《The Path》


 Chapter 1: Awake

    Chapter 1: Awake


    Darkness enveloped him. Ugh, what happened? Where am I?  The last thing he remembered was charging into a room weapon blazing.  His head started to hurt after that, then he was here.  He tried to move and was startled with how weak he had become. What''s going on here, atrophy? His stomach ached like he hadn''t eaten in weeks, and it felt like someone had kicked him between the legs. A dull throbbing pain that seemed to shoot through his entire body.  Reaching down on instinct he was met with shock.


    ¡°THEY SHOT MY BALLS OFF!¡± he yelped, but it was worse than that.  There was nothing, it was all gone. ¡°Those fucking terrorists! What do I do? Waaaa!¡± Even his voice seemed to have raised a few octaves, and in the back of his mind the thought went through that this was some kind of cruel joke that could only happen in cartoons.


    After a long while of crying into his pillow Declan Cunningham raised himself up on the bed he was laying on.  Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes and moving the hair from his face he looked around the room he was in.  It was dark.


    ¡°Must be nighttime, but how long was I out for my hair to grow this long?¡± he thought out loud. ¡°My muscles have atrophied too it seems like, I can even feel my ribs...¡± And this voice of mine, isn''t this a bit too much? He sounded like a girl, a little on the husky side.  Maybe I can go on Britain''s got Talent and win? He chuckled to himself.  It was so off he was having a hard time processing it all. Then he felt his chest.


    ¡°...¡±


    No, just no, but there was no denying it, ¡°BOOBS?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?¡± Falling back on the bed Declan slipped back into oblivion.


    -*-


    His eyes fluttered open as he shot up on his bed again. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed as his cell was still dark. No, I guess I''m a she now. What kind of fucked up hospital is this?  Peering about the room she stepped lightly on the cold stone floor, noting her lack of footwear.


    ¡°This is odd, a hospital with stone flooring?¡± A flash of fear shot through her then, ¡°The enemy must have captured me then, there''s no way terrorists living in caves would have anything other than stone flooring.¡±  If that was the case then he(?) was in deep trouble.  ¡°Still, I''ve never heard of terrorists performing sex change operations on their captives, something ain''t right here.¡±


    With that Declan walked, or rather shuffled over to what looked like a door on the other side of the room, noting what looked like (and smelled like) a chamber pot in the corner.  Barred window, reinforced wood with metal, locked tight. Definitely not a hospital.  In fact it was more like a dungeon cell, and she could hear voices on the other side speaking in raucous tones.  A small bit of flickering light was trickling through the bars onto the floor, a torch must be out there.  Where am I? Afghanistan, in the caves?  He wouldn''t be surprised, the last mission he''d been on was near the border taking care of some opium growers. He or she? A small voice seemed to say.  ¡°Maaaa, I''ll deal with that later!¡± For now I have to escape!


    Throwing her head around she scanned the room. There had to be something to make a shiv with, a wood splinter, a rock anything!  As soon as the guards came she''d do it.  This body though, it''s so weak, how long have I been in here? Unconsciously she''d decided to go with she for now.  When she thought about it she noticed that not only were the important manly bits gone, but her whole body was different.  It felt as though she''d lost an entire foot of height.  That''s impossible, shaking her head of those thoughts she continued her search.


    Suddenly the voices she had heard earlier seemed to be getting closer and she could start to make out certain words little by little.  The language wasn''t Dari, or anything like Farsi at all, more like a mixture of German with Russian.  Luckily the CIA loved linguists like Declan, and after he''d served a few military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan they had enthusiastically employed him.  While the overall sentence structure eluded her, she felt like she could pick up the gist of the conversation fairly well. It wasn''t good, and with dread he realized why it still felt like someone had kicked him in the groin.


    ¡°Gahahaha, you had your turn an hour ago Boris! You still want more, you sick bastard? Hahahaa!¡± a voice floated into his cell.  Declan shivered.


    ¡°Shut up Will, his wife just left his sorry ass after all, HAHAHA!¡± another jovial voice cut in.


    ¡°Hehe, you two are just jealous, I''ll buy you a couple drinks after I''m done so just be quiet while I have my fun with her!¡± This voice was much closer, and seemed to be yelling back down a long hallway.  She could hear the mutters of the other too receding as they seemed to be walking back the way they came.  Declan''s eyes narrowed, shit shit shit, they can''t mean me can they?  There had to be other prisoners, but if there were she hadn''t heard anything from other cells.  Where there other cells?


    Footsteps could be heard finally, and the jingling of keys.  Throwing her eyes around the room they finally rested on the chamber pot.  Perfect! Shambling over to the corner Declan grabbed the small wooden bucket, trying to ignore the vile stench emitting from it, then ran to the wall with the entrance and put her back against the wall on the right side of the reinforced door.  A small thought in the back of her mind noted the rags she was wearing, as bare skin met the stone wall.  Guess a prisoner wouldn''t be wearing an Armani three piece suit, she thought wryly. Declan waited, weakened muscles trembling, when another idea struck.


    With an evil grin, Declan emptied the chamber pot right in front of the door.  Now you can slip on your ass in my shit.  The bucket wasn''t so heavy now either, but the stench was now five fold worse and the vile liquids were pooling around her bare feet.  Gaaa, bear with it, I have to get out of here!  Finally the footsteps stopped in front of the door and she could hear the jingle of keys.


    ¡°Oi, what are you looking at brat?¡± Snarled the the guard at the door.  Declan froze.


    ¡°Haven''t you all had enough? She doesn''t even scream anymore!  Isn''t she dead already?¡± A young voice nearby called out, followed by a scuffling kicking noise.


    ¡°That''ll teach you brat,¡± the guard''s voice rang out, then he muttered, ¡°you wouldn''t understand, or would you...thief!¡± Another kick and then silence.  ¡°Hmmpf¡±


    Suddenly the sound of a key sliding into it''s lock could be heard, the distinct click and slowly the door to Declan''s cell opened.


    ¡°FUAAA, what happened in here little missy?¡± bellowed the guard as he stepped in, light pouring in with him as he left the door open, ¡°You have an accident here, augh the stink!¡±  As he was busy peering at the soiled floor before him he failed to notice two gleaming blue eyes behind him, hiding behind the now open door.


    In an instant Declan hurled herself, bucket in hand at the man.  Swinging the bucket overhead she brought it down violently on top of the guard''s unsuspecting head.  With a crash the chamber pot shattered and the man, shocked from the impact, slipped on the fetid excrement on the ground.  In a flurry of movement Declan tried to get the man in a headlock, but it was no use, her body was too weak and she was easily thrust to the side.


    ¡°YOU BITCH! I''LL KILL YOU!¡± the guard shouted as he tried to regain his feat.  He was a fat man and now covered in the contents of the chamber pot was having a difficult time getting back up.


    Declan had not stopped moving however, the basics of CQC stated that you should never stop moving, one move should flow into another.  As she slid down the wall she rolled to the side into the fat man''s blind spot, picked up a splinter from the broken bucket, and with both hands used it to stab into his back.  As he let out a howl of pain she noticed his hand flailing for something at his side, he had a short sword strapped to his belt.  From her position straddling him on his back it was easy to reach down with her left hand and yank the sword free, and in one swift movement it was over.  Staggering back against the wall, she heaved a sigh and slid down, grasping her knees as she plopped onto the floor.


    ¡°A-amazing!¡± stammered a boy from across the hallway.  ¡°I''ve never seen such movements in my life!  H-hey, you''re escaping right? We should work together, I can help!  I''ve got tons of skills, so please lets get out of here together, Winter!¡±


    Winter? Ah this language seems easy enough, but it''s still weird.  Is that some kind of sentence ending particle, desu? As she pondered the strange sentence structure Declan raised her head to peer at the boy sitting across from her in an iron barred cell, he looked like he''d just been dumped out of a moving car.  His bright green eyes looked over her as she sat hugging her knees.  He had a handsome face with short messy brown hair.  He looked like a trouble maker, there was a somewhat mischievous air about his boyish features.


    I''ll give this a try then, ¡°Was ist name yours?¡± She stated looking at the boy across from her.


    The boy gaped at her as she got up and yanked the sword out from the back of the guard''s neck. ¡°Uh, I''m Lox,¡± he stammered looking nervous.  Declan was retrieving the keys from the dead body and he continued, ¡°I-I''m sorry, I could hear everything they were doing to you,¡± his face almost looked pale. ¡°I honestly thought you had died or something, but that was three days ago when you stopped...¡± he paused as he looked up at her unlocking the cell door for him.  ¡°I-I''m sorry, I couldn''t do anything Winter.¡±


    Think I''m getting the gist of this language, still, whats with Winter? ¡°Kein worry,¡± she stated flatly, ¡°jetzt ist time not, later speak we,¡± she smiled then trying to make him comfortable.


    ¡°Oi, how hard did they beat her?¡± muttered Lox as he got up and exited the cell.


    ¡°Hearing you,¡± Declan said slightly depressed.  Damn, I must sound broken in the head or something, I''ll just have to keep listening and see what I can pick up.  With that they started down the hallway toward where the guard room must be located.  She worried that the smell from the chamber pot might alert the guards, but the whole dungeon seemed to have a generally distasteful odor.  The dank hallway was long and straight, and oddly there were no other prisoners.


    ¡°I think everyone''s being executed,¡± said Lox following behind her.  He must have noticed Declan looking into the other cells, not that she had any interest in freeing other fugitives, she just didn''t want to set any other alarms.  ¡°Hey, what are we going to do when we get to the guard room? I know you took out that one pig, but the others aren''t lazy like him I don''t think, and there are at least two in there.¡±


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    ¡°Talk too viel you do,¡± said Declan in annoyance.  It wasn''t long before they could see lamplight streaming through a cracked door and hear the rough voices of too men within bantering with each other.  In a whispered voice Declan motioned Lox to be quiet, ¡°I go, execute wachen in there, you supporting wann something happen that bad ist.¡±  She shook her head after saying so much, hoping that he understood.


    Lox only nodded, ¡°Okay.¡±  Likely he would rush in at the same time anyway, as he seemed to take on a determined look to his face.  They gathered on either side of the door, and counting down with her fingers they burst through the door, Declan first with Lox hot on her heels.  The guards were sitting at a table playing some sort of card game.  That barely registered as Declan sunk the short sword into the guard nearest her, piercing the man''s heart before he could utter a scream.  As she yanked the sword free Lox and the other guard collided into each other, knocking her to the ground.


    In a daze Declan tried to regain his feet and get a hold of the situation.  Lox and the guard were grappling on the ground, she couldn''t get a good swipe in with the sword as they were rolling around exchanging punches and trying to choke each other.  Luckily it looked like Lox had spent a lot of time brawling, and after a time he was able to turn the man around and get him into a choke hold.  It wasn''t long before the guard collapsed unconscious onto the floor still breathing.


    Lox got up breathing heavily, his muscles heaving. What an odd thing for me to notice.  Shaking her head Declan handed him the other guard''s short sword.


    ¡°That was dangerous,¡± he said still breathing hard, ¡°Ah, good idea, we might need these still,¡± he said taking the sword.  ¡°It was good you took out the magic user first Winter, we''d have been dead for sure.¡±


    ¡°Magic?¡± Her eyebrows shot up incredulously before she snorted in disbelief.  What kind of back country podunk have I landed in?  It was then that she noticed the man she had stabbed was wearing a light robe, and the staff holding a small crystal that was leaning against the wall near where he had been sitting. ¡°Magic...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we should be out of here,¡± said Lox nervously, not noticing the girl''s obvious confusion. ¡°We''re pretty far away from the exit, but I hope no one was able to hear what happened just now.¡±  As he turned to leave Declan noted that he hadn''t finished off the unconscious guard. Walking past the man, she pierced him in the throat and roughly slashed horizontally, severing his jugular.  Lox stood agape, then slowly nodded to himself as he seemed to come to an understanding.  ¡°It''s only natural...he was the worst one to her,¡± he muttered under his breath.


    Declan could barely make out what Lox had said. Better to have no witnesses, you never know when someone will wake up and raise an alarm, he thought to himself.


    As they made their way up the stairs Declan began to think about his situation.  I''m escaping a dungeon.  The language is like...a mix of something I''ve heard before but not anything I can place.  There seems to be magic, and those guards had swords and what looked like chainmail.  ¡°Where the hell am I?¡± the last was in English, and suddenly her legs gave out as energy seemed to seep out of her body.  She could now somehow tell now which way was the way out, though only vaguely.  Lox turned around at the sound of her collapsing and reached out with his hand.


    ¡°I didn''t know you knew magic Winter.¡± Taking his hand she stood up on wobbly legs. ¡°Looks like you exhausted yourself, here, I''ll carry you,¡± he said offering his back.


    ¡°Haha, no,¡± she replied dismissively. As she fell to the ground in a heap. Again.


    With a sigh Lox bent down and picked her up.  He seems pretty dependable... The thought picked at the back of her mind and she flushed it away as fast as she could.  I guess I''ll try that end of sentence particle thing...desu. ¡°This one ist in poop covered, winter,¡± she said shyly, ¡°ist it not...bad? ...winter?¡± Why am I acting shy, he wondered.


    ¡°Those bastards, if I had the chance I''d kill them again for what they did to you,¡± Lox said shaking his head as he began to ascend the stairs once more.  This time with the girl on his back.  ¡°Why are you saying your name like that anyways?  It seems like you forgot how to speak after....a-after...all that happened.¡±


    ¡°Name?¡± she asked tilting her head to the side.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said turning his head to regard her, ¡°you told me five days ago your name was Winter Ainsfeld, Third Princess of the Realm, Protector of the Gate, Watcher of the Path.¡±


    The shock hit Declan like a truck and she found herself wrapped once more in darkness.


    -*-


    ¡°Cunnigham''s down, call a medic!¡± He could hear voices vaguely in the background as he lay on the ground.  Something sticky was in his eyes, and he could only see the shape of a man above him.  ¡°A fucking claymore, where the fuck did they get fucking claymores?!  Jackson! Hurry up with that, he''s not gonna make it!¡±  The noise seemed to fall into blackness, and then there was nothing.


    -*-


    Lox had barely been able to sneak past the guards on the way out of the palace.  He thought palace, but it was almost more like a fortress.  At least it was night time and he could move around easily.  He knew the palace layout because he''d been there on several occasions, trying to stake out the area.  Unfortunately he hadn''t been able to even locate the treasury, but he assumed there were more guards in that area anyway, and he always avoided guards.  Getting back over the wall to the outside had been the least of his worries.


    Sneaking around with a girl on your back is tough!  But at least she was light, too light.  She''d been in the prison for who knows how long, he assumed it was something to do with the recent power shift in the royal faction, but he didn''t pay too much attention to the likes of nobility and their ilk.  One reason he had failed to use any honorifics when speaking to Winter.  He''d call her Winter no matter what, because that was how he was.  He almost wondered what he was getting into by saving this princess, but he put it aside easily.  Whatever, she''s cute!  At least he thought she would be, once she got cleaned up and some food in her.  He preferred a bit of meat on his women, like that Ella at the Broken Crow Inn.  He let out a small smile as he thought of her jumping after a quick pinch.


    He was out into the town proper now, winding his way through back streets.  It would be a while yet before the guard change would find out the princess and a thief had escaped, he figured he would have at least until sunrise to get hidden.  It was a massive city and there were plenty of places to hide.


    ¡°Ah, Clarissa is going to have my head this time!¡± he said despondently.  Clarissa was his little sister, and only surviving family member.  She was only in her ninth year but sometimes he wondered who was actually in charge between the two.  She was bossy and mean and...and kept him out of trouble as best as she could.  She was an outstanding individual, everyone who knew her praised her for her bright smile and her hard work ethic.  She was smart, too smart, Lox thought, and she would see right through what had happened as soon as he showed his face at home, he just knew it.


    ¡°Nothing for it, I gotta get this girl somewhere safe, and there''s nowhere better than at the guild.¡± Nobody would think to look for a scrapped princess at the Adventurer''s Guild main hall.  Clarissa worked as a clerk there and he himself was a registered guild member, so they had a rather large room to live in upstairs.


    It took him a good thirty minutes before he arrived in front of the guild hall.  It was a massive three story building made out of stone with large double doors standing before a small set of stairs. A bit of light shone from underneath the doors.  Eagerly he ascended the stairs and made his way inside.


    ¡°Oi, it''s Lox!  Where have you been boy?¡± a big burly adventurer bellowed.  ¡°Clarissa''s been in a fit you know! I''d watch out if I were  you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Bertram, I''ll-¡± he began


    ¡°LOOOOOX!¡± A whirling fury of small fists and rage slammed into his side suddenly.  ¡°Where have you been?! You''ve been gone for a whole week! What happened to you!¡± A small girl who pelted him with tiny hands demanded.  She wasn''t even close to five feet tall but her onslaught was vicious.


    ¡°Whoa whoa I''m sorry Clarissa! H-hang on, I''ll drop her!¡± Lox stammered back.  He could see tears starting to form in the small girl''s eyes, and also noted the stares of everyone in the guild hall.  Most had stopped their eating and drinking to watch the spectacle. Bertram had vanished somehow. Smart man...


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Clarissa asked in a suspicious tone.


    ¡°Uh,¡± was all he could utter


    ¡°Don''t give me uh, tell me who she is!¡± she said in a demanding voice, ¡°and why do you smell terrible!?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story, can we get her cleaned up?¡± he asked, ¡°I''ll tell you after we get settled in.¡±


    -*-


    ¡°So you found her lying in the sewer looking like this?¡± Clarissa asked.  ¡°I don''t believe you,¡± she retorted in a deadpan voice.


    ¡°But it''s the truth sis!¡± Lox''s eyebrows rose just like they did whenever he lied, ¡°I was looking around for a ring, from that quest, you know, the one that rich lady brought in a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°Andros completed that quest three days ago Lox,¡± she sighed.  What a troublesome brother I have.  ¡°Besides, she looks familiar...¡±


    ¡°Egh,¡± something seemed to catch in Lox''s throat.


    Clarissa''s eyes widened, ¡°No, don''t tell me,¡± she moaned. ¡°What did you do brother?¡±  Laying in Lox''s bed was someone she had seen on a few occasions in the city.  Mostly during festival parades or public gatherings, always in the background but always waving happily to her citizens.  ¡°This, please tell me this isn''t Princess Winter.¡±  She felt a headache coming on.  ¡°Please tell me the truth Lox, what happened?¡±


    After that it was only a matter of throwing accusatory looks his way to get him to tell her the complete and total truth.  My brother is an idiot!

 Chapter 2: Cipher

    Early Release since I had time.


    Chapter 2


    Declan''s eyes fluttered open. The room she found herself in was rather large, almost like a cabin with how much woodwork she could see. The wall with a window in it was of stone however. The curtains were drawn, but she could see sunlight streaming through the edges, painting the room in a gentle light. She was in a bed covered in thick down blankets, and it was hard to not want to slip back into sleep again. With regret she lifted herself up and wiped the sleepiness from her eyes.


    ¡°I guess we got out of that dungeon,¡± she said sleepily. ¡°That kid really was dependable.¡± She wondered how the boy had managed to get out all by himself, or maybe he''d had some help? Well, whatever. I''ll go ahead and find out what''s going on here first of all. With that thought she pulled herself completely out of bed. Eh, naked am I? She also noted that the stink from before was gone, he must have washed me, I sure hope he''s not a pervert. There was a standing mirror near one corner of the room so Declan decided to check out what was going on with this new body.


    ¡°Holy...¡± she uttered almost under her breath. There she stood, a girl, maybe 16 or 17 years of age. Deep purple, almost black hair falling slightly lower than her shoulders framed an innocent heart shaped face with pouting lips. A small nose and delicate eyebrows accentuated a pair of large, almond shaped blue eyes. Her surprise was actually two fold, first off she was skinny, too skinny. Her facial features, her entire body was almost...gaunt. Not quite to the point of starvation...but this body has been through hell and back. His second surprise was that, in spite of all this, she was stunningly beautiful. Already a ten, once her body recovered and she didn''t look like a skinny underwear model anymore....


    ¡°This one goes to eleven!¡± she chuckled in a bad English accent, ¡°right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven, eleven!¡± She was striking poses as she spoke, but suddenly stopped as a thought came to her, ¡°Seriously though, what happened to you, Winter?¡± Imprisonment obviously, but judging from the condition her body was in, atrophied muscles, gaunt features, she could estimate her prison time had been between 20-60 days, depending how often the girl had been fed. Still, didn''t princesses usually just get locked in a tower or married off? And those guards seemed to have been having a fine time too, she thought with absolute disgust. A shiver ran down her spine. The only explanation Declan could think of was that Winter had been either extremely hated, or too dangerous to simply leave in a low security environment. If I want to survive, I''ll need to find out exactly who it is I''ve become. It was then that she heard the door behind her begin to open. Shit I''m naked!


