The Triangle
Here's your chapter folks! Well the first part. Enjoy
xxx
Gentle winds made the flowers and tall grass dance. Ripples scrolling the luscious hillside, shimmering in the fresh, fine morning. Brown boots trekked the dirt laden path directing travelers from the flora. A hood and scarf safeguarded the bespectacled traveler from the bumblebees being blown away by the winds. Reaching the peak of that hill, the traveler stopped. Glasses affixed to the nose's bridge, hazel-silver eyes basked in the glorious visage spanning before him. The quaint Dunwitty village, mills and windmills poking out from thickets of trees. And, of course, the most awe inspiring sight of all. The Castle of Enchancia. The symbol and heart of the Enchancian nation.
"At long last…" The figure marveled, feeling the weary weight of his travels shed from him. "The Kingdom of Enchancia." He dropped his bags for a respite. He wanted to take n as much of the splendor before he moved in for a closer look. "How I have waited to cross into your borders. To see the Royal Family, and become reacquainted with your Sorcerer Princess." He purred the last part.
An explosion from the direction of the palace halted his adulated soliloquy. Black smoke wafted from a tower window. "Uh-oh…"
xxx
Half the castle practically shook off its bearings. The climbing profuse smoke was seen by everyone in a one mile radius. Possibly farther. Constable Miles and Baileywick alerted Roland and Miranda they saw the smoke coming from Cedric's tower. A fire by how dark the smoke was. Miles and Baileywick hauled buckets of water, racing to save Cedric and that 10% of the castle. Roland and Miranda advised the servants to vacate the premises. The castle guard stood by on orders to prepare a fire brigade in the event the fire was growing.
The door to Cedric's workshop was just past the suits of armor. Roland lunged for the knob. The door suddenly burst open. A cloud of pungent smoke threw him and the others aback. Smoke snaking to their lungs threw them into coughing fits. The abundant smoke stacked to the ceiling, swirling as it searched for a means of escaped. More coughing heaved as Cedric and Lydia came tumbling, and falling flat to the floor. They were covered in soot.
"LYDIA!" Miranda dove, moving her to open air.
Cedric held his stomach. The smoke burned his lungs. "Here you go!" Miles helped him up.
"Come on!" Baileywick assisted getting him away from the door. Miles directed the standing by guard with a hand signal to quell whatever was feeding the smoke. The guards saluted, picked up the water, and charged.
"Are you two alright?!" Roland shifted checking on the choking pair. Wormwood and Eezeyal, fluffy soot clouds, wobbled dazedly. They dropped like bowling pins. The caking soot blew off in a huff. "What in the world happened?!" He panicked.
"Queen Miranda! King Roland-" Cedric's tirade was cut short by him coughing up smoky rings. One cough produced a butterfly. A curiosity of what would happen if he said who are you. "I have...never been more...appalled and infuriated in my entire life!" He roared in the middle of dry heaves.
"YOU'RE APPALLED?!" Lydia's voice croaked. Stitching prickled her lungs up to her throat, stifling her yelling. "I'm the one who should be appalled here!" A greenish-yellow hue coated her hand and she rubbed her stomach. She blew smoky mushrooms, freeing her lungs. "I can't believe the lengths you go to!"
"You went too far!" Cedric shifted the blame and attention on her. Icy blue mist sheathed his balling fist. "I never figured you the type for something so underhanded and imbecilic!" He put his lips his thumb and inhaled the mist by mouth and nose.
"YOU started it!" Lydia stamped her foot.
Cedric exhaled tainted, sparkling smoke exaggeratedly. "HARDLY!"
"I don't understand…" Roland itched his scalp, eyeing Cedric's tower perplexed. Wormwood and Eezeyal squared their wings and talons, stalking in circles to each other. Roland doesn't speak bird, but he's sure those screeches were insults. He picked them up by the scruff and held them apart while they clawed at the air. "How does being appalled lead to the explosion?"
"PRINCESS Lydia," And he used Princess so lightly it was thin air. More like a brute with a crown, "Threw my wand into a vat of acid sitting in the corner of my workshop!" Miles and Roland's jaws dropped.
"LYDIA!" Miranda shouted disappointed. Lydia showed no remorse for it either.
Baileywick twitched his glasses, "What are you doing with a vat of acid?" He asked fretfully.
"It's for a project I'm working on." He waved off nonchalantly. He stopped before they digressed from the issue, "Nevertheless! She ripped my wand from my hand and threw it in the acid!"
"ONLY," Lydia nipped the blame game in the bud before she was buried, "Because you dropped an anvil on mine!" She showed the busted, hanging by threads, stick. Baileywick put hands on his hips, leering harshly at the elder sorcerer.
"ON ACCIDENT!" Cedric threw his hands.
"MY FOOT!" She shot her knee up, shaking her foot, "THE ANVIL SMASHED THAT TOO, BY THE WAY!" Their foreheads collided. Lightning surged between their heated glares.
"As usual, that very foot is in your mouth!" He shoved.
"I should shove it where the sun don't shine!" She shoved back.
"Your two-bit, barely off ground talent is a good place!"
"THAT'S IT!" Lydia tackled him to the floor.
Kicking and thrashing, the screaming pair wrestled viciously, rolling and diving into full throttles. Wormwood and Eezeyal cheered them on. The aghast crowd pleading for them to stop was unable to catch them. Lydia yanked on his collar and hair, jabbing her elbow in him every chance she had. Cedric's palm clamped her face, bending her head awkwardly. His other hands wrestled with the one about to create a bald spot. Curses and profanities stunned Miranda and Baileywick. Made their cheeks flush deep, deep, deep red. Colorful vocabulary at it's finest. Miles and Roland ignored the foul language. The suits of armor falling and vases being knocked from place in Cedric and Lydia's tussle kept them busy. Wormwood and Eezeyal retreated to opposite sides of the room, not wanting to get drawn into the fray.
"ALRIGHT! BREAK IT UP!" Miranda furiously buried her hand in and pushed them apart by the faces. Lydia and Cedric wouldn't give up their clawing for one another's faces. Baileywick and Miles dragged Cedric by the biceps. Miranda and Roland pried Lydia, impeding her last ditch kick for Cedric's stomach. "THAT'S ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!"
"WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!" Roland bellowed.
"He's trying to sabotage me before my test!" Lydia rashly accused.
"YOU INSULT ME, MADAM!" Cedric frothed at the mouth. "I would never stoop so low!"
The Promotional Sorcery Evaluation - a name which explains the motive behind it's development. Literally a combination of multisyllabic words meaning Sorcery Test. The objective of the test - which is issued once the Sorcerer in Training, that's Lydia, completes all 20 of the lesson plans for her training period - is to establish whether or not the Sorcerer is ready to be promoted from Trainee to Novice. Trainee's are bound by a strict agenda of lessons, and are monitored and limited by their instructors - Ubos. Lydia's been free to use her magic as she pleases, but Ubos regulated how far she used her privileges. Example: days she chose - or was was force to - accomplish tasks by hand. There was always an underlying factor behind her choice. As a Novice, Lydia will be declared proficient in her sorcery and her skill accredited to start an all new level of training not limited by specific plans scripted in books or by Ubos. In shorter terms, the training wheels come off and she'll be allowed to experiment with her magic however she pleases. Ubos will be on standby to guide her if she decides to go awry. What can anyone say? There is no set course for Novice Level Sorcerers. It simply serves as a deciding factor whether she will be considered Apprentice Level.
The last week has been Underworld on Ice for Lydia. Excluding her run in with Rochelle - daughter to the King of Friezenburg that absolutely despises her - Lydia reviewed every spell, incantation, and or catchy, poetic, rhetorical verse that's ever left her lips. Ones she made up on the fly she ensured to jot down. She studied potions she undoubtedly stained the walls with trying to perfect, made notes by the concoctions she came up with on her own. Ubos and Eezeyal both hurtled quizzes at her. What spell is best used to oppose this spell? Name the element in mineral water. What is Baileywick's real age? She neglected that one. Baileywick is sensitive about his age. Ubos asked her to say her spells forwards and backwards. Eezeyal tested her on reflexes, and repetitively reminded her to work on keeping a cool head, always checking her bases and basics, and just remembering to relax when she feels her limit coming. Lydia played it smart and rested before her big moment. Smarter than when she dueled Cedric. Not the best thing to think about.
Now, about the wands. About...let's say...two days ago - possibly three - Lydia stumbled upon Cedric spying on Sofia while she practiced her gymnastics in the gymnasium. Physical was coming up and she wanted to be in prime condition. Cedric was pretending to spot and encourage her in another attempt to snatch her amulet. On her flips he was going to lift the Amulet right off her head. Lydia, walking by to clear her head, spotted him and her day was ruined. His flagrant wand waving missing the large jewel around her sister's neck. Instead the exercise equipment was floating halfway in the air he missed so much. Lydia threw a medicine ball at him, left him with a large knot on his head. Cedric retaliates a couple days later by dropping an anvil on her wand while it was out of her hands on the castle's front steps. She wanted to eat lunch on the front porch, and ends up with an anvil crushing her wand. She ambushed Cedric while he was experimenting and threw his wand into the acid vat. Very dumb idea. The components in the wand disagreed with the acid and KABOOM!
As easy as it would be to rat Cedric out and completely expose his grand scheme to take over the kingdom, Lydia bit her lip and let hers and Cedric's rivalry set the tone. The guards reemerging with a cauldron of charcoal - likely the acid - with a charred stick in the center aroused answered the source behind the smoke. The tone solicited rolling eyes and shaking heads. Mission accomplished. The guards went to the courtyard to properly dispose of the hazardous waste.
"Is this how the new generation of best friends behave?" Miles gestured cynically. He's getting too old to deal with childish antics and attacks.
"They say the best of friends are at each other's throats." Baileywick winced. Lydia and Cedric fixed their messy uniforms, huffing heatedly at one another. "Wonder what the saying is for magical rivals."
"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!" Cedric and Lydia roared. The statement hitched the two, making them exchange aghast stares. Red tint highlighted their cheeks and they shot away from each other.
"Very familiar words, Lydia." Laughter dissolved the agitation. Bodies twisted to find where it was coming from. "Always able to say them with a straight face." Baileywick found the person talking sauntering into the open hallway. He removed the black hood of his navy-violet scholar robes, letting long dark brown locks fall to his caped shoulders. Confused eyes prompted the mysterious masked man to pause before presumptions got ahead of him. "Please pardon my intrusion." He lowered the scarf to his neck, fixing his glasses. Lydia's body slumped in disbelief. Eezeyal hung upside down like a bat, gaping in absolute shock. "It is just the boorish sounds of an old friend's rantings excited me. I forgot my manners, Your Majesties." He bowed. The chain holding his embroidered robes at the waist jingled. The puffs of his baggy pants creased in his bow.
"Lezard?" Lydia spoke over Roland's rising question of the young man's presence. Lezard echoed ear to ear. A familiar name carrying a mystery with it. "Is that really you?" Her lips started to stretch to a smile.
The man - Lezard - chuckled charmingly, tilting his head at the shocked girl, "It's been a long time, Dia. I am pleased to see you are well."
Dia! There's only one person in the world who calls her that. She hated being called that in school. "LEZARD!" The jubilating shout pierced everyone's ears. Lydia darted and leapt into his arms. The pair laughed heartily. Lezard lifted her in a friendly spin, squeezing her in his surprisingly strong embrace. Cedric felt his head implode, and do a flip. Who...in...Virginia…? She's hugging...another human being...and laughing like a giddy school girl! She doesn't do that when she hugs him! Not that he cares! It's just...odd. "I can't believe you're actually here! I thought you were in Midria!"
"I was!" He laughed. Roland and Miranda perked mistrustful brows at the young man's arms around her waist. "Then I heard a certain friend of mine," The poke at her nose caused a spark in Cedric's head, "Became a princess and had to come see for myself."
"I'm so glad you're here!" A blush tinted her cheeks. Her hands moved to his chest on their own. "I've missed you." Cedric squeezed his eyes closed, growling like a dog.
