***

I let out a sigh as I walked around my small apartment. I had woken up a few minutes ago and I still wasn't fully awake yet. I'm not really a morning person, to be completely honest. It always took me a while to wake up fully and actually know what's going on around me. I walked over to the pan on the stove and checked my breakfast, bacon, and eggs, to see if it was done. It was almost there, but not yet.

When the food was finally done, I sprinkled some herbs on top of it. I smiled as I stared down at the beautiful food that I was about to eat, "That should do it," I got the food off of the stove when someone started knocking at the door, "Come on in!" I called out.

The landlady walked in with a tray of bread. She had a huge smile on her face, "Good morning, Emiko! Here, I have your fresh-baked bread."

I smiled at her as I plated my food, "That looks amazing!"

She walked inside and set it on my desk, "I'll leave it right here."

I grabbed the cureall that I made for her and walked over to her, "I got something here for you too."

She gasped and leaned forward to smell it, "There smalls so good. It looks like a cure-all."

"It will make your skin a lot smoother," I told her.

The landlady laughed and took it from me, "That'd be nice," She exclaimed. She made her way out of the apartment and I followed her to the door, "Do you enjoy living in Clarines so far?"

I nodded, "Absolutely. I've been meaning to look for a job. I might start today." I've been meaning to get one because without money, I wouldn't be able to live here or buy food. I needed food, okay? My life would be miserable without it. I also kind of need it to live so...

"Sounds like a smart plan. After all, if we wanna eat, we have to work, don't we?" I nodded with a smile, "Good luck! Have a great day!"

"You too!" I called out to her as she walked away. I closed my front door and went to eat my breakfast. I couldn't wait to see what today was going to have in store for me. Hopefully, I could find a job today.

***

It was still a little early when I left for job hunting. The streets were a little crowded, but it was something that I could handle. People were talking, kids were playing, everybody had bright smiles on their faces. It was like a breath of fresh air. I had a list of all of the available jobs with me. I sadly wasn't seeing anything that would suit me, though.

I read off the list of names out loud to myself, "A gardener. A painter. That might not be good for me. I suck at painting," The best I could do was a stick figure. "A carriage repair worker," I shook my head, "No, thank you. None of these seem right for me," I let out a sigh. I stopped in front of a store and looked up at it with a smile, "This one might be."

I walked inside. This store sold all kinds of herbs. It basically had me written all over it. Why chose one of the other jobs when this one suited me the best? I went up to the male pharmacist behind the counter and spoke to him. For some reason, he didn't seem all that convinced.

He had his arms crossed over his chest, "You're an herbalist."

I nodded with a small smile, "Yes, I was really wanting to work here."

The pharmacist stared at me with slight intensity, "Hmm... Unfortunately, we don't need anyone, now," He moved his glasses away from his eyes, "Besides, that hair." He inspected my purple hair closely.

The woman who worked here, most likely his wife, bumped him, "You can't judge someone just based on her looks, dear. What would our customers think if they heard you?" I just watched a little awkwardly.

"Yes, you're right," The male pharmacist said. I glanced at all of the herbs behind them. There were so many of them. It was like a paradise. Some of them were rare... Actually, most of them were rare. I wonder where they even found them. "Very sorry." He laughed.

I turned my gaze over to where the pharmacist's wife went. She was showing a young boy some herbs that she had gotten from one of the shelves. "Thank you for waiting," The pharmacist's wife said to the boy, "Is this closer to what you were wanting?"

I glanced at the pharmacist, "Is he a regular customer? That boy."

"Indeed," He confirmed, "He's still young, but he's already a very respected court herbalist."

I gasped quietly, "Seriously?" He looked so young. It was kind of hard to believe. You know what they say, though. Don't judge someone based on their looks.

The pharmacist leaned closer to whisper, "Yes, listen closely, not everyone knows this, but only the most knowledgeable, gifted, and skillful herbalists will ever be considered for a valued position working in the court. Clarines is a country with deep pockets, and they will assist talented people. If they're talented enough to do the job, that is."

I nodded, "Clarines is much more advanced than most kingdoms when it comes to medical studies."

The pharmacist pulled out a paper and held it out to me, "Here's the information on how you can become a court herbalist," I took the paper from him and studied it, "If you can successfully pass the annual test they offer, you'll be eligible to work in Wistal Castle as a new apprentice," He noticed the boy leaving as his wife came to his side, "Uh. Thank you! Please come back soon!" They both bowed to him as he walked out of the shop and into a carriage. The pharmacist went back to me, "If you're truly interested, then I think you should try taking the exam. But, be warned it is rather difficult." I smiled to myself, nothing's too difficult for Emiko Amari.

***

I walked up to the front gates of the castle. I was trying to talk to Kiki or Mitsuhide so they can tell Zen I'm leaving for a bit. Zen told me to tell him whenever I would be leaving the capitol so that's what I'm here to do. Two guards with spears stood on either side of the gate. They wore white and gray uniforms.

As I walked closer to the gate, the nearest guard noticed me. He moved to face me, "You, there!" The guard suddenly calling out to me caught the other guard's attention. He looked over to see what the commotion was.

I stopped in my tracks and smiled politely at them, "Hi, I'm here to see Kiki or Mitsuhide from the royal guards."

The first guard hummed as he looked me over. The other one popped out from behind him with a look of surprise, "That's her!" He exclaimed. He moved to stand in front of me and pointed a finger at me, "It is. You're that girl!"

The first guard pulled the other back, "My apologies, miss. We've only just been informed that you're a guest of Prince Zen's."

