Stone Temple Pirates

Thank you for your patience. Here it is, the latest update of my tale. It's been a long time coming due to 4th of July madness, working on an article idea, and general despondency. It feels longer than it should be. I think I have that Robert Jordanesque flaw to be longwinded. The good thing is, I can see how I can shorten things in the editing (which won't take place for some time. Everything here is first draft, minus a little proofreading). Oh, I was wondering. The Princess and the Sorceress both speak very formally right now (which will probably change in the future. heehee.), but what do you guys think about names? Should I give some to them and future characters?

Anyway, we finally get to see what the tower's like. Enjoy!

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Judging by the plainness she had seen on the outside, the Princess wasn't expecting much of the tower's interior. As she was soon to learn, however, her new home was full of surprises. Unsuspecting, the Princess and Sorceress entered.

The ground floor was a combination foyer/sitting room, with fine leather chairs and plush pillows of all sizes. The Princess immediately noticed, though, that portions of the wall were missing. To be more precise, at a certain height, the wall disappeared and she could see to the outside. It was a wonderful effect, with light spilling into the room from all directions. The Princess walked close enough to reach through the gap, but she gasped when her hand stopped where the normal wall would have been. It was like touching the most life-like picture anyone had ever painted.

The Sorceress walked up beside the Princess and touched the wall, as well. She closed her eyes and began to move her hand across the image. Whenever she did, the image shuddered. The Princess looked to her, awaiting an explanation.

"Now this is a pleasant enchantment," the Sorceress said with a smile, "The walls here have a spell on them that lets us see everything outside while offering nothing but a stone wall to anyone on the other side. It's a fairly common spell for places in the country like this where ground-floor windows are too large a risk with concern to robbers."

The Princess continued to stare at the enchanted wall while running her hands softly across it until the Sorceress put a hand on her shoulder. She led the Princess to the stairs against the wall and they climbed to the next floor.

From the increasingly nice smells, they both new what the next floor was. After all, what would a sitting room be without a kitchen nearby to fetch refreshments from? It was bright and clean, which surprised the Sorceress a bit. The Princess felt wind on her face and noticed that above the sink was the first actual window the tower possessed.

"I always assumed that these serious magical types didn't care much for tidiness or proper meals," she mused as she examined countertops and cupboards, "I've known my fair share who would be so engrossed in their spells or alchemy that they'd simply summon a quick bowl of noodles. I think I should have liked to meet this fellow."

After spending her fair share of time in the palace kitchen in the guise of a servant, the Princess had developed an appreciation for where food comes from. And she, too, was impressed. There were large racks of ingredients and spices with magic seals for freshness. She also noticed a shelf tucked behind the others that held all manner of curative potions and balms. She made a mental note of it.

"Excellent!" the Sorceress exclaimed on the other side of the kitchen.

"What is it?" the Princess asked.

"Oh... well, no offense to your Lady," the Sorceress said, nervously dropping to formalities, "but I was worried how you would manage on your own with no one to cook your meals for you. Fortunately, we needn't worry about that. Look."

The Sorceress indicated a fancy tray sitting alone on a table against the wall. It had runes all about it and no handles. The Princess, at a loss for its purpose and ignoring the Sorceress' insinuation about her lack of cooking talent, asked her what the cause for excitement was.

"This, Princess, is a Magic Chef," the Sorceress said, "It's connected to the Magic Food Network, and you can order anything you like from it. It will be a simple matter to arrange for the royal treasury to be billed for your meals."

"Then, why all the rest?" the Princess asked, "Why all the shelves and foods and spices when all you would need is that little tray?"

"Well, I'm sure he had his reasons. Perhaps he had peculiar tastes, and needed all of this on the side. Perhaps he only used the Chef when he was too busy to cook. Besides, it's a wise practice for any magic user to keep a healthy supply of edible ingredients for potions. Anyway, let's continue, shall we? This place is looking better by the floor!" the Sorceress said. It sounded like an amazing device, but the Princess still thought the Sorceress was a little too excited.

