30 On the Streets of Free Malaya

It was hard to describe the flying island of Malaya. Sure, it was beautiful. But, that wasn't all.

After we had landed onto the solid pavement, it was easy to imagine that we were simply back on normal ground. The magically controlled temperatures and air movement also contributed to the feeling that we weren't floating in air.

But, really, that's when all of the normality ended.

When they said that the Isle was "free", I hadn't really expected much. So, when we had entered into the bustling island center, I was simply caught unaware.

The colors were so different that it made me blink my eyes in confusion. From one corner, I could see the muted colors of the Empire, and in another I saw the vibrant hues from my own kingdom. But, there was more than just that. Clothes with such dark and heavy dyes fluttered all around me. Patterns of foreign origins. Designs that made me gasp for their ingenuity. Everything was new and weird and wonderful.

And the people!

Stuck in the Aerim Continent for all of my life, I had only encountered other races very rarely. Here, I saw huge men with the darkest of skins, much more darker than the pallor of the Empire's people. I saw skin as white as snow, and eyes of every possible color. I saw hair more untamed than mine, and I saw hides of straight orange locks.

Everything was dazzling. I could see all sorts of people, with all sorts of magic, and all sorts of cultures. And everything was gathered into one spot.

The Free Isle of Malaya.

"This is the kind of place I am at..." I muttered in awe, staring wide-eyed at the scene. I knew I probably looked disrespectful, and I even saw some people looking at me oddly, but I couldn't help but stare. Anyway, I would think they would forgive a six-year-old child's curiosity.

I felt a hand land on my shoulder. "Well, I am glad you seem to like it. I reckon we will be staying here for quite a while."

I stared at my mentor with expectant eyes. "Really? I thought we already sold off most of our wine. Can we hold off for long?"

Farseer smiled. "Do not worry. I have my own ways to keep my business going. Anyway, I am actually here to meet some people."

I smiled happily. Then, I saw my mentor look down on his other side. I looked over to see Janmira tugging at Farseer's sleeves. She was pointing at a wooden stand selling some sort of candy. "Jilapi," the ghost chanted reverently.

I flinched at the foreign word, wondering what she meant by that. My mentor laughed softly in reply. "You haven't had those in a long while, I suppose."

Janmira nodded with pink cheeks, looking almost like a child and not a ghostly apparition. "I've saved some pennies from the trip. I'll be right back."

She dashed forward, fiddling with a pouch that hung from her waist. My mentor clucked his tongue and shook his head of white hair. "I couldn't even stop her. Ah, how about you, Eleftherion? Would you like some sweets too?"

I was too shy to say that I was saving my money for more meaningful things, but before I could even complain, he had taken out a copper penny from his sleeves and gave it to me. "Go buy some for me too while you're at it. I haven't had southern delicacies in decades."

Seeing his flushed cheeks, I gladly obliged. I suppose even the elderly long for sweets just like children do. In my own childish body, I realized I had reacquired the sweet-tooth I had once had. Back at the palace, I had tried tasting my favorite sour-bitter teas from the Empire, but I had found it revolting in my current tastes. On the other hand, the milk and candied fruits I had detested as I grew older became treats for me now.

I stood beside Janmira as she shifted impatiently from foot to foot, her gray eyes trained on the circular, curled up sweets being submerged in oil. The seller was an older man with dark hair and grayish eyes. I stared at the girl beside me and then back at him. If I didn't know better, I could've mistaken the two as father and daughter.

I've never really thought about it, because people in the Kingdom of Saule can look very diverse, but I suppose Janmira could easily be accepted as a foreigner. More often are light colored hairs in the Kingdom, although they do come in varying colors and shades. My own dark brown hair was slightly unusual, probably because my father had been born of a foreign concubine of the last king. I've never thought much about it, but I really did look quite different from my golden-haired and blue-eyed brothers. They shined bright, but I contrasted well with my slightly darker skin and midnight blue eyes.

I wondered if Janmira really did come from another continent. Even her gray eyes were different.

"Here you go, misses." The man offered us the orange candies in little pouches. "Three orders of jilapi."

