Age 8

There were quiet, hushed whispers from the castle servants that the mysterious tower that had appeared in Partevia had been 'conquered' by a young man. Sinbad, they called him, the first 'dungeon capturer'. Yamuraiha, curious little thing, had stayed silent the whole time, humming thoughtfully under her breath.

It has started.

"Mira, can you tell me something?"

The golden haired girl looked towards her charge, startled. "Y-yes, Yamu. What do you need?" Usually it was Mira who initiated the conversation, not Yamu.

Yamu twitched at the nickname. Mira knew she didn't like it, but she personally thought it fit the young girl. Short and to the point, but still feminine enough: that was how Mira interpreted it, at least. "How can I find out more about the countries around us? Like, the political alliances and happenings of the other countries?" Yamu asked.

Mira pondered the notion for a moment before giving Yamu a bright smile. "Well, Prince Nick usually knows these things. I'm pretty sure we have several books about it, and if not the next time I go to the markets I can get you some. Would that be alright?"

Yamu gave her a toothy grin. "Thanks, Mira!"

Mira beamed back, but she did not notice the subtle glint in Yamu's eyes that betrayed the girl's glee.

Useful. Useful and interesting indeed.

"You're on kitchen duty today," a servant informed Yamuraiha, nervously glancing at the ground and attempting not to look into the girl's eyes. "The Cook's demanding helpers ever since some of those guys quit."

"Alright, thank you," Yamuraiha said swiftly, not bothering to soothe the servant's nervousness, although there was a slightly amused tone in her voice that indicated she found the servant's nature somewhat entertaining. She paused for a moment and allowed the servant to leave as she slipped on her servant's garb and made her way to the kitchen. It was highly unusual for Yamuraiha to actually be made to do something along the lines of servant work, rather than her half-babysitting of Dunya, as most of the servants still didn't associate with her.

She chalked it up to the recent resignations of the staff that must have partially had to do with fear of the growing rebellious talk among the people of Musta'sim. Even so, the Head Cook really must have been desperate if he was calling upon the eight year old he loathed most (although she doubted he knew that many eight year olds anyways: most of the servants were around sixteen or older unless they were another servant's child) to help him.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was overwhelmed by the strong heat and the large group of cooks rushing around the kitchen as they prepared frantically large quantities of food. The fireplace made the air extremely warm, as they probably were using it to cook bread, and the moving of bodies and various soups that were being made did not help. Barely anyone casted a glance over at her, too busy in their own work, as she had to search for the Head Chef and approach him before he finally looked up at her.

"You called?" Yamuraiha asked, taking in the warm aromas wafting from the kitchen as the cook barely spared a glance at her.

"Get to chopping the cilantro and herbs, right now," he demanded, still masterfully adding various spices into a boiling pot of soup as he spoke to Yamuraiha. "The King's expecting the same batch of guests that came over a while back to come tonight, and he wants a feast prepared. The equipment's over there, and there's a servant boy passing out the ingredients. Scram."

Yamuraiha quickly found an empty spot in the bustling kitchen where she was able to lay down several bunches of herbs that the said servant boy had given her before grabbing a large knife and a cutting board and setting to work. She barely flinched as she finished chopping up the first batch in under forty seconds as Yamuraiha motioned for the servant boy to come over while simultaneously handing the chopped vegetables to an assistant chef who was preparing some kind of rare steak.

The servant boy who looked somewhat mousy and adorable with plain brown hair and somewhat frightened brown eyes, quickly scurried to grab more ingredients as he handed them to her. The two of them worked in tandem, him delivering ingredients and her processing them, for several hours.

Yamuraiha wiped the sweat off of her brow as she inwardly sighed. Her arm was sort of sore from cutting for this long (how many people did Al Tharmen bring this time for her to be making this much?) and she wasn't used to the extreme heat of the kitchens. The Head Chef briefly passed by her and gave her a somewhat acknowledging nod, the most positive kind of recognition she had gotten from him in her entire life living at the palace, before ordering her to work.

