Akuban Knights: Flashback Episode - Maya: Maya's Mother's Ministrations

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==Recap==
===Year 1507===
Princess Maya Haraziem is aged 14 or 15, child of King Haraziem and Iris the Concubine. Maya is in a open courtyard of the seraglio of the Royal Palace with her mother and the other concubines in Sandashar, Akuba. Iris thinks the needlepoint and flower arranging that Maya has been doing is worthless, and she needs to develop other skills in order to advance herself.
Iris talks about having to plan for the future, as King Haraziem is old, and after he dies she will has no place as a Concubine anymore. Maya is their insurance policy for their future. Iris says she has a friend, Willis, who can help train Maya in the art of espionage. Willis comes over, dressed as a messenger. After introductions, Maya leaves with Willis.
Willis tries to lead Maya out of the castle, but the guards insist that the princess have an armed escort. While the guards are gathering an escort, Willis says Maya's first test is to lose the guards, then meet Willis at the Guilded Monkey tavern.
While walking down the street, Maya uses distractions to divert her guards attention. She starts to flee into the crowd, but one guard follows. Maya loses the guard in the thick crowd. Maya finds a Monk's Robes and wears them.
Maya then heads towards the Guilded Monkey. She is accosted by a drunk man in an allyway, asking for a handout. Maya flicks a gold coin on the ground. While the drunk is picking up the coin, Maya slips past.
Maya arrives at the Guilded Monkey with her hood still up. Willis is there with 2 Guards, looking around for Maya. Maya goes to the bartender and orders some drinks for the guards and Willis and has the drinks delivered to them. After getting the drinks the guards and Willis rush over. The guard says her father, King Harazeim, was alerted she had gone missing. Maya gives her apologises to the guards, and goes along with them back to the palace.
Back at the Palace, Maya meets with her father and gives her apologises. Maya plays her father like a fiddle and he forgives her in short order. He King also insists he considers Maya a true daughter of his, no matter who her mother is. The King promises to have dinner with Maya more.
Maya meets up with her mother. Iris find the results of today's test agreeable. Iris makes plans for the dinner tonight to test Maya again. Maya is to steal the Black Pearl out of Queen Adrina's hairbun attached to a hairnet. Maya reluctantly agrees to do the test.
Maya head out to the shops with some guards. She gets a prop Black Pearl among other jewellery. Back at the Palace, Maya collects a small razor blade, and breaks the length of it so be smaller.
Maya & Iris then attend dinner with King Haraziem, Queen Adrina, Princess Sara & Prince Sami. At one point at Dinner, Maya makes an excuses to temporarily leave the table and walks past Queen Adrina. She cuts the black pearl off the hairnet, then drops the fake pearl. Maya's acting however fails to convince the Queen it was an accident. Maya manages to swap out the real pearl for the fake pearl however.
After dinner, Iris talks with Maya about the failure, and Maya says she will do better next time. Iris says next time they have dinner with the King and Queen, Maya will have to try again to steal something and get away with it better. In the meanwhile Willis will give Maya a new mission.
After Iris is dine with Willis, Willis comes to Maya and explains their mission is to help Maya be more charming. They will be leaving the palace, but he needs Maya to be disguised as a commoner.
They leave the palace out a sally-port, Willis coats Maya in some Coal Dust. Willis then takes Maya down to the docks. Willis indicates a ship in port named The Sleeping Dragon. Maya's mission is to charm her way onto the ship's deck. There is a guard at the base of the gangplank and a guard on the deck.
Maya cleans herself up a little, and gives herself the scent of alcohol. Maya goes up to the gangplank and talks with the guard and convinces him she is a fan of ships and wants to have aw look around. The guard gives Maya a quick tour around the deck. Maya returns to Willis afterwards.
Maya's next mission from Willis is to go inside the bar that doesn't serve minors and get him a drink. Maya uses some of Willis's Coal Dust to disguise herself as a old lady, and goes inside the bar. Maya has no trouble buying the drink and returning to Willis. 
The next test is for Maya to get out of trouble. Willis throws manure at a guard and hides, making it look like Maya threw it. Maya, still disguised as a Old Lady, talks here way out of trouble with the guards, blaming a young boy. After the guards turn to leave, Willis throws more manure at the guards. Maya instantly blames Willis before he can hide. Willis tries to blow Maya's cover as a old lady, but slips over and falls in some manure. Maya concocts a cover story about Willis being "Jimmy" a drunk and will take him home to his mother for punishment. The guards are confused, but accept the story.
When they are alive, Willis is impressed that Maya smooth talked herself and Willis out of trouble. He gives Maya a locked box and some lockpicks. He explains how to lockpick properly. Willis also gives some pointers on pressure mounts in the body that are good to target with a dagger.
Maya returns to the palace. Maya spends 2 hours to pick the lock. Inside the box is a small chisel and a hammer. The next morning Maya cleans off all the gunk. Maya then borrows a stag beetle from a friend, Patricia, and puts it in the box and locks it again.
