-The Seventh Year-
'As the power of mana fades, the relentless cold begins to creep inside city and castle.'
Over the course of one short year, Guren's rise to power had been nothing short of miraculous. Not only had he risen through the ranks of the court wizards with a speed and talent never before seen in a wizard of any kind, but after the untimely death of the former general of the Altenian army, the Queen saw fit to bestow her new favourite with the title of Supreme Commander.
It was the beginning of a chapter in Altena's history when the ruling class had been suddenly and abruptly hushed by the young upstart brat from Elrand. Dissenting voices were met with a reaction that was both swift and harsh, and sometimes disproportionate, until eventually Guren had all but cleared the noble families from their positions in government. To the nobles, Guren was seen as a demon, an outsider that had invaded their land and stolen what was rightfully theirs, but to the common soldiers, wizards, and the people of Altena themselves, Guren had become nothing less than a hero. A true miracle that was breathing new life into the decaying tendrils of Altena's system of government.
Nobody was really sure when exactly it happened, but in recent months the Queen was not often seen without Guren at her side. To most it would seem that her majesty was merely in the company of her right hand, but to others who thought deeply about Altena and its politics, it was worrying that the Queen would be unable to separate herself from the red wizard, and that eventually all the authority that the Queen herself now wielded would be perceived as being shared by between them both, and perhaps in the end, solely by her general.
For the princess of Altena however, this meant something different entirely. For Angela, seeing the mother that was so cold to her and the man she had fallen in love now standing so close, was the final notch in a history of cruel disappointment. Neither Angela nor Guren had been able to use magic, Angela had thought that this was special, that between the two of them they would find solace in the fact that neither one was capable of meeting the expectations of the world around them. And now with the Queen of Reason and Crimson Lotus Wizard standing side by side, Angela felt betrayed, and worse than that, she felt more alone than she had ever felt before.
After all there was nothing else that she had, magic was foreign to her, Guren had been stolen from her by this person calling himself the Crimson Lotus, and her mother had shunned her ever since she was born. This was the catalyst that finally drove Angela to completely abandon her studies, and withdraw herself within her shell of whimsical selfishness and open disobedience to all that was expected of her.
Altena itself was in the midst of a crisis. The magical energy known as "Mana" which gave life to the barrier of perpetual spring covering Altena and the surrounding lands had begun to recede. Now the spell extended barely to the city walls, causing what had once been a belt of pleasant green to be swallowed by the harshness of the wastes. And slowly but surely, the warm light of Altena was being snuffed out.
The throne room of Altena's palace was filled with the representatives of the Altenian government, and by the commanders of the Altenian army. The Queen of Reason sat expressionless on her throne, something that had not become unexpected, while Guren himself addressed those that had gathered in their presence.
"My people, it is now plain for all to see that the mana in the world is starting to disappear. For the people of Altena this is a dire emergency!" The red wizard spoke powerfully, his voice and posture brimming with confidence. "We can't live in a frozen climate, however there is hope. In order to protect our country, we must go to the forbidden mana holy land and obtain the sword of mana!"
Those familiar with the lore behind "the sword of mana" began whispering to each other with bemusement and concern etched upon their faces, as it was not something they had expected to hear. It was an impractical suggestion, one that the vast majority of the people would not understand or put their faith in, but thus far Guren had not made a single error in his reformation of Altena's government, and none who were in the room would dare to raise a voice against him.
Guren raised his right hand to call for silence, and continued with his speech. "We can open the gate to the holy land if we possess the eight mana stones. We don't think every country will be so willing to accommodate us with this plan of course..."
Guren turned his head down in consideration for a moment, then raised it again to meet the eyes of everyone in the room. "That is why we will use our powers to invade those countries and take their mana stones by force."
That single line brought a simultaneous mix of horror and elation from the crowd. Those in the military were finally going to be given the chance to put their long years of training to good use, but those who were invested in peace, trade and politics between kingdoms would surely soon find themselves discarded by Guren and the Queen just like so many others before them.
Guren continued, now speaking solely to the soldiers and commanders in the room, disregarding completely the stupefied expressions of the civilians. "The war will be long and difficult, but in the end, the world will be united in a glorious magic empire! And with the sword of mana in our Queen's hands, spring will return to Altena at last!"
The military minded portion of the room snapped to attention and with hearts full of pride, belted out praise for their Queen.
"Long live the Queen of Reason!"
Angela stared at the door leading to the throne room, her hand pressed up against the heavy wooden panels, feeling the coarseness of its natural texture. Behind that door was everything she wanted to avoid, and yet everything she so desperately wanted. If only there was some way she could walk through this door and become happy, she would gladly have left it behind her long ago.
