Akina wasn't in her hut, it was pretty much empty, the outside of the hut looking a nightmare, vines covering it, moss growing, and some mold here, and there, it seemed someone was trying to fix the inside, May walked in picking up the hem of her dress, there was a small fire lit, over it was a pot, the smell of the food inside looked good, but went from smelling bad, to deadly as she got closer. Maya looked around things from the house were there too, then she saw it, Maya's dolly, , and .....her shoes, and jacket. "Mary where is my daughter?" she asked, she didn't get an answer she turned around to find the maid was gone, walked out to find one horse on her carriage that had been abandoned. The wind started to blow, strong and rough, the trees started to shake, animals ran down from trees, out of the holes they made under ground, and ran out of the woods, May wanted to find out what was happening she a took forward, but the wind became stronger and blow her onto the ground, the clouds in the distance became dark, and angry as they marched towards the woods, the kingdom, the town.
Maya, who was with Akina, pointed towards the clouds, "What's going o- HEY!" Maya yelled as Akina *snatched her by her arm, and ran, ran as fast as she could as far as they could get, they didn't go back to her hut, instead they climbed up to a cave on a hill, and that is where they stayed, until the "storm" was over, "Akina what's wrong?!" Maya asked her, "The first time that storm came through, I thought it was weird as once it was gone, I returned to my hut, flowers were dead, like they were set on fire, or poison was poured on it, animals had drowned, or poisoned and my hut looked as if it had been searched, lot of the things I fixed had been broken, or taken, I thought it was grandparents, or if the storm was that harsh, but no one was home when I went over to the farm, in fact the farm had also been destroyed as well, the storm was only here for a few minutes but it destroyed so much" Akina explained, as she handed Maya a jacket that felt like rubber, "I realized after finding a pendent that instead it was people from the Ea-nue-Mallotogal Palace" She said, as she pulled Maya up on top of a boulder, "Why though, the Ea-nue-Mallotogal kingdom has only ever came here three times in the last eight years, this kingdom has signed the peace treaty, and it's clear they still have bad feelings towards us" Maya asked.
"Yes, that! that last part, that peace treaty was set so that both kingdoms would come together if, and when the Daheseong Palace tried to attack, but recently people from rich families whether the families in a whole, or individuals have been sneaking over to the Daheseong Palace to nitpick, or have been spreading untrue rumors about the kingdom whenever they come back from there, that has angered the king, and his sons, so trying to keep the peace between everyone, the king would instead go after the families, demanding the perpetrator be handed over to the kingdom, or a lady, she must be in between the ages of 10--16 and when she'll be given back is in the choice of the kings sons any younger and she won't be given back to the families instead she will become their maid, or placed in the Renwedded battle, which is a competition held poor beauty's, rich beauty's, foreign beauty's and more are watched, and trained to become one of the five princes concubines/wives, for the poor but beautiful children they are sent there as a punishment, since they are poor they are treated horribly by all, and if they end up winning in some kind of way, becoming a royal they are secretly treated like dirt by everyone, maids, cooks, lowly concubines, lowly soldiers, slaves too" Akina explained.
Maya looked at her in shock frozen in both fear, and worry, "That storm is a rush storm, meaning that someone from the Ea-nue-Mallotogal Palace messed up big time again, and are in trouble of being sent into the Renwedded battle, so what they do behind our kingdoms back, is travel over here to snatch children, they used to take the abandoned children, but recently there haven't been many, as they are placed in an orphanage, or are hiding, as word got out about what was happening if they were caught, the only orphanage that is a shady place, is already doing dealings with families from the Daheseong, who cause trouble, when my hut was trashed, it was the same problem, a child was being sent to be in the Renwedded battle, they show no mercy when faced with such, so whether you're an abandoned child or not, they will take you, if you are found alone and once you are placed in the Renwedded battle, and after/if you are proven to be a stolen child, the only thing that will happen is the child they used you to replace will be killed in front of the whole family, however you will still have to participate in the battle" Maya's eyes started to water up as the rain, harsh, and heavy could be heard pounding on the cave.
