Walking through the white stone hallway in the castle, the court magician sighs to himself. “Princess Alicia is fond of sleeping in.” He barely pays to mind any of the plants resting in front of the multiple windows along the wall. His mind was preoccupied coming up with something appropriate to reprimand the Princess with to care about the flowers stretching themselves towards the morning sunlight.
Arriving at the large wooden door, he knocks firmly on it. “Princess, your brother, King Aaron, has summoned you to him.” After waiting a few seconds he continues. “It is extremely important for you to wake up and go to him.” A longer pause, and he opens the door.
He looks into the room, and finds nothing on the large bed. Quickly entering, he checks the bed, and finds it perfectly made, as if she had not rested here the night before. As he looks around the room, he doesn’t see any trace that she had even entered the room last night. He closes his eyes and fights the anxiety coming over him.
Placing a hand on the bed, he chants a quick spell. “Sheets and linen can not hide, so show me what I wish to find.” Using the sheets as a guide, he sees time pass in reverse, until he sees Alicia resting on them. He opens his eyes. “She had not been here since yesterday morning.” Going to the door, he does another chant, and finds that she had not returned to her room since then.
Gritting his teeth, he rushes quickly to the castle guards. The two guards see the Court Magician, with his flowing blue cape behind his red and white robe. “My Lord Price, what is it?” The guards bow their armored heads in respect. “When was the last time Princess Alicia was seen?” The guards look at each other. “She had left the castle around midday yesterday, but returned about an hour after that.”
“You’re sure she has not left the castle grounds since then?” They nod. “She had not passed through here, milord. The guards last night would have seen it.” Price nods absently. “Very well then. Until further notice, do not allow anyone to leave the grounds for any reason.” The guards bow their heads. “As you wish, milord.”
With that, Price leaves the guarded castle entrance and heads to the Throne Room. The Magician’s mind runs rampant as he attempts to figure out any possible way the young Princess may have managed to leave the castle without anyone knowing about it. The servants in front of the doors to the Throne Room see him coming, and open the doors for him.
King Aaron looks as Price enters the room. A slight smile appears on the king’s lips at seeing him return without the Princess. “Were you unable to wake her up? You always were too nice to her.” The doors close behind the magician. Price looks at his king and shakes his head. “No, my lord. It is impossible to wake up one that is not there.”
The king stands up from his throne. “What? She was not there?” The magician shakes his head. “No. I had cast spells on the sheets and doors, and it revealed that she had not returned to her room since she was woken up yesterday.” The king’s brow furrows. “Where could she have gone? Summon the guards to ask if they know.” “I have asked the guards at the gate, and they had not seen her since she left and returned yesterday around midday.”
Aaron looks at his magician with cold blue eyes. “To what errand did she leave yesterday?” Price flinches inward at the piercing gaze. “That I know not. I shall inquire about it immediately, with your leave, of course.” The king nods and waves for him to leave. Price bows and turns to leave the room. “Let me know what you find as soon as you do. I will hand out punishments if it is deemed necessary.” Without giving a reply, Price exits the room.
He goes to the guards at the gate, but finds no useful information. Trained to obey the wishes of royalty, they hadn’t asked what the Princess intended to do. Though it helps to have that unquestioning loyalty for the defense of the royal family, in manners of finding out what the members of the family have been doing, it proves to be very vexing.
Soon after questioning all of the guards in the castle, a peasant runs to the castle gates. The elderly man was out of breath and had to place a hand on the wall to stand up. After regaining his breath, he informs the guards that he found a body behind his house, and it looked like the Princess Alicia.
Additional guards are brought out to investigate the finding. Word is sent to the King and Court Magician, and Price leaves the castle running. The guards arrive to the old man’s house and go to the back. Indeed, the body of Alicia is found there. Her white gown was soiled and torn. Mud stuck to her golden hair and pale face.
Dumbfounded, the guards just stare at the princess. Price pushes the armored guards to see, and stops in his tracks upon seeing her. Crying out, he collapses to the ground, and crawls to the princess’ side. “Wake up, please wake up Alicia.” He gently rocks her, though he knew from looking at her she was all ready dead.
Tears running from his eyes, he looks away from the body. He removes his cloak and places it over the princess’ form. “Carry her back to the castle and inform the King.” The six guards do as they are commanded, and carefully bring their beloved princess back to the castle. Price tarries, finding walking too hard to do. His legs refuse to move from the back of the house, staying in the shade of the building.
