a care in the world. That has not changed since they were kids. Even now, when positions and titles have tried to divide them, Suzuka refuses to think badly of her for some petty reason. A few tears joined the laundry water before Maki regained her composure and stopped her mind from thinking back to happier times.
"Maki!" Maki jumps at the cheerful, youthful voice as she hears running feet rushing towards her.
When Maki turns her head, she sees Pim, the head cooks son charging towards her with a big smile on his lips. The eight-year-old barely stops himself from colliding with Maki or falling into the laundry water. Years, decades maybe of laundry water soaking the stone pavement around the fire pit has caused slippery moss to grow all over the tone pavement, tripping up many careless servants over the years. At least Pim will not be one of them as he is able to regain his balance before hurting himself or Maki. Pim quickly offers Maki a tart that looks fresh from the oven with a smile on his face while his dark brown hair encircles his head.
"They are fresh from the oven," Pim tells her. "Me pa just made them."
Grinning, the boy jams a tart into his mouth while Maki dries off her hands as best as she can on her tunic. Maki quickly dumps another of Suzuka's elegant dresses in the water, letting it soak for a while as she tends to Pim. Maki accepts the treat finding the treat still warm from the oven and her mouth-watering from the smell alone. The tart tastes as good as it looks and brings a smile to Maki's lips that is not fake. It almost drives a tear from her eyes, but Maki manages to stop that from happening or admit that it nearly did.
"Pa told me he learned how to make these when he was my age," Pim says. "I think he is just teasing because I can't make anything half as good as these."
"Well, he isn't the head cook for nothing," Maki tells him as she nibbles on her tart, savouring the sweet treat. "It wouldn't surprise me if he was that good at your age."
Pim wipes his hands off on his drab brown tunic while grinding his big toe into the mossy stone. He looks up at Maki, looking like he wants to ask something but suddenly feels too shy to get the words out.
"Can you do that thing with the stones again?" Pim asks after taking a deep breath.
Maki smiles at the cute expression on his face that is a mixture of embarrassment and excitement rolled into one. Unfortunately, as much as Maki hates to, she knows she does not have time to do this. Even more unfortunate for her, Maki finds it hard to tell Pim so when he makes such a cute face.
"I'm sorry Pim," Maki cannot look at him as she breaks his heart. "I have too much work to do right now."
"Aww," The sound Pim makes threatens to shatter Maki's heart beyond repair, so she has no choice but to give in.
"Okay, I'll do it," Maki sighs, changing her mind before the feeling of a knife in her heart becomes unbearable. "But only for a little bit, okay?"
"Okay," Pim smiles with his face lighting up.
As Maki puts her hand to the ground, Pim quickly drops down, sitting cross-legged on the damp, mossed, covered stone pavement. Maki flashes him a quick smile before getting started. A tingle of magic rippled up her arm and washed over her. Her mind reached out to the earth and stone, hearing thousands of voices beneath her in her mind. It took her only a second to sense a handful of small rocks in the grass. At her beckoning, the grape-sized stones bounced free of the soil and came rolling over with a scraping clatter.
"I still can't understand how you could do something like this," Pim stares wide eyes at the gathering stones.
Maki smiles at his expression. Pim still looks as awestruck as he did when she first showed him her magic. The stones tumbled across the cobbles and leapt into the air, orbiting Maki's hands as if they were jewellery. Pim keeps his eyes on a single stone moving his head as if he is trying to mimic its movement. Lowering her hand Maki starts to focus her mind on a clear image in her head. Causing the stones to clamp together. To objects began to take shape as several of the smaller stones formed a man's shape while the rest took on the form of a dragon. A faint green energy swirls around the rocks, becoming brighter in the gaps between the stones.
Pim giggles and claps as the dragon start to fly around him, allowing the stone man to ride on its back instead of fighting him. Maki wills the stones to move to make the dragon do somersaults in the air and circle close enough to Pim that he can feel the wind created by the dragons flapping wings. Pim cheers as Maki causes the stone mad to fall off, only for the dragon to catch him.
"Your pa must be so proud of you," Pim tells her, unable to take his eyes off the dragon that skilfully dances through the air. "You are as good with your magic as my pa is with his cooking."
Unfortunately, the praise causes Maki to lose her concentration. A single pound sound admits from the dragon and stone man before they crumble and the individual stones rain down around them. Pim covers his head, but Maki maintained enough control over the rocks to make sure none of them hit him or her.
"I don't have a pa, Pim. I'm an orphan," Maki tells Pim as the last stone bounces off the ground beside her.
"What's an orphan?" Pim asks, looking up at her, confused.
"An orphan is what you call someone who doesn't have parents," Maki explains, feeling that tear threatening to fall once again.
"Did the gods just make you then?" Pim asks as he stands up.
"No, Pim," Maki fakes a smile, but at her sides, her fists clench and inside, her emotions threaten to boil over.
Sorrow of never being able to meet them and being abandoned. Anger at her parents for leaving her. Frustration for not knowing why. Maki feels like she might explode one day, but she has become good at controlling her fingers.
"I had parents. They just left me here."
