-The Ninth Year-
"HOPE!? I WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW POWERLESS YOUR 'HOPE' REALLY IS!"
For the first time in the history of Altena, the eternal spring had given way to the onset of an arctic winter. The Dragon Emperor's last words had rung true for the northern kingdom, and the rapid decline of the world's last remaining mana had stripped the magic city of everything that had made it what it was.
For every country, and every city, something had been lost in the war, be it citizens, or troops, or worldly wealth, but the magic kingdom had been the only country to lose its very soul. Without magic to maintain the barrier of perpetual spring, the sub-zero snowfield had begun to crawl its way throughout the sprawling city, devouring homes and the delicate balance of life which had been maintained over centuries.
After destroying the Dragon Emperor and putting an end to his ambition for all time, Angela had firmly believed that the hope which had seen her through that terrible battle would be enough to keep the city of Altena alive for centuries to come. However it seemed that hope, like magic, had taken flight from Altena and entered a thousand year slumber.
Once it had become clear that the kingdom could not be saved without the aid of magic, the noble families had been the first to leave. Using their considerable wealth and connections to the outside world, most had bought themselves new lives in Byzel, Jad, or Forcena, leaving the dying city as a distant problem of little concern.
Though most of the ordinary citizens had resolved to stay, like their Princess they believed that Altena would come through any hardship stronger than before, the situation inside the city walls was becoming increasingly dire. Two vicious snowstorms had already ripped through the town, burying unsuspecting citizens alive in their homes, demolishing trees and architecture that had stood for centuries.
Whatever patriotic optimism the Altenians had been holding on to had been worn away by the harsh conditions of the environment around them, and eventually the Queen of Reason had no choice but to order that the country of Altena be dissolved, and its citizens moved to safety.
The Queen of Reason herself had fallen gravely ill, with the world's mana gone for a thousand years, the queen had resorted to using her own life force to sustain the barrier around the kingdom, and with two disasters having broken through, it had become clear to those remaining in the palace that Angela's mother did not have long left to live.
Thus it was on the eve of Angela's twenty first birthday, that she ceased being the Princess of Altena.
-
Angela sobbed quietly into the foot of her mother's bed, and all others present in the queen's chambers hung their heads in silent grief as the royal physician reluctantly hid the queen's peaceful, beautiful, yet drained features beneath her bed covers. The only other sound in the room was the sound of a large fireplace roaring at the foot of the chamber.
In just one short year, Angela's mother had expressed herself more openly to her daughter than ever before. With Guren no longer in control of the queen's actions, and Angela having accomplished so much in the year they had been apart, the two of them had finally begun to discover one another, and for the first time in her life, had truly become a mother to her daughter.
Like her daughter, she had fought a battle of sorts. To keep her country alive through its most difficult crisis, the Queen of Reason had done her duty until the very end. And now the last queen of Altena had passed into the next world.
It was a crystal clear night sky outside, the stars and moon bathed the castle in their silver rays, the air was calm and not a flake of snow disturbed the field of blooming light through the queen's window.
One by one, the queen's faithful followers filtered from the room, leaving the princess to grieve for her mother in peace, and Angela continued to sob into the bedsheets long after she had been left alone at her mother's side. It seemed cruel to Angela for the affection she had longed for all her life to be stolen from her so abruptly.
The Dragon Emperor had taken Guren from her, turned him into a murderous monster, felled the tree of life which propagated the flow of mana throughout the world, robbing her of the gift of magic which she had striven so hard to obtain, robbing her of the kingdom she had given everything to protect, and now her mother who had given herself to prolong the life of a country doomed by his selfish machinations. The wellspring of hope in Angela's heart was all but dry, and now it seemed there was nothing left for her.
As her sobs quietened to whimpers and sniffles, Angela considered again everything that had led them to this moment. She considered returning to Forcena, to speak again with King Richard and Duran. The king had known things about her mother that she herself had not been aware of, and there was a lot she still wanted to know about the woman who had always been so far away.
Despite the time she had spent with her mother, Angela had missed travelling on the open road with Duran and Charlotte, and all the friends they had met along the way. Duran was now likely questing for the king as knight of gold, and even though she could no longer use magic, she could still fight, maybe she would be able to join with him again.
'Maybe that's what I'll do.' Angela thought, staring across the rippled bed sheets to her mother's peaceful body. 'I'll go to Forcena.'
Through the window, there was a gentle ringing carried on the air. Not the sound of a bell, but the similar sound of metal sliding against metal. The sound was rhythmic like a footstep, and although faint, in the silent night it was enough to make Angela's sensitive elven ears reflexively twitch in response.
Rising from her place at the bedside, Angela wiped her flushed and tear stained face clean, and paced unsteadily to the window. The sound was ringing out from the courtyard of the magic academy in the middle of the city, near the goddess fountain in the town square which had frozen over. Angela hugged the thick folds of Guren's old travelling cloak against herself as the cold winter air invaded the room from the open window, the fire roaring at the foot of the room was not enough to stop the cruel advance of Altena's true face.
'I wonder what they're doing there...' Angela mused internally, the reference library and the magic academy had become abandoned since the decline of mana, and the entrance had since been buried under a wall of snow and ice.
Angela shook her head and turned back to her mother, her expression heavy with grief. Kneeling by her mother's side once again, Angela peeled back the covers to burn the image of her mother's face into her mind. Then, pinning her ear back, Angela lay her head on her mother's chest and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, mother." Angela whispered, "When you meet him... Please don't blame him too much."
