The OverLord's Daughter
By Arimi
Author's Notes: So I guess you wanted to keep it coming, so here is the first chapter.
There is a lot of detail in this chapter, but that is because of the foundation I need to lay
for the story. So please stick with me. Enjoy!
'…' denotes thought
~…~ denotes flashback
*…* denotes passage of time
-…- denotes dream/vision
All Standard Disclaimer's Apply
******************
Chapter 1
******************
"Where in the blasted world is that girl?" a very angry Queen Agatha of Danoram
yelled, surprising most of the servants in her near vicinity.
Standing behind her was a very grim looking Princess. The eighteen-year old
Mina de Corazon, princess of Danoram, could be called beautiful if it wasn't for
the fact that the majority of the time her face was in a frown, or she was
throwing a tantrum. Her bright blonde hair and sky blue eyes had the tendency to
draw men towards her, and the princess always used this to her advantage. The
Queen herself was not unknown to beauty, her rich auburn hair still held its
brilliance, and her pale blue eyes portrayed a sense of elegance and strength.
"Well find her now Mother! I need her now!"
Agatha turned angrily at her daughter, "Mina, don't tempt me! This is not about
you!"
Mina shot a horrid look at her mother and stormed out. Agatha turned to the rest
the servants.
"Find Serenity, and bring her to me this instant!" she ordered, and they hurried to
leave before the Queen became even angrier.
******************
In a tree not far from a palace, a girl who looked to be about eighteen years old,
flipped through a book of fairy tales that she had found in the library a day earlier.
She was indeed a beautiful girl, her hair looked to be made of pure gold, and her
eyes were a brilliant shade of blue.
Her name was Serenity de Faye, and she was the cousin and kinswoman of Mina.
Serenity's mother had been the Queen's twin sister. When Serenity's mother had
died she had been allowed to live in the palace as Mina's kinswoman. It was a
huge deal, since Serenity was born out of wedlock, and no one had any inkling on
who the father was. Her mother never talked about him, and had refused to give
up his name to anyone.
Serenity sighed, her mother had left nothing to her that belonged to her father, and
without a clue to his identity it would be futile to go out and search for him. She
often dreamed that he was watching over her, and that he wanted to see her and
take care of her, but something was keeping him back.
She pushed such thoughts away; they weren't doing her any good. She wasn't
unhappy. The King and Queen treated her with respect, and would even take
interest in her and her interests every once in awhile. They had never been less
than kind to her. Mina could be a bit pushy, but Mina was like that with
everybody.
"Serenity!"
She looked up to see Molly, one of the servants rushing towards her. She got
herself up and climbed out of the tree, and hurried over to the girl.
"What is it Molly?" she asked.
"The Queen is lookin' fer ya, and she's mighty upset wit' ya," Molly said.
Serenity thought about what the Queen could possibly be angry with her for. It
took a lot for the Queen to become angry. She slapped her forehead when the
realization hit her. She had missed a lesson with Mina that morning. It wouldn't
be that big a deal if it weren't for the fact that she had missed the last three.
"By the Gods! I can't believe I forgot!" Serenity said and hurried to the castle.
She was going to have to think of some way to make this up to the Queen.
****************
Serenity had gotten a good scolding for her missing a class, but the Queen ended
saying that Serenity would be give a few easy chores as a punishment. Mina had
been more cross with her, telling her that how could she expect to learn her
lessons if Serenity wasn't there. Of course this meant Serenity being there to
answer the questions that the teacher would ask so that Mina wouldn't have to.
Serenity walked into her bedroom, and began to prepare herself for bed. It was
getting late, and her usual nightly rituals with Mina had extended longer. It
wasn't easy looking after Mina; that was for sure. Tonight she had to brush
Mina's hair, change the sheets, because Mina had seen a suspicious looking spot
on them, and Mina had insisted that Serenity listen to her blab about the new
gown that she was having made. Such talk bored Serenity, who was much more
interested in the books she read.
Serenity was lucky enough to have a large nicely furnished bedroom. She had
silk sheets and a beautiful blue velvet covers and a canopy bed with thin white
lace drapes that wound around it. Once she was finished she settled herself into a
comfortable position on her bed and opened her book. It was a book of
philosophy, which talked of a society where all men were equal, and measured by
their merit as opposed to race, class, or economic situation, a sort of utopian
society. Serenity often read such books, as well as books that covered science,
religion, history, and politics. She also snuck in a fantastic tale every once in
awhile. Reading was her escape. She wished that she could be the princess that
was swept off her feet by the dashing knight on a noble white steed.
She sighed, and after reading a few chapters placed the book down on her night
table, blew out the candle, which had been the only source of light and closed the
draperies around her bed and drifted off to sleep.
She never stirred when a figure came into her room, left a soft object on her
bureau and left. It was not the first time this had happened.
******************
The next day, Serenity awoke and felt a certain calm, and she instantly knew why.
