A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I believe that Fie (the elder, my muse) was mad at me for what I did to Evelynn in the last chapter, so he's been holding out on me. Finally, now, he's allowed some inspiration to seep through, so here is an extra-long chapter, written in only two days, to assuage your literary hunger. By the way, I do hope that there are no Usha or Palin fans out there…
From the Moment of My Birth to the Instant of My Death
On the island of the Irda, Chaos was plotting. A day and a night previous, he felt a great evil enter the world. A great evil, but a malleable one. He had lain in wait for the Irda's arrogance to force them to break open the Greygem for years, but, as his name implies, Chaos does not frequently carry out his plans to the end. With the arrival of the new source of evil, he smiled. He would not now have to wait until the creations of his wayward children facilitated his freedom. He could get it himself, and much more quickly.
Chaos burst free from the magical prison that the Irda had constructed around the Greygem, pitifully thinking that it would contain him. He laughed as the magical backlash blew up the island. The pyre created by the island's destruction was so high that it would be seen even from the continent of Ansalon, across the planet's curve. The mortals would celebrate something they thought to be a sign of the favor of their little "gods". Chaos smirked at the folly of the mortals. With all speed, Chaos traveled towards the source of that most wonderfully malleable evil.
At the Tower of Palanthas, Dalamar was talking to his daughter and her best friend about magic. "Based on your lineage, you both likely contain the essence needed to make a mage, if you are willing to take the risks. Of course," Dalamar's eyes were hesitant. "If you don't want to learn…"
He was cut off by two ecstatic teenagers. "I could actually learn…" Catherine's voice was choked in wonder.
Fie's eyes were as big a saucers and his gaze was intense. "I would give anything to learn magic." Now that he had seen concrete proof of the elven mage's power, he would stop at nothing to learn how that power could be achieved.
With a start, Dalamar recognized that ambition in his young charge's eyes. He had not seen that great ambition since his Shalafi had been alive. All of these thoughts, however, were hidden beneath Dalamar's normal, expressionless mask. "Let us start immediately, then."
The teens spent the next few hours learning to speak the words of magic. It was a lesson that had taken Raistlin's first teacher, Theobald weeks to teach, but between the competence of the master and the focus of the students, Fie and Kit had learned all of the necessary pronunciation rules by lunchtime. When Fie's stomach growled embarrassingly, Dalamar called a halt.
With a snap of his fingers, one of the spectres came through the door with a tray of food. Catherine hesitantly looked up at her new-found father, not wanting to offend a person she was beginning to respect. "I don't eat any …" Her voice trailed off when she realized that there was no meat on the tray.
Dalamar's mouth curved slightly into a smile. "Most elves cannot stand the taste of another being's flesh. Our lunches are usually simply fruit, bread, and cheese. Dinner is more elaborate if there is time, but is still free of meat. You two are good students." The abrupt change of subject momentarily put the teens off balance.
"I've always known that magic existed." Catherine's voice was dreamy. "I wonder if that one spell actually did work…"
Dalamar looked at her with interest. "You made a spell work, untrained?"
Catherine shook her head. "I don't know. Whenever I read a supposedly non-fiction book of magic, I always try at least one of the spells mentioned. The spell I tried was elementary, the calling of fire. I could've sword I saw sparks, but I am not sure. I may have just been seeing things. I could never replicate it." Her voice trailed away disconsolately.
"Its quite possible that the spell really did work, assuming that the book did contain a form of magic that works on your world. Come to think of it, it is possible that it was not even a true spell, but that your want was so great at that point that you were able to perform the action without the correct words, components, and motions. That would explain why you never could reproduce the sparks; you had begun to doubt yourself, so your want could never parallel that first time. Enough talk of past magics, however. If you are done?" The teens were, so Dalamar motioned for another spectre to remove the dirty trays. The spectre glared at him balefully for a second, and then hurried to do his bidding.
"Now, since you have been learning so well, I have decided to give you a bit of a break. I will now teach you a minor spell, one to cause sleep. It is one of the easiest spells to perform, and only requires sand as a component. Now, repeat after me: droshi."
"Won't that set the spell in motion?" Fie was skeptical.
"Without the proper components, the spell will not work. Some magi, like my Shalafi, did learn to cast without spell components, but it is a very rare skill, and a difficult one to acquire. There is no need for you to worry about actually casting the spell while you are learning to pronounce it. Now : droshi." Dalamar's stern countenance warned off any further interruption.