Lezard cupped her flushed cheek. "I've missed you too."
"AHEM!" Roland and Cedric abrasively cleared their throats. Lezard and Lydia's bubble abruptly burst, bringing them to meet the suspicious gazes of the irked audience. "Care to explain, or do you plan to have us guess?" Roland aggressively orderer. A realization revealed their close knit embrace.
Lydia shrieked, turning bright red, shoving Lezard away from her. "NO-NO-NO! IT'S A MISUNDERSTANDING! WE'RE NOT-HE'S-I-DOOOH!" What was she trying to say again?
Lezard couldn't stand by and watch the spotlight cook her. Albeit, it was funnier than watching kittens play. "I must once again beg for your pardon, King Roland the Second. Queen Miranda." Lezard approached Miranda and Roland, kneeling before them with a bowed head. "My name is Lezard Hirsch. Graduate of The Academy of Sorcery and Mysticism of Hexley Hall, and one of Princess Lydia's closest friends."
Miles, Baileywick, and Cedric felt a bell ring. "Wait a minute!" The pieces fell in place for Roland. Lezard, Lezard, Lezard - he knew he knew that name. "You're THAT Lezard?" Lezard wasn't sure if he should be honored or nervous. Roland and Lezard glanced inquisitively at Lydia. Still red, she bobbed her head, motioning her hand. "Oh my goodness! Please rise, Sir!" Roland helped him to his feet. "I offer my apologies too! It's just your name has been spoken by both Lydia and her friend Adelea! High praise from both."
"For months we've been hearing about you." Miranda cupped his hands, shaking them. "We're happy to put a name with a face! Welcome to our home!"
"You honor me, Queen Miranda. Lydia has spoken highly of you as well." Lezard replied smoothly. "Although you are far more beautiful in person than in words." Miranda giggled bashfully, wrapping her arms to Roland's. Lydia rolled her eyes. Same Lezard. Flapping wings baffled Lezard. Eezeyal perched on Lydia's head, making him beam in awe. "By the frigid damsel! Is that who I think it is?"
"I don't know." Lydia flirtatiously countered, lending Eezeyal her wrist. "Who do you think he is?"
"He looks like the raggedy owl you nursed for the entire last year!" Lezard ran his palm down the small owl. "Hello, Eezeyal! My, do you look healthier than when I last saw you!" Eezeyal purred and snuggled against the hand. "Adelea may have showed you how to care for animals, but I'll wager tender, love, and care brought color to these feathers."
"Painful tender, love, and care." The two laughed. "Now that the ice is broken…" Lydia entered the loop, "Lezard, meet my mom - Miranda, and my dad - Roland." Though already introduced, the trio exchanged bows and hand shakes. "This is Constable Miles, our Captain of the Guard."
"Constable…"
"Mr. Hirsch." Miles saluted.
"Next to him is Baileywick, our most trusted Castle Steward." Lydia moved on.
"Please to meet you, Mr. Baileywick."
"Likewise, Mr. Hirsch."
"And here we have Cedric, the Royal Sorcerer. On his shoulder is his rat, Wormwood. " Lydia less than enthusiastically introduced them. "Don't let the sneers bother you. They always look like that!" She snarled. Cedric and Wormwood growled at her. She snorted dismissively.
"Master Cedric." Lezard extended a hand. Cedric folded his arms, sneering resentfully. Lezard curled his hand closed, sucking his lips with awkwardness.
"Please try not to be offended." Lydia scoffed bitterly. "He's the unimportant side character with a self-loving complex." Cedric scrunched his nose. Wormwood wanted to dig his talons into her flesh.
Cleared throats bring back to reality. Lydia introduces. Mystery solved about Lezard. Cedric unimpressed by boy. Lydia warns Lezard not to be offended. Cedric unimportant side character.
"No need to be modest for his sake, Lydia. I am sure he is merely assessing." Lezard dissuaded. He felt the breeze of her cold words. He crossed his hand to his heart. "Master Cedric, I must confess my deepest and fondest gratitude towards you."
"Oh? For what reason?" Cedric curtly interrogated.
Lezard interlocked his fingers with Lydia's, darkening her blush pink to cherry. "While she was pretty open, Lydia was a shutterbug in school." Everyone except Miranda continued to find that hard to believe. "I am glad she has friends here in the castle to open her portcullis wider."
"While I am flattered you think so highly of me," Cedric pinched and stretched Lydia's cheek, "This cheeky devil is better off being shut in!" He let her cheek snap into place.
"OW! YOU STUPID-" Her sore cheek throbbed. Cedric stuck his tongue out at her.
Lezard burst with laughter, holding his stomach."Oh yes! Adelea told me in her letters about how close you two are. She neglected to mention how adorable it is." Close? Adorable? Adelea will need to be thrown into a pit on her next visit. "Still," Lezard's hands to Lydia's hand and shoulder creased Cedric's brow, "Thank you for looking out for her. My worries seem to be unnecessary."
"Worries?" Baileywick questioned.
"Lezard was under the impression I would be ostracized by other royals and nobles." In a letter sent by Adelea not too long ago, she warned Lydia that Lezard was anxious about her wand to tiara ascendence in the Royal World. Lydia would reveal to him later about how right he was. "I always did like that look when I proved you wrong."
"When have you ever proven me wrong?" He does not recall a day like that.
"Want the list alphabetically or chronologically?"
"Whoa, whoa…!" Roland chuckled, halting an intellectual event. "Before you both get into that - Lydia, why don't you give Lezard a tour of the castle?" He proposed, opening his home to Lezard. "Sofia, James, and Amber might want to meet him.
"Yes, you mentioned your little sister Sofia a few times!" Lezard beamed. "James and Amber are your step-brother and sister?" If he read Adelea's letters correctly.
"You got it." Lydia swooped a hand to the hallway. "Would you like to meet them?"
Lezard offered her an elbow, "I would be delighted." Lydia hooked the elbow. "Your Majesties, Constable, Baileywick, Master Cedric - a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure has been ours." Roland assured him warmly. Cedric knit his brow, hissing to the wall. Lydia led Lezard to the living quarters.