That stranger had come again. She opened the draperies in her bed and looked to
her drawer. On the bureau was a single white rose. It was just the same as all the
ones she had received for the past ten years. She once again wondered who could
be sending her these roses. She pondered over it for a bit.
However, she heard Molly calling her name; she put the flower away, and hurried
to get ready. She slipped on her favorite dark blue velvet dress with an empire
waistline, and a square neckline. She carefully plaited her hair and slipped on a
simple gold locket that had been a gift from the Queen her previous birthday.
When she arrived downstairs there was an unusual sense of urgency and servants
were rushing to and fro. It meant only one thing, they were having visitors. She
found Molly who told her that a Knight of Adraeli was coming supposed to be
arriving at any moment, and that he would be staying for quite some time.
Serenity secretly thanked the Gods that she had decided to wear that dress. The
prospect of a Knight of Adraeli coming sent her mind into a flutter of emotions,
and she spent most of her time imagining what he would be like. Would he be
handsome? Would he be charming? Would he notice her?
'Who are you kidding, Serenity? He finds out anything about you, and he will
run for cover,' she thought. After all who wants an illegitimate girl who was
taken in out of pity?
But soon Molly came saying that the King and Queen had requested her
appearance in court, and she took one last glance in the mirror, took in a deep
breath.
When she arrived in the main reception room, the members of the court had
already gathered and were busying talking amongst themselves. She took her
place right by the left throne. There were three. The King would sit in the
middle, The Queen on his right and Princess Mina on his left, since Serenity was
Mina's kinswoman she stood to the left. Serenity hated court gatherings, usually
because the conversations were always frivolous and superficial, but she knew
that this time it would be different because how could a Knight of Adraeli be
superficial?
King Liam entered followed by Agatha and Mina. The court bowed, and took
their seats, and Liam signaled for Tomas, the messenger, to guide their guest in.
It took a few minutes but Tomas guided a young man with long silver hair tied
back in a ponytail, wearing black riding pants and boots, white men's blouse, and
a black vest, with the crest of Adraeli (an eagle holding a sword) in gold on his
right breast. Around his waist were a belt and his scabbard and sword.
Serenity felt her heart skip a few beats. The man was possibly the most handsome
man she had ever seen. He was everything that she had expected a knight of
Adraeli to be.
"Your Majesty, may I present to you Sir Kunzite of Norad," Tomas said.
The man knelt down on one knee and lowered his head as was proper.
"We welcome you Sir Kunzite, we are honored that the High King would send us
a knight with such an impressive background. Is it true that you slew the dragon
of Madarok?"
"Yes, but I cannot say, Your Majesty, that I particularly enjoyed it," he said, "The
slaying of a dragon is a horrible experience. I would not wish it on my worst
enemy."
"You are wise as well. Well Sir Kunzite, I again welcome you to Palladan, and to
make yourself at home."
Agatha nudged Liam, and he in turn cleared his throat.
"Oh yes, I must present to you my family, this is my wife, Queen Agatha de
Torisend, and my daughter, Princess Mina de Corazon."
"It is wonderful to meet you. The rumors certainly are true, Your Majesty, the
Queen and Princess are among the most beautiful women in all of Krimea."
Serenity looked at Mina, who looked ecstatic over the compliment, and wished
that the King could of introduced her, but that was silly, kinswomen are never
introduced along with the royal family.
She looked at Kunzite, and wondered if he noticed her. He turned and seemed to
look straight at her. His gaze brought heat to her cheeks and felt her face turn red.
As if feeling her embarrassment he turned to Liam.
"Excuse me your majesty, but who is the woman next to the Princess?"
Serenity made a tiny squeak, and turned to see if anyone had heard her, only to
find Mina staring at her strangely. Mina would probably scold her for making
such an improper noise, but Serenity couldn't control it.
"That is Serenity de Faye, my daughter's kinswoman and companion."
Kunzite bowed to her, and gave a smile that would melt even the coldest of
hearts.
Liam dismissed Kunzite telling him that they would expect him for dinner, and
once Kunzite nodded and left, he dismissed the court, and everyone went back to
their everyday routine.
Serenity headed towards the parlor for a history lesson. She felt like she was on
cloud nine. He had asked for her name! It was a simple gesture but in court it
was a sign of interest.
She sat at a table in the center clearing of the library, and waited. 5 minutes later
Mina rushed in and took the seat next to her. A look of smugness appeared across
her face.
"Alright Mina. Why are you looking so smug?" Serenity asked, knowing that if
she didn't Mina would become angry.
"Well, I just had a run-in with Sir Kunzite, Serenity," Mina said, "and we have
formed quite a connection."
Instant jealousy began to form inside Serenity. The thought of Mina with Kunzite
sent a feeling of nausea to her stomach. But Serenity couldn't portray this to
Mina. Mina would just laugh at her and tease her about it. She quickly tried to
come up with some sort of witty reply, but was interrupted by their instructor
Artemis.
