The Phoenix's Maiden

The Lady in Black

“There she is,” Arthur announced when he spotted the lady that he is talking for. The lady that he helped to have a better in life when he found her hopeless in the middle of nowhere and he suspected that the lady had some connections with Amber’s clan, and now he intends Amber to meet her so they can talk or at least the lady may remember something relevant to Amber’s past. He is not totally sure about this but he will try and maybe it was worth a try even if it is just a gamble in the first place.

They walked towards her while the lady is busy picking fruits from a vendor in this crowded market. She is wearing a black dress that almost seem that she is a widow, in fact she is really a widow because he lost her husband in the war, but Arthur knows that this lady isn’t just wearing this black dress because of her status, it is because the lady really liked the color of black and she said that looking at this color somehow calms her mind. She is troubled by the traumatic past that she suffered from but when night comes, all of her problem fades away. As they come nearby, the lady sensed their presence and she turned her attention to them.

“A pleasant morning to you Arthur,” the lady greeted them with a warm smile. At that smile Amber really thought that this lady is having a great life with her family, not knowing the real reason behind that smile. She waved back at her.

“A pleasant morning to you Madame,” the young knight greeted back with respect. She is most likely to resemble a human because she does not have any distinct features like the other mystics. For example, the elves have white hair and long pointed ears, and the engkantos have long pointed ears and light brownish skins, but she didn’t gave up and waiting for her chance to ask, on what kind of mystic is she since Arthur promised her that this lady have more exciting tales for her. The lady was shocked at seeing Amber besides Arthur. “Who is this beautiful and elegant lady besides you brave knight?” she asked for her name and identity and Amber felt a heat in her cheeks flattered from the strange lady’s words in front of her. This is the first time that she saw Arthur accompany a lady that close.

“We can talk about her when we get you home,” he cheaply said.

“So what’s your purpose noble knight?” she asked because she sensed that Arthur is planning something but it is not evil so she will go along on what this knight is planning to do. But she want to finish buying her food supply for the week first.

“There is just something I want to talk to you,” he answered.

“I am intrigued but let me finish my shopping first,” she said and the young knight nod at her obediently. They stepped away from the lady and Amber did not ask any questions from him as she was busy looking at other people. They waited for the lady to finish her market strolling before she went at them with bored faces while waiting for her. “Shall we?” she told Arthur that it is time for her to go home.

“That took long enough,” Arthur complained at her and Amber pinched her from the weak spots of his armor which is located at his joints and Amber targeted his elbow.

“Don’t be rude,” she preached at him and the lady in black noticed what Amber did to Arthur. She finds this maiden amusing as most of the mystics find her too. She lets them be as she doesn’t want this new face to be uncomfortable at her sight.

They walked into an alleyway that will lead them to her home, so that they can have some privacy for them to carry on with their talk. They reached the back door where she currently lives because she does not want to see others to see her and unknown to Amber, she lights up the light with a single word.

“Marahuyo,” she said and suddenly the dark room became as bright as the lamps lights up one by one. She is very impressed to what lady did, this is some kind of wizardry that the woman knew and she wants to learn some of it. “Make your selves at home,” she said with a sweet voice and the two sat at the vacant chairs near the table. The woman went at her kitchen to put away her bought goods from the market.

“She is very kind,” Amber told Arthur while the woman is busy at the kitchen. He smiled at her because this is a good sign for them to have a good talk. Arthur is starting to feel the light atmosphere inside this room as the three of them is having a good mood. After some time of waiting the woman proceeds to serve those breads and hot chocolate drinks to them. Then she takes a chair to accompany the two sipping on their cup of hot chocolate.

“Hello,” Amber greeted her with a smile after she properly put her cup on the table; the woman looked at her returning the same smile as hers. “May I know your name?” she asked.

“Oh excuse my rudeness,” the woman said. “I am Amaya, but you can call me Maya for short,” she introduced herself to Amber.  Amber takes a sip in her cup of chocolate and stares at her.

“What are you?” she can’t help herself but to ask her this question.

“What am I?” Amaya confusedly asks her because her question lacks clarity to it. Arthur gets the attention of Amber because she is being rude without her noticing her actions.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly after realizing what she did was rude.