The old man leaves, his own eyes full of tears at having it confirmed that the princess was indeed dead. The magician eventually finds the strength to stand up and leave the dreadful place. “Nothing good comes from the shadows.” With a mixture of pain and anxiety, he walks towards the castle, oblivious to the mass of people that had began to crowd together upon the news. Their murmuring went to deaf ears.
A slight tugging on his shirt drew Price out of his daze. He looks to see a young boy holding his shirt in his small hand. “Is the Princess dead?” Price blinks and forces a smile on his face. He places a hand on the lad’s head. “No, she’ll be fine with some rest and care. Don’t worry.” The boy nods and runs back to his mother a few feet away.
Price begins moving quicker, so as not to have to lie and raise false hopes to the townspeople again. It will be found out in time, but I won’t admit it to others until I have tried everything I can. With a thought, when he arrives at the castle gates, he tells a guard to make sure the old man does not talk about what had happened there. If he did, retribution would have to follow. An old man that is of no use won’t be missed anyways.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Chapter 2
A month passes, and Price has followed every possible lead. All of them revealed nothing. He tore his room apart, searching for a spell that could reveal who had killed the princess. His face became gaunt, his eyes sullen and bloodshot. He had searched for a week at a time straight, not stopping for food or rest. The fatigue would catch up with him, and he would spend two days recuperating before continuing this cycle.
The month passes, and the moon is once again full. Price is at his wit’s end, when word reaches him of a powerful sorcerer that had recently entered the kingdom. Seeing a chance to finally solve the mystery, Price seeks him out. He follows leads that the sorcerer is in a cave out in desert. Upon reaching the cave, he finds an old man lying down, with a long gray beard and dressed in rags. The filth of the man makes Price question if he had found the sorcerer, and not some old poor wretch peasant. The old man’s eyes open, and a faint smile comes to his lips.
“Hail, Price, Court Magician of this land. I know quite well what it is you seek. And I mean not myself, but the one that has murdered the Princess. I have heard of your toils to uncover the killer.” Price looks at the man unfazed, knowing that word had spread of his almost possessed behavior. “And what, pray tell, would you know of the murder?” The man grins, revealing what few teeth remained in his mouth. “I personally know nothing. But there are spells that would reveal it.”
Price’s heart beats faster, thought he forces himself to remain calm. “And you just so happen to know the spell for it?” The old man nods. “Of course. Although, it will have a price.” Price laughs. “Of course, since who would assume that a poor beggar would just give something away, correct?”
The old man gets up from lying down. His eyes burn with inner rage. “The price I speak of is not monetary, you stupid, ignoble fool. I am too old to care about the fashionable splendors of this world, unlike you with your rich robes and high priced fabrics. I wear these rags because my focus is on others, not making myself look more like a pompous ass.” Price glares at the man, wanting to speak, but knowing he needed what the man had.
The old man breathes in and out, before lying back down on the ground. “The price I speak of can not be measured in jewels or precious metal, but from within. To learn of the past, something from the future must be taken. The cost to you is of age, to die sooner than you naturally would have.” Price scoffs. “So that you may live longer, no doubt.” The old man shakes his head, growing tired of these accusations. “It was never said that the life force would go to me, you quick mouthed but dull witted fool. No one will force you to accept, but there is no other way to learn what has happened. I am far too old to do so. I would likely die before even finding out, much less telling you what had befell your princess.”
Price sighs and nods. “Very well, old man. I accept the cost.” The old man nods and sits up. “I must warn you, though, that you must not interfere with the past. It can unsettle everything that exists now.” His eyes close, and his hands intertwine. His voice lowers in pitch and volume, not letting the young magician learn the spell for himself. A white light surrounds Price and blinds him as he stumbles backwards to the ground.
The month passes, and the moon is once again full. Price is at his wit’s end, when word reaches him of a powerful sorcerer that had recently entered the kingdom. Seeing a chance to finally solve the mystery, Price seeks him out. He follows leads that the sorcerer is in a cave out in desert. Upon reaching the cave, he finds an old man lying down, with a long gray beard and dressed in rags. The filth of the man makes Price question if he had found the sorcerer, and not some old poor wretch peasant. The old man’s eyes open, and a faint smile comes to his lips.