"Wow, Serenity, you are actually here today," Artemis said in good manner.
"I know, I have been sort of out of it lately. I am sorry."
"It is alright," Artemis said.
Artemis was an older man, who had been the castle educator for the past three
kings. Serenity knew, that she and Mina would probably be his last students. He
was not in the best physical shape, and Serenity had noticed the tired look that
was always etched into his face. She had given him advice on what herbs he should
take to help alleviate the pain that she knew he must be feeling. Through her reading
Serenity had become quite good with medical treatments and herbs. She usually
helped those in the court with any illness or wound, and sometimes spent her time with
the resident healer, and his daughter.
"Now, last we left off, we were studying the War of the Glenn. Can either of you
tell me what set the war off?"
Mina looked expectantly at Serenity, and Serenity sighed.
"It was the assassination of Duke Garrahad II," Serenity said, remembering from
one of the many books she had read..
"Very good," Artemis said, "You are lucky Serenity that you read, otherwise you
would be behind in your studies."
Serenity nodded. The rest of the lesson went smoothly, with Serenity answering
the questions and Mina fiddling with her dress. When Artemis finally wrapped up
the lesson, Mina rushed out to do whatever she does during the day. Serenity
decided that she needed something new to read, and went towards the library the
room dedicated to the theology and science of magic.
"So I see you have switched to a new topic," Artemis said, and Serenity smiled at
the old man who had followed her. Other than her, Artemis was the only one who
used the library
"Well I haven't read that much about it, and I have gone through most of the other
science and theology books in the room," she replied and smiled at the old man.
"Serenity, I have never had as good a student as you. Every day your discussions
and ideas are in top form," he said, and Serenity blushed at the compliment.
"Serenity, I have this feeling that you are destined for great things. I only
wish…"
He trailed off and Serenity looked at him in surprise.
"Artemis, I am only a mere woman, how could I possibly become anything great.
Especially with my status…"
"Serenity, you shouldn't let something like the question of your father keep you
from living your life. I believe in you, all that is left is for you to believe in
yourself."
She had no answer to that and she watched as the old man hobbled away. 'At
least somebody believes in me,' she thought. She would have to find a way to
thank him. After all it was the least she could do.
She was never able to thank Artemis, for that night, he had a stroke and died in
his sleep. This event was not only a blow to Serenity, but it had inadvertently cast
her future in a vastly different direction.
But for now, all Serenity could do was cry, and she didn't even notice that the
first drop rain fell when her first tear fell.
******************
Just outside of Tulcyn, a young man was standing knee deep in a lake, with his
eyes closed, trying to activate a very powerful spell.
Endymion had grown to be a powerful and handsome young man of twenty. His
dark tousled hair which had the habit of always hanging in eyes gave him a
boyish but mysterious air, and his dark serious cobalt blue eyes could seem to
pierce through the thickest steel. His lean muscular body, which he had gained
from his battle training and hard labor that he would have to do from time to time,
made him the talk of all the ladies of Tulcyn. Not that Endymion noticed, a
magician was forbidden to form any romantic attachment, for it would hinder
their concentration that they needed to harness their power.
"Now Endymion, pull the force into you, and concentrate."
Endymion followed Corrigan's instructions. His purpose was to call a storm and
than be able to control the actions of that storm. It was something that Endymion
had been working on for the past few months.
He felt the power inside him begin to grow, and that burning sensation that one
always feels when handling magic began to intensify. He concentrated on the
darkness of clouds and the winds that would form to signify that the storm was
coming. He could soon feel those winds and the darkening of sky. He moved to
forming images of the cool rain drops that would begin to fall. Lightly at first,
and than would steadily pick up.
He smiled with satisfaction when he felt the first drops. Today, he would be
successful. It would be the biggest spell that he would ever cast. Spells are
never spoken rather; they are consciously activated by putting enough willpower
in what you want to do. People with the Gift, could control their surroundings
and others with their will if they were trained in it. Potentially a person could use
it to kill another person with a leaving a scratch, which is why people with the
Gift were always strictly watched over by the government.
Once the rain began to pick up, Endymion moved on to the hardest part.
Lightning. Using magic to deal with electric currents was always dangerous, and
it had been known to kill people who had not concentrated hard enough. He had
to block the world out, and guide the currents to form a beam of lightning. He felt
invisible hands reach through the storm, and begin to arrange the charges so that
perfect amount of electricity could be harnessed. These "invisible hands" were
his doing and was somewhat of a neat effect that a person felt when using magic.
With this feeling he began to shape it, and guide it to the point that he wanted to
strike, which happened to be a wooden pole that Corrigan had set up for that
single purpose. He sucked in his breath and with one swift motion he forced the
current down, and he felt the lightning come down. Only when he had stopped it
did he open his eyes to see that he had missed the pole by a good seven feet. His
concentration mellowed, and the storm melted away, leaving barely any evidence
that it had ever been there in the first place.
