Princess Malcoyamaya

"Once, my mother told me a proper woman always keeps her secrets in the shelf farthest from reach."
~Princess Malcoyamaya to Grizeilda~

Princess Malcoyamaya, more commonly known as Malcoyamaya, also known as Mal, Maya, Little Princess, Princess and later Warrior Queen Malcoyamaya, is a major character in parts one, two and three of the Plague War, beginning on Page One Ninety Eight, serving as one of the principle narrators throughout the three, as well as being in the "big seven", consisting of herself, Armin, Arylena, Jax Rione, Crigeric Wayen, Jova Sandro and Rankor.

Appearance:

She is a dainty girl of twelve at the beginning of the first novel, later thirteen. She wears dresses mostly, azure being her favorite color. Her hair is strawberry blonde, which is revealed to have been taken after her mother. She is fairly tall for her age and for being a female, and is said to be very beautiful in figure and facial features. During the midpoint of part one of the Plague War, Princess Malcoyamaya bleeds for the first time. Due to this, it is believed that her breasts are not yet grown out due to prepubescence.

A girl of twelve at the start of the book, but later thirteen, Princess Malcoyamaya is the pseudo-Queen in her mother's stead, leading the capitol with the help of her mother's royal council, as well as the guardianship of her loyal knight and friend, Sir Ori.

She is strong-willed, proper, sweet and smart, taking all of the best straights from her mother, whom she loves and thinks about dearly. She is known to be a very smart girl by the royal council and the citizens of the capitol alike, and no one doubts her commands, though some give her guidance. In the end, she knows from observing her mother and by her wits alone the ins and outs and wrongs and rights of running the capitol, though she does not know the darkness in its fullness.

First introduced in Chapter Three of part one, entitled A Split Army, Princess Malcoyamaya immediately demands the attention of the reader. She is shown in her mother's bedchamber, missing her mother. She is preparing for a council meeting, in which she will attend, being the pseudo-Queen of the capitol. She is met by Sir Ori, her loyal guardian and even more loyal friend, to which she trusts with anything.

Upon attending the council meeting, Malcoyamaya eagerly awaits the address of the stalkrider which was traveling with her mother's--and the capitol's--army, hoping to hear some sort of good news. Instead, an attempt at her life is performed by the stalkrider. She goes unconscious after being stabbed in the stomach, being cradled in the arms of Sir Ori, who slew the stalkrider right away.

In the fourth chapter, entitled Cries Loud Enough to Hear Miles Away, Malcoyamaya is seen through Sir Ori's point of view--his first. He is shown to have not left her side since she had fallen unconscious. Angelika the White, the capitol's head of medical advancements, assures him that her fate is in God's hands, but he refuses to leave her side still. Sir Ori begins to second guess the Stalkrider's intentions, insisting he was not like that, and he'd known him well, believing someone had controlled him into doing it. The chapter ends with Sir Ori looking at an unconscious Princess Malcoyamaya.

In her third Point of View chapter, Princess Malcoyamaya awakes abruptly, laying still, her eyes wide open. She recalls having a perpetual dream of all things good and bad in her life. She feels a hand clasping her own, and squeezed it a bit. She immediately was able to identify it as her guardian, Sir Ori. When she looks at him, she sees him asleep. This makes her squeeze it a bit tighter, and her awakes at that. Right away, he is in absolute disbelief in awe. He grows very emotional. He asks if it is a dream, and she replies with he is awake. When Sir Ori proposes getting everyone, Malcoyamaya suggests just Angelika and her childhood friend Miles, never seen in the book.

As she awaited Sir Ori's return with the others, Princess Malcoyamaya was left to her own thoughts. She is confused as to why someone would wish to make an advance at her life. She felt like a coward, and wished her mother was home. She felt like a child again. She had her subjects, and Sir Ori, but her mother was so much different. She ponders what it would be like to not be a royal member of the family, and if her mother was not the Queen. How would her life be, then?

In her own thoughts, she detests someone wishing to steal the world of its energy, referring to the necromancer. She was happy there were people who were able to use Magick, and would never have to depend on using Energy. There would always be good people that the Necromancer could always take, she thought.

Once Sir Ori returned with Angelika the White, Angelika remarks on how strong she was, telling her straightforward that the stab wound could have easily been fatal to a girl as young and as small as her, but it was luckily not. She tells the Princess how they could not have lost her now, and how her Kingdom did not need more suffering and tragedy right now. To this, Malcoyamaya tells her how she does not believe it was an attempt at her life. She tells them both that where he stabbed was intentional, and that he could have done anything else. He wanted her to stay alive. As she spoke, she realized she was shaking. Angelika attempts to comfort her, asking her not to worry, and that the man was gone and he would never have the chance to hurt her ever again. Malcoyamaya thinks how the touch was not hardly as comforting as her mother's, and did not ease her worries, but it was okay.