Dutifully, the two impromptu apprentices repeated the arcane word. "Droshi!" Dalamar blinked sleepily. He really needed to stop staying up so late, doing research. Especially after so much spell-casting!
"Very good. Now, you will take turns casting the spell at me." He handed each teen a handful of sand. "You will only need a pinch of that each time. I will place magical shields around myself, because it won't do for me to keep dropping off to sleep every few minutes, but I will be able to feel whether or not the spell was successful. Catherine?"
Fie moved aside, letting his friend stand directly in front of her father. Catherine nervously shifted the majority of the sand to her left hand, while she took a pinch in her right hand, the dominant one. Dalamar motioned that he was ready for her to cast the spell. Kit closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, determination shone through. "DROSHI!" The half-elf yelled as she tossed the sand.
Dalamar smiled with pride in his daughter as the powerful spell hit his shield and dissipated. Had they been fighting, and the sleep spell been a war spell, it would have taken less then three more spells on Catherine's part to break down Dalamar's formidable shield, or so he estimated. "Very good. You definitely seem to have a congenital affinity for magic. Now, let Fie have a try."
Fie waited politely as Dalamar strengthened his shield. When Dalamar signaled that he was ready once more, Fie took a bit of the sand in his left hand. "Droshi." He tossed the sand with an elegant gesture, and his spell was spoken in a tone barely above a whisper. Suddenly, the elf before them crumpled, breathing calmly with the peace of a deep sleep.
Fie winced as Catherine looked at him in awe. "Oops." His voice was embarrassed, amused, and proud in equal measures. "I guess I had a bit too much will." He and Catherine walked over to the snoozing mage and shook him. He didn't wake up.
"I'd say more than a bit!" Catherine's voice was dry. "I wonder if we could get one of those spectre things to get us some water." She snapped her fingers as she'd seen Dalamar do, to no avail.
Fie attempted to snap, and found, much to Catherine's amusement, that it was harder than it looked. Finally, with a glare at his traitor fingers, he clapped sharply. A spectre drifted through the wall immediately. "Whhhaat isss it, Massster?" Both teens were startled to here the spectre's voice, a thin, reedy sound that almost suggested bones grinding together.
"A pitcher of cold water, please." Fie recovered his voice first, and made his request in his normal polite manner.
"Yessss, Massster." The spectre made the ghostly equivalent of a bow and disappeared. Within seconds, it was back with a large pitcher of ice water. Fie gravely accepted the burden and lugged it over to the comatose mage. With a wince in simpathy for the beautiful rug on the floor, he heaved it over, soaking Dalamar's face and upper chest.
Dalamar sat up with a start. "But I did wash the tables before I went to sleep, Sir!" The elf was completely disoriented, and in that confusion reverted back to some childhood memory.
"Dalamar?" Catherine's voice was anxious. "Are you all right?" She knelt down by her father as he took a few breaths, getting his bearings.
Dalamar shook his head to clear it, suddenly shivering as his nerves finally reacted to the freezing water. "What happened?" He blearily rubbed his eyes.
"You were teaching us a sleep spell, Sir. Remember?" Fie was hesitant, worried that he might have done something the Dark Elf would be displeased about.
"That is the strongest sleep spell I have encountered in my life, young man, especially from an amateur. It seems that more than just a name was passed on from your esteemed ancestor, and that his blood was, if anything strengthened from its time on Earth." He shook his head again in wonder. "Lessons are over for today. You may explore either the library or the Tower itself. Do not attempt to enter the laboratory. The spectres have been ordered to bar anyone entry, using force if necessary. The spectres can be quite nasty when provoked." With that, Dalamar disappeared from the room, presumably retreating to his own rooms.
"Are you up for touring the tower?" Catherine grinned at Fie, curiosity shining through her eyes.
"Sure. Which way do you want to go?" Fie held the door for her.
"I dunno. Up?" She chuckled at her rather idiotic answer, and Fie smiled back. He took the lead as they began to trudge up the stairs.
"Catherine, what color robes do you think you will wear if we stay here and become mages?" Fie's tone was pensive.
"I don't know, really. I hadn't thought about it at all." In his explanation of their histories, Dalamar had also explained the benefits and problems of all of the magical Orders in an admirably even-handed manner. "I suppose the Red Robes. I've never thought of myself as being particularly "Good", as my school record must show, but I don't think I could be "Evil" either. Why? What about you?"
