9 Truth and Lessons (1/2)
”The only thing I know about this land is what I heard from the guards.” Will started as he sat on the grass outside of the cottage. ”Something about a Crimson King and Ebonhart.”
”The Crimson King came to power around twenty years ago.” Maya nodded as she confirmed what Will had heard. She took a small pause while picking a blade of grass, playing with it between her fingers. ”He and his wife had a child three years into his rule, during that time my father said the kingdom had flourished.” Will listened intently to her explanation, The history of the king may be the only way to truly fit in with the others in this world.
”Fourteen years ago, his wife left the castle with her child. No one saw her leave, nor did they have notice of her departure.” Maya looked up at the clouds, a thoughtful expression on her face. ”The king fell into a deep depression, not even knowing why she left. Since then he has kept himself in the castle and allowed his advisors to run the kingdom.” She said 'advisors' with such disgust that Will was surprised.
”Since that time, the advisors have been bleeding this land dry. The taxes have been raised and our harvest taken yearly for the royal army, making living nearly impossible.” Maya's eyes were now filled with disappointment as she looked down at the single blade of grass in her hand. ”Anyone who can't pay, they make an example of. Last year my father wasn't able to meet the tax requirement and well..” She stopped, looking at the ground, Will could only imagine what had happened. ”Any elderly who can't meet the tax deadline is executed on sight,” she continued. ”Their reasoning is if they can't work, why would they be allowed to live off the kingdom?” her anger shown through her eyes. ”They blamed it on keeping troops fed just in case of war.”
Knowing he had hit a sore spot in her life, Will cleared his throat and changed the subject. ”So what exactly can I do to help?” Maya looked at him with a hopeful expression. Will could tell that it had been hard on her, trying to get everything prepared for the harvest was something a group of people did. She only had herself.
”If you feel the need to help, you could always help out in the field with me, also I'm a bit too little to chop wood for the fire, if you could help I would be grateful.” She said with a cheery expression, her eyes smiling more than just her mouth. Will smiled at her change in mood. Her smile fit her features perfectly in the setting sun. He didn't understand most of the politics in his world, but he could tell that anything was better than what she had to go through. Anything he could do to help her would be too little compared to what she had already done for him.
They sat on the grass and talked for a good amount of time about nothing in particular, the sound of Maya's laughter echoing throughout the trees. In Will's time so far in this new world, truly anything was second to the happiness within those few moments, he felt as though he made a close friend. He made a silent promise to himself that he would do what he could to ensure that smile stayed on her face.
The sun having already set some time ago, the only light was that in which the stars emitted. Will stood up from their resting place and offered his hand to Maya. Accepting his hand, they both stood in the patch of grass, barely any stars were visible, but Will could still make out how Maya's eyes shown in the limited light.
”We should probably head inside and get some sleep,” Maya said as she looked away from Will, she was grateful for how dark it was, any lighter and he would have seen how red her face was.
Will nodded as they went to the small cottage, he had just woken up not too long ago, but the stew Maya made had already made him tired. ”So what are the sleeping arrangements going to be like while I'm staying here?” Will asked. It was a valid question seeing as though the cottage was just a single room. He didn't even remember any furniture in the living area besides a few chairs by the fire.
Maya turned to meet his gaze. ”you can take the floor in the living area if you'd like, I'm sure there's enough space for your sleeping mat.” Will instantly shook his head at the idea. He had been sleeping on hard surfaces since he got to Crystallia, he wasn't too thrilled to go back to it again.
”I'll just take a tree out on the side of the house if that's alright with you,” he said almost instantly after her idea. He remembered how nice it was to wake up to the sun, being shaded by trees. He enjoyed the feel of the grass under him, it made him think of all the times he had gone camping with Jonathan.
Maya nodded with understanding. Will had to assume she was also thinking about living arrangements. ”Will you be alright sleeping outside? There really isn't too much for wildlife around to be a threat, but the cold is a different story.” She said as a hint of worry was easy for Will to pick up on.
”I've slept outside every night since I've gotten to this place,” He said with a sigh. ”But I've kind of gotten used to it.” He said with a smile on his face. The smile alone was enough to put Maya's mind at ease. Will's heart eased just a little bit by the smile she returned. Something about making her happy was enough to keep him content, even in the strange world he had landed himself in.