Now she had been summoned before her mother, and she wanted to run away, to not have to listen to whatever disappointment her mother wanted to foist upon her, and to avoid the empty eyes of that man whom had taken the place of her friend.
Angela hadn't spoken to Guren once since that day he had tried to force himself on her. And whenever they had passed in the hallways of the palace she had been unable to meet his eyes, only to shiver unconsciously as he walked by. She knew it just from that feeling alone, there was no warmth left in that man, he had become cold, distant to her, just another extension of her mother's ice cold personality.
Swallowing her fears, for ignoring this summons would certainly do her harm in the future, Angela gently eased the door open and slipped inside. It was deathly quiet, aside from a few quiet shuffles from the representatives gathered at the end of the throne room.
Angela passed them by with quick strides, yet despite their speed, the movements of her legs seemed somewhat awkward and hesitant. There were a few murmurs about 'the princess' choice of dress again today' but by this time Angela had become accustomed the disapproving comments of those around her, and had learned to put them out of her mind completely.
"Y-you called for me, mother?" Angela stammered, fighting the reflexive urge to curtsey, something which had been drilled into her as a child, and instead opted to drop to one knee like a common servant, illiciting yet more murmurs from the crowd gathered behind her.
"Angela," Guren began, his empty eyes threatening to draw in the very light of day itself, "I will explain. In order to open the gate to the mana holyland..."
'Stop! You can't do this to her, it's not too late to use somebody else!' The plea rushing through Guren's mind went unanswered, he didn't even pause, just continued to glare at Angela, the feeling of impending satisfaction brightening his demeanour.
"We must begin an invasion of every country to possess their mana stones."
'Don't do this to her. Don't you want her to love you? If you do this you will lose her forever.'
"Legend has it that when the energy of all the world's mana stones is freed... the gate to the mana holy land will be opened. We will begin by releasing the energy from the mana stone in Altena." Guren concluded, his normally nonchalant lips curled into a thin smile.
"But, how?" Angela asked, raising her head to finally look Guren in the eye.
The Queen of Reason rose from her chair, looking down on her daughter, her eyes cold and full of contempt. It was plain for Angela to see, plain for anyone to see, that her mother was about to say something terrible to her.
"By using sealed magic that, until now, has been forbidden. A spell that takes the life of the caster. However it is not yet time for Guren or myself to die. Therefore, your body will be used as a means to channel the spell. If we sacrifice your life, we will be able to release the energy from the mana stone." The Queen of Reason spoke matter of factly, as if everything she had said was beyond logical doubt.
"H-How could you! Mother!" Angela fell back with surprise, she was prepared for something bad but had never imagined it could be anything like this.
'STOP!'
Guren flinched suddenly, the smile on his face draining away, and he buried his forehead in his right palm, clamping his eyelids tight to fight the sudden onset of pain. The overpowering sensation that told him this was what Angela deserved for rejecting him was clashing with something else. An urgent scream, reaching out from the buried depths of his old life, telling him that no matter what, he could not allow anything to happen to Angela, not to the one he loved so much.
The Queen of Reason pointed a long slender finger at her daughter, who was cowering on the floor before her mother, her eyes brimming with tears. "You who cannot use magic are the shame of this royal family! If you are remembered as a user of such powerful magic, it would be a fitting demise!"
Guren's eye snapped open, sparkling crystal blue, staring to the floor throught the cracks between his fingers. His teeth set firmly together, snarling at the sudden realization of exactly what he was doing.
"N-no!" Angela cried out, trying to retreat from her mother by crawling backwards.
Guren's hands disappeared inside his cloak, and he began frantically chanting under his breath while his hands danced behind his back, forming symbols and patterns in a well practised pattern. A spell that was just discreet enough to hide from all the eyes that were focused intently on the terrified princess.
Angela screamed loudly as her mother drew closer, but her voice was drowned out by a sudden hum in the air which drew quickly to a deafening and blinding crescendo of noise and white light. And in an instant it cleared, the Queen and her subjects were left observing empty space where the princess had been cowering in the face of her mother.
The Queen of Reason stared silently at the spot her daughter had just occupied, her face still blank and cold. Guren withdrew a hand from his cloak and cradled his throbbing forehead. No matter what, he couldn't let anybody find out what he'd just done, especially not 'him'.
Angela groaned and shifted around in the snow, gradually drawing herself to her feet. She found herself suddenly outside the palace, outside the city itself, behind her were the imposing stone walls of Altena and before her was endless expanse of white stretching out as far as the eye could see and far, far beyond. Immediately the biting cold of the sub zero snowfield began to eat into her skin and she reflexively crossed her arms over the exposed portion of her chest.