Watching Lydia escort this young man, Cedric was unable able to quell the overwhelming urge to scream and tell Lezard to get out. Seeing those two laugh, hug, and chat about old times...he wanted to shower. Still, something in the way Lezard looks and touches her. It doesn't seem...right. Why does that bother me?
xxx
Eezeyal melted in the lap of Lydia's luxurious fingers scratching his chin, stomach, and a spot between his wings. Cradled in her arm, he mewled ecstatically. He was rolling on his back like Rex when he was going for a good itch on his back. Twisting to guide Lydia's fingers to a special spot. Lezard laughed at the tiny legs kicking the air.
"You've done an amazing job mending him." Lezard admired. "Last time I kept mistaking him for a rat with wings he was so matted."
"I had to use special products to help the feathers grow back. Special food to strengthen bone and muscles." She stroked the soft feathers. Solid muscles and thick owl bones brushed her fingertips. "between him biting me and the bandages I had to wear, it took the rest of the school year before he was fit as a fiddle."
"I remember those nurse visits." He tapped his neck, "You still have the scar where he bit your neck." Lydia lifted her hair and lowered the collar behind her neck. Nice lunar shaped scar at the nape. "Amazing..." Eezeyal groaned shamefully. Lezard and Lydia pet him, showing no hard feelings. "Seems like a lifetime ago. Who would have thought it would take a bird to make you spread your own wings."
"What can I say?" Lydia shrugged. "New faces make me nervous." She pursed her lips. Nervous was a kind term. Lezard recalls a certain chestnut haired girl - long hair at the time - blowing students to Bermuda whenever they bothered her. He won't regale on what she did to him.
"I'm glad you're not a Nervous Nettle anymore." Lydia ignored the name. That name brings on horrible memories. Lezard wrapped an arm to her shoulders, drawing her in close. "I...it saddened me when I couldn't see you smile. You have such a bright smile." Lydia cringed and buried her face in Eezeyal. It's too easy. Lezard mentally teased.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" KABOOM! The hallway quaked. A white mass whisked in a blur past the pair, splattering to adjacent wall. Lezard and Lydia will swear their lives flashed before their eyes. The windows were caked by a thick blob of goop. Amazingly enough, the wall and windows remained in tact. The goop lost substance and was sliding toward the floor. "BRILLIANT!" James cheered, racing to the blob with a burnt torch in his hand. "I can't believe it worked!" Amber and Sofia ran to him, marveling in the mess the servants were going to have to clean up.
"What the heck are you guys up to?" Lydia wheezed, breath taking a while to come back to her.
"It's science!" Sofia glistened. Lezard and Lydia cast dubious stares to the scientific smoking cannon. "That's part of the project." Eezeyal made a getaway before they prepped for round two.
"We're trying to come up with a new type of putty we can use in the school's upcoming war reenactment. And the science teachers wanted us to get creative." Amber explained, failing to hide her jubilation at the mess. "The fairies wanted us to use common household items, and whatever else we can find to make high impact, nondestructive materials." Amber handed Lydia the list of ingredients containing a separate list of cohesive items.
Lydia skimmed the confectioneries and adhesives used for the cannon. Whipped topping, Marshmallows, glue, plaster - sophisticated mixtures. "How much glue and confectioneries did you use?" The way it's slipping and leaving residue suggested they're using too much glue.
"For the test round...16 ounces." Sofia recalled off the top of her head.
"Use 10 ounces...and stick with marshmallows." Lydia suggested. The sweet smell made her crave S'mores. Might as well make war delicious.
"Good idea!" James jotted that down. "It'll be easier to remove, but should still be sticky!" Amber and Sofia nodded. Sounded good.
"Are things normally this...exciting around here?" Lezard inquired hopefully. This could be a place he can grow used to.
"No. Usually James is trying to catapult into the harbor." Lydia nonchalantly gestured to the harbor. There was a tower with a strategically placed catapult lined up with the harbor. Fencing barred the edges. Lezard paused to envision the small boy loading himself up and...ooh. The fear that he'd be shot too far or not far enough. How does she not have a heart attack?
"Next item on the list," James pointed the quill to Lezard, "Who's this guy and why are you holding his hand?"
Lydia shyly stole her hand back. Amber and Sofia grinned like mischievous cats, humming mockingly at her blush. Lydia went through this with the parents. Sort of. She's not rounding about with her younger sibs. "Guys," Lydia cleared her hoarse throat, "I'd like you to meet Lezard Hirsch." Candles lit above their heads. The three simultaneously pointed aghast at him, questioning if he is THAT Lezard. "Yes, yes, he's the Lezard I've been cryptic about!" Lezard wanted to pridefully fix his imaginary tie. He felt like a celebrity. Though the cryptic part was a wrench in his pride. "Lezard, this is Amber, James, and Sofia." The three nodded and waved at him.
"So you're the Sofia she made those rhinestones for." Lezard knelt. Sofia fiddled timidly with her fingers. Guilty as charged. "You know, whenever she messed up a spell she thought of you. A mantra to help her aspire to do better."
"She did?!" Sofia gasped.
"Not a day went by she didn't think about you. You helped her keep her head on straight." Lydia sputtered gruffly, begging him to stop talking while he was ahead. Before he lost his head. "Given the union was recent, I haven't heard much about the two of you." Amber and James can live with that. Hard to talk about two people barely in her life for a few months. "By the look of you both, I trust you're keeping her out of trouble."
"We try..." James playfully sighed.
"But trouble finds her anyway." Amber teased.
"Oh good. So you're up to speed on her." Lezard laughed.
"And now you've officially worn out your welcome!" Lydia hauled Lezard to his feet. James, Amber, and Sofia cackled at her expense. Lydia's hilarious when she's flustered. "Say goodbye to the nice kids, Lez!" She dragged him down the hallway.
"Goodbye nice kids! See you around!" He stumbled while waving.
"He seems nice." Amber announced.
"I like him." James shrugged. Sofia was indifferent. He seemed okay.
"And where are you leading me to next, Princess Lydia." He played with her title. It irritated her to no plausible end.
