Garden Of Poison

Eight years passed since the Flores sisters were captured and brought to Blackthorn Palace. Old leaves fell from the trees surrounding the palace, giving way to many new ones. The trees grew taller, and so did the Flores sisters who had blossomed into young women.

It was early in the morning, where the sun's rays slowly conquered the Kingdom of Versailles and the Blackthorn's Palace before penetrating the rays through the transparent windows and lighting up the entire place by bringing a new day.

The hour was forty minutes away before the royal family members of the Blackthorn would be having breakfast in the dining room.

The maids and the servants hurried with their work so that their lowly presence didn't spoil the mood of the royal family. Among them was Anastasia Flores, who was in one of the many guest rooms with another maid, where they were fixing the bedspread. The maid said to Anna in excitement,

"I hear that the prince of the Storm family is going to visit the palace very soon. It is said that he is a very good looking man, of course not as handsome as the princes of Blackthorn family. But he's worthy of his looks."

Anastasia, who was fluffing one of the pillows, looked up at the fellow maid named Charlotte, and she signed with her hand to lower her voice.

Since her first encounter with the Mother Queen of the royal family, only two people knew she could speak, while the others she had initially met had forgotten about her. After all, she was a person of no importance and a lowly servant until the last three years.

"Don't worry, no one is going to hear me!" Charlotte responded and went to fluff the other pillow. And though she said it, the maid leaned to look toward the room's door and then turned back to say, "They say he's looking for his soul mate. You know what people say here about soul mates. Though I haven't heard of any servants having one."

The people of Versailles and the few other neighbouring kingdoms believed that some people were fated even before they were born. A person made for another person and just for them alone. They would be drawn to each other when they met after they were both eighteen. And the force would be strong, and no one would be able to deny it.

There was also a loose rumour that went only in whispers behind the walls that Lady Lucretia was King William's soul mate, whom he found after he was married to Lady Sophia, which was why Lady Lucretia was given as high importance as his wife. But they were only speculations of the idle and gossiping mind, Anastasia thought.

Anastasia walked towards the window and pushed it open, welcoming the light and gentle wind in. The little strands of her brown hair that weren't able to sit tight in her bun, loosened and moved backwards as she stared at the scenery in front of her.

As she was no longer the lowest servant of the palace and was now a proper maid, she wore a thin cream petticoat with full sleeves, and on top of which was a sleeveless olive green cotton dress. The other maids in the palace wore similar plain attire of the same fabric and were all dull in colour. The vibrant colours, different fabrics and beautiful designs were worn by the royal family members, a few courtesans and some of the members who were not of servant status.

She began to fix the curtains.

"Do you think our soul mates are out there somewhere? Perhaps waiting for us? Or if they will come find us?" Charlotte asked Anastasia in a hopeful voice.

Anastasia already knew she didn't have a soulmate here. It was because she and her sister didn't belong here, and they came from another place… A place neither she nor Marianne knew where it came. None of the servants had heard about the village named Hawkshead.

Not wanting to discourage Charlotte's hope, Anastasia turned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe it is one of the merchants who came by the palace last week. He was looking at me with quite some interest," Charlotte replied with a wink. Anastasia smiled at the fantasy of her fellow maid.

Anastasia used her hands to express her words, 'Maybe you will find yours soon.'

"How lovely would that be!" Charlotte whispered as she began to daydream. Compared to Anastasia, Charlotte didn't miss home and liked it here. She said, "I hope you will have a merchant too, Anna! Though merchants travel a lot and it isn't that bad…"

Charlotte's words fell into the background, while Anastasia stared at the young woman of her age. Charlotte had been brought to the Blackthorn Palace like her but from a place called Pluile.

When Anastasia had stopped talking in the past, the other children around her age didn't bother to come and talk to her. Even the elders didn't care, except to give her errands more than what others received. After a year of her enslavement, Charlotte was brought as another addition to the slave and was the only one to befriend her.

Anastasia felt guilty for not being truthful with Charlotte that she could speak. But it was her and her sister's life in line. At first, it was to hide from the Queen or that minister, but over time her silence turned into truth, and no one remembered that she had spoken before apart from her sister Marianne and Theresa, who had guided her when she had no one.

Charlotte noticed Anastasia holding a look of sadness in her eyes, and she approached her before placing her hand on her shoulder. She said, "It is alright if you don't want to marry a merchant. Some of them are as smelly as the camels that walk on the sand."

This brought a smile to Anastasia's lips. She replied with her hands, 'Thank you, Charlotte. For talking to me and cheering me up.'

"That's what friends are for, isn't it? Even though I can sense that your walls are high sometimes. It's fine, one brick at a time," Charlotte replied cheerfully, and they turned to look at the kingdom that came after the palace borders.

