Jacob and Maria continued wading through the crowd of people until they finally stumbled upon the dark shack they were looking for. It was hidden on the outskirts of the kingdom right next to a colossal stone wall.
When they entered the shaded building, there was a scent of strange oils that perforated the air. It was dimly lit inside and the walls made them feel cramped.
The old woman behind the counter stopped her hands on whatever she was working on and looked over at the young prince.
"Young lord. What a surprise to see you today. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The prince walked up to the counter to greet the woman.
"Hey Vera, I'm just looking around today to see what you have."
The old woman smiled brightly.
"If you need any suggestions let me know. I'll even give you the royal discount!"
"You mean free?"
"Why of course my lord!"
"Sorry, but I think my dad wants to do anything in his power to keep you from retiring, so no discounts today please."
"Ah yes, I'm very happy to hear the king loves my work! I'll stay in business as long as you need young lord."
Walking through the store, Maria split from Jacob to look at charms that she thought looked useful. Meanwhile, Jacob skimmed the dusty shelves looking for an item that he may find to make him stronger.
Each item on the shelves had a tag with the name of the item, its description and a price. Some of them even had warning labels and other information you needed to know in case a charm had a cooldown or a one-time use.
Jacob pulled one off the shelf and studied it carefully. It was a bracelet with bright green gems surrounding its center. He picked up the tag and read it.
Item: Ring of Sol
Description: Increases growth rate of organic life during the day.
'Hmm. This was probably made for the Rose family, but they never needed it.'
Jacob put it back and kept searching. Eventually, he found a thin silver necklace donned with a magenta-colored stone that hung off its center. He read the tag once more.
Item: Tyrants Necklace
Description: Your voice can be heard for miles.
'So... just a fancy way to yell. I'll pass.'
Jacob was starting to give up hope when suddenly, a blue glint caught his eye. He walked over to investigate where the light had come from. Moving around some other enchantments, he saw it. A gold bracelet shimmering with thousands of tiny blue crystals.
Item: Azure Blessing
Description: Allows the wearer to breathe underwater.
Jacob pulled the item close to himself. He could feel power emanating from the blue gems as they glowed.
'Just in case.'
Jacob took his prize up to the counter. He saw Maria carrying something as well. It was a pair of earrings with a light crimson hue in their metal. They were circular in shape, but so small they were hardly noticeable.
Item: Ravenous Wrath
Description: The hungrier the wearer is, the stronger they are.
'Not extremely powerful, but very useful if we ever find ourselves in a situation where we need to ration our food.'
Jacob handed the woman on the counter a large pouch of gold.
"Always a pleasure doing business with you, young lord. Please come back whenever you need."
"Thank you Vera, I'll tell my dad you said hello."
With that, Jacob and Maria left the gloomy hut. Jacob starts reflecting on everything they have been through together.
"Hey, Maria."
"What is it my lord?"
"Where exactly are you from? I know you're a palace servant, but I feel like I've only seen you in recent years around the palace."
Maria's face seemed to sadden a bit.
"Believe it or not my lord, I always have been a palace servant. And we have indeed crossed paths multiple times already."
The prince was shocked to hear about this.
"We have? Under what circumstances?"
"Punishment."
The princes heart dropped a bit.
"Punishment for what?"
"For my existence."
Jacob's curiosity spiked and an anger started to swell in his gut.
"What? What do you mean you were punished for existing?"
"It's a long story my lord."
"I will listen."
Maria sighed and began to speak.
"My parents worked for your father, but they were not allowed to bear children under his authority in the palace. However, my mom accidently got pregnant with me, so they decided to hide the truth from the king for as long as possible. One day, the king noticed my mother's round belly and questioned her what the meaning of it was. My mom couldn't lie to him. She told him the full truth."
Jacob felt his face growing hotter with resentment the more the story went on.
