October 20, 2003
Chapter 1: Surprise Visitors
Queen Castaspella had just about drifted off to sleep in her room located on the third to highest floor in her castle in the kingdom of Mystacore. The night was calm, the sky was clear; with a slight breeze that swept through the castle halls, making a soft whistle. Castaspella found that her life became much simpler and sometimes boring at times after the final wars that drove the Horde out of Etheria. The planet was still not at peace though, but the Great Rebellion, which consisted of many individual kingdoms and people, was helping to reunite the segregated lands and create peace.
Castaspella was awakened by what sounded like horse hoofs on the ground. She opened her eyes, sat up, and looked out her bedroom window. She saw a small figure what looked like a figure of a person run from the horse to over to the front door. Castaspella got off the bed, slipped on her robe that she had on the back of her chair, and walked out of her room. With each step down the hall and each stairway she went down, she felt a sudden rush of anxiety like something was not right. Her magic was greatly connected with the magic of others, and this time, it was strong, as if she had known this person that it was affecting. She nearly collapsed when she finally made it to the bottom of the last set of stairs. She caught herself on the railing. One of her guards that stood by rushed over.
"Queen Castaspella, are you all right?" asked the guard.
Castaspella straightened herself up and looked over at the guard. She still felt kind of weird having people call her queen. She was never born into royalty, but Mystacore ran their kingdoms by having the people elect a ruler. She wiped the sweat that was forming on her forehead with the back of her hand and said, "I am fine. Just open the door for me".
"But, my queen, don't you want to know who it is first?" asked the guard.
"It's okay. I don't sense any threat", said Castaspella.
The guard walked over to the door, and slowly pushed open the doors. Castaspella walked toward the door, and saw a young woman standing outside. She was dressed in long robes. Castaspella thought the woman looked familiar. With a closer look she saw the girl's face under her hood, and in an instant, she recognized her.
"Arielle!" cried Castaspella and she ran to the women.
Arielle pulled back her hood to display her dark strawberry blonde hair, which hung past her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her blue eyes were intense as she looked at Castaspella. She smiled slightly and then opened up her arms to wrap them around, Castaspella, her former teacher. Castaspella held onto her former student, feeling both excited and also worried about her feelings of dread. She sensed great pain and suffering in Arielle. The once bubbly young apprentice that was always so eager to learn was not the same Arielle that Castaspella had once knew.
Castaspella pulled back, her hands on Arielle's shoulders, taking a good look at her former student. Arielle smiled and finally said, "I am so glad I made it here".
Castaspella looked at Arielle with a concerned look on her face. Arielle looked much older and surer of herself than she did years ago. Castaspella gotten older herself, but she was still lucky that she had not found any gray in her hair, not that she could do something about it with her magic. She suddenly realized that her long reddish brown hair was hanging unkempt on her shoulders and she was only in her robe.
Castaspella studied Arielle with her dark blue intense eyes and asked, "Arielle, are you okay?"
Arielle lowered her head and replied, "No, I am not."
Castaspella put her arm around Arielle's shoulder and said, "Come inside. We can talk some more".
Castaspella took Arielle inside and into a lounge area of the castle. Arielle took off her robes before sitting down. Castaspella looked at her and then did a double take. Arielle looked to be heavily with child.
Arielle noticed the way Castaspella was looking at her. She placed her hands on her belly and said, "Yes, I am going to be a mother".
"Congratulations, Arielle. You didn't even tell me you got married", said Castaspella as she took a seat next to Arielle on one of the couches.
Arielle then turned away from Castaspella. Castaspella took her hand and placed it under Arielle's chin, gently turning it toward her. She saw tears were in Arielle's eyes.
"Arielle, what is the matter?" asked Castaspella.
"My husband, Dalton, was killed when our town was ambushed by dark warriors from the Shadow Woods. Even though I know it pains you, they still want to keep the evil alive after the demise of Shadow Weaver", said Arielle.
Castaspella put her arms around Arielle to comfort her and said, "I am so sorry for your loss, Arielle. You know you can always come to me. You are most welcome here".
"I am sorry for your loss as well, Castaspella", said Arielle.
"My loss was more of a release. It was not Shadow Weaver's death that brought me great pain but the loss of her best friend, Liora Light Spinner. She was released of the evil before she went on. Liora was like an older sister. We had great times together before she fell into darkness. I am sorry that she stirred up a lot of evil in Etheria and you and others must suffer", said Castaspella.
"I have no one, Castaspella. My small town was destroyed. My husband, before he was killed, put me on a horse and told me to go. He told me to get as far away from the town as I could, so I came here; to the only family I have left", said Arielle.
Castaspella tried to hold back the tears as she pulled away and looked at the hurt in Arielle's eyes. She had taken on Arielle as a student as her mentor Norwyn had done her and Liora. Arielle was very anxious to learn and there were times when Castaspella was worried that she might find an easy way to learn like Liora had. Arielle had studied hard and grew up to be a powerful sorceress. It devastated her that the young girl who she thought of as a little sister was in such pain.
"Arielle, you can stay here in Mystacore. I would like to have someone else here. It gets boring sometimes here and I need someone to talk to", said Castaspella.