    Quickly she darted towards the safety of the bed. Wrapping herself up in the comfy down blankets as she sat down on top of the bed with her legs crossed.


    ¡°Oh you''re up!¡± said a grinning Lox. Obviously he had seen something, ¡°what''s with that goofy look on your face Winter?¡±


    ¡°Was have you see?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Was? You mean what don''t you?¡± Lox asked. She nodded. ¡°Um, I see a girl who broke herself, and me, out of prison a day ago acting suspicious on her bed.¡± Declan thought she saw a flash of mischief cross the boy''s features, but it was soon covered up with a sigh. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn''t get carried away after what happened to you,¡± he said sadly, ¡°sorry.


    Declan could guess, but the fact remained that the last thing he remembered before waking up back then was throwing an M84 into a room, waiting for it to go off, then taking point and rushing in to clear. Was there a click? I think there was a click. He seemed to remember bits and pieces after that, but it was all a haze.


    ¡°Stupid mistake,¡± she muttered, ¡°Muss a claymore been.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± the boy looked confused.


    Shaking her head she looked up at Lox, ¡°Ist fine, think nothing of it.¡± She thought that last sentence was one of her best, but it seemed as if it had been taken the wrong way.


    ¡°Oh, is that how it is?!¡± Lox almost shouted, his eyes widening in understanding. ¡°You lost your memory!¡± A mix of emotions seemed to be painting his features, ¡°that''s great! I mean, it''s not great, but at least...you know...¡± he trailed off in confusion.


    ¡°At least it explains a lot,¡± said a high pitched voice from behind Lox, ¡°Ignore my stupid brother Your Highness.¡± A small, adorable looking girl with light brown shoulder length hair emerged from behind the stupid brother. ¡°I''m Clarissa by the way,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Eh, hello!¡± Declan stammered. She''s TOO cute!


    ¡°Here, it''s not much but I brought you some stew,¡± she said holding a steaming bowl. Declan''s stomach growled. ¡°We got some clothes from one of the female adventurers for you too, I hope they fit.¡± Smiling Clarissa set the bowl of stew onto the nightstand. Turning to her brother the girl raised a finger, ¡°just WHAT do you think you''re doing in here anyways Lox? You get out now before I go grab Birdy from downstairs and tell him you were peeping!¡±


    Lox''s face turned white as he stammered, ¡°I-I only wanted to get my-¡± but the small girl wouldn''t let him finish.


    ¡°OUT! NOW!¡± Flashing one last smile back in her direction, Clarissa herded her brother out of the room, with force. As they exited and the door closed, Declan realized her jaw was still hanging open. It was obvious the little one was in charge.


    Chuckling to herself she decided to eat first. The stew was still warm, with large chunks of potato and what looked like carrots and onions. I guess fantasy food isn''t that fantastic, where''s my meat anyway? The room she was in looked wealthy enough to be able to afford meat, well, whatever.  After a time she realized she was already scooping out smudges of broth with her fingers.


    ¡°No way, gone already?¡± She must have been hungrier than she thought. Setting the bowl back down she got up and walked over to the clothing that lay over the back of a chair. As she started getting dressed she noticed something however, I have no idea how to put any of this on!  It definitely looked like some kind of medieval cosplay garb, but for the life of her she couldn''t figure it out. T-time to act like a princess for real I guess. She was so embarrassed. HE was a (former) CIA agent, with field experience from two separate military campaigns, and as a she, she couldn''t figure out all these buttons and ties and belts! Definitely peculiar clothing.


    Wrapping herself with one of the bed sheets she made her way over to the door, opened it, and poked her head out to look around. It looked to be a great room.  There was a kitchen with a small table by the window, wooden flooring, and then a sitting area with two couches facing each other in front of a small fireplace. Lox was sitting on one of the couches with his back turned to her, and Clarissa was in the kitchen cleaning. What a lazy man, why doesn''t she make him help her? She wondered absently.


    In a meek voice she called out, ¡°Um, Clarissa?¡± Her face reddened as she and Lox both turned to her. ¡°Willst you to me help givingk?¡± Her face was burning at this point, but Clarissa didn''t miss a beat.


    ¡°Oh, I''m so sorry!¡± The little girl rushed over to her, ¡°I forgot, royalty must do things like this! Let me help you!¡± She seemed just as embarrassed as Declan, though obviously for different reasons. Lox just shook his head as he turned back around. Yeah, screw you buddy. I ain''t never done this before!  His old Texas drawl barely registered in her mind. Why do I care what he thinks anyways


    In a matter of a few minutes Clarissa had her dressed properly. It was hard for her to take in. The outfit seemed to fit adequately enough, a few loose areas here and there, but all in all it was a good match. She just wasn''t sure how she felt about wearing thigh high stockings with knee high leather boots. They were supple and soft though, and nicely complimented the light cotton shirt with a leather corset looking thing that most likely would protect her vitals. The short skirt was a bit much though. She stared blankly at the mirror and tried to let the image sink in. I''ve got to adapt if I want to survive, gotta adapt, adapt...¡±Maaaaa!!!¡± Grasping her head and blinking Declan, no I have to adapt or I''ll go crazy. Winter straightened herself up and smiled into the mirror.


    ¡°You look amazing, Your Highness!¡± squeaked Clarissa. Apparently she had missed Winter''s little melt down. Or not, her eyes shone with a little uneasiness. I guess I shouldn''t underestimate her, even if she is this adorable.


    ¡°M-many thank yous Clarissa.¡± She was starting to get tired of this language barrier, but it was getting easier, maybe studying from books would help. Even if the letters were different it would be no more difficult than all the code breaking he had done in the CIA. Might take some time anyway, maybe this little one would be willing to help me learn. ¡°Clarissa, this one speaking lehrnen wants,¡± she began while Clarissa waited patiently. ¡°Do the reading von books mit this one, yes? Please?¡±


    Clarissa''s eyes dawned with understanding, ¡°that''s a great idea! Maybe you can get your language skills back that way!¡± The girl was beaming, melting Winter''s heart, ¡°come on! There''s a small library downstairs in the guild hall. Mostly books about weapons and monsters and armor and weapons and magic and, did I mention weapons? Anyways, it''s mostly adventurer things, but it should...¡±


    Winter let the girl ramble on, unable to interject, as she lead her by the hand out the door into the main room of the apartment. There was another door leading to what she thought must be Clarissa''s room on the other side of main room, she assumed she had taken over Lox''s bedroom. Small wonder he had gone in without knocking.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Amnesia must be a terrible thing too,¡± Clarissa was still going as they passed by Lox, ¡°but I bet you''ll be back to normal soon Your-¡±


    ¡°Ah wait Clarissa!¡± Lox was able to break in. Good job Lox!


    ¡°What is it, stupid lazy brother?¡± she shot back annoyed.  Oh, she added lazy!


    ¡°Well, just this,¡± he began, ¡°if you''re going to take her down where there are other people, you might want to drop the honorifics.¡± Clarissa looked mortified while Lox hurried on, ¡°it''s just that she stands out you know? I''m sure there''ll be a huge reward for finding the escaped Third Princess.¡±


    ¡°Hmmpf, for once you make a good point brother,¡± Clarissa said while putting a finger to her lips in thought. ¡°That royal hair too, it stands out too much.¡± Did all the royalty have dark purple hair?


    ¡°Can you do it sis?¡± Lox asked. Winter tilted her head to the side giving both a questioning gaze.


    ¡°Mmm, no sweat!¡± She then led Winter around to sit in the sofa across from Lox, then stood on the coffee table between them.


    Hey don''t stand on tables kid! She opened her mouth to say, but Clarissa suddenly started speaking, in English no less!


    ¡°Oh spirit of change I beseech thee, alter the thing which I most desire! Fade to black!¡±  Winter was startled by the language to be sure, but the small girl had a slight glow around her as she spoke the words of the spell. As she finished she lightly touched Winter on top of her head. A blinding flash emitted, and Winter''s instincts took over as she dove for cover. A flash grenade? No, wait, I''m getting too jumpy.  Is this magic?


    ¡°Wagh, look you scared her sis! Why''d you make it flash like that?¡± Lox asked


    ¡°I-I didn''t, I think she must have some kind of magic resistance,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Look her hair is even different from what I wanted,¡± she motioned towards Winter as she emerged from her ''cover.''


    ¡°Whoa, what did you do?¡± Lox said incredulously. ¡°I liked the dark purple, at least make it black!¡±


    ¡°I tried you dummy,¡± she shot back.


    Winter pulled a few strands in front of her eyes so she could see for herself what had happened. Golden blond fading into white tips. No, this might actually be perfect, but first:


    ¡°So wait a second, you guys are telling me you knew English all along? What gives?¡± Winter asked becoming greatly annoyed. ¡°That other language you guys use is too troublesome, I mean, I wish I could learn it to be nice, but if you already know this language why don''t we just speak normally like this? I mean, what the HELL!¡± With that her body started to feel slightly warm. Looking down at herself Winter began to get nervous. She was glowing just like Clarissa had a moment before, and the two siblings were staring at her, mouths agape with shock. ¡°What-what is going on?¡±


    And then she knew. Energy seeped out of her just like it had during the escape from the dungeon the night before, but this time something else happened. Pressure exploded outwards from Winter, knocking down chairs, throwing Lox and Clarissa to the sides, then absolute chaos. Another explosion ripped through the entire building creating cracks in the stone and wood of the building, only to then begin to reassemble themselves just as suddenly. Chairs, tables, dishes, anything not bolted down flew around like a crazed poltergeist had awakened. She could hear screaming and yelling as people downstairs panicked.


    Winter stood there in the middle of the maelstrom, completely untouched by the raw fury surrounding her.  Then, reality itself began to twist around her.  She was eye of the storm.


    ¡°Winter! You have to stop it!¡± yelled Lox in a panic. He was shielding Clarissa who was trembling with her head down in her knees. ¡°Do you understand? You have to stop it!¡±


    Something about the way he said stop instantly clicked in her mind and she yelled with all her strength, ¡°STOP THIS NOW!¡± It seemed as if time itself stopped for a moment, and then everything floating in the air fell back to the ground. Winter could only stand there staring at the scene before her with hands covering her mouth in shock.


    She felt incredibly drained for some reason, she would surely collapse if she tried to move even one step. So she just stood there. ¡°What happening was that?¡± she uttered to no one in particular. Clarissa was on the ground quietly sobbing. On instinct Winter reached out to her, but Lox was already holding her.


    ¡°There there, it''s over sis,¡± he cooed, ¡°it''s all over, nothing bad is going to happen.¡± He rocked the small girl back and forth in his arms as he tried to comfort her, and in a few moments she was able to regain herself, if only a little.


    Sniffling she raised her eyes to her brother, ¡°I still hate it,¡± she sobbed, ¡°it''s too scary, I hate magic!¡±


    -*-


    After about an hour Clarissa had recuperated enough to where she wanted to take Winter down to the library. It was decided that the young woman would learn the local language, Rumic, as quickly as possible. She had found out that Tendetric, their name for Declan''s native tongue, was actually the language of dragons, or rather magic. Dragons hadn''t been seen for over a thousand years apparently.


    It was also decided that Winter would start magic lessons as soon as she was able to speak normally again. At first Clarissa had been against this, but with Lox''s warning that another incident could occur out of ignorance she gave in rather easily. That was still in the future anyway. As they descended the stairs into the main hall however, a scene of chaos awaited them. Even though it had already been a whole hour since her accidental spell misfired, the entire Adventurer''s Guild looked as though someone had kicked an anthill.


    Everyone seemed to be doing something, from simple repairs to cleaning, all under the direction of a large bear of a man. She thought bear because he had not only a large build, but a full brown beard occupying his rough angular face. Despite that though, he had bright brown eyes, and though they were now organizing the mess around him with sharp gazes, Winter thought she could see a kindness within them. Clarissa called out to the man.


    ¡°Hey Bertram,¡± the small girl yelled over the din, ¡°Is the library okay?¡±


    ¡°Wha-? Oh Clarissa!¡± he shouted back, ¡°Yeah, for some reason nothing happened in there.¡± He looked at Winter then, ¡°Who''s your friend there? Is that the one Lox picked up the other day,¡± he asked eyeing her up and down.


    Oi! Don''t stare like that! She could feel her cheeks turning red. ¡°Yeah, this is Winter,¡± they''d decided to keep her name, it had become rather popular in the city after the third princess was born after all. ¡°Need any help,¡± she inquired.


    ¡°No, we''re fine here, almost finished up,¡± the big man heaved a sigh probably thinking of all the other things that would need fixing in the future. ¡°You go enjoy the rest of your free day little one.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Birdy!¡± Clarissa then skipped ahead motioning for Winter to follow. Birdy? The now blond haired beauty let out a snort, but decided to hurry up as Bertram noticed and gave her a dark look.


    ¡°Mein guess is only Clarissa Birdy uses,¡± the said in a low voice to the skipping nine year old ahead of her. ¡°Others would only pain erlangen,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Erlangen?¡± Clarissa raised her left finger to her mouth in thought, ¡°do you mean to receive?¡± she asked. ¡°I still don''t get it, Birdy is Birdy!¡± But you did call him Bertram once. Ah well.


    The library was down a long hallway deeper inside the building, behind large double doors. Indeed it seemed that the destruction hadn''t extended this far, and it was quiet here since most everyone was helping the clean up in the main hall. It was also smaller than she first suspected, the walls were covered with shoulder height bookshelves and there was only one table in the middle of the room with a few chairs around it. Either books were expensive, or adventurers generally weren''t all to interested in them.


    Winter sat down as Clarissa went around and gathered a few books. All right, all I have to do is get her to sound out the letters and I can begin making a cipher. She didn''t look forward to it, getting out of the cryptology department and becoming a field agent had been the happiest day of her life. His life. Shaking her head, they set to work. Once she had the cipher down (Clarissa had been particularly interested with what she had been writing), she asked the girl a few questions regarding sentence structure.


    All in all, they ended up spending hours together as Winter slowly came to grasp parts of the Rumic language. As she helped Clarissa put away the books they had used, a stray thought came to mind.  How come all the other times I spoke English to myself nothing strange happened? Why can I think in English even without blowing up a building?


    ¡°Clarissa,¡± she said, ¡°Tomorrow, I can learn magic yes?¡± She had already made tons of progress, but it seemed an accent still remained.


    ¡°I think it will take longer than that, but yes,¡± the small girl shivered slightly, ¡°the sooner the better for you I think.¡±


    ¡°Alright, looking forverds to eet,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I''m hungry too!¡± Clarissa said her face brightening with a smile. In her mind, Winter face-palmed herself.

 Chapter 3: Refractions

    Chapter 3


    ¡°And you allowed to her escape?¡± Rolf Ainsfeld confirmed. Simon watched as the man sat back in his comfortable chair behind a table stacked with books and papers. He stood at attention before him wearing only plain, unassuming clothes, and nodded his balding head.


    ¡°As you commanded Your Royal Majesty,¡± he continued, ¡°we followed the boy until he arrived at the Adventure''s Guild in the Rose Quarter.¡± Simon narrowed his dark eyes causing them to gleam in the lamp light, ¡°he was quite slippery actually, you should have seen him scale the south eastern wall with Her Highness tied to his back. If at all possible I''d like to recruit him, my liege.¡±


    ¡°As expected,¡± the king replied, ¡°but no, I have other uses for that one,¡± He waved his hand dismissively. Rolf Ainsfeld; by grace of the Three, ruler of the Kingdom of Ramsfeld, Holder of the Six Keys, Knight Commander of the Knights of the Path, the Gate, and the Rose, Defender of the Realm. He was considered tall in the kingdom, standing at six feet and three inches, he was lightly built for a warrior, but his movements gave him away, even sitting casually he gave the impression of a whip about to crack. Short dark purple hair stood above a pair of dark blue eyes that took note of everything, from the slightest twitch of an eyebrow, to the deftest of feints during a duel. His piercing gaze was only offset by the delicate high cheekbones he had inherited from his mother.


    ¡°And Lord Audemar has been quietly dealt with I presume?¡± Simon could almost see flames behind his king''s eyes as he worked his mouth around that vile man''s name.


    ¡°About that, if you will allow me to continue my report my liege?¡± With a wave the king motioned him to continue, ¡°we received some rather disturbing reports, that...have only just now been confirmed.¡± He took a breath, ready to bear the full brunt of the king''s wrath, ¡°It was confirmed that his Lordship Boris Audemar had been tampering with the guard roles, as well as the shift schedules for the prison guards.¡± Simon looked up from the report he was reading, only to shiver at the king''s visage. Quickly he resumed the report.


    ¡°Apparently he had been exercising his lusts, since your sister was in such a compromising situation,¡± he continued in a flat tone, ¡°he paid off several officers, as well as members of the serving staff to cover his tracks, our eyes and ears were also blind to these happenings. Until last night it seems.¡± Simon cleared his throat, ¡°also something strange I forgot to mention, the insurgent group we had been watching that had plans to rescue Her Highness...¡±


    ¡°What of them?¡± Rolf asked impatiently.


    ¡°They...ah, they had no hand in Princess Winter''s escape my liege,¡± he said almost baffled. ¡°By all accounts her and the boy escaped by themselves.¡±


    ¡°Those useless dogs!¡± Rolf spat viciously as he slammed a fist on his table. ¡°If I had been able to act sooner, none of this... Damn that useless Newell¡± he trailed off, tapping his index finger on his temple. Simon knew what the king was thinking: Princess Winter would never forgive him.


    It had been a string of unfortunate, unseen events. Simon prided himself on his grasp of politics, but even he had not been prepared for the united push from three quarters of the nobility to have the previous king stripped of his authority. Winter Ainsfeld, as Third Princess and lone surviving daughter of King Remon Ainsfeld, had attempted to push back, in a vain attempt to save her father. While she had succeeded in marginally keeping order, is wasn''t long before Remon succumbed unknown assassins.


    Afterward during a short succession she had played her hand badly, so badly in fact that not only was Rolf put on the throne anyway, but that she had alienated herself from the nobility almost completely. It was Lord Audemar himself that had suggested she be put into the dungeons, and by that time there were very few voices against it.


    ¡°My Lord, none could have expected what Audemar was planning, how far his madness had taken him,¡± he ventured, ¡°though it is regrettable, take comfort that your sister has likely found her revenge.¡±


    ¡°Regrettable indeed, though how could she manage to escape on her own?¡± he wondered idly.   Rolf seemed to age as he let fatigue show in his stature. He looked up straight into Simon''s eyes then, piercing him with his gaze. ¡°I want a list of every servant, every guard officer, everyone whom Boris paid off,¡± he seethed, ¡°even if you hear of someone he spoke too in a corner away from others.¡± He might be going to far, but Simon was not about to stop his liege, besides, the Princess had always treated him kindly. ¡°Show me your skills as my spy master Simon, those we can execute publicly, do so. The others...shall have accidents. Make sure to publicly execute any prison guards who were involved especially,¡± he sighed. ¡°It may be a small gift, but it''s all I can give my dear sister at this moment in time.¡±


    Simon straightened his posture and brought his right fist to his heart. ¡°As Your Royal Majesty commands!¡±


    ¡°And keep on eye on her Simon,¡± Rolf commanded. ¡°I''m not sure she''ll be ever able to return to the palace the way things are now, I''ll prepare something later that she might be able to live somewhere in peace.¡± With that the king excused him with a wave.


    ¡°Of course my liege,¡± the plain looking man replied as he melted away into the shadows.


    -*-


    This morning Winter was sitting at the small table with Lox across from her while Clarissa brought over some porridge. It had been a few days since the magic incident, but unfortunately they had not been able to find a teacher of magic yet. It was a large city, so Winter suspected there should be many magic practitioners, and there were various shops selling spell books and scrolls, as well as others dealing with herbs and potions, but finding a teacher was difficult. They had heard that most of the proficient spell users, especially those who could teach, had been recruited into the army as of late. There had been a big push to increase the size of the military a few months back, even adventurers from the guild had been recruited.


    They hadn''t forced everyone to join, as the guild provided a modicum of public order that was necessary to the populace, but they were understaffed. Most of the highest ranking people had in fact been drafted, leaving a small number of mid to low rank members. There were a few foreigners from neighboring countries, but not enough to fill in for everyone who was now gone.


    ¡°It''s so boring,¡± Clarissa moaned, ¡°I used to be so busy at the main desk, but now it''s so slooooow!¡±


    ¡°There seemed zu be a lot of people the other day when my magic went nuts,¡± countered Winter. Her Rumic was markedly better from before, but everyone told her she had an odd accent.