The two of them returned to the stairs and climbed to the next floor. The brightness of the day lit kitchen faded away to soft yellow light from glowing orbs encircling the room. All the Princess saw were crates and barrels.

"I think this must be his store room," the Princess said.

"I agree. Still, what would he leave behind? Oh, well. This is technically your tower now, so why don't we take a peek, eh?" the Sorceress suggested.

The Princess smiled, "I believe, dear friend, that you are truly enjoying this."

"Hm?" the Sorceress replied. She had walked over to a group of crates, unconsciously humming a happy tune, "Oh. Well, yes, I suppose. I usually spend all my time waiting on your parents or in my study. It's not often I get to see a place filled with magic like this. It's nostalgic."

"Mm-hmm," the Princess said with a smirk. She walked over to join the Sorceress by the crates. As soon as she was next to them, though, she felt something. She couldn't describe it, but before she realized it, her hands were opening one of the far lids.

"Princess?" the Sorceress asked, before her attention was stolen by the contents of the crate, "What in the world? This crate is filled with hair!"

Indeed, the crate was filled to the top with meters of beautiful, golden hair just like the Princess had before the incident with the Forever Dye. When the Sorceress opened the other crates, she found them full of hair of different colors and qualities.

"So many crates... But what did he use them for?" the Sorceress wondered, a finger resting on her cheek. With a shrug, she began closing them again. "Well, it's not important now, I suppose. At any rate, Princess, you were certainly lucky to find your own hair so quickly!"

"I... knew," the Princess replied softly, her face contorted in confusion.

"Knew? How?" asked the Sorceress.

"I... don't know," the Princess answered, looking helplessly to the Sorceress.

"Your knowledge is in the wrong place, it would seem," the Sorceress sighed, "Well I, for one, am ready to move on. Princess?"

"Yes, certainly..." she responded absently.

They returned to the stairs and climbed to the next floor. They were greeted again by magical lights lining the walls, but it was much brighter. There were several tables with lustrous metals worked into strange devices. Beside them were flasks of all types and ample sheets of parchment ready to be written on. The walls were lined with bookshelves full of cracked, magical tomes.

"I was expecting to find the laboratory at some point. It makes sense to have both the kitchen and lab next to the storeroom, actually," the Sorceress said. She walked slowly by the tables, examining the instruments as she passed. "This is good equipment. Fine equipment, actually. Not the kind you'd leave behind. I'm starting to wonder if he really did move as the brochure said. It seems more like he fled."

The two of them mounted the stairs once more (what was there to interest the Princess in a magical laboratory, after all?), and pressed on. The light from the orbs faded as they returned to daylight. Wide, tall windows were spaced evenly along the walls. It was becoming evening, and soft orange light filled the bedroom.

With a shout of glee, the Princess ran to the postered bed and flung herself down upon it. After her ordeal at the entrance to the tower, she had been waiting for this moment.

"Oh, it's wonderful! So soft! And look at all these pillows!" the Princess rejoiced, tossing the pillows into the air, "I even think the sheets are silk, just like the palace! You may be right about this warlock fleeing from here. Who could leave behind a bed like this?!"

"Indeed, this is nice. Everything here is unbelievably nice," the Sorceress mused aloud once again, "It's almost as if he was expecting someone of high station to live here..."

As the Princess was rolling on the bed, she noticed the tattered dress she was still wearing. Hopping off the bed, she strode towards the wardrobe, hoping to find something to change into. She didn't expect to find much beside a few discarded robes, but anything was better than what she was wearing. Behind the doors were racks stuffed full of dresses.

"Well, I knew these magic fellows could be odd, but I never imagined...," the Princess began to say, but stopped when she saw the Sorceress beside her. Her face was confused and alarmed. It was not a countenance she wore often, but this tower had seemed particularly able to bring it out of her. The Princess found it not a little unsettling.

"This isn't right," the Sorceress said in a heated voice, "Nothing here is right! I thought this place would be empty except for bare furnishings, but instead we find a home tailor-made for you. And before you ask, these dresses aren't the Warlock's. He cleaned his magical presence from this tower, but his clothes would have kept some of it no matter what he did. These dresses haven't been worn by anyone, Princess."