Maya meets with Willis in the seraglio's gardens. Maya pretends that she was unable to unlock the box. Willis gives Maya a lesson on picking locks. Willis opens the box and finds the stag beetle inside and Maya giggles over it. Maya then returns the stag beetle Patricia.
Willis says the next test is to move unheard and unseen. She has to break someone out of the cell in the Sheriff's Office. Maya tries to blackmail Willis in to getting out of this test, since he has been seeing Iris, a King's Concubines. Willis changes the mission to go into the guardhouse, steal something of interest, and get out.
Maya leave the palace into Sandashar, buys some grey clothes, and stakes out the Guardhouse. The guardhouse is a 3-storey building. Maya waits until it is dark, then climbs up an adjoining building. Maya then climbs to the roof of the guardhouse. She finds the hatch on the roof is locked.
Maya climbs down the side of the building and eavesdrops on 2 female guards. They are talking about a plan is to go to a boat where a man is on watch. They are going to meet at midnight "with the girl". Whatever they are planning, if they are caught they could face death. Someone is always be in weird places, so it should be fine. The plan will work if the Priestess isn't present, which will leave the Princess open. 
Maya concludes the guards are going to be involved with an abduction of herself or Princess Sara. Sara is being trained by a Priestess in town to learn to use her divine gifts. Maya waits until the guard goes to sleep, then sneaks into the room.
Maya steals some underwear, then pulls a knife to the sleeping guard's throat and covers the guards mouth and wakes her up. Maya questions the guard, and the guard claims "Princess" in this case refers to the daughter of the Mob Boss of Sandashar. Maya sees though the lie and demands the truth. The guard indirectly admits that Sara is the target. Maya slits the throat of the guard. The first person Maya has ever killed. Maya hides the cut under a blanket.
Maya breaks into the footlocker and finds 100 gold, a potion & a cloth, some manacles and a hood. Also there are immigration papers to Mistrya. Maya collects the evidenence and climbs out of the room. She then throws up in the allyway due to delayed shock.
Maya changes clothes and returns to Willis. She tells Willis of the plot to kidnap Sara. Willis is sceptical. Maya shows the evidence she collected, and heads towards the palace.
Maya goes to Sara's room and wakes her up. Maya warns Sara of what she found out. Sara is sceptical as well. Maya convinces Sara it is the truth, but Maya insists that Sara not reveal it was her who found out the news.
The two of them go visit with Vizier Yassi. Yassi says they can trust Captain Saleen. The sisters agree, and they go collect Captain Saleen with Yassi. Captain Saleen is also brought up to speed. Captain Saleen insists she can speak with her source, but Sara and Maya refuse to give up who it is. So Yassi goes collect Maya & Sara's mothers. 
Sara and Queen Adrina argue while Iris gives Maya a cold stare. Captain Saleen insists that they can talk to the connect in order to gain more information about the kidnapping plot. Maya quietly reveals the truth to her mother, and that she executed one of the plotters.
Captain Saleen gets dressed in her full armor then goes to the guardhouse to investigate for herself. Queen Adrina goes collect Prince Sami and King Haraziem.
Captain Saleen comes back and reveals she investigated the situation and found the dead guard and evidence that shows they were part of a kidnapping plot. Captain Saleen thinks they can't find out more unless the other conspirators make a move.
Sara says she doesn't know why she would be a target, Queen Adrina points out with Prince Budariousz missing, Sara is the current heir to the throne.
Everyone goes to bed with the guards doubled on their rooms.
The next day Maya speaks with Iris. Iris says that Maya's training with Willis will have to wait until things calm down again. Iris is happy how Maya has handled the situation and how she didn't reveal anything to Seleen or the Queen.
Maya and Iris talk about future plains. Iris gives Maya a box from Willis with a harder lock to practice picking on. Maya talks about replacing daggers with hair-pin stilettos, Iris suggests about having them Silver Plated to disguise the fact they are weapons.
Iris wants Maya to do more Concubine training as well, so sets Maya up as an apprentice to Patricia as a Masseur for many months.
Some time later, Iris gifts Maya a messenger Hawk so she can send messages to her when far away on holiday in Tal'Ushar.
===NPCs===
*King Haraziem - King of Akuba, Maya's Father.
*Queen Adrina - Wife of King Haraziem
*Iris - One of the Royal Concubines. Maya's Mother.
*Yassi - Vizier to King Haraziem
*Captain Saleen - Captain of the Royal Guard
*Willis - Maya's trainer in Espionage. Tanned, Muscled Body. Toned. Short, Stocky, Mucled, Bald.
*Patricia - Maya's friend who owns a stag beetle. A Concubine.
*2 Guards - Planned to kidnap Princeses Sara. Working for Mistrya?
Category:Akuban Knights Episodes