    ¡°That''s because your magic went nuts,¡± Lox said pointedly. ¡°I was surprised you didn''t bring the city watch down on our heads.¡±


    ¡°Ugh I know,¡± Winter said as she took a spoonful of porridge. It was really good. ¡°I just hope we can find a teacher today.¡± They had been searching during the day, and at night she had been reading books. Mainly to understand the language, but also to get a handle one what kind of world this was. She had found out many things, like the fact that there were other humanoid races like elves, and a few kinds of animal hybrid races, nothing like dwarves existed though. I wonder if I can get a cat girl and a dog girl and name them Tama and Pochi. She chuckled, probably not, but she could dream.


    ¡°Oi, what''s with that faraway look in your eyes Winter?¡± Lox asked.


    Maybe a bunny girl with white hair! ¡°Eheehee,¡±


    ¡°I saw her making this same face last night before we went to bed,¡± sighed Clarissa. Lox had been able to reclaim his bed, as it was agreed it would be better for Clarissa and Winter to sleep together.


    ¡°Oh? What was she doing?¡± inquired Lox taking a bite of the porridge. Winter was lost in thought and didn''t even notice the exchange.


    ¡°She asked, so I gave her a picture book of all the different races,¡± she paused putting her finger to her lips. ¡°I think she was on the page about the cat tribe.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey!¡± Winter broke in, her deep blue eyes sparkling, ¡°Can we look for a cat tribe magic teacher?¡± The thought of a cat eared cutie in a wide brimmed wizard hat had gotten her excited, ¡°A dog or a bunny would be nice also, although wouldn''t it be weird for a bunny person zu be pulling bunnies out of their hat?¡± She giggled at the thought until tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°I think I liked it better when you could barely talk,¡± said Lox sighing.


    ¡°Maybe it was a mistake teaching her how to read,¡± sighed Clarissa.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked looking at both of them. They only shook their heads.


    -*-


    Later that day Lox and Winter found themselves in front of an old stone building in the Rose quarter, only a few blocks away from the Adventurer''s Guild. It was a humble enough dwelling sandwiched between two taller stone buildings on either side, but it didn''t look out of place at all. As they entered the shop through the aged wooden door she took note of how many knick knacks were everywhere. The girl wandered over to a glass counter and noted all the different wands and crystals inside. Magic huh? When she looked up Lox was talking to someone.


    Too old!  Winter screamed inside, he''s old enough to be my grandfather back home in Lubbock! Her fluffy dreams had been shattered.


    ¡°Oh hohoho,¡± chuckled the white bearded old man talking to Lox. She would have preferred coming with Clarissa instead of that annoying jerk, but the small girl had work today, ¡°and who is this young damsel who looks like her dreams were just shattered?¡±


    ¡°Gek!¡± Something caught in her throat.


    ¡°Oh hohoho,¡± the old man''s eyes were gleaming.


    ¡°Ah, this is Winter,¡± Lox said motioning her to come forward, ¡°Winter, this is Magus Heldrin Moss.¡±


    ¡°I see, pleased zu meet you,¡± she said holding out her hand. Heldrin looked at it, then turned to Lox.


    ¡°What is she doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± the boy replied. ¡°Might be best to ignore it,¡± he said in a low voice into the mage''s ear.


    Placing her hands on her hips Winter let out a huff, ¡°What, no one shakes hands around here?¡±


    ¡°So, what brings you two here today young Lox?¡± the old man asked.


    Ignored!  She could feel her cheeks starting to get warm. Calm down Declan, we''ve got to remember Winter''s hormones are a lot different than we''re used to. He was still pissed though.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.¡°Weeeeeelll, I''ve got a request of you Magus,¡± Lox said puffing out his chest, ¡°We would like you to teach Winter magic.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Heldrin shook his head.


    ¡°So fast!¡± Winter let out.


    ¡°W-wait Heldrin!¡± Lox panicked.


    ¡°And why should I boy?¡± the old mage demanded. ¡°I haven''t seen your sister in over a year,¡± he said heatedly, ¡°and she was the most talented pupil I''ve had in ages!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I knew we shouldn''t have come here,¡± whined Lox. Dejectedly he shook his messy brown haired head. ¡°Can you at least test her to see what element she is?¡±


    ¡°Pfa, fine!¡± the man spat. A quick look of confusion crossed over his features, so fast Winter almost doubted it was there. ¡°I might even teach her if she''s talented, but it won''t be cheap!¡± the old man declared. ¡°I''ve got enough work as it is without taking on some wisp of a girl.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yea, get on with it old man,¡± Lox said flatly. The old magus disappeared into a back room, and after a few moments returned holding a frumpy beat up old magician looking hat.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Winter asked.


    ¡°What?¡± replied Heldrin as he pulled a clear glass tablet out from the inside of the hat. He set the tablet on the counter as he carelessly tossed the hat away. Winter thought she heard a grunt as it struck the wall, but it was probably just her imagination.


    ¡°And this is...what?¡± she asked, her blue eyes scanning the slab of glass. I looked about the size of a DVD case, and upon closer inspection she noticed writing etched into it. ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°That''s right little missy,¡± the man crooned, ¡°this is a Mana Refractor, also known as a Force Dioptric,¡± he beamed.


    ¡°No, that''s not what I meant,¡± Winter said shaking her head. This is a poem...The Four Elements by Anne Bradstreet. ¡°How did you get this? Where did it come from?¡± Without thinking she had reached over the counter and grasped the old mage by the lapels.


    Taken aback Heldrin slowly removed the startled girl''s hands, ¡°Now now, no need to be jealous,¡± he said looking slightly miffed. ¡°It''s an ancient relic left over from a forgotten age. Some say they were summoned, others say the tablets were created, and simply the etchings were summoned. Either way I''ll need a drop of your blood for this to work.¡±


    Calming down Winter looked at the glass tablet once more, ¡°I just prick a finger then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yup!¡± piped in Lox. Heldrin shot him a glare. Was the boy feeling left out?


    ¡°Why don''t you try it too Lox?¡± asked Winter curiously.


    ¡°Ah, well, I did already a long time ago,¡± he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.


    ¡°And?¡± she asked impatiently.


    ¡°And he''s a talentless nobody,¡± grunted Heldrin. ¡°Hurry up so I can get back to work already."  In a quiet, low voice he added,  "...although I already know you''re a light elemental user.¡±  Winter heard him though.


    ¡°What? How do you know that?¡± Lox asked surprised. Apparently he had heard too.


    ¡°Look, you can''t fool an old mage like me with that hair,¡± he said, ¡°did Clarissa do that? Should have gone black if you ask me,¡± he said regarding Winter while smoothing his beard.  ¡°Besides, I''ll never be able to forget the little girl I used to sneak treats too back when I was in the palace.¡± A brief nostalgic smile crossed his lips.


    Winter''s face had turned white, but looking at Lox he seemed strangely calm. ¡°Well, she''s lost a lot of her memories so she probably doesn''t remember,¡± he said nonchalantly.


    ¡°I see, that explains...more than a few things,¡± Heldrin said. His tone just now was a bit strange, I wonder what happened.  Lox seems to trust him though.


    ¡°Well, hand me your knife Lox,¡± Winter said holding her hand out.


    ¡°Oh, you still want to do it eh?¡± the magus said in mild surprise.


    ¡°Yup, why not?¡± the girl sighed taking the knife. She honestly wanted to see how the thing worked. Grimacing she pricked her finger tip. ¡°I assume there are more than just the four elements in this poem?¡± she commented as she let a drop of blood fall.


    Heldrin regarded her through narrowed eyelids, ¡°There are six that we know of, there may be others: Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, true are the main four. When you were tested as a babe, Light was the only word highlighted here,¡± he pointed at the tablet.


    ¡°Ah, so it highlights the word of your element?¡± she asked watching the magic item. The blood began snaking around the letters of the poem, seeking out it''s destination. Weird.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°except cases where darkness magic is detected.¡±


    ¡°What happens then?¡± asked Lox, ¡°and how long does this take?¡±


    ¡°With Darkness it only highlights the individual letters in order to spell it out.¡± He stroked his beard as he watched, ¡°not much longer now...¡±


    The blood continued flowing as if alive, slipping from one word to the next. It seemed to want to take it''s time as the liquid meandered along it''s chosen path.


    ¡°Strange...¡± Heldrin muttered, ¡°it passed light.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± uttered Lox and Winter at the same time. Looking up at each other their eyes met briefly, before Winter looked away shyly. She thought she saw the corners of Lox''s mouth twitch in the beginnings of a smile. W-what was that...? Shaking her head clear she looked down at the slab of glass. The blood had finally stopped, and a single word was glowing.


    ¡°Chaos...¡± she said out loud, translating the word into Rumic.


    ¡°How do you know that word?!¡± uttered Heldrin in a dark voice. ¡°I''ve been studying this tablet for decades trying to decipher what it says!¡± His little black eyes were widening now, staring at Winter in astonishment. ¡°And how is it your element has changed? Magic is bound to one''s soul, it never...changes!¡±


    ¡°I-I don''t know!¡± she shouted back grasping her head. Time for a little acting, I don''t want this to get out. Who knows what trouble it would bring if people knew I was from a different world. She fell to her knees as if some kind of pain assaulted her, ¡°I don''t know, I-I just know!¡± Lox was there in an instant.


    ¡°It''s okay Winter,¡± he held her from behind. It was strangely comforting, even if she was acting. Slowly he helped her up, and she buried her face in his chest. Ah, what a nice smell- WAIT WAIT WAIT, what the hell am I doing. Her body trembled, but it only helped the illusion that she was having a breakdown. After a few moments, just long enough for it too seem like she had calmed down, I certainly didn''t do it because I liked being held, she turned back around to Heldrin.


    I-I''m sorry magus,¡± she said meekly looking up at the old man. ¡°I don''t remember much, but...ever since I woke up that day, I know Tendetric like it''s my native language...¡±  Maybe that would be enticing enough to get him to teach her.  Was it worth the risk?


    ¡°Hmmpf, I''ll believe that when I see it,¡± he snorted, ¡°Chaos magic...there is no precedent, not to my knowledge anyway. I''ve never even heard of such a thing.¡± He tugged on his beard looking as if he were debating something. ¡°Alright, I will teach you,¡± he said finally, ¡°but on one condition!¡± he declared holding up a finger.


    ¡°And what is that Master Heldrin?¡± asked Lox. Winter thought she saw his brown eyes narrow slightly.


    ¡°I''ll teach Princess Ainsfeld only IF you can convince Clarissa to come back and resume her lessons,¡± his eyes were gleaming in the dim light of the magic shop. ¡°I''ll even waive the tuition fee if you can manage that. It would be a great honor to teach one as gifted as she is, but Chaos magic...it just sounds dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Oi, you want me to make my sister come back when it might be even more dangerous than before?¡± Lox said, emotion starting to enter his voice.


    ¡°What choice do you have boy?¡± the old magus asked darkly, leaning forward across the counter. ¡°If she doesn''t practice, learn how to control what she has, how much longer do you think it will be before something happens, some accident?¡± He was pointing at Winter.


    Lox sighed and looked away, avoiding the mage''s troubling gaze. Winter also let her blond hair fall in front of her face to hide from the old man''s stare. It was true, they already had no choice. It seemed all the other mages in the city had been drafted into the military, and there was no way they could afford an adventurer to teach her. That would cost at least five times the normal amount, and more often than not you''d probably get dragged off on a quest carrying the party''s luggage.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Winter said stoically, looking up again.  ¡°I''ll convince her,¡± Lox opened his mouth about to protest, ¡°no Lox, it''ll be fine, I''ll convince her.¡± He clapped his mouth shut then.


    ¡°Alright, if that''s everything,¡± Heldrin clapped his hands together. Obviously he was getting fired up. ¡°I''ll expect you tomorrow afternoon, with Clarissa.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Lox wearily, ¡°but don''t be surprised if she acts like a cranth with a thorn in it''s paw when she gets here.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me, hohoho.¡± he really was enjoying this. The old man waved as they turned and left.


    With that He and Winter made their way out of the shop and back into the street, when she noticed something. Hmm, simple plain brown clothes, slightly overweight but not by too much, plain black hair, pretending to avoid looking at us. A tail. He stood kitty corner across the way leaning on one of the lamp posts. She had noticed the man walking the same direction as them on their way to the magic shop here. That meant someone was watching them, and that someone already knew where they were staying. They''ve had plenty of chances to nab us, so what gives? And if they were smart they would have switched operatives while we were in there. It could be a simple street thug, but Winter highly doubted that. As they continued to walk, the girl suddenly grabbed Lox by the arm and drew him in close.


    ¡°First of all, stop blushing like that,¡± she snapped in a low voice. Just two lovers out for a stroll mister tail-man. Hehehe, ¡°Gehu,¡± she coughed, ¡°Stop blushing, and whatever you do...don''t look behind us...¡±

 Chapter 4: Gifts

    Chapter 4


    ¡°H-hey, where are you taking us?¡± stammered Lox as Winter led them down a side street. The man she had noticed was pretty good, she had gone down several different side streets and alleyways, only to find him casually following behind once again after they re-emerged onto the main road. Definitely not just a street thug.


    ¡°You didn''t notice we''re being followed?¡± she replied while sneaking a glance behind her. ¡°we''re going to ambush him back in there,¡± she stated coldly motioning with her chin. The place they were at now was fairly narrow, and the tall buildings obscured the blue sky above. The place she had indicated was a group of stacked up crates that stood about chest high to her. ¡°Quick, before he gets around the corner!¡±


    They quickly dove behind the large wooden boxes, and waited sitting on their heels. ¡°Knife, quick!¡± she demanded in a low voice holding out her hand. Lox only took a moment before he fumbled around and handed it to her, a worried look on his face. ¡°Don''t do anything unless I say so, now be quiet!¡± He nodded and they began to wait.


    There it is! She could just make out the swish, scrunch of padded shoes. As the steps grew closer she tensed up. Suddenly the footsteps stopped, what is he doing? Hurry up! After a what seemed an eternity the steps continued, a little faster this time. Suddenly a leg thrust forward past the box Winter was crouched behind.


    With a smooth motion and a flash of blond hair she thrust forward, stabbing the man in the left calf. As the man let out a yell in surprise she yanked the blade free, stabbing twice more in succession, once in his right inner thigh, once on the top of his left knee. As the man fell to the ground in pain Winter held the knife blade to his throat, drawing a thin line of blood before the black haired man was able to throw himself into the opposite wall. She kept the pressure on the blade following the man as he crumpled to the ground in a heap, eyes wide with fear.


    ¡°Who sent you?!¡± she demanded narrowing her eyes. The man''s eyes got wider if that were possible, ¡°Who. Sent. You.¡± With every word she increased the pressure on the blade slightly.


    ¡°T-t-the...¡± he stammered. Winter leaned in darkening her gaze, ¡°The King!¡± he nearly yelped, ¡°His Majesty, y-your brother,¡± he tried to smile weakly at that, ¡°he wanted us to keep an eye on you, only that I swear!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she demanded. She could hear Lox shifting around behind her, but ignored him. ¡°Tell me why!¡±


    ¡°I-I don''t know...Your Highness!¡± the poor man''s eyes were tearing up now.


    ¡°How much does my dear brother know, hmm?¡± A dangerous gleam entered her eyes and the man gulped again.


    ¡°Only...only that you and that boy,¡± he said nodding at Lox, ¡°escaped the prison, ah, without help from the insurrectionists.¡±


    ¡°There are insurrectionists?¡± Winter asked, tilting her head. The man''s face paled as a confused look crossed his face.


    ¡°Why of course,¡± he stated ¡°those led by Lord Newell, Milady.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, Lord Newell,¡± she said acting as if she knew the man. ¡°I suppose you''ve been following our movements since the escape?¡± He nodded. Winter''s mind raced, for the past few days we''ve been visiting mages and magic shops searching for a teacher, I wonder what the King is making of my movements. Might as well ask, then send a message.


    ¡°And what does my dear brother believe I''ve been up to?¡± she asked putting on a devilish smile. Suddenly she realized she didn''t even know this king of a brother''s name.


    ¡°Ah, we...suppose you were looking for medicines, or perhaps a healer..?¡± the man had calmed down too much and had said the last bit with a slightly questioning air.


    ¡°Lox, step on his knee,¡± she said coldly.


    ¡°W-wha?¡± the boy stammered behind her.


    ¡°Just do it boy,¡± she demanded as she leaned in and shook the spy roughly. Lox did as he was told and the man grimaced in pain.


    ¡°Boy? ...You know I''m older than you right?¡± he muttered, she ignored him though.


    ¡°Gah! Why...princess?¡± the man grunted in pain as Lox''s foot started to crush his wounded knee.


    ¡°Simple, I don''t believe you,¡± she stated. ¡°Now, tell me the truth, what does my brother know?¡±


    ¡°A-aah,¡± Lox was doing a good job, ¡°H-he knows what happened to you in the prison,¡± he gasped, ¡°He thinks you''ve been searching for a healer, I tell you true Highness!¡± He was sweating now, ¡°I would never lie to you princess!¡±


    Hmm, being royalty might have it''s perks, but honesty from others would never be one of them. Nevertheless, she believed the man now, his eyes spoke of truth. ¡°Fine, I want you to give him a message, directly,¡± she said anger entering her voice.


    ¡°A-anything Highness!¡± the man stammered.


    Suddenly white hot anger bloomed inside her, it felt like her hair was standing on end, her voice was deadly calm however, ¡°Tell him that he will pay,¡± she said, ¡°tell him that from now on he won''t find me, tell him that if he sends any more spies to watch me he will find only corpses, tell him that when the time comes he will regret throwing me into that dungeon!¡± The man''s eyes were practically popping out of his head now. ¡°GO!¡± With that she got up and kicked the man repeatedly until he got up and started limping away as quickly as he could.


    ¡°That...¡± gasped Lox bending over with hands on his knees, ¡°was too intense.¡± He regarded Winter from the corner of his eye, ¡°they teach you that in your princess training? Or, whatever they call it?¡±


    ¡°Advanced interrogation techniques,¡± she replied absentmindedly waving her hand. She then turned to the boy, hand on her hips, ¡°did you know there was a resistance supporting me?¡±


    ¡°Ah-¡± he sighed looking away, ¡°I might have heard something like that, I don''t pay too much attention to things like that.¡± He looked back at the blue eyed girl then, ¡°what do we do now though, they know where you are, where I live...¡± he paused as understanding hit him, ¡°...oh no, Clarissa could be in danger too! All because I was stupid enough to try and stake out the palace of all places!¡±


    Stake out, is he some kind of thief? She thought to herself.


    ¡°Only the best in the Rose Quarter!¡± he said puffing out his chest, ¡°but more importantly, what do we do now?!¡± Winter was startled, she must have actually said that out loud. His face was tinged with worry over his sister though, she had to take control of this situation.


    ¡°First we have to leave the city,¡± she said thinking out loud while tapping her nose. ¡°We''ll find a village, a small one, and we have to leave as quickly as possible.¡± It would be a shame since they had just found a magic tutor, but it couldn''t be helped. Actually, maybe not... Lox was looking at her expectantly, as if she could solve every problem in the world, ¡°you go grab Clarissa at the guild, gather whatever money you can and pack as much as you''d need for a day''s journey, then meet me at old man Heldrin''s¡±


    ¡°But the closest village I can think of is more than a three days out,¡± Lox said confused.


    ¡°We''re packing light,¡± she replied, ¡°we can hunt on the way if we need food,¡± she paused, ¡°bring plenty of water.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it''s water either Clarissa or Heldrin can conjure some,¡± the boy said matter-of-factly. ¡°You really think you can get that old coot to come with us?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I''ll manage,¡± she replied confidently. Unless I''m mistaken, that old man will jump through all kinds of hoops to teach Clarissa and me. ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll be there in an hour,¡± said Lox as he started to lope away. It wasn''t long before he had disappeared around a corner.


    Slipping the small knife behind her belt and wiping her bloodied hands with a handkerchief Winter made her way in the opposite direction, back towards the old Archmage''s shop. She had a decent sense of direction, but her footsteps came to a halt as she happened upon a large open square. It seemed a large crowd had gathered, and there were people up on a tall wooden stage, with one man yelling to the crowd in a loud voice.


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    ¡°...for the crimes of L¨¨se-majest¨¦, subversion, sedition, and treachery against her Royal Highness Princess Ainsford!¡± the yelling man seemed to have finished. That was my name right? What''s going on? She stopped then, peering over the heads of the crowd that surrounded her. There were three people on the stage, no, that''s a gallows. He had never seen a gallows before, the middle east had favored stonings, Rajm they had called it. Even after they had made it illegal he had seen it happen in Afghanistan. Still, this was something different, but equally disturbing, and unless he...she missed her guess, it was for her sake. As she heard the trap doors open and the crowd gasp, she lowered her head and continued on her way.