"Well, that was nice of him," the Princess said, forcing some cheer into her voice.

"Mmm," responded the Sorceress, still thinking, "But there was no way for him to know that you would be the one to stay here. I would have sensed any divination. I just don't understand this." After some moments, the Sorceress looked from the dresses to the Princess, "Well? Are you going to put it on?"

The Princess looked back to the wardrobe and noticed that her hand was already on a dress. "When did I...?" she breathed, and pulled out the dress. It was a simple white gown that looked very comfortable. The bodice and skirt were striped with a dark blue, the color of a night sky still clinging to the sun's glow.

"Oh, wonderful choice, Princess. That will go well with your new hair," the Sorceress admired, helping the Princess out of her ruined garments.

"Yes...," the Princess replied quietly. The dress was so comfortable that she forgot her previous concerns. Looking around the bedroom, she admitted to herself that she might enjoy living here.

Now there was only one floor left. The Princess led the way on the last flight of stairs leading to the top of the tower. It was similar to the first floor in that you could see the country below all around. The difference was that it was no illusion. Carefully worked columns of stone were spaced at intervals to hold up the conical roof while leaving plenty of open space. There was a reading chair with a magical light, a couch for reclining, a strange-looking telescope with a stool, and a table with a tray that looked like a small Magic Chef. She thought it must be for calling up food from the kitchen.

The Princess walked closer to the couch and noticed something shiny underneath one of its pillows. Moving it aside, she was delighted to find an ornate flute. "Marvelous! I can keep practicing on this!" the Princess said, fondly remembering her musical lessons back in the palace.

"And that enormous bookshelf in the bedroom will keep you entertained for some time, as well," the Sorceress said with a smile. The Princess, looking at her, thought it seemed forced and tired.

"Are you all right, friend?" the Princess asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. This place just... troubles me. All these mysteries confound me. I've also been keeping up an aura of observation to make sure I didn't miss anything. It becomes taxing, especially with my thoughts turned on these other things," the Sorceress replied. She closed her eyes and muttered a spell. When she looked back up, she didn't seem quite as tired. "There, I don't think I need the aura anymore, although I do want to get back and research this place a bit more. I have a feeling there's something here we're missing, something behind all of this."

"Something behind it all?" the Princess asked in worry.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry, Princess," the Sorceress said with a laugh, waving her hands dismissively, "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's nothing sinister, I assure you. No, I would have felt that from the moment we stepped inside. This place is fine for your little disappearance. It could be nothing, in the end, that troubles me. But if it is something, it's nothing that would concern you. Just mystical odds and ends."

"All right, if you say so," the Princess said.

"Well, I should be off. I doubt we'll find a better place, and I need to spread our story before other rumors begin popping up. I'll send your things soon, and then I'll come back to check on you," the Sorceress said.

"Thank you again for all of this. You are a friend without equal," the Princess said.

"Think nothing of it, dear. Well, then," the Sorceress said with a smile and a blush. With some graceful gestures and long words, she surrounded herself in the same magical glow that had brought the two of them to the tower. "Here, if you need anything," she said, taking a small hand mirror from her pouch and tossing it to the Princess, "then just speak into the mirror. I'll hear."

The Princess nodded, and weaving the final spells, the Sorceress disappeared in a flash of light. The Princess placed the mirror carefully on the table next to the Magic Chef Petite and walked to the edge. In the distance, she could just make out the royal palace catching the last rays of sunlight before they fled into the night. She sighed and turned back to face the tower.

"I hope I know what I'm doing," she said, wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. The breeze was warm, but for some reason, she suddenly felt cold.

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...Prologue complete.
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...Disengaging story boundaries.
...Activating chapter.1.tale.
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...Restarting Brainstorm.ideas and Consistency.story.
...Editing functions still suspended.
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...Recording from input2{review} and input3{criticism}.

(So I like the recent Applegeeks. :P )


Twilight out, baby.