Author's note: Please keep Reviewing! Anyway, sorry I took so long just to post some more. I'm just a little busy with work and school. I'm on vacation right now, so that's why I have more. I'll try posting another chapter later.

William

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William had spent most of his day roaming the market place and wondering of his magician friend. Rellin always had been a bit of a question. No one knew everything about him--such as his past life before he was a magician...or if he even had a family. But no one seemed to think it was that important. Rellin never spoke of himself very much and he always seemed to change the subject if anyone did. But then most magicians were like that. They felt that if they spoke of their private lives...they would somehow accidentally reveal the answers to their magic tricks--if they even were tricks.

And as the sun disappeared slowly behind the hills and mountains, William turned to leave the marketplace and return to the castle for the night. He sighed as he started off towards the castle because he knew that he would probably be spending the night alone. Rellin would probably be out all night with his silversmith friend...drinking and laughing the night away. And William would be all alone gazing over the kingdom from the high castle terrace. And then the magician would arrive at the castle after a few days of letting the prince's mind torture from waiting. Rellin would also come up with some sort of excuse and he would top it off with a loud laugh--which would only annoy William even more.

But as the young prince finally came up to the castle gates, he saw something quite different than normal. There were no guards guarding the castle. A strange way of greeting the young prince to his home. Usually there would be plenty of guards--even too much to count; for William had tried once to count them when he was younger, but somewhere in the three hundreds he lost count and decided against ever trying to count them again. But this night carried a strange array of events--and he felt as if something was incredibly wrong. Being that this feeling only occurred to the prince when the most terrible events took place, the prince ran about in an apprehensive way as fast as his legs could bring him-towards the castle.

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The night brings upon a dark shadow on the lands, and yet there are still signs of life that hint that the darkness that seems everlasting-will, eventually, come to an end. But this night was different; there were no beings in sight and there lay upon the kingdom a deathly silence that seemed to be calling the living into its death traps. And the prince seemed to have noticed this. His breaths became only drifts that would come as loud bellows to the death night and the only sound in the dark, night air.

William came up to the castle gates and found them already opened...as if they were expecting him--or maybe, because they had been expecting others that the prince was ignorant of. And then a strong wind started with groans and whispers that filled the night and swung the opened gates about in its fury. This sent a cold shiver that ran up the prince's spine and he found himself running at an incredible speed up to the castle entrance.

The inside of the castle was just as deserted as the outside. There were no signs of life anywhere and the silence that crept in the darkest corners and the smallest cracks seemed like poison to the prince's mind. "Is...is anyone there?" the prince called out in the great halls. He almost seemed unable to recognize the steps that he took in his own castle. The darkness seemed to cloak it with its dark shadow and give it new appearance. "Why is it so dark tonight?" the prince spoke aloud to himself, possibly to comfort himself. He was given no comforting answer.

"William? Is that you?" a dark voice whispered from the darkness. The prince jumped at the sound and felt his heart pulsating. Then he heard a loud bellowing laugh. "It is only me, Will," the voice explained. And from the darkness, an older man wearing a dark robe stepped into view of the prince.

"Rellin, what are you doing here? I didn't expect you for a while," the prince answered. He expected a laugh from his old magician friend, but he received none. "Is everything alright?" William asked the magician. Rellin shook his head.

"No, my friend. Everything is wrong." The magician strode over to an unlit torch that hung among the walls. He clasped his hands together and whispered something that the prince couldn't understand...maybe because it was spoken in a language unknown to the prince. Though, the prince did know many different languages. For example, he could speak Elfish, English, Dhan (the official language of the Ogres), and Mkinr--the language used by the distant dark witches. Yet, he did not comprehend the sounds that the magician spoke of.

After a short moment of concentrating on something within his hands whilst the prince gazed wondrously upon him, the magician opened his hands and, in the prince's shock, carried within it, a small reddened ball of glowing light. Rellin held his opened hands before the torch and blew the ball of flame onto it. "Well, that's better," the magician remarked as the room remarkably lit up. He rubbed his hands together and straightened his robe-as if it were messed. And then he smiled at the prince who stood beside him with his mouth gaping in astonishment. "What?" the magician asked, as if it weren't anything out of the usual.

