After healing herself, Amie had some time to kill before checking to see if her Philosopher's Stone was ready, and she opted to spend it in collecting from mineral deposits around her tower, with the idea of giving these resources to Smith Everett when she went to pick up the Philosopher's Stone from him. It occurred to her that Captain Steven's habits were rubbing off on her.
She liked being outside and collecting minerals and plants, it was a peaceful way of passing time, and of course you could never have too many resources for potion-making stockpiled. But in former days it would never have occurred to her to collect anything for someone else, least of all something that she might have use for herself someday. The thought that Steven could have such an effect on her actually made Amie smile and almost laugh.
Steven was such a peculiar man, nearly always courteous and thoughtful, seldom complaining and rarely impatient. A bit simple, perhaps, but sweet. Amie knew that he was well-liked in Freedonia, less because of what he'd done in service to the crown, than because of how he treated its people. As knight, he could have gone about dueling whomever he met, shaking them down for money and even killing them if they happened to annoy him. But he didn't. Granted so much power, yet Amie had never once seen Steven abuse it. True, he sometimes was given orders that he found distasteful, yet still he carried them out, but of his own volition it seemed he had never done any harm to anyone.
Even stories of his so-called wild youth were tame compared with stories Amie could have told about her own. And he'd always been gentler than his fellowmen, even before becoming the kingdom's knight, when he'd had nothing to do but hang around the tavern and get very drunk before becoming involved in drunken brawls.
Since Amie had known him, he had been a staunchly upright and well polished example of perfect knighthood. Sometimes annoyingly so, and often not to his benefit. Amie had seen how -but only later understood- during the tournament with Advorton Steven had suffered the dishonest means which he had been ordered to use. It would have been easier for him if he had been in possession of a heart of stone instead of gold. It was then that he had made his first overture of friendship to her, by offering her some of his hard-earned venison.
Ever since then, Steven had always been good to her, as he was good to everyone. Not because he had to be, as if it were a part of his nature, but because... well... that part Amie had never been clear on. She supposed it was because he wanted to be good. Of course, merely wanting a thing was not enough, you also had to work for it. This Steven did, bringing the same absolute dedication to trying to be good as he did to everything else.
Amie wasn't very good at reciprocal gestures, partially because no one had ever been in the habit of being nice to her until now, but she had found one thing she could do. No one else seemed aware of Steven's sleeping troubles. Amie could not help Steven sleep; though she knew of a spell to make someone sleep, she could not figure out how to cast it yet. But, as she was often up at night anyway, she could keep him company. Since she was also a more than slightly skilled cook, she often made dinner for the two of them, using whatever food Steven had put in his larder. As best she could tell, he appreciated it, though maybe he was only being polite (one could never be sure with Steven).
When she had left her home of Effenmont (a territory apparently unknown to anyone in Freedonia), Amie had only been searching for a place to practice and improve her wizardry skills. The fast-growing kingdom of Freedonia had seemed perfectly suited to her needs. Though it irked her that so much of what she did for Freedonia was never made public knowledge, Amie had been able to grow her skills rapidly. Just as she had expected, Freedonia had much need of a wizard, and the regular responsibilities and even mundane tasks gave her plenty of opportunity to gain experience in her craft.
What she had not expected -in fact it had taken her entirely by surprise- was to find a friend. Freedonia felt like home to her now, but she knew it was because of Steven, who had this way of making her feel she was welcome, and that she belonged. Moreover, he seemed to be the only person who had ever seen that she was genuinely sorry about one of her cruel outbursts, the only one who always found it in himself to forgive her and remain her friend, even when she was at her worst. That was something she'd never had before.
Having spent a pleasant couple of hours collecting various types of mineral, Amie decided to head over and see how Everett was progressing with her Stone. She had gathered and put together all of the ingredients but, as she could not use the forge, it fell to the blacksmith to complete the process.
So that the materials she had gathered would not seem like payment, Amie decided to give them to Everett before asking if the Stone was ready. Remembering what Steven had said when he gave her the venison, she decided it was a good line and chose to repeat it with only slight variation when Everett thanked her.
"I was out collecting anyway, and got more than I needed. I figured you could use some," Amie said, managing to bite her tongue on the addition that she at least knew where to find all the good mineral deposits and had seen firsthand that Everett had no such skill.
"Thanks anyway," Everett said, and then gestured to an object perched on his anvil, "There's your Philosopher's Stone. Be careful, it's still a little hot."
After thanking Everett, Amie took the Stone and headed home with it. Now she had the thing, she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do with it. She supposed she would have to use it, just to find out whether or not it worked.