"Knead some of the dough for now and set them in the fireplace to bake. The guests will arrive soon for their meal, and the bread will be one of the first things out. My assistant chef, Sakar, has been busy monitoring the other chefs, so he hasn't finished yet." The man ordered before swiftly moving on.

Yamuraiha sighed, only pausing for a moment to grab a piece of ribbon in her pocket still left over from a visit to Isaac's mother as she tied up her hair with the aquamarine ribbon. It was so her teal bangs wouldn't get into her eyes, although she found that the motion also helped reduce the heat that her hair was trapping as well. She set to work, rolling up her sleeves as the same servant boy from before set down a lump of dough along with some other interesting cooking materials.

She was finally released from the kitchen after helping cut some fruit and beating eggs for almost another three hours for the dessert. The Head Chef had paused right before she exited the door, and Yamuraiha thought she might have heard a quiet, "You did okay" under his breath, although maybe she was just hallucinating from the numerous hours of work she had just been put through.

One of the chefs even gave her a nod when she left, while another gave her a small smile. The servant boy who she had been working with gave her a small, sheepish smile and said a bit hesitantly, "Thanks for helping us."

It made her feel a little warm inside.

Maybe Yamuraiha was finally beginning to find her place in the world.

She would return to help the kitchen staff for the many weeks following that long day of work, and soon that became an everyday routine. She wasn't exactly friendly with them, but at the very least they weren't hostile to her as the other servants were anymore. Eventually she had earned their respect enough that they would even call out a, 'see you tomorrow' occasionally before she left the kitchen. It was better than the dirty glare one of the maids had given her the other day at least.

Age 9

"The hell is this?" Yamuraiha picked up the dusty old book, eyebrows creased in confusion as she glanced around to see if anyone else was inside the old library. The possibility was very unlikely, as Yamuraiha was one of the few people who visited the old building, as most in Musta'sim saw learning as a form of magic that took over one's mind. Idiots.

"The Fundamental Concepts of Magic," she read out loud, and quickly she glanced around the library to see if anyone had heard her. Although she couldn't be completely sure, many of the castle staff were edgy around her to the point that they would flinch and make up a lame excuse to get away with her. The kitchen staff, Mira, Isaac's mother, Regina, and Histok weren't like that at least, but at the same time they too were a little careful with her, as if they expected her to explode. Being called a 'magician's daughter' obviously meant something, and so it was apparent to Yamuraiha that she must have been on the black list of the Musta'sim kingdom already for something she didn't have control over.

That would explain why they kept such a young girl, with no apparent connections to any other servants, in the castle even after the numerous pranks she pulled on Nick in the past. She was too dangerous to be left alone, but too dangerous to be kept too close, which explained why she never really was put to work until that one fateful day in the kitchen.

Magic was taboo in Musta'sim. If anyone saw her holding the book, much less reading it, her head would be chopped off before Dunya or Nick would be able to find out about her execution and stop it. It would be best if she put the book back where it was and pretend she never saw it, as someone would eventually discover it and have it burnt.

Yet…

Her teal eyes glanced at the book cover again, which looked so prim yet tantalizing. She had wanted to start her magical education before she actually arrived at the Magnoshutatt Academy, as it would give her more of an edge in the classes, and this was the perfect opportunity. Yamuraiha's fingers twitched, and in that moment she made a decision.

Placing the book far back in one of the shelves, she hurried back to the servants' quarters to grab her leather satchel Dunya had gifted her for her eighth birthday, along with a small piece of fabric. Making sure that no servants saw her, Yamuraiha quickly hurried back to the library, and almost hungrily she headed straight for the book and wrapped it in the fabric, stuffing it into the satchel and scanning the library for any potential lurkers. Sensing that she was alone, she quickly hurried down the hallway and up the winding staircase that led to the watchtowers, where she knew the guard on shift would be sleeping soundly.

