10 years later

Part 1

Chapter1

"But Mai!!! I wanna go! I wanna go to the party!!! Please, please, pretty please!! Besides Mother said I was old enough. Why can't I go?"

"I already told you three times the party will be boring and Queen Tara doesn't want you to make a scene in front of the noble families! Now stop asking to go Princess!" Said Mai sharply, as they walked along the beautiful tapestries lining the inner corridors to the private rooms of the palace. Mai had been taking care of the young princess for the past ten years. Althaena was usually sweet tempered, full of energy, and as curious as a kitten. Mai smiled when she recalled the time Althaena had, in her insatiable curiosity, fallen into the lake and immediately after that managed to fall into one of the cooks open flour sacks!

Mai was brought back to the present when she felt a stinging slap on her hip. She looked around and saw Althaena getting ready to hit her again. Mai quickly grabbed Althaena's arm and slapped her across the face.

"What are you doing?" asked Mai harshly.

"But there will be singing!!!" shrieked Althaena. "Papa said that I could sing for the Del'Adigo family!"

"Yes, but that is later." said Mai in amazement dropping her arm, Althaena had never caused so much trouble before.

"I don't care. I don't want to wait. I want to sing now." said Althaena with a pout.

"Well I can go get your older sister, Belinda." said Mai with little enthusiasm. It was common knowledge that Belinda hated Althaena for being born. Belinda had been born to the king from his first marriage to a common elf. The crown's magic would never accept anyone except the first-born, pure-blood of the royal line.

"No, Belinda is mean to me and she doesn't listen to the music." said Althaena.

Mai thought for a moment. Then an idea came to her. She wasn't sure if Althaena would go along with it or not, but she was out of options.

"Would you like to go to see your grandmother, Althaena? I'm sure she would love to see you." said Mai hopefully. Althaena's face lit up like the sun.

"Oh yes! Yes please! I would love to see my grandmother!" squealed Althaena happily. She started to skip down the corridor looking like a ray of sunshine. Mai watched her for a moment, Althaena hadn't grown as much as others her age, but she was just as beautiful as the day she was born. Hair still silvery white and skin still golden brown. Her lithe body barely making a sound on the floor. Mai could see she was going to be beautiful one day. She smiled when Althaena called to her. As she moved after her small charge she hoped the Mistress was in. Otherwise she would have a restless princess on her hands.

Althaena walked up the path to the tower, in the inner courtyard that her grandmother lived in. She loved her grandmother more than anything in the world. Her grandmother was kind to her and treated her like a real person, not like the heir to the throne. Her grandmother was also a war hero of old battles. She always had a story to tell her. When she got to the door she turned to Mai.

"My grandmother is here. You can go now. Come pick me up at sunset like always."

"Yes, Princess." Said Mai as she left to see to the preparations, smiling happily.

Althaena turned back to the door and tried to turn the handle. As always the handle was intangible. She smiled and closed her eyes, pushing with her mind to try to turn it. She tried an tried but she couldn't get a hold of it long enough to turn it. She turned to leave, and then suddenly she spun around and concentrated as hard as she could. When she opened her eyes the door was open a crack, and opening wider. She smiled with pleasure as she pulled the door open with her mind. When it was open enough for to slip though she went in.

As Althaena walked over the threshold she felt the comforting aura of power that was always present in the air. As she walked forward the door closed behind her as she let it go slowly. Althaena stopped at the edge of the room, and looked around. The room was circular and painted to look like the night sky. When Althaena looked closely at it she noticed the subtle changes taking place on the wall.

'The stars are in constant movement.' thought Althaena. 'Nothing stays the same for long.' She looked around the room curiously. It held many different and interesting things. Wands, both evil and good, spell components, and staffs, some so tall they looked as though they reached to the sky. And absolutely thousands upon thousands of books! So many that Althaena got dizzy just looking at them. But that's not what held her attention. In the middle of the room there was a table with many books on it. Sitting in the middle of it all was an elf looking no older than sixty years old. Her hair only just beginning to be streaked with grey, her face gently lined with the ages. She sat bent over her book in contemplation. Althaena sent a message to her without speaking.