I paid for it after I had repeatedly refused to have Janmira pay for her own. Anyway, a copper penny was already enough to pay for three servings. Why should she pay separately?

We walked back to where Farseer was, now conversing with a local with bright red hair. The old man held an open parchment to the read head, probably asking for directions. While we were waiting for them to end their conversation, I started nibbling at the swirls of candy. My mouth started watering from the warm and sweet taste of the jilapi. Likewise, I saw Janmira slowly devouring her own portion. I worried that she might finish my mentor's own serving if their conversation continued to drag on.

I saw my own pouch getting smaller and smaller. I looked back at the stall owner, wondering if I should buy a second batch. But, then, I belatedly realized something.

'Didn't he call me a miss???' I thought.

In a state of sudden worry, I looked down at my clothes. I definitely looked like a boy. My hair was way shorter than a young girl's. I even recall shouting my order boyishly. Then, how did he know I was a girl?

I looked around the general direction, but found the stall gone. Disappeared. Simply vanished.

'What in the world?' I frantically searched for him.

"What's wrong, kid?" the ghost appeared behind me. I yelped, but realized I had no time to be scared of her. I grabbed for her hands, which surprisingly made her yelp herself. I asked her, "Do you see the candy stall? I don't see it anywhere."

She looked at me with confusion. "The jilapi stall? I recall it was..."

"Gone, right? I swear it was just there!" I shouted. "Is it really even possible for him to pack up and leave that fast?"

Janmira shook her head, but appeared way calmer than I did. "But why are you so flustered? Do you want to buy more? I can give you some of mine."

"No, no." I shook my hands in frustration. Then, I whispered to her, "He knew... My true identity. He knew I was a girl. Don't you recall?"

"Oh! Now that I think of it, he indeed called us 'misses'," she muttered. "But he probably only made a mistake. Don't be so bothered."

I took a deep breath. "I wouldn't have been so bothered if he hadn't so suddenly disappeared."

"Don't worry too much," she said, and surprised me by pushing me back to our mentor with her gloved hands. "This island is too weird for things to make sense. I wouldn't be surprised if something unusual happened in the next minute."

Fortunately, everything went smoothly in the next few minutes. After he had asked for directions, Farseer led us into a small restaurant so we could eat breakfast. I slightly chided him for allowing children under his tutelage to eat sweets before even eating their first meals, to which he only laughed at jovially. After a hearty, and unusually spicy, meal, we followed him into a long walk around the bright streets. We made too many twists and turns that I knew I would only be lost if I was left alone. Farseer seemed to know the area though, so I put my trust in him. But when early morning turned into noon, I started to worry.

"Mentor... You do know where we're going, right?" I asked, now realizing why he had been asking for directions for such a long time earlier. "We're not lost, are we?"

Janmira was silent but I knew she was also starting to think the same. Farseer waved the parchment around. "Oh, not to worry, not to worry. I have this map, and I have even confirmed the directions from that kind young man back there. I reckon we'll get there by early afternoon. It's just that this place can grow so different in such a short time. It seems like I have underestimated the rate of development of the Isle. I haven't been here for years..."

Although I knew he meant to reassure us, I only grew more worried. But, what was I to do? I held no map, and I certainly hadn't been here in the past few decades. I could only follow after him, ignoring the growling of initial hunger in my belly.

'Curse this," I thought, getting irritated by the long walk. 'I swear this little body grows hungry again almost right after every meal.'

"Alright, alright!" Farseer shouted in glee. It was already late afternoon, and I reckon the sun was still far from setting, but Malaya was already growing dark from being up so high. "I think we are here!"

I looked around. Everything seems like the normal streets I have been seeing for the past few hours. By normal, I mean nothing was normal at all. Each building was unique, not only from their colors and sizes, but also from their architecture and materials. Even the names of some stores (I assume they were stores) were written in various languages. Only a few were written in the writings that I knew.

"So, where are we exactly?" I asked, still staring around me. There was one particular building that managed to stand out. The building right in front of us. A wonderful piece of artwork, that is if you were a damsel, all mellow and sweet.

As though to answer my question, the doors of the light pink flower-shaped building flew open, and out came a scandalously dressed woman. "Elmar, darling! You've come!"