"Going to my room. I need to get a spare wand." She released his sleeve. He was harder to move than he looked. She'd think she was dragging a mule. "Cedric kinda broke mine and I need one before the proctors get here."
"proctors?"
"Oh! I haven't told you!" Lydia stopped suddenly, beaming elatedly as she jumped in place. "Today's the day of my Sorcery Test! I pass and I'll be ranked a Novice!"
"That's great, Dia!" Lezard exploded with glee. He wrapped her in an abrasive hug. "How are you feeling about it?! Are you nervous? As a Novice Rank myself, being nervous is the worst thing you can be."
"You're a Novice?!" Lydia heard nothing about this. How can he neglect to mention something like this?
"Yeah! I'm sorry I haven't told you yet." He reached inside his cloak, grasping at a figurehead item with three curved prongs closed to an emerald green orb. Lezard stroked the prongs and they snapped open. The orb glowed, and a staff extended from the base. "As a top graduate of The Academy, I was recommended for training as a combat sorcerer. Thus, when I passed my Sorcery Test," He handed Lydia the impressive staff. Her arms were astonished by how heavy it was, "I was gifted with a staff that supplements my powers. In other words, it gives me a power boost."
"Amazing…" Lydia graced the black, iron with a loving stroke. The three hexagonal rings scaling the staff added appeal all the way to the pointed butt. She gave it back before she ended up keeping it. "Hope I get something like that. I'd like to challenge you again." She bounced a daring brow.
"En garde." Lezard accepted.
xxx
Wand after wand was tossed in a corner. Cedric would pick a wand, study it, then throw it aside as worthless junk. Green, brown, white - he knows he has a purple wand somewhere. Wormwood watched the wands flip with an odd intrigue. They'd land perfectly inside the open drawer of his work station. He had pretty good aim for someone athletically inept.
"So that is the Lizard behind the stories." Cedric hissed in the midst of scouring for his favorite purple wand. "PFFT! He's not so impressive! Can't understand how such a plain looking boy bested Lydia!" Cedric assumed he might have used that silver tongue of his to rise through the ranks. He sure fooled the King and Queen. And everyone else. But not him. Cedric won't be fooled by the charm. It's just a face to make him look stupid in front of Lydia. After all, she's so easily manipulated by the charismatic and charming. How else did Cecily get her to stay while Queens Pamela and Irene visited.
"Adelea and Lydia both went into brief and vague detail about this boy. Vague to us, vivid to them." Laughing at incomplete jokes. Beginning conversations about fond memories, cutting them in half, and skipping to the end. The code speak of teenagrs never ceases to be more cryptic than Sanskrit."Hard to believe such a prim, proper, polite, and handsome boy is involved with the princess." Despite his previous rancor perceptions, he can admit to himself of the boy's better qualities. They sure leash Lydia's inner caveman to a wall. "Did you see the way she went from a boisterous brute to weak kneed sheep in front of him." She was a fawning, little sheep in the face of Prince Charming. Cedric slapped his knee laughing. "Who'd of thought THAT was the Princess's type? I always figured her for the...lover of older...more sophisticated men. Like me."
"AWW-WAAH!" Wormwood flapped hard, gawking at Cedric like he was a stranger.
"WELL...Not ME per say!" His lips ran dry. He was going to kick himself for that slip. "She just seems to eye the older looking men than boys like that!" She has a wonderful relationship with Constable Miles. The Knights love being around her. The book and her bird are drawn in. Older men seem to be drawn to her. Cedric finds her...moderately...tolerable.
"Anyway!" Cedric stopped himself before he said something he can't take back. "It amazes me he has a tolerance for her temper. I don't know how I've survived it for this long!" he's been punched in the nose...five times. Kicked in the knees. Wrestled to the floor. She's done everything except throw him out a window. No...yeah...maybe. He's been through so much with her he doesn't remember. Well today that's over. Now there's someone else to take her abuse. Cedric dropped to his knees, throwing his hands to the sky, "Thank you, Spirits, for sending this boy my way! He is a blessing in disguise!"
A blessing. That doesn't quite sound right. who knows. Lezard might be the answer to his prayers. "And...yet...I can't...help but feel uneasy around this boy. The way he talks about Lydia. " Lezard's suave, charismatic, and charming repartee. Fluid motions in his courtship of the royals, and the etiquette displayed. Seems as if he's done this before. "The way he...touches her..." He cringed at how closely he was holding her. That ridiculously exuberant hug. His hand seeming to never let go of hers. WHO DOES THAT? And she just let it happen too! "Anyone else and she'd be shooing them off! Yet here comes Prince Sorcerer Charming and VIOLA! She's knocked for a loop and putty in his hands."
Wormwood cawed irritably. He drummed feathers to his wings, locking a scowl at his flustered master. "What?" Wormwood picked up green beads and placed them at his eyes. Then he pointed at Cedric. "If you are saying my eyes are green, then take those beads and line your nest! I'm not jealous!" Wormwood snorted, not buying it. He knows better. "I'm not! I'm just uncomfortable around the handsy and touchy-feely! Let the boy have her!" He finally found the wand he was searching for, caressing it tenderly. "Not like I need her." He hoarsely groaned. Oddly, sadness gripped him when said that.
xxx
"Lezard Hirsch?" Ubos descended from the upper wing in Lydia's room, joining Eezeyal at the work desk.
"Old friend of Liddy's from school. He took first place while she was in second place." Eezeyal summarized his role.
"Yes, I know of him." Ubos recalled coming across his name in the school roster. Very talented by word of the teachers. "Lydia's academic rival and close confidant, aside from Adelea."
"That ain't all the boy is." Eezeyal drew an Ubos's curiosity. He wriggled a foxy brow, "Once upon a time, he and Liddy were two doves in love." Ubos gaped in awe. He shook his head in skepticism. He knows Lydia held the boy in high regard as a fellow students. But he never guessed she passed the barrier for companionship. "I was just as shocked when he asked for the 201st time and she said yes."
"201? Persistent boy, isn't he?" Ubos lost his breath. He's amazed Lydia tolerated that many attempts. "Doves in love...when did that end?"