"You didn't spend enough of your time concentrating on where you wanted it to
land, and you had a flicker of doubt at the last minute. You were lucky it was
only with aim and not something more dangerous," Corrigan said.
Endymion clenched his fists with frustration. So close. He had been so close.
"Come now Endymion, don't be too harsh for yourself, you have accomplished
more in your twelve years with me than most apprentices do in fifteen years. I
have very little left to teach you."
Endymion smiled at his master. Corrigan was right, he had come a long way. All
the grueling hours spent reading books on magic and the theory of magic were
paying off. Soon he would no longer be an apprentice, but a true magician.
"Now come Endymion, the king has called for me, and I should have been in the
court about five minutes ago."
"What does the king want Master?" Endymion asked.
"I don't know, but I will have to go and find out won't I. I think it has something
to do with a job, that I might need to find a magician for," Corrigan said, "Maybe,
if it is good and appropriate job, I will hand it over to you Endymion."
Endymion brightened at the thought. Corrigan was proposing his first mission! If
he completed a mission, and passed the magician's test he would be finished with
his training.
With that he followed his master, and thought about what exciting task would be
given to him to complete.
******************
The rain fell across the Danoram countryside. A carriage with a heavy entourage
trudged through the rain. Smoke from the mines in the distance could be seen.
The smoke and rain gave a sort of gloomy and unhappy atmosphere to the day.
This gloominess perfectly matched Endymion's mood.
When Corrigan had returned from his visit with the king, Endymion had been up
in the study with a fire lit and looked at Corrigan hopefully. Corrigan had
smiled, and nodded in an affirmative to Endymion's unasked question, 'Do I get it
or not?' Endymion's heart had soared, and he felt like nothing could touch him.
However it crashed down when he found out what his mission would be. He was
to be the new teacher to the Princess of Danoram.
A teacher! Magician's first tasks were usually to aid the king with casting a spell
to help send back armies or to go on diplomatic missions, not to teach princesses
about math, history, and science that they didn't even need to know. He could bet
that the princess was spoiled and would not spend a single second listening to
anything he had to say.
'I have been reduced to a babysitter,' he thought with utter disdain.
******************
It had been three days since Kunzite's arrival and Artemis' death, and the palace
became even more chaotic, when they received the message that the High
Magician would be paying them a visit. This brought even more excitement to
the palace, they had never had such a distinguished guest in their midst, and were
wondering about how one would treat a high magician.
Serenity had little time to wonder about that, as she spent most of her time with
Mina at the courtyard watching Kunzite and the other men swordplay. Serenity
had memorized his every feature. She couldn't help it, she would lay awake at
night and dream up scenarios where he would come to her and confess his love
and devotion to her, and how she would react. It was silly she knew, but such it
was with a girl's first love. She was so enraptured in it that she didn't mind that
she would not be attending lessons with Mina before. Since Serenity was
illegitimate she had no right to an education. This had never been enforced before
but since the new teacher was being delivered from the royal court they could not
be forced to be reported to high authorities. It didn't matter much to her, she
could always learn on her own, and this would give her more time to watch over
Kunzite, besides no tutor could have replaced Artemis.
So it was that reason that Serenity was not in court but in the library, when
Corrigan and the new teacher were presented to the king and queen.
******************
Endymion's expectations were not disappointed. He had stood in front of the
King and Queen as Corrigan spoke to them. He had studied the princess very
closely. She was beautiful, but Endymion distrusted most beautiful woman as a
rule. They were almost always arrogant and self serving and thought too much of
themselves. In short, they possessed all the qualities that Endymion detested.
When they were dismissed a red headed girl lead him to his quarters, and as he
was unpacking his few belongings Corrigan came in and told him he was going to
the local monastery to meet with an old friend. Endymion nodded to his master
and continued on with his chore.
A few minutes later he found himself taking a look inside the castle library. It
wasn't the largest he had seen but it was still a tremendous collection. The dust in
the room gave evidence to the fact that it wasn't used much. He wasn't surprised,
books were a sign of wealth. He knew that this would be where he would be most
often.
A sound from the back lifted him from his thoughts. He looked around, but saw
no one. Well the sound came from with in the stacks of books. He headed in the
general direction of the sound, doing his best to not make a sound.
He turned a corner and was greeted by the sight of a young girl about eighteen
year old girls on a ladder browsing through books. He headed towards her but
the girl made no signs of knowing he was there. When he was about to where she
was he stumbled on a book, and fell forward bringing the ladder down, and in turn
brought the girl to fall right down on top of him.
She looked up at him, a flush on her face. Endymion was breathless and felt a
bump form and a huge headache that he would have to attend to.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" she yelled at him.
He looked at her, and the apparent anger and annoyance on her soft features. And
a voice inside him told him that maybe being here wouldn't be so bad after all.
******************
To Be Continued….
******************
Well there it is, chapter one. Please review! If you do, you will earn my eternal
love and adoration.