    -*-


    It wasn''t long before she once again found herself in front of the old mage''s shop, she barely paused as she swept open the door. Walking towards the back, she saw Heldrin behind the counter, a questioning gaze developing on his slightly wrinkled old face. Oddly she found she couldn''t place him at an exact age. Putting aside the thought she spoke while approaching him.


    ¡°Situation''s changed old man.¡± she stated flatly with eyebrows arched. ¡°I have to apologize first, but if you want to keep on living you''re going to have to leave the city. With Lox, Clarissa, and me,¡± she added.


    ¡°Oh hohoho,¡± he chuckled with a dangerous gleam in his eye, ¡°that doesn''t sound like a normal threat young princess.¡±


    ¡°Far from it Mage Heldrin,¡± she replied, ¡°It seems my brother the king has been keeping tabs on me, he knows where I''ve been staying since I broke out of the jail,¡± she paused eyeing the man with a level gaze, ¡°and he knows I came to visit you here as well. It won''t be long before he sends some soldiers to pack you away, especially considering your past with me and the palace.¡±


    With every word Heldrin''s face darkened, until finally he slumped over as if defeated. ¡°I should have known as much,¡± he muttered bitterly. Winter opened her mouth to apologize again but he stopped her. ¡°No, no, it was only a matter of time. Even if you had never actually come here I suspect they''d have at least sent someone to check and make sure I wasn''t up to something.¡± He sighed then, ¡°I was a fool to think I could live peacefully in this city after all.¡±


    ¡°Lox is bringing Clarissa here as we speak,¡± she said after a moment, ¡°we''ll be leaving as soon as they get here.¡±


    ¡°As you command, princess,¡± he replied gazing around as his store. It was obvious that it would be painful for him to leave it all behind. He made his way behind an open door leading to a back room and after a bit of time she could hear him moving things around, packing. After a few moments he reemerged carrying a medium sized scrip over his shoulder, and a long walking stick in his right hand. He handed her a small bundle then saying, ¡°here, it was originally meant for your birthday last year, but obviously circumstances never allowed...¡±


    Winter took the bundle curiously. Setting it on the counter she carefully untied the rope cord holding it shut. She paused testing the thin rope, seems strong enough. She put the rope into a pocket, ignoring Heldrin''s quizzical look. What''s a CIA agent without a garrote wire? Quickly she unwrapped the package.


    Inside was a folded up piece of clothing. She lifted it up, letting it unfold while holding it against the light of the dimly lit shop. It was a long, luxurious looking travel cloak made of dark blue wool lined with a linen like fabric. Silver scroll work decorated the hem, making it''s way up around the deep hood and lining the cuffs of the two sleeves. A silver clasp at the neck would hold it in place. Putting it on Winter felt a sense of warmth flow into her, it''s length came down to just under her knees. Looking closely as the scroll work she could see small words woven into the design. Unknowingly a small smile formed on her face as she looked up at the old mage.


    ¡°Protection from the elements I grant unto thee,¡± she read, ¡°protection from cutting blade, from harmful spell; I shall keep thee safe.¡± After she finished the verse the designs started to glow dimly.


    ¡°So you really can read it,¡± Heldrin huffed shaking his head. ¡°It took me weeks as an apprentice before I got the pronunciation right.¡±


    ¡°Will this really protect me like it says?¡± Winter asked incredulously. She was mostly confused how an item could be infused with magic at all.


    ¡°It will serve you well,¡± he replied. ¡°Nothing compared to even a good set of leather armor, but it will turn aside a blade in the dark or the stray spell that may come your way on a battlefield,¡± his eyes took on a far away look then. ¡° I fear there may be many in your future unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Heldrin,¡± she said gracefully. ¡°I''m sure it will keep me safe.¡±


    -*-


    It wasn''t long after that Lox and Clarissa arrived wearing travel cloaks and small bundles strapped to their backs. Actually it looked like Lox was carrying everything, as Clarissa had only a small pouch on her belt. No doubt she was in charge of the money.


    ¡°Did anyone follow you?¡± Winter asked while letting them inside. She peered up and down the street looking for anyone trying to appear too normal. The best spies never actually looked like spies after all.


    ¡°Not that I could see,¡± Lox replied. The sun was in the latter half of the sky, it wouldn''t be but a few more hours before it set.


    ¡°Will we have trouble getting out of the city?¡± she asked. She had seen a city gate on one of their earlier trips and it had been admitting a steady stream of traders arriving during the day, mostly with cargo full of weapons or food.


    ¡°We can get through with our adventurer badges,¡± piped in Clarissa.  "Birdy gave me one for you too Winter!"  Reaching into a pocket the small girl pulled out a bronze medallion about the size of her hand.  It had a picture of a dragon curling around one side, while the other had a simple design with a staff crossing a sword.


    ¡°And if they ask me I''ll just tell them I''m going out to gather some herbs for the shop,¡± said Heldrin ¡°There are certain herbs far from town that only bloom in the moonlight after all,¡± he added.


    ¡°So you convinced him to come along after all, eh?¡± laughed Lox with his eyes twinkling. He obviously felt safer with a powerful archmage accompanying them. Clarissa frowned looking away from the man.


    ¡°Oh hohoho, it''s only natural,¡± Heldrin laughed. ¡°The princess was most...convincing in her arguments.¡± No doubt he saw teaching Clarissa as compensation for getting him into such a mess. The short girl snorted rather cutely and crossed her arms, still refusing to acknowledge the mage''s presence.


    ¡°Shall we get going then,¡± she pouted impatiently looking up at Winter.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Winter smiled, ¡°we''ll exit from the south gate, then when we are out of site from the city turn east until we come upon some village...or something.¡± She honestly didn''t know where any villages were as she had neglected studying any maps as of yet.


    ¡°If I may make a suggestion milady,¡± interjected Heldrin.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, then added, ¡°and if we are going to be traveling together you can drop the polite speech, it''s a bit tiring after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, well then,¡± he coughed. ¡°I suggest we make our way to a small town called Martin''s Mill,¡± his dark brown eyes looked into hers then, ¡°I believe you have some friends staying there after all, Winter.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± she said considering. ¡°I''m sorry for drawing you all into this...¡± she paused, ¡°but I think it will be best for us to stick together, at least until we get to Martin''s Mill.¡±


    ¡°I reeeeaally don''t think any of this is going to just blow over, Winter,¡± said Clarissa putting her finger to her lips in thought. ¡°If anyone is to blame for us getting involved it would have to be my idiot brother,¡± she said impishly. She''s probably right though...


    Shaking her head, Winter motioned them to follow. ¡°Lets get going then.¡± With that they exited the magic shop and made their way to the city gates.

 Chapter 5: Rabbits

    Chapter 5


    ¡°Aaagh, I wish we had horses,¡± Lox muttered for the fifth time that day. They had been walking for two days already, heading west now towards the town of Martin''s Mill. He really wasn''t trying to be annoying, it was just that his feet hurt.  Clarissa didn''t need to glare at him like that. He was more used to sneaking around people''s houses while they were gone for the day, or on vacation. Vacations were better because you could go in at night. I seemed people had been leaving less and less as of late, and for the past few months it had been difficult to land a good haul. That was one reason he had tried to get into the palace. Nick a small bauble like a gold or silver cup and he and Clarissa could eat for a few weeks. He had been too desperate, too greedy, and he had been too impatient. His uncle Oren had always said, ¡°it''s better to eat the cat than steal a pantry.¡±


    He''d never understood that one until he got caught in the palace with a sack full of fine silver cookware, but looking over at Winter striding confidently with the sunlight reflecting off of her blond hair, he was suddenly glad that shady old uncle had put him through all that hellish thief training. Scaling the cliffs near their old home in Renal village with sacks full of rocks tied around his back had been the worst, but it had been useful, on more than one occasion.


    And now here he was, tromping through the woods on some grand adventure. He was still a bit uneasy with how simple it had been to exit the city. He guessed the guards had yet to be notified about Winter''s brazen challenge to the king. I knew she was crazy, but that whole ''advanced intero-'' whatever it was? That was insane. He had spared Clarissa the details, but he hoped he himself would never have to see Winter''s eyes turn that shade of blue ever again. Even now he shivered unconsciously at the cold they had radiated.


    Still, there was something about her. Of course Lox preferred the more docile type of girl, the one''s like that waitress Elsa, or Lissy the shoemaker''s daughter, or even Bella at the city library. ¡°Ah, I miss Ramsfeld already,¡± he said out loud.


    ¡°Feel free to go back stupid brother,¡± sniffed Clarissa. ¡°See how long you last with the city watch waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°Hoho, the little missy has a point there,¡± butted in Heldrin with a smug laugh. Clarissa sniffed again and ignored the old mage. Small wonder, she still blamed the white haired old coot for that accident two years ago. One of the students that had been taking lessons along with Clarissa and a few others had tried a new spell. Clarissa said Heldrin had forced him to try it, but Lox wasn''t so sure. At any rate, the student had ended up dying, and there was now a small abandoned magic school building with a crack running through it''s center. Lox tried to not remember that day.  When he had finally been able to reach his sister after he''d heard the news- well suffice it to say that she had stayed in her room for a week without saying a peep.


    ¡°It won''t be long yet till we make it to the town,¡± stated Heldrin looking over at Lox, ¡°another day at most.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said Winter in that strange accent she used. Her voice was a little husky, but still high pitched, he liked it. ¡°You are sure Lord Newell is there Heldrin?¡± she asked looking levelly at the old mage. Lox called it the ''you are going to tell me exactly everything I want to know'' princess look.


    ¡°Anything is possible Winter,¡± replied Heldrin, ¡°but he was there the last I heard. If anything has changed since then we will surely be able to find out where he has gone.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t get why we have to get to this Lord Newell,¡± Lox complained. The man''s name sounded like some boring old overweight lord who probably had so much money he didn''t know what to do with it. ¡°I mean, wouldn''t it be fine to just go somewhere far away?¡±


    Winter turned her blue eyed gaze on him then. This one was called the ''shut up and do as I say'' princess look. ¡°We''d only end up running around forever,¡± she said patiently. For some reason it seemed like the temperature was rising the longer she looked at him. She continued, ¡°if we join up with people who support me we''ll be safe. I think.¡± The last was a whisper he didn''t think he was supposed to hear, so he ignored it for now, filing it away for later.


    ¡°Ah, fine,¡± he sighed. Resting his hands behind his head he looked up into the blue sky past the leaves of the tree tops. It was a wonderful day. His feet still hurt, but as he focused on the sounds of the forest and the gentle breeze through the trees, he was able to let his thoughts wander.


    -*-


    Rolf sat on a luxurious dark blue couch holding his head in his hands in the study room of his chambers inside the White Palace. He had just sent the man Norris away, and Simon stood at his side, wiping up the small drops of blood that had been left behind on the white marble floor. The news the wounded man had brought was baffling. He recalled the words his sister had sent to him: Tell him that he will pay. Tell him that from now on he won''t find me. Tell him that if he sends any more spies to watch me he will find only corpses. Tell him that when the time comes he will regret throwing me into that dungeon!


    Each sentence stung him, each sentence brought feelings of sorrow and regret. She blames me! he thought. No, it is worse than just that.  Judging from the condition that poor Norris had been in when he stumbled into his chambers, servants surrounding him pleading with him not to disturb his majesty, his gentle sister had changed. Rolf had at first refused to believe that it had been Winter, his kind compassionate little sister, who had assaulted Norris. That man had taken care of them both since they were small, bringing them meals and cleaning up after the two rowdy children. That was one reason why he had assigned the man to watch her in the first place. Needless to say, Norris had been shaken deeply by this. Yes, at first he had refused to believe she could have done such a thing, until he heard the message she had left for him. ...he will regret throwing me into that dungeon! He could hear her voice repeating it in his head.


    ¡°What choice did I have?¡± he said despairingly, ¡°if I had done anything to oppose the Nobility at that point we''d have both ended up in prison.¡± Simon shifted uncomfortably beside him. ¡°If she hadn''t been so stubborn in upholding what father had tried to do none of this would have ever happened!¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Simon broke in, ¡°blaming the victim will solve nothing Majesty.¡±


    Rolf clicked his tongue at that, ¡°you are right Simon,¡± he replied. Lifting his head he peered at his spymaster through lidded dark blue eyes. ¡°Where do you think she will go?¡± he asked, though he could already guess where his sister would end up.


    ¡°I would say she goes to meet with Lord Newell and her other supporters Majesty,¡± the balding man replied simply. ¡°Which also reminds me, Lord Walker had 400 horse dispatched yesterday, towards the town of Martin''s Mill where it is believed Eban Newell is gathering his strength.¡±


    ¡°Yes I remember signing the deployment,¡± Rolf replied. It irritated him to no end that he had power to call for recruitment, even organize the forces they had, but that the actual deploying of forces was left up to the Noble''s Council. He, who was commander of three orders of knights, the Knights of the Gate, the Knights of the Path, and the Knights of the Rose, could only organize them and had no actual power to tell them where to go and what to do.  The signing of deployment approvals was merely a cursory thing.   It was ridiculous.


    ¡°Simon,¡± he decided then. He would stop that force going to Martin''s Mill. Mere soldiers would not dare displease their king. Lord Walker was too cowardly to lead them and had stayed in the palace anyway. ¡°Send messengers to that squadron on the fastest of steeds, I want them to turn around and return,¡± he said while standing up. ¡°I''ll prepare the orders, with my seal.¡±


    ¡°Majesty, if I may?¡± asked Simon. Rolf nodded. ¡°What of the Noble''s Council? They won''t consent to this.¡±


    ¡°It is past time for this Simon,¡± the king drew himself up then, dark eyes gleaming. ¡°I have garnered enough support from the troop commanders in the last few months that they will listen to me.¡± Walking over to his writing desk he reached underneath with his hand, and with a click a hidden compartment opened. Smiling to himself Rolf reached inside and removed the sealed documents inside.


    ¡°T-those are?!¡± Simon stammered. Of course he knew, Simon had helped draft them himself.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°take these to their respective commanders within the knights,¡± he grinned then, ¡°it is time that the nobles learn their place.¡± He laughed then, ¡°by tonight every noble in this palace will be under house arrest.¡± They wouldn''t see it coming, just as they were blind to the plight of the people, just as they were blind to the news coming out of the east. That news was what had started this whole mess in the first place. An impossible thing, and more than likely just made up tales from bored adventurers. An army that used dragon''s had not been seen in thousands of years, and dragons themselves had been extinct for near a thousand, but his father Remon had believed. It wasn''t until Rolf had seen a man during audience bearing a strange crystal that he had believed.


    It was a translucent artifact that could store moving images, he had even tested it by recording himself, but within was stored an account most grisly. Fire pouring out of the heavens, men being torn asunder, eaten. The scene was of absolute chaos, a black army with death riding at it''s head. He still trembled as he remembered how that dark imposing figure seemed to look into his eyes as the light from the crystal dimmed.


    Lord Gren Walker had decried the record as false, and even demanded the man''s head who had brought it to them. The fool. Luckily the man had escaped, hopefully to warn other countries. Princess Winter had been kept in the dark about it however, which may have been a mistake looking at it in hindsight, and Gren had explained of the whole thing as a bad joke to the other nobles. It was a mess, but it was his to clean up.


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    With the troublesome nobles out of the picture Rolf would have the leeway he needed to secure the country for the coming tide of war that would no doubt arrive shortly. He was confident that this coup would succeed, as he had been ''organizing'' his troops for some time now. He couldn''t wait to see the looks on their faces, those nobles who thought so highly of themselves.


    Quickly he finished the message for the cavalry Walker had sent out after Lord Newell. ¡°There, take this,¡± he said handing Simon the now sealed document. ¡°We cannot let my sister get mixed up in a battlefield like that, send your fastest riders.  Oh and,¡± he added at last, ¡°tell them to keep a look out for Winter on the road, she is to be kept safe and brought to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± the balding man bowed. He had a lot of work to do, but Rolf was confident in his abilities. Waving the man off the king collapsed back into his chair sighing, and began to plan his strategy from here on. First, I have to get Winter somewhere safe...


    -*-


    It was nighttime as Winter sat at a small campfire cooking some...karn was it? It looked similar to a rabbit, except that it had little mouse ears. Still, it''s got a fluffy tale and hops around, so rabbit. She didn''t particularly think that it was bad to think of it as a rabbit, it was after all, better than eating giant mice.


    ¡°Say, Clarissa,¡± she said turning to the girl next to her who was helping with the cooking, ¡°are there rabbits, like how the rabbit people have bunny ears?¡± she asked suddenly.


    Clarissa narrowed her green eyes, furrowing her brows together in a cute way, ¡°what are you talking about? The only rabbits are rabbit people,¡± she said.


    ¡°So there are no karn that have ears like a rabbit person?¡± Winter asked sheepishly.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the girl squeaked, ¡°you get some strange ideas in your head princess.¡± She was shaking her head at Winter as she stirred the broth for the stew, it was almost time to add the karn to the mix. This would be their last dinner camping out like this. Everyone had been surprised when Winter showed them how to make snares to catch the little creatures. City folk... Declan had grown up in a small town close to Houston, but it was mostly woods, and very few people had lived there. That small town had eventually grated on him as a young boy though, and there hadn''t been many opportunities except to join the military, from there he had served two campaigns, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan.


    Not wanting to return home he applied to the CIA, who were only too happy to employ someone who had managed to learn Farsi so well in such a short amount of time. He found while working there that he had a knack for languages. German and Russian for work, and Japanese because he had watched too much anime had and gotten sick of reading subtitles. He never admitted that to anyone though, his coworkers would have had a field day making fun of his Chinese cartoons.


    Rumic by comparison was easy. It was almost like all the mistakes of mixing things up you''d normally make learning a third or fourth language...actually worked. Either the language was stupidly easy, or this body''s mind remembers it. The thought made her shiver.


    ¡°Here, Winter,¡± said Clarissa breaking her out of her thoughts. ¡°Go take this bowl to Lox, and here''s one for you too,¡± she said handing over two bowls full of karn stew. She then scooped her own bowl and sat down beginning to eat.


    ¡°Ah, it smells delicious,¡± said Heldrin from the other side of the small fire. Clarissa was still ignoring the old man, and from what Lox had told her about what happened she couldn''t exactly blame her. Little by little though, it seemed she was warming up to the old mage.


    ¡°Help yourself,¡± Clarissa said in a small voice. Still, she turned away from him as he stood to fill his own bowl.


    Winter turned and walked a small ways away from the fire to where Lox sat on a tree limb in the moonlight. He claimed to have exceptional eyesight at night but he couldn''t cook, so he usually took first watch. The sun had gone down an hour ago anyway, and a crimson moon had quickly taken it''s place painting the landscape an eerie pinkish tint. The other two moons had yet to rise, but both were a pale gray like she was used too.


    ¡°Here, the stew is ready,¡± she said handing him a bowl. ¡°It''s getting a bit chilly out here isn''t it?¡± she stated pulling her arms back into her cloak. The bowl was warm.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Lox replied, looking out across a field of pink tinged prairie grass. They had chosen to camp in a small copse of trees, a ways away from the dirt road the had been following. ¡°I suppose fall is just around the corner,¡± he said absently. ¡°Say, Winter,¡± he said suddenly, ¡°What do you plan on doing after we meet up with this Newell guy?¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not so sure actually,¡± she said after taking a spoonful of stew. She leaned her back against the tree he was in. ¡°I just want us to be safe for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Heh, fine way of doing it,¡± he snorted. ¡°Kings don''t like threats you know,¡± he said looking down at her now.


    ¡°I-I don''t know what came over me back then,¡± she responded hanging her head. ¡°I lost my mind I suppose.¡± He didn''t need to keep looking at her like that though.


    ¡°Let''s just hope you don''t really lose it,¡± he retorted with a small laugh. Returning his gaze to the surroundings he continued, ¡°I suppose I can''t blame you for it...¡±


    ¡°What do you plan on doing once we reach Martin''s Mill?¡± Winter asked then. ¡°I''d like it if you stuck around, at least for a while,¡± she added meekly.


    ¡°Well I suppose I will at that,¡± he said grinning, ¡°it hasn''t been three weeks yet, but Clarissa and I see you as a friend.¡± He looked down at her again still smiling, ¡°I mean come on, we broke out of jail together, I owe you for that at least. Besides, you still have to teach me those crazy moves you know too!¡±


    ¡°When did I ever agree to that?¡± she said, her own grin slowly occupying her face. ¡°I don''t think you could handle the training.¡±


    ¡°Wanna try me?¡± he said laughing. Winter was starting to giggle, but she cut herself off. ¡°...Why do you do that?¡± he asked after a long pause.


    ¡°Do what?¡± she asked confusedly looking up at him. He was back to surveying the surroundings.


