A/N: A request has been put in for a timeline. To tell you truly, I hadn't put much thought into exactly how far ahead of Mel and Danric's story this is. I'd say that this story takes place approxomitly 100 years ahead of Mel and Danric. I also send out a big thank you to those who have reviewed. Thank you.

Stefan's POV:

Chapter Two

I have seen the girl of my dreams. She may be none other than Princess Emilia of Remalna, the second oldest child in the royal family, but she is the girl for me.

Who am I? I'm Stefan, one of the only commoners in the world to receive mage-training at Court. No one but me knows it, of course. And since that I have become the most powerful mage at Court. Around the palace I wear a servant's clothes, and to the people who come for my aid, I am Jonathon (Jon) Cordweaver. My sister, Rosalie, would never accept the fact that I'm one of the most powerful mages in the world.

I got picked off the streets when I was young, maybe eight or nine years old. My master was the powerful Oranis Collathor, one of the most renowned mages throughout the land. I can still remember our conversation as if it were yesterday. I had tried to steal a seeing crystal out of his bag. Of course, he had caught me red-handed. He had spells on everything in that bag, as I later learned (again) the hard way, when I tried to take something out of them for one of my experiments.

"What have we here? A little pickpocket?" he had said. Then he had looked very hard at me, and a look that was almost surprise crossed his face.

I was shaking my head violently and trying to twist away. I was ashamed because my seven-year old sister, Rosalie, was a better thief than I was. But Oranis wouldn't let go. He just stood there, concentrating. It unnerved me, the way that his eyes looked deep into me, deeper than I could ever look into myself. Suddenly he let go, but I found that I couldn't run. I could move, but I just didn't want to run.

He smiled at me. "You have special talent, my young friend. Tell me- what is your name?"

"Stefan," I squeaked out, completely bewildered.

"Well, Stefan. Would you like to go back to Court with me? I could teach you wondrous things. You have it in you. You have both power and determination. It's all in here." He tapped my chest.

At first I was unwilling. But then Oranis began to tell me stories, wonderful stories of the magnificent things that I could do if I went with him. So, like the stupid little boy that I was, I let him take me there. I know now that I should have run as soon as his spell left me.

Things went well for a couple of years, and I discovered things that I had never known existed. Then one day, I arrived at mage Court, and saw a larger bustle than usual. I asked what was going on and one of my friends, a man named Denny, said that there was going to be an attack on the mages of the Court by an unknown magician. It was a very powerful unknown magician. The fight would be outside the city limits , carefully planned by the mages at mage Court, so that the least amount of innocent people could be hurt. If this man won, then he could easily take over Remalna.

The battle went on for three days. I was not permitted to fight, since I was a student. But I was headstrong, and I snuck along with them.

I wish that I hadn't. I can still hear the screams in my head as men from both sides fought and died in horrible ways. What made matters worse was that they all looked the same as they looked death in the face, and then joined the never-ending spiral of spirits, in the Death-World.

I saw Denny and more of my friends get mowed down before my very eyes by an unseen hand. And worst of all, I saw Master Oranis get killed to in a face-to-face battle with the magician. Nothing less could have taken such a great mage down. I can remember the gaping hole that yawned inside of me. Suddenly all that I wanted to do was strike out and kill. I felt all of my power rip away from me, bent on destroying this magician who had killed the man that I loved as much- probably more- than my own father.

There were no screams, no yells of pain. The magician and his minions simply disappeared- forever.

I got into a lot of trouble for sneaking along, but everyone treated me with a whole lot more respect after that. It took a while for my magic to return to me, but it happened, and I knew that I could do anything after that. I was scared of myself. And that hole kept on inside of me.

Until I saw Emilia.

The King and Queen had heard of the exploits of Jonathon Cordweaver, but they'd never seen him. They never expected that the man walking along the corridors of the palace in servant's robes was really one of the most powerful magicians of all time. But when I saw Emilia, that yawning hole filled up, just a bit.

But the scar is still somewhere on my heart.

A/N: yeah, I know, kinda takes off in a different direction than the first chapter. But I have to get each character introduced! Plus, dramatic tension is always a good thing.