-
The Queen of Reason's funeral was a simple and hurried affair. Her body was entombed in a vault below the castle, where all the other members of the royal family had been given their final resting place. The Queen of Reason would be the last person to ever rest inside, and with that both the tomb and castle doors were sealed. Altena's legacy would remain buried in snow, forever.
Angela and the last of Altena's inhabitants were gathered near the front gate of the city walls, the last of the stubborn citizens had been rounded up and all of the remaining palace staff and soldiers were ready to embark on the dangerous winter trip to Elrand.
A general of the former Altenian army placed himself on one knee before Angela whom was sitting high atop a mount she had been given for the journey. "My Queen," He began, "The Altenian army has prepared temporary lodgings for you in Elrand. As soon as we arrive, we will petition Elrand's ruling council for permission to establish a permanent settlement in the south."
Angela responded to her general with a brief look of pain, but instantly switched to a forced and unconvincing smile. "A Queen can't be a Queen without a kingdom."
"But my lady," the General protested, "we are all confident that you will continue to lead us well. There are many already in Elrand who are awaiting your arrival."
"I'm not a leader, General." Angela responded, her style of speech suddenly and uncharacteristically mature, "In a world without magic, I have no business leading anyone. The only one I would trust to lead and organize our people now, is you."
"But- My lady!" The General peered upwards at a loss for words.
"Ah'm tellin' ye'! Ah' saw 'em with me own eyes, Ah' did!" A heated discussion between a guard captain and an old man from the central district of the city were arguing heatedly not too far from the General and the Princess. Their intensifying argument gradually gaining the attention of those around them.
Angela approached the arguing duo on her mount, with her flustered General still in tow, fully prepared to pass by without paying them any mind.
"It were the red wizard, it were! I saw 'em me'self!" The old man continued to blather, and the mention of the name caused Angela to pull back hard on the reigns of her mount.
"W-what did you say?!" Angela snapped at the man who ceased his arguing with the guard captain and stared at Angela.
The guard captain turned and began rapidly bowing in apology to Angela. "My Queen! I'm sorry! Please don't pay any mind, he's just making things up because he doesn't want to leave!"
Angela drove the mount closer to the old man, not interested in the slightest by the guard's frantic apologizing. "Tell me what you saw." Angela demanded, her eyes boring into the old man's wrinkled face.
"Princess! It were the red wizard, Guren!" The old man proclaimed, "I saw 'em at them there magic school! 'Im and another wizard, both usin' magic they were! Took down that there wall of ice like it were an ol' door. Come back t'save Altena, like ah knew e' would!"
Angela turned her head to one of the palace wizards who had begun rapidly sifting through her spell book as soon as the old man had mentioned someone using magic. The wizard closed her eyes and began muttering an incantation under her breath, and then... nothing happened. The wizard snapped the book shut hard and stamped her foot with frustration, casting an evil look in the old man's direction.
Even though it had disappointed her to uncover the old man's lie, Angela considered him again for a second. He seemed to genuinely believe that he had seen someone using magic, and she had heard something odd going on in the direction of the magic academy the night her mother passed away. Angela didn't want to get her hopes up, what if it was a lie, or a trick? Was seeing Guren again worth risking that kind of heartbreak?
Angela smirked to herself briefly, then held a serious expression together as best she could, a little glint of her customary love for mischief returning to her tired eyes. At first she began muttering under her breath in the same fashion the palace wizard had, but nobody around her could have known that she was chanting nonsense and not an actual incantation, she held a finger out toward the old man at arm's length and shouted with all the strength her lungs could muster; "FIREBA~LL!"
"My lady!" The General by her side exclaimed in horror, fully expecting the man to be suddenly consumed by fire.
The old man ducked for cover and cowered in the snow, absolutely convinced he was about to get incinerated... but of course... nothing happened. The guard Captain turned back angrily on the shaking old man and began ranting. "You see! If the Crimson Lotus were still ALIVE, where is he now? Why isn't the barrier back up? Don't you dare waste our QUEEN's time with your lies!"
A few of the remaining palace wizards began laughing at the old man getting lectured while cowering in the snow, convinced it was a fitting punishment for trying to mislead their fragile hopes, and that would be the end of his madness. But the old man popped his head out from behind his arms and looked up at the guard captain angrily.
"Ah ain't lyin' boy!" The old man spat angrily, and began waving his fist in the air. "Said they was goin' ta Wendel they did, heard 'em me'self! An' they'll come back an save Altena ah know it!"
"For the last time-!" The guard Captain's voice jumped up several octaves, but he was promptly cut off by Angela.
"I'm going back in." Angela stated, and before any of her attendants had a chance to object, she pulled on the reigns of her mount, making a half circle before promptly taking off toward the central square and the entrance to the magic academy.
By the time the General and her attendants had caught up to her. Angela was already off her mount and surveying the entrance to the old stone building. The ice had indeed been removed, and the academy's doors were splintered and broken, having been blown apart from the outside. Everyone stared in disbelief, there was no way one old man would have been capable of doing all this just to fabricate such a useless lie.
"General..." Angela started as the man joined her at the gateway, "I won't be staying in Elrand with you."
"Then... You're really going to go and look for him?" He asked, unsure at this point what the best course of action would be.
Angela shook her head, "It can't be him... I saw him... But I..." Angela bit on her lip hard in attempt to stop the tears that were welling in the corners of her eyes, only causing herself to bleed, and hugged the red travelling cloak tight around her body. "Once we are settled in Elrand, I... I have to go to Wendel."