Once Forgotten 1.2

Kurel sat before her mirror, brushing her hair before bed. As she brushed, she allowed herself to relax, brushing all of the worries of the day and her Queenship aside. Her attendants were busy tidying the room, gathering her laundry for washing. A couple of others were readying the bed, making sure that their queen slept in comfort.

"Milady, if you require nothing else, we shall depart now." Her head attendant said, giving a deep curtsy.

Kurel gave her a weary smile. "That will be all, thank you Mida." The attendants curtsied, then left. She stood to her feet and stepped out onto the balcony outside her quarters. She gazed lovingly over her city and her queendom. A queendom with no queen. A faint blush crept to her cheeks; by the way her relationship with Roylen was going, she would have her king soon enough. By tradition, she was forced to marry a noble, as she was the firstborn and heir to the throne. Which left any siblings free to marry whomever they wished.

Unwillingly, her thoughts traveled back into the past. Before any worries of nations, back to when she was a little girl, free to play with her sister and friends. Her thoughts settled on a particular boy, and an old sorry fell upon her. 'Oh, Brint. What has become of you?'
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Kadrin paced about the small room he had acquired. He was not exactly a legal guest, but he knew that even if he were discovered, he would be left alone. 'Sometimes, I truly wonder about what I have gotten myself into.'

He continued his pacing, pondering over what he had learned from his former Master. Gartrand may have been old, but it was thanks to him that he now stood where he did. A bitter smile crossed his lips beneath his mask. He required very little sleep now, thanks to all that he had learned. After leaving Gartrand, he had set off across the lands, seeking out magycks long since passed from living memory. Finally making up his mind, he settled onto the bed to get what sleep he needed.

He awoke before the sun, and not wishing to be discovered by the general public (the lovers he interrupted the night before were sure to keep silent), he slipped back the window and onto the roofs. He gazed about him. He took in the smells with a wild joy. This was it. This was one of the reasons he chose his particular lot in life. Freedom. Freedom to go where he wished, to only be seen if he wished. He could walk along side a dragon and it would never know he was there. He had even done so a few times. The majorities feared him. They saw him as some evil, rogue wizard, all bent on meaningless destruction. A few supported this theory to the point of trying to "follow in his footsteps". These groups were quickly put down. However, there was one group that was slowly growing more popular. This group was dedicated to his true cause, though whatever it was was beyond him.

They called themselves "Freedomists". They did not seek anarchy, or destruction, or even death. They had realized a threat, and were now dedicated to its destruction alone. And to think this movement all caused by the actions of a boy...

He shook his head. The bells of the Temple chimed, signaling the coming of a new day. He turned his face to the city center. The Palace of Threden stood majestic and proud, yet it was now run by it's humblest of rulers. He mentally braced himself and sped off towards it, not a sound made by his feet. Leaping into the air, he grab hold of a flag pole and used it as a lever to propel himself up onto one of the higher levels of the Palace. Clinging to the parapet, he pulled himself up enough to look around. Seeing and sensing no guards, he pulled himself up the rest of the way, only to come face to face with a girl in her late teens. She leaned against a column, looking as though she had been both expecting and waiting for him. Her light blue hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her violet eyes surveyed him with mild and guarded interest.

Though he was genuinely surprised, he refused to show it. The mask may have hid facial expressions, but body language was still visible. "And to what do I owe the honor of standing before royalty?" He asked with a bow.

She raised an eyebrow. "And how is it that you know I am royalty?"

"The way you hold yourself, the color of your hair, the elegant ribbon (silk?) with which you hold it back, and the very fact that you yourself just told me when you tried to evade the question." Kadrin answered.

"I was evading the question? And how would you know that?" She asked.

"It is obvious, when one wishes to evade or prolong an answer, whichever you prefer to call it, then the answer to the question in question has quite obviously been answered. By which I mean, of course, that it really is quite pointless to try to evade an issue unless you are good at it." He answered her.

She frowned. "Then if I am royalty, what does that make you? Are you a thief? You evaded the front gate. What is it that you fear? It is not the Queen: she poses no threat to you. Couldn't be the guards: you would toss them about like pebbles. So that only leaves one option, now doesn't it. You don't wish the Guild to know that you are here. Kadrin."

"Kadrin? Now that's an accusation. A true accusation, but an accusation none the less. So, don't you fear me? No, not by your demeanor. You are wary of me, as you should be, but you do not fear me. So tell me, what does the Princess of Salcar fear?" Kadrin asked.

"Power." she answered.

Kadrin cocked his head. "Power? What is there to fear in power? With power comes great strength. Why, if you had enough of it, you could bring a nation to its knees, crush an empire, destroy mountains. Why fear it?"

Sariel shrugged her shoulders. "What good would it be if you can't control it?"

Kadrin let out a quiet laugh. "Smart girl. Control; something which you lack. Oh, don't be so surprised. I can sense it: you are strong indeed. But you lack the control you need to use it. You wish to do so much good, to use that strength to help, yet you can't because you have no control."