"Left me to suffer. Left me to be treated as a slave for my entire life," Maki feels anger becoming the more dominant emotions, and she has to take deep breaths to calm herself down. Maki knows it is not Pim's fault, but she still feels like she might lash out at him.
"Are they dead?" Pim asks, looking like he might cry.
"I don't know," Maki tells him as calmly as she can.
There are days when she wished they were dead because it made her feel like they did not just abandon her. As much as she hates to admit it, Maki sometimes believes they deserve to die for the hell she has to endure after they left her at the castle. But Maki wants them to be alive so she can meet them. So, she can ask them why they left her.
"I should get back to work," Maki says, turning and resuming washing Suzuka's dresses.
"I'm sorry I guess I distracted you for too long," Pim replies, dusting the dirt off his rear.
"It's okay," Maki weakly smiles, looking over her shoulder. "Next time, I will give you a better show."
"I look forward to seeing it," Pim cheers as he runs off back to the kitchen.
Maki does not remember anything about her parents or her life outside of the castle. Iroha told her that she found Maki wandering around the castle garden. Iroha said to her that Maki found Suzuka before that. The two of them were already playing when Iroha discovered her. Apparently, Suzuka put up a fight when they told Maki to leave. Maki smiles, imagining Suzuka, even as a child sticking up for her. In the end, Maki could play with Suzuka, and when the queen learned that Maki had no parents, Yukari allowed her to stay.
Both the queen and Iroha have been so kind to Maki ever since she came to the castle to become almost like a family to her. Then there was Suzuka, who Maki does not have a single bad memory of, apart from that night she put a spider in her bed. Maki smiles, thinking of all the good times they had together well, roughly scrubbing one of her friend's dresses. Dumping the finished dress into the pile of clean but wet clothes, Maki quickly grabs the next dress. Maki feels a little embarrassed when a memory of Suzuka dressing Maki up in this dress only last week came to mind. It should not have been embarrassing, but Suzuka also talked Maki into wearing heels which led to her tripping and headbutting one of her friend's bedposts.
"By the gods, are you not finished with the princess laundry yet?" Maki nearly jumps at the sound of her voice. "It's almost noon, and you're still not done with that? You've got the linens, yet… and, I don't know, surely, the hall to clean?"
Maki was praying that it was not her, that it was someone doing a perfect impression of that she-demon, but she has no such luck. Straightening up and turning around, Maki finds the woman she hates more than her parent, who left her to the mercy of the she-demon, Yukina Takatsu. Yukina stands behind her with her hands on her hips and purple hair arranged into a bun. The she-demon glares at Maki with her cold, piercing purple eyes, making Maki feel like she is three feet tall.
"I cleaned the hall yesterday, Mistress Takatsu," Maki replies, trying not to scowl at her.
"Well, it certainly doesn't look like it," Yukina tells her, folding her arms. "Tell me, girl, when you cleaned the floor, did you use a brush and soap or merely a rag and wishful thinking?"
Maki must bite her lip and take a moment to calm herself down before she answers. "It will only let her win," Maki tells herself as she takes another deep breath.
"I'll go over it again," Maki replies, lowing her head.
"See that you do. There's no room here for a layabout," Yukina spits out the words with disgust as she continues to glare at Maki before stepping closer and lowing his voice. "Your little ploy didn't quite work out as you envisioned, did it? Expected to laze the days away with the princess?"
"Mistress Takatsu," Maki looks up at him through several strands of her hair. "I am pretty sure that when I was three, I wouldn't be able to think up a scheme like that."
"Well, nevertheless, Iroha has been too soft on you," Yukina says, backing away much to Maki's delight. "You're expected to do as much work as anyone else here."
"Yes, Mistress Takatsu," Maki replies, biting her tongue before she says something more.
Watching him walk away, Maki was tempted to use her magic to trip him up. The stone pavement was old, and no one would find a stone raised slightly above the others suspicious. But in the end, Maki does nothing, finding Yukina to not be worth her time or attention. "I do more work here than most of the other servants combined!" Maki angrily growls as she rushes the last pieces of the princess clothing. "I probably do more work than you!" Maki has never seen Yukina do anything other than ordering her around or trying to convince the queen to go along with whatever plans she has dreamt up. "If anyone isn't needed here, it's you!" Maki cannot remember the last piece of good advice Yukina has given the queen. All her plans never work out or are floored in some way.
Maki finishes up the last of her friend's clothes, dumping them in the pile of clean-wet clothes with more force than necessary. The basket is leaking and a lot heavier than earlier when Maki goes to move it. She finds that she cannot pull it along behind her like she had been doing before and must push the wicker basket. Her tunic, her breeches, hands, and legs get soaked while the leaking water leaves a clear wet trail behind her. Maki does not like it, but she sucks it up, pushing the laundry basket around to the side of the castle.
