3. GETTING ACQUAINTED

It was a seasonably chilly summer day of Valda's twenty-first year, when the Prince of Forcena returned to her life.

Richard was the same as she remembered. The edge of arrogance and the knightly chivalry, to go with his good looks.

But the man with him was more mysterious, and she let her eyes drift over him as she was introduced to Loki, one of the Knights of Gold, the King's personal guard. Valda vaguely remembered seeing him at Forcena, three years before. She remembered he was a couple years older than the Prince; Richard was twenty-eight by now. Loki had the same knight's build, though Richard towered over him. His piercing blue eyes were brooding somehow, but she could not tell if they covered up shyness, sadness, anger, or all of the above. It seemed she was not the only one capable of being discreet with her emotions.

Introductions over, she voiced the question that had been on her mind since the messenger had first brought her news of the visitors. "I am surprised to see the heir of Forcena here, and without a retinue." Richard seemed a little old for this to be some mere boyish quest. "What brings you to Altena?"

The two men suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Loki looked away, and Richard cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, might we speak in private?" said the Prince.

"Of course." The servants were finishing setting out their refreshments, and Valda waved them out of the room. Still, the men were silent for a long moment while they waited for the sound of retreating footsteps to disappear. The mood was settling on Valda as well, and it was starting to make her feel nervous.

As the quiet became almost too much to handle, Loki spoke first. "We're searching for the Dragon Emperor."

Valda barely suppressed a gasp. The Dragon Emperor. A legendary figure who had withdrawn from the world long enough ago that most people thought he was just a myth; but royalty such as she and Richard were obliged to know the truth. It seemed every time a period of chaos began, his shadowy figure emerged to take advantage of it. Yet now she knew of no situation in the world that he might exploit.

But when she voiced her confusion, Richard spoke to answer her. "We have reason to believe that it is more than chaos created by humans, now."

For a brief moment, Loki gained a faraway look in his eyes. Slowly, a pinprick of light appeared to the left of his face. Valda thought at first she was imagining things, as she had not felt Mana in use, but still leaned forward in interest as the light increased in intensity, resolving into a small fluttering being.

She had only read of these, but there was no question that this was a fairy. For them to appear outside of the Holyland, was a serious matter indeed.

The tiny being had a sadness in her eyes that she would not have expected. She addressed Valda solemnly. "It's Mana itself. It's changing, it's fading. Can't you feel it, Sorceress?"

Valda noted the Fairy called her Sorceress rather than Queen. Royalty was a creation of humans, but the Gift of Mana was from the Goddess herself; from a fairy, it was surely the higher title. With reverence, she replied. "I am not old enough to know, but some of the older wizards have been saying that small parts feel different, somehow..."

"We are not sure if the Dragon Emperor is the cause, or merely looking to profit," Richard said. "But all we have been able to find out for sure is that he has left Dragon's Hole."

Not at his stronghold, then. Valda rested her chin on her hands thoughtfully. "Then if he is not gathering power there, he must have left to find something. The only thing worthwhile seeking outside of Dragon's Hole would be..."

"...the Elementals, and the Stones they guard," the Fairy finished for her. "I fear he may try to subvert their power into his. I am not sure how, but we must assume his nefarious powers at his disposal."

Valda nodded. It was simply impossible that he could have even existed for this long without some power derived from the Underworld.

"We were hoping, Queen Valda, that you might tell us where to find the Ice Elemental," Loki asked politely.

"It's in a cave, a few hours south of here," Valda told them. "But you'll freeze before you find the way yourselves. I will have to lead you there."

"We would be much obliged," Richard answered.

"Then perhaps rest here for a day or two, and conserve your strength before proceeding," Valda suggested. "One more thing. The Mana Stone is there. If you are going to pursue the Dragon Emperor, you will need all the strength you can get. Have you received the Gift of Mana yet?"

Richard looked perplexed. "Gift of Mana?"

"Class change, if you prefer," Valda replied, though the more common term always sounded so unrefined to her ears.

"Only the first, some years back," Loki answered.

"But the second... Loki, there's no time like the present." Richard positively grinned at the idea.

--

Valda was fraught with worry as they left the gates of Altena. Worry for what would happen within her kingdom, and what would happen without.

She had been up half the night, leaving top-secret instructions emblazoned with the Queen's seal, checking the spells that kept the castle warm. They were largely self-sufficient once cast, lasting quite a while, but after hearing about changes in Mana, she took extra caution.

