The horse was stubborn. No matter what Illius did, it didn't want to go that way.
" That's normal," the sorcerer thought, " who would want to go to a place where every step could be your last one?"
He sighed and lay his hand on the horse.
" No worries, my friend. I'll get you through this."
He walked slowly away of the horse, but still had his hand around the bridles. Softly he pulled, and slowly the horse walked towards him.
" Good boy, come on, you can do it."
Illius knew that if he had to do this all day, it would take him another day before he reached the house. And he didn't want to sleep in this forest. It gave him the creeps.
If he choose his place to stay, it would be silverymoon.
Silverymoon…. His home.
" Father, I have to go. The magic in me needs to be controlled."
" No! You can choose, Illius. Put away your magic forever and be a knight, as is your heritage or leave!"
The boy of 18 went pale.
" Father, please. You must understand…"
" What I understand, sun, is that you don't want to stay with us! Well, you can go! I don't want to see you anymore. If you ever dare to come back…."
" No, don't !" the woman cried.
" I will go, father. But I hope that when I return, you will think better of me."
His father went furious.
" Better? Why can't you be like your brothers? Training, fighting, becoming a knight!"
" There's nothing wrong with magic!"
" Magicians are not to be trusted! "
" I don't want to hear it father."
The boy turned around and with pain in his heart he left the house, the house where he had lived in since his birth. His home.
Outside the gnome waited.
" So, I guess it didn't turn out well?"
Illius didn't answer and walked towards his horse.
" Let's go. I hope that Khelben is worth all this…"
" He sure is, boy, he sure is," the gnome said.
All the sudden, Illius got hit. Because he was daydreaming, he didn't pay attention anymore.
He turned quickly around, thanking his father for training him in martial arts, and pointed his staff towards the creature. It was a yuan-ti. Half-snake, half-human. Why the hell it was in Vaasa, was something Illius would think about after the fight. The snake took his two blades and started to attack Illius.
Illius fired one of his best spells, meteor spell, and the monster was blown away.
" pff,"
He sighed and turned around.
The horse was gone. All his food, his clothes, his money , gone.
" Damn it!"
He looked to the yuan-ti.
" Do you see what you have done?"
Knowing that this was stupid, he started to walk further.
He shouldn't have lost his attention. He should stop thinking about silverymoon. It was gone, he couldn't go back. He tried to think of something else. The sorceress.
" Maybe she's beautiful and kind? …."
" Aurian, stop cursing. I can't hear my own footsteps."
" So? That's what you always try to do. Walk without noise."
Isabelle rolled with her eyes and looked into the forest.
" Oh great," she thought, " A king who lives in a forest. A forest that tries to kill everyone who comes close to it."
The two women walked further, silent.
" Isabelle?"
" Yes?"
" Have you spoken to Gorath yet?"
Isabelle stopped and turned around.
" Why?"
" Oh come on, Isabelle. You love him. He loves you."
" Aurian, this mission we're looking for the man who has to marry me."
" So?" the redheaded woman said, while trying to walk further. The plants around her tried to grab her feet and tried to make her fall. In which they succeeded after a few minutes.
Isabelle started laughing.
" Stop laughing, it isn't funny."
" Oh come on…"
BAM.
The tree behind her gave her a giant blow and she fell right into the grass. That immediately tried to capture her.
" That's enough. Fire!!"
The magic ran through her body and out of her palm a giant flame came. Everything around her was destroyed in seconds. She closed her hand, got up and walked towards Aurian.
She grabbed her best friend and smiled bleak.
" Let's not talk about Gorath, okay? I don't want to think about him."
" Fine with me."
Isabelle walked further and looked to the tree she had just destroyed. Just like the tree she had destroyed when she had to help the king in order to show a clean leader her powers…
" This is my daughter Isabelle, Gorath. She would like to meet you."
The clan leader stepped to the front and kneeled.
" I had already heard of the wisdom she possesses, but nothing of the beauty that she is."
The dark elf witch blushed.
" And I have heard a lot about, you, Gorath. Your victories are legendary."
The dark elf smiled. He was older then her, 130 years old. Though, with dark elfs, it wasn't strange that a young elf married an older elf. And marry she had to.
Gorath was tall and strong. His eyes were as dark as the soul of every dark elf around her, including hers, but somehow he showed a warmness she had not yet seen. A warmness that surrounded her and made her feel all right .
" Why don't you two go to the garden, daughter? You can talk private in there."
She nodded and showed Gorath the way.
In the garden, she sat down at a bench and looked at the man in front of her. He was handsome and when he saw her looking he smiled softly, again.
" Your father seems to love you very much, my princess."
" Don't call me princess, I don't like that title. You can just call me Isabelle."
Gorath nodded.
" Isabelle isn't a dark elf name."
" No, it isn't. If you promise not to tell it further , I will tell you why I got it."
The clan leader was silent for a moment and then nodded.
" Fine with me."
" It's a human name."
The elf didn't move a muscle, but she could feel his confusion. Humans were the enemies of the dark elfs.
" My mother was befriended with a human lady, Isabelle. She was a sorceress, but not a strong one. When my mother got wounded in battle, Isabelle found her and saved her life. They did not meet after that, but my mother always told me that if one day she would cross her path again, she would not kill her."
" And that's why your mother has called you like this?"
" Yes, she also believed that one day I would come in contact with humans and other creatures. A normal name would come in handy then, wouldn't it?"
She laughed softly and after a moment, Gorath smiled too.
He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand.
" I meant what I said to your father. I have never seen someone as beautiful as you. If it is what you want, I will gladly marry you."
Isabelle blushed and looked away.
" It would be a great honour for me. But am I not too young for you?"
He laughed.
" No, not in a million years."
Slowly he bowed over her and kissed her softly….
" Isabelle, wake up!!" Aurian shouted.
" What, who , where?" the witch asked, completely disoriented.
" A house, there. Do you think that it's the home of that sorcerer?"
" I don't know, let's check it out."
" I miss you, gorath," she thought softly and then walked to the home, clearing her mind and only thinking of one thing, the sorcerer.