Slipping past the sleeping guard, Yamuraiha made sure her position was secure before flipping open the cover experimentally.

"Magic, in essence, is a physical form of magoi, energy that comes from the Rukh…" Yamuraiha's eyes skimmed over the book's pages, and slowly she found herself submerging into a world of wonder once again.

"I got you something for your birthday!" Dunya beamed, holding out a small wrapped package as Raiha blinked in surprise for a moment.

"I don't have a birthday," the girl deadpanned for a moment. "The servants wouldn't tell me my birthdate."

"Yeah, but I heard it was some night on the full moon, and I also heard that today you don't have as many castle chores. So I've decided today's your birthday." Dunya crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly as only a naive nine year old princess could. Raiha gave a small chuckle at that comment, but didn't stop her.

"And what other frighteningly interesting stories have you heard about me?" Raiha joked, although there was a slight glint in the girl's eyes that Dunya didn't notice.

"I heard it rained in the desert the night you were born," she chattered on gleefully. "Father happened to mention it to one of his chancellors before. I don't know why they would be talking about you for, but-"

"Dunya, are you spreading nonsense again?" Nick asked dryly, stepping closer to the two younger girls as Raiha's eyes flickered up for a moment to meet his eyes before looking towards Dunya again. Dunya pouted at her brother's appearance, as she had wished to spend her friend's birthday with just the two of them (and maybe Isaac, if she managed to convince him), and she knew that whenever Nick was around, the two would begin some kind of intellectual debate she couldn't keep up with.

"It's not nonsense. It's actually very interesting," Raiha hummed amusedly, although for some reason her eyes were looking over to her right. "Princess Dunya, please do be a dear and tell your knight to come out of the shadows."

"Eh?" Dunya turned around, and spotting Isaac standing behind a pillar and watching them cautiously, she motioned for him to come over. "Isaac! Come, join us. We're all going to celebrate Raiha's birthday."

"Are you sure, Dunya? I heard...unkind words spoken about your friend," he spoke, softly but steadily. Dunya knew that her friend had always been somewhat wary of Raiha, just because the servants always gossiped about her behind her back, but she was sure her two best friends would get along. "Although...I think that I've met her before."

"Your mother took care of me briefly," Raiha explained, and although this was new news to both Nick and Dunya (Dunya could just tell by her brother's slight change in expression that he did not know of this), Isaac seemed to accept the explanation as true.

"She does that kind of thing a lot," he admitted. "Did she try to give you a makeover?"

"Sort of. She braided my hair." Raiha shrugged, her lips twitching upwards a fraction as her eyes turned nostalgic at the memory.

"Oh! That's it! Isaac, can't we go to your mother and bake a cake? I heard that it's a tradition in other places for cakes to be made for birthdays, and although one cake doesn't substitute for a feast, well…" Dunya trailed off, not sure of what to say. Behind her, Raiha stepped up.

"Princess, with all due respect, I would rather not have a cake."

Dunya, Isaac, and Nick all turned to her in surprise. Raiha shifted uncomfortably, something painful flashing through her eyes, as she shook her head again. "No cake, please," she said quietly. "I appreciate it, though."

There was a silence for a moment as Dunya watched her brother search Raiha's eyes for something, although she wasn't sure what. It looked like her brother wasn't sure what exactly was going on with Raiha either, but unlike him, Dunya eventually dismissed any nagging feelings in her gut of something being wrong. Raiha had always been unusually mature and just plain weird at times, and Dunya had gotten used to it. Nick was just overly cautious.

"Then we can make something else," Dunya concluded, not willing to be deterred, as Raiha shrugged in defeat and gave her a small smile.

"Sure." Raiha glanced up at Nick for a moment. "Don't you usually have paperwork to do?"