A row of two-story-tall bushes greets Maki as she rounds the corner, cut in tapered columns walled off the royal garden. There, she hurried to arrange the princess' clothes on a line to dry before running inside with the basket on her back. Her wet, bare feet clapped on the smooth marble floor, echoing down the great hall and attracting the disdainful stares of over a dozen servants and a few guards. A few started to shout, mistaking her for some urchin, but before any managed to utter a complete word, they recognized her. At the princess' door, she hesitated. She wanted to see Suzuka, but Yukina's words still fresh in her mind. She would find the princess loving gaze would feel patronizing no matter how genuine her happiness.
The room sounded quiet, so she rushed in and headed for the empty bed. Not long ago, they had been inseparable. More and more often, she had no clue where Suzuka was at any given moment. Her lip quivered as tears lined up like soldiers inside her eyes. She had had a friend, someone she trusted and made her feel happy. But little by little, they had taken her away and left her stranded here as a lowly worker. That did not bother her so much. She could have been happy dredging out the stables if she could spend some time with Suzuka afterwards. It was because of people like Yukina, who could be doing something useful instead of harassing her. People like Yukina, obsessed with status, found Maki's very presence in the castle to be offensive. Maki did not seek help. Iroha probable would scold Yukina and the others. Still, Maki knows they would only make things worse for her once Iroha stopped watching over her.
Maki quickly went about collecting the linens hugging them to her body, attempting to compress the mass so it would fit into the basket. But when it came time to store the linens away, Maki could not let go just yet. Perfume, scented shampoo, and the fragrance of Suzuka's presence filled her nostrils. She clutched the bundle for a moment in silence, pretending she hugged Suzuka. It felt as though Suzuka was here with her at this very moment. Maki basks in the moment, feeling herself smiling despite what has happened this morning.
"The linens won't wash themselves," Yukina yells from the hall with her voice resonating throughout the castle.
Maki quietly curses on under her breath, muffling her voice in the linen. Maki gives the sheets one last squeeze, enjoying her friend's scent one last time before stuffing them in the basket. Wiping her expression so she does not give away her disappointment that the she-demon followed her all the way to the princess room. She carries the basket out into the corridor, only having to pause when Yukina takes her time stepping out of the way. Then Maki finds herself with the challenge of not yelling at Yukina to stop following her as the she-demon trails behind her. Maki only makes it a few steps before she hears a throat being cleared behind her stopping Maki in her tracks.
"I've changed my mind about the floor. When you are finished with the linens, the garden walk is infested with seedpods. It needs the attention of a broom and perhaps a mop," Yukina tells her.
Maki wants to scream at her. The job Yukina assigned her was clearly a job for one of the groundskeepers. Still, like always, Yukina will assign her jobs just because they are challenging regardless of who is responsible for completing them. But once again, Maki bites her tongue. Reminding Yukina that it was not her job would only get her assigned an even worse task. Or lectured for hours on end about how the groundkeepers are superior to her in every way and how Maki should be honoured to lighten their burden.
"Yes, Mistress Takatsu," Maki replies, lowering her head and finding comfort in the soft smell of Suzuka coming off the sheets.
Maki hurries off with the linens feeling better when she notices that the she-demon is not following her anymore. Somehow Maki found herself doing the work of four separate servants. As Suzuka's handmaid, Maki was happy as Iroha said the job would mean that Maki could spend her days with Suzuka. Iroha explained that all Maki would be doing was hoovering around Suzuka and assisting her with whatever the princess needs. But instead of the dream of being by Suzuka's side, Maki found herself living a nightmare. Maki found herself cleaning floors like a chambermaid, washing things like a laundry maid, or dusting like a housemaid. What little time she gets to spend with Suzuka is often short and results in Maki suffering from other servants' jealousy.
If Maki were to blame anyone, Yukina would be at the top of the list, but there are plenty of other people at fault as well. Sawano Fukuda, Wakako Naeba and Hokuto Asahina also increase Maki's workload whenever they can. Whenever they were not occupied with their own work, those four seemed to make it their personal mission to hounded Maki whenever they can. Maki grit her teeth. If she could, she would have sent them all to the underworld without hesitation. Taking a deep breath and calming down, Maki continues her work.
Returning to the fire pit, Maki wastes no time before throwing Suzuka's bedding into the water. She started cleaning the linens while feeling her anger begin to boil once again. Lately, it seems everyone is trying to keep Maki away from Suzuka. Even Iroha appears to be trying to keep them apart. The war is the only reason Maki can think of why everyone is trying to distance her from the princess. The Holy Empire of Japan is losing the war, and Suzuka, being the princess who will bring the war to an end, does not need Maki to distract her. The worse part is that part of Maki believes them to be correct and that for Suzuka to fulfil her destiny, she must disappear.
With tears blurring her eyes, Maki washes the linen as quickly as possible. The garden has long been a place of happiness, a place where she and Suzuka could play and laugh together. Now Yukina is trying to ruin that happy spot with her orders. Part of Maki thinks this was what she meant to do, that the she-demon is aiming to have Maki have a miserable time in every place where she would laugh with Suzuka. Whether that is her intention or not, Maki knows she still must clean the garden walk. With a sigh, Maki finishes washing the last of the sheets before hurrying to hang them up to dry. "The sooner I start, the sooner I can finish," Maki tells herself as she carries the heavy basket.