"After graduation. Lydia was returning home because of the marriage, and Lezard went off to seek his own path." A classic tale of lovers parted by ambitions. It was a smooth breakup. Eezeyal tapped his talons to the desk pensively, fidgeting uncomfortably. He was debating between a smile and frown.
"Are you okay that he's back?" Eezeyal was caught off guard by the question. "I only ask because you seem uncertain with his presence."
"It's not that I'm not okay." That's far from it. "I'm just worried...should a fire be rekindled...Liddy's new life will force them to part again." He'll never forget how heartbroken she was when they broke their relationship off. "Lydia cried for days after the break up. Rumors of Royals marrying Royals fed her heartbreak."
"Roland would never do that to her." Ubos stated confidently. "If he proves good for her, I am sure he will allow their union." Might kill hers and Cedric's blossoming romance though.
"Yeah...I guess." Eezeyal was having a difficult time shaking his doubts. The Royals and Nobles of this new world were pretty set in their ways in throwing suitors at Lydia. Naturally, Roland is catching them and saving them in his arsenal. "I'm becoming an old fuddy the longer I stay with her."
"You just do not wish for her to be emotionally marred." Ubos summed. "I sympathize with you. I would break if Lydia's chance at love was stricken by prejudice and traditions." No one in Lydia's corner wanted that.
"This castle is simply amazing!" A male voice awed beyond the door. Ubos raced to the upper wing, peering between the rail bars. A friend of Lydia's he may be, Ubos isn't ready for too many people to be wise to him. Eezeyal picked at his molting feathers, pretending to be natural. Lezard and Lydia entered her room. "Oh my goodness..." He lost track as to how many times the rooms threw him back in wonder and amazement. It was like walking through a page in a fairytale. "Adelea did not exaggerate. This is truly a sky defying leap from where we last saw you."
"Trying being the receiver of a letter that your mom married King Roland." She's learned to build up four breaths for the three she loses just thinking about it. She snuck a glance to the hiding Ubos. He winked at her, approving of her friend. "Half the time I think I'll wake up and we'll be back in our shoe shop."
"If that happens, then I should check and make sure I'm not doing parlor tricks for money." He joked. Lydia snickered at him. He was good at pulling a rabbit from behind cards. A hat is too cliche. "Tell me about your test. Who will the proctor be?"
"I'm not sure. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather said they'd be participating." They told her the news last week while she was washing Minimus. They be part of the test in some way as she progresses. "But they haven't told me who will be the judge and jury of my test."
"So many oppositions before the test even has a chance to take off." Lezard rubbed the back of his neck. The stress was tying him new knots. Lydia was practically a pretzel. Lezard noticed she was doing that thing when she's nervous and excited. Pigeon toed knees rubbing together, nibbling on her lower lip, electrical sparks slithering her hair. "You know…" Lezard moved her and sat her on her trunk, "If you like - since I was allowed to - I could...you know...tag along. During your test."
"Really?!" Eezeyal and Ubos nodded approvingly. "You'd do that?"
"Why not? I mean…" He sat beside her, placing a hand on her bouncing knee. Another tick of hers. "You put up with my trek for academic success." More treacherous than any trip he's taken. "The least I can do is be by your side."
"Then I accept!" She hugged his arm. Lezard massaged a hand on her head. "If Adelea were here it'd be like old times!" She fluttered her feet.
"Maybe...once you are less buckled down…" Lezard trailed a hand down her cheek, cupping her gently by the chin, "We can reinvent more...intimate old times." The thumb tracing her lip sent her heart beating like a drum.
"M-Maybe…" She swallowed. Lezard closed his eyes and leaned in close. Lydia was stiff as a statue, trailing his movements. Eezeyal and Ubos turned bright red, ducking to the upper floor. They shamefully peered down at them in eager anticipation. Lezard's lips touched hers, his arms drawing her in by the waist. Lydia was swept away, her arms wrapping to his neck.
Knocks at the door jolted them apart. Steam exploded from their beet red ears. Roland was coughing mortified into a curled hand. "DAD!" Lydia screamed.
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, standing behind him, were giggling like schoolgirls. "Mistresses!" Lezard croaked.
"Hello Lezard!" Flora motherly greeted.
"You're looking well after all this time." Fauna praised.
"And, as usual, you don't waste time." Merryweather chortled.
Lezard and Lydia were sitting really close. "DUH-UM!" They rocketed to their feet, breaking into a cold sweat. "NO-NO-NO!" Lydia waved her hands frantically.
"THIS ISN'T-" Lezard pointed between them and the furniture.
"WE'RE...NOT-"
"BUT WE WERE AND-"
"I thought I mentioned-"
"I am beyond repentant!" Lezard dropped to his knees.
"Please don't be mad!" Lydia clapped pleading hands together.
"Calm down! Calm down!" Roland flapped his hands, fanning the flames of young love before it cooks him. "I am not upset! I'm just disappointed your proctors arrived and forced me to interrupt."
"My proctors?"
"As in plural?" Lezard lifted a brow.
"Who are they?"
"You'll have to come see for yourself!" Fauna teased. She and her sisters traipsed along, taking Roland with them before he decided to blow the surprise.
"I hate it when she does that." Lydia moaned.
"I'll take this over being caught like we were." Lezard threw his hands up. Lydia slumped defeatedly. She can't take anymore unwanted surprises.
xxx
Sofia, James, and Amber met up with Baileywick, Miranda, and Miles in the throne room. Two guests standing near the arranged thrones had them teeming with adulation. They wished Lydia and the others would walk a little faster so they can fawn over the celebrities. Bright orbs of light entered the throne room, materializing the three good fairies. They joined the two special guests near the thrones, visually addressing Roland as he walked in. Lydia and Lezard were on his coattails, followed by Cedric coming from an adjacent hallway.
"You two magic birds done reminiscing?" Cedric growled.
Thank goodness he didn't say love birds! Lydia breathed in relief mentally. "Jealousy is a very ugly color on you, CEE-DRIC!" She roared.
"I'VE TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Cedric collided foreheads with her.
