Disclaimer: this is based off of The White Order (which follows the early years of the great-wizard-to-be, Cerryl); it's the ninth book in the Saga of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, probably one of the coolest authors EVER

Spoilers: not many... there is some spoilage about the ninth book (White Order), but not much. other than that, it's all me. since the SoR books are written out of order (lol pun not intended... order mages, chaos wizards, get it? nevermind.) and have very little to do with each other, this won't ruin much.

Other: (1) there are several time skips, but don't worry, they're duly noted. (2) i tried to write it so that even ppl who haven't read the SoR (which you should have because that series is soo totally AWESOME) could understand it, so tell me how i did. i am a fantasy / fiction writer, but i've never done fanfics of any sort before... so... here goes!

oh, here: What you might need to know if you haven't read SoR yet:

there are two types of magic: chaos and order

chaos magic white magic ; choas wizards white wizards ; wear white

order magic black magic (not 'balck' as in 'bad', but just as in the color) ; order mages black mages ; wear black

you can't really weild both unless you're one of the rare "gray wizards", which are not at all common

white wizards hate black mages / 'angels'

black mages hate white wizards / 'demons'

both are bad and evil in their own ways; there needs to be a balance of both

all wizards / mages see a white cloud around white wizards and a black mist around black mages

in books 1-8, the white wizards were portrayed as the bad guys... but the 9th book changed all of that...

Cerryl found Ullan, the cowardly lancer, hiding by the side of the steps. "Ullan... There's nowhere to go." Cerryl couldn't believe that the slimy triator had set him up. The rules and regulations of Fairhaven were fierce--how dare Ullan betray him like that! Not many would cross Cerryl. Even though he was only a student, no one messed with a choas wizard... no one... Cerryl lifted his hand, gathered the chaos around him, and let the chaos fire flare across Ullan. He swallowed, trying to hold in the nausea--and succeeding, barely. After a time, he turned away from the white ash, sifting across the walkway, that had once been Ullan. The two lancers that had accompanied Cerryl to find the traitor waited, fearful of the lad who had just tortured the traitor Ullan to death.

Cerryl woke up. It had been a few days since he had killed Ullan, and he still couldn't work everything out in his mind. It didn't make since that his rival, Kesrik, would pay good money to have Ullan and several bandits attack him in the sewers. Cerryl even doubted that it had been Kesrik, even though it was the coin of his family that had paid for the weapons and shields of cold iron--the only thing that is so ordered that it can defeat a chaos wizard and deflect chaos itself--that the bandits had used. Cerryl's friends--Faltar, Lyasa (a pretty thing), Kochar (former aquaintance of Kesrik), and Bealtur (former lacky of Kesrik)--had told him about how while Cerryl was still down in the sewers looking for the traitor Ullan, the High Wizard Sterol with Kinowin, Fydel, and even Cerryl's current teacher, Myral, had come into the courtyard of the wizard's tower and confronted Kesrik. High Wizard Sterol, wearing heavy leather gloves, had thrown the iron shield at Kesrik, asking the student if he recognized it. Kesrik tried to throw chaos fire at Sterol, but was burnt to ashes when the High Wizard turned chaos fire right back onto him. Kesrik's family was banished forever from Fairhaven.

Cerryl knew that Kesrik didn't like him, but have him killed?... Faltar had said that Jeslek--or Anya, Jeslek's bed-partner--hadn't been around for the entire ordeal either. While Jeslek was his teacher and master at the moment, the overmage still did not like Cerryl. Myral said that it was because Cerryl was a future rival for Jeslek. Kesrik used to be Jeslek's assistant--which was the possition that Cerryl now held--so maybe it was really Jeslek who was behind all of it... but Jeslek had warned him that Kesrik might try to "throw chaos at him"... Cerry was confused. He shook his head and walked to Myral's quarters. He nodded to the guards by the entrance and walked up to the door, not even knocking before Myral called to him.

"Come in young Cerryl."

Cerryl entered and looked at the elderly wizard. "Good morning, ser." His eyes caught a glimpse of movement. "Oh... L-Leyladin..." he gulped, staring at the beautiful, green-clad, green-eyed, and strawberry-blond-headed healer. "G-Good morning..." It was really too bad that he could never be with her all because he weilded chaos and she order--even if she was a gray wizard (weidler of both), she was more of a black wizard (order wizard), than a white wizard (chaos wizard). But Cerryl was determined not to let that stop him... if only he could talk to her first...

Leyladin turned to Myral. "I've done all I can for you today, ser."

"Until morning then."

"Until morning, ser." Leyladin headed out the door, giving Cerryl a quick smile before she made her leave. Leyladin was the only healer truly trusted at all by any of the Whites. Even though she was Gray, almost Black, her personality commanded respect.

Myral offered Cerryl some hot cider. "Young Cerryl, I have fully enjoyed your company as my student. I just wanted you to know that."

That caught Cerryl a little off guard. "...Thank you... ser..."

Myral cleared his throat. "Now, tomorrow morning, you need to report straight to High Wizard Sterol's quarters. You remember where they are?"

"Yes, ser."

"Good. Now off with you."

Cerryl bowed and left. As much as he hated working in the sewers, it was actually a good thing that he was. The sewers were the only place that a young student was really allowed to use and experiment with chaos fire. So, even thought the higher wizards wouldn't say it, working in the sewers was a vote of confidence that they believed you were ready to use and figure out the forces of chaos. Cerryl simply wished that it wasn't so hard to figure it out, or that the other wizards would actually teach him how to do things. But, as was always their way, they made everyone figure out absolutely everything all on their own. I guess, in the long run, it makes us better people, better wizards... thought the young chaos student.

Cerryl walked to the barracks to meet up with the six lancers who would escort him around the city. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, ser." The lancer almost trembled at the site of Cerryl.

"Then let's go." As they walked into the white-stoned city of Fairhaven, Cerryl couldn't shake the feeling that something felt . . . odd . . .