The Stone sat in the middle of the wooden table in what passed for Amie's kitchen, looking more like an enormous egg that had been slightly burnt than anything with true magical properties. But Amie could feel the magic of it, hitting her like waves of heat. She knew that, like a stew, the Stone would cool quickly. She had to make use of it before then or it would be no good.
But sudden uncertainty held her in its grip. What if the Stone wasn't what she thought it was? What if it didn't work? What if it did something bad? What if all of this had been for nothing? What if the Stone did work? What if she did something wrong with it?
The Philosopher's Stone was an item of incredible power, and Amie knew her life would in some significant way be seriously changed after she used it. The thought scared her a bit. Despite all her complaints, she realized that her life was actually pretty on track, things were good. A serious change could ruin all of that in ways she couldn't hope to anticipate.
She took a deep breath. She'd come this far, there could be no turning back now. Not when she was this close to... something. When she'd started after the Stone, all she'd wanted was recognition. She knew she would get that. But now she was faced with the power of the thing, and she knew it was beyond what she'd imagined. This was going to change her life forever.
Stepping back slightly, Amie planted herself squarely, drew out her staff, and tapped the end of it firmly against the floor. Summoning her own magical essence, she reached out with it and touched the Philosopher's Stone, which at once cracked as though it had been struck.
From the cracks in the Stone came a fierce golden light, and a musical, flute-like sound that could not truly be called a voice, though it spoke to her in the language of magic.
It said, "Choose wisely..."
Before her mind's eye sprang two images, each startlingly vivid.
One image was of riches, money beyond her wildest dreams. Piles of the stuff, everywhere. It was as if the room she stood in had been half buried in gold simoles. On the floor, on the table, filling up the cauldron in the fireplace, and the wash basin nearby. Stacks upon stacks of coins, more wealth than she could ever hope to earn in her lifetime. With such riches, she could afford to buy literally anything she wanted for the rest of her natural life.
The other image was less certain, but more powerful. In her mind, she saw herself from the outside, but somehow she was a better, more vibrant version of herself. She was stronger somehow, more beautiful. But Amie couldn't put her finger on what was different. She had the same sea green hair, green sapphire eyes and fair skin. She was dressed as she was now, in her green and teal dress and mask with their silver filigree. She was the same, but not the same.
Amie was not sure if it was curiosity or craving for power that made her lean towards the second image. In either case, that was the path she chose, and the Stone instantly responded.
"Knowledge is power. Know thy weakness, to find thy strength."
What was that supposed to mean? Amie faltered for a moment. Then she remembered the legends about the Philosopher's Stone had said it could cure all ailments. Surely that had to include the ailments of character: foolishness, gluttony, hubris, cowardliness... and... perhaps even... cruelty?
"Cruelty is a part of who I am," Amie said, though she knew she did not have to speak to the Stone aloud, "How can you possibly take that from me?"
"Cruelty is not a personality trait; cruelty is a habit. Do not eliminate the habit; change it."
"That's all?" Amie asked, "You're just going to give me cheap advice? I already have a friend who does that. What do I need you for?"
"Habits are built over a lifetime. The Power of the Stone allows a lifetime of habit to be built in the mere blink of an eye."
"What do you mean?" Amie wanted to know.
"You perceive this conversation as taking time. But, by the next beat of your heart, your wish will have been granted. You will have learned in a blink what would have taken you a lifetime to master, or which you might never have discovered on your own."
"Which is?"
"Your anger comes from impatience with what you perceive as the idiocy of others. Once the anger has built up into rage, cruelty is its natural outcome. The solution then, is to replace the impatience with patience, and thus the anger with inner calm. Where there is no anger or rage, there is no need for a cruel outlet."
"That sounds more like filling a void than replacing something with its opposite," Amie remarked, "Impatience is just a lack of patience."
"Now... you are learning. As impatience is the absence of patience, so is cruelty the absence of kindness. Weakness is the absence of strength. Find your strength, and you will lose your weakness."
Amie had of course never seen a fortune cookie before, and so did not understand the sudden vivid image of those words printed in red on a narrow strip of paper that came out of something that crunched and cracked when it was broken open.
As though capable of reading her thoughts (and she supposed it probably was), the Stone responded, saying, "The ignorant and willful seek to ridicule the truth for its simplicity because they do not understand it. The truth is always simple, and that is what makes it so hard to believe. But if it were complicated, not even the clever would be able to understand it, thus it would have no value. Instead, it is simple enough for any fool, yet one of the most difficult things in the world is to accept it."