At the end of the chapter, she thinks of how her fear and anticipation cut deeper than a knife ever could.

At the beginning of her Fourth Point of View chapter, Princess Malcoyamaya meets with Sir Ori, Meyen, Angelika and Tobias in her own room. It is said that it is declared to be hers, as the council came to the conclusion that her mother and the party she rode with were dead. They planned on discussing the complications if it was all indeed true that they were dead and gone. Sir Ori tells them that Grobsz, Master of Coin could not be present, due to him being off assessing the walls of the capitol, unknowing that he had been killed, as was all the others. Meyen detests this angrily, to which Sir Ori tells him to mind his tongue. Meyen says he should've been present, but Ori says he knows the man and he's not usually indecisive, so he knows his stance well enough.

Malcoyamaya thinks about how some council members were absent in the past, so it was no bother. She was not too concerned about being strained with waiting, as her mind was elsewhere, such as the solemn thought that she would likely never see her mother ever again. Or any of her mother's army, either, to which she is assumed to be close to some of the members, particularly Lady Embrasia and General Rankor. She thinks about how she doesn't truly care about the army as much, though. She also thinks that if it makes her selfish, she did not care.

It tells a bit of flashback of when Angelika was checking up on Malcoyamaya after she had awoke from her injury. Sir Ori had asked her if there was anything he could do to make her feel any better. To this, it is revealed that she had asked if he thought her mother was dead, and that she expected him to be honest with her. It is said that she is a young girl, but is a very smart one as well. She could handle words, it is said, harsh as they were. It is also said that Sir Ori would especially know that.

In the chapter, it is said that Sir Ori and Princess Malcoyamaya had spent many hours daydreaming at her windows about the past, the present and the future. It is said that they would recall old fairy tales and make jokes and what if scenarios about if they were real. Many of them would revolve around war. Now, recalling the tales was not such a joyous occasion, as she thinks, not in the least.

The council meeting begins with Sir Ori smiling her way and saying it will begin if she permitted it. He did not smile as often nowadays as he used to, she thinks, and this made her let out a sigh of sadness that she doubted any of the council members heard. She said to begin, but it is said that she cannot find the strength inside of her needed to be able to smile. And it is said that this is not that crucial, because she did not wish to smile anyway, and wondered if a smile would ever be warranted again. She doubted it.

Sir Ori begins with saying that, all things considered, and logically, the Queen and her army were likely deceased. However, he says that the Necromancer might have seen the Warrior Queen Emperika as an attraction, not an enemy to be destroyed. He suggests that if the leader is a proper tactician, then he would see her as leverage, and more importantly, a means to an end. He could see her as a beneficial asset, he suggests.

Tobias asks if he's suggesting she was taken captive. Sir Ori says that is precisely what he is suggesting, though he says it is but a theory only, saying he would rather not give much thought to if it would be worse for her to be captured or dead, considering each one is absurd enough. Tobias asks if he believes the Necromancer would use her against her own kingdom, saying it would be an impertinent act. Sir Ori informs him that in war, there is no such thing as an impertinent act, saying he means not to be discourteous, but no one is cordial, for lack of a better word, in war. He says that they should all expect the lowest blows. And says that is true enough for any known war in history, let alone against this Necromancer, who is most certainly a separate enemy than any other.

At this point, Princess Malcoyamaya speaks up. She says that one of the men who loyally served her mother stuck a knife in her belly. When all of the heads turned her way, she went on, saying that to act as if we know what to expect at all is absolutely foolish. She goes on to say they know absolutely nothing, and that it will likely remain that way. Her words cause an eerie silence for a moment, before Sir Ori cleared his throat and agreed, saying she speaks true. He says they are simply screaming possibilities in the darkness looming over them. He says they have no other choice but to do that.

Malcoyamaya feels selfish by this. She did not want to hear about it any longer. It improved nothing. She proceeds to speak out to Sir Ori, telling him that she knows he believes his purpose is to stay at her side. However, she says she has a task that she only trusts him with. She does not mean to be rude to the others, but only tells the truth, and the truth is that she trusts her guardian most of all. She orders him to follow instruction--though a bold move on her part, given her age in contrast to everyone around her-- and go search for her mother. The room is in shock, especially Sir Ori. But once it fades, he rises from his chair and agrees to it, saying that her will be done. The chapter ends with him leaving the room.