"I was just curious. I think I would become a Black Robe like Dalamar." He looked over to see Catherine's shocked expression. "As Dalamar said, it's the quickest way to power. Though I have no plans of world domination or anything like that, the magic, when it was cast felt so… It was like a drug almost, but one I knew couldn't hurt me. I was the most wonderful feeling in the world."
"But Dalamar also said that the White Robes bring the most power." Catherine's voice let none of her emotions through.
"I don't know about that. I mean, based on what he's taught us so far, the names that everyone on Krynn knows are his Master Raistlin's, and my own ancestor Fistandantilus. Yes, that head of the Conclave he was telling us about, what was his name? Parsley or something… He was one of the most powerful in his order, and his power was nothing compared to Raistlin's. Maybe since we're under the tutelage of a Black Robe we wouldn't have heard of those of Good with the most power, but Dalamar had stressed balance between the Orders. I think that each has their strengths and weaknesses, but overall, each of the orders can achieve the most power. It doesn't seem to be a question around here, though, that Black Robes acquire theirs the most quickly."
"Oh." Catherine was more than a little scared by her friend's new lust for magical power. She was silent until they reached the top of an interesting looking landing. There were two spectres guarding a huge doorway. Fie got off of the spiral staircase and started to move towards the door. "What are you doing?" Catherine hissed as she rushed after him.
"I want to know what's behind that door. I don't know why. It's almost as if I'm being called to it. Besides which, I have a plan." He continued to stride boldly towards the door, and Catherine had to shake her head at her friend's sheer willpower.
"Sssstop. Nooo oone shall passss thisss door, lesst he be rightful Massster hear, by the command of the Apprenticccce." This spectre's voice was even more menacing than the undead beings usually sounded.
Fie, however, did not bat an eyelash. "You will allow me through. I am Fi… Fistandantilus, former master of this Tower." Catherine gasped as a strange majesty seemed to fill her friend's body, drawing him higher than his stature should have allowed.
The two spectres looked shell-shocked. The one without a mouth widened its eyes to express its shock, and its hands flew around frantically. The one that seemed to be only floating facial features, which had spoken before, seemed equally surprised. Its normally sibilant voice became stuttering. "Mmmmassster! Ffforgggive me! I had nnot reccognised yyyyou." Its voice quivered in anticipation of pain, and when Fie said nothing more, it continued. "Hhhere issss the key, Massster. Enter at your will." It seemed to be calming down a bit.
The second spectre produced a large key, which Fie took from its colder-than-death hand without flinching. Fie brushed past them and inserted the key into the lock. He turned it, and the locking mechanism groaned from years of disuse. Finally, however, the lock relented and the door moaned inwards. Fie stepped across the threshold.
Catherine did not want her friend to realize that she was terrified of the door for no good reason, so she walked towards it, hoping to appear as fearless as Fie had. When she reached the spectres, they barred her way. "Hey, move. I'm with him." Kit's show of bravado did nothing, and no matter how she dodged, the spectres always ended up in front of her.
"Only the Massster may enter. Ssstay here, daughter of the Apprenticcce." She sighed, hoping that Fie had heard this exchange.
Luckily for Kit, he had. "She may come, on my command. You will not bar her, and you will listen to her commands." Catherine wondered at the strange change that had overtaken her best friend, making him seem completely alien, even to her. Power, she decided, did not make for good friends. She brushed such thoughts aside, however, as she too walked through the door and into the laboratory.
Catherine jumped as the door clanged shut behind her. "Fie, I don't like this place. Lets get out of here. Dalamar must have had a reason for telling us not to come here." She shivered, though the room was warm.
"In a minute," Fie said absently as he examined the books. Though the teens did not know it, the room was exactly as Dalamar had left it over thirteen years prior. Many of the spellbooks had been removed, though one still sat on the table. A tall wooden Staff capped with a dragon's claw holding a gem rested in one corner, and there was a thick curtain over something in another corner. It was to the Staff that Fie moved to first.
"Don't Fie!" Catherine cried as he reached out to grab the Staff. "You don't know what kind of curses may have been placed on it!" She was too late, however.
Fie took hold of the Staff, and Catherine winced, expecting him to be blown to smithereens, or at least across the room. Nothing happened, however. Catherine was relieved, and Fie seemed mildly surprised. "It's warm!" He released the staff with a shrug and wandered over to the corner that was covered with a curtain.
Oblivious to Catherine's discomfort and worry, Fie pulled the cord of the curtain without hesitation. The luxurious purple material fell to the side soundlessly, revealing an intimidating looking, well, thing. The thing, for lack of a better word from either Fie or Evelynn, looked almost gate-like, with five dragon's heads surrounding a dark, glassy surface. Fie raised his eyebrows in surprise, and moved on to the center of the room, where a book sat.