“Hail, Price, Court Magician of this land. I know quite well what it is you seek. And I mean not myself, but the one that has murdered the Princess. I have heard of your toils to uncover the killer.” Price looks at the man unfazed, knowing that word had spread of his almost possessed behavior. “And what, pray tell, would you know of the murder?” The man grins, revealing what few teeth remained in his mouth. “I personally know nothing. But there are spells that would reveal it.”
Price’s heart beats faster, thought he forces himself to remain calm. “And you just so happen to know the spell for it?” The old man nods. “Of course. Although, it will have a price.” Price laughs. “Of course, since who would assume that a poor beggar would just give something away, correct?”
The old man gets up from lying down. His eyes burn with inner rage. “The price I speak of is not monetary, you stupid, ignoble fool. I am too old to care about the fashionable splendors of this world, unlike you with your rich robes and high priced fabrics. I wear these rags because my focus is on others, not making myself look more like a pompous ass.” Price glares at the man, wanting to speak, but knowing he needed what the man had.
The old man breathes in and out, before lying back down on the ground. “The price I speak of can not be measured in jewels or precious metal, but from within. To learn of the past, something from the future must be taken. The cost to you is of age, to die sooner than you naturally would have.” Price scoffs. “So that you may live longer, no doubt.” The old man shakes his head, growing tired of these accusations. “It was never said that the life force would go to me, you quick mouthed but dull witted fool. No one will force you to accept, but there is no other way to learn what has happened. I am far too old to do so. I would likely die before even finding out, much less telling you what had befell your princess.”
Price sighs and nods. “Very well, old man. I accept the cost.” The old man nods and sits up. “I must warn you, though, that you must not interfere with the past. It can unsettle everything that exists now.” His eyes close, and his hands intertwine. His voice lowers in pitch and volume, not letting the young magician learn the spell for himself. A white light surrounds Price and blinds him as he stumbles backwards to the ground.
Chapter 3
When his vision clears, Price finds himself lying face down in the sand of the desert. He shakes his head and gets up, straightening out his clothing and removing the sand from his body. A cold breeze sends a shiver down his back, and he notices that it was nighttime.
“Damn that miserable old man. I’ll make him pay for tricking me.” Price starts walking, hoping he was going in the correct direction of the city. After only a few minutes, he becomes aware of some people walking towards him. The magician quickly looked around the rather flat ground, looking for some place to hide and not be found. Lacking any cover, he decides on a spell to cast that would kill those heading to him.
Before he even starts the incantation, he becomes aware of one of the people in the group. Unlike the others, who are dressed in long, hooded black coats, this one was dressed in a long white gown. He knew the face, finding a longing coming to his heart that was bottled up for a month. At last, he saw her again.
The princess walked with the six men, though she seemed to be in a daze, not truly there in mind. With a startle, Price realizes that he was, in fact, viewing the past. The group of seven turn, heading in a direction towards his right. Price follows, not going to let the opportunity slip by.
They walk for a short while before coming to the mouth of a cave. The group enters without hesitation, though Price proceeds more cautiously. The robed men stop moving and spread out to form a loose circle around the princess. Heads bow, and a chant begins. Price looks at the princess, seeing a circle appear in front of the men. The circle begins to be filled with a pattern of lines and circles. It makes the design of a hexagram, with the points in between the chanters, and two circles, one within the other, with Alicia being the center of the whole design.
Price’s eyes widen as a red light appears beneath her feet. “Princess!” He runs towards the princess, and is repulsed by the seal on the ground. The magician is sent flying backwards to the ground. Getting up, he shakes in anger. “I won’t let it happen. You belong to me!”
He closes his eyes, and focuses on a spell that had never had the gall to use. Extending his arms, he pushes his mental energies into casting the spell. A circle forms itself around the six robed men and their seal. Another circle forms around the seal that was placed on the princess. A black light covers the ground beneath the six robed men.
Price opens his mouth to utter the phrase, but stops as a pair of arms grabs him from behind. Price’s arms are pulled backwards, and his throat is squeezed by the person’s hands. A soft, melodious voice whispers into his ear. “I had told you not to interfere, did I not? What a fool you are.”
The seal placed around the robed men falls apart, and the light beneath the princess glows brighter. Price struggles in his bond, but is incapable of breaking it through just his brute force. Alicia looks up, still not appearing to be mentally there. Her eyes widen for a second, before a yellow light begins to come out of her. The light spins around above her head as more of it comes out, though not leaving the seal.
