Pathfinder (1)

"How fortunate that Ovye prohibited Edewor from accompanying him to the Eunuchs' garden," Eunuch Iroro commented. "There might have been no end to his insults tonight."

Aslan was silent as they walked the dark corridors of the vacant queen's palace. He had not uttered a single word since leaving the Eunuchs' garden in the Outer Palace, but his expression grew increasingly severe.

Seeing this, Eunuch Iroro ventured, "Ovye's shock must be greater than I thought. He has never faced such rejection."

"Iroro," Aslan's tone was dark, "we are in no mood for jests."

Eunuch Iroro bowed his head. "Forgive me."

Eunuch Iroro was right; Emeravwe's response had shocked him. But it was not this alone that caused Aslan's mood to sour. It upset him that she wanted to approach him with shallow intentions, but what right did he have to feel this way? Even if she asked him to give up his throne, he could hardly refuse her.

Long before she entered the Sun's Court and became his responsibility, he swore to give her his heart and grant her whatever hers desired. Now, more than ever, it was her prerogative to demand of him whatever she might. He was much indebted to her, and nothing he did could ever repay that debt.

But even so, he did not want their relationship to be so quid pro quo.

In truth, he had always taken their relationship for granted. As a promise; as his duty. But now, things were different.

Now, he wanted to be more than just a friend she leaned on, or a means for her to rise up the ranks.

"If I may ask, why did Ovye tell Lady Emeravwe that he is the Onóturode's son?" Eunuch Iroro questioned. "Did Ovye hope—"

"We were wrong!" Aslan interjected, berating himself rather than answering Eunuch Iroro. "We should not have mentioned the Onóturode. It is too soon."

If she learns the truth… When she learns the truth, I may not be able to keep her by my side.

****

Emeravwe thought a lot about Aslan after that night.

Granted, she often thought of him as he was one of her only two friends in the palace. But now, she thought of him differently.

She noticed long ago that he was not like other eunuchs she encountered in the Outer Palace; most of whom were slight of build and had boyish voices. Aslan, though, had grown quite a bit since she met him. His shoulders had broadened and his voice, too, had deepened. She did not know what to make of these changes in him as they grew up. She thought simply that perhaps different eunuchs developed differently—she dared not pry into the details of a Eunuch's body.

Now, however, she thought perhaps he was different because, like her, he was not always meant to serve in the palace. He was a valued child, and not meant to be a Eunuch.

But he is a Eunuch, she thought, and I am a Maiden.

Having lived her whole life among gossiping palace Maidens, Emeravwe knew that eunuchs were not wholly men. She had heard that though high-ranking Eunuchs were allowed to retire from the palace and granted partners if they wished, they could never have children.

But Emeravwe did not care about this. Whether he was physically a eunuch had never affected the way she regarded Aslan. All she knew was that he was titled a Eunuch, and she was a Maiden, and relationships between Eunuchs and Maidens were strictly prohibited.

Moreover, though she looked up to Aslan and depended on him through the years, she had never considered their relationship in such a way. And she would not.

Being in a relationship with Aslan could not help her escape the life of a palace Maiden. Rather, it would cause her to be shamefully thrown from the palace. And as a nameless—homeless—disgraced former Maiden, her life would doubtless become more difficult than it already was.

Emeravwe decided to focus only on the king. He was the only person with whom a Maiden could legitimately have a relationship, since he could be with whomever he pleased. This, more importantly, was also the only way she would be free of an anonymous life of servitude.

It all, however, depended on her ability to attract the king, and whether she could do so depended on if she was ever able to see him.

As a lowly Omote in the Bureau of Halls and Chambers, Emeravwe knew there was no way on earth she could ever meet the king. Not unless Oghene performed a miracle in her life. But since miracles did not seem immediately forthcoming, she concluded she would have to find her own way. She could think of no other way to meet the king except to gain access to the Inner Palace.

The only departments that employed Maidens in the Inner Palace were the Department of the Royal Kitchens and Department of Court Ladies. The Maidens of the Royal Kitchens, though, were trained in culinary arts since they entered the palace. Maidens of the Department of Court Ladies, on the other hand, were chosen based on familial background and connections. Emeravwe could neither cook nor had any family background to speak of. Thus, she quickly ruled out the Royal Kitchens and Department of Court Ladies as possible places of employment.

She confessed her intention to change departments to Akpokene, telling her only that she could no longer withstand the Bureau of Halls and Chambers. Akpokene shared her sentiments, as Emeravwe knew she would. She revealed that she had also been looking into other departments she could transfer to. Like Emeravwe, she lacked the familial background and connections to enter the departments in the Inner Palace. (Her father was only a provincial magistrate and her mother a Wuhwuh.) But, in her search, she had also ruled out the Department of Ceremonies and the Weavers' Department. This was because, like the Department of the Royal Kitchens, they required specialized skills.

Together, they continued their inquiry.

They sat with Maidens who worked in different bureaus when they dined in the Hall of Abundant Blessings; they asked about their various duties and listened in on conversations. After several months of such inquiry, Emeravwe and Akpokene's search proved unproductive.

Still, she refused to give up! There was surely a department that would enable her to meet the king!