“Oh dear, it’s okay. It’s just I did not understand what you mean in your question,” she said.

“What I mean is that what kind of race are you?” she said and again, Arthur finds it rude but she cannot stop the overflowing curiosity of the lady. She may seem shy at first but involving her with the things she like, she will look like that does not experience social anxiety too often.

“It’s okay Arthur,” Amaya addressed Arthur reprimanding Amber. “To answer your question... what is your name again?” she asks for her name.

“It’s Amber,” she cheaply answers Amaya’s question.

“As I was saying my dear Amber, I am a witch,” she answered. “But we go on to different names, “mangkukulam” in your country and other different names in the whole world because our race was scattered when we reached the human real,” she answered. Arthur did not seem so surprised by Amaya’s answer.

*Witches are women sorceress that is said and believed to perform witchcraft. But in the old times these were used to subjugate woman that rebel or violated someone especially men. Witch hunts were used in the early times to capture and kill the powerless with baseless allegations through witch hunts. s****m into its finest and a dark history that leads into woman’s rights advocacy.

In myths witches are mostly known by using black magic and putting curses on somebody that they hate. They are also known to abduct children for their rituals.*

“I thought you were hated in this realm,” Amber carefully asked her.

“Yes we are until today,” she answered. “But a knight that works for the phoenix clan did not hate me for what am I when he discovered me wounded besides a river,” she started to tell her a tale how she met her husband. “You see I was just a young witch that time and I was given a task to collect a plant that is rumored to empower a course but it can just be found here in Mystic Realm,” she added. “But warm welcome is not just for me, as soon as I stepped into this realm I encountered witch hunters that nearly took my life. I was lucky to escape the grasp of death and soon I found myself in a riverside heavily wounded and that is when he found me,” she said and her eyes started to glitter. “At first I was too afraid and tried to fight him but I was fended off too easily. That time I thought that I was dead for sure, but I was wrong. He carried me back into his house where he lives alone and treated me as if I was not a witch that they hated. He treated my wounds and fed me while I don’t have strength to take care of my own. That time I was too enamoured, and I can’t help it but to fall for him,” she said and then she stops as if she was too hurt by telling those memories of her. Also amber wonders where is that knight right now because she does not know the story what happened except for Arthur but this is his first time hearing a tale from her so he is all ears in every word she says. “And then soon our love grew until we decided to get married and I did not come back to the underworld because they probably think that I am dead. I enchanted the whole town where we lived so that they can see me as their own kind so that there are no more problems. You see back in the underworld witches only performs black magic and curses because it is the only knowledge that we knew since we were young and the years of my stay here thought me to perform enchantments and charms that can cause goodness into others instead of curse that are used to kill or harm people,” she said and Amber is too amazed. “And then the Great War with Cain came and as a royal knight under the phoenix clan he fought for their sake and unfortunately enough for me he died during that war and to my devastation my enchantments grew weak and the war aftermath made the citizens in here to hate the underworld more. I was chased again and I was ready to accept death that time because there is no reason for me to live anymore but Arthur came and put a sense into my head. My lover does not want me to die like that so I decided to live longer and settled in this town,” she ended her story.

“I am sorry for your loss,” Amber apologized after hearing what happened to her lover.

“Don’t worry about it,” she reassured her. “He still lives in my heart,” she added.

Amber can’t help it but to feel inspired at her words. They sure are not safe by the depravities that this world brings whether you are a human or not. For sure that she succumbed to depression if she is the one experiencing this. Arthur wipes a teardrop that quells into his one eye and did not let the two to notice it. Arthur realized that he did the right thing to save this witch from that chaos even that he is not sure enough if she is good or not. He just saved her because of his instincts and he was ready to unsheathe his sword if she turns out to be bad.

“You know I admire you for being mentally strong,” she said.

“Thank you dear,” Amaya shows her appreciation.

“You know in my case,” Amber said hesitantly. “A very very very big burden was placed on my shoulders,” she said.

“What is that dear?” she asked.

“Ever since I came here and everyone called me the prophesied phoenix’s maiden that will save the kingdom in Cain’s return here,” she said and Amaya’s eyes widened.

“You are the phoenix’s maiden?” Amaya asked Amber and she nodded at her. “I have something important to tell you,” she added.

To be continued...

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-