Finally, Alicia collapses to the ground, and the seal breaks. The lights shoots out towards Price, who flinches and closes his eyes. It passes by him, instead, going to the person behind him. The man sighs with satisfaction, and smiles at his captive.
“Open your eyes. The show has not ended just yet.” Price opens his eyes and watches as one of the robed men produces an ornamented dagger. He raises it over his head as he walks towards the princess. “As her spirit has been torn away from her body, so shall her blood be spilled as revenge for breaking her word to our master.”
The robed man grabs Alicia by her hair and pulls her head up before slitting her throat. Blood begins to run down, though hers was no longer red, but blue. Price feels his knees fall out from under him, but is kept in place by the man behind him. “It’s ironic, of course, since you were the one that lead her to her death.”
Price tries to look back at the man, but stops as the fingers around his neck tighten. “What do you mean?” The man behind him moves closer, and Price cringes as he feels the man’s breath on the back of his ear. “The princess had wished to be the most beautiful woman that ever lived, or ever will live. I agreed to do so, but at a cost.”
The robed men go towards the dead princess and begin moving her out of the cave, back towards the town. “What was the cost?” The man laughs. “Her chastity. In the sense that she must not lose it.”
Prices eyes widen. “Yes, that’s right. You ordered her death sentence when you had cast that little seduction spell of yours. Your lust for her beauty was too great.” The man laughs again.
The scene shifts, and Price finds himself in the center of the same seal that the princess was in. The man lets him go, and seems to vanish, then reappear on the outside of the seal. Six robed men stand around Price, chanting.
“While you may have seduced her, the princess was bound to have lost it all on her own anyways. If it wasn’t you, someone else would have raped her, so don’t feel all that bad.” The old man laughs lightly. “And then you were driven so much by your thirst for revenge that you would do anything to avenge her, and try to get her back. I must admit, I was rather surprised you would attempt to sacrifice my followers by using the Sovereign’s Rite. However, your attempt to do so made you break your word.”
A red light begins to come from the seal, surrounding Price. “Wait, I beg you!” The old man laughs at him. “Oh how the proud has been humbled. It is your fault alone that you are to die. Besides, if I was to show mercy, how could I possibly be a demon?” A cloak darkness surrounds the old man, and dissipates to reveal a large winged demon with red eyes and a large mouth of sharp teeth. Its wings were black and seemed to be made from leather. The muscles ripped beneath the black flesh, as if the demon had a hard time controlling its own power.
The demon stretches out its hand, and the lights glows brighter underneath Price. Heat comes out, and Price screams as fire begins to spread up his body. He wreathes in pain and his throat turns raw from his screams, which filled the cave. The demon clamps down his hand, and the fires consume all of Price, and the seal disappears.
The corpse falls to the ground, little more than a blanked skeleton. The demon smirks, and the six robed men throws a robe over the corpse before removing it from the cave. “What fools these mortals are.” A black mist surrounds the demon, and it disappears. No word of the fate of Price reaches the King, and he mourned for the losses of both his sister, and his childhood friend. “A cursed land, this has become.” The king fell upon his own sword. The kingdom, lacking a leader, was destroyed by its neighbors. Thus, the actions of one man lead to the downfall of a whole kingdom.
“Damn that miserable old man. I’ll make him pay for tricking me.” Price starts walking, hoping he was going in the correct direction of the city. After only a few minutes, he becomes aware of some people walking towards him. The magician quickly looked around the rather flat ground, looking for some place to hide and not be found. Lacking any cover, he decides on a spell to cast that would kill those heading to him.
Before he even starts the incantation, he becomes aware of one of the people in the group. Unlike the others, who are dressed in long, hooded black coats, this one was dressed in a long white gown. He knew the face, finding a longing coming to his heart that was bottled up for a month. At last, he saw her again.
The princess walked with the six men, though she seemed to be in a daze, not truly there in mind. With a startle, Price realizes that he was, in fact, viewing the past. The group of seven turn, heading in a direction towards his right. Price follows, not going to let the opportunity slip by.
They walk for a short while before coming to the mouth of a cave. The group enters without hesitation, though Price proceeds more cautiously. The robed men stop moving and spread out to form a loose circle around the princess. Heads bow, and a chant begins. Price looks at the princess, seeing a circle appear in front of the men. The circle begins to be filled with a pattern of lines and circles. It makes the design of a hexagram, with the points in between the chanters, and two circles, one within the other, with Alicia being the center of the whole design.