By Arimi
Author's Notes: So I guess you wanted to keep it coming, so here is the first chapter.
There is a lot of detail in this chapter, but that is because of the foundation I need to lay
for the story. So please stick with me. Enjoy!
'…' denotes thought
~…~ denotes flashback
*…* denotes passage of time
-…- denotes dream/vision
All Standard Disclaimer's Apply
******************
Chapter 1
******************
"Where in the blasted world is that girl?" a very angry Queen Agatha of Danoram
yelled, surprising most of the servants in her near vicinity.
Standing behind her was a very grim looking Princess. The eighteen-year old
Mina de Corazon, princess of Danoram, could be called beautiful if it wasn't for
the fact that the majority of the time her face was in a frown, or she was
throwing a tantrum. Her bright blonde hair and sky blue eyes had the tendency to
draw men towards her, and the princess always used this to her advantage. The
Queen herself was not unknown to beauty, her rich auburn hair still held its
brilliance, and her pale blue eyes portrayed a sense of elegance and strength.
"Well find her now Mother! I need her now!"
Agatha turned angrily at her daughter, "Mina, don't tempt me! This is not about
you!"
Mina shot a horrid look at her mother and stormed out. Agatha turned to the rest
the servants.
"Find Serenity, and bring her to me this instant!" she ordered, and they hurried to
leave before the Queen became even angrier.
******************
In a tree not far from a palace, a girl who looked to be about eighteen years old,
flipped through a book of fairy tales that she had found in the library a day earlier.
She was indeed a beautiful girl, her hair looked to be made of pure gold, and her
eyes were a brilliant shade of blue.
Her name was Serenity de Faye, and she was the cousin and kinswoman of Mina.
Serenity's mother had been the Queen's twin sister. When Serenity's mother had
died she had been allowed to live in the palace as Mina's kinswoman. It was a
huge deal, since Serenity was born out of wedlock, and no one had any inkling on
who the father was. Her mother never talked about him, and had refused to give
up his name to anyone.
Serenity sighed, her mother had left nothing to her that belonged to her father, and
without a clue to his identity it would be futile to go out and search for him. She
often dreamed that he was watching over her, and that he wanted to see her and
take care of her, but something was keeping him back.
She pushed such thoughts away; they weren't doing her any good. She wasn't
unhappy. The King and Queen treated her with respect, and would even take
interest in her and her interests every once in awhile. They had never been less
than kind to her. Mina could be a bit pushy, but Mina was like that with
everybody.
"Serenity!"
She looked up to see Molly, one of the servants rushing towards her. She got
herself up and climbed out of the tree, and hurried over to the girl.
"What is it Molly?" she asked.
"The Queen is lookin' fer ya, and she's mighty upset wit' ya," Molly said.
Serenity thought about what the Queen could possibly be angry with her for. It
took a lot for the Queen to become angry. She slapped her forehead when the
realization hit her. She had missed a lesson with Mina that morning. It wouldn't
be that big a deal if it weren't for the fact that she had missed the last three.
"By the Gods! I can't believe I forgot!" Serenity said and hurried to the castle.
She was going to have to think of some way to make this up to the Queen.
****************
Serenity had gotten a good scolding for her missing a class, but the Queen ended
saying that Serenity would be give a few easy chores as a punishment. Mina had
been more cross with her, telling her that how could she expect to learn her
lessons if Serenity wasn't there. Of course this meant Serenity being there to
answer the questions that the teacher would ask so that Mina wouldn't have to.
Serenity walked into her bedroom, and began to prepare herself for bed. It was
getting late, and her usual nightly rituals with Mina had extended longer. It
wasn't easy looking after Mina; that was for sure. Tonight she had to brush
Mina's hair, change the sheets, because Mina had seen a suspicious looking spot
on them, and Mina had insisted that Serenity listen to her blab about the new
gown that she was having made. Such talk bored Serenity, who was much more
interested in the books she read.
Serenity was lucky enough to have a large nicely furnished bedroom. She had
silk sheets and a beautiful blue velvet covers and a canopy bed with thin white
lace drapes that wound around it. Once she was finished she settled herself into a
comfortable position on her bed and opened her book. It was a book of
philosophy, which talked of a society where all men were equal, and measured by
their merit as opposed to race, class, or economic situation, a sort of utopian
society. Serenity often read such books, as well as books that covered science,
religion, history, and politics. She also snuck in a fantastic tale every once in
awhile. Reading was her escape. She wished that she could be the princess that
was swept off her feet by the dashing knight on a noble white steed.
She sighed, and after reading a few chapters placed the book down on her night
table, blew out the candle, which had been the only source of light and closed the
draperies around her bed and drifted off to sleep.
She never stirred when a figure came into her room, left a soft object on her
bureau and left. It was not the first time this had happened.
******************
The next day, Serenity awoke and felt a certain calm, and she instantly knew why.