"Where am I? Outside the city... but... why? I can't go back to the castle any more... What should I do now?" Angela wondered aloud, her body shivering uncontrollably as the last ounces of warmth were drawn out of it.
Angela trudged from the castle, physically tired and emotionally empty, and over the frozen stream, not even noticing she had passed by the spot where she and Guren had met for the first time. It looked different now, buried in snow with bare trees that had perished with the shrinking of the barrier. And it was too cold to concentrate on such things, far too cold.
The further Angela got from Altena, the colder her surroundings became. There was no sound from the city, none of the familiar, reassuring noise of people going about their daily lives. Only the constant howl of wind sweeping over the frozen tundra.
"Too cold... I can't walk... I want to go home... Mother... Guren..." Angela fell in place, not even a mile from the city gates, her scant clothing afforded her no protection from the elements outside the comfortable environment she was accustomed to. And so she lay there, perfectly prone, unable to do anything but wait to die.
A sudden shimmer of light accompanied with a shower of sparks erupted in the air above Angela, though she wasn't conscious to witness it. Air rushed away from the light as a body emerged from it, displacing the surrounding particles. The familiar red travelling cloak of Guren the red wizard billowed in the rushing wind, and he floated down to Angela's side. In his hand he held a gnarled wizard's staff carved from the branch of a tree, he thrust it down hard into the snowy ground so that he would have both hands free. Kneeling next to her, Guren scooped his princess up in to his arms without hesitation, cradling her like something precious he had been searching for all his life and had finally discovered.
"Princess..." He spoke softly, his voice heavy with regret.
Guren took her in close to his body, wrapping both of them together in the spacious red robe. Guren could feel the sheer cold of her body even through his black tunic, and he squeezed her in tightly, trying his best to distribute his body heat to her.
"Gu...ren...?" Angela stirred, as the warmth returned to her body, and she opened her eyes to the see a untidy mop of blonde hair blowing out in front of her, but the face was hidden as it hung over her shoulder trying to keep her warm.
"Sleep." Guren turned his head slightly and whispered in her ear.
Angela had no resistance to magic, and her eyes fluttered as the inviting embrace of the sleep spell swept over her. Guren stood, still holding Angela warm and snug against his chest only her head was visible, propped up against his shoulder and the tips of her feet as they dangled from the hem of the heavy robe.
Guren held out a hand to the staff he had dug into the ground, it shuddered and sprang into his waiting grip, and he held it close to Angela so as not to let the cloak fall open.
And so he began walking the snow covered path away from Altena.
"I'm sorry, Princess." He said, finding it necessary to express himself even if he no longer felt he had the right to be close to Angela. "I'm sorry that I let it come to this. But it's too late for me to go back, because I can no longer disobey him."
Guren spoke to her over the few hours it took to walk from Altena to Elrand, though he knew the story was mostly for his own benefit. And he recounted all the terrible things he had done since returning to Altena, all the things he had done in the name of the Dragon Emperor.
"I wish I could tell you all this for real." Guren sighed, squeezing her tightly again, the skies now growing dark as the day was coming to an end. "But I don't want to burden you with my pain, when you already have enough of your own..."
In the distance Guren could see the lights of Elrand, his home, and right now the only place he really wanted to be, because that was where Angela was going to be from now on.
"It's impossible..." He said, and he placed Angela gently back on the snow, along with the staff he had brought with him. Removing his cloak, Guren knelt to the Princess' side once more, and carefully wrapped her in the thick red material. "There's a little bit of my magic in there for you... It's different from normal Altenian magic so... Who knows... Maybe it will be enough to get you started."
Guren spread his arm out to the side, a jet of flame racing from his outstretched fingers and setting one of the evergreen trees Elrand was famous for into a blazing fireball.
"Someone will come to investigate this soon so... I can't stay with you. Even if I wanted to... he'd just find us and we'd never stop running." Guren looked at the hand he had just used to set the tree alight and grimaced in disgust. "I wish we could go back... But I hope that you never see me again, because the next time you do, there probably won't be any 'me' left."
Already Guren could hear worried shouts approaching from the direction of Elrand and he gathered his feelings to say goodbye to her one last time. And so... he kissed her gently on the lips, briefly and sweetly not wanting to leave any evidence that he had been there, that the he had done such a thing to her without her permission.
"I love you." He said, withdrawing from her and pulling himself to his feet. "Goodbye..."
Angela's eyes fluttered open briefly, to see Guren walking away from her, looking strangely naked without the red cloak wrapping around him. But the spell was too much for her to fight, and before she could call out his name, she was already sleeping again, and Guren himself had already disappeared into the night.