▬▬▬ her highness, an inscrutable face

NOW IT CAME TO PASS in the days of Tula of the nation of Kálíkhaan, (this was the Tula which reigned over a hundred and seventy-two provinces), that in those days, when the king Tula sat on the throne of his realm, which was in Quighan, the soaring palace—the most important one in the whole monumental city.

In the thirteenth year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the birth of the very first princess arrived, stricken with wonder and amazement.

He shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even fourscore days. And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Quighan, the royal palace, both unto great and small, nine days, in the very large court garden of the king's palace, where were exterior walls were covered with lime stucco, decorated with beautifully carved stones. The mats where the people found fellowship were filled of gold and silver, upon a pavement of white and black wonderful stucco decorations.

And servants gave drink in vessels of gold, and royal wine in abundance. And the drinking was according to the law—none did compel—for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his refuge, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.

Also, Harbona, the queen, made a feast for the women in the royal chamber, which belonged to king Tula.

For ages, the entire domain of the king had been waiting and praying for a miracle, which was finally delivered upon this past year: Harbona had given birth to a beautiful girl, you.

Yes, Tula the king finally had his princess to the 200-year-old Palace of Quinghan, and yes, the treasured girl was a wonderful, beautiful child.

On the ninth day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded the chamberlains that served in the presence of Tula the king, to bring you, the infant royal princess, before the king to shew the people your cherubic beauty: for you were ethereal to look on.

As you had aged nineteen, you never knew what was suffering meant. Even your older brothers, they never let you suffered alone and in silence, forever fearful that their precious sister, you, would befall the same fate as one of your older brothers: he had accidentally plummeted himself on a cliff and bleed to death.

Being a member of a religious clan, you also played a pervasive part for religious and exorcising purposes. You must learn the primitive form of writing—the glyphic writing on tablets—and be highly skilled in Mathematics, Astronomy, and making medicines.

Your clan worshipped various gods, particularly the mythical bird-like serpent that introduced human sacrifices. You took part in that ritual, expecting you to bear the role of the high priestess in the near future. Children were the most ideal offerings, due to their youth and innocence. It was also common for serfs, prisoners of war, and adults to be killed for sacrificial ceremonies.

This custom was made in order for the gods to protect the people from the cursed spirits . . . Which you had started to doubt of it.

Each day, the number of cursed spirits was growing that the king and your brothers, even the warriors, had to stay vigilant to guard the people.

And so, you did your responsibility, climbing up to the very top of the pyramid, to the sacrificial temple, to cut up someone's chests, extract the heart for sacrifice, and to roll the corpse down the wide steps of the steep monument.

After long days of ritual, the queen speedily gave you your things for purification and seven chambermaids to accompany you. The purification would last up to fourteen days, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, seven days with oil of myrrh, and seven days with sweet odors, and with other things for the purifying of the women).

Soon, the purification was done, you were now being checked by the chambermaids, for your house expected nothing less than perfection from you. They primped your fair hair, pinched your cheeks, and made sure that the clothes and garments you wore—which were decorated with delicate woven patterns by colorful threads and was of your mother's design—was flattering.

Although you had a weakness for ornamental pieces, your mother, Harbona the queen, was even more fond of them, and she was forever showering you with precious gifts. She often informed you which ornaments she wanted to see. And today, she had told you to wear the large freshwater turtle shell earrings, nose rings, and lip rings, and long jade necklace and headdress, all so perfectly matched in color and size.

They were beautiful, you thought, but they gave you no pleasure.

Then, as confidently as you could, you headed out, making your way toward the reception chamber where your family had gathered.

Tula the king wanted you to be recognized by the people, then so the king made a great feast, in celebration of the vernal equinox, unto all his princes and his servants, even your success's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.

The whole nation was pleased about you and your skills and talent for doing your duties, thus you easily obtained kindness and things that your family's domain had to offer.

And all the king's servants bowed and reverenced you, for the king had so commanded concerning it.

Yet, this, too, gave no pleasure.