"Thank you, Castaspella. I don't know what I would do without you. I am so scared", said Arielle.
"I am here for you, Arielle. I'll help you in anyway I can", said Castaspella.
"I can't be a burden. I am going to have a baby. I am sure you have more important things to do than look after a woman with a kid", said Arielle.
"Arielle, it's okay. You are not going to be a problem. Also, I never was a mother. It would please me watch over your little one sometimes", said Castaspella, as she smiled.
"Did you ever want to be a mother?" asked Arielle.
"Yes, but things happened to prevented me from settling down like the invasion of the Horde. Now I am almost forty years old and have a responsibility to this kingdom. I have had my share of romances, but I never found the right man to spend the rest of my life with", said Castaspella.
"You are not old, Castaspella. You hardly look a day over thirty. You are still a beautiful woman. I am sure your day will come", said Arielle.
"Thanks, Arielle. That means a lot to me. After the Horde wars and trying to rebuild this kingdom, I have felt myself slowing down", said Castaspella.
"The Shadow Woods are still alive with dark magic and I fear they will come for me. I hope I don't bring trouble here. They know I am a sorceress and they will try and destroy me", said Arielle.
"Don't worry, Arielle. People of dark magic know better than to come to Mystacore. Remember what I taught you. The Light is always more powerful than the dark, so they will be foolish to try and enter this kingdom", said Castaspella.
"I hope you are right", said Arielle.
"Well, I have spare rooms upstairs, one down the hall from my room. I would be honored to have you as my guest", said Castaspella.
"Thank you, Castaspella. I promise I will not be a problem", said Arielle.
"You are not a problem and you never were. You may have tested my nerves once or twice as a young student, but all students annoy their teachers at time. Let's go get some sleep, and then tomorrow we can talk more", said Castaspella.
"Okay", said Arielle.
Castaspella stood up and then helped Arielle to her feet. She led Arielle out of the lounge area and into the main lobby, and then helped her up the stairs. She could tell that Arielle was already exhausted after going up so many steps. Castaspella had kept herself in good shape after walking up five floors to her bedroom, but she forgot that Arielle was round with child. She was relieved when she led Arielle to a guest room. Arielle sat on the edge of the bed.
Castaspella leaned over and kissed Arielle's forehead and said, "I have extra robes here in the closets if you want to borrow them and this room has its own washroom. Everything is yours to use here. Goodnight and sleep well, Arielle. If you need anything, just let me know. I am across the hall".
Arielle smiled and said, "Goodnight, Castaspella. May you have pleasant dreams tonight".
Queen Castaspella had just about drifted off to sleep in her room located on the third to highest floor in her castle in the kingdom of Mystacore. The night was calm, the sky was clear; with a slight breeze that swept through the castle halls, making a soft whistle. Castaspella found that her life became much simpler and sometimes boring at times after the final wars that drove the Horde out of Etheria. The planet was still not at peace though, but the Great Rebellion, which consisted of many individual kingdoms and people, was helping to reunite the segregated lands and create peace.
Castaspella was awakened by what sounded like horse hoofs on the ground. She opened her eyes, sat up, and looked out her bedroom window. She saw a small figure what looked like a figure of a person run from the horse to over to the front door. Castaspella got off the bed, slipped on her robe that she had on the back of her chair, and walked out of her room. With each step down the hall and each stairway she went down, she felt a sudden rush of anxiety like something was not right. Her magic was greatly connected with the magic of others, and this time, it was strong, as if she had known this person that it was affecting. She nearly collapsed when she finally made it to the bottom of the last set of stairs. She caught herself on the railing. One of her guards that stood by rushed over.
"Queen Castaspella, are you all right?" asked the guard.
Castaspella straightened herself up and looked over at the guard. She still felt kind of weird having people call her queen. She was never born into royalty, but Mystacore ran their kingdoms by having the people elect a ruler. She wiped the sweat that was forming on her forehead with the back of her hand and said, "I am fine. Just open the door for me".
"But, my queen, don't you want to know who it is first?" asked the guard.
"It's okay. I don't sense any threat", said Castaspella.
The guard walked over to the door, and slowly pushed open the doors. Castaspella walked toward the door, and saw a young woman standing outside. She was dressed in long robes. Castaspella thought the woman looked familiar. With a closer look she saw the girl's face under her hood, and in an instant, she recognized her.
"Arielle!" cried Castaspella and she ran to the women.
Arielle pulled back her hood to display her dark strawberry blonde hair, which hung past her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her blue eyes were intense as she looked at Castaspella. She smiled slightly and then opened up her arms to wrap them around, Castaspella, her former teacher. Castaspella held onto her former student, feeling both excited and also worried about her feelings of dread. She sensed great pain and suffering in Arielle. The once bubbly young apprentice that was always so eager to learn was not the same Arielle that Castaspella had once knew.
Castaspella pulled back, her hands on Arielle's shoulders, taking a good look at her former student. Arielle smiled and finally said, "I am so glad I made it here".