    ¡°Well, whenever I get you to act like a normal girl,¡± he said slowly, ¡°it''s almost like you...close a door.¡±


    ¡°I do that?¡± she asked startled. She engrossed herself in a study of her now empty bowl as she felt her cheeks warm.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he said casually, ¡°not only during the past few days traveling, but even back home.¡± He glanced down at her staring into her bowl. ¡°You don''t have to act tough all hours of the day you know, you should lighten up a bit.¡± She looked up at him then and their eyes met. For an instant it seemed like something was blooming in her chest, but she pulled her eyes away at the last second.


    ¡°I-I''m going to go talk with Heldrin now,¡± she said quickly. He''d started teaching her magic during the trip, mostly just theory, spell memorization would come later. Quickly she retreated back to the fire, pretending she didn''t hear Lox heave a sigh as she left. Why the hell does he care anyway? How can I act like a girl when I''m not one, even in this body it''s way too embarrassing!


    As she sat down across from Heldrin she found he and Clarissa were actually talking together. ¡°...I see, so that''s how it was,¡± Clarissa was saying in a tiny voice.


    ¡°Yes, it was a completely different spell-¡± he cut off as Winter sat down, ¡°Ah, come for your lesson milady?¡± He said, his eyes twinkling, ¡°I thought you''d be with the young man all night, hohoho!¡± Even Clarissa''s eyes had a dangerous gleam, and her smile seemed too...unwholesome for a nine year old.


    ¡°W-wha?¡± she began, but Lox suddenly burst into the firelight kicking dirt onto the burning logs. ¡°What the hell?¡± she was so startled she asked in English. Looking down she could see herself starting to glow, and she could feel a small drain in her energy.


    ¡°Riders,¡± replied Lox as the other two asked what was going on. Heldrin was staring at her though. ¡°coming from the east like a demon''s on their heels.¡±


    ¡°How many,¡± asked Winter, but she already knew. Three riders each with their own spare horse. Heldrin should really stop staring at her.


    ¡°Three I think,¡± Lox said, ¡°but there might be more, it was too dark to tell.¡± With the fire out the strange moonlight seemed to envelope them.


    ¡°I don''t think they are headed this way,¡± she said then. ¡°Heldrin, what did I do just now?¡±


    ¡°That was a spell I think,¡± the mage replied, ¡°though none I''ve ever heard before, so I can''t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, they are slowing,¡± she said in confusion, ¡°I think...They are coming.¡± She looked up at the three of them, ¡°everyone hide!¡±

 Chapter 6: Flames

    Chapter 6


    As everyone rose to dart away and hide Heldrin raised his voice, ¡°Oh hohoho, you young people, always so quick to make decisions.¡± With a wave and a few words he re-lit the fire.


    ¡°What are you doing you crazy old coot!¡± yelled Lox. He was trying to kick more dirt on the small fire but it was having no effect.


    ¡°We have no idea who these men might be!¡± squealed Clarissa while hopping from one foot to the other.


    ¡°That is indeed correct Clarissa,¡± replied Heldrin, ¡°so why should we be afraid this far away from Ramsfeld City?¡± He turned to Winter then, ¡°draw up your hood, it''s cold out after all.¡±


    Winter nodded, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head. ¡°I''ll let you do the talking then mage,¡± she said coolly, ¡°but if anything happens, I''m killing them.¡± She had no idea if she would be able to make good on that statement, but Heldrin only nodded.


    ¡°Of course, now sit,¡± he said motioning them to relax. ¡°We are only travelers on our way to Tenemin, heading for the school there,¡± he said in a low voice.


    It wasn''t long before the group of three men could be heard tromping through the underbrush on their horses. A moment later two lightly clad men emerged from the dark, the small fire illuminating them. They must have tied the horses back a ways, leaving the other man to tend them. Winter blinked, they were rather short, and young to boot. Strange, why are they so young? They each wore the same surcoat showing the same coat of arms however, so they must have been knights, both wore longswords at their sides. Winter thought she''d seen those rose emblems back in Ramsfeld city. Pennants hanging from the palace towers. She shivered looking away and pulled the cloak tighter around herself.


    ¡°Ah, welcome sir knights,¡± beamed Heldrin as the two looked around the campsite. Their gaze seemed to linger on Winter a bit longer than the others, but one of the young men spoke.


    ¡°Well met good sir,¡± he couldn''t have been more than fifteen years old, not old enough to be a knight assuredly, but he didn''t bother to correct Heldrin either. ¡°We are messengers for His Majesty the King,¡± he said looking at the old mage, ¡°we have but little time, but were ordered to keep an eye out for someone on the road.¡± His eyes flashed over to Winter for an instant.


    ¡°Ah, I have no idea who His Majesty could be looking for,¡± Heldrin replied. Lox and Clarissa were staring into the fire, shooting occasional glances at each other and the two knights.


    ¡°A girl,¡± he said, ¡°a little over five feet tall, blue eyes with either dark purple or blond hair.¡± He was staring at Winter now, trying to see into her deep cowl.


    ¡°Interesting, we have not seen anyone of that description sir knight,¡± replied Heldrin, ¡°we are but humble travelers on our way to Tenemin.¡± Winter''s ears perked up then. Heldrin was mixing Rumic and Tendetric while he spoke. Wait, you can do that? You sneaky old man! Taking a quick peek at the archmage she could see a tiny glow. ¡°And in case you were wondering, our sickly Lindi over there has brown hair.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the boy-knight retorted suspiciously.


    Winter coughed quietly, better play along and be sickly, she thought, but was startled when she saw her hand, now shriveled and wrinkly.


    ¡°At least she did 20 years ago, oh hohoho,¡± Heldrin laughed. Winter gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to punch the old man. I''ll use whatever works, but there is such a thing as going overboard... The old mage had not even changed the color of her hair, but her hands both looked like old parchment stretched over a skeleton. ¡°I''m afraid she''s come down with the red cough, you may want to keep your distance sir knights,¡± he said with a touch of sadness.  Winter coughed again.


    Both of them paled at mention of the red cough. Some sort of plague no doubt. ¡°I see,¡± said the other young man, he had been silent for the duration. ¡°Then we will make our leave good master. Come Bryant, we''ve little time.¡±


    The other boy nodded, and as they made their farewells and disappeared again into the darkness the camp seemed to decompress from the tension. Winter watched as her hands slowly went back to their normal delicate, supple state.


    ¡°How did you do that Heldrin?¡± chirped Clarissa before Winter had a chance to speak.


    ¡°Oh, it''s an old trick,¡± he said turning to the small girl. ¡°Remember, the words themselves hold little power, they serve only as a key to unlock one''s intentions.¡± He took a breath, ¡°at the heart of it, Tendetric is merely another language, and there are those out there who''s desires and intentions may be so great that they transcend the need of this ancient tongue. Also, there are people who know the words, but lack the intention, or desire needed to enact a spell,¡± he concluded.


    ¡°That explains why I could talk and not have anything happen,¡± Winter surmised, ¡°if I think back on every time something did happen, it was always when I was wanting something.¡± Nodding to herself she continued, ¡°even this last time I wanted to know what had Lox in a huff,¡± she said looking at the brown haired boy.


    ¡°Still, that went way better than I expected,¡± Lox said looking at Heldrin. ¡°I half expected to find a sword coming out of my chest...¡± He shook his head looking exhausted. ¡°I''ll go back out to watch, you all should get some sleep,¡± the last was obviously for his little sister.


    ¡°Hooh, so you can act like an older brother from time to time,¡± Winter said putting a wry smile on her face.


    ¡°Don''t let him fool you Winter,¡± Clarissa piped in, ¡°he probably just wants to watch you sleep, like the creepy brother he is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I spent one night worried about her, what of it?¡± he retorted.


    ¡°When was this?¡± Winter asked.


    ¡°When he brought you home,¡± Clarissa said, ¡°that first night he refused to leave your bed, even when the sun started coming up. I had to chase him out eventually because he was being so creepy!¡±


    ¡°I...didn''t know that,¡± said Winter. Her cheeks were feeling warm again, maybe Heldrin''s spell was having after effects. She drew her cloak around her and looked away from the two siblings.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn''t expect a kid to understand anyway,¡± he said starting to walk off. ¡°Good night!¡± After a bit he was gone, back to his lookout.


    ¡°Hmm, for once I agree with the lout,¡± sighed Heldrin as he stretched his old wiry body out onto his bedroll. Where had he gotten a bedroll anyway? She had wondered the same thing every night of this trip.


    As for herself she laid out one of the blankets Lox had been carrying around since they had left. She initially thought it was because of Clarissa that he was carrying everything, but once she tried to take some of it for him he had refused, to the point where it would have become a fight if Winter had pressed the issue. At any rate it had been a nice gesture. Perhaps it was because of the exhaustion of travel, or the loosening of the tension those knight messengers had caused, but whatever it was Winter felt absolutely drained. She would only get a couple of hours before Lox came to wake her up for her turn at the watch, but that didn''t matter as she drifted off into sleep.


    -*-


    The next morning they broke camp after a light breakfast of hard bread and left over karn. Today would be the day they would arrive at Martin''s Mill, and everyone was looking forward to being in a town again. As the sun was starting to show over the horizon in the distance, Winter gathered her cloak around her in the morning chill. Birds were singing in the trees, welcoming the dawn as the small group began walking down the dirt road once more.


    ¡°We should arrive there around midday,¡± said Heldrin as he walked behind her. Peering over her shoulder at the old mage she nodded her understanding. This body was not good with mornings, at least not ones where she didn''t get a full night''s rest.


    ¡°Thank you for last night Heldrin,¡± she said yawning, ¡°it could have gone a lot worse than it did.¡± Indeed, now that she thought about it, she wasn''t sure what would have happened if they''d decided to try and hide from those knight messengers. ¡°By the way, didn''t they seem kind of young for knights?¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, usually they aren''t actually knights,¡± began Lox, ¡°but messengers on horseback are usually pretty young since they weigh a lot less. It''s easier on the horses and they can move a lot faster,¡± he said flashing Winter a quick smile.


    ¡°How do you know all that?¡± she asked stifling another yawn. Walking seemed to help wake her up, but she was still rather bleary-eyed.


    ¡°Lox used to be a messenger,¡± piped in another bleary-eyed girl. Clarissa continued, ¡°he was until they said he got too big anyways.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty good money too,¡± he said with a tinge of regret. ¡°After that I started to take on odd jobs.¡± He was obviously trying to not look at his sister walking beside him.


    ¡°What kind of jobs?¡± Winter asked. Clarissa''s face darkened.


    ¡°Ah...lets just call it a, valuable items acquisition service,¡± he replied sheepishly.


    ¡°He''s a thief!¡± scowled the petite girl next to him, ¡°Winter, please don''t get involved with my brother! I try to keep him in line but he just never listens!¡± Her face was starting to get red with frustration.


    ¡°A thief eh?¡± Winter was intrigued, ¡°isn''t that quite dangerous? I can see why you were in jail with me now.¡± Looking at the boy''s messy brown hair, his mischievous green eyes, it started to make more and more sense. It reminded her of some of the games she used to play back in her old world. Suddenly she had an epiphany, ¡°Oh!¡± Everyone jumped looking at her in surprise, ¡°This is kind of a messed up party, a thief, a mage, and an assassin. Clarissa, we''re going to need you to put on some heavy armor and tank for us, we might die without a tank!¡± She was getting carried away, but laughed anyway.


    Clarissa turned to Lox ignoring Winter, ¡°remember how nice she was when she could barely talk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m starting to think we made a big mistake,¡± he replied looking tired. ¡°And what''s this about an assassin?¡± he said glancing back at Winter. ¡°Maybe a whack on the head will clear things up.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, try it and see what happens boy,¡± she replied chuckling.


    ¡°You with that boy thing again,¡± he said shaking his head, ¡°how old do you think I am, shorty¡±


    ¡°S-shorty!¡± Winter stammered, ¡°who are you calling-¡±


    ¡°If you two wouldn''t mind stopping your flirting for just a moment,¡± Heldrin broke in dryly, ¡°there appears to be something amiss ahead of us.¡± Winter was unable to process the last part of what the old mage had said, as she was busy trying to disappear in embarrassment. It was Lox who responded first.


    ¡°Smoke,¡± Lox said, ¡°and lots of it too.¡±


    That broke Winter out of her stupor. Looking ahead, just above the trees there were plumes of smoke rising. At first they looked like normal clouds, but as she studied them it became obvious that they were, in fact caused by something burning. A lot of something.


    ¡°Those knight messengers from last night went this way right?¡± said Clarissa in a small voice. ¡°Doesn''t that mean there could be a battle up ahead?¡± She looked up at the three adults who hadn''t put two and two together yet.


    ¡°Clarissa,¡± said Winter.


    ¡°Yes Winter?¡± she replied.


    ¡°You might be too smart to be a tank,¡± she said looking off into the distance.


    -*-


    ¡°Look at them run like ants!¡± Eban Newell was laughing so hard it hurt his sides. ¡°Mirianna you''ve outdone yourself this time!¡± All around the small knoll the two siblings were on flames rose up from the fields of wheat, the heat waves lashing at everything around them. Eban''s protection spell kept them from harm however, as they watched the chaos unfold.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the blue eyed girl in her teens replied laughing like her brother. ¡°I told you my strategies were unbeatable didn''t I?¡± They wore matching attire.  Eban had on a fur lined cloak with a silver chain holding it together.  The cloak itself draped over his fine blue silk coat, with fine white lace just peaking out of the cuffs. His sister, Mirianna Newell wore much the same, a fur lined cloak with the same clasp, but her high necked coat was a deep red. A short skirt lined with lace with calf high boots completed her ensemble. Twin blond buns on the back of her head just below her ears only topped off her look.


    ¡°Still, to think that we''d beat them so easily,¡± Eban laughed shaking his shaggy, also blond head. The scene before them was a horror. Horses and men screamed in agony as the flames ran like wildfire, consuming everything in their path. The young lord''s forces hadn''t even needed to exit the town for the ambush. He knew a few of them would grumble about it later, except the older experienced soldiers. No, they would be fine. He would have to be careful tonight so that he wouldn''t have a hangover tomorrow most likely, as they would be buying him drinks all night long after a victory like this. Of course he''d have to buy the mage company drinks himself, it was a vicious cycle.


    Suddenly he heard noise coming from his left. Looking over he saw more cavalry emerging from a small copse of trees, heading toward the Mill. ¡°I guess you were right Mirianna, this might end up being a long day after all,¡± he said descending the knoll. ¡°Let''s go!¡± With that the duo made their way back into the town towards their second position.


    It wasn''t long before the group of around 200 cavalry slammed into their pikemen at full speed. This was also part of Mirianna''s plan. The pikemen slowly made their way back into the buildings of the town. Cavalry''s greatest strength was it''s mobility, and though it was always nasty fighting inside a town, it would be much easier to draw them in and cut off the one advantage they had over Eban''s foot soldiers.


    As soon as the pike had drawn the cavalry inside the town, Eban''s reserves rushed out from behind the houses and shops they had been hiding in, the perfect ambush. Knights were still knights however, and it wasn''t long before the battle became heated. Eban and Mirianna made their way to the roof of a shop so they could overlook the field.


    ¡°Too bad we exhausted the mages,¡± said Eban in thought.


    ¡°That''s why we have the arbalests up here with us,¡± his sister replied. Raising her voice she shouted, ¡°pick your targets men, fire at will!¡± With that, a dozen men perched six each on roofs across from each other started their grim work. Each man was a veteran, which was why there were only twelve picked for this task, as it took superb aim to fire into such a melee with accuracy. ¡°Shouldn''t be long before they surrender,¡± she stated indifferently. Already most of the knights had been unhorsed, she had given specific instructions to attack the mounts, though Eban had seen a deep sadness in her eyes as she suggested it. Still, it was simple fact that without their horses, the knights would be at a huge disadvantage.


    ¡°Quarter!¡± shouts began to rise out of the battlefield as knights began to raise their arms in surrender. There were only a few less than a hundred remaining, and their morale had been destroyed watching half of their forces burn alive, it really was no surprise.


    Eban raised his voice then, ¡°Quarter is granted!¡± he shouted, ¡°Men, take their arms, armor, and any other useful items!¡± He gave instructions, telling his men how to deal with their new prisoners. ¡°Any of you knights who wish so serve Her Highness Princess Ainsfeld may join us,¡± he said then, ¡°you need not throw aside your vows to protect our fair Kingdom of Ramsfeld, but fulfill them now as true knights of Princess Ainsfeld!¡± He knew his sister was rolling her eyes behind him, but this was needed, they needed men from wherever they could find them.


    ¡°I know you are loyal men,¡± he continued, ¡°serve Her Royal Highness with me, and you shall prove it. Swear an oath now to never take up weapons of war again, or to serve the princess,¡± he said as silence emanated from the street below him, ¡°those are the terms!¡± Turning away the brash twenty year old Lord and his sixteen year old genius of a sister Mirianna made their way back inside the building they were on top of. His men could handle the rest.

 Chapter 7: Rebellion

    Chapter 7


    The stench of burned flesh stung at Winter''s nose as she and her group emerged from the small forest of trees the dirt road had taken them through. The scene that opened up before their eyes would have been serene, flowing fields of golden wheat rushing over low rolling hills had turned into a blackened, smoldering vision of destruction. The fires had died, but heat still boiled out of the darkened earth. Surveying the landscape she was shocked. The destruction only reached until the forest boundary, and in the distance she could tell that the town itself had not gone up in flames. ¡°Strange...¡± she uttered.


    ¡°Magefire,¡± responded Heldrin nodding to himself as he contemplated the scenery. ¡°There was definitely a battle here,¡± he said, a strange tone to his voice.


    Winter grunted, ¡°those black heaps over there,¡± she pointed, ¡°it looks like they never even made it close to the town.¡± She noticed Clarissa move to cling onto Lox, and immediately regretted pointing it out. Lox patted his sister''s head, then held her by the shoulder as the small group continued to walk along in silence.


    After what seemed an eternity they finally arrived at Martin''s Mill. The mood coming from the town was strange, the people seemed to be waiting restlessly for something, but Winter''s thoughts on the matter were quickly interrupted as one of the guards noticed them coming. Since it was obvious the defenders had won the battle she assumed a few things about the town. First was that they were fighting against the king, second that it was likely that the leader of the rebellion was in this town, and lastly that it was likely the rebels were supporters of Princess Ainsfeld. Throwing back the hood of her cowl she strode forward.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± she said lifting her voice to the guard. She noticed a few of the other guards turn their attention to her as well, ¡°I am Princess Winter Ainsfeld, and these are my retainers, Archmage Heldrin Moss, Sir Lox the Swift, and my handmaiden Clarissa,¡± she definitely heard someone choking behind her, but ignored it. ¡°I seek the Lord in charge of the forces here as well as refuge.¡±


    The guard, who had failed to say anything before Winter began her pitch, promptly went boggle eyed when he realized who she was. Taking a knee, with his fist to the ground he replied, ¡°As you wish Your Royal Highness,¡± he said heatedly, ¡°I will personally guide you to Lord Newell. If it pleases you Highness?¡±


    With what she hoped was a haughty nod Winter allowed the man to rise. Turning he started barking orders to the other men. It was only moments until they were surrounded by a group of ten soldiers who began pushing their way through the crowd of people massed at the entrance.


    ¡°Why are so many gathered here,¡± she wondered out loud. The guard whom she had initially spoken to turned to her with a regretful look.


    ¡°Looters Highness,¡± he said, his face twisting in disgust. ¡°They aught to know better though, nothing could have survived those flames,¡± he spoke with a twinge of pride at that.


    Strolling through the town Winter noticed that they were taking a somewhat roundabout route, they were turning right way too much. Looking down one street they had avoided she realized why. There were several soldiers dragging the remains of horses and fallen knights. ¡°So they did manage to make it into the town then?¡± she asked the guard at her side.


    He nodded smiling then, ¡°It was all part of Lady Newell''s plan,¡± he said excitedly. ¡°We lured the bastards in, cut down their horses, and when they could find no escape from our ambush the cowards surrendered!¡± He was making all kinds of excited hand motions while he described the battle, but Winter cringed inside thinking of Clarissa hearing it all. Glancing back at her though, the little girl was looking down with her finger pressed against her mouth in thought. Maybe she wasn''t paying attention after all.


    Before long they found themselves standing in front of a large estate, complete with several guards at the entrance. It was a long, yellow three story building that reminded Winter of a plantation manor like in those old civil war movies his father had loved watching. After their escort explained who she was they were lead inside by one of the guards and shown to a sitting room. Lox promptly dropped his things and plopped into one of the thickly cushioned brown leather couches, sighing greatly. Clarissa followed suit, sitting next to her sprawled out brother yawning. Heldrin glared at the two while remaining standing.


