chapter 9

          That day had turned to night. The peasants were able to go home to rest for the next day. Jaysa was lazily sitting at the kitchen table in the small shack while she watched her mother stir liquid in the pot.

          "So what happened to you today my dear?" Her mother questioned interested her daughter's day.

          "Nothing much," the teen started. "Oh, there was a boy that I met while sorting through my vegetables." She told her mother. "He was kind of weird though."

          "Why is that?" Jaysa's mother questioned as she continued stirring the thin soup.

          "It's because he was asleep in the oddest place. If the guards found him like that, he would have been in trouble. He should have at least said thank you." Her eyes turned sour as she remembered what else he had done. Her mother noticed the look on her face and asked if there is anything else that happened.

          "He ki… kissed me…" Jaysa's mother gave her daughter a sly smile.

          "Was he a bad kisser?" Her mother questioned.

          "What! Shouldn't you be saying something along the lines of 'oh dear, how could you?' Or 'I thought you were innocent?'" Jaysa waited for an answer from her mother. Jaysa heard her mother snicker before laughing out loud. Jaysa couldn't help but gawk at her mother. When the older woman calmed down she spoke.

          "My dear, you're at the age of something like this would happen eventually. So it wouldn't bother me that much." Jaysa stayed quiet for a moment then spoke up.

          "You're not like most mothers out there." A gentle smile appeared on the older woman's face.

            "Are you complimenting me? You are the same as well. You are very outspoken and frisky; proof was with the boy."

          "Mother, it was just a kiss and he pushed up onto me." Her mother laughed again.

        "Oh sure," her mother walked away from her daughter who turned bright red. "Oh speaking of that. Rumor going around was the guards were looking for someone."

"Who do you think it was?" Jaysa asked.

"What went around was the Prince." The comment caught her interest and she waited for her mother to continue. "They say that he ran away from the castle. So the guards were looking for him." Jaysa's mother stopped and glanced over at her daughter. "Maybe that boy that you found in the shack was the Prince." She ended it with a giggle. "So it seems that the Prince charming has found you, wait, more like you found your Prince charming."

"What are you talking about?" Jaysa squeaked out. Her tone soon turned serious. "Now that you mention it, he was wearing bright robes. I thought he was a Noble, but I've never seen Noble's wearing colors like that." Jaysa pause. "But he can't be the Prince." She spoke. "He was a brat and cried when I smacked him" Jaysa spoke.

"Oh dear, you smacked the poor boy."

"Hell yeah I did! He was ticking me off. He was talking to me about women not having rights and how I should watch my mouth. But I told him that it was him who should watch what he says." Jaysa spoke. Her voice was getting overtly excited with anger.

"Wow! Calm down dear. You're getting worked up over him. Are you sure you don't like him?" Jaysa's mother asked slightly.

"No, no I don't." Jaysa said. "I would never like a brat like him. I don't care if he was the Prince, a Noble, or whatever. He should learn how to speak to a female properly." She looked at her mother. "Instead of the villagers listening to all those rules, why don't we boycott the King or something? Like have everyone go –"

"Dear." Her mother cut in. "The village already tried that. The King retaliated by sending our men to war or worse public hanging." Her mother turned her eyes as she spoke.

"So that is why the men and women are scared the King and the Kings guards." Her mother just nodded.

"That is why we are hoping for the Prince to bring back peace to this tarnished world." Jaysa's mother spoke as she poured the soup into the cracked wooden bowls. Since they were so poor, the soup was watered down so the taste of the broth was bitter on their taste buds. Since they did not have much money for meat, they would have mostly vegetables in their soup. The items would fill their stomachs, but it wasn't always the best meal. Jaysa never complained. She knew what they were going through and how tough life really was. Jaysa watched her mother as she sat down in the chair across from her. Before she started to eat her mother spoke. "I understand where you're coming from, but there is nothing that we can do right now. We can only hope for a better future. Now, enough talk. We need to eat. We have to get up early tomorrow." Jaysa nodded.

            Both women ate in silence and cleaned the bowls with the bucket of water they keep nearby to wash the dishes. After putting away the dishes and wooden utensils, both women made their way into the room that was in the small shack. Her mother had little lantern lit so they could find their way around the small room because it did not have any windows. It did not bother them because they had privacy when they slept. Walking into the small room, both women changed out of the clothes they wore into the night gowns that stopped above their feet. The outfit was made out of old clothes from their past. The fabrics were made from light cotton that Jaysa would sew together. They did not have fancy beds but mats that lay on the floor. Her mother grabbed two huge comforters that were falling apart with holes and rips in the material. Jaysa knew they couldn't buy anything new for the house. Besides, it keeps her warm in the night if it gets cold at night. That was the only thing that mattered. While her mother received the blankets, Jaysa checked the cushions, making sure there were no spiders or any other types of bugs in the bed. She was lucky today was not one of these days. Jaysa's mother laid the blankets on the mats and both women crawled under the blankets to get warm. Both woman spoke their good nights. Jaysa's mother blew out the lantern they lit in the room, which made the area completely dark. Jaysa stared into the darkness, her mind stuck on the boy. She tried to push the thoughts out and forced herself to sleep, which she was able to after a few minutes.