Book of a Thousand Days [antikvár]

The narrator and the writer of the "Book of a Thousand Days", fifteen-year-old Dashti leaves the plains where she was raised to find work in a nearby city after her mother passes away. As a person from the plains, she is looked down on as a "mucker", a low-class citizen, by nobility. However, she accepts the role of becoming the lady's maid of Lady Saren, abiding by her oath of service to follow Saren even as she is imprisoned for seven years in a tower. Describing herself as thin, with skinny ankles, worn-out hands, long black hair, and with birth marks, or what she calls "blotches" on her face and hands, Dashti is revealed to be a resilient and resourceful young woman. The strength of her will and spirit allows her and Saren to survive in the tower and go on living after their escape, and Dashti's knowledge of songs of healing soothe the damaged spirits of those close to her. She is deathly loyal to Lady Saren, seeing it as her duty to her ancestors and the gods she worships. Lady Saren Sixteen-year-old Saren is the third child of the ruler of Titor's Garden, who regarded her as a worthless and ugly brat. Her unusually vehement refusal to marry Lord Khasar, claiming that she is betrothed to Khan Tegus, results in her imprisonment in a tower with only one maid for company for the next seven years. Dashti astutely perceives that Saren's lack of self-esteem and nervous disposition are the results of a deep-rooted sickness within Saren's heart and gradually helps her heal. Though she is initially afraid of everything and easily jealous, she comes to trust Dashti as a true friend. Khan Tegus The ruler of the Song of Evela, one of the Eight Realms. A suitor of Lady Saren, he bravely visits her in the tower where she is imprisoned, though because of Saren's fright, Dashti impersonates her to convey what she believes as Saren's feelings for the Khan. When his visits abruptly cease and Dashti and Saren escape the tower, the two young women manage to find their way to the Song of Evela, with Dashti hoping to reunite Saren and Tegus. However, Tegus and Dashti eventually fall in love. Lord Khasar The brutal ruler of the Thoughts of Under, who demanded Saren as a bride. A powerful warlord seeking to conquer the Eight Realms, he possesses a terrifying secret that Saren learned and has fearfully kept hidden. Lady Vachir The ruler of Beloved of Ris who becomes engaged to Khan Tegus when he believed that Saren had perished with the destruction of Titor's Garden. A haughty and vicious woman. My Lord Dashti and Saren's cat, given to them by Khan Tegus in the tower. Initially he prefers Dashti, but Dashti later gifts him to Saren, which helps Saren to heal from her trauma. Mucker Dashti's yak, whom she finds after she escapes the tower that's in Titor's Garden. Dashti gifts him to Khan Tegus, which later plays an important role in her exoneration. Batu Khan Tegus's chief of war. He is healed by Dashti's songs from a mortal wound, and he later aids her in defeating Khasar. Chinua Lord Khasar's chief of war, and the only one besides Saren who know his secret. He tries to protect Khasar after he turns into a wolf, but ultimately fails. Shria A worker in Khan Tegus's home of some rank. She offers Dashti and Saren jobs in the Khan's kitchen after Dashti's appearance in the city. Qacha A fellow scrubber girl in Khan Tegus's home. She is a mucker like Dashti. Gal A fellow scrubber girl in Khan Tegus's home. Her reunion with her family against all odds gives Dashti hope while imprisoned.