A Legacy of Warriors

Ok, so, this is not Once Forgotten. But it is a part of the Realm. A couple of posts ago, I introduced Alexandra Elarya, one of the eldest Aldinairri left in the Realm during the events of Once Forgotten. This is her story: her beginning. As well as a history of how the War for Magyck began.
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"In the end, we were all that remained. The rest of the far western edge was all but destroyed. I am not sure how many of those remaining survived, if, indeed, any did. But that no longer matters; only Thyrin and I remain here, now. The rest of the Aldinairri set sail. They are now headed to Sanctuary. But I cannot go back there. Not now. Not after all that has happened. The Golden Age is long over. At least the Elders see that now. Yet, Thyrin is troubled. According to the Drax, war has broken out everywhere. I fear that all of this shall only lead to a greater tragedy. For that is the ultimate outcome of war. Sorrow. Pain. And death.

"It's hard to believe how much has changed. I do not regret my choice, though. I stand by it. Taking the Warrior's Oath was the wisest path to take. Thyrin has helped me see this. For ones so young in the eyes of our elders, both dragon and Aldinairr, we have been forced to open our eyes. In a sense, wisdom was forced upon us. As terrible as war is, it is sometimes a necessary evil. It's odd, really. It feels like an eon, yet all has happened so quickly. To think that all this could happen. All because I kept my Oath. All because I dared to save a life. Because I dared to bind my own life to that of a dragon's..."
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"Alexandra Elarya." A stern voiced called out. A young girl, who appeared to be no older than twelve, stepped forward and bowed before standing straight. The High Elder smiled down at her. "What is it you wish to be, child?"

The girl was silent for a long while. Finally, she raised her eyes to those of the Elders'. "I wish to be a Warrior." She said, her voice strong and clear.

The High Elder frowned as whispering broke out amongst the others. "Why do you make such a wish? As the daughter of a well-standing merchant, you are offered the chance of entering the Academy at Sanctuary. Such a thing is generally not available to just anyone. Perhaps, you haven't considered all your options fully."

"With all due respect, my mind is made up. i have pondered over my choices fully, not evading a single one." Alexandra raised her head high. "I wish to be a Warrior."

The High Elder nodded. "If that is truly what you wish, then it shall be granted."

~30 years later~

"Alexandra! Alexandra! Oh by the Eleven Above!" Alexandra jolted awake as she was drenched with cold water. She shivered and glared at her friend. Her friend,Jantril, merely chuckled and returned the pitcher to its place on the dresser. "Surely you haven't forgotten what today is?"

The Aldinairri threw her blanket off and leapt up. Muttering curses under her breath, she quickly dressed into her uniform (A tan tunic, leggings, and a pair of simple leather shoes). Without a word, she raced out of her room, her friend hurrying to keep up. After a few twists and turns, she stopped. Judging by the sun, she only had five minutes, but it would take ten to get down the stairs and outside. The training field was just below. She took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles. Jantril sighed. "Oh not again!"

Alexandra stepped onto the windowsill then leapt up and out. For a brief moment (approximately five seconds), she closed her eyes, allowing herself to completely enjoy the sensation, the freedom. She opened her eyes, twisted slightly, and landed lightly on her feet. In her exact place in the lineup. Her head instructor nodded to her, yet his face remained emotionless. A few of her peers gave her smiles for her performance, yet most kept their eyes forward, their backs straight.

"Today is an important day." Their instructor began. "Today is the where most of you will be taken under the tutelage of masters for advanced training. Now, most of you have been preparing for this day your whole life. While others," he glanced at Alexandra, "believe that training is not necessary." Alexandra clenched her teeth. She did train. She hated training with the others, so she had begun training at night. What no one knew, however, was the fact that a master had been helping her. She knew she was ready for this; it was time to convince everyone else. The head instructor continued. "Now, you all know what will happen today." It was then that a land glider landed in the field, its crystals still humming. "Everybody into the lg."

Alexandra sat down across from her friend. "How did you make it down?"

Jantril smiled and flicked a strand of her hair over her shoulder. "I slid down the banister on the spiral staircase then ran all out." Alexandra blinked. Out of the twenty in this group, Jantril was nu far the fastest. "I just can't wait to see you fight." She said, lowering her voice. "After all the hours of sleep you've given up, you're going to do wonders!"

"As if." A boy scoffed. "If anything, she'll fall asleep before she even gets the chance."

"Shut up, Nilus." Jantril said, glaring at him.

"Why should I? So she doesn't sleep? Pah! That just makes her perfect for the Night Guard."

One of their peers intervened."Save it for the Trial. The two of you are both in the same category. You're bound to fight one another at some point."

Nilus ' eyes widened. "You're training to be an Ultear?"

Alexandra scoffed. "Of course. It made the most sense. The perfect balance between a weapons mast and an archmage. The art of spell-weaving combined with the might and ferocity of advanced fighting techniques, ranging from hand to hand combat to the skill of wielding a good weapon. In fact, the Ultear class Warrior was inspired by the draigons." She smiled in satisfaction at the slight pale color of Nilus' face. In all truth, she had the perfect build for an Ultear. Her figure was slim, but not thin. She was not particularly well muscled, but she gave off an air of strength. Her chest was not overly developed, but neither could she be called flat. She certainly was no giant, but at six feet, she was well balanced. And with the look of determination in her eyes, Nilus had every reason to be worried. She smirked as she heard him whispering to the other candidates. There were currently only three available Ultear masters.