With luck, no one had realized yet that she would not be back for a while. She had thought it through. Fluctuations in Mana and the return of the Dragon Emperor were both things that quite concerned the head of Altena, and she would not be able to learn more sitting around on her throne. Besides, she was easily the strongest sorceress in all of Altena. Second class change or no, these swordsmen were going to need a mage on their quest.

Altena needed her more here than it did at home right now.

--

Even walking, the Mana Stone of Ice was only a few hours outside the city limits.

Valda gazed on it in wonder. She hadn't been here in four years, and on that day she had plenty of reasons to be afraid of it. Now, it seemed oddly comforting, its pearlescent light shimmering peacefully.

Richard and Loki gazed at it with apprehension.

"Ladies first?" Richard inquired, with a slight wink.

"I can't do it yet," she replied. "I'm not old enough, but more importantly, I haven't reached the limits of my magic ability. It's very important that a sorceress develops her abilities to the fullest beforehand, otherwise the second change won't be as powerful as it could be."

"I'll go," Loki said, looking straight ahead. In the days before they left Altena, he had told her about the first change, and why he had selected Dark instead of Light, in order to better protect Richard. Perhaps not what he would have wished for, in a perfect world; but in a perfect world they would not be hunting the Dragon Emperor either.

He fingered the jade medallion he wore, similar to the silver one of Richard's. Valda had assumed it was part of the Forcenan uniform, but perhaps it meant something else altogether.

Loki stepped to touch the stone, and the light enveloped him.

Long moments passed.

Watching a class change from this vantage point was not so terribly interesting, Valda thought. Loki was still visible to them, but as if through a large amount of water. Nevertheless, she allowed herself to become entranced in the serenity of the stone. The minutes dragged on.

A sliver of motion off to her left caught her attention, but she did not turn her head. She had seen Richard's head swivel out of the corner of her eye. Though not looking to verify, she was fairly certain Richard was checking her out.

Her smile was all on the inside. The man was far too self-confident for his own good. Let him look.

It was just then that the light of the Mana Stone quivered, and Loki was returned to them. If she had thought he seemed to be hiding sadness before, there was no hiding on his face now.

"Well?" demanded Richard.

"Swordmaster," Loki replied. "What I had planned all the way from the first change. Though for a minute there, I wasn't sure..." He looked at Valda, and suddenly stopped whatever he was going to say.

"Well, let's see if I have what it takes to be a Paladin," Richard said, laughing, and Loki's mood broke long enough for the man to laugh right along with him. It seemed to be some sort of a private joke. Richard stepped up to the stone, and Valda was left standing alone in the cavern with Loki.

Valda took advantage of the time to steal a glance at Richard, however blurry, when she knew he could not see her. He was just as attractive as she had thought at first; she could certainly see herself touching those strong arms of his. But the arrogance... that was the big turnoff. She didn't really enjoy a man who assumed he could have her.

As they waited, Loki broke the silence. "I didn't expect it to be this small of a gathering. I wish Simone could have been here."

"Girlfriend?" Valda inquired politely.

"Fiancé ," replied Loki. Perhaps that accounted for some of his withdrawal and sadness, the Sorceress realized. Having a buddy with you was fine, but knowing who was waiting for you at home...

Richard shimmered back into their reality. He had spent a much shorter time away from them, but apparently it had been enough, as he returned to them smiling, and Loki shook his hand solemnly. "You may call me my Lord, Queen Valda."

"And you may call me Princess Valda. It's what it is in Altena, without the second change," Valda told him. She was soon to let them know how long they would have the pleasure of her company, and titles were going to quickly become onerous. "Or just Valda will suffice."

"In that case... pleased to meet you, just Valda," Richard replied.

Before Valda could frame a response, a figure appeared before them, glowing with a soft blue light. Valda had seen the figure before, but never in corporeal form. Undine, the Water Elemental, was no less divine for her presence in front of them.

The Fairy emerged to greet her, Goddess's servant to Goddess's servant. "Undine... you're safe."

"Yes... for the moment, all is well," Undine replied... There seemed to be hidden meanings behind the exchange, not meant for humans to know. Undine then turned her attention to Valda, who inclined her head respectfully. "Sorceress. It has been some time since I have seen you. If you are not here to class change, then what brings you here?"

"We are seeking the Dragon Emperor, who has left Dragon's Hole," Valda replied gracefully.

"The Dragon Emperor... is he touching this world once again?" the Elemental inquired worriedly. "He must be once again seeking our power, the Stones' power, perhaps that of the Goddess itself. I will protect this Stone as best I can, but the other Elementals may not yet be on their guard. You must warn them, and perhaps you will gain clues to where you can find the Dragon Emperor as well."