Whilst the people were celebrating, you wandered in the main street of the monumental kingdom, the Ing Dâlān Meángûbié, to free your mind from all the noisy throngs of the intoxicated people.

You decided to climb the temple pyramid. The pyramid was flat on the top, truncated, where human sacrifices were held. It was the main focus of the city, sacred and enclosed, that no common person could go, either only the human offering or the religious leaders. It was a relatively small structure, serving as the 'house of god'. The steps were built on either side or front of the structure, and you choose the front one. You stayed at the apex, observing the celestial night sky.

You were trained to be an astronomer-priestess since you were little, thus you could use your naked eyes to take observations of the sky where the light of the sun was absent. The teachers taught you that you would see the guidance of the heavens if you kept looking up. They believed that the will and actions of the gods could be read through the stars, moon, and other celestial bodies.

The view from the top of this hallowed temple was different from below as you languorously laid at the very altar table of the sanctuary with a jar of royal wine in your hand.

You, the princess, gave yourself a lone time to think, to meditate. You also often wondered how such drinks could make someone's so merry?

Hence, you tested yourself, tried cheering yourself with wine to find what was good in pleasure.

But that only proved to be in vanity.

"Pleasure," you uttered, scoffing and staring at your noble drinking vessel, "is lunacy. And what thou pleasure accomplish?"

Futile.

Then you carelessly tossed the vessel away, until you heard the clattering sound of the brittle thing nearby.

"Ah, doeth the highness in repugnant spirit?"

You recoiled for a moment, the voice almost made you jumped. You followed where the voice came from, and immediately saw a shadowy figure at the corner of the supporting walls. The shadow moved, stepping out of the dark. You saw a man, clothing himself not the same as your coterie.

"Sacrilegious thrall," you sputtered, scorned of the thought of someone had stepped foot on your private space. "You shan't sully thy sacred place. Why transgressest thou the king's commandments?"

It was one of the written laws that none, but by the religious leaders, could enter the sanctuary.

"Unless thou yearned to be an offering unto the winged serpent god Láwû," you continued.

The man lowly laughed, depicting his enthrallment to you, the Her Highness.

"Certainly, thine words spake the truth, yet Her Highness shan't the one to assert."

You idled at the man's words, comprehending the state you were on: drunken by wine and set down irregularly on the sacrificial table.

And you said unto him, "Hast come to kill thine Highness, thine priestess, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Kálíkhaan, a devastation?"

You weren't trained to fight, your family made sure that a girl, such as you, would stay on the altar table, be a devout worshipper, singing hymns and prayers.

"Come now, my Highness, forgive thine subject, but I meant my priestess no harm." Thus he gave a reason. "I, thine humble merchant, have seen thee alone, therefore thought Her Highness may incline to have a fellowship."

Your thin lips curled upward, and yet, somehow, it was not the smile of a human being, it utterly lacked substance, something to be called the 'consistency of human life'.

"Be my guest." You had no enthusiasm as you welcomed his presence.

The atmosphere in this sanctuary was different from the feast happening from below. He must have perceived it right: you needed someone to talk to.

"What name thou hast?"

"Thy name Mykerinos, Her Highness, a merchant from the land of Kemi." He motioned his hand against his chest as he offered you a bow.

Kemi. The name of the country rolled on your thoughts. An allied country; your father had them his trust.

You also told him your name, although you needed not to. Your name had been exalted throughout the lands, great and small, highs and lows.

The status between you two must be different, but once opening one's skin, this sign of life, flesh and blood, was fair.

"I am greatly honored to welcome me, hope to the mighty Láwû shan't be wary." He regarded the mythical god, the one who dwelled in this temple pyramid.

A small, contemptuous mirth escaped your lips. "That Láwû will never mind."

Mykerinos, your guest, had himself bewildered for your insincerity, even how puerile you called the distinct god of your clan believed in.

"Pardon my inquiry, yet—"

"Thine priestess payeth no respect to such thing?" You made sure that your mockery got emphasized. "Why, in this center of all, would I believe in a false god?"

"Indeed why, Her Highness?"

You smiled out of unpleasantness, it had not even a bird's weight. "How about thy humble guest Mykerinos, doth thou believe a fictitious deity that taketh human life?"