Anastasia's eyes weren't on the palace walls but on the town's border walls. One could also see the desert that came after the borders as the palace was built on a higher ground.

"It is such a beautiful sight from here."

Anastasia left the window and walked towards the cupboards. Opening it to check if all the blankets in there were folded, her eyes fell on a silk coat with fur around its lapel and ends of the sleeves.

"Isn't that Lady Brynlee's coat?" Charlotte asked, standing next to Anastasia and saying, "Did she forget to take it, or did she leave it behind as an excuse to visit the Blackthorn Palace again?"

Anastasia raised her hand to show her two fingers before a small smile appeared. It was because Lady Brynlee though not very much welcomed, liked to visit the palace in the hopes of settling with one of the two princes of the royal family.

"I think the same. It is such an exquisite coat that I don't dare dream about it," Charlotte replied, then looked at the door again.

Anastasia's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion as if knowing what Charlotte was planning. She heard the maid say, "No one is here. Let me see how it feels."

Anastasia's eyes widened at Charlotte's reckless confidence, and she shook her head before signing with her hands and expressions, 'We will be caught! Keep it back! NOW.'

"Nobody comes on this side of the palace. I will be quick," Charlotte whispered, draping the coat around her shoulders. Her body almost melted as she closed her eyes and said to Anastasia, "You should try this. It's like butter."

During the time where Anastasia was worrying and Charlotte was trying the coat, neither of them heard the footsteps approaching the room.

"What are you doing standing there?" It was one of the senior maids, in her mid fifties and Anastasia felt a trickle of sweat slide down her back.

Anastasia pushed Charlotte inside the tall cupboard as the door had hidden her from the senior maid's sight. She closed the cupboard without locking it. She signed with her hand to reply, 'Folding the fresh bed sheets and putting them in the cupboard.'

The woman's eyes moved to look at the room, and Anastasia hoped the person wouldn't question about Charlotte or find her, a maid in a lady's coat.

The woman then said,"Looks like you are done with your work here. Follow me, Mr. Gilbert assigned you another task with me."

Anastasia bowed in response and followed, wondering where they were going.

When they entered the kitchen, Anastasia wondered if she was needed here to help in cleaning the dishes, but instead they passed the kitchen and stepped outside the backdoor. She continued to follow her, until she caught sight of a cart and two camels tied in front of it.

The senior maid informed, "The kitchen needs to be stocked with some things and the palace needs some items. We will be going to the Bazaar today."

The Bazaar?

Anastasia stared at the news, because it was where the tall walls of the town borders laid.

[Music Recommendation: Carriage ride- Johannes Lehniger]

Anastasia sat on the edge of the backside of the cart, her feet dangling in the air as the cart wheels moved, making its way out of the Blackthorn Palace. Along with it was another cart that moved in front, both attached to a camel to pull it forward.

"Now remember," the senior maid, who sat in the same cart, instructed Anastasia. "When we reach the Bazaar do not dawdle around. I will be the one talking to the merchants in the shop, so all you will have to do is carry the bags to this cart. We have three hours to finish before we have to head back to the palace."

Anastasia nodded while maintaining eye contact with the woman, who stared back at her and said, "It looks like you are an obedient one, aren't you?"

The senior maid had no idea she was planning to escape from this place, Anastasia thought as she smiled at the woman.

"Use this to cover your head now, girl. We are going to a public place," the senior maid offered a scarf to Anastasia.

Anastasia watched the woman use her scarf to wrap around her head so that only her face was revealed. She copied the senior maid.

When the carts moved out of the gates of the palace, Anastasia was welcomed by the sound of the bustling voice of the crowd and the smell different from the one in the palace. It took her eight years to come here; she hoped it wouldn't take eight more years to leave, she thought to herself, while her brown eyes drank in everything that passed in front of her eyes.

It took them a few minutes before they finally arrived near the busy and loud Bazaar, where people walked up and down the streets. As Anastasia followed the senior maid, she heard music being played that made her turn her head in the direction it was coming from.

"Would the ladies want to buy a pair of bangles or more for your slender hands?" One of the merchants shouted, catching Anastasia's attention. "Two pairs for only two buckles! The cheapest you will find in the Bazaar!"

Anastasia's eyes fell on the colourful bangles, and she noticed a pair of women trying them on their wrists. Different merchants shouted their trade,

"Delicious and freshly prepared today! Drink it with a glass of buttermilk to cool off the heat! Seven buckles only!"

"Come here, sire! Try the finest dry fruits," Another merchant tried to lure customers, who were walking by his shop. He stretched his hand forward, holding a dried date and offering it to the customer, who stopped by and said, "Doesn't it taste good? I offer you dates, almonds, and raisins. High quality raisins!"