    ¡°It may have been different while you three were out and about before,¡± the old man began, ¡°but here we are in the presence of nobility!¡± He huffed, ¡°if you don''t learn some propriety in the presence of Her Royal Highness Sir Lox you might find yourself in prison again, or worse.¡±


    Lox shot Winter a disparaging look then, ¡°yeah, what was that all about anyway? I don''t want to be a knight!¡± He then looked back at Heldrin, ¡°and what do you mean propreeally or whatever?¡±


    Clarissa sighed getting up then, ¡°he means we have to start treating Winter like a princess,¡± she said putting her hands on her hips in front of Lox. ¡°Get up so we can stand behind her!¡± Winter had seated herself in the couch opposite from the two siblings, and she noticed that Heldrin was already doing exactly what Clarissa had suggested.


    ¡°I don''t really get it, but whatever,¡± Lox said as he joined the two others flanking Winter.


    ¡°You guys really don''t-¡± Winter began, but was cut off by Heldrin.


    ¡°I know Winter,¡± he said gently putting a hand on her shoulder, ¡°just bear with it for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine,¡± she said dejectedly, ¡°I guess I''ll act like a princess too, so don''t get mad at me okay?¡± She looked pointedly at Lox and he shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Ah, one last thing,¡± said Heldrin, ¡°Return now, to thine original state,¡± he chanted in English. Winter felt a slight, warm tingling then noticed that her long hair had returned to it''s normal deep purple color. It was a subtle purple, the light from the windows set it off every time she shifted her head.


    A gentle knock came from door as it slowly opened. Winter wasn''t sure if she should stand or remain sitting, but as soon as the she could think of it, a tall athletic looking man with shaggy blond hair and wild looking blue eyes sauntered into the room. Behind him a shorter girl, about the same height as Winter walked in. She had a cheerful face framed by blond hair tied back into two buns. Winter was struck by her beauty, the girl had a graceful looking body coupled with rather large assets adorning her chest. The part of her that still considered herself male writhed, and she had to erase a loose grin that started to form on her lips. The siblings both wore the same lopsided grin as they greeted Winter.


    ¡°By the gods, it really is you!¡± breathed the tall man she assumed was Eban Newell.


    ¡°It''s been a long time Winter!¡± said the girl behind him as she moved to his side. If she remembered right this girl would be Mirianna, Eban''s sister. Heldrin had said she was attending school in Tenemin City. The duo looked like a pair of delinquents to Winter though, so she wasn''t surprised to find the girl here instead of being at school.


    Winter wasn''t quite sure where to begin. She had known that these nobles would have been acquainted with their princess, but the vibe here was a little more than that. ¡°Uh, well you must forgive me,¡± she said, ¡°it seems as though my memories were lost during my imprisonment.¡±


    For a moment Winter saw rage enter into the young lord''s eyes, then he said, ¡°Damn that Boris!¡± he seethed, ¡°I''ll have his head yet, House Audemar has gone too far this time!¡±


    ¡°Boris?¡± said Lox behind her. ¡°Why does that sound familiar-¡± Clarissa quietly elbowed her brother.


    ¡°No, you are right Lox,¡± Mirianna and Eban seated themselves as they looked at Winter in curiosity. ¡°You brought that sword right?¡± He nodded and went to rummage in the luggage he had dropped earlier. ¡°I thought it was odd for a guard to have a weapon like this,¡± she muttered as Lox handed her the short sword.


    ¡°What do you mean Winter,¡± asked Eban while looking at the sword in interest.


    ¡°Well, one of the guards called the former owner of this blade Boris,¡± she said ¡°and it has a coat of arms here on the pommel, do you recognize it?¡± She handed the sword over to Eban then, and he and Mirianna studied it for a moment.


    ¡°Former owner you say,¡± said the twin bun girl looking at Winter while cocking her head.


    ¡°Lets just say he met an appropriate end,¡± Winter said leaning forward. Appropriate indeed, wallowing in fetid excrement and bleeding out from the neck she had cut with his own sword.


    ¡°And so ends House Audemar,¡± stated Eban sighing. It looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he flashed that lopsided grin at her again. ¡°You''ve accomplished what we have been trying to do ever since your father was assassinated,¡± he said happily, ¡°would that it had been earlier, you would likely be Queen right now.¡±


    ¡°That''s an exaggeration Eban,¡± said Mirianna in a flat voice, ¡°in all likelihood it would have been easier yes, but things would have been much different...¡± she trailed off shaking her head.


    ¡°But I''m Third Princess aren''t I?¡± Winter asked in confusion, ¡°how is it that I would be made


    queen?¡±


    ¡°You really did lose your memories didn''t you?¡± said Eban looking at her sadly.


    ¡°The law states that princesses who are married off to other kingdoms can lay no claim on our throne,¡± began Mirianna. Lox was yawning behind Winter, but got ignored, ¡°We even have treaties with our allies regarding this, so there''s no way Alexandra or Elander would be able to succeed the White Throne,¡± she said, ¡°besides, it was always planned to have Rolf succeed anyways.¡±


    Winter nodded in understanding, but she was still curious, ¡°Was I not betrothed to someone too though?¡± It would be important to have allies if she wanted to survive in this world.


    ¡°Ah, a few times if I remember rightly,¡± muttered Eban, but his sister glared at him.


    ¡°There were many prospects for your Royal Highness,¡± Mirianna said, a strange gleam in her eye, ¡°but for some reason every single time someone came forward with talks of an engagement... things started happening,¡± she paused then, ¡°...there were even a few assassinations,¡± she concluded. Silence overtook the room then.


    ¡°But, why...¡± Winter couldn''t comprehend what that meant.


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    ¡°It was an open secret in the court of nobles that Lord Audemar had his eye set on you,¡± Eban said with disgust, ¡°your father never would have allowed it however, his house had too much power, and that''s beside him being a disgusting pervert.¡± Eban looked as if he had eaten something bitter.


    ¡°That didn''t stop the rumors of you being a cursed princess however,¡± Mirianna put in. ¡°After a time talks of betrothal stopped altogether.¡± It was only natural, even if she wasn''t cursed someone was chasing away every suitor who showed up. Winter silently wondered what kind of messed up kingdom Ramsfeld was.


    ¡°Well, enough of that,¡± said Eban with that lopsided grin again. ¡°You''ve no doubt had a long trip from the capital. We''ve a warm bath prepared and rooms set up for you to stay in.¡± He looked at his sister, then back to Winter then, ¡°We can talk of our current dealings and where we plan on going from here once you''re settled in.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Winter rising from her seat. She noticed the other two stood up a beat after she did, ¡°that sounds good to me.¡±


    With that they were lead to their rooms. Winter got her own bath, but she wondered about everyone else. Still, even if it wasn''t her original body, it was strange when the maid stayed in the room with her offering to wash Her Royal person. She accepted though, only because she thought the poor woman would be punished if she chased her out. Besides, Winter still hadn''t completely figured out how to put on any of this medieval style cosplay that passed for clothing here. The maid was a godsend.


    In fact she found that the Newells had provided some new clothing for her while she was in the bath. They looked to be from Mirianna, perhaps older clothes since the chest area of the low cut dark green tunic actually fit Winter just fine, a small part of her mind was screaming about that, but she pushed it aside. A matching frilled skirt had also been donated. Great, another skirt, she thought. She kept her knee high boots from before though, since they fit so well anyways.


    Feeling refreshed she came down from her room following the maid to a large dining room. Delicious smells were making their way from the nearby kitchen as a few servants rushed back and forth bringing food to the table. Winter was sat at the head, with Eban and Mirianna on either side of her. Her other three companions were already seated at the large table, as well as a few soldier looking people she didn''t recognize. Winter had not seen this much food in one place since she arrived in this world, but Eban stood and soon made clear what was going on.


    ¡°In celebration not only of our decisive victory this morning,¡± he said raising a glass filled with wine, ¡°but also for the return of her Royal Highness Princess Winter Ainsfeld, let us eat!¡± He smiled at Winter as he returned to his seat, and she noticed Lox looking on with a slight scowl at the man. She moaned internally, Oh great, please no...


    The meal was superb, everything from a turkey like beast that looked to be the size of a large pig, to various fruits and vegetables she''d never seen before. There was also something like a shepherd''s pie that she greedily devoured. Supposing her body was still recovering from her imprisonment she ate happily until she was full.


    ¡°Same as always,¡± chuckled Mirianna watching her eat.


    ¡°Eh?¡± uttered Winter between mouthfuls.


    ¡°Yep,¡± agreed Eban, ¡°even without her memories she''s still the same as always.¡±


    Wait wait wait, you mean this girl is always this hungry?! She couldn''t believe it, wouldn''t she be fat? How long had she been in prison for?


    Seeing the surprise on her face the two siblings laughed. Winter decided to pace herself then, which only made them chuckle further. Heldrin ate sparingly while Lox seemed to keep his dark mood, even though he also wolfed down one of the shepherd pies and a good chunk of the giant turkey thing. Clarissa ate like a bird of course, proclaiming herself full after only a few small pieces of meat and veggies. After they had all finished Eban lead them to another room within the estate.


    This room was dominated by a large table, with high backed chairs lining the four walls. Clarissa had decided to retire to her room, as well as Heldrin. Lox came with Winter and three of the soldiers who had eaten with them. They had been identified as squad leaders for the various regiments of their small army, which had apparently been stationed in a small warehouse district within the town. Talmas was the leader of the Mage company, Ric lead the infantry, and Raissa was in charge of the archers. It was Raissa who had caught Winter''s attention, as she had long black hair with large yellow almond shaped eyes under a suspicious wide brimmed hat. The former CIA agent had noticed the hat...twitching from time to time. She decided to sidle up to the archer girl as they gathered around the table, trying not to stare. Even so, the hat twitched once again as Raissa noticed the princess standing next to her.  Very suspicious, she thought with glee.


    Ric went to the corner and returned, his huge arms filled with rolled up papers. Setting them on the table Eban nodded in thanks, then spread one out onto the large table. It was a detailed map of the region around a city called Tenemin that Winter had heard about from Heldrin. There were several small villages and larger towns all listed as well, the region looked to be fairly well populated.  After a moment Eban spoke.


    ¡°I''ll inform you of our current situation now Highness,¡± he said in a businesslike tone. ¡°The territory we control is here,¡± he said circling a region around the town of Martin''s Mill. There were several other villages and one town called Anaram that he pointed out. ¡°We had plans to break you out of that prison,¡± he said, ¡°but unfortunately we have been cut off from Tenemin recently, and our information network fell apart.¡±


    ¡°I had plans to set up something in Ramsfeld proper,¡± Mirianna put in, ¡°but you beat us to it, seeing as you''re here now,¡± she smiled lopsidedly. ¡°I recommend we start making our way to the capital as soon as possible so that we can oust that awful brother of yours,¡± she said, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°That..sounds really hasty,¡± Winter said. Wasn''t this girl supposed to be a genius? Maybe it only extended to battle tactics and not overall strategy. In fact, now that she thought about it, burning the fields around Martin''s Mill was idiotic in the long run, as far as food supply was concerned. Staring at the map Winter pondered for a moment. She noticed all eyes were on her, so she started with her idea.


    It was simple really. One of the things the CIA had specialized in was disrupting governments in order to topple regime''s not friendly to the United States. Although there were more than enough instances where this had backfired, badly, they had nonetheless been able to execute their goals with success on many occasions. It was always a successful mission when nobody knew about it.


    ¡°First we need to reestablish control of Tenemin,¡± she stated pointing at the map, ¡°to do this we''ll gather recruits from the neighboring towns and villages,¡± she looked up at Eban and Mirianna, ¡°I suppose we have enough money to pay our soldiers?¡± They nodded like it was a given, rich bastards, ¡°I want to offer double wages for anyone who volunteers to fight on the front lines,¡± she said then, ¡°and give them something fancy to wear...something...purple.¡±


    Mirianna and Eban looked confused, but nodded their heads slowly in consent, ¡°I don''t quite get it, but I sense you''re going to tell us more,¡± asked Eban.


    ¡°Yep,¡± she replied smiling, ¡°every rebellion,¡± they all grimaced at the word, but that''s what it was wasn''t it? ¡°every rebellion should have some kind of symbol, a color, something that people can identify with.¡± Her smile grew and a light entered her blue eyes then, ¡°this shall henceforth be known as the War of the Purple Rose, we are now the Legion of the Purple Rose.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± said Mirianna, ¡°but I don''t completely understand.¡±


    ¡°It''s simple,¡± said Winter, ¡°we are giving the common folk something to stand for, something physical that they can look too for hope against a base tyranny who has them in the yolk of an affliction they hadn''t even realized was there!¡± Her eyes were wide now, shining in the light of the chandelier that hung above them. She continued, ¡°I want you to find artists,¡± she said, ¡°is there such a thing as a printing press?¡± she asked suddenly.


    ¡°A what?¡± asked Eban in confusion.


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± she said, ¡°gather as many artists and scribes as you can,¡± she looked at Eban then, ¡°we''re going to make some propaganda, think of all the laws enacted that commoners dislike, be it taxes, tariffs, lack of basic rights as a human being, anything. I want a list, and I want those artists as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Highness,¡± Eban stiffened, bowing. Winter noticed that the others were looking at her strangely, but she paid it no mind.


    ¡°Lox, I want you to help Eban with that list,¡± Winter demanded. The boy nodded stiffly, but she could see a bit of a smile in his eyes. ¡°We are going to badmouth this kingdom until the commoners come swarming to me for an abatement of their woes.¡±


    ¡°But your highness,¡± said Raissa, her hat twitching, ¡°this will surely cause widespread discontent, maybe even a true rebellion.¡± Her yellow eyes held worry and fear in equal amounts.


    ¡°And that is precisely what we need Raissa,¡± Winter asserted, ¡°As long as I am seen as the salve, the cure for this great evil, the people will follow me.¡±


    They each nodded then, finally agreeing. Winter could tell there were still doubts, but they would see how her plan worked soon enough. Still, she wasn''t completely finished.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± she stated holding up a finger, ¡°we absolutely need those information networks remade,¡± she said looking at Mirianna, ¡°I want spies in every town from Tenemin to Ramsfeld, I will write out a booklet outlining some methods and techniques on spy work.¡± She paused then, ¡°find me the shadiest, most slippery thief you can, send messages through to the underworld,¡± she said then, ¡°I will train him personally.¡±


    By this time their eyes were boggling, but that was too be expected. ¡°I suppose we won''t be moving from here for some time then,¡± Eban asked.


    ¡°That is so Lord Newell,¡± Winter replied. ¡°To rebuild this kingdom, we will first have to destroy it. We will gather those who chose to follow me, and burn the rest,¡± she finished in a level tone. An ominous silence permeated the room as the notion of what they were about to undertake slowly sunk in.

 Chapter 8: Moonlight

    Surprise early chapter.  I didn''t think I''d finish this one today, but some awesome stuff was happening so it kinda went fast.  Hope you all enjoy!


    Chapter 8


    Rolf''s dark green cloak flourished as he swept down one of the great hallways of his palace. His now in truth, or it would be soon enough. He was flanked on both sides by knights loyal to him and him alone and each one bore a severe expression on their faces. They were all veterans, hardened soldiers who knew battle. So far there had been only small skirmishes here and there, but mostly between his knights against the few personal troops some of the wealthier nobles had brought with them to the capital. There were other clashes outside of the palace, in the Noble''s Quarter. It had been a simultaneous assault on every estate, though most of the nobles had given up without a fight, there were a few who had shown resistance.


    Rolf was on his way now to one such battle. All three moons shone overhead as he and his men exited the White Palace. Mounting horses that were waiting for them in the main courtyard, the king and his men made their way toward the estates of house Walker. It was a large building, almost as big as the palace, truly a testament of the power that Lord Gren Walker wielded. It loomed in the darkness as they approached, and the sounds of a heated battle could be heard. Occasionally flashes of magic could be seen, lightning bolts deflected into the air, fireballs exploding into walls, as well as every other thing one could imagine.


    ¡°Hurry men,¡± Rolf yelled back at his riders. It looked like his knights had already penetrated the walls of the mini palace, but if the runners were to be believed there had been severe casualties already. Rolf had initially wanted to simply command the battle from the back, but Lord Walker was putting up too much resistance to be ignored.


    As they crashed through the remnants of the gate a cheer rose up as his men recognized him. There were at least a thousand troops wearing the green and yellow of house Walker, as opposed to the six or seven hundred left of his own red and white clad troops. Bodies already littered the plaza before the estate, as well as the courtyard within. Rolf and his men cut a bloody path through the enemy''s center, hacking left and right, left and right. It became almost a mechanical movement as he raised his sword over and over again. His knights protected him as the rode, not letting any of these depraved mongrels lay even a hand on his Majesty.


    After what seemed like an eternity the enemy troops started to retreat into the Walker estate. ¡°Keep pushing men,¡± he bellowed. ¡°This is where it gets messy,¡± he said in a stony voice. He and his men dismounted and when Rolf threw himself into the fray, his knights could only hope to keep up with him. They stared in shock at his movements, fluid and snakelike, the king darted from one place to another. Dodging a diagonal slice he easily countered with a cut of his own, then smoothly flowed into the next man, smashing his face with the pommel of his sword Excursius. The soldier fell limp, his face destroyed in a bloody mass. Excursius gleamed catching the light of the moons as it fell into it''s next victim, spraying crimson across the ground. The man, cleaved in two, stared wide eyed as he fell to the ground in a heap of blood and entrails, his mouth open in a final, silent scream.


    So it went, from one to another as Rolf stormed his way through the Walker residence. Men lost their lives as soon as they noticed that head of flowing dark purple hair. Rolf was king, and with that station came responsibility as well as ability. Blocking a sword that had swung down from behind him with his own he turned raising his left hand and muttered the words of a particularly nasty spell.


    ¡°Light, I call thee now,¡± he chanted, ¡°flay them oh blinding rays!¡± Suddenly a ray of pure white shot out from his hand, piercing the chest of the soldier who had thought to get the drop on him. Rolf grasped the bar of light and as he twisted it, nine glimmering strings of light burst out of the man, shredding him in a cloud of bloody mist.


    Yanking the whip of light to his side the enemy soldiers panicked then, starting to tumble over each other in their haste to reach safety. This was one of the royal magics, Light of Nine. Cracking the whip, beams of radiant light danced around the area piercing all who stood in the way. This was no longer a battle, it was a bloody slaughter. Rolf''s escort, as well as the knights they had come to assist could only look on in awe at the scene before them as their liege decimated the enemy with every swing of that dreadful light.


    Not long afterwards an eerie silence permeated the dark hallway they found themselves in. There were still sounds of men killing and dying outside, but not here. Rolf took a long breath as he let the light of the whip dissipate into sparkling dust. ¡°Have you located Gren yet?¡± he asked in a too calm voice.


    One of the soldiers who had just arrived came forward bowing at the waste, ¡°Yes your Majesty,¡± the man said brusquely, ¡°he has holed himself up in a tower in the east wing after we chased him out of the escape tunnels. Our mages have begun a fusillade, but it appears as though his lordship has erected a barrier.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Rolf nodded to himself. ¡°Stop the barrage, I would speak with Lord Walker myself,¡± he said as he turned making his way toward the east part of the building. Quickly his escort reformed around him. Barked orders could be heard from behind as the squad leaders reorganized their men. There was still fighting to be had after all.


    It wasn''t long before Rolf found himself in front of a large set of double doors that lead to the tower. With shouted orders the mage knights formed into columns and opened a way for the king and his men to come in front of the door. Rolf pondered for a moment, then turned to the officer in charge.


    ¡°I assume not only the door, but the walls have been reinforced?¡± he queried.


    ¡°Yes Majesty,¡± nodded the light haired man. ¡°We''ve also had our earth mages digging underneath, but to no avail,¡± he concluded.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Rolf said in a level voice. ¡°Clear the area,¡± he said thoughtfully, ¡°I will knock the tower down.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes Majesty!¡± stammered the officer. Rolf recognized the man now from the training grounds at the palace, it was no wonder he hadn''t questioned the order, notwithstanding that one would normally not question their king of course. A wry smile made it''s way onto his face, but it didn''t touch his dark blue eyes.


    Once his troops had exited the area Rolf stepped back about fifteen paces, turned toward the door and began chanting.


    Oh light eternal


    In sleep we rest


    Awaken now thy glow


    And grant this at my behest,


    To strike with light unending


    Those with works immoral


    And bring once more


    Your light, Eternal!


    Any who would have seen Rolf would have beheld a man enveloped in a pillar of white light, sparkling particles of luminescence shooting upward all around him. Outside, above the tower a pin prick of light appeared. Slowly it grew as if emerging from the distance, until it''s unbelievable speed became apparent. Slamming down upon the tower in a flash, a pillar of light devoured the area in and around the tower. About five paces in front of where Rolf stood, the room completely disintegrated, creating an arc where the marble of the floor was simply cut off. The empyrean light continued for a few more moments before it finally drew in on itself, retreating slowly back into nothingness.