"Maybe I would if you weren't such a right ass-" A snap of dark colored fingers and Lydia and Cedric's mouths vanished right off their faces. Amber shrieked, covering her own mouth. Cedric and Lydia pat at their faces, prying for their mouths to be returned. Disgruntled muffles suffocated their protests.
"If you two cannot speak civilly," Cedric's skin was sprayed by ice at the haughty, low rumble voice, "Then you may not speak at all during the remainder of the day." A man in dusty rose robes crossed his arms. Cedric growled sourly. Without looking he knew who was talking to him. Lezard was thrown to the stars by who was standing across from them. He's still hanging onto this being a dream.
"Now, now, Goodwin…" Goodwin? Lydia shot her head to the woman speaking. Her head exploded. A stout woman with abundantly curly hair kissed Goodwin's - Goodwin the Great's - hand. "Give Ceddy-kins and Princess Lydia their mouths back. I am sure they'll behave whilst we're here." The woman next to him. There's only one person she could be. She couldn't be! Lezard and Lydia denied. Evidence to the contrary does not exist here.
"As you wish, Winifred." Goodwin groaned. WINIFRED THE WISE?! Lezard and Lydia are standing in the presence of Goodwin the Great, and Winifred the Wise. Two of the greatest sorcerers of their time, and well respected and admired across the Kingdom. Goodwin gave Lydia and Cedric warning glares. One single snort and he takes their tongues in place of their mouths. Goodwin snapped and their mouths were back. Sweet air passed their lips. "I trust you both will not make my lovely wife a liar."
"NEVER!" Lydia squeaked. She was in the presence of gods.
"Father! Mother! What are you doing here?!" Cedric roared. He's in a sour mood. The last thing he needs are his hover wing parents throwing their nonsense into the mix.
"Father?! Mother?!" Lezard hoarsely gasped. Lydia motioned him closer with a finger. She whispered in his ear, making his eyes flare wide. "Him? No!"
"That's what I said. But it's true." Seeing them in person was blowing her mind. Goodwin and Winifred are celebrity gods in the realm of sorcery. The pure fact that Cedric - conspirator, traitor, and 360 creep - is a product of their procreation twisted that fantasy into a nightmare. It's like angels giving birth to a devil.
"Lezard Hirsch!" Winifred merrily beckoned him. "What a pleasant surprise to have Hexley's prized student here today." Lezard felt wings lift him off ground. He's known by Winifred the Wise. He might faint. "I trust you will be staying, my dear."
"Y-YE-YES! Yes...Master Winifred!" Lezard panted. It was getting hot in the throne room. "Of course! It would be an honor!"
"Good." Winifred wouldn't let him decline anyway.
"SAME QUESTION!" Cedric bellowed, cutting the merriment in half. "I'd like an answer RIGHT NOW! What are the two of you here for?!"
"They're here for Lydia, of course." Merryweather announced cheerily.
"They are?" Lezard piped up.
"Of course we are!" Goodwin guffawed. "We are her proctors for her test, after all!"
"NO WAY!" Lydia swooned.
"You can't be serious!" Cedric huffed, slapping a palm to his face. Of all the rotten luck.
"You two? For me? I'm...I'm honored! Truly!" She curtsied to them both. Lezard offered a bow too. "And it's a true pleasure to meet both of you. I can't believe two amazing people like you gave birth to...this." She cringed at Cedric. He stuck his tongue out at her.
"The pleasure is ours, Dear." Goodwin cupped one of her hands lovingly.
"And you dislike him now," Winifred acknowledged, "But I know for a fact that you both are a fierce team when your differences are cast aside." Cedric and Lydia inhaled, and gave no comment. They will only bury themselves.
"Alright then!" Roland clapped and shuffled his hands. "Shall we get down to business?" He proposed to Miranda and the crowd. Bobbing heads urged them to move on. Cedric and Lydia's arguments grow more awkward each attack. "Today is a special day here in our home! Today our own Princess, Lydia, will be taking a test matriculate toward her goal of becoming a Royal Sorceress! The Headmistresses of Royal Prep," The fairies waved, "Goodwin the Great, and Winifred the Wise shall be her Examiners." An applause praised the bashful sorcerers and fairies. "I will now pass the spotlight onto Masters Goodwin and Winifred." Roland stepped to Miranda.
"Thank you, King Roland." Goodwin pat him on the back. "And it is wonderful to see you again, my boy."
"You as well."
"Princess Lydia! Please come forth!" Lydia approached to the foot of the steps, extending her left foot another step. "This is one of many important junctures you will meet on your path to becoming a Royal Sorcerer. Do you know what the responsibilities of a Royal Sorcerer are?"
"To serve at the behest of a Royal Family. Help safeguard the kingdom and the people within it." She stated confidently. Mostly an assumption. Cedric isn't the greatest of examples.
"Yes. And," Goodwin threw up a finger. And? "A Royal Sorcerer must be the wisdom in the brashness. Lend the King or Queen their ear when they are at a loss." He bent toward her, wanting her to heed his word carefully, "And they must also exemplify steadfast loyalty. Even when the palace walls begin to crumble around them, the kingdom should become the priority." He shot a glare to Cedric who glanced away. "Do you understand?"
"I do, Master Goodwin." Lydia crossed a fist to her heart.
"Good. Then we can begin your debriefing." He gestured to Fauna and Flora. Using their wands, the two fairies traced a box in midair. A quick tap and a map of a foreboding mountain appeared. "Your test will take place at Mistbow Mountain."
"Mistbow Mountain?!" Miranda clenched her heart. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Royal Sorcerers are often sent on a number of dangerous to mild ventures for their kingdoms." Winifred elucidated in a caring tone, understanding Miranda apprehension. "It is in those terrains a sorcerer's resourcefulness, adaptation, and creativity are tested to their limit."