"So, if they find me, and/or you out, and alone not even...." she asked starting to cry, "I know you're scared, and sadly if they were to find and take either one of us the only way for freedom is a better trade, there have been times the Renwedded being near, families could, and would sell their children whether to pay some sort of dept, for protection, money, or just cause, a few times the children would end their lives, or run away, in that case, I.....I don't know what would happen, but I am shocked to say the least, shocked that there aren't many that know of this happening, shocked that our king doesn't know of this, which is what scares me the most" Akina said, finally done explaining everything, "In my school we only learn about the Palaces, kings, and princes of those we have a chance to marry, we're a rich family, so it's likely when we go to travel to meet them, or anyone handsome man, the.....Daheseong Palace is the only kingdom we don't have much knowledge of, we know their name, and relation, that is all, we know, but I've always wanted to know what does their name mean, our own kingdoms name means The Angels Tears, because of our crystal clear rivers that has a golden hue and the rain that sparkles like diamonds falling from the sky, the Ea-nue-Mallotogal Palace name means, Here is your heaven , Akina what does the Daheseong Palace name...mean?" Maya asked, her voice lowering as they heard marching footsteps moving pass them, they slowly took a peek out, stepping on the top of where the girls were hiding a very beautiful women walked towards who looked like the lead soldier, with her was a little girl "I can't stand to have this child near me, I didn't want to bare it any way, now it's father has died... and it turns out he left everything to his mother, which means I have no use of this thing, take it, and give me my money!!...or bring me to one of the princes, they are men, men with needs, I know they do follow such stupid traditions" she laughed, pulling up on her dress "Go you urchin!!" she yelled at the child, shoving her forward.
"Whose child is she?" she was asked, "She is mine, but I've grown tired, everyone making me take care of her!" she replied, A nurse took the child, and striped her out in the open, she was under weight, and covered in red bug bites, but they couldn't be seen from under her clothing, "I've been making sure what I do to her can't be seen, I just need to let off some anger, I don't understand why I have to clothe and feed her now that her father is dead!!" she added, smiling thinking they'd be impressed, He took from his pocket a golden flower, it was so beautiful, it glistened as rain fell upon it, and had a white glow to it.
She snatched it, starting to dance around, with a smile on her face, as the child watched her, but suddenly the flower opened and a faint gas was released, Akina covered her, and Maya's nose as the both of them were close to where the women stood, she gasped, out of shock, then started pounding on her chest , her jaw dropped gasping for air, her eyes rolled back, she dropped the sweet flower, which had now turned black... like it was dead, she arched her back, straining, and struggling to breath, to speak, she started to cough, to hack, and when she was finally able to breath in, she froze, slowly her mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water, blood started to spill out her eyes, nose, and mouth, then she just dropped dead, as her body laid on the ground, he made sure she was dead, turning around the nurse had covered the child's eyes, and ears, she was just standing there, her head turning as she too felt her mother fall, "Take that child, and place her with a good orphanage, lets continue on" the lead soldier ordered, the nurse handed the child to her maiden, the maiden went one way, and the group continued on the other way, soon they were gone.
Maya hoped out of the hole, Akina behind her, " That was scary Akina, I didn't know the Ea-nue-Mallotogal Palace was like that" Maya spoke, but Akina didn't reply, when Maya turned around Akina was shaking in fear, worried Maya tapped her shoulder, "Akina?..." Maya called her, "That wasn't the Ea-nue-Mallotogal Palace, Maya" Akina told her, "W-What do you mean? ..... who was that then?" Maya asked her, walking up beside her, but she froze, she too became terrified looking at the women, in front of both their eyes the parts of her body had turned black, started to crack and deep in the cracks her blood could be seen leaving her body " Poison angel Burning rose , that's what their name means, those were the soldiers of the Daheseong Palace" Akina answered her, Akina turned around, she was pale, and she looked absolutely terrified, a violent gust of wind shook all the trees in the woods as she said that name.
Maya started shaking as the flower that was lying in front of the women, absorbing her blood regained its beautiful golden glow, it sparkled in the sun, scared, Maya kicked it off the edge of the hill, "We need to leave..now!!" Akina shouted in a low voice, and she pulled Maya by the arm, and ran.
"Would you be able to take a child without a trace, and make it look like they ran away?"
"Yes, Ma'am contact us when you've made your choice."