Her grandmother looked up from the book and smiled at her. She bent her finger at Althaena and suddenly Althaena was standing next to her.

"Grandmother, I came to see you today!" said Althaena joyfully hugging her around the waist. "They won't let me go to the party and I want to really bad!"

"Now Althaena you shouldn't be giving Mai such a hard time about it. She can't disobey your father. You know that, don't you?" she admonished.

"Yes Grandmother." replied Althaena, immediately chastised. She let go of her grandmother and sat down next to her.

"Now I am expecting a very important guest today so I need you to be on your best behavior." Her grandmother said as she closed her book and leapt down from the table.

"Who is it?" asked Althaena.

"His name is Serem. He is a very powerful wizard, so be nice." replied her grandmother solemnly.

Althaena felt someone coming to the door. She looked at her Grandmother for permission. She nodded and Althaena fell deep into herself, bringing her magic right to the surface of her being. She pushed her mind to the door and to the man beyond. He looked as though he was used to being in the sun for long periods of time. His hair was light blonde with shots of brown and gray hiding though out. His eyes were a warm blue. As she looked at him she felt…strange as though she had seen him before. He turned to face her and seemed startled. Then the door opened and she was pulled back to her body by her grandmother's power.

"Hello Roslin, my dear. It has been awhile." said the man, "And you, little spy, what is your name?"

"My name is Althaena Maj'antha, Princess of the Almwood realm. You must be Serem" replied Althaena as she leapt from the table. Serem swept her a deep bow.

"Of course, Princess Althaena. Serem, Master of nature magic, at your service. I must say, your powers are exceptional. I didn't even notice them until I saw you in the door."

"Thank you."

"Did your grandmother teach you to hide them?"

"Yes as a-" Althaena was cut off as a woman walked into the room and whispered something to Roslin. She nodded and turned to Althaena.

"Your Father has requested that you begin to get ready for the party Althaena. You must go now. I will see you tomorrow at mid-day. Good-bye." Said her grandmother.

"Right! Papa promised to let me sing for the Del'Adigo family. Bye-bye, Grandmother!" she said as she ran out. Althaena paused at the door and turned to Serem.

"Good-bye Master Serem. It was a pleasure meeting you." she said politely before running out the door into Mai's waiting arms.

Inside the tower, Serem sat down on the vacant chair next to the desk. He turned to Roslin with a smile on his face.

"She's more beautiful than any girl I've ever seen. It's a pity that she can't remember me." said Serem wistfully. "Maybe if I-"

"No! You can't. There is no other and you know as well as I that they will kill her. She is destined for a greater life than this."

"There is her sister, Belinda. She could ascend instead." said Serem pointedly.

"Only if the first child is dead or not of noble birth, Belinda is a half-breed. You know the laws of the crown's magic! You helped me create it! And Belinda does not have the powers or will of Althaena. All that is in Belinda is hatred and spite. She will only bring more grief and unrest to the land. Althaena is the only one who can heal the kingdom."

"Special powers or not, in the laws of your son, King Janxe, Althaena will have to marry before ascending the throne. She won't have the political power to change anything. All that power, everything that we need, will go to her new husband. Who will not change anything at all! And you! You can't even leave this tower without your own son trying to kill you." said Serem exasperated.

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"Well we can only hope Althaena will be able to stand up to him. I have been trying to help her prepare." said Roslin with a sad smile. "Her road is going to be darker then her namesakes."

"Yes, she will have to do what has never been done before. And it is all our fault." said Serem sadly.

"Yes, but what choice did we have? I can not kill Janxe, he's my son. So the only thing we could do was take the crown and ensure that the line of ascension goes to Althaena." said Roslin as she conjured a tea pot. "Tea?"

"Yes, please. How has Althaena been coming with her studies?"

"She has been showing this potential for a long time, but I can't push her powers to far. If I do she becomes agitated, and she loses focus. Once I pushed her so far and she almost lost control."

"I wonder how much control she actually has over her powers."

"I wonder as well."

They continued to talk about Althaena deep into the night. When Serem retired, at the insistence of Roslin, in the guest room of the tower, she sat and thought of her granddaughter's future. All of what Serem said was true and more Roslin realized. She could only watch and wait. And hope. She had to hope.