Finally
Phew. More than a month between posts (don't let the date fool you. I started on Aug. 24, but posted this on Sept. 9). This thing really is becoming like a journal to me. Sorry to those who waited for so long. I hope I haven't lost anyone. Anyway, I like this installment. It introduces someone I've been wanting to introduce and explains some things, too!
Oh, in other news, I interviewed with Auto-Owners Insurance recently. I think it was a good interview, but they told me to wait to hear something. D'oh. Of course, they also asked if I was willing to relocate. So, here I come... anywhere! My dad tried to check with them for me today to see what the status was. I know, "Awww." Fingers crossed!
And story ho!
(I haven't proofread; be gentle)
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After coming to terms with the Sorceress, the Princess changed her routine. She now traveled very discretely outside of the tower, often with a cloak and never on the back of her new equine friend. The stallion, so fond of racing across the land with the Princess, took to the change well. Whenever she went walking about, he would trot calmly beside her. Occasional glimpses from atop the tower of a shining white horse charging across field and meadow, however, told the Princess that he had not given up his wild gallops completely. The most surprising change in the daily life of the tower, though, was the Princess' new fascination with the magical study and its treasury of books.
The Princess had been considering a trip to the study since the day she arrived in the tower. The magic traps and the curiosities of the tower would not leave her mind, and she pondered over them much during her first few weeks. She had assumed, however, that the Sorceress would come back one day with answers to the riddles that haunted them both. Each time that the Princess would ask about it, the Sorceress would smile and say that she was still looking into it. The Princess had grown more impatient every time she asked, and soon found the study entering her thoughts as often as the riddles themselves. After the incident with the horse and the discovery of her father's decree, her longing for answers burned and her resolution to find them hardened.
The Princess had been spending most of her days in the study, only taking the occasional break whenever she needed to eat or when the stallion who visited her - whom she had named Lysander- started neighing loudly for her to come out and see him. The rest of her time was spent going through book after book. She started out with the most introductory book on magic she could find, since she knew nothing other than what she saw the Sorceress do. She had expected to understand maybe half of the book, and that was if she read it paced and slow. What she found was surprisingly simple explanations of how to begin using magic. She wondered if this was a sort of first textbook for those born into magical families. She was so fascinated by her new studies that her pride was unfazed by her interest in what was a possible children's book.
The Princess had amassed a rather untidy pile of books she had read. She had also begun to understand how the Sorceress did the things she did. With a vicious grin, she circled spells in the book she was now reading that had been used in the trap on the tower's door. It was this, more than anything, that made her feel as she did back in castle before her escapade began. She felt a sense of direction. She had only scratched the resources of the study, but she felt like she was finally starting to get a grasp on things. Closing the book of curses with a vindictive slam, she opened up a catalog of wildlife: Creatures - Magical and Otherwise.
The Princess was amazed at the number and variety of creatures she had never heard of, but she was looking for information one beast in particular: the horse. Unlike most of the entries she had looked at so far, the one for horses was divided into normal characteristics and magical properties. With a pounding heart, she started to read the section on magical properties.
"Next to the cat, the horse travels between the realms of magic and nature more than any other creature. Compared to the cat, whose frequent transitions can be impossible to keep track of, the horse has been well observed and documented in its sojourns. As opposed to the cat, however, the horse carries much more of the essence of each world between the veil. Untamed horses are the greatest carriers, even to the extent of exibiting magical abilities of their own in the natural realm and resistance to mystic forces in the magical. Horses used for work or those otherwise denied of their nature show the least magical sensitivity. Between these extremes lie most horses used as mounts and even some warhorses. It is the horse's natural affinity for magic combined with its use as transportation that make it such an important asset for people from both realms. Horses have time and again proven themselves the most effective method for persons traveling between natural and magical towns.