"Don't feel like it today," the boy said easily, although there was something in his dark gray eyes (the color came from their father: Dunya's blue eyes were inherited from her mother) that still seemed a little worried about Raiha's unusual behavior. Raiha twitched at the nonchalant response, but didn't protest any more.

Quickly, Dunya took Raiha by the hand and Isaac in the other, prompting Raiha to hold hands with Nick (much to both of their reluctance), before nudging Isaac. "Let's go visit your mother!"

Her friend seemed hesitant for a moment, but bent when he saw the pleading look in Dunya's eyes. "Okay," he assented. "If this is what you want, Princess."

"Is that you, Yamuraiha? Oh, darling, how much you've grown! Just wait until Regina sees you…" Isaac's mother was about to hurry into her home and call for her long time friend before she froze, seeing the two green haired children behind Isaac and Yamuraiha. "Y-your highnesses! I apologize for my insolence, I didn't realize you two were here."

"Hello again, and sorry for barging in so suddenly," Yamuraiha apologized politely, and she could feel both Dunya and Nick's stare drilling into the back of her head. They probably didn't realize she could be anything close to polite or classy. "But Princess Dunya wanted to visit for my birthday apparently, and Prince Nick tagged along-"

"Is it alright for us to stay here?" Nick interrupted with the authority of a prince, and although it was phrased as a question there was a slight tone to it that made it sound more of an order.

"Of course, Your Highness." Isaac's mother still looked a little caught off guard, but her kind and motherly nature won over as she ushered them all inside. "Now, come. Let's make something for dear Yamuraiha's birthday together! Isaac, be a dear and tell Histok to grab some supplies from the kitchen and tell them it's on the crown Prince's orders."

Her son nodded and quickly headed off, giving Yamuraiha a wave and Nick and Dunya a bow before hurrying off. "Such a good boy," Isaac's mother murmured as she shot a bright smile at Yamuraiha. "Well, dear, is there anything you'd like in particular?"

"...cinnamon. I like cinnamon," Yamuraiha said after a moment of hesitation, and Isaac's mother's face lit up with a huge smile as she grasped Yamuraiha's hands kindly.

"That's wonderful! We have a lot of cinnamon left over from the last time Histok went to town."

"Is it okay if I help?" Dunya asked quietly, not exactly sure how to deal with Isaac's mother. Dunya was probably used to being the person who made decisions, and plus her mother had died when she was very young, so it was obvious that some things would be different.

"Of course, dear. Now, grab a bowl and Prince Nicholas, please be a dear and grab some of the eggs I left on the counter. Yamuraiha, I assume you know how to make a cinnamon pound cake?" Isaac's mother asked, her hands already busy as she measured some water in a cup.

"Yeah," Yamuraiha replied as she helped Nick beat and stir the eggs before helping Dunya pour the water and sprinkle the cinnamon over the growing mixture. Isaac had quickly returned with some other ingredients, and his mother had immediately put him to work. There was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie that accompanied the baking as the group laughed and chuckled over their many failures and successes, and even though the pound cake in the end was slightly lopsided, all of them ate it vigorously with smiles on their faces.

(Later, Dunya would give Raiha her present, and the green haired girl couldn't help but delight in the surprised look on her friend's face when she stared at the simple teardrop shaped necklace and silently put it on, promising solemnly to always wear it. Dunya didn't know, but that was the first gift...the first kind of actual, physical recognition that 'Raiha' actually existed in this world.)

A/N: A huge thank you to all of you guys who are reading this. Thank you to all of the favorite-ers and followers: I notice each addition, and it makes me really happy to know you guys are reading this. :D

A special thanks to my reviewers: Nanouchy, Aqua Lilly, Guest, and Animanga-chan. You guys are what keep me going.

Sorry for the long wait haha, but I hope you liked some of the Dunya interactions and stuff going on. Also, Sinbad reference in the beginning. The start of the AoS plot. ;D

Thanks for reading! Drop by a review if you have time, please.