    The tower itself, with it''s magically reinforced stone had simply melted. It lie now in a twisted ruin inside a shallow crater caused by the massive spell. Light Eternal was rarely used in battle, as it required not only an obscene amount of magical energy, but also a lengthy chant that would leave the user open to preemptive attacks.


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    None of this mattered to Rolf at the moment, as he hopped down into the crater and made his way towards the wreckage he had caused. The melted stone was cold to the touch, as if the retreating light had taken all the energy out of it. Finally his eyes spotted what he was looking for, and he walked slowly to a pile of rubble that would have been near the top of the tower.


    ¡°Ah, Lord Walker,¡± Rolf said smiling, ¡°I wanted to talk to you about a certain matter of State.¡± Crouching down he squatted on his heals.


    Lord Gren Walker, head of House Walker, Lord of Camerly hills, twisted his neck to peer at the voice that had called out to him. Unfortunately his melted eyes were lying in a pool near his right cheek, and as he moved his head the skin separated, sticking to the melted stone. He let out a low anguished sound as he tried to speak.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to address the recent findings some of my...investigators have discovered,¡± replied Rolf. ¡°You see, it seems they''ve found out who hired the assassins who killed the previous king, my father.¡±


    A low howl began to spill out of Lord Walker then, but Rolf wasn''t finished yet.


    ¡°We''ve also found a co-conspirator,¡± Rolf was practically beaming now, ¡°But it seems my sister Winter has taken care of the man,¡± he paused then, ¡°ah, you did know I let her escape right? I let that little bit leak out didn''t I?¡± The man was wailing in pain now, ¡°I take it you and Boris had some sort of arrangement correct?¡± He smiled then, ¡°does the phrase: ''Through this oath of blood, let none reveal'' strike at any memories? Did you two actually believe you would get away with what you did to my beloved sister?¡±


    The howling had died down to a low whimpering now as it dawned on him that he had been found out. All the man''s schemes had doubtlessly come to light. This was divine punishment for all he had done, and Rolf wanted to grind his face in it until the very moment he passed from this world. If he had still had the gift of sight, Lord Walker would have trembled at the dark light glowing from those murky blue eyes of the king.


    It was going to be a long, long night.


    -*-


    Winter awoke shivering with a sudden chill. The light of the three moons spilling through the window gave her room a ghostly atmosphere. Grabbing the nightgown that had been carelessly thrown over the back of a chair she covered herself. For some reason she couldn''t stop trembling, and it took all her concentration to finally calm herself. Was it a nightmare? She couldn''t remember if it was, but she was wide awake now, so she decided to take a stroll outside in the garden courtyard in order to relax. Slowly she made her way down the stairs, then out the large white plastered doors leading to the garden.


    Plants and flowers of all types could be observed here. White lily like flowers had been planted here, lilacs and tulips over there.  Rosebushes lined the stone worked pathway that lead out to a green lawn. Clouds had appeared since she had awoken and blotted out most of the light from the three moons. There was a certain breeze in the air, and it sent a chill through her bare legs, making her conscious of the fact that she had forgotten shoes too. Again she shivered.


    Walking out onto the soft grass she peered up at the clouded sky. The high clouds could barely block out the light of the moons, and every now and then one of them would peek through. It seemed like the calm weather before a storm, before the clouds gathered and thrashed rain and lightning down upon the earth.  For now it was peaceful though, and she breathed deeply taking in the atmosphere.  The clouds split then, and Winter saw a tall man in a fur lined cloak standing on the path, bathed in a pillar of cool silver light. It lasted only a few moments however, before the clouds continued their dance above in the heavens.


    ¡°I didn''t expect to see you out here this late, Highness,¡± spoke the man in a gentle voice.


    ¡°There was a chill in the air,¡± she replied, ¡°and what about you Eban? What brings you here at this early hour?¡± she inquired tilting her head.


    ¡°I like to come here at night and clear my head sometimes,¡± he said looking up at the sky. She noticed that he avoided looking directly at her. Medieval propriety must be at work, she thought to herself. That or she could lump him in the same boat with Lox. Ah, why couldn''t it be your sister out here instead?


    That last thought made her think though. What was she? Obviously she was a man stuck into a pubescent girl''s body. Declan had had enough trouble working through his own puberty, he''d forgotten how tough it could be, but being a girl like this was beyond him. Of course he could compartmentalize his feelings to get a job done, but it wasn''t healthy. The CIA had almost denied him a job because he had some slight PTSD left over from Afghanistan, in fact they wouldn''t have admitted him if it weren''t for his language abilities. She shivered again thinking of that roadside IED and the ambush that came after. He''d lost some good friends that day...


    Without even noticing, Eban had moved in front of her and was wiping something moist off of her cheek. His face was obscured by shadows, but she could feel a warmth emanating from him.


    ¡°I must apologize Winter,¡± he said with sympathy, ¡°during dinner you looked just the same as I remembered you back then.¡± He was looking at something above her head then, ¡°but in the strategy meeting though, it was almost like you had changed into someone...different.¡± He looked down at her then, regaining some confidence, ¡°seeing you shedding tears here...for what we must do to save this kingdom of ours, has banished all such thoughts.¡± He smiled warmly then, ¡°you are my Princess, whether or not you remember, you are still you.¡±


    Ashamed and conflicted Winter averted her eyes. She hadn''t meant to shed a tear, in fact she had been sure she would never do so again after what had happened back on the Jalalabad-Kabul highway. The skeletal remains of blown up vehicles lined the road, some still smoldering with ash blowing across the boiling landscape. We were just abou-


    ¡°No!¡± Suddenly she found herself enveloped inside a warm embrace, the fur of the cloak softly brushing her cheek. She crumbled. It was no use, the recent stress of finding herself in a new world, in a different body, combined with all that had happened up until now as well as her memories of lost friends and comrades from a thoughtless war almost a decade ago, it all came crashing down on her all at once. He cried, like a girl.


    For his part, Eban didn''t say anything. He just held her shivering body close, supporting Winter the best he could. It was some time before she was able to lift herself up, wipe her eyes, and push everything back into that corner of her mind where she wouldn''t have to think about it again. At least for a while.


    ¡°I''m alright now,¡± she said. All emotion missing from her voice. ¡°I''m sorry you had to see that Eban.¡±


    His silhouette in the moonlight made him look even more like a delinquent than usual, but he only nodded saying, ¡°think nothing of it Winter.¡± Sighing he continued, ¡°I said it a long time ago, but I''ll say it again now, you can always count on me. I am your sworn man, my life for yours.¡± With a graceful bow he flourished his fur cloak, ¡°if you''ll excuse me, we should both be back to bed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree,¡± Winter replied looking once more into the night sky. Parting ways with Eban, she slowly made her way through the garden, back to her room. The clouds had departed, and the three moons still hung in the heavens. Perhaps that storm would pass, but the wind still sent chills through her body as it rushed through the leaves in the garden.

 Chapter 9: Rumors

    First of all, sorry for not sticking to my schedule of Wed. and Sat. uploads.  I''ve been writing like crazy so I''ve been uploading whenever I get something finished.


    Let me know if it''s annoying and I''ll do my best to stick to my schedule, otherwise I''m going to continue uploading like a drunk five year old.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Chapter 9


    Winter found herself in an unused room in the west wing of the estate. Calm streams of light were making their way inside through one of the windows as it was around midday. She had spent the morning giving orders and instructions regarding their next moves, as well as trying to iron out some of the finer details of some of the plans she had. Those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind at the moment however, as she was being reprimanded by Heldrin for what must have been the eighth time now.


    Sitting beside her was Clarissa, who was absolutely no help to her. She suffered from the same thing many geniuses did, the fact that she could do things naturally without much thought made it almost impossible for the small girl to be able to teach how she did something. At least Heldrin was a good teacher, it''s just that Winter''s mundane mind couldn''t wrap itself around what he was trying to explain.


    ¡°It''s desire,¡± repeated for the millionth time, ¡°you say the words while wanting the spell to materialize,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don''t get how this is even related to what''s being said here though,¡± countered Winter, ¡°how does ''bring forth the wellspring'' even have anything to do with closing up a wound?¡± She had some basic first aid skills so she knew how to at least field dress minor injuries. ¡°Why can''t I just say something like, ''knit back together you stupid cut.'' It would make so much more sense!¡±


    ¡°It''s dangerous,¡± Heldrin said his eyes wide with exasperation. ¡°You can''t just go throwing spell words together willy-nilly! You have no idea what the end result could be!¡±


    ¡°But you said earlier that it''s more about desire! Need!¡± Winter huffed, ¡°even back when we were traveling here you said there were people who don''t need the spell words at all.¡±


    ¡°Those are people who have natural talent and a significant amount of experience,¡± he shook his head looking like he regretted telling her about that. ¡°You may claim to know Tendetric like a native language, but one slip, one stray thought while you''re attempting a spell could throw the entire thing into a different direction!¡± He stood up straight then, putting his hands on his waist, ¡°the incantations, as long as you know them by heart through repetition, will guide your thoughts in the proper direction. This is why memorization is a must, you not only memorize the words of the spell, you memorize the feel of the spell, of the magic flowing through you. Every spell feels different, every spell has it''s own flow. If you try to make up your own spells using desires that are not concrete, thought out, and very specific, you will destroy yourself.¡± He was looming over Winter now, each word hammering his point home.


    ¡°Ugh, fine,¡± she said slumping over the table she was sitting at. Looking over at Clarissa who was studiously memorizing spells out of a spell book, Winter groaned. The nine year old girl could memorize anything after reading it one time, like she had some kind of photographic memory. It wasn''t fair. Winter,  who as Declan had grown up speaking English, knew more words than both of these two people with her now combined, but it wouldn''t help her one bit if she couldn''t concentrate on what she wanted to do with any given spell. Still it bothered her, ¡°then, why can''t I just say something like, ''Fireball'' and have it shoot out a ball of flame at somebody?¡±


    Heldrin''s face suddenly looked tired, ¡°without the spell incantation how are you going to tell it where to go, what trajectory, speed, how much heat?¡± He sighed, ¡°there are dozens of fireball spells, each with different purposes for different occasions. That is also why people have affinities to different magics, typically someone of a fire element will study just that: fire spells, and so on for each element. A decent fire mage will be able to pick out which fireball spell he needs for the situation he finds himself in without thinking, because he has practiced to the point that the magic is a part of him.¡±


    ¡°So it''s like muscle memory!¡± Winter perked up finally understanding.


    ¡°I''m not sure I follow,¡± replied Heldrin furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Muscle memory,¡± began Winter, ¡°happens when you repeat a motion so many times that you could do it in your sleep.¡± Getting up from her desk she went to an open area in the room behind the old mage. Taking a fighting stance she took a deep breath clearing her mind. Suddenly with lightning speed Winter unleashed a series of punches, which then flowed into a low kick, then to a spinning backhand, which then snaked into a roundhouse kick, back to a chest blow which then flowed into a devastating throat punch. Her demonstration continued as she made her body recite each unarmed move she knew. It felt good to finally let out some strain by moving her body, she had missed practicing her martial arts.


    The moves continued to flow, one thing into another with no wasted movement. She had never felt this good, it was like everything was coming together in a perfect harmony. It was then that she noticed a dim glow surrounding her as if she had cast a spell. Heldrin and Clarissa were both staring at her with stunned expressions. Placing her fist to her palm she bowed, signaling and end to her presentation.


    ¡°Where did you learn all that?¡± asked Heldrin after he had gathered himself somewhat.


    Shit, I got carried away, Winter thought to herself. Instead she replied, ¡°uh, I''m pretty sure it''s just muscle memory,¡± she laughed weakly, ¡°I can''t remember much of anything after all...¡±


    ¡°A pity,¡± the old mage said looking at the princess dubiously, ¡°that your ''muscle'' memories don''t extend to your memories of practicing Light Magic.¡± He shook his head dismissively then, ¡°I suppose it''s Chaos now though. I wish I knew how it changed, though I suppose stranger things have happened.¡± Heldrin looked her in the eyes then, ¡°I''ve heard of certain warrior monks, far to the north in the snow capped mountain ranges of the Rabbit Folk. It is rumored that they can control the movements of their bodies to such an extent that their magical aspect can be seen, like the glow around a person when a spell is cast.¡± His gaze was penetrating now, ¡°I had thought they were only rumors, until now.¡±


    Winter smoothed out her features then, calming herself. ¡°Perhaps I had one of these Rabbit Monks as a teacher before?¡± she surmised. ¡°That would make sense, since I know how to do all that without remembering how I know how to do it. Right?¡± Heldrin slowly nodded to himself, accepting the explanation for now. One thing hit her then as she retook her seat in front of the old mage. It can''t be muscle memory can it? This is a different body and I was just recreating something I knew from my previous self. Maybe Winter was a genius at combat like Clarissa is at memorization?


    ¡°Say Heldrin,¡± she asked looking up at the man, ¡°was I known to be gifted at physical combat when you were in the palace?¡±


    ¡°You were very small back then,¡± he said, his eyes taking on a misty look as he remembered better times, ¡°about the age of Clarissa here in fact.¡±


    ¡°I''m not very small, thank you very much,¡± Clarissa retorted. She had finished her memorizing it seemed. ¡°I''m going to find Lox and see about lunch now,¡± she said closing her book and standing up.


    ¡°Fine, but I want you back here as soon as you''ve eaten,¡± said Heldrin. The man was a magic freak. To put it bluntly, he acted casually and uncaring about almost everything, but when it came to magic the man was always dead serious.


    ¡°What about me?¡± asked Winter, ¡°I''m getting rather hungry as well.¡±


    ¡°You''ve done nothing but debate with me all morning,¡± he answered, ¡°I''ll let you go only after you''ve completely memorized this section,¡± he said pointing a bony finger at a page in the book that lay forgotten before Winter.


    ¡°Aaaah, why can''t I just make my own spells?¡± she moaned. Heldrin''s gaze filled with severity then, and Winter quickly buried her face into the book.


    -*-


    Lox walked down one of the cobble stoned roads in Martin''s Mill. It was a good sized town, maybe a little smaller than the Rose Quarter of Ramsfeld, but it had a certain charm to it nonetheless. Looking around at various shops and stalls in one of the many open squares found throughout the city was a decent way to pass the time.


    Of course Clarissa had been stingy with the money she lent to him, but that wasn''t such a problem when one could simply find a few coins here and there. It certainly wasn''t his fault when that old man had bumped into him just now and lost his coin purse. As well as the pretty brown eyed lady a few minutes ago who had suddenly found out she couldn''t pay for that cabbage because she had lost her money somewhere. Lox had graciously paid in her stead of course, flashing her a dashing smile while he did.


    He had found enough money now that he felt it would be a good time to find a good inn or tavern. A tavern is like a woman, he remembered his uncle Oren saying once, she''ll talk your ear off if you let her, but you''ll learn a lot to save your hide if you pay attention. Besides, Winter wanted a list of stuff people didn''t like about the kingdom, so it would technically be doing his job if he were to go check out what was going on in a tavern. Maybe an inn too, since travelers always brought news, but the dice games would be better at a tavern, people on trips usually didn''t want to waste too much money anyways.


    After asking a few locals for directions on the nearest tavern, Lox wandered around until he stood in front of a large two story building. The hanging sign had a picture of a goose with it''s head raised, beak open, squawking at the moons. The Howling Goose, he had heard, was one of the most popular taverns in Martin''s Mill. He hoped it was popular because of the waitresses.


    As he strode inside he was welcomed by the scent of freshly baked bread, as well as some kind of meat that was being grilled. It was still a bit early, but even so Lox could tell that the lunch rush was about to get started. He noticed through the door to the kitchen that the cooks were busy stirring and frying, pulling loaves of bread out of ovens, all the things you''d expect from an experienced staff preparing for the coming onslaught of customers. He was broken out of his observations by a lovely female voice.


    ¡°It''s good that you arrived early young sir,¡± said a curly haired blond girl in an apron, ¡°if we get too busy you still might have to share a table though.¡± She smiled then as Lox turned to her voice.


    ¡°Oh, that''s just fine by me, uh¡± he paused waiting.


    ¡°I''m Hanna,¡± she said catching the unspoken question.


    ¡°Ah, my name is Lox,¡± he replied smiling. She was just his type, nice figure, slightly plump in the right places. Not like a certain crazy purple haired girl with too sharp eyes that seemed to know exactly what he was thinking at any given moment. It was enough to drive a man crazy. ¡°I''ll sit wherever you''ll be serving then Hanna,¡± he said widening his grin. He was going to like this place for sure.


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    After she had pointed out a table near a window Lox watched as the waitress bounced away, no doubt to brag about the handsome young man she was going to serve lunch to. He chuckled to himself as he took his seat. It wasn''t long before more and more people trickled in. Hanna came back holding a pint of ale soon after and took his order. It was either roasted shoat or the house stew with a heel of bread. Since he was supposed to be saving money he opted for the cheaper stew, even though he loved a good rack of shoat.


    The tavern continued to fill with people, and he sat nursing his ale as he kept an ear open for what people were talking about. Most of it was banal, day-to-day banter.  Things about the weather, how it had been an unusually hot summer and how it had suddenly cooled off in the last few weeks. Some farmers seemed to think it was too cold, that the fields would freeze before they were able to harvest them. Others complained about how their fields had been decimated during the recent battle. The interesting things were the muttered curses against the king for sending troops, while other men blamed the lord and lady Newell for their recklessness.


    It went back and forth like that, some men complaining that it didn''t matter if the rest of the field''s froze because so much had been burned. No matter what the coming winter was going to be a lean one. Still other men claimed that it had been necessary and that the king''s troops would have certainly looted the entire town, even asserting that the knights would have forced many of the people into the army. That brought about yet another topic.


    It was well known that the military had been conscripting men from every town. No one seemed to know quite why, but there were at least a dozen rumors flying around about it. Everything from the king preparing to invade Gralhein to the south, to some dispute between the nobility and King Ainsfeld. There were even some outlandish tales of dark things coming from deep in the eastern countries. Lox put the last aside as old wives'' tales, thinking that a military build up was probably because of Winter escaping...though the timing seemed a bit off. He had heard of forced conscription taking place in the Adventurer''s Guild back home even before he''d been thrown into prison. Maybe the king had known his sister was going to escape.


    Pondering that thought he also put it aside, it just wouldn''t make sense. He was missing something. If only Oren were there. The crazy old man would have been able to put all this together like he was some kind of oracle, and he''d likely be nicking the poor tavern goers purses the whole while too. Lox shook his head at the thought of his uncle''s toothless grin as he cut the purses of his unsuspecting victims. Such a horrible man.


    Not him though, Lox only stole things when he needed too. Just like he needed the stew and bread placed before him to keep up his strength. That''s right, if he was to be any help to the kingdom he would need to be strong and fit, and for that he needed money for decent food. Sure he could have eaten for free at his Lordship Eban''s estate, but Lox didn''t want to impose. It certainly wasn''t because his Lordship Eban was a stuck up snobby noble. Not the fat old man he had envisioned to be sure, but his Lordship Eban was still a noble, and Lox did not want to be indebted to another person of high birth.


    Winter was enough. At least when she wasn''t acting crazy cutting up old men or asking weird things about the Rabbit People or the Cat Tribes she was okay. Definitely not like he had envisioned a royal to act. Lox chuckled remembering the look on that Cat Tribe archer Raissa''s face as Winter stared at her hat. No doubt it had taken a lot of self control for the princess not to snatch the poor girl''s hat off during the meeting...but then she had started saying a lot of weird things again. Scary things from Lox''s point of view. He would have left with Clarissa right then if it wasn''t for the debt he owed Winter for getting them out of prison. Oren had always said, stay away from nobles, unless you want a trip to the gallows. His crazy old uncle would probably have left Winter to rot on that staircase where she collapsed during their escape, but Lox wasn''t like Oren, not one bit.


    The stew was excellent, and the bread complimented it perfectly. The bowl was a generous size too, a steal for what he was paying in fact. Hanna came back several times to see how he was doing and to refill his ale. The girl turned out to be quite nimble, smiling devilishly back at him as he missed another attempt at pinching her behind. Yep, definitely my type! Winking at him she strode off to another table, weaving deftly between the other tables, without even one man able to even get close to his goal. He noticed most of the serving girls were like that, it gave them a certain type of grace as they dodged through the tables. He suspected it didn''t take long to learn how to walk like that in this type of environment, you could always tell who the new girls were.


