Two days prior to Eilonwy, Tabitha, and Claire's arrival...
Driskoll jumped in place as he heard Guffy bark an order at a boy two years younger than himself. The boy, whose name was often forgotten by others, was new to the Watch. He was slightly round in the middle, his hands not knowing where to go but hang awkwardly at his sides. Driskoll felt bad for the kid and wanted to try and help him, so he approached him. After all, this was the assignment his father, Torrin, had given him, and his voice echoed in his mind: Teach this boy how things are done around here. Keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't screw things up! You're a Knight of the Silver Dragon, and I expect nothing less from you.
Driskoll scuffed his boot to the ground, dirt flying up like a cloud of dust; the days had been very dry for almost a month now. With winter finally over, the spring rain had yet to come. When Driskoll walked over to the boy whose face beat red from embarrassment, he placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid," Driskoll began. "If you want Guffy to stop giving you a hard time, learn to pay attention."
"I have a name," the boy did not look pleased. "And I am paying attention."
Driskoll opened his mouth, prepared to say something, and then thought otherwise. What is his name? "Yes, you do, and you are! But hey, I was once in your shoes, too. Remember that." The boy nodded weakly, his head drooping as he could do nothing but stare at his boots now.
Feeling even more sorry for the boy, Driskoll scratched the back of his head, a habit he picked up along the way of being part of the watch. He suddenly smacked the boy in the arm, a bit too hard, and immediately apologized for almost knocking him over. "Ooops!" Finally, the bots name clicked. "Ah! Finan!" Driskoll said proudly, doing his best to cheer the boy up. "Uh, Fin."
"Finan is fine." The younger boy said, straightening himself out.
Driskoll chuckled nervously. "Right. Listen, just do what the others say, as long as it's within reason. No questions asked. Even I still have a lot to learn." He placed his hands on his chest and smiled, hoping what he said would make Finan feel better.
Finan took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You're right. I'll try harder from now on."
Driskoll smacked him in the arm again. "That's the spirit!"
A bell sounded in the distance, signaling that it was now noon, and as if on cue, Driskoll's stomach growled.
"Get something to eat, Fin. It'll make you feel better."
"I-it's Finan." The young boy called out, but Driskoll was already rounding the corner.
The fifteen-year-old boy sprinted from Watchers Hall and through the streets of New Quarter, where he made his way to Main Square. The fresh scent of delectable food wafted through the air, and his leather pouch jostled with coins. He let his nose do the searching. Whatever he felt like eating, his nose would certainly know better than his eyes. At last, he came across a booth of a man selling turkey legs, freshly seasoned with just the right amount of spices.
"Would you like one, lad?" The man said. He was tall with a protruding gut, a short bushy beard, and fingers that looked like sausages.
Never trust a skinny chef, thought Driskoll. "Yes, please!" Driskoll was already opening his pouch to purchase said turkey leg.
The man laughed, pleased with Driskoll's eagerness to devour such a tasty lunch. "One silver coin." The man told him, holding out his left hand while his right held the turkey leg hostage.
Driskoll dropped his silver coin into the man's hands and happily took his turkey leg.
It was an unusually warm spring day, and Driskoll wondered if Mother Nature had decided to skip the season and go straight into summer. He hoped not.
"Dris!" A lively female voice spoke out from amongst the crowd.
"Moyra!" Driskoll waved her over. He and his brother had been friends with Moyra since they were very young. She was like a sister to them both.
"You bought lunch without me." She pretended to pout. The young beauty flashed her bright green eyes at him, her crimson hair was gleaming in the sun as it shined down upon their heads. "Can I have a bite?" she asked, flicking her long braid back. She had worn her hair short for so long until two years ago when she finally decided to let it grow out. She was looking more like her mother, Royma, every day.
"Uh," Driskoll didn't stand a chance as his friend quickly came in for a bite, snagging a giant chunk.
"Mmm!" One side of her mouth puffed out as she began chewing. "Juicy."
Driskoll's mouth hung open. "You took the best part." He grumbled.
Moyra chuckled, mouth half full, and then swallowed the rest of her food before talking. "Too bad. You should have eaten that part first."
"I was saving it for last." He took a bite out of his turkey leg, a long strip of it hanging out of his mouth. He took his fingers and shoved the strip the rest of the way into his mouth.
Moyra wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand; she looked around. "Where's Kell?"
"Zendric's tower."
Moyra gaped at him. "What? Since when?" She tried snagging another bite, but Driskoll moved his turkey leg away from her reach just in time.
"A few days ago," Driskoll answered her.
Moyra rested her hands on her hips, her head cocking to one side. "And why am I now just finding out about this?"
A shrug came from Driskoll. "I didn't find out until yesterday. I've been sleeping at Watchers Hall; a lot to do, ya know?"
"Hmm," now she crossed her arms. "Is he there now?"
Again Driskoll shrugged. "Probably. But if he is, I doubt he wants to be bothered. He's been moody the last few weeks. Haven't you noticed?"
"Not really," Moyra admitted. To be honest, Moyra had other things on her mind. At sixteen, there were certain things a girl started to think about, but she wasn't going to spill out her emotions to Driskoll.
Suddenly, a half-orc pushed his way passed the two teenagers. He grunted and yelled at them to get out of his way.
Moyra pulled at the sleeve of Driskoll's jacket. "Let's go."
