Period 1

February 13, 2018

{The Mages' Box}

{One}

The thick red and black ribbon tied into a neat bow in Zhi's nimble fingers. Even so, she pulled at the edges and adjusted the silk until it was perfect. Minty squirmed, unable to sit still. The large band of fabric covered her entire, tiny waist. The young girl wore a small, red dress that extended to just above her sock-covered ankles. Her chubby, tanned arms shown innocently with the short sleeves, and the hems of the dress were a midnight black. Thin gold strings shimmered when the light hit the fabric. Zhi pinned back her stepsister's curly brown hair with a gold and ruby hair clip and placed little red shoes on her feet. It was the perfect outfit for a young princess of Minteground on a such an occasion, the king's birthday.

"Zhi! What did I tell you about those shoes?" a sharp voice pierced the peaceful silence of the large room. Criss-crossing wooden planks created cubby holes and traditional lanterns hung from the ceiling. Zhi sat with Minty on a comfortable red mat in their formal wear.

Zhi's stepmother, Daisho Arisha Woxson, stalked up to the young girls. Her brown hair was curled into a bun with part of the soft locks hanging down her shoulders. A gold and red headdress sat on her head, and she adorned a long sleeved gown combining her own cultures and the Mintegroundian ones. A shimmering gold sash wrapped over her right shoulder, and the gold accents on her red dress and it's ridiculous ruffles were impossibly intricate. Arisha was a beautiful women with softly tanned skin, pink lips, full nose, and warm brown eyes. At least, they were warm when the lady talked to anyone but Zhi. The empress only scowled at her stepdaughter and squatted to pull the small shoes off her daughter's feet. Minty frowned.

"Mommy, what's wong?" the small child asked. Arisha smiled at her and gently placed shiny black shoes onto her feet.

"Nothing, Sweety, Zhi just got the wrong shoes."

Zhi glared.

"What?" Minty gasped. "But I wiked them!"

Arisha looked the silky shoes on her hands. "I suppose they don't look horrible, but they're too small and the soles are slippery. We can't have you falling, now can we?"

"No, falling is bad," Minty nodded. "It makes owies."

"Indeed," the lady smiled once again and picked her up. "Come on, let's go to the party!"

"Yay!" Minty laughed as Arisha carried her out of the room. Zhi just barely caught Arisha's cold glare, and her dark brows furrowed.

Honestly, Zhi thought angrily to herself. If she's going to live here she should at least accept our culture. Even if it's just shoes. The young girl stood, not even a meter and a half tall. Her red dress swallowed her small stature, the thick golden hems with traditional patterns covering her entire hands, fisted at the moment. A matching belt was tied around her waist, the ends hanging over the back of her legs. Little strings with knots on the end laid on the front of her dress from the belt. A semicircle headdress adorned her head, with circles and strings on the ends. Her long, straight black hair was pushed back and flowed silkily through the air.

Zhi thought that there was nothing wrong with the shoes she'd put on Minty; they practically matched the ones on her own feet.

She stalked out of the room, quickly straightening her posture as she did so. She was a princess, and could not show any sort of disrespect to anyone, especially her mother, no matter how much it pained her to do so.

Zhi quietly entered the main room, where the party was being hosted. Her thin brown eyes scanned the room, and they landed on her younger brother, who was dressed in yellows and greens. He waved at her and smiled.

"I'm so excited we're having a party," Kun exclaimed when she'd reached him. "The palace gets so lonely at times."

Zhi nodded and warmly grinned. She gently elbowed him, "My company isn't enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant!" he argued, pulling away. "You're just always so busy helping father and the farmers. And I can't play with any of the servants."

"Don't worry, I understand," she laughed and pulled out an intricate knot made of silky green string. She pressed it into her brother's palm. He grinned and held it up to the light.

"I can't believe you have time for this."

"When there's a will, there's a way," she folded her arms.

"My, such wisdom," a new voice announced. Zhi whipped around to find her father, Emperor Tung, standing behind her, smiling. He was dressed in elaborate robes of red, green, and gold. A crown-like piece shimmered on his head. His almond shaped eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, showing that he'd had a long lifetime of smiling. And today they were there to celebrate another year of such a face.

"Happy Birthday, Papa!" Zhi said and wrapped him in the biggest hug she could give. Kun joined her, and Tung laughed. They only stood like that for a few moments, as they were in public and supposed to be proper. Zhi pulled another knot from her belt, this one gold, and presented it to her father. He smiled from ear to ear as he took the handmade gift. It was flat and loopy, braided and straight. One of her best knots yet.

"The talent of your small fingers never ceases to amaze me, Zhi," he hooked the top of the knot to a place on his right shoulder, visible by all. Pride filled her eleven year-old heart.

"Look, look! Zi Zi made me one to!" Kun showed their father and he nodded, acknowledging its beauty. Tung turned around as Arisha walked up to them, Minty still in her arms. The lady set her child down and embraced her husband. Zhi looked away, her eye twitching in disgust. Minty and Kun joined their parents in the hug.

Arisha pulled away. "Now then, shall we get this party started?"

Minty and Kun jumped for joy as the servants pulled the large, decorated palace doors open to let the townspeople in. Zhi sucked in a small breath, hoping she was prepared for the swarm of people entering her home. But soon they nearly filled the entire room, their loud chatter swallowing the airy space of the high ceiling. Zhi breathed calmly and began to greet the guests. Small talk had never really been her forte, but as a princess who cared deeply about her people, she'd forced herself to learn the skill.

But her conversations usually just ended up about crops. That was really the only thing she knew to talk to them about.

"My, my, you're looking quite fine today, Miss Zhi," a lady said to the young girl. She whipped around as gracefully as possible and smiled.

"Why thank you," she said. "You are looking rather nice as well."

The lady