She raised her chin proudly. "Master Kadic has been giving me private lessons to help me achieve it."

"But what Kadic doesn't realize is the true extent of your powers. Magyck runs deep in your bloodline." Kadrin stated. She frowned.

"What do you mean? Magic is somewhat of a common thing."

Kadrin grunted. "What the common folk call 'magic' is nothing more than mucking about in a shallow pool of mud. They find small nuggets and are overjoyed while the few who dare to go out to the deep clear waters of the ocean find mountains of treasure."

"Then what is magic?" Sariel asked again.

"Ha ha! Magyck, true magyck, is the way in which things truly are. It's more than knowing of power and how to use; it's understanding the power itself. There are secrets in this world that have long faded from even Kadic's memory, which is extensive. In fact, I truly wonder if there even is one who knows as much as I. No, correction. There is one, and only one, other." He answered.

"Who?" The girl asked him. He turned away.

"One who seeks to end your sister's throne."

"What is the meaning of this?!" A harsh voice asked. Kadrin slowly turned to face the newcomers.

"Ah, Master Candar, how kind of you to greet me. Masters Kadic, Vlahn, Calrin, and Gernon, you look as young as ever." Kadrin gave a bow. Candar flustered himself, almost raising a hand, but Vlahn caught and held his hand.

"Now, now, we wish to keep hostilities out of this." She said soothingly. She turned to him. "What business have you?"

"What business indeed. If I said I wished to end all things, would you really be surprised? Hardly. But if I said that I have come searching for someone, then perhaps will you be slightly surprised?" Kadrin mocked.

"Who could be possibly searching for? There is no one here! No one who will embrace you!" Gernon stated.

"Ah, now that is rather interesting. Have I ever asked to be embraced? No. I would never ask that of everyone, for I do not deserve it." Came his reply. The Masters were taken aback.

"For whom have you come?" Calrin asked again.

"For the one who called me. Truth be told, I had no wish to come, but as you should know, some beacons are hard to ignore." Kadrin said calmly.

Candar snarled. "Call you? Why the hell would any of us call you? We will only call you when we decide to put an end to you!"

"Put an end to me? You flatter me, Candar. And tut-tut. You act as though you had any power with which to call me with. Your little parlor tricks shine like a candle in a windy room. You flicker; more a nuisance than a source of light." Candar rushed at him, but Kadrin flicked a hand and suspended him in the air. He hung there, completely immobilized. "As I said, more a nuisance than anything else."

Vlahn's face paled. "Please, we don't wish any blood be shed here."

Kadrin relaxed somewhat, but still held Candar suspended. "Which is exactly why I am keeping him up there. As long as he remains there, I will not be forced to kill him." He looked the master in the eye. "Listen up, you! I did not come here to kill you. That would undo much of what I have worked so hard to achieve. I merely am here because I was called here. At first, I thought it was an old friend, but I was wrong. Someone else called to me."

Kadic stepped forward. "Lord Kadrin, I have but one thing to ask of you."

Kadrin turned to him. "Very well. What is it?"

"Train the girl." He said. Kadrin, completely off guard, dropped Candar, who landed with a dull thud. Vlahn was instantly at his side, helping him.

"What?!" Kadrin, Calrin, and Gernon exclaimed. Kadrin looked between Sariel and Kadic. "You actually are asking me to train her?"

Kadic nodded. "She is truly gifted. Magyck, pure magyck, runs through her veins as much as it does yours. You always exhibited such control...I ask that you train and teach her since I cannot. I have tried, tried so many times, put in so much effort, but nothing I know can help her. Her power is just too..."

"It is wild. Untamed. It is perfect." Kadrin said. Sariel stood in the open, having moved out of Candar's way. Kadrin circled around her, as though he were inspecting her. He tilted her chin up. "Yes, quite perfect indeed." He murmured. He released her and turned away from them. He turned back to the Princess. "How far are you willing to go?"

"Sir?" Sariel asked, puzzled.

"I said, how far are you willing to go?" Kadrin asked again. "My training is not for the faint of heart, as they say. The point is, are you will to go so far that you will lose your past. That you will give up who you think you are to truly be who you really are? I tell you now: train under me, and I will not be your friend. I will be your Master, pushing you harder than anyone else, pushing you beyond the limitations you have placed on yourself. Pushing you so far that all you can do is shove back. So I ask you, how far are you willing to go?"

Sariel was silent for a long while. Finally, she looked up at him. "As far as it takes."

They could hear the smile in his voice. "Then you shall go far indeed." He turned back to Kadic. "She is headstrong, stubborn, yet a sponge. I will train her as you have asked. Would it be possible to gain an audience with her Majesty, the Queen?"

Kadic nodded. "Yes, of course. She has already declared the Palace open to you."

"Very well. Then I shall return at noon, when the sun is directly over the throne room." With that, he turned and leaped off the battlements.