Makiya

1. The beautiful lady

Princepsius was a gigantic city. The capital of Batua Lurrak. It had an enormous population, and even though not very often, there still were robberies. Sometimes food was stolen, sometimes clothes or weapons, but definitely the most stolen thing was food. They caught very easily the wrongdoers and with incredible haste. When they were taken in, they would be led to a certain place. Beneath the city. When the king had an opportunity, they faced him and he delivered his judgment.

Even though rules were really strongly followed and the law was always executed righteously at first glance, there was one exception. Exactly, it was Andrey. He wasn't given the chance to stand around and wait to see what's going to happen. The moment he regained consciousness he was sent straight to King Goodlie, and the decision was to isolate him in a cell beneath the castle as his accusation was espionage.

The cell was dark. There were three walls and their base gray color was hidden either by blood or some kind of filth. Instead of having a fourth wall, the cell had iron bars. They were certainly beautiful back when they were made. They had a spiraling form and if you remove all the years, filth, spit and whatever else you might think had gone through them, then they would definitely be a pretty sight when you roll your eyes from top to bottom. 

The distance between the bars was as much as three fingers. Beyond the bars in this crazy silence, the rhythm of water-drops was heard. From time to time the steps and noise from the guard's armor were heard. 

"Hey! You there! Are you alive?" a rude voice echoed the dungeon. 

Andrey quietly looked around, trying to find out where he is and who is looking for him. He could hear the yells and footsteps coming closer to him. A few seconds later, the guard was standing in front of the cell. 

"Hey! Hah! You were alive! What kind of human are you? You must be crazy to attack without armor and weapons. What were you even thinking?!" in a little crazy madman voice the guard was spilling out words out of his mouth along with a moderate amount of spit.

Then the guard with his pride-obviously hurt-he screamed, "Do you think we are so inferior to you?!". 

A few minutes of silence continued to play as the background drops of water falling were the symphony of this one-sided conversation. The guard was tall and frail. 

He had some badly crafted armor which was obviously made for him, but it definitely didn't do anything to make him look stronger or more frightening. He had a big nose and dark eyes. In his gaze, you could see only cruelty, egoism, and fear. 

The first impressions Andrey had was that this is a very badly abused and fallen to his knees person. The guard obviously wasn't in his right mind and often spoke nonsense and spilled words of how great he was. Andrey didn't reply to him. He wondered who he was being compared with and what armour was he talking about. Weapons? Andrey never even held an actual weapon his entire life.

 "Why aren't you speaking?!" the raging guard continued "Maybe you think that I, Cowarde Cruelty, am inferior to you? I'm not worth your tongue moving?!".

 "Calm down." A deep manly voice was heard as the sound of heavy footsteps followed. 

"I'm going to interrogate him. Get outta here!" following those words, the guard just went somewhere without even saying anything. He just obeyed the order.

The man now standing next to the cell had a very wise look. It was Nyadzel. His age was about forty. He carried a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. The long curly brown hair and beard made him look even a bit older, but also very mature. He had black eyes and a piercing gaze – such as if his eyes spoke by themselves. These were the eyes that would always as if speak of Nyadzel's intentions. In this case, those intentions definitely didn't look too good.

"I am Nyadzel Alastair!" proudly he announced identifying himself as he went inside the cell, then he continued, "I don't know how you reached those lands where I found you, but you deserve praise! It's really rare that somebody goes deep in these deserts and when he does, he usually dies. You are lucky I found you, but this doesn't change the fact why I'm here–you're a spy."

A few seconds of silence were introduced just to set the fearsome atmosphere and then Nyadzel continued, "If you don't speak now, don't worry. You look young, there is time for you to start speaking." He said in a slow, very deep voice.

 Finally, the words of the young one spilled out his mouth "What will you interrogate me for?! I don't even know where I am or what I'm supposed to do here! What is this place and what deserts are you even speaking of?". Andrey said all this with an obvious panic and complete insecurity. The boy had seemed calm, but actually he was as if in hell with questions till now. "Calm down!" yelled out Nyadzel and pierced Andrey's eyes as he noticed his strange behavior. 

"Tell me your name. Where do you come from?". These were the questions Andrey confidently answered "Makiya. My name is Andrey Makiya. And I am from..." he stopped talking and lowered his head towards the floor. "From Oirtear?" Nyadzel asked. "What's an Oirtear?" Andrey quickly asked back with obvious confusion. A few moments of silence were introduced and the falling water filled the background stage again. 

"I get it. I guess you don't mean to talk a lot now. No point wasting my time. There will be a moment when you want to speak" said Nyadzel, locking up the cell. After the echo of the keyholder, you could hear the many keys ringing along with the noise from the warrior's armor as he took each step. 