The lg came to a stop, shuddering slightly as it touched down. Jantril gave her friend a nervous smile before exiting the vehicle. Alexandra followed. Remembering her training, she took a slow breath and exhaled. Next, she began to mentally size up her oponents. Nilus tended to favor a blade, generally using the weapon to channel his magyck. Jara preferred an enchanted halberd, which had been made by her father, who was a master smith and spell-weaver. She generally used magyck to distract her oponents, while going in for the attack. Ardus was potentially the greatest challenge. Although he appeared to be a hand to hand fighter, his specialty was using magyck to create his own weapons by bending one of the elements. Not to mention that he was an expert unarmed fighter. Then there was Calin. calin was a tre definition of an Ultear. It didn't matter what weapon he used. When it came to magyck, he was a master at spell-weaving. what did matter was the level of his conviction. He often came off as more a philosopher and scholar than Ultear material. no. Ardus would definitely be her greatest challenge. And seeing as he was marked highest, she would have to beat everyone else twice before she'd be able to fight him.

The stands for the spectators were all packed, and many more still sat around the farthest edges of the field. Alexandra briefly wondered if that was a wise move.

She stiffened when a hand landed on her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to our match." She turned to Ardus. He chuckled at her confusion. "I'm not jesting. Nor am I mocking. out of all the candidates, you are the only one who will be able to give me a fight worthy of the Trial."

Alexandra frowned. "What makes you say that?"

He gestured at the other three. "None of them have the conviction necessary to win. You are the only one that I see as an equal." He smiled and headed for the lineup.

Alexandra followed. Her eyes were narrowed. She needed to focus now. Silently, she hoped she got Nilus' name first.

The High Elder stood and raised his hands. The spectators (which was made up of other races as well as Aldinairri) fell quiet. "Today, we gather in anticipation of the rising of a new generation. As you are all aware of, each year we hold a Trial to see who is worthy of furthering their training in the wars of the Warrior. The Trial consists of three tournaments. Would the candidates please form into their proper classes?"

Alexandra joined the other four candidates of the Ultear class. The res formed into two groups of ten: one for the Ulter class, weapon mastery; the other for Ultar, the archmage class. For several, this would be their second attempt. If they didn't pass this time, they would be sworn in as Soldiers, or would be transferred to the Academy at Sanctuary. For her, this would be her first and only attempt. She gad worked too hard to get where she was. Failure was not an option she could afford.

She half listened as the High Elder went into a small history of the Trial. How honor needed to be preserved, and how fortunate they were that peace had lasted for so many years.

"Yet even within this Golden Age, we must be ever vigilant. Our Warriors ensure that justice is sought. That mercy is bestowed. And the darkest evils punished." The High Elder finished. HE raised his hands again. "And now, let the Trial begin!" The spectators exploded into applause and cheers.

Alexandra took her seat in the candidate stands as the first pair entered into the fighting field. She watched disinterestedly; there would be ten matches, since it took two beatings for defeat. The longest matches would be the Ultar tournament, since archmages solely used magyck alone. Most would argue that the Ultear tournament would be, but Alexandra knew otherwise. With only three masters available, there were only three opportunities available. Which meant two would have to either wait, or go to Sanctuary. With stakes like this, achieving victory as quickly as possible was the logical choice. However, the opposite could be just as true. She frowned. She was confident she could beat the lesser three. Apparently, Ardus was too. No, he would be the true challenge. At that point, she would already be assured of an apprenticeship.

For most of the morning, the Ulter tournament went on, finishing two hours before midday. Alexandra could barely stand it. A sense of dread filled her; the Elders were all frowning and earnestly discussing something. Her confidence shattered when she saw Artel, the master who had helped her, approach them. The spectators all began to mumble amongst themselves. The crowd grew quiet as the High Elder stood and faced them. "Alexandra Elarya, come forth and stand before you're Elders."

With a face of stone, the Aldinairr stood. All eyes were upon her as she steadily walked to the Elders' stand. She stood before them, her head held high.

The High Elder sighed. Beside him, Artel looked at her in sorrow. The High Elder spoke, his voice somber. "Alexandra Elarya, you have been accused of gaining unfair advantage over your peers. What have you to say to this?"

'I wish to know my accuser." She replied, her voice devoid of all emotion. The High Elder motioned and a boy from the Ultar candidates stood. Alexandra lowered her head. "I withdraw." She said quietly.

"What?" The High Elder asked.

She raised her head and voice. "I withdraw from the Trial." The crowd and candidates gasped.

"You know the consequences of withdrawing. Do you really wish to forfeit all chance of joining the Ultear?" The Elder asked.

"I wish to keep my honor intact. The accusation is true. Master Artel met with me several times while I was training. Though she gave only vague instruction, the Elders would still find that as grounds for disqualification, and by law, I would be banned from the Trial. And as I have no wish to be sworn in as a simple minded Soldier, blindly following orders, I withdraw and request safe passage to Sanctuary." She answered.

The High Elder nodded, slightly shocked. Artel hung her head, her eyes downcast. The High Elder spoke. "The Elders shall respect your wish. Passage to Sanctuary shall be arranged for you as soon as possible. For now, you will be escorted back to the training facility."

Two Guards came forward and walked behind her. She walked steadily and with her head held high. To her surprise, her peers saluted as she walked past them, their right hands clenched in fists over their hearts. Her honor remained intact.