A New Father
The next day, when Eleni awoke, she saw everyone gathered in the front hall. Even Sara and Amon were there. She wondered what was going on and joined her friends. All of the people were standing there eagerly, as if someone of great importance was coming to visit them.
"Hey Sara," Eleni called, "What's going on? Why is everyone waiting here like this?"
"Sir Dunbar is finally coming home. Everyone was worried he had been hurt, but he'll be back for a while now. You'll like him, he's nice," she replied.
Eleni let that all sink in. She'd heard everyone talk of Magnus Dunbar for some time now. They all said he was a man with a fair hand who loved justice. It was also Magnus who had taken her in, and was planning to raise her after finding her in her ruined village.
The door opened and Magnus walked in. Behind him came both Dolan and Ferdenan. Everyone cheered their returning master with great enthusiasm.
Eleni looked at the trio. Dolan was 26 years old with silver hair and turquoise eyes. He had a stern smile, and serious face. Ferdenan was 23 with light brown hair and green eyes. He was looking around as if his nerves had been shot. Magnus was 32, and seemed the most at ease out of the trio. He had black hair and blue eyes, and a smile that looked like he belonged up on stage winning awards.
The second Magnus noticed Eleni, he walked over to her. In that second, the young girl became quite nervous. It isn't every day that you get to meet a legendary hero in person. Sara noticed this and nudged her foreword a little bit.
Eleni whispered, "Thank you sir, for saving my life."
Magnus bent down next to her. "Don't mention it little one. I couldn't leave someone as young as you alone in such a place to fend for yourself. I do hope you'll forgive Ferdenan for his accidentally hitting you, he gets nervous easily. Now, what's your name?"
"I don't remember what my real name is," she admitted, "But Mimi has been calling me Eleni ever since the first day that I came here. You can call me that too Mr. Dunbar."
"Ok, then. Eleni it is. And you don't have to be so formal with me. You're not one of my soldiers after all. I would like it if you would think of me as your father, Eleni," he said.
* * *
Magnus had managed to string a full month off, due to his status as a hero. Thus he had plenty of time to get to know Eleni. She was the type to easily get along with, as her amnesia gave her an innocence not usually found in anyone. It served a second purpose too, as the young girl couldn't remember the flames and the bloodshed she'd witnessed when her village had been destroyed.
In this time, Eleni, Sara, and Amon had become even closer to each other. Although Eleni was a whole year older than Amon - - and had two years on Sara - - she didn't know much about anything, due to her amnesia. Thus she was often relying on the two of them to show her the things that most children her age already know. It was also a comfort, having children her own age around - -especially since they were all orphans just like Eleni.
Ferdenan seemed nice, but he was as jumpy as Magnus had said, and then some. He was genuinely sorry for hurting Eleni, just as he had said. The young man had apologized for her injuries and lost memory several times a day. It had all begun to annoy Eleni.
Dolan, the stern member of the group, had even become fond of the little girl. He said it was because he was the oldest of five, and he enjoyed taking care of his little sister - - she was ten years his junior, and he had babysat her when she was Eleni's age. There seemed to be a sadness about him though, and Eleni wondered what it was.
Truth be told, she had this feeling that she'd met him before. He seemed so familiar, like he'd come from her village, and had been a friend of the family - - the connection wasn't strong enough to warrant him being her blood relative. Even his name sounded like she'd heard it before, although the man she pictured looked like an older version of this Dolan. It greatly baffled the young girl.
Magnus told her, "You did take notice of my troops walking through your village before we found you. I'm sure you even heard our names spoken. So you're just associating Dolan with the memory of seeing him in your town at that time."
Eleni shook her head. "But I don't get the same feeling like I get with you or Ferdenan. There's a deeper meaning to the name Dolan. I know I remember it on the face of an older man who also had silver hair and light eyes. Could it be a connection to my past daddy?"
"Might be," Magnus replied, "I certainly don't know who you are."
"Why is Dolan always so sad?" she asked.
Magnus inquired, "What makes you so think he's sad?"
Eleni picked up a flower, and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger. "It's so easy to read on his face. Besides, I can feel emotions of people I meet. I don't know why, it just comes naturally." Magnus had never encountered a child like Eleni. She seemed to have powers that most people couldn't ever hope to attain. And she was only four years old to boot.
'I've got to find her a teacher,' he vowed, 'One who will be willing to show her how to control the latent powers that lie inside of her. I would just die if she was killed in an accident because she could not control whatever it is.'
He began to think about whom he could ask. Most teachers only dealt in the art of casting magic. He needed someone who would be able to understand skills that were more than that. As Magnus's mind strolled down a long list of magical teachers he knew, he could only find one who had the abilities required to be Eleni's teacher.
- - - -
Well, we're going to introduce her to Huxely in the next chapter. I'll also get into some of Dolan's reasons for fighting, as a result of the two of them conversing.