"I supposed not," the man humbly answered. "No one ever wanted to be a sacrifice, let alone be deprived of life."

"Truly, and why doth this hoax thing come down unto this land and get a life of its own? Why thine hands hast be defiled by the blood of a lowly human being if I am the blessed one?"

Also, why were you given a task to take care of a meaningless temple? It was considered for a priestess to slander a god a blasphemy, yet it didn't matter to you. Be killed, if that was the mythical creature's will.

You might have drunken with wine, but your sense of reasons was still clear as your words.

Rather than be horrified to you, the merchant was jovial, amused.

"Her Highness, you seemed to have moral standards, yet thy behavior doeth not conform to the beliefs of thy society." The man didn't mean to deride you, he only made your word be apparent.

"Shall I be punished for thy hypocrisy, thine humble guest?" And you smiled once again, eyes were devoid of emotions.

It was a smile, merely a blank sheet of a leaf, light as a feather, yet your lips were still smiling. The picture you produced was the sensation of complete artificiality, none of the words could cover the meaning behind your smile.

And he responded unto you, "Thou humble guest believed thy Her Highness not deserving of punishment." While you lounged at the holy table, the man settled down, back being reclined on the upright stone slab. "I have been a merchant for almost my life, have seen many people lived thy lives with thy precious beliefs, and it is just as the same with my Royal Highness, thy priestess."

You seemed to agree with his statement. "As it happeneth to man, so it happeneth even to me."

"Precisely," he said, "the only unlikeness is Her Highness more wise."

Then you said with all your heart, "Wisdom is also vanity."

"Doeth Her Highness despise thy role priestess?"

Your guest, the merchant, was quite observant and got yourself thinking. To be a priestess meant to be wise.

Not only that, you were also given gardens and orchards, and you planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits. You had servants and maidens; also given silver and gold, and the other peculiar treasure of the kings and of the provinces. And whatsoever thine eyes desired, you kept them. You withheld not your heart from any joy. Truly, your heart could rejoice in all of your labor, yet . . .

". . . What profit hath thy priestess of all the labor which I taketh under the sun?" you said. "All things are full of labor, I have seen all the works that were done under the sun; and, lo, all is in vain, an exasperation of spirit."

Your humble Mykerinos kept himself in the silence.

You, the princess, had thought far enough, something the merchant hadn't reconciled to himself.

Pretense, insincerity, and fatuousness—those were the best descriptions befitting you. And of course, he couldn't dismiss it simply as wickedness. In fact, if he would carefully look at you, Mykerinos, the merchant, would begin to feel that there was something strangely unpleasant about you—a beautiful young woman.

Assuredly, he had never seen a woman whose blessed looks were so baffling. It fascinated him, and he made sure in his mind that this wouldn't be the last time of seeing you.

You were an enigma, a conundrum . . . Something ineffable could make the beholder shudder in distaste; for he had never seen such an inscrutable face on a woman.

im so dead 💀

anywaaaayyyyyy~ lessons time XD just to make things clear, bc everything in here are all made-up lawl (expect informalities)

ancillary notes :

• Kálíkhaan - the nation you belong to. lmao the tagalog word for "creation", "creativeness".

• Quighan - the royal palace, where u live.

• Ing Dâlān Meángûbié - the avenue, main street that has accomodations to all the monumental structures that your family had XD it is a kapampangan word (my mother tongue), which means 'the avenue of those who lived', bc yo gurl had her brain dried just thinking for a name, and this.... weirdly sounds good and ancient

• stepped pyramid - a pyramid that has steps HHAHAHAH best example of this... are the ziggurats, pyramid of djoser, chichen itza.

• when i said 'monumental city', i pertain to columnar and trabeated architecture style, mainly employed in temples, tombs, and pyramids.

yeah, all thanks to my history subject, and i thank thee history teacher who taught me all of these ancient structures: the parts, decorations, materials used, etc.

i made reference of them, and i leave everything to your imagination and comprehension ajcnskdkdks

;; HANDTHEiREND