Price’s eyes widen as a red light appears beneath her feet. “Princess!” He runs towards the princess, and is repulsed by the seal on the ground. The magician is sent flying backwards to the ground. Getting up, he shakes in anger. “I won’t let it happen. You belong to me!”
He closes his eyes, and focuses on a spell that had never had the gall to use. Extending his arms, he pushes his mental energies into casting the spell. A circle forms itself around the six robed men and their seal. Another circle forms around the seal that was placed on the princess. A black light covers the ground beneath the six robed men.
Price opens his mouth to utter the phrase, but stops as a pair of arms grabs him from behind. Price’s arms are pulled backwards, and his throat is squeezed by the person’s hands. A soft, melodious voice whispers into his ear. “I had told you not to interfere, did I not? What a fool you are.”
The seal placed around the robed men falls apart, and the light beneath the princess glows brighter. Price struggles in his bond, but is incapable of breaking it through just his brute force. Alicia looks up, still not appearing to be mentally there. Her eyes widen for a second, before a yellow light begins to come out of her. The light spins around above her head as more of it comes out, though not leaving the seal.
Finally, Alicia collapses to the ground, and the seal breaks. The lights shoots out towards Price, who flinches and closes his eyes. It passes by him, instead, going to the person behind him. The man sighs with satisfaction, and smiles at his captive.
“Open your eyes. The show has not ended just yet.” Price opens his eyes and watches as one of the robed men produces an ornamented dagger. He raises it over his head as he walks towards the princess. “As her spirit has been torn away from her body, so shall her blood be spilled as revenge for breaking her word to our master.”
The robed man grabs Alicia by her hair and pulls her head up before slitting her throat. Blood begins to run down, though hers was no longer red, but blue. Price feels his knees fall out from under him, but is kept in place by the man behind him. “It’s ironic, of course, since you were the one that lead her to her death.”
Price tries to look back at the man, but stops as the fingers around his neck tighten. “What do you mean?” The man behind him moves closer, and Price cringes as he feels the man’s breath on the back of his ear. “The princess had wished to be the most beautiful woman that ever lived, or ever will live. I agreed to do so, but at a cost.”
The robed men go towards the dead princess and begin moving her out of the cave, back towards the town. “What was the cost?” The man laughs. “Her chastity. In the sense that she must not lose it.”
Prices eyes widen. “Yes, that’s right. You ordered her death sentence when you had cast that little seduction spell of yours. Your lust for her beauty was too great.” The man laughs again.
The scene shifts, and Price finds himself in the center of the same seal that the princess was in. The man lets him go, and seems to vanish, then reappear on the outside of the seal. Six robed men stand around Price, chanting.
“While you may have seduced her, the princess was bound to have lost it all on her own anyways. If it wasn’t you, someone else would have raped her, so don’t feel all that bad.” The old man laughs lightly. “And then you were driven so much by your thirst for revenge that you would do anything to avenge her, and try to get her back. I must admit, I was rather surprised you would attempt to sacrifice my followers by using the Sovereign’s Rite. However, your attempt to do so made you break your word.”
A red light begins to come from the seal, surrounding Price. “Wait, I beg you!” The old man laughs at him. “Oh how the proud has been humbled. It is your fault alone that you are to die. Besides, if I was to show mercy, how could I possibly be a demon?” A cloak darkness surrounds the old man, and dissipates to reveal a large winged demon with red eyes and a large mouth of sharp teeth. Its wings were black and seemed to be made from leather. The muscles ripped beneath the black flesh, as if the demon had a hard time controlling its own power.
The demon stretches out its hand, and the lights glows brighter underneath Price. Heat comes out, and Price screams as fire begins to spread up his body. He wreathes in pain and his throat turns raw from his screams, which filled the cave. The demon clamps down his hand, and the fires consume all of Price, and the seal disappears.
The corpse falls to the ground, little more than a blanked skeleton. The demon smirks, and the six robed men throws a robe over the corpse before removing it from the cave. “What fools these mortals are.” A black mist surrounds the demon, and it disappears. No word of the fate of Price reaches the King, and he mourned for the losses of both his sister, and his childhood friend. “A cursed land, this has become.” The king fell upon his own sword. The kingdom, lacking a leader, was destroyed by its neighbors. Thus, the actions of one man lead to the downfall of a whole kingdom.
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