Castaspella looked at Arielle with a concerned look on her face. Arielle looked much older and surer of herself than she did years ago. Castaspella gotten older herself, but she was still lucky that she had not found any gray in her hair, not that she could do something about it with her magic. She suddenly realized that her long reddish brown hair was hanging unkempt on her shoulders and she was only in her robe.
Castaspella studied Arielle with her dark blue intense eyes and asked, "Arielle, are you okay?"
Arielle lowered her head and replied, "No, I am not."
Castaspella put her arm around Arielle's shoulder and said, "Come inside. We can talk some more".
Castaspella took Arielle inside and into a lounge area of the castle. Arielle took off her robes before sitting down. Castaspella looked at her and then did a double take. Arielle looked to be heavily with child.
Arielle noticed the way Castaspella was looking at her. She placed her hands on her belly and said, "Yes, I am going to be a mother".
"Congratulations, Arielle. You didn't even tell me you got married", said Castaspella as she took a seat next to Arielle on one of the couches.
Arielle then turned away from Castaspella. Castaspella took her hand and placed it under Arielle's chin, gently turning it toward her. She saw tears were in Arielle's eyes.
"Arielle, what is the matter?" asked Castaspella.
"My husband, Dalton, was killed when our town was ambushed by dark warriors from the Shadow Woods. Even though I know it pains you, they still want to keep the evil alive after the demise of Shadow Weaver", said Arielle.
Castaspella put her arms around Arielle to comfort her and said, "I am so sorry for your loss, Arielle. You know you can always come to me. You are most welcome here".
"I am sorry for your loss as well, Castaspella", said Arielle.
"My loss was more of a release. It was not Shadow Weaver's death that brought me great pain but the loss of her best friend, Liora Light Spinner. She was released of the evil before she went on. Liora was like an older sister. We had great times together before she fell into darkness. I am sorry that she stirred up a lot of evil in Etheria and you and others must suffer", said Castaspella.
"I have no one, Castaspella. My small town was destroyed. My husband, before he was killed, put me on a horse and told me to go. He told me to get as far away from the town as I could, so I came here; to the only family I have left", said Arielle.
Castaspella tried to hold back the tears as she pulled away and looked at the hurt in Arielle's eyes. She had taken on Arielle as a student as her mentor Norwyn had done her and Liora. Arielle was very anxious to learn and there were times when Castaspella was worried that she might find an easy way to learn like Liora had. Arielle had studied hard and grew up to be a powerful sorceress. It devastated her that the young girl who she thought of as a little sister was in such pain.
"Arielle, you can stay here in Mystacore. I would like to have someone else here. It gets boring sometimes here and I need someone to talk to", said Castaspella.
"Thank you, Castaspella. I don't know what I would do without you. I am so scared", said Arielle.
"I am here for you, Arielle. I'll help you in anyway I can", said Castaspella.
"I can't be a burden. I am going to have a baby. I am sure you have more important things to do than look after a woman with a kid", said Arielle.
"Arielle, it's okay. You are not going to be a problem. Also, I never was a mother. It would please me watch over your little one sometimes", said Castaspella, as she smiled.
"Did you ever want to be a mother?" asked Arielle.
"Yes, but things happened to prevented me from settling down like the invasion of the Horde. Now I am almost forty years old and have a responsibility to this kingdom. I have had my share of romances, but I never found the right man to spend the rest of my life with", said Castaspella.
"You are not old, Castaspella. You hardly look a day over thirty. You are still a beautiful woman. I am sure your day will come", said Arielle.
"Thanks, Arielle. That means a lot to me. After the Horde wars and trying to rebuild this kingdom, I have felt myself slowing down", said Castaspella.
"The Shadow Woods are still alive with dark magic and I fear they will come for me. I hope I don't bring trouble here. They know I am a sorceress and they will try and destroy me", said Arielle.
"Don't worry, Arielle. People of dark magic know better than to come to Mystacore. Remember what I taught you. The Light is always more powerful than the dark, so they will be foolish to try and enter this kingdom", said Castaspella.
"I hope you are right", said Arielle.
"Well, I have spare rooms upstairs, one down the hall from my room. I would be honored to have you as my guest", said Castaspella.
"Thank you, Castaspella. I promise I will not be a problem", said Arielle.
"You are not a problem and you never were. You may have tested my nerves once or twice as a young student, but all students annoy their teachers at time. Let's go get some sleep, and then tomorrow we can talk more", said Castaspella.
"Okay", said Arielle.
Castaspella stood up and then helped Arielle to her feet. She led Arielle out of the lounge area and into the main lobby, and then helped her up the stairs. She could tell that Arielle was already exhausted after going up so many steps. Castaspella had kept herself in good shape after walking up five floors to her bedroom, but she forgot that Arielle was round with child. She was relieved when she led Arielle to a guest room. Arielle sat on the edge of the bed.
Castaspella leaned over and kissed Arielle's forehead and said, "I have extra robes here in the closets if you want to borrow them and this room has its own washroom. Everything is yours to use here. Goodnight and sleep well, Arielle. If you need anything, just let me know. I am across the hall".
Arielle smiled and said, "Goodnight, Castaspella. May you have pleasant dreams tonight".