The book seemed out of place with the rest of the room, and suddenly Fie realized that was because it was not covered in the dust that veiled the rest of the room. He decided not to say anything to Catherine; she was too nervous already. He gently opened the unmarked book, and saw that it seemed to be notes, written in clipped, angry sentences. He flipped through until he found a page that seemed to contain a spell. The page read:
"Years of folly! I cannot believe that I was capable of such stupidity. A loophole: the Black mage does not need a cleric, only one who trusts him with his or her life, and will single-mindedly lay down that life for the mage, out of compassion, or ambition. My imbecile of a brother would have done. Too late for that now, though. After all of the effort I have gone through to temper her, the cleric will have to do.
"The incantation to open the portal, at least, all sources agree upon:
'Black dragon. From darkness to darkness/My voice echoes in the emptiness.
'White dragon. From this world to the next/My voice cries with life.
Red dragon. From darkness to darkness I shout/Beneath my feet all is made firm.
Blue dragon. Time that flows/Hold in your course.
Green dragon. Because by fate even the gods are cast down/Weep ye all with me.'
Closing it? Possibly the Staff. Will think on that next."
The entry ended there, and Fie stared at it. "Kit, I think this diary says how to open the thing over there. The author calls it a Portal." He walked over to it, as if in a dream.
"Fie, why are you doing this? Maybe we should get Dalamar. He'll know what all of this is, and what it means."
Fie was holding the book up so that he could clearly see the neat writing. "I must do this. I don't expect you to understand why, and I definitely don't expect Dalamar to understand. All I know is that something must be done, and that I'm the one to do it. It's almost as though I am being called. Now, are you with me, or against me?"
Catherine stared at her feet, embarrassed at being shown up to be weak in any way. "I'm with you, of course." She moved over to stand by her friend.
"Here, now, say these lines with me." Fie pointed to the incantation that the diary said would open the Portal. For a reason he could not explain, Fie hoped that Catherine was as dedicated to helping him as she seemed.
The teens spoke as one, not quite sure what was going to happen. "Black dragon. From darkness to darkness/My voice echoes in the emptiness.
'White dragon. From this world to the next/My voice cries with life.
Red dragon. From darkness to darkness I shout/Beneath my feet all is made firm.
Blue dragon. Time that flows/Hold in your course.
Green dragon. Because by fate even the gods are cast down/Weep ye all with me."
For a second, nothing happened. Then, all at once, the Portal sprung into unexpected life. The eyes of the dragons whirled alarmingly, coming to rest at their set colors. The dark surface of the Portal lightened until it showed a scape that was a light pinkish-red, as far as the eye could see.
With only a second's hesitation, Fie put his hand up to the Portal, and then through it. Soon, his body followed, and he pulled Catherine along as well. Fie looked around their new location curiously, noting the hole of the Portal at their back. He could see the laboratory faintly.
Suddenly, both teens' eyes were riveted in front of them as a huge five-headed dragon reared up in front of them. The teens fell prostrate in front of the majesty of the Queen of Darkness.
"Why do you invade my domain, weak humans?" The goddess' voice was beautiful and terrible, like a storm at sea.
Fie looked as though he were fighting some internal battle for a second, and then Catherine felt her own mind being invaded. She could do nothing as she felt herself looking up, and felt words flowing through her mouth; words that were not her own. "We come to retrieve what was lost here, My Lady. We seek only to remove what no longer belongs here, by the other gods' own decrees."
As the words that came from Catherine's mouth ran dry, both teens looked up to see a frail figure wrapped in black coming towards them from the pinkish gloom. Takhisis looked as shocked as a five-headed dragon could when one of her heads turned to see what the two young people were staring at.
"You!" She cried furiously, her voice even more horrible then previously. "You had been asleep!"
The figure, which drew nearer, smiled mockingly. "Had been, My Queen. For some reason, Paladine has seen fit to release me from my sleep and set me loose on the world once more. Did he forget to tell you?" The figure, which the young mages could now see was golden-tinted with white hair, sneered. "I trust that you will allow us to leave in peace. I do not think that you will wish to have me marring your plane of existence for longer than I must be." At this, he grabbed the teens and made a rush for the Portal.