Closely related to the normal family of horses are the unicorns. Some believe they are descended from wild horses that chose to stay in areas inundated with natural magic energies, while others believe that regular horses are unicorns who preferred wide, magicless pastures. Their entire body flows with magic, but their horns are believed to have grown as the foci of their latent powers. Whatever the case may be, there have been sightings of what seem to be half-breeds: unicorns without horns, or perhaps horses with magical blood in their veins. It is an little-understood and rare phenomenon-"
The Princess closed the book, though she made sure to place a bookmark for a later read. Her head was swimming. Could this be why her father banned the riding of horses? Was he afraid of people traveling to the abodes of sorcerers and witches? But the castle was filled with magic users! And the Sorceress! She seemed to know all about it, yet she had shown no regret over the restriction when she told the Princess. No, something more was going on, and the Princess vowed she was going to find out.
Since her head was still spinning with thoughts, she decided it was time for a break. She climbed the stairs to the top floor and walked to the wall. It was already evening. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind as the breeze played with her hair. Upon hearing a neigh, she looked down to see Lysander staring up at her, tossing his head wildly and rearing up on his hind legs. "He must be so excited to see me," the Princess thought fondly. She was about to head down to see him when she noticed a small light coming out of the forest.
The light, a single floating orb, was shining directly in front of a young girl wearing what seemed to be a hoodless cloak. She was walking straight towards the tower, glancing around occasionally. Her dress- was it a dress?- was mainly black, with cuts of purple and blue along the arms and across the chest. Despite a high collar, there was a portion cut out below the neck to reveal some cleavage. As the girl drew closer, the Princess saw that she wasn't wearing a cloak at all, but that the bottom part of her sleeves draped down to her ankles. She could also finally see the girl's long hair, but it was a rainbow of shimmering colors, almost translucent. The girl stopped at the base of tower, still looking around. Then, she caught sight of the Princess staring at her, and frowned.
"Uh... Hello!" the Princess called down, trying to start a dialogue.
The girl continued to stare at the Princess. Then, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. The Princess couldn't tell what she was doing, but soon a glowing mist started to radiate from the girl. Then, the form of a person began to rise from the girl's head. It was a duplicate of the girl herself, except that it was floating up towards the Princess. It reached eye level with the Princess herself and folded its arms, still frowning. Its hair was no longer a translucent, but a dark, shimmering blue. It looked the Princess up and down, eyeing her critically.
"How did you...?" the Princess started, impressed by the spell.
The illusion held up its hand. "I'd rather not answer questions that might damage your little mind, Princess, since there are answers I want from you, first," it said with indifference.
The Princess found herself speechless. Not only was this her first true insult, it was completely unprovoked. Who was this girl? More importantly, who did she think she was?! "How... how did you know I was a Princess?" was all she managed to say.
"This," the girl said, pointing to the blue hair still waving in the breeze.
"What?!" the Princess cried, forgetting the girl's rudeness, "You know something about this? Tell me, please!"
"You don't even know what it means?!" the girl spat, her eyes burning now. Her hair was also a bright red, and flickering about her head like fire. The Princess backed away, afraid of some violence, but none came. The girl continued looking at her with those burning eyes. The Princess thought she could see, behind the anger and contempt, a little sadness, so she tried her luck again.
"Please. I did not know what this tower was when I came here. I still don't, but I'm trying to find out. This place is important, somehow, so maybe I can help you," the Princess said.
"Hmph. I doubt some silly royal girl could help me with more than being mild amusement," the girl replied angrily. Her eyes had lost their violence, though, and her hair calmed down, changing from bright red to violet.
"Will you tell me?" the Princess pressed.
"Fine," the girl sighed, "but only enough to shut you up. That dye responds to magic. It won't fasten itself to anyone without some exposure to magic. Since you're obviously no sorceress yourself, you must know one. And the only people out here they have regular contact with are the kings and queens who like having them around."
The girl's illusion floated in closer and sat on the wall, facing inward, "And unless this whole boring world is doing worse than I thought, you're no queen."
"No," the Princess answered.
"But you would need the help of someone who knew magic -and well- in order to get past the traps my uncle set," the girl concluded.
"Your uncle? The warlock was your uncle?" the Princess asked.
"Is. He's doing fine, thanks for asking. And yes, he was here not long ago. Now, if your pretty little curiosity is satisfied, I'd like to ask about important things," the girl said cooly.
The Princess scowled at the girl's continued rudeness, but waited for her first question. "First of all," the girl began, "tell me why you came here."