That stranger had come again. She opened the draperies in her bed and looked to
her drawer. On the bureau was a single white rose. It was just the same as all the
ones she had received for the past ten years. She once again wondered who could
be sending her these roses. She pondered over it for a bit.
However, she heard Molly calling her name; she put the flower away, and hurried
to get ready. She slipped on her favorite dark blue velvet dress with an empire
waistline, and a square neckline. She carefully plaited her hair and slipped on a
simple gold locket that had been a gift from the Queen her previous birthday.
When she arrived downstairs there was an unusual sense of urgency and servants
were rushing to and fro. It meant only one thing, they were having visitors. She
found Molly who told her that a Knight of Adraeli was coming supposed to be
arriving at any moment, and that he would be staying for quite some time.
Serenity secretly thanked the Gods that she had decided to wear that dress. The
prospect of a Knight of Adraeli coming sent her mind into a flutter of emotions,
and she spent most of her time imagining what he would be like. Would he be
handsome? Would he be charming? Would he notice her?
'Who are you kidding, Serenity? He finds out anything about you, and he will
run for cover,' she thought. After all who wants an illegitimate girl who was
taken in out of pity?
But soon Molly came saying that the King and Queen had requested her
appearance in court, and she took one last glance in the mirror, took in a deep
breath.
When she arrived in the main reception room, the members of the court had
already gathered and were busying talking amongst themselves. She took her
place right by the left throne. There were three. The King would sit in the
middle, The Queen on his right and Princess Mina on his left, since Serenity was
Mina's kinswoman she stood to the left. Serenity hated court gatherings, usually
because the conversations were always frivolous and superficial, but she knew
that this time it would be different because how could a Knight of Adraeli be
superficial?
King Liam entered followed by Agatha and Mina. The court bowed, and took
their seats, and Liam signaled for Tomas, the messenger, to guide their guest in.
It took a few minutes but Tomas guided a young man with long silver hair tied
back in a ponytail, wearing black riding pants and boots, white men's blouse, and
a black vest, with the crest of Adraeli (an eagle holding a sword) in gold on his
right breast. Around his waist were a belt and his scabbard and sword.
Serenity felt her heart skip a few beats. The man was possibly the most handsome
man she had ever seen. He was everything that she had expected a knight of
Adraeli to be.
"Your Majesty, may I present to you Sir Kunzite of Norad," Tomas said.
The man knelt down on one knee and lowered his head as was proper.
"We welcome you Sir Kunzite, we are honored that the High King would send us
a knight with such an impressive background. Is it true that you slew the dragon
of Madarok?"
"Yes, but I cannot say, Your Majesty, that I particularly enjoyed it," he said, "The
slaying of a dragon is a horrible experience. I would not wish it on my worst
enemy."
"You are wise as well. Well Sir Kunzite, I again welcome you to Palladan, and to
make yourself at home."
Agatha nudged Liam, and he in turn cleared his throat.
"Oh yes, I must present to you my family, this is my wife, Queen Agatha de
Torisend, and my daughter, Princess Mina de Corazon."
"It is wonderful to meet you. The rumors certainly are true, Your Majesty, the
Queen and Princess are among the most beautiful women in all of Krimea."
Serenity looked at Mina, who looked ecstatic over the compliment, and wished
that the King could of introduced her, but that was silly, kinswomen are never
introduced along with the royal family.
She looked at Kunzite, and wondered if he noticed her. He turned and seemed to
look straight at her. His gaze brought heat to her cheeks and felt her face turn red.
As if feeling her embarrassment he turned to Liam.
"Excuse me your majesty, but who is the woman next to the Princess?"
Serenity made a tiny squeak, and turned to see if anyone had heard her, only to
find Mina staring at her strangely. Mina would probably scold her for making
such an improper noise, but Serenity couldn't control it.
"That is Serenity de Faye, my daughter's kinswoman and companion."
Kunzite bowed to her, and gave a smile that would melt even the coldest of
hearts.
Liam dismissed Kunzite telling him that they would expect him for dinner, and
once Kunzite nodded and left, he dismissed the court, and everyone went back to
their everyday routine.
Serenity headed towards the parlor for a history lesson. She felt like she was on
cloud nine. He had asked for her name! It was a simple gesture but in court it
was a sign of interest.
She sat at a table in the center clearing of the library, and waited. 5 minutes later
Mina rushed in and took the seat next to her. A look of smugness appeared across
her face.
"Alright Mina. Why are you looking so smug?" Serenity asked, knowing that if
she didn't Mina would become angry.
"Well, I just had a run-in with Sir Kunzite, Serenity," Mina said, "and we have
formed quite a connection."
Instant jealousy began to form inside Serenity. The thought of Mina with Kunzite
sent a feeling of nausea to her stomach. But Serenity couldn't portray this to
Mina. Mina would just laugh at her and tease her about it. She quickly tried to
come up with some sort of witty reply, but was interrupted by their instructor
Artemis.