"The king didn't punish my parents initially. He told them that their punishment was waiting for them long in the future. When I was finally born, my mother was disgusted by me. She blamed me for the punishment she was going to receive. She resented me, her own child, for existing. Growing up, they enforced rules above everything. Whatever the king said, I had to do. No questions allowed."
Maria stared at Jacob, her emerald eyes shimmering in the sunlight.
"She taught me how to fight, in a way. Actually... It was more of me learning how to defend myself from what my mother and father would do to me. Eventually, the king decided it was their time to be punished. They brought me to a room with no windows, my parents helplessly tied up and blindfolded pleading for their lives. Their final words before being beheaded were denouncing me as their kin."
Jacob's anger was screaming inside him. How could his father let such terrible things happen to a little girl? Maria could see how upset Jacob was getting and quickly continued.
"That's not the full story though. Later on, I learned the king wasn't punishing them that severely for having me. He discovered how they were mistreating me behind closed doors and intervened. Their original punishment was supposed to be a lot less severe."
She sighed and continued.
"After everything happened, the king himself came up to me and apologized. He said he wished he could have helped sooner. He also told me I don't need to worry about being their kid, because I was already a child of Iron Kingdom. It may seem silly, but that really meant a lot to me. The king gave me a purpose; he showed me I wasn't a mistake. Even though I would make mistakes all the time, he never banished me from the palace. Therefore, I decided to dedicate my life to serving him. That's when I met you, my lord."
Jacob's eyes widened, but a burning fire still hid behind them.
"During one of my punishments for making a mistake, I saw you walking with your father. Your body was severely beaten; you had cuts all over your face and you limped as you walked. But nevertheless, I could tell from one look we were similar. I knew where you got those injuries, who you got them from, I knew how you must've felt, perhaps you've always had even more pressure than I could have ever imagined. To bear the weight of an entire kingdom, to live up to a legacy, it all seemed hopeless to me. Yet, you never once gave up. No matter how beaten or bloodied I saw you, that same look of determination was always stuck on your face. That was the moment I decided that following you was my new purpose."
Maria embarrassingly looked away.
"I would purposely ask for jobs that I knew you would be close to. I saw you train a lot; the hard work you would put in was inspiring. I wanted to make sure that following you was the right choice. After years of seeing your progress, you earned my undying faith fair and square."
Jacob looked at her, seemingly on the verge of tears.
"But... I don't get it. I never treated you well, I believed you to be inferior, I thought you were nothing but trash. Why? Why me? What was so special about me?"
Maria grabbed his shoulders and lifted his head.
"Because we are the same. If I was in your situation, there is no doubt I would harbor those same feelings that were indoctrinated on to me through immense pressure to be the best person you can be. Isn't that only human?"
"What kind of human am I to treat those below me with such vulgarity? I just wanted to show my father I am not weak. What kind of royalty talks to peasants like they're equals?"
"Being vulnerable is not being weak. If anything, it only strengthens trust in any sort of relationship. And who says you need to be the same as those other nobles? You are your own person; you deserve to feel comfortable in your own skin."
Jacob wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
"Why... why are you sharing this with me?"
Maria sighed, still holding his shoulders and smiled.
"I feel like I owe you an explanation for throwing you over my shoulder. Sorry about that again my lord, my instincts just kind of kicked in."
Jacob took her hands off his shoulders and patted her left arm with a smile.
"Please, call me Jacob."
Maria smiled for a moment but then looked a bit wistful.
"Is it okay if I show you something?"
Jacob seemed a little surprised but answered immediately.
"Certainly. We have time left before we must go back to the palace."
With that, Maria and Jacob started walking toward the kingdom's gates. Jacob put on his bracelet while Maria attached her earrings. Jacob looked at her and chuckled.
"Those earrings really suit your style."
Maria blushed a little and looked away. The prince started to panic, thinking he said something inappropriate.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's just... I'm not used to you saying such nice words is all."
Jacob smiled and looked forward with determination.
"Then it seems like it's time to start building that new legacy."