"Emiko!" I heard a voice say. I looked to the source of the voice. Zen was currently climbing over the fence behind the guards. The guards immediately straightened up and addressed the Clarines prince.

He jumped over the fence and walked over to me. I smiled at him, "And why were you outside of the castle?"

Zen smiled back at me, "I needed some exercise. Can't risk getting outta shape doing all that paperwork." The guards looked between the both of us as we conversed.

I gave him an amused stare, "So you snuck out to avoid doing your work?"

He chuckled a little, "You caught me," I nodded to myself. It seemed like a Zen thing to do, "It was also an excuse to see you again. And now, I have." We stared into each other's eyes for a moment. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. It sucked being so short sometimes.

"Prince Zen!" Mitsuhide's voice broke through the small moment of silence, "Where are you?"

Zen ignored the voice and looked back to me, "So, what're you doin' here? I assume it's for something specific?"

I nodded in confirmation, "Uh, yeah. You wanted me to let you know when I was going to leave the capital."

Before I could say anything else, Zen started leading me away, "Great, let's go! We'll leave now!" He ran a little ahead before turning back to the guards, "Do me a favor, boys, tell Mitsuhide I had to run an errand."

"Sir! Yessir!" The guards said.

I turned back to the guards for a moment to say, "Well, bye." I bowed to them and they did the same. I ran after Zen and I could still hear Mitsuhide calling out to the prince. I laughed a little in amusement.

***

Zen and I were sitting in a wagon with a few other people. We were currently riding down a dirt road that was in the countryside. I had my notepad with me and I was writing a few things down. Zen would glance over to see what I was writing every once in a while. Something I was writing caught his attention, "Mount Koto?" He questioned. I nodded, "That's the mountain beyond the ocean. What precisely are you looking for there?"

I explained to him while I continued writing, "There are many medicinal herbs that are native to the area. I was wanting to stock up on them and study more about medicine, so the town pharmacist told me of a few good places, this was one of them he said was really good." We had a ten-minute conversation about it actually. That pharmacist really doesn't know how to stop talking. I was happy that he told me about these places, though.

Zen seemed confused, "Why do you still need to study? Aren't you already an herbalist?"

I stopped writing and turned to him, "I am, but I want to learn more so I can get better. I want to know everything that I can." You can't just stop when you think you know everything. You got to keep learning because you will never know enough.

Zen smiled, "Great. Then why don't you come with me to the forest tomorrow?"

"Really?" I inquired. He responded with a yes, "Thanks," I told him, "Clarines is a really nice place," He questioned me, "It's just so charming and peaceful." Tanbarun was always a little loud, but Clarines was just so peaceful. I've always wanted to live in a place like this.

"It's a pretty purple," A heard a young voice say. I looked to see the little boy sitting across from me, talking with his mom, "Mommy, Mommy! Can you tell me why is it so purple?" He pointed to my purple hair, "Look at that lady's hair! See how purple? How come? Why?"

His mother shushed him, "Stop bothering her. Be quiet and eat your food. That's enough, now!" The boy looked down with a sad expression on his face.

I leaned forward making the boy perk up, "Looks like a grape, right?"

He hummed with a smile, "Wanna eat it! Mommy, mommy!" He turned to his mother, "Grapes! I want to eat grapes now! Let's go eat some! Yay!" I started to panic slightly because I wasn't expecting him to freak out like that. Zen laughed at the boy and the expression on my face, "All the grapes!" Everyone on the wagon was now laughing at the boy's reaction. I joined in, as well.

***

We ended up at the docks. A ship here was actually going to be stopping by where I needed to go so I was going to go by ship. There was a marketplace by the docks so people were selling stuff all around me. There were so many shops and they all sold many different things. My eyes were wide, "It's so diverse here!"

"Because it's a hub for folk from various countries," Zen explained, "All kinds of cultures blend here."

"Well, Prince Zen!" A voice said nearby. A wine seller stood there with barrels on a cart behind him. Another guy was pushing the cart. They both stopped beside us, "Greetings. Just got a shipment of new wine in. You interested?"

"Not today," Zen responded, "Some other time, though." 

"Yes, sir." The wine seller and the other man moved on.

I looked at Zen, "Who is he?"

Zen was glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, "A wine merchant I met in town a while ago. Since then, I purchase his wares for my soldiers."

"Oh," I said. I followed him out onto the pier, "Zen, why do you keep leaving the castle? If Prince Raji wanted something, he would order his servants to get it for him. When they don't bring him what he wants, he supposedly throws tantrums. The entire kingdom thinks it's ridiculous." It honestly was. He was way too old to be throwing any kind of tantrum.

"I can understand why," Zen agreed, "Before, when we were talking on the way here,  you said that you thought this country was charming," I hummed, "I think so, too. I'm still learning. I feel like there must be mountains of charm I have yet to discover. And so, I want to know everything about it. I want to keep learning."

I moved so that I was standing beside him, "You need good herbs to make good medicines. For you to have good herbs, you need good land. I want to find out more about this land, too. And all the herbs that grow here. I daresay, you and I are somewhat alike." A bell rang and a boatman called out for the final call. I looked from the boat to Zen, "That's my cue." I ran to the boat with Zen following behind me.

"Everyone on board!" The boatman called out again.

I got on the ship along with everyone else who was going. Zen stood on the land with a crowd around him. The crowd was yelling at their loved ones and they were yelling back. The boat was slowly leaving the docks.

Zen called out to me before I was too far away, "I hope you find some useful herbs!"

I smiled brightly, "Thanks! I'll be back before sundown!" I waved at him and he waved back. I stopped waving when he was no longer visible. This is going to be a lot of fun.