While the steps faded away, the lonely melody of water drops filled Andrey's mind. He fell into the darkness of the shadows and he tried to answer all the questions in his head. He didn't know what had happened and how he got here. He could remember only one thing – images of strong winds and a desert. That's just it. 

Not long afterward, steps were heard again. It was Cowarde. He sat down next to the cell bars and revealed his broken, ugly teeth with a cruel smile. "It looks like you will be hanging around for a while" he said, narrowing his eyebrows. Andrey looked at his annoying guard and he kept his silence. Then the annoying man continued "In the beginning, we might be gentle with you, but if you don't start speaking soon you will start to feel hunger, thirst- " he started to speak in a darker and a bit lunatic voice "I will give you food and water just so you can survive because THEY said you might say something. I can't believe we are at war with crap like you. If I could I would cut you down right now with this blade!" proudly Cowarde pulled out his sword from its sheath and then his whole image faded into the darkness with only laughter, hardly withheld behind his ugly teeth, being heard.

Andrey didn't know if it was night or day. Every drop he could hear was just like a watch. As if time had stopped, but also didn't. The cycle was the same with no difference as if it was an endless loop. He knew he could breathe; he knew he could think; he was certain of one thing–he existed, but... Who was he? Why does he know only his own name? He repeated these questions and never managed to satisfy his desire to know. 

It wasn't just once that Nyadzel had come to interrogate him, but Andrey just couldn't tell him anything. If not to answer Nyadzel, then at least answer those questions for himself. Another day when Nyadzel was coming to fulfill his duty had come. This time not only the warrior's but also gentle light footsteps were noticed. Of someone who as if was wearing slippers. The so repetitive sound of footsteps had arrived and the warrior once more opened the cell.

 "There he is! That's him, " Nyadzel said and pointed at Andrey with his head. After the echo of the deep voice dispersed in this huge dungeon-like prison, out of the shadows came out the figure of a person, whose face was hidden by the shadow of the dark blue cloak. After the mystery-cloak got closer to Andrey he noticed it's a woman with curly brown hair a bit beneath the shoulders-length and white hair-locks giving off a beautiful sight for the eyes. 

Coming closer to him–her face revealed itself. Young, soft, gentle, with dark tattoos starting a bit below her eyes and continued down towards her neck where they hid behind her clothes. "Give me your hand" she requested with a melodic voice. Andrey did so without uttering a word, slightly stunned by her beauty and unusual looks, but also curious what she would want with him.

 A handshake? No, it couldn't be that. She reached out her hand towards him and a part of her sleeve rolled up revealing even more beautiful black tattoos, which as if were coming from her face and reached out to her wrist. Andrey figured out she's special, she's not just a woman or a warrior. 

After touching their hands, Andrey felt a slight breeze, some kind of wind. Cold, yet warm. He felt refreshed. Her cloak pushed back from those elemental events and revealed her deep blue eyes, which constantly became brighter. 

She was piercing his eyes with hers and as if she was watching a movie. She was gaining knowledge–she was "seeing things". Her tattoos started extending as if they were alive. Tattoos around her eyes were wider and the ones which reached her wrist now reached her fingertips. 

As if you were gazing at the beauty of nature spreading out–that's what her incredibly gentle and beautiful tattoos looked like now.  Andrey got struck by a strong headache from the visions he started receiving. He could see himself. Walking with people dressed in the same way he was. Like a school uniform. He was laughing with them. While the visions lasted, the woman squeezed his hand stronger. In those visions, he could hear screams, which burned his brain. 

Nyadzel didn't interfere, but he was curious and surprised. Andrey's eyes were closed and obviously he was in pain. In his vision, he saw himself opening a door, beneath which was only blue light. 

"Free him!" said confidently the blue-eyed woman and let go of the boy's hand as her tattoos were returning to their original positions and her eyes, which slightly emit blue light till now we're going dark blue again. 

"But why?" he asked, as he couldn't hide his curiosity by raising the tone of his voice and having a confused look on his face. "He's not a spy. He doesn't want to fight us." She answered quickly, saying the words she knew would be easily understood by a soldier. 

"I understand," said the warrior as he received a flashback from an hour earlier when the king told him that whatever she decides, that is what must happen. "Come." Said Nyadzel ,as he and the mysterious beauty started walking. Andrey followed them speechlessly. He looked like a ghost. 

As if not even a single thought was in his head. Outside his cell were big tunnels. There were many other cells, but there was no one in them. They were walking in this dark tunnel, made of gray bricks, at the end of which a light could be seen.