As Anastasia's eyes fell on clay-like pots connected to a small pipe at the base, the merchant asked her, "Would you like to buy the hookah pot, miss? I will give you a good price if you buy it from me."

Anastasia tore her eyes away from all of them, and looked for the exit to the high walls. When they finally stopped at the vegetable shop and the vendor finished weighing the items, the senior maid instructed Anastasia,

"Take these bags to the cart. Hurry now," she said, noticing the young woman not starting to walk.

Anastasia carried the bags, supporting them on the sides of her waist, and placed them in the carriage cart. Taking another route while walking back, she muttered, "Who do I ask? There must be someone here who knows the world outside."

Coming to stand in front of a merchant who sold clothes, she offered a polite bow and asked,

"Mister, do you know Hawkshead?"

"Whose head?" The merchant asked, tilting his head. "If you want a coat made out of wool, I have it here. But no head."

"No, not clothes. It is a place called Hawkshead," Anastasia repeated, and the merchant waved his hand as if not interested in her as she wasn't a customer who could bring him gains.

Anastasia then moved to another stall, where the person sold metal necklaces. She bowed at the merchant and asked, "There are these pearls that are found in Hawkshead. White, round and shiny. Have you been there?"

The person laughed, "Hawkshead? I don't know where that is, Miss, but if pearls are what you want. I have them right here," he turned his back.

But that wasn't what Anastasia was looking for, and by the time the person returned to her, she had disappeared in the crowd. She returned to the maid's side, who gave her two more bags.

Anastasia asked three more merchants in the wide Bazaar, but none of them had heard about Hawkshead. Disappointment started to sink into her chest. She asked herself,

"How far away are we from home?"

As she walked by herself before returning to the senior maid, her eyes fell on the tall walls and the wide passage gate through which some of the merchants and free people passed. There were guards standing at the gates, looking at every passing person, while they inspected the ones they found suspicious.

"We have to pass through this. We will need horses or camels to travel…" Anastasia started to plan, "Food for two days and a tent… because of sandstorms." She continued muttering as there was no one nearby from the royal palace to hear her.

A strong wind blew in the place where she stood, pushing the scarf around her head, and revealing her dark brown hair and face more clearly. Anastasia was still murmuring, "Will I be able to get two camels? Maybe one should do…" when a drunk man passing by caught sight of her and heard her.

The drunk man said, "I have THREE camels!"

Startled at the sudden male voice next to her, she swiftly turned and noticed a man staring at her. The man reeked of alcohol, and something else.

Anastasia quickly bowed and said, "I don't need camels." At least not now, as she didn't plan to leave her sister behind. When she began to walk, she hoped the man would forget her, but instead, he followed her.

"W—where are you gooing?" The drunk man slurred behind her.

"Back to hell," Anastasia whispered in slight frustration, but he seemed persistent. She was worried her truth would be revealed. Even the crowd of the Bazaar wasn't enough to lose the man, and she had to make sure that the maids of the royal palace weren't in sight.

"All three camels will be yoursss if you agree to be my wife. Stop making me chase youuu," the drunkard turned irritated.

The drunkard caught hold of her wrist so he didn't have to chase her, and he laughed. He said,

"I told yooou to stop! Now, where were weee?"

Anastasia felt her heart thudding in her chest, and she quickly requested, "Please let me go."

"Once we are married—" the drunk man refused to let her go, and Anastasia's eyes fell on the shop they stood next to. It was one of the utensils, and she picked up the wooden ladle before striking the side of his head.

"Argh!" The drunkard staggered, his eyes filling up with rage.

Seeing that it didn't work the first time, Anastasia clutched the ladle tighter before hitting the man right in the face.

The drunkard released her hand and fell to the ground with a thud. She dropped the ladle back into its place. Before she ran away, her eyes met a young man's eyes, who appeared to be a commoner and stood next to the stall. She walked as quickly as her feet could move until someone caught her for the second time, and her stomach dropped.

"Where were you?" The senior maid let go of her hand and said, "It is time to go back. Come, don't get lost again. It will take you a couple more times before you memorize the route."

As the two carriage carts were filled with bags that had been purchased from the Bazaar, the maids had to walk back to the Blackthorn Palace. Once they entered the royal palace area, the gates began to close before they shut. As colourful as the Bazaar was, she realised there were some things that she had to be wary about.

The servants unloaded the bags from the cart, while Anastasia went inside the kitchen. Charlotte quickly ran to her with excitement and said,

"I heard you went to the Bazaar! Was it bright and loud as everyone says? Tell me everything about it!"