"That... is my business," the Princess said defiantly, not wanting to share her embarassing story with some rude stranger.
"That's very cute, Princess, but either you tell me, or I take it from your mind," the girl said flatly.
The Princess did not like this girl. She told the story of the Princes, the whole time afraid that her face would catch fire.
"You poor thing," the girl said with a sarcastic smile after the tale, "It must have been so hard to be the object of so much affection." Her hair almost seemed to bounce, going from purple to bright green for a few moments, then back again.
"You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" the Princess thought angrily.
"Well, that explains a lot," the girl said thoughtfully, "I only have one question left for you, then: when do you leave?"
"Leave? I plan to do no such thing!" the Princess said. She was not very surprised that the girl would ask this. From the moment she had arrived, the Princess thought that she was little more than an inconvenience to her. This was a battle of wills, and the Princess did not like losing. Besides, the problem with the Princes was no longer the Princess's main concern. There were things she needed to know, and the tower might be the only way she could find answers.
The girl tossed the long, trailing edges of her sleeves behind her head, where they slowly arched together and stopped in mid-air. The girl then leaned her head back against them and closed her eyes. When she spoke, she sounded bored, "Well, the way I see it, you can either leave yourself, or I can go tell your father that you're doing just fine out here with no evil witch in sight."
"What? That's just... childish!" the Princess cried. Then something occured to her. It was childish. Why would a girl with such obvious magical skill resort to telling on her? Why not just force her out? Could it be that she couldn't? Sky-blue strands brushed by her face as the Princess decided a second time that night to take a chance.
"I can handle my father," the Princess said, squaring her shoulders and clenching her fists, "So why don't you make me leave?"
The girl opened her eyes. Her hair briefly flickered red and curled around her arms before it settled back into a straight purple. She stared at the Princess, whose whole form was rigid with determination and anxiety. "Maybe you're not as dumb as you look," the girl said, studying the Princess a second time. "Though that's still not saying much," she finished with a smirk.
The Princess was now rigid with renewed anger. She opened her mouth to say a few unkind words of her own, but the girl lept down onto the floor from her reclined position in mid-air and continued on. "Very well, Your Highness," she said with a mocking bow, "I will tell you about this tower you seem so fond of. Then maybe you'll understand why it's important that you take your rather enviable problem elsewhere."
"You see, Princess, this tower is rather special. It's old, for one thing. It was first built as a kind of watchpost for the border between the two realms. You see, this spot is very special. There are... flows of power both magical and natural that intersect here," the girl explained.
"Like leylines?" the Princess asked, remembering what she had read.
"Yes... leylines. Seems you have had some education in the magics. Good. Then this will go faster," the girl said, and continued on, "Finding intersecting leylines from both realms was like finding a diamond in a peat bog. A Dream Temple like no other was going to be built here, but considering the proximity to your kingdoms, it was decided that a tower would be better."
The Princess wanted to ask what a Dream Temple was, but after impressing the girl, she didn't want to ruin her image.
"That was in the old days. For some time, this tower has been abandoned. I don't know why, and neither did my uncle," the girl paused, weighing her words, "There are things we wanted to know, so my uncle came here and started to replace the weakened enchantments here. I came to straighten things up and make it liveable."
"That explains the kitchen, at least," thought the Princess.
"After about a year, my uncle needed a more secluded spot for... certain studies, so he went to a dragon friend of his. Which brings us to the present," the girl finished. She was now looking expectantly -and impatiently- at the Princess.
"That's it?" the Princess asked in amazement, "That doesn't answer anything! You can't expect me to leave after just that? If this place is so important, how did the Sorceress find it in a classified? Why did you just leave it? What's all that hair for? And why is my hair blue?!"
The girl's hair turned a dark orange and began to twist in and out around itself. "You should be thankful for that hair, girl. It means more than you know," the girl said in a low voice.
"Thankful?! I lost my beautiful gold to this Forever Dye! And if it means more than I know, why don't you tell me everything, girl?" the Princess snapped back.
The girl's hair lit up immediately into a shining bright orange. Her face was livid, and her voice grew with each word she spoke. "I have no intention of wasting anymore of my time prattling on just to please the spoiled fancies of a displaced royal tart! I don't care how, but one way or another you're going to leave this tower!" she shouted.