"Do you know where the rest are? Undine? Fairy? Anyone?" asked Richard.

Undine sighed. "The Elementals were created to be parts of a whole, but that whole was to be split, and we can no longer communicate directly, nor do we know each other's exact location. The Goddess let us go our own way; we can feel Her through the connection of Mana, but physical distance has no meaning to that connection. Even She cannot pinpoint the exact location of the Stones in this world."

"So we have to find them the old-fashioned way, by traveling and asking around," Richard grumbled.

"Well, I imagine the Dragon Emperor will have the same predicament," answered Valda.

The Fairy nodded, then with a swish of wings and a trail of light, returned to Loki, fading out of sight. The Swordmaster only looked forward with hesitation in his eyes.

--

Valda had not requested the carriage she usually used to travel to the sea port of Elrand, wanting to hide her departure. Had it not been late summer, there was no way they could have made it through the snowfields supplied as they were. There was just enough ground revealed under the melted snow to make camping easy; nevertheless, Valda found herself resorting to using fire and air spells often to keep off the cold.

Not for the first time, she cursed the landbound position of Magic City Altena. She knew it had been built against the mountains to provide a weather break, back before spells were used to warm Altenan territories hundreds of years ago, but the western edge of the country was sheer cliffs, utterly impossible to function as a seaport.

She let them believe that she was merely guiding them to Elrand, then sprung it on them as they arrived in the city. "I'm sure it will be easy to find a ship, since the Queen will be going with you."

Loki and Richard fell all over each other trying to claim that it was too dangerous for a lady, just like the Knights they were. She listened to their reasons, their protests, their worries, patiently and without arguing.

Valda waited for their arguments to die down. She saw it on their faces, they thought they had convinced her. Then she spoke as if nothing had happened. "Now, about our ship. Then we'll find an inn to rest before we leave tomorrow.

They had nothing to say. They had used it all up already. Valda simply calmly turned towards the dockside.

Arrangements were quickly made for the next morning, and they retired to the inn for the evening.

--

Nine days on a ship together certainly gave one time to get to know a couple of strangers. Well, one and one-half strangers. She had met Richard before, but she was beginning to realize she knew little about him.

Richard passed the time by flirting with her, and making outrageous comments on her beauty. He was doing it largely to pass the time; he wasn't exactly a ladies' man, Valda slowly realized. When she was tired or in a bad mood, or she really pushed him away, he let go without a fight. She didn't mind the flattery and did not want to begrudge him a little harmless fun, but she really wasn't interested.

She enjoyed talking to Loki, however. They did make an odd couple, Loki and Richard. Loki had one thing in common with her - he largely kept his feelings to himself; but as the days wore on and he became more comfortable with her, he began to tell her about the fiancé he had left behind, a girl he had loved since childhood; about why he had chosen dark instead of light; about devoting his life in service to Prince Richard and his father. Loki did not lack for bravery, even if he showed off less, and when she asked Richard, the Prince was happy to tell her glowing stories of his friend's victories.

All in all, the time to Palo, port of Rolante, passed comfortably.

--

"Well, it's official, I guess Valda is staying with us," Richard said, reclining on a couch in their suite at the Palo inn.

"We should probably give her some sort of weapon," Loki said.

"Maybe we should find her a sword," suggested Richard.

Valda did not typically carry around a staff, like many of the Altenan wizards. Even among those who did, it was largely just a help to concentration, not essential for their primary weapons, their spells.

Nevertheless, a big piece of wood might be comforting about now, although she tried to insist it would be otherwise. "I can take care of things myself, thank you."

"I'm sure you can," Loki reasoned with her, "but it can't hurt to have something to fall back on. It would make it easier on us, too, not having to keep one eye on you all the time."

He had a point.

"Well, you're the Swordmaster, show her what you know," Richard said.

Loki handed her his own weapon, which she grasped with trepidation. The only swords she had ever held before had been antiques in the Altenan vaults.

To her surprise, it felt light and comfortable in her hands. She gave it a few practice swishes in imitation of the men. It felt quite empowering to brandish a weapon like this.

Until she slashed downwards, and got it caught in the dangling bells of her sleeves.

Loki broke apart laughing.

Valda gave him a look, trying to salvage a little dignity while releasing the sword now caught in folds of fabric. She was about to just cut through the sleeve of her dress to get it out, when Richard gently reached over and wiggled the blade to free it, leaving her silks intact. Valda felt herself blushing.