In the beginning of the fifth Princess Malcoyamaya chapter, which is specially entitled The Troubled Princess, Princess Malcoyamaya is unsure as to whether or not she should be glad that her loyal guardian Sir Ori obeyed without question, or regret that she asked him to do such a thing in the first place. It is revealed that for a good two of three minutes after Sir Ori was asked to leave and did so, the entire royal council was silent, exchanging looks with one another.

Malcoyamaya begins by asking them to listen to her. She tells them that she sent him off for a good reason. She says he can do no more good here right now, but that he could perhaps do some good elsewhere. She says she hopes they know she has the capitol's wellbeing in her mind. She tells them that she is no fool, and that she knows how the line of taking over goes. She says that she knows if her and her whole party did indeed perish en route to their destination, then by all means she would be Queen. After saying this, she mentally acknowledges in her own mind that it was a horrible thought, but true all the same. She thinks about the designated line of who would take the throne. If so many were dead, she thinks, the living heir--boy, girl, any age, it made no difference--, would take the throne over.

She thinks in her own mind that she is twelve years old. She knows right from wrong, she thinks to herself. She acknowledges mentally that her mother taught her right from wrong. She thinks that if she is meant to be Queen for good, that she would know what would be expected of her. She wonders why she is so scared in that case. It is revealed that she in fact is very scared. She thinks it's not the type of fear or pain that can be comforted, but the kind that is painful to the core.

Just as the Princess Malcoyamaya was going to continue on speaking, even though she did not wish to, Sir Ori burst back into the room, breathless. She asks out what he is doing back so soon, and what is wrong, lowering her brow, to which he replies with "we are no longer safe." It is said that he is not simply talking to her, but to the entire council. He proceeds to tell them that a guard rushed up to him, informing him that Grobsz, the Master of Coin for the capitol, was dead. Murdered, he tells them.

The royal council seemed to begin talking all at thee same time. Malcoyamaya could not understand a single word that any of them were saying. It was a room of outrage. She screams out the word enough, her voice thundering. It cracked a bit, but she did not care at this point. She tells them all that bickering about will not help matters any, and that they need to please let Sir Ori speak out properly.

To this, they all went silent as stones. It was not a thing that made Malcoyamaya feel good to do. She felt nothing. Like her mother in this moment. Then again, she thinks that perhaps her mother got angry at times. She had to keep order somehow, Malcoyamaya thinks, and no one was perfect. Not even her mother. Sir Ori rose an eyebrow at Malcoyamaya, his face showcasing what she took as surprise. Sir Ori thanked her.

Sir Ori catches his breath, straightening up and then speaking. He informs them that he was going out on his quest, given by Princess Malcoyamaya, when a guardsman who patrolled around the capitol, Pyke, his name was, ran up to him. He tells them that the guardsman told him that the Master of Coin had been murdered, and then that the guardsman tried to take his own life. To this, the council members were silent by shock and awe. Malcoyamaya, however, thinks in her own mind that a Queen has to remain strong through thick and thin. A Queen has to be able to speak. After this, she asks that he was attacked, but it was a guardsman, to which Sir Ori replies with yes, and that he emerged from the battle unharmed, but that injury was far from his biggest concern. Malcoyamaya thinks he's right on that. Ori seemed unscathed. She acknowledges that he is a very honorable and kind man, yet when it came to a life-or-death situation, Sir Ori became a bloodthirsty beast. She thinks that she would pity the man who chose to lock swords with him. She has trouble putting her thoughts into words, but manages by muttering that two attacks by supposedly trusted people had happened, and then she asks aloud who can she trust.

Later that night, when most little girls were fast asleep in their beds, Princess Malcoyamaya was awake as an owl, her troubled mind wandering about her and there. It is revealed that the royal council had discussed the pressing matters for what had felt like years to her. Nonetheless, they could not come to a decision they could all agree on, and that they were all so very flustered, which caused them to not only not think straight, but to also not maintain their open minds they all usually had. She thinks it's their job, but does not know what she believes in anymore.

As she laid awake, she begins to realize that she had been, in a way, sheltered from the inner workings of well, everything her entire life. She wished her mother was present right now, so that she could thank her for protecting her this long, at least, so that she was able to have some sort of childhood before she had to face the truth, ugly as it was.

