Setting
- 104 posts here • Page 5 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Zexen waited for his father to awaken from his unconscious state. Niven was glad to see the other wishing star faeries about in Khalidor assisting. Zexen was amazed to see all the other wishing star faeries. Seeing Father Superior and Niven was one thing but so many in one place was almost unreal. āSo these are my fatherās people, my peopleā¦ Iām technically one of them.ā Zexen starred in amazement wanting to speak to them however he couldnāt seem to muster the courage. Zexen couldnāt help but think on the memories that flashed in his head as clear as if he were reliving the moments while the manabomb struck.
Niven noticed Zexenās disposition. He stopped playing his wooden panflute and inquired. āYou look as if youāve seen a spirit. Your father will be alright. If Blue says time is all Valen needs to recover then time will see to it that he does. However Iām sure there is something else thatās on your heart. If you donāt mind me asking, whatās troubling you?
Zexen sighed and then replied, āActually Iām glad to talk with someone about this. Youāre right something else is and has been troubling me for quite some time. Itās only now that I feel Iāve been confronted once again with it. Zexen said as he learned forward in his chair.
āWhile I was unconscious, I saw visions, memories, from my past. It was as if I were watching them from outside of myself yet still experiencing them all at once.ā Zexen continued.
Niven replied curiously, āWhat were these memories of, happy or sorrowful times?ā
Zexen shook his head slowly. āBoth actually. All focused on my time in Athedale and the person I fell in love with. We were friends, both soldiers in training. He seemed to understand my heart in a way that no one else seemed to. We became lovers, comrades, irreplaceable to one another. The memories all involved him and I.ā
Niven inquired, āIāve never been in love before myself. Wish I knew what it felt like. What became of him? Where is he now?ā Niven was excited and inquired as if he were a child talking with an older sibling he looked up to.
Zexen gave a melancholy expression, it was visible that the pain of the past was still present. āHe died. He was severely wounded in battle and died of his injuries. I wanted to try to save him but Commander Peregrine said that he should be allowed a proud and dignified warriorās death. I asked him to allow me to call out to the wishing star faeries but he said wishes are for the weak willed. In the end, I was ordered to take my loveās life. Memoriesā¦ painful memories are what I saw.ā
āIām so sorry for your loss. I believe youāll find love again, someday. Loveā¦ I donāt have to have experienced it myself to know that itās all about you, inside you. Youāre love, if that makes any sense. Sorry, Blue says Iāve good discernment abilities. So the things I say tend to come off a bit weird at times. Does your father know?ā Niven asked.
Zexen looked over to his slumbering father. āNo, he knows nothing about my love nor do I want him to know. Iām afraid he wouldnāt understand. Also I did something Iām not proud of after that. However, that is a matter for another time.ā Zexen explained. Dorian approached the two and Zexen turned his attention to him. Niven simply returned to playing his panflute quietly as Dorian prepped Zexen for the beginning of their training and a short journey by ship. Niven promised to continue to look after the recovering Valen while Zexen was away. He also continued to safeguard the Book of Cosmos until Valen awoke.
The night had passed, Zexen spent a mass majority of it being taught fire spells. He was given a ring that suppressed a portion of his mana. He was also instructed that he was to wear only light clothing. Khalidor was cold and Zexen was used to warm climates, given he was from Valen Alus. Khalidorās winter weather was bothersome for Zexen with the proper clothing on however now it was twice as difficult for him to manage. Zexen allowed himself three hours of sleep before forcing himself awake to resume practicing. He prided himself in giving any task his all despite his previous failures in magic casting without the use of a weapon as a magic channeling device. So far Zexen managed to create fire in short bursts of wild flame. Sustaining a steady flow of projected magic proved to be difficult.
Shivering and hungry Zexen tried to focus on what he was taught. Dorian was a clear instructor but brief. It seemed that survival was the real teacher here. Zexen committed every syllable of instruction to memory but under the cold conditions maintaining focus was challenging. Zexenās thoughs became clouded with the images of Valen his father, the Blue Faery, Niven, Dorian, the leaders at the summit. He thought on something the Blue Faery told him.
āwell you will not have control over magic of any kind if you donāt believe in yourself as a spell caster. This is especially true for faery magic. Wishing star faery magic is rooted in faery dust. A star faery is required to believe in his or herself in order for their spells to work most effectively. With your current attitude towards your magic, itās no wonder your spells have been unreliable.ā
Zexen focused on those words and closed his eyes. āFailure is not an option.ā he thought to himself. Then another mental flash occurred.
Zexen saw Deias is former lover. Deias placed a hand on Zexenās wrist. Their surroundings were bright and the air felt thin. Deias looked gently at Zexen and spoke. āItās easier to believe in yourself when you have someone that also believes in you. Iāll always believe in you.ā The brightness faded and Zexen opened his eyes having eased to a more relaxed state. He opened his eyes to find that he was sustaining a flame in his hand. Zexen began to smile through tears. āThank you.ā Zexen whispered.
Dorian walked out from his chambers to the deck to see Zexen still practicing the spells that had been instructed to him. Dorian had ordered that Winter's Kiss was not to be heated and that his apprentice would not be given cooked food. According to meister training, Zexen would need to use isolated fire spells to cook and to warm himself while being lightly clothed during their short journey. Should he fail to use the spells properly he would freeze. Over a third of apprentices in the Order quit or perish from one of the tasks within the first month, those that do make it usually become entry level meisters.
"Have you ate breakfast yet?" Dorian asked Zexen with a grin. "The bacon's delicious and the cocoa is phenomenal." He had already cooked his food in his chambers while reading over the budget. "Is there anything that you need help with?"
Zexen replied with a shivery smile, āIām finally getting the hang of sustaining the spell. I had to pull some encouragement from inside. I havenāt eaten yet. However now that Iām getting the hang of this I should be able to roast up my food.ā Zexen began to light flame under the food to be cooked. āSo Dorian, where are we headed? Itās colder than where we were.ā
"Princess Aada, King Arim."
Aada stood and turned at the familiar voice. She gave a small curtsey when she saw Moloch. Arim raised a hand in acknowledgment of the king. Aada could feel the smile grow on her face when she looked at Moloch.
"I wish I could spend more time with you, but my kingdom is in danger. I must go to war by the end of this day, but I wanted to see you before I left. With your permission, King Arim."
Aada felt her heart sink. They had barely met and now there was the risk she would lose him before he was every truly hers to lose. No, she thought, he would come back. Of course he would, there was nothing for her to worry about. The man who had forced him to go to war was the one who should worry.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I'm not sure Aada would forgive me if I said no," Arim said from his bed.
Fiona felt relieve flood through her as she listened to Dorian, as a weight of being held captive she hadnāt even known she carried had been lifted. While she was certainly surprised as his sudden change from accuser to ally she was equally glad to be freed as well and as such she wasnāt too keen at present to push matters but even so she felt a little wary of the general all the same.
It wasnāt till after heād finished speaking, and his full offer became apparent that she felt a faint pang of guilt at hiding her own connection with the perpetrator of the attack. She smiled warmly towards the pair to mask her momentary lapse before blushing slightly as she thought over the ramifications of the rather generous gift for her people.
āWhen I left Kythianna my goal at the summit was to secure aid to rebuild my homeland, and you have my heartfelt thanks Dorian; your offer for my people is greatly welcomed and much appreciated. However we may need to discuss it in more detail when we are able.
- 104 posts here • Page 5 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5