"How--how did you do that?" the prince questioned, whilst his mouth was still hanging opened and his hands were shaking. "You used...magic!" the prince remarked. Rellin laughed.

"Yes, boy. What? You've never seen magic before? Don't you remember the lesson I used to give you?" the magician asked, his face showing deep disapproval. "Don't tell me you've forgotten! I thought you weren't dimwitted like your parents! I suppose I was wrong." He rubbed his head. "Well? Answer me boy! You saw the magic I performed....I could use my magic to blow you up if you don't speak!"

William swallowed. He thought about what the magician said. Rellin could blow me up! he thought. "I--I just never saw magic like that before! I only thought that you did--tricks! Not real magic!"

Rellin laughed. "You stupid, stupid boy! I'm not a magician anymore! Who in God's name would ever want to be a magician?! I am a wizard-for God's sake!" Rellin yelled. William gaped in pure shock at the once-magician's words.

"You're a...wizard?!" William spoke, his voice trembling. "But--wizards aren't allowed in my kingdom!" he yelled at Rellin. The wizard laughed.

"Son, you'd be lucky to even get a piece of this kingdom when your father dies. This is not your kingdom and it probably never will," the wizard explained to the prince, whilst his eyes mocked the boy.

"What are you saying? You have no right to talk to me as you are doing! I am royalty and it is I whom you shall be bowing down to!" William bellowed, forcing himself not to fall below some wizard.

"Ahh--but there is much that you obviously do not understand, my boy. First of all--your father is already dead. And second of all..."

"My father! He's...dead?" William cried out. His tears were already streaming down his pale face. "He can't be! You're lying! There is no way that he could be dead!" And after screaming these words, the prince fell to the cold, stone floor and wept. The wizard only gazed at the pitiful sight and sneered,

"It was your father's own stupidity that lead him to his...unfortunate death. He went on a fool's mission because of a dream that appeared within his head. Dreams can betray you--they can lie to your mind and most people cannot do anything but trust them," Rellin explained, his voice showing the least most sympathy. "If your brainless father hadn't rid of me, the most powerful wizard in all the kingdoms, then he would never have died."

William looked up at the wizard with the deepest hatred glowing within his eyes. "You---you killed him!" the prince yelled. "You poisoned his mind and killed him! I knew you were behind this...and why you somehow showed up just when my father had left. You're probably even behind this darkness that has befallen upon my kingdom!"

Rellin laughed. "Ahh...so you aren't a stupid as your father. But, you are a little bit wrong about a few things. I never killed your father. But...my fellow wizards did, on my behalf. And I shall explain everything to you--about the darkness and my arrival and even about all of your slain servants and guards." William gasped, and Rellin smiled and continued. "Yes, yes. I was in charge of that too. But I still cannot trust you. I still have to earn the trust of the rest of the kingdom...and I can't have some spoiled teenage prince ruining about my plans can I? But don't fret--the dungeons are very clean...I hope."

William gasped and jumped up at these last words. He made a run to the great wooden door, but his plan went wrong when the doors closed in front of him. "You can't do this!" he screamed. The wizard laughed.

"Yes...I can," Rellin replied. William ran towards the staircase and climbed the stairs as fast as he could. His breaths were becoming harder and his heart was racing. He couldn't believe what was happening. He had always thought of Rellin as one of his greatest friends; he would never have thought of the wizard as his betrayer. And now he was running for his life from the man whom he had once trusted his life with. But, he was no match for the power that this wizard was capable for. And as he found the top of the stairs, he found himself staring at two other wizards. These wizards also wore robes, much the same as Rellin's. They even had Rellin's grin and long, white beard. William felt his forehead covered with sweat and he turned as fast as he could and raced back down the stairs. And when he reached the bottom and saw Rellin grinning cunningly, he realized that no matter what he did, no matter what he said, he could not escape from the clutches of these wizards. He covered his face with his hands and fell once again onto the floor, helplessly.