"Go where? I have to head back soon."
"To Zendric's tower. Where else?"
"But—" Driskoll tried to protest, but it was futile. He let his vibrant friend pull him along.
Kellach had spent the last couple days cleaning out Zendric's tower. He had thrown away the old rugs and torn curtains and replaced them. He let his magic do most of the work as animated brooms and wash buckets danced around the room, cleaning the floors twice over and even the window. He had gone through all his old teacher's books and carefully dusted them off by hand, placing them back on the shelf in alphabetical order by author.
Anyone walking by the old tower stole glances at the dust and dirt flying out the open door and on to the streets of Promise. Somewhere between all the madness of cleaning, Locky had gotten lost in heaps of old clothes and blankets that had been eaten away by moths and other bugs. They also had bat droppings that were annoying to pick up, but it was nothing magic couldn't handle with a wave of Kellach's hand.
Locky flew up into the air and sat atop the stone edge surrounding the fireplace, and watch his master take said blankets and clothes and ignite them in a blue flame. They disintegrated into a pile of grey dust, and the broom was quick to sweep it out the door.
Once finished, Kellach slumped into the giant cushioned chair. His robes were covered in dust, his hair was a mess and his underarms were somewhat sweaty. But the deed was done. Zendric's old home was clean again.
Locky chirped and flapped his mechanical wings.
Kellach smiled, a little tired from using so much magic in one day. "Yes, my good friend, we're finally done." He took a deep, calm, and relaxing breath. Closing his eyes, he was hoping to get in a few minutes of rest, but before he could wave the door shut, a pair of footsteps came disrupting his contended mood.
"Kellach!" Driskoll burst through the door with Moyra right behind him.
Kellach peeled one eye open. "Oh, it's you guys." He sat up a little straighter.
"What do you mean, 'Oh, it's you guys'?" Moyra huffed.
"Nothing,"
His redheaded friend raised a brow and walked across the room to pet Locky on the head. She said nothing else lest she started a pointless argument with the young wizard.
"So this is what you've been up to the last few days." Driskoll spun in a circle, admiring how clean everything was. "What possessed you to do this?" He stopped to look at his brother.
Kellach rose from the chair and brushed some of the dirt off his robes. "I needed a change."
"A change?" Driskoll said in question.
"You know, just trying to figure some stuff out." Kellach oftentimes spoke in such ways when he was avoiding telling people the truth to how he really felt, but at the same time wasn't lying.
Driskoll shifted from one foot to the other. "Kell..."
On the other hand, Moyra found her way to the table where a tankard of water sat and poured herself a hefty glass. "What's on your mind, Kell? Whatcha hiding from us?"
"I'm not hiding anything," Kellach said in defense.
"Then why are you acting so weird?" Driskoll finally called him out on his odd behavior.
"I'm not acting weird." The young wizard tried to reason with his brother and friend.
"I bet Kell secretly has a girlfriend that he doesn't want us finding out about." She took a drink.
Kellach's face burned a bright pink, the ends of hair standing up caused by the magic resonating within his body. "I do not!"
Moyra spat out her water, spraying Locky. She quickly wiped her mouth dry with her sleeve. "Holy shit, you do!" She pointed at him.
Kellach's stomach flipped. "I don't, honestly."
A cheeky grin spread across Driskoll's face. "Who is she?"
Kellach sighed, flopping back into the chair. "I don't have a girlfriend." He rested his head in his hand.
Driskoll walked over to the door, closed it, and then leaned against it. "What's going on, Kell?" he asked, a bit more serious now. He knew his father would be wondering where he was, but this was more important.
Even Moyra stopped her sniggering and propped herself on top of the table, waiting for Kellach to speak.
"I've been having this reoccurring dream about another realm." Moyra straightened her shoulders, her interest piqued, and Driskoll stayed as he was, still. "The things I see in my dream is nothing like we have here. Everything is so vivid like I'm standing there in real-time. The roads and buildings I come across are aberrant yet breathtaking."
"Have you tried drawing these weird things you see?" asked Moyra.
Kellach nodded. "I have, but it never turns out how I see it in my mind. Plus..." He stopped.
"Plus..." Driskoll pressed, he moved his hands forward in a circular motion as if telling Kellach to keep going.
Kellach's nose went pink. "I keep seeing this girl." Driskoll and Moyra both gasped, and Kellach was quick to settle any thoughts the others might be having. "I already spoke to mom about this."
"And?" Driskoll wanted to know.
"And..." Kellach struggled to find the right words. He didn't want to come off as a boy hopelessly drunk on the idea of having a special someone to call his own, even though that's exactly what it was. "And mom told me that wizard's or people who are very spiritual, have dreams about their future spouses."
Moyra held a hand to her mouth as she couldn't help but gasp again. She glanced over at Driskoll. "Dris! Kellach is going to leave us for a girl!"
This made Driskoll laugh. Of course, Moyra was only teasing. "That's really cool, Kell. What does she look like?" Moyra adverted her attention back to Kellach. She desperately wanted to know as well.
A modest smile spanned from one ear to the other as Kellach did his best to describe the girl in his dreams. "Well, she has amazing eyes..." His voice carried on, the only thing to be heard for the next few minutes as he went on to define this girl from another world.
Author's note: Please leave a review. Anything will do! It helps me update faster.