"Wow, Serenity, you are actually here today," Artemis said in good manner.
"I know, I have been sort of out of it lately. I am sorry."
"It is alright," Artemis said.
Artemis was an older man, who had been the castle educator for the past three
kings. Serenity knew, that she and Mina would probably be his last students. He
was not in the best physical shape, and Serenity had noticed the tired look that
was always etched into his face. She had given him advice on what herbs he should
take to help alleviate the pain that she knew he must be feeling. Through her reading
Serenity had become quite good with medical treatments and herbs. She usually
helped those in the court with any illness or wound, and sometimes spent her time with
the resident healer, and his daughter.
"Now, last we left off, we were studying the War of the Glenn. Can either of you
tell me what set the war off?"
Mina looked expectantly at Serenity, and Serenity sighed.
"It was the assassination of Duke Garrahad II," Serenity said, remembering from
one of the many books she had read..
"Very good," Artemis said, "You are lucky Serenity that you read, otherwise you
would be behind in your studies."
Serenity nodded. The rest of the lesson went smoothly, with Serenity answering
the questions and Mina fiddling with her dress. When Artemis finally wrapped up
the lesson, Mina rushed out to do whatever she does during the day. Serenity
decided that she needed something new to read, and went towards the library the
room dedicated to the theology and science of magic.
"So I see you have switched to a new topic," Artemis said, and Serenity smiled at
the old man who had followed her. Other than her, Artemis was the only one who
used the library
"Well I haven't read that much about it, and I have gone through most of the other
science and theology books in the room," she replied and smiled at the old man.
"Serenity, I have never had as good a student as you. Every day your discussions
and ideas are in top form," he said, and Serenity blushed at the compliment.
"Serenity, I have this feeling that you are destined for great things. I only
wish…"
He trailed off and Serenity looked at him in surprise.
"Artemis, I am only a mere woman, how could I possibly become anything great.
Especially with my status…"
"Serenity, you shouldn't let something like the question of your father keep you
from living your life. I believe in you, all that is left is for you to believe in
yourself."
She had no answer to that and she watched as the old man hobbled away. 'At
least somebody believes in me,' she thought. She would have to find a way to
thank him. After all it was the least she could do.
She was never able to thank Artemis, for that night, he had a stroke and died in
his sleep. This event was not only a blow to Serenity, but it had inadvertently cast
her future in a vastly different direction.
But for now, all Serenity could do was cry, and she didn't even notice that the
first drop rain fell when her first tear fell.
******************
Just outside of Tulcyn, a young man was standing knee deep in a lake, with his
eyes closed, trying to activate a very powerful spell.
Endymion had grown to be a powerful and handsome young man of twenty. His
dark tousled hair which had the habit of always hanging in eyes gave him a
boyish but mysterious air, and his dark serious cobalt blue eyes could seem to
pierce through the thickest steel. His lean muscular body, which he had gained
from his battle training and hard labor that he would have to do from time to time,
made him the talk of all the ladies of Tulcyn. Not that Endymion noticed, a
magician was forbidden to form any romantic attachment, for it would hinder
their concentration that they needed to harness their power.
"Now Endymion, pull the force into you, and concentrate."
Endymion followed Corrigan's instructions. His purpose was to call a storm and
than be able to control the actions of that storm. It was something that Endymion
had been working on for the past few months.
He felt the power inside him begin to grow, and that burning sensation that one
always feels when handling magic began to intensify. He concentrated on the
darkness of clouds and the winds that would form to signify that the storm was
coming. He could soon feel those winds and the darkening of sky. He moved to
forming images of the cool rain drops that would begin to fall. Lightly at first,
and than would steadily pick up.
He smiled with satisfaction when he felt the first drops. Today, he would be
successful. It would be the biggest spell that he would ever cast. Spells are
never spoken rather; they are consciously activated by putting enough willpower
in what you want to do. People with the Gift, could control their surroundings
and others with their will if they were trained in it. Potentially a person could use
it to kill another person with a leaving a scratch, which is why people with the
Gift were always strictly watched over by the government.
Once the rain began to pick up, Endymion moved on to the hardest part.
Lightning. Using magic to deal with electric currents was always dangerous, and
it had been known to kill people who had not concentrated hard enough. He had
to block the world out, and guide the currents to form a beam of lightning. He felt
invisible hands reach through the storm, and begin to arrange the charges so that
perfect amount of electricity could be harnessed. These "invisible hands" were
his doing and was somewhat of a neat effect that a person felt when using magic.
With this feeling he began to shape it, and guide it to the point that he wanted to
strike, which happened to be a wooden pole that Corrigan had set up for that
single purpose. He sucked in his breath and with one swift motion he forced the
current down, and he felt the lightning come down. Only when he had stopped it
did he open his eyes to see that he had missed the pole by a good seven feet. His
concentration mellowed, and the storm melted away, leaving barely any evidence
that it had ever been there in the first place.