The next day, when Eleni awoke, she saw everyone gathered in the front hall. Even Sara and Amon were there. She wondered what was going on and joined her friends. All of the people were standing there eagerly, as if someone of great importance was coming to visit them.
"Hey Sara," Eleni called, "What's going on? Why is everyone waiting here like this?"
"Sir Dunbar is finally coming home. Everyone was worried he had been hurt, but he'll be back for a while now. You'll like him, he's nice," she replied.
Eleni let that all sink in. She'd heard everyone talk of Magnus Dunbar for some time now. They all said he was a man with a fair hand who loved justice. It was also Magnus who had taken her in, and was planning to raise her after finding her in her ruined village.
The door opened and Magnus walked in. Behind him came both Dolan and Ferdenan. Everyone cheered their returning master with great enthusiasm.
Eleni looked at the trio. Dolan was 26 years old with silver hair and turquoise eyes. He had a stern smile, and serious face. Ferdenan was 23 with light brown hair and green eyes. He was looking around as if his nerves had been shot. Magnus was 32, and seemed the most at ease out of the trio. He had black hair and blue eyes, and a smile that looked like he belonged up on stage winning awards.
The second Magnus noticed Eleni, he walked over to her. In that second, the young girl became quite nervous. It isn't every day that you get to meet a legendary hero in person. Sara noticed this and nudged her foreword a little bit.
Eleni whispered, "Thank you sir, for saving my life."
Magnus bent down next to her. "Don't mention it little one. I couldn't leave someone as young as you alone in such a place to fend for yourself. I do hope you'll forgive Ferdenan for his accidentally hitting you, he gets nervous easily. Now, what's your name?"
"I don't remember what my real name is," she admitted, "But Mimi has been calling me Eleni ever since the first day that I came here. You can call me that too Mr. Dunbar."
"Ok, then. Eleni it is. And you don't have to be so formal with me. You're not one of my soldiers after all. I would like it if you would think of me as your father, Eleni," he said.
* * *
Magnus had managed to string a full month off, due to his status as a hero. Thus he had plenty of time to get to know Eleni. She was the type to easily get along with, as her amnesia gave her an innocence not usually found in anyone. It served a second purpose too, as the young girl couldn't remember the flames and the bloodshed she'd witnessed when her village had been destroyed.
In this time, Eleni, Sara, and Amon had become even closer to each other. Although Eleni was a whole year older than Amon - - and had two years on Sara - - she didn't know much about anything, due to her amnesia. Thus she was often relying on the two of them to show her the things that most children her age already know. It was also a comfort, having children her own age around - -especially since they were all orphans just like Eleni.
Ferdenan seemed nice, but he was as jumpy as Magnus had said, and then some. He was genuinely sorry for hurting Eleni, just as he had said. The young man had apologized for her injuries and lost memory several times a day. It had all begun to annoy Eleni.
Dolan, the stern member of the group, had even become fond of the little girl. He said it was because he was the oldest of five, and he enjoyed taking care of his little sister - - she was ten years his junior, and he had babysat her when she was Eleni's age. There seemed to be a sadness about him though, and Eleni wondered what it was.
Truth be told, she had this feeling that she'd met him before. He seemed so familiar, like he'd come from her village, and had been a friend of the family - - the connection wasn't strong enough to warrant him being her blood relative. Even his name sounded like she'd heard it before, although the man she pictured looked like an older version of this Dolan. It greatly baffled the young girl.
Magnus told her, "You did take notice of my troops walking through your village before we found you. I'm sure you even heard our names spoken. So you're just associating Dolan with the memory of seeing him in your town at that time."
Eleni shook her head. "But I don't get the same feeling like I get with you or Ferdenan. There's a deeper meaning to the name Dolan. I know I remember it on the face of an older man who also had silver hair and light eyes. Could it be a connection to my past daddy?"
"Might be," Magnus replied, "I certainly don't know who you are."
"Why is Dolan always so sad?" she asked.
Magnus inquired, "What makes you so think he's sad?"
Eleni picked up a flower, and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger. "It's so easy to read on his face. Besides, I can feel emotions of people I meet. I don't know why, it just comes naturally." Magnus had never encountered a child like Eleni. She seemed to have powers that most people couldn't ever hope to attain. And she was only four years old to boot.
'I've got to find her a teacher,' he vowed, 'One who will be willing to show her how to control the latent powers that lie inside of her. I would just die if she was killed in an accident because she could not control whatever it is.'
He began to think about whom he could ask. Most teachers only dealt in the art of casting magic. He needed someone who would be able to understand skills that were more than that. As Magnus's mind strolled down a long list of magical teachers he knew, he could only find one who had the abilities required to be Eleni's teacher.
- - - -
Well, we're going to introduce her to Huxely in the next chapter. I'll also get into some of Dolan's reasons for fighting, as a result of the two of them conversing.