It was such a strange day, Henrietta thought, as she hurried across the corridor.
The last few months were one disaster after another.
Louise Francoise de la Valliere disappeared in a bizarre explosion during her springtime familiar summoning ritual, possibly died, after three consecutive failed attempts to summon a familiar. And she had no other childhood friends, she mourned her too. And how was she uninformed that poor Louise was struggling so much with her magic?
The thief, Fouquet, managed to steal the fabled staff of destruction from the very vaults of Tristain academy. And still, old Osmond refused to explain how it came to be, and the balding teacher accompanying him paled for some reason soon after.
The secret letter sent to prince Wales was exposed by Wardes the now traitor, who killed Wales, and ensured their correspondence become public, thus destroying any plans of political marriage for her with any self-respecting Brimiric nation. And he was still at large, reunited with Reconquista, while her reputation and authority was damaged, and the Gryphon knights disbanded and demoralized. The only consolation came from the exposure of a traitor in their midst.
The people where discontent due to the nearby war in Albion, and the nobles watching her every step, for a chance of their own rise over her ashes. She was forced to make a deal with Duchess Valliere to search the private royal collection for a way to return their youngest daughter.
(and it shamed her to admit that only then did she started to search for a way to bring back dear Louise, only then did she try to help her oldest friend).
Suddenly someone screamed, and she hastened towards the sound.
She finally found something, and with help of old Osmond and his library and knowledge, conscripted to aid her, the teacher he brought to help him, and the Duchess, they polished (mostly old Osmond), and did the ritual to bring back lost summoners. It was easily the most draining magic she ever did, but it did produce results, although…
After the smoke cleared, the saw something new: in the middle of the pentagram lay a figure… It was Louise, but at the same time not exactly…
She almost reached the cellar, running on the first floor, Agnes beside her, musket in hand.
She looked a bit older, wearing a strange blue mail and leather armor, wielding a strange, very large long sword, as though a warlord, ready for battle, her skin had a ghostly pallor and her lips lost their color, becoming bluish…
And despite all this the biggest shock came later.
After what was between moment and eternity, Duchess Karin Valliere informed her that she will leave home with the body of her daughter at dawn tomorrow, and that the Valliere will stand beside the Princess who granted her boon. Later the reason was confirmed by the ashen bald teacher –Colbert, and her own bodyguard Agnes.
It was a dead body, the corpse of Louise.
They were puzzled by the attire, and she was reminded of the barbarian warrior queens of distant lands told in some tale. Tale that was made stranger by the caution of Colbert who cast Detect Magic, and discovered that the strange armor, and blade were enchanted, and shouldn't be touched until their nature discovered, while copying the strange, malevolent looking, clearly non Brimiric runes on them to paper for research, while Osmond worried over how to tell it to Karin.
In the end Louise remained in the ritual chamber in the basement.
And now that the cobwebs of sleep fall of in the run, she recognized it as the very destination the disturbance originated from.
While the last few months were difficult and surprising, and today most unique and strange among them, none prepared her for the sight before her.
'it, it can't be.'
For before her stood, in the cumbersome armor, the two handed sword in hands and at the ready, before a gaping Colbert and truly shocked Osmond, as well as an armed Duchess,
'did she get taller?'
Louise.
This is something old i published on the SB ZNT snip thread more than a year ago, i now publish it here, with the intend to continue from here.