The Mage Of Clow-

Being the story of a Mage, a Princess, the son of a mapmaker,

a palace guard, an apple, and some gloves.

Part 2

And What Happened to Them

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Much of this belongs to others, especially the descriptions of well know wizards. The Enchanted Forest is heavily influenced by the book 'Dealing with Dragons' and it's sequels, as well. And all the CLAMP stuffs not mine either!

Dearest readers, have you been well? I hope that you have, in the time we have not been together. Once more, I will not bore you with my own tales of my travels, dragons slain and princesses rescued. Not with so fascinating a story to tell you here: the story of what became of the twins of Valeria.

You will recall dear readers that the man with the spectacles, the advisor to the king of Valeria, had convinced the king of his fiendish and evil plot. But what, you probably wonder, was this most vile plan? Well, it was actually quite simple: the twins of misfortune were not to be harmed at all, simply abandoned in the Enchanted Forest. All the harming could thereby, be done by the forest creatures, and not single bit of blame would go to the Valerians.

It was necessary, however, to wait just a while before they could enact their plans. The boys' mother lived yet, dearest readers, and loved her children, in spite of what any said of them. She knew them, ad knew they were not evil. However, within the year, the woman grew suddenly ill, and, though she had the best doctor's in all Valeria, died within the year after that.

This left the King, and the man with spectacles to do as they pleased, as the boys' father feared them as much as any other.

Now, the Enchanted Forest lies on the southern edge of Valeria, next to its border the country of Clow. Have you heard of it, gentle reader? If you have, no doubt you've heard all about it, and how it is not a place most would willingly travel. If you have not...well, I wouldn't want to frighten you with half the stories they tell about it.

So, on the appointed day, at the appointed time, the twins, only five by then, were brought by carriage to the borders of the forest. They were there pushed out the carriage doors, and led to the edge by the man with spectacles. He lead them in further, promising adventures to them, but once they were deep enough that he was sure the children could not find their way out again, he slipped his gloved hands from their grasp.

I suppose that now, dear readers, I must explain a little about the Enchanted Forest, for those who are unfamiliar with it. The forest has a magic all its own, weaving through it, and causing all manner of strange things to occur. This, dear readers, means that the forest is the sort of place that makes very little sense. Time flows as it likes, days stretch for years, years pass in seconds. The forest attracts magical beings to it, Some of them only seen there, out of the whole world. It is a favorite place for witches, wizards, sorcerers and magicians- not all of them good. It is nor, dear readers, the kind of place where one vacations. And it was where the twins were sent.

Now, dear readers, do not fear! I can promise you, we are getting to a happier place in our tale, provided we make it through this. So, please, stay with me if you can, for you must remember, you are only reading of these awful things. You do not have to experience them, and can set down your book if it grows too scary. So please, be brave and press on, if you can!

I regret to say though, dear readers, that we must first hear of something very sad indeed.

They had wandered, hand in hand, for nearly a half a day, or so it seemed. It may well have been a lifetime, and they would not have known the difference in the forest.

That was when they found themselves separated. The Enchanted Forest, you see, has a habit of shifting around, which is part of the reason why there are no maps of it. Some bits have specific places they like to move to every second Thursday, some bits have places they like to go every one hundred and fifty years, and some, the older, more forgetful parts of the forest, go a little confused with age and forget where it is they are meant to be in the first place; so they wander about constantly. The effect of all this shifting, dear readers, is that it is almost impossible to find you way around in the forest at all. Some actually say that the best way to get out if the forest is to stand in the exact place you are, and hope that it makes its way to the edge in less than one hundred and fifty years.

Now, readers, it serves no problem traveling in pairs or groups in the forest, if you must, as long as you do not let go of the others hands. Now, the twins had so far held one another tightly, afraid, lost and getting hungrier and thirstier by the minute. That was when one, Yuui, saw a little rambling brook. And he was so very thirsty, that he let go of his brother's hand for just a moment, not knowing any better. In that very moment, as Yuui bent down to drink, the forest shifted, and he found himself alone.

Now, in this forest, there was one wizard who had been watching the twins. Indeed though, he was not one of the kind, scholarly variety who are friends to the great birds, with gray beards, or little half-moon shaped glasses set on the end of their long crooked nose; nor one who is brilliant, but who's spells have a tendency to go awry.

No, this wizard was cruel, with a square jaw, and a chin with a strong cleft to it, and he wore a single eyeglass on a long gold chain, called a monocle.

He was called Fei Wong Reed, and feared throughout the land, by those who knew him. The twins, unfortunately, being so very young, did not.

Fei Wong Reed watched, as the twins were separated, hatching clever plans to ensnare them, and use them for his evil plots. He then appeared to one of them, who he found sitting, crying under the branches of a gnarled, half dead tree. The boy knew no better, but please, dear readers, if you ever find yourselves in the Enchanted Forest, remember that nothing is ever what it seems there.

"Child, why are you crying?" he asked.

The boy startled, his eyes going wide. Dear readers, he was fooled by how kind Fei Wong Reed seemed.

"Do not fear! I am a good wizard of the forest," Fei lied, "You are very lucky that I found you! Are you alone?"

The boy dried the tears from his eyes, and shook his head. "My brother," he said at last, "I lost him."

"Ahh...the forest moves all the time, did you let go of his hand?"

The boy nodded, readers, I wish it were not so.

"That is the easiest way to lose someone here," Fei said, smiling sweetly, oh so sweetly. "Now, child, would you like me to help you find your way out?"

"Please!"

"Good! Very good! Now come here, child, come and I will show you..."

And, my dears, I am sorry to say, he went. He rose, and followed the wizard, who took one of the boy's hands in his own.

"I would hate to loose you," he said.

He led the boy along a path that only he could see, and in only minutes, they found themselves at the edge of the forest.

"Here you are, child," Fei said, smiling kindly, "Go on."

"But...my brother," the boy said, "I cannot leave him!"

"Ah, but your own freedom lies before you, would you give it up for him?"

The boy did not answer, as his trust in the stranger began to waver. But too late, dear readers, far too late.

"If you had to choose, child, who would you pick? Would you save yourself? It would be a selfish choice, but I doubt any would blame you for it.

"Or would you choose him? Your dear brother, still lost in the forest, and sacrifice yourself?"

"If I had to chose..." the boy began.

"Yes, if you had to choose..." Fei Wong Reed said, his voice suddenly cold and hard as stone. "Choose, child, you or him!"

"Save my brother," the boy answered, for he loved his twin more than even himself.

"I see into your heart, boy, do not lie to me!" the wizard cried, "I see that you lie, that you would save yourself!"

"No!"

"The choice is made! You cannot unmake it! You would save yourself! Coward!"

"No!" the boy screamed, "Save him!"

"So, you brother will stay with me in my forest, trapped in a separate time, while you live here! His life is now mine."

"Please!" the boy wept.

"But, your betrayal will not go unpunished. I will tell you what you must do, and if you do well, then perhaps I will be merciful. Perhaps I will spare his life..."

Yes, please," the boy wiled, "Anything!"

"However, if you do not, then I will kill him! Do you agree?"

"Yes!" the boy wailed, tears rolling down his pale cheeks.

"Very well! Here is what you must do. This is the country of Clow, and you must first go to its capital..."