"Indeed." Goodwin concurred with his wife. "Now Princess, once at the base of the mountain," Merryweather touched to the Crystal Forest entrance, "Your goal is to reach the peak of mountain." Merryweather traced a squiggly line to the peak, marking it with a star. "Throughout your hike, Winifred, The Fairies, and I will be creating tasks in which you must complete in order to proceed. A rock wall, bottomless pits, tickling vines - you name." Lydia will drop out now if the vines start tickling her. "Complete all the tasks, reach the peak," Merryweather conjured a stout version of Lydia at the peak, "And you shall be promoted to the rank of Novice." Lydia could hardly wait to get started. "Also," Goodwin reached inside his hat. A turquoise studded G-Clef brooch dazzled the eyes. James and Sofia restrained Amber before she sank her talons into it, "You will be rewarded with the Fantasia Brooch." The brooch shimmered.
"What is that, Master Goodwin?" Miles inquired.
"A byproduct of Grand Master Yensid. Even I am unsure of its true potential." Already Lezard, Lydia, and Cedric were drooling. "However, when he created it, he decreed that who should ever possess it will be bestowed the wisdom and guidance of sorcerer's past."
"Meaning…" Cedric tapped his chin thoughtfully, squishing Lydia by the cheeks, "This girl here...could become as wise as Merlin? Or Yensid himself?"
"Perhaps not just them." Winifred hypothesized. "Sorcery is a relative term. Who knows what knowledge lies within it?"
"I can't possibly accept something like that!" Lydia modestly declined, stepping back. "Something that powerful with me? Wouldn't Lezard have been a better choice?" Lezard subconsciously twisted his expression grimly. He agreed with her.
"When Yensid created the brooch, and it was handed down to me," Goodwin walked to Lydia, holding the brooch so she can see and feel the energy emanating from the jewel, "He said that sorcerer in possession would know who to choose to be the successor." Goodwin rested a hand to Lydia, "And I know in my heart that that sorcerer is to be you."
"But...how could you-"
"Call it instinct. And the fact that your teacher has spoken highly of you." Ubos? Coincidentally, Ubos was monitoring the assemblage from the rafters with Eezeyal. "I have no doubt in his judgement, nor mine. You, my dear," He tapped her headband, sparking jolts through her body, "Are far more worthy than anyone in this room." Lydia was stricken by shock. Does he know? Did Ubos tell him? "Back to business!" Goodwin hid the brooch. "While this test is for Princess Lydia, she will be allowed to take two partners up the mountain with her." Sofia, Cedric, and others lit up, muttering animatedly. "These partners will merely be supporting roles. Surveying her progress, and consulting on her methods of progression. They may not help her unless her health is at serious risk. Failure to follow these rules will result in her immediate disqualification." That's final. Sofia, Amber, James, Roland, and Miranda were out. As her family, they wouldn't be able to help helping her. Baileywick and Miles' job description is to serve the Royal family. Habits will impede.
"I volunteer." Cedric gawked in dismay. Lezard stepped forth. "It was my fond hope to accompany Lydia as we had done while in school." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Roland and the Fairies blushed when thinking about their intrusion. "If it pleases you, I'd like to join her." Cedric grinded his teeth, growling rabidly
"Very well. Anyone else?"
"ME!" Astounded gazes shot to Cedric when he approached. Wormwood was equally shocked and horrified by his volunteering. Goodwin and Winifred as well. Sort of. "I too shall monitor the Princess. As an impartial side character," He threw her words in her face, "I will be present to remind Sir Lezard of his advisory role."
"Agreed." Winifred spoke for Goodwin. Lydia marveled at him. She was touched he wanted to come along. In spite of his rude sneer. "Princess Lydia, do you accept their aid?"
"Yes ma'am." She replied happily. She wouldn't have anyone else watching her back. In the back of her mind, though, she'll be watching her back when Cedric's behind it.
"Then we are set." Winifred declared. Cedric, Lezard, and Lydia. Three powerful sorcerers about to traverse a rumor to be dangerous mountain. James waited for a dragon and princess to be thrown in the mix. "There is no time limit. You may take as long as you like. We'd rather you pace yourself and be careful than rush and get hurt." Roland and Miranda appreciated that. "That does not mean take a week to yourselves in the mountains. We are busy in our spare time." Laughter rumbled the throne room. A lovely sound in the stress. Lydia released a pent up breath. Sofia, Amber, and Miranda hugged Lydia to release the pressure on her shoulders. Cedric and Lezard received pats and thumbs up from Roland and the others. Winifred observed and was confident she was ready.
"Princess Lydia," Goodwin raised a palm to her. Silence engulfed the room, "As you well know, being a sorcerer is about more than you skills at waving a wand, or how fluent and swiftly you can utter a chant." Lydia understood the summary. Ubos has gone over the topic multiple times. "This test will do more than assess your knowledge of magic." Goodwin's ominous tone frightened James, Sofia, and Amber. "The trials before you will test your adaptation to precarious situations. Push your stamina beyond its brink. Demand the utmost mental discipline. You WILL face challenges in which your magic will be useless." Circumstances Lydia has faced a few times before. The pressure, however, wasn't as apparent as it is now. A lot in store for her future was riding on her shoulders. Being weighed down by the two ton anvil of the unexpected that is to come. "Should you fail this test, not only will you not ascend to the rank of novice, but you will also be confined to remedial classes and not be permitted to retake the test for another year." Baileywick and Miles exhaled taken aback. Those are steep terms for this test. "Do you accept these terms?"
"I do, Master Goodwin!" She held her wand in both hand, twisting it stressfully. "I'm ready for whatever Mistbow Mountain has to throw at me." Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather expected no less of a response from their Sorceress Princess."
"Very good." Goodwin bobbed his head firmly, proud of her conviction. "Lezard Hirsch! Cedric the Sorcerer!" The two snapped to attention. "Remember, your roles are to evaluate her progress, and to signal us should she be gravely injured or stopping for a rest."
"Yes sir." Lezard understood.
"Yes father."
"Are you three ready?" Goodwin enticed their anxiety.
"YES SIR!" All three announced.
"Then it is settled! Gather what necessities you think you will need and head to Mistbow Mountain!" Goodwin encouraged the fire in Lydia's belly. "Let the Sorcery Test..." He swirled his wand. Cedric cast a disdainful sneer to Lezard, prompting a smug smirk in retaliation, "BEGIN!" He thrust up and a flared exploded.
To be continued!