After work one evening Thornton walked rapidly out to Crampiton. He was anxious not to slight the legendary wizard by any disrespectful unpunctuality.
Haledalf met him at the door with his usual pleasant gentlemanly courteousness. Always looking the same, he was an old man who walked with a cane. He wore a long grey frock coat and a silver cravat and waistcoat over which his long white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots.
The wizard had grown quite fond of Thornton. It always brightened his day when the young man came for a lesson. Thornton was Haledalf's favorite pupil.
Haledalf possessed many magical trinkets which were on display in his study. Thornton never paid much attention to them, as he did not want to spend his valuable instruction time looking at magic charms. Logical reasoning and practical knowledge were more important to him.
This evening, however, as he sat in his usual chair facing Haledalf, Thornton noticed the glint and sparkle of something new. Facing him and facing the light; its full beauty met his eye. It was a round white oval shaped stone, oblong and smooth and about the size of the palm of his hand. It was crystalline and looked as if it contained a glowing yellow rose within and had a little golden thread running through it.
Thornton felt something shift inside him. This amulet seemed to assume some kind of rule over him at once. His draw to this stone became practically magnetic. An almost irresistible desire to get out of his chair and approach it seized him and he had to forcibly command his limbs to remain seated so as not to offend his instructor. However, his gaze was continually drawn to the stone.
Thornton kept staring at this troublesome ornament with far more attention than he listened to his tutor. It seemed as if it fascinated him for some reason and he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Finally, he was so overwhelmed by his curiosity he felt compelled to ask Haledalf about it.
Haledalf was pleased Thornton expressed such an interest in the gem. 'Ah,' he thought to himself, 'maybe he is finally ready.'
Looking at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than his spectacles, the wizard replied, "Why Thornton my dear boy, that is my most prized possession, the one and only Margarenstone. I just set it out today."
"The Margarenstone," he repeated with reverence. "May I hold it?" Thornton asked, surprised by his own request.
"You are welcome to try," scoffed the wizard with a twinkle in his eye.
Thornton sprang up eagerly from his seat.
"However, like Thor's hammer or King Arthur's sword, only those who are worthy can wield it," Haledalf explained.
Thornton looked at his tutor incredulously. "But it is no bigger than the palm of my hand!" he protested.
"See for yourself," Haledalf insisted, "If you can lift the stone, it is yours because then the Margarenstone will have deemed you to be truly worthy of its power and virtue."
Tentatively, Thornton stepped up to the stone. Using two hands he attempted to lift it. With an audible scrape he was actually able to slide it a few millimeters across the surface of the shelf but he could not raise it up. He tried again and again but to no avail.
'I am not good enough! Not good enough!' thought he.
This saddened Thornton more than he expected. It just served to confirm his own deep feeling of unworthiness.
He tried so to compensate himself for the mortified feeling, that while he looked upon it with an admiration he could not explain nor repress, the Margarenstone only considered him with proud indifference, taking him, he thought, for what, in his irritation, he told himself he was-a great rough fellow, with not a grace or a refinement about him.
However, in Haledalf's mind, Thornton had passed the test. He felt the draw of the Margarenstone and was able to move it even though he could not lift it. Knowing more than he let on, Haledalf decided that now might be the right time to start the young man down the path he needed to go. He had noticed the tentacles of despair beginning to wend their way around Thornton's heart and could not bear to see the young man succumb to the same fate as his father. The old wizard believed it was Thornton's destiny to regain what was rightfully his – Marlbor, the lonely mill.
"Thornton," said Haledalf, "come back and sit."
Thornton sighed in dismay and retook his seat across from the wizard.
"Do not despair," the wizard told him, "If you truly desire the Margarenstone all is not lost. You just need to strive to be worthy. As your tutor, I can tell you that you have a good heart. You came to me with the rudiments of a good education and the quick zest with which you are devouring the classics and debating philosophy has helped you advance greatly in your studies. Which is probably why you were able to move the stone at all. Keep striving and you may one day be able to lift it."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, sir," replied Thornton, "It means a lot to me."
"Thornton I also wanted to tell you of the great probability which I believe there to be of your redeeming-your more than redeeming what you have lost—"
Thornton gave him a puzzled look.
"Your inheritance, my dear boy," Haledalf explained, "Your family's mill, Marlbor."
Thornton's mouth fell open and he asked, "But, how?"
Haledalf rose and retrieved something from a locked drawer in his desk. He returned to his chair and handed Thornton a thick sealed missive.
"What is this?" Thornton asked, turning it over in his hands.
"It is from your father," replied Haledalf.
"My father!?" questioned Thornton.
"He gave it to me after the attack on the mill, before he..," Haledalf hung his head and shook it remorsefully, "I should have been able to discern the depths of his despair, maybe I could have stopped him. I'm sorry my boy," lamented Haledalf.
"What's done is done," replied Thornton in an even tone. Then realizing what the wizard had previously said, he asked, "My father came to see you before he... died? What did you say to him?"
I urged him to march upon Marlbor, to rally the hands... to destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mill . And I would say the same to you. Take back your inheritance. The Lonely Mill troubles me Thornton. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later... darker minds will turn towards Marlbor. Thornton, you can wait no longer. You are the heir to Marlbor. Unite the workers. Together, you have the might and power to retake Marlbor. Summon a meeting of the union leaders. Demand they stand by their oath to fight against dragon invasions."
"The hands swore that oath to the one who wields the Master's Jewel. It is the only thing that will unite them. Unfortunately, I do not know what that is or where to find it."
"Hmmm," answered Haledalf with a slight nod of his head."Never mind that," the wizard said dismissively, returning to the subject at hand and indicating the package in Thornton's lap, "Your father asked me to give that to you when you were ready. I now believe that you are. You have demonstrated a high aptitude and a desire to learn and improve yourself. You are an honorable man. You have provided well for your family and paid off your father's debts. You know what it takes to be a good mill master. It is time to take back that which rightfully belongs to you and bring prosperity back to Milton."
"But how can I be worthy of my birthright if I am not even worthy to lift the Margarenstone?"
"I did not say you were done learning and growing. The Margarenstone is very particular but I believe that one day you will be worthy of it. The journey to regaining your mill will be arduous indeed. Along the way you will learn many things."
Thornton stared at Haledalf for a moment and then turned his attention back to the package.
"Open it," encouraged the wizard.
Thornton broke the seal and unfolded the papers. Something fell out and he caught it in his hand.
"It is a key and blueprints of Marlbor. From my father, this has come to me," Thornton said looking up, "But I cannot read it." He handed the papers to Haledalf.
"These are moon runes," he explained after some examination. "To translate it would take special skills," the wizard looked pointedly at Thornton and added, "You cannot do it alone."
"You do not have the skill to decipher it?" asked Thornton.
Haledalf shook his head, "No, it is beyond my capabilities."
"Who then?" he asked.
"You will have to journey to Oxfordell and see the great don Belrond. He will be able to read it for you."
A/N: In there is also a quote from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.