Before she had gotten into bed, Sir Ori had promised that he would be right outside her door all night long, and that if she needed him at all, she only needed to knock on the door for him to answer. Suddenly, Princess Malcoyamaya jumps out of her bed, going to the corner of her room where her oaken wardrobe towered over her. She opened both doors to it, pulling out a knee-high azure dressed. She slips her sleeping gown off, letting it fall into a pile at her feet. She wishes to wear her favorite dress for what is about to happen. She goes over to a vanity table, grabbing a silver locket off the surface, which is revealed to be her mother's. She walks to the door. Before she knocks, though, she returned over to the vanity table, staring at herself in the small mirror for a moment. Then, she went over to the door once again, knocking. It opened right away, Sir Ori was there. He asks her if something is wrong. He looked so very tired, she thought, yet he remained polite all of the same. At the end of the chapter, Malcoyamaya proceeds to, for her mother, for her people, for her own safety, mustered up all of the strength she could manage, and asks politely for Sir Ori to please take her away from the capitol city.

During the two following Sir Ori chapters, the first entitled The Gallant Knight, it is revealed that he stole away with the Princess under his protection. When it begins to rain heavily, they find a sheltered alleyway to get under just until the downpour stopped. Princess Malcoyamaya was absolutely silent, staring down at her hands. He calls out "m'lady", to which she looks up at him with eyes full of sorrow, asking "yes, Sir Ori?" He proceeds to tell her that he always told her that he would serve her eternally, to which he was not lying. He tells her that he swore a sacred vow to her mother that he would be the Princess' companion, through the thick and thin of this horrid war. He tells her that he swore to her mother that he would protect her daughter, and that he would lay down his life on the line for her, if need be. He tells the Princess Malcoyamaya that he would keep his vows until his last dying breath.

By the end of this, Princess Malcoyamaya is crying gently and softly. She tells him that she did not do anything to deserve such loyalty and devotion. She sniffled a bit. Sir Ori informs her that she has done more than she might think. He tells her that she has been reaped of her precious, limited childhood. He tells her that he hopes to witness a world be born during his time as innocent and beautiful as her.

Malcoyamaya asks him what he thinks this Necromancer hopes to gain, to which Sir Ori explains the story of two brothers. At the end of the lengthy tale, he says that he believes he wishes to gain what all other tyrants before him hopes to gain: Self worth within power and unjust declarations. All folk want some great purpose, he tells her, but most can just realize how reality goes in this world. Malcoyamaya asks him if he has ever wanted to rule over something or someone in this world. He tells her he already does, his own personal existence. He tells her that his life is good enough to give him purpose, and that we all need purpose. He says he is pleased with mine. He tells her how he was born to a lowly blacksmith, and that he earned his way. And he says he yearns for no greater good. She tells him that he is spending his life living for other people. He says that he isn't, that he is only living for one person. He thinks that is all he needs, and the first chapter ends.

The second Sir Ori Point of View chapter begins with him thinking about how it is wrong for her well-deserved childhood to be robbed. The two of them prepare to make their way out of the capitol, when Sir Ori puts a hand on Malcoyamaya's shoulder, advising her to keep her head down, even though most of the commonfolk would not be able to recognize her. He says they might be able to from here say alone, and that she does not look like the type of girl that would be out here for no reason. She says he doesn't either, wearily. He says that no one would question a knight, and that the capitol is full of men in plate with swords at their side, and that he could be mistaken for a patrol knight on duty. To this, Malcoyamaya tells him that the commonfolk live on the streets, and watch and listen, all of them, and that they will know they have never seen your face before. He agrees. She goes on by saying that he does not look like the normal patrol guard, either, considering how his armor is not the same as theirs, and how anyone with two eyes could clearly see he was different. She says that even if they didn't notice him, they would notice her. He says that everything he says is true, thinking that she truly is Emperika's daughter, followed by saying that perhaps she should lead the way, to which she says she can't use that, eyeing his sword. He put a hand on it, agreeing, and thinking that if it need be, he would shed blood for her. With that, she asks if they should go, and he agrees.

They made their way down crowded streets. A black-skinned girl peddled a cart of fruit. There, an old man with one blind eye sold his assortment of meat. Homeless commonfolk were on the ground. It was so loud that you could not understand what any given person was exactly saying unless you were right next to them. Sir Ori took this as a blessing, feeling as if no one would pay them any mind. But still, many people shot them strange looks as they hurried by them. They were so very out of place.

At one point, a few patrol guards were walking the way of Sir Ori and Princess Malcoyamaya were going toward. Sir Ori prayed that they would keep on walking. Sir Ori was behind Malcoyamaya, so that he could clearly see what was coming. The guards ended up stopping before them, Sir Ori knew the front one to be Terivel, Captain of the daytime patrol guards. Terivel recognizes the both of them straight away, questioning why Sir Ori would be out here at this time, and why he had the Princess with her. Sir Ori wishes he'd keep his voice down.

Before answering, Sir Ori looked around to make sure no one was truly listening. Luckily, no one seemed to. He lies, saying he is here by order. But in a way, it wasn't all that much of a lie, now was it?