"You didn't spend enough of your time concentrating on where you wanted it to
land, and you had a flicker of doubt at the last minute. You were lucky it was
only with aim and not something more dangerous," Corrigan said.
Endymion clenched his fists with frustration. So close. He had been so close.
"Come now Endymion, don't be too harsh for yourself, you have accomplished
more in your twelve years with me than most apprentices do in fifteen years. I
have very little left to teach you."
Endymion smiled at his master. Corrigan was right, he had come a long way. All
the grueling hours spent reading books on magic and the theory of magic were
paying off. Soon he would no longer be an apprentice, but a true magician.
"Now come Endymion, the king has called for me, and I should have been in the
court about five minutes ago."
"What does the king want Master?" Endymion asked.
"I don't know, but I will have to go and find out won't I. I think it has something
to do with a job, that I might need to find a magician for," Corrigan said, "Maybe,
if it is good and appropriate job, I will hand it over to you Endymion."
Endymion brightened at the thought. Corrigan was proposing his first mission! If
he completed a mission, and passed the magician's test he would be finished with
his training.
With that he followed his master, and thought about what exciting task would be
given to him to complete.
******************
The rain fell across the Danoram countryside. A carriage with a heavy entourage
trudged through the rain. Smoke from the mines in the distance could be seen.
The smoke and rain gave a sort of gloomy and unhappy atmosphere to the day.
This gloominess perfectly matched Endymion's mood.
When Corrigan had returned from his visit with the king, Endymion had been up
in the study with a fire lit and looked at Corrigan hopefully. Corrigan had
smiled, and nodded in an affirmative to Endymion's unasked question, 'Do I get it
or not?' Endymion's heart had soared, and he felt like nothing could touch him.
However it crashed down when he found out what his mission would be. He was
to be the new teacher to the Princess of Danoram.
A teacher! Magician's first tasks were usually to aid the king with casting a spell
to help send back armies or to go on diplomatic missions, not to teach princesses
about math, history, and science that they didn't even need to know. He could bet
that the princess was spoiled and would not spend a single second listening to
anything he had to say.
'I have been reduced to a babysitter,' he thought with utter disdain.
******************
It had been three days since Kunzite's arrival and Artemis' death, and the palace
became even more chaotic, when they received the message that the High
Magician would be paying them a visit. This brought even more excitement to
the palace, they had never had such a distinguished guest in their midst, and were
wondering about how one would treat a high magician.
Serenity had little time to wonder about that, as she spent most of her time with
Mina at the courtyard watching Kunzite and the other men swordplay. Serenity
had memorized his every feature. She couldn't help it, she would lay awake at
night and dream up scenarios where he would come to her and confess his love
and devotion to her, and how she would react. It was silly she knew, but such it
was with a girl's first love. She was so enraptured in it that she didn't mind that
she would not be attending lessons with Mina before. Since Serenity was
illegitimate she had no right to an education. This had never been enforced before
but since the new teacher was being delivered from the royal court they could not
be forced to be reported to high authorities. It didn't matter much to her, she
could always learn on her own, and this would give her more time to watch over
Kunzite, besides no tutor could have replaced Artemis.
So it was that reason that Serenity was not in court but in the library, when
Corrigan and the new teacher were presented to the king and queen.
******************
Endymion's expectations were not disappointed. He had stood in front of the
King and Queen as Corrigan spoke to them. He had studied the princess very
closely. She was beautiful, but Endymion distrusted most beautiful woman as a
rule. They were almost always arrogant and self serving and thought too much of
themselves. In short, they possessed all the qualities that Endymion detested.
When they were dismissed a red headed girl lead him to his quarters, and as he
was unpacking his few belongings Corrigan came in and told him he was going to
the local monastery to meet with an old friend. Endymion nodded to his master
and continued on with his chore.
A few minutes later he found himself taking a look inside the castle library. It
wasn't the largest he had seen but it was still a tremendous collection. The dust in
the room gave evidence to the fact that it wasn't used much. He wasn't surprised,
books were a sign of wealth. He knew that this would be where he would be most
often.
A sound from the back lifted him from his thoughts. He looked around, but saw
no one. Well the sound came from with in the stacks of books. He headed in the
general direction of the sound, doing his best to not make a sound.
He turned a corner and was greeted by the sight of a young girl about eighteen
year old girls on a ladder browsing through books. He headed towards her but
the girl made no signs of knowing he was there. When he was about to where she
was he stumbled on a book, and fell forward bringing the ladder down, and in turn
brought the girl to fall right down on top of him.
She looked up at him, a flush on her face. Endymion was breathless and felt a
bump form and a huge headache that he would have to attend to.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" she yelled at him.
He looked at her, and the apparent anger and annoyance on her soft features. And
a voice inside him told him that maybe being here wouldn't be so bad after all.
******************
To Be Continued….
******************
Well there it is, chapter one. Please review! If you do, you will earn my eternal
love and adoration.