The Dark Queen roared her fury at the impudence of mortals, but could do nothing as the man, shockingly spry, shot through the portal with the Catherine and Fie in tow. Once they were on the side of the laboratory, he shoved Fie across the room. "The Staff, boy. Quickly!" he rasped.
Shocked, Fie rushed to the Staff and thrust it into the strange magus' outstretched hand. The mage whispered a word of command, and cursed when it had no effect. Finally, he shoved the staff halfway through the Portal and used another word of power, this time calling up the Staff's magic rather than his own. This time, the spell took effect and the dragon's eyes whirled again, with furor this time. Finally, he took the Staff out of the Portal, just as the doorway closed and darkened.
The weak man began to collapse, and Fie rushed to catch him, as Catherine hurried to drag over one of the comfortable chairs. Without a word of thanks, the mage sank into the chair. "How are you alive?" he demanded immediately after he regained his breath.
"Wha…" Catherine began to speak, but Raistlin cut her off.
"Not you, him. Speak!" The mage's quiet voice was menacing and commanding.
"I…" Even the new, powerful Fie was at a loss for words. "Why would I not be?"
"I went back in time. You were destroyed. I took your soul into myself, as you would have taken mine. But now, you are here, stronger than ever, in a young, fit body. How!" At the end of this speech, the mage was howling in fury.
Suddenly, something within Fie clicked. "Oh, I'm not Fistandantilus. I am Fie, his descendant. I have been living on Earth until yesterday."
The mage seemed to calm down. "That would explain the sudden flux of power then. I am glad that the gods deigned to leave me my magic long enough to allow me to send through my notes, and call to you." His voice was bitter. "I see now that you would have never gotten to me, or even into this room, without my help." The man sneered, something he seemed to do a lot.
He suddenly noticed that the two teens were staring at him in astonishment and confusion. As if it would make everything clear, the man spoke once more in his strange, rasping manner. "I am Raistlin Majere, Master of the Past and Present."
A/N: Well, I do hope you enjoyed that. Please, please review. I am not afraid of constructive criticism. Let me know two things in this chapter and coming ones: first, I'm a bit worried about Fie (the younger) becoming a Male Sue. Please, don't let this happen! Second: this is my only full-length story that has Raistlin where I want to keep his character really close to what was laid out for him by Weis and Hickman, so let me know if he's getting at all OOC. About Raistlin – truth to be told, I'd forgotten about the pretty much unanimous vote to bring him back. So, for those of you who were wondering if he'd actually fit in, no worries: I have a good reason for him to be in the story. Now, to respond to my wonderful reviewers, who made sure that I did not give up on writing this chapter. Oh, and still feel free to guess about the prophesy. No one has been right yet!
Jade Limill: Well, you're one of the closest about the prophesy, but you're not quite on the right track. Remember: no reincarnations.
Spiritu Puro: Glad you like my story so much! As I said above, I do have a plan for Raistlin, so do not worry about that.
Pet: Hehe, I did enjoy writing Dalamar showing off, but Evelynn does have a part to play, or at least she will eventually, as will Raistlin. And for Dalamar's diplomacy and sensitivity, you must give credit where credit is due: he did not mention how Fie became a horrible, soul-sucking lich! Now that would have been a true lack of tact!
Guan: Thanks for your continuing encouragement and support. As to making this story longer than planned, I'm actually not sure where exactly it is going to end up, so it may very well get longer!
Casey: Glad you're enjoying, and I hope you haven't abandoned my story because of the wait!
Bored-Kender: OMG, I'm so sorry! I just remembered about your story! I had started to look at it, but I always leave a review at each chapter, and the day I first looked at it, reviews were down. Then, I promptly forgot. I will review by the end of the week, though! I promise.
Kenderling: Sorry for any confusion I may have caused. As you've probably figured out by now, this story takes place thirteen years after Raistlin was banished to the Abyss. It is an AU for Summer Flame, which would have taken place in another few years if I hadn't interfered. Anyway, I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you have had time to read this one.
Sroa Dwin: Well, your request was fulfilled! Sorry the update didn't come sooner.
GODESS of Naitari: Glad you liked this enough to yell at me to update!
Kilyn Bloodstone: I'm glad that you read this, and that you're enjoying. About Fie and Catherine, there is nothing going on between them. Remember, Catherine is physically developing (hormones included) at half the rate of a normal human. So, she hasn't even begun to like boys in general that way, much less Fie. I'm glad you are liking the twists I'm putting in. For my spelling and grammar, if you see some specific glaring mistake, please tell me what and where! Thanks, as always, for reviewing!