"Or what?" the Princess said with a smirk, finally unable to keep her anger in check, "You'll blind me with your uncontrolled hair?"
Almost as if in response to the Princess's suggestion, the girl's hair shined brighter, lighting up the top floor of the tower. It flailed madly around her head. The Princess covered her face with her arms, expecting some horrible magic. What she saw, silhouetted against the brilliant hair, was the girl's face, contorted in rage and... something else. Bitterness?
"CURSE YOU!" the girl cried, and the Princess fell as if struck.
As soon as she uttered the words, the girl's hair fell and returned to a dark purple. She looked around in confusion. "What? No, that couldn't be it...," she began to say to herself in a worried voice.
The Princess stood up and checked herself over. Whatever happened, it hadn't done anything to her. Well, nothing obvious. "What just happened?" she asked the girl.
"I... I think I just trapped you here, Princess," the girl answered, still in shock.
"Huh? But I thought you wanted me gone?" the Princess asked.
"I did! But then I lost my temper, and I cursed you, and... apparently that was the trigger," the girl said angrily.
"Trigger? For what?" the Princess asked.
The girl sighed, "There is ancient magic in this tower, as my uncle and I discovered. As you may or may not know, magic is born, ultimately, from the soul. The longer it remains somewhere, the stronger and more complicated it gets, until it finally comes alive."
"A-Alive?"
"Yes, alive. What is born from shall be born into. We knew that there was a powerful awareness in this tower, but we couldn't reach it. We knew nothing about it. Now, I seem to have caught its attention with my outburst, and what it wants is for you to stay right where you are."
"No, that can't be...," the Princess said. It was only a tale to get her away from the castle! It couldn't have just become real!
"Look at your hand mirror, then, if you don't believe me. I can tell it has a magical connection to another mirror. I you were just sealed here, then the shock would have broken it," the girl said.
The Princess slowly walked over to the table where she kept the mirror the Sorceress had given her. It was faced down. She slowly reached out and grabbed the handle. She held it up to her face, and with a deep breath, turned it around. Right across the middle of the mirror was a single, thick crack.
The Princess dropped the mirror in devastation, ignoring the sounds of it shattering on the stone floor. It was true. Before it was a lie, but now it was true. And it was all because of that infuriating witch!
"You!" the Princess yelled, spinning on her heel to face the girl, "This is all your fault!"
To the Princess's surprise, the girl's hair remained a calm, dark purple, "I think we're both to blame here. Me, for losing my temper, and you, for not knowing what you were getting into." She sighed, "But, as I am partly responsible, I won't leave you alone in this."
The girl closed her eyes. After a few moments, the girl herself, who had been on the ground the whole time, flew up to the top floor and stepped into her illusion. It vanished into her as she walked up.
"My name is Melina," the girl said, holding out a hand to the Princess.
The Princess looked from the hand to the girl, then slowly reached out to take it, "My name is-"
"Don't tell me," Melina interrupted, "Now that you're wrapped up in the magics of this tower, your true name has power, even over you. Guard it, and only give it to those whom you truly know and trust. In the meantime, you'll need another name to go by."
The Princess thought. She was continually being caught up in things she didn't understand and left to fend for herself. She was scared and uncertain, but also a little excited and very curious. Most of all, though, she wanted company...
The Princess tightened her grip on Melina's hand, and said, "Then call me Lenoa."
"Excellent, Lenoa," Melina said, with the first smile that the Princess- that Lenoa- had seen, "I don't expect that we'll become the best of friends, but I think we can tolerate one another."
"Agreed," Lenoa said, releasing Melina's hand. Her smile had seemed forced in Lenoa's view. Lenoa could see guilt still lingering in Melina's eyes over what had just happened. Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all. Well, not quite as bad.
Melina walked to the edge of the tower, then turned to Lenoa, "I'll come by every now and then to check on you. There's still much for us to discuss, and even more to find out."
With that, she jumped off the edge and floated to the ground, where Lysander was standing, watching as she came down. They stared at each other, until Melina held out her hand. Lysander