[Tamorjin] The Servant's Quarters

Not long after the princess' departure, which was unknown to the khan until several of her maids reported her absence and the letter to explain it, one of the Hamjilga came to round up her servants and distribute them.

The Hamjilga in question was Yaling, who was known for her beauty, refinement, and grace. She moved through the vast halls of the palace like a ghost, her footfalls soft, pink dress billowing around her like whisps. Her skin reflected like pearls, glowy and pale, while her plump lips showed starkly against it with a vibrant rouge. Her hair was pulled up in intricate braids stuck in place with long pins.

Usually, a servant never dressed so elegantly, but Yaling had an unspoken title above that of a typical noble's slave. When she asked something of another slave, they would not hesitate to do it. If they tried, punishments were delivered. Whispers floated out through the court about how she shared the Khan's bed and kept him wound around her finger, but no such rumors were ever confirmed. One thing was in agreement with all the slaves, however:

Yaling was a spoilt, uncompromising cur, and absolutely no one loved her.

When she came to retrieve Kalina, she did so with nary a call. She lifted a hand to point to the young spider-kin and then beckoned her to follow. If she did not, she was dragged.

They traveled through the halls and into the servant's quarter, slightly less luxurious than what Kalina was used to but by no means gritty or unclean. The Hamjilga took her to the courtyard, where a large pole stuck to one of the buildings. A length of silk hung from it. Sitting atop this pole was a young lady wearing scraps, hair tossed about her shoulders in an oily, filthy mess, skin smeared with soot that didn't manage to hide the purple bruises. She was snarling, wild, madness swirling in her eyes as several other servants tried to get her down from her perch.

Yaling pointed to her.

"You will be making clothes for the new entertainer. She will be performing for the khan, so make sure you outfit her appropriately. Make the wild dog look like a lady, and later, I will make her act like one."

Without further ado, Yaling skimmed the ground until she found a palm-sized rock. Her sharp eyes locked onto the wild woman on the pole, and with a decent wind-up, she tossed the rock.

It hit the girl square in the ribs, shaking her grip until she fell to the ground. One servant, a son of Tamorbataar, caught her in his large hands as she cried out.

Yaling smiled.

"There you are. The slave will not be moving too much after that. You can do the measurements now."

Turning curtly, she left, not a sound following her.

As she neared the crumpled mess that they lowered to the ground, Kalina would see that this creature was, in fact, human. She was just a very filthy, frightened, beaten girl.

She wasn't so much older than Kali, and they were even the same height. One would imagine that some companionship could have come from such likeness, but the moment the girl opened her eyes and saw a brightly-colored human spider crawling toward her, she began to scream. The Man of the Mountain held her in place, but she began to wildly kick as she gazed in horror at Kali's many spindly legs.

The mountain man and the other servants turned to look at Kali, half of their expressions bemused, the other half glaring. With tired eyes riddled with creases in their corners, the mountain man spoke:

"Do you not know?" he asked, voice deep as a bell.

A field woman spoke up, hissing, "She belongs to the princess."

And it seemed the mountain man understood. "So you are the sheltered one," he told her. "You do not understand. Perhaps, in the following days, this will change."

He held the prisoner in place as they gagged her, trying to restrain her enough for Kalina to be able to take measurements.

"I am Temulun of the Khatagin. What is your name?"