    Of course Lox was no fool. He knew from talking to serving girls that a well placed wink, even an allowed pinch would often yield better tips from the drunken patrons. There was a balance to it though, one couldn''t let it go too far, and there was always a fail safe. Lox peered around the room until he found a large burly man wearing a cudgel at his side. The man was scanning the room with his arms folded looking rather bored. No doubt if any of these men got too drunk and tried something with one of the waitresses they''d get the business end of that cudgel in no time.


    Having filled his belly Lox called over Hanna to settle his bill. He had hoped to be able to meet her later, but she politely declined saying she didn''t know him all that well. No doubt it was a ploy to get him to come to the tavern more often, but he didn''t mind it at all. The food was good and the place had a good atmosphere after all. He made a mental note to come back in the evening for some dice games.


    Waving farewell Lox made his way back out to the street. It was a little past midday and he still had some time so he decided to do a little more sight seeing. It was always good to get to know the town you were staying in. Maybe he''d see if he could find the local Adventurer''s Guild. Winter had also said something about contacting the underworld in search of some thief or something. He had no idea why she needed a thief for information gathering though, Lox wasn''t even a thief, no matter what Clarissa said about him, and he could gather information just fine. Though admittedly his uncle Oren who definitely was a thief was able to construe the truth from mere fragments of conversation.


    Maybe he should contact Oren? He was certainly a slippery guy who never seemed to stay in one place for too long. Lox shuddered thinking of what the man might put him through again if they were to meet again. His uncle had been hell bent on making him his successor, saying nonsense things like, Lox is a prodigy at thieving, and, one day you''ll surpass even me. To be completely honest, it was probably because of Oren that Lox had ended up in prison. If he was a prodigy, stealing from the palace would be super easy.


    ¡°Well, the part you forgot was how I always told you to not get in over your head,¡± said a familiar gravelly voice beside him.


    ¡°Was I talking out loud just then?¡± he asked without thinking.


    ¡°Yup,¡± said a hooded man next to him. Lox hadn''t even heard footsteps, and now he stopped standing frozen in shock.


    ¡°U-uncle Oren!¡± he shouted in surprise, ¡°what in the name of...I mean wha-¡±


    ¡°Quiet down you idiot!¡± Oren said in his rough voice with his finger to his lips. ¡°You honestly thought you could just get away from me just like that?¡± he spat, ¡°your training isn''t even half way done you know.¡±


    ¡°But I haven''t even seen you in two years,¡± said Lox still in utter shock.


    ¡°I''ve been following you around since you took Clarissa and started living in the Adventurer''s Guild in the Rose Quarter,¡± he stated in a condescending tone. ¡°I never even stopped training you,¡± he said flashing that toothless grin, ¡°didn''t you think it was strange how you were always able to find out about certain jobs, how some of them were slightly different than you expected forcing you to adapt to different situations?¡± He chuckled evilly then.


    ¡°Y-you played me!¡± Lox''s jaw had dropped, ¡°For two whole years?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Oren said puffing up his chest proudly, ¡°your last task was that palace job,¡± he said as his tone became grim, ¡°which you failed spectacularly by the way.¡± His eyes wandered in thought, ¡°though I suppose since you were able to break out, carrying a princess on your back no less...you pass!¡±


    ¡°What? Just like that?¡± stammered Lox. This was all too much to take in.


    ¡°You''re still no match for a master thief like me though,¡± Oren said scratching his head. "And you clearly still need more training. Go get Clarissa and your things and we can head over to Tenemin,¡± he said looking Lox in the eyes. ¡°I won''t take no for an answer.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Lox.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Now it was Oren''s turn to be baffled.


    ¡°I have obligations now,¡± Lox said looking up into the cloudless sky. They had been walking for some time now, and he found they were on the road that lead back to the estate. The old man has been leading us this whole time, he thought in shock, he knows where I''m staying!


    ¡°What, to that princess?¡± he asked with disdain.


    ¡°She was the one who broke us out of jail,¡± admitted Lox.


    ¡°Ah, if that''s the case,¡± Oren paused, ¡°you fail. I''ll need to teach you even more then.¡±


    ¡°Well, the only way that''s going to happen is if you stay here and help Winter,¡± said Lox. He knew the crazy toothless old coot couldn''t stand nobles. It was the perfect excuse.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said abruptly.


    Lox stopped in his tracks, ¡°Wait, what?¡± he stammered, ¡°you always said to steer clear of nobles!¡±


    ¡°And you''d do well to remember that in the future,¡± Oren admonished, shaking a finger at him, ¡°but since I know how stubborn you are I''m not going to argue the point,¡± he said. ¡°It''s up to me to get my pupil out of this mess. Besides,¡± he said as they began walking again, ¡°I''ve been meaning to talk to old Heldrin again.¡±


    ¡°You know Heldrin?!¡± Lox thought his heart was going to stop. This was way too much.


    ¡°Oh hohoho,¡± Oren laughed. It wasn''t funny, ¡°we may have gone adventuring now and again, back in the day.¡± The man''s eyes were gleaming.


    Creepy, shivered Lox.


    A few blocks away from the two thieves, Heldrin shuddered, wondering at the sudden urge he had to lock up his valuables.

 Chapter 10: Agreements

    Chapter 10


    Winter was passing through the entryway in the estate with Clarissa at her side after eating a filling lunch of various vegetables and another hybrid looking animal''s meat. She was beginning to understand that many of the animals here were somehow mixes of what she was used to, like the language was a mix of various ones from her old world. It was a strange realization, but she couldn''t say if it was significant or not.


    At any rate Heldrin was waiting for them in their study room to continue their lessons. Eban and Mirianna were fairly adept at managing things, and she didn''t feel like hijacking the whole operation from them anyways, no matter the fact that she was a princess to them. She gathered that was how this kingdom was run normally, the monarch would decree something and the nobility would enact said decree. All planning and execution would be handled by officials, which left Winter with an excess of time, time she would use for learning about this world and it''s magic. It was fortunate that no one had doubted the memory loss story so far.


    Just as they were passing in front of the main entryway the wide double doors opened letting in two men. One was Lox, looking like he''d not had any sleep for an entire week, the other looked like a hobo, or at least a man who hadn''t changed his clothes in a month or two. Standing there it was Clarissa who reacted first.


    ¡°Uncle Oren!¡± Winter watched in perplexed horror as the small girl ran up to the hobo and embraced him. He lifted her up swinging her around like a father coming home from a long day at work.


    ¡°Haha, Clarissa!¡± the old man laughed happily greeting her. His toothless grin reminded Winter of a drug addict, but as far as she could tell this world didn''t have drugs. He must be the type who gets into fights easily. Narrowing her eyes she looked over the man more closely. Yes, he''s definitely the shady type of person I might need, doubly if Lox and Clarissa can trust him. She saw Lox looking at her oddly then, like he knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°It''s been a long time Uncle Oren,¡± Clarissa was saying happily talking to the old hobo looking man. He looked to be in his sixties with short black hair which was peppered by strands of white. The man had a leathery, wind worn face with a generally unsavory look to it, but as he smiled talking to his niece there was certainly a warm look to his perceptive brown eyes.


    As the two were reuniting Winter walked over to Lox, ¡°your uncle I presume?¡± she said eyeing the man.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± he said with a hint of embarrassment, ¡°Winter, this is my uncle Oren. Oren, this is Her Royal Highness Princess Winter Ainsfeld.¡± Winter flashed a quick questioning glance over at Lox, but was ignored. What''s going on, he''s never this formal.


    Oren took it in stride, but she thought she saw his eyes widen in surprise, or terror, but it was gone so quickly she wasn''t sure it was really there at all. Bowing at the waist the man bid his greetings, ¡°A pleasure to meet you Highness,¡± he said with a practiced grace. It was totally out of line with his outward appearance, and it took Winter a moment to reply.


    ¡°Ah, the pleasure is mine uncle Oren,¡± ah, I slipped an uncle in on accident, whatever I''ll go with it. ¡°Lox and Clarissa have been like family to me for the past few weeks, so it''s wonderful to meet another member of their family,¡± she said taking on a wistful air. For some reason she thought it would be advantageous to act naive in front of this man, at least for the moment. Perhaps he was the type to feel like he needed to protect others, much like Lox was in fact. This time she was sure she saw his eyes bulge.


    ¡°U-uncle,¡± he muttered under his breath, but he recovered instantly, straightening his posture.


    ¡°For now let us retire to one of the sitting rooms,¡± said Winter motioning inside, ¡°I''m sure you three have much to catch up on, and I personally would love to get to know you as well, uncle Oren,¡± she smiled.


    ¡°What about Heldrin, Winter?¡± asked Clarissa with her finger on her lips.


    ¡°I''m sure he''ll understand Clarissa,¡± replied Winter.


    ¡°Actually I''d like to talk to that old codger as well,¡± said Oren in his rough voice as the made their way to one of the rooms.


    ¡°I''ll go get him,¡± volunteered Lox quickly. He looked like he was trying to find any excuse to not spend more time with Oren, in stark contrast to Clarissa who was staring up at the old man in adoration while holding his hand. Before she could say anything Lox was running down the hallway in the opposite direction.


    Entering the room they sat themselves down on two couches facing each other, a low table separating them. Winter sat on one side with Clarissa and Oren on the other. As they happily started talking together one of the house maids brought them all steaming cups of tea. Winter took a sip, watching the pair with a small smile on her face.


    ¡°So where have you been uncle Oren?¡± asked Clarissa with curiosity filling her eyes.


    ¡°I had business in Tenemin,¡± he replied smoothly, ¡°and I was just passing through on my way back to Ramsfeld when I spotted Lox coming out of a tavern,¡± he said with a strange gleam in his eye. It was obvious to Winter he was only telling part of the truth, but Clarissa took it at face value.


    ¡°So that''s where he was,¡± Clarissa said folding her arms and frowning. ¡°I was worried when I couldn''t find him for lunch today.¡±


    ¡°What business did you have in Martin''s Mill?¡± Winter asked innocently. From all the maps of the area she had seen the town was a day or two out of the way if one was going between Tenemin and Ramsfeld.


    Oren looked at Winter warily, ¡°It was part of a the trade deal I was negotiating in Tenemin,¡± he said evenly.


    ¡°Uncle Oren is a rare goods merchant!¡± piped in Clarissa, obviously proud of her uncle, ¡°he finds all sorts of things and sells them for lots and lots of money.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Winter flashing Oren a knowing grin as she took a sip of tea. ¡°If your business is concluded perhaps we can speak later about certain other opportunities? Of course if not...¡± Winter let the last fall flat as she flashed a meaningful glance at Clarissa.


    The man''s complexion had paled visibly as he stared back at the purple haired girl. Winter could only imagine what she had put into the man''s head, but before Oren could respond, Heldrin suddenly burst into the room. He was staring bullets at Oren as he stood in the doorway.


    ¡°You-¡± he began, venom filling his voice, but Oren cut him off.


    ¡°Heldrin! Old friend!¡± Oren laughed practically leaping up out of his seat. He rushed over to embrace the old mage. Winter chuckled to herself as she watched Heldrin trying to fight off the dirty old hobo. Finally after a few moments they separated.


    ¡°I didn''t know you two knew each other,¡± said Clarissa happily. ¡°Where did Lox go Heldrin?¡±


    She was right, Lox was nowhere to be found. The sly boy had taken the chance to retreat. Winter made a mental note to ask him about it later, for now she greeted Heldrin and motioned him to sit beside her.


    ¡°Clarissa,¡± said Oren turning to her, ¡°would you mind finding Lox for us? I didn''t get much time to talk to him on the way here,¡± he smiled.


    ¡°Okay!¡± With that Clarissa skipped out of the room happily closing the door behind her. Heldrin sat staring for a moment before turning to Oren.


    ¡°What are you doing here, you old thief,¡± Heldrin said, that same venom in his voice. Winter took another sip of tea, this would likely be entertaining.


    ¡°What''s this all the sudden old friend?¡± Oren replied flashing a toothless grin, ¡°I just wanted to see my niece and nephew again, it''s been a couple years after all.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the truth I''ll eat my hat,¡± shot back the old mage, ¡°what is it you''re after this time? What do you plan on stealing now?¡±


    Oren grinned then, becoming serious, ¡°I heard tell of some people who were planning something. Something big.¡± He glanced over at Winter, again it was so quick she thought she imagined it.


    ¡°What could possibly interest you now of all times,¡± Heldrin asked, ¡°after Brettsdale you should be living comfortably.¡± Heldrin shook his head, ¡°I heard you even had a manor complete with servants.¡± Winter''s ears perked up at that.


    ¡°You see that''s just it,¡± Oren said sadly, ¡°it''s boring!¡± He sat back, lounging on the couch, ¡°It was never about the score you old miser,¡± he said intensely, ¡°the heist is what I crave!¡±


    ¡°That still doesn''t explain why you''re suddenly here of all places,¡± retorted Heldrin. He was beginning to look as tired as Lox had been earlier.


    ¡°Well, you see,¡± began Oren, ¡°I heard whispers of a mad princess who plans on stealing an entire kingdom from her brother,¡± he paused looking at Winter, ¡°I want in on that.¡±


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    A low snicker began as Winter''s shoulders began to convulse, until suddenly she was laughing so much her tea almost spilled. She couldn''t tell why, but it was the most hilarious thing to her and she couldn''t stop. It was going to be a revolution, but she could also see how a bored old thief would see it as the grandest heist of all time. Things were clicking into place faster than she had anticipated, and it boiled over into this hilarious outburst. This must be what it feels like to have your evil plans come into fruition.


    Clearing her throat, Winter gathered herself. Heldrin was looking at her askance, while Oren had that infuriating grin on his face. She flashed back her own wry smile. ¡°Welcome aboard master thief,¡± she said extending her hand, ¡°or should I say special agent Oren?¡±


    ¡°Oren is fine, thanks,¡± he said looking at her hand. He glanced at Heldrin then, ¡°what is she doing?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure,¡± Heldrin said, shaking his head, ¡°she did it to me earlier and I didn''t understand then either.¡±


    ¡°Handshake!¡± Winter said in exasperation. ¡°give me your hand Oren!¡± The man tentatively put his hand into Winter''s, and she grasped it shaking it up and down enthusiastically. ¡°With that our deal is sealed.¡±


    ¡°Is that something new you want to make commonplace?¡± asked Heldrin raising an eyebrow.


    Winter thought a moment, then ¡°Sure why not?¡±


    ¡°In that case,¡± Heldrin extended his hand, ¡°since I didn''t before...¡± Taking his hand Winter shook with the old mage as well. ¡°With that we should continue your lessons,¡± he said grinning.


    -*-


    Shortly afterward Clarissa had returned dragging a Lox who looked like a drowned cat behind her. Winter and Heldrin had excused themselves then, letting the trio alone to catch up after their two year absence from each other. Winter had also let Eban and Mirianna know what was going on, and that she had found the slippery thief she wanted. They were a bit astounded, but accepted it in stride.


    Word had been sent out that they were seeking scribes and artists, so it wouldn''t be too long before some of them started showing up. Mirianna had given her a list of places and people who were potential contacts in various towns and villages, Winter would have to go over that with Oren later if she wanted to set up that information network. For now though she was together with Heldrin on a small hill in a field away from the town, the nearby forest stretching out before them.


    The sun looked to have a few more hours of light left from where it hung in the sky. One of the three moons had already appeared, looking like a ghostly face as it rose above the horizon far to the east. Heldrin stood watching her as they practiced magic together. This far away from the town it was safe, even if a flame spell misfired or a wind spell knocked down a tree Heldrin would be able to control the situation to a degree where no one would get hurt.


    ¡°Let it flow through you,¡± Heldrin was saying, ¡°water magic flows easily, and is very predictable, you should have no problems.¡± That was why he had started her learning water. Normally a student would learn spells exclusively pertaining to the element they were attuned with, only reaching towards the other elements after years of study. Of course since no one knew what Chaos magic was, there were no spells for it either. That was one reason Winter hadn''t given up the notion that she would make her own spells, but for now it was water magic that she would study.


    Oddly Winter had found out from Heldrin that it was usually the element opposite your own that could be learned secondarily with the most ease. If you could wrap your mind around the fact that most everything was completely reversed it would be easy anyways. For instance, since water flowed easily and in one direction, one could surmise that fire would be erratic and spread in all directions, and vice versa. That had lead to an interesting discussion about the possibility of there being Order magic, but of course since no one had heard of that either she still had to learn ''normal'' magics.


    ¡°Alright here I go,¡± Winter turned to face one of the trees at the end of the field they had marked as a target. This would be her first time using an actual spell. ¡°Oh water, answer my call,¡± she could feel the magic power flowing into her then, like a cool river washing over her, ¡°let thy tides wash all away!¡± With that Winter pointed her right hand at the tree, as if ordering a cavalry charge. It was perfectly executed, the flow of magic activated and the soft white glow surrounded her, even Heldrin was nodding in approval, but instead of a stream of water pounding into the tree, something else happened.


    All of the sudden a familiar sound rang out into Winter''s ears. Panicking she looked behind her, and time seemed to slow down. Without thinking she grabbed the confused Heldrin and shoved them both to the ground behind the small rise they were standing on, just as a large missile streaked above them, screaming as it ripped through the air. Less than a second later a huge explosion wracked their ears, and sand, rocks and flaming chunks of debris began to rain down on the two of them. Heldrin was saying something, but her ears were ringing so much she couldn''t make out the words, then suddenly a wall of rock rose up around the two of them. Encased inside a protective dome, Winter''s hearing started to return. She attempted to rise, but her strength had left her, so she just sat there on her knees panting for breath.


    After a time Heldrin got up and made one side of the rock bunker open. What they saw took Winter''s breath away. The earth in front of them was a charred mass like the fields outside Martin''s Mill. Slowly getting to her feet, she followed Heldrin outside, and her breath caught again as she beheld what had become of the forest.


    Of the tree she had aimed at there was nothing left but a small crater, and the trees around it were burning, knocked down from the impact. Hundreds of them, like those old photographs she had seen of the meteor impact in Siberia, only on a smaller scale. Her jaw hung open as Heldrin stood surveying the damage shaking his head.


    ¡°I-it was perfect though,¡± she protested, frantically ¡°the flow, just like you said, I was able to picture exactly what I wanted in my mind...¡± She certainly hadn''t envisioned a missile. Holding her head in her hands she had to try hard in order to not panic.


    ¡°Chaos,¡± said the old mage standing in front of her, ¡°I fear any spell you use might turn out randomly like this,¡± turning around he looked her in the eyes, a look of sadness mixed with fear in them. ¡°I can''t teach you magic, you must promise never to use it again.¡±


    Winter was shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°B-but-¡±


    ¡°You must never use it!¡± he bellowed, ¡°this is too dangerous! Just look at what happened here!¡± He was practically raving now, ¡°you cannot control Chaos! I was a fool thinking I could teach you.¡±


    Winter had calmed herself little by little, and by the time Heldrin had finished she had drawn herself up, taking on an imperious stance. Even though he was taller than her by a good six inches she made it seem like she was looking down at him, ¡°No, Heldrin Moss,¡± she proclaimed, ¡°you will continue teaching me magic.¡± He looked dumbstruck, shaking his head, ¡°you will continue teaching me, just like you said before. What do you think will happen if I don''t learn how to control it?¡± She drew herself up even more then, puffing out her chest she pointed at the archmage, ¡°I''ll tell you right now, I will learn to control it, I will be the Master of Chaos!¡± A thought came to her then as she spoke, ¡°do you know what that was Heldrin?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I''ve no idea princess,¡± he replied glancing back at the destruction behind him, but she could see his eyes narrow as they came back to her. ¡°Are you trying to tell me you do know what happened?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said levelly, ¡°but you must agree to promise not to reveal this after I''ve told you.¡±


    ¡°You have my word Highness,¡± he said bowing his head solemnly.


    ¡°That,¡± she said nodding to the decimation around her, ¡°was caused by a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, otherwise known as an AGM-158 JASSM.¡± Heldrin looked at her blankly, not understanding. ¡°Look, what if I told you that in place of my memories I had gotten information from another world?¡± She crossed her arms waiting for his reply.


    ¡°I would say...¡± he paused thinking for a moment, ¡°I would say that clears up many things,¡± he looked up at her then, ¡°...are you still Winter Ainsfeld?¡± he asked fixing a penetrating gaze at her.


    ¡°I''ll let you know when I find that out myself,¡± she replied enigmatically, ¡°the only thing I know for real,¡± she said then, ¡°there will be blood shed.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you are right at that,¡± nodded Heldrin, ¡°are you certain you will be able to control this...Chaos magic?¡± he asked walking up to her side.


    ¡°I have to,¡± she said shrugging. ¡°there has to be a reason for all this.¡± Heldrin nodded his agreement.


    With that the two of them turned from the destruction in the forest, and made their way back to the estate in silence.


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    There you have it! I hope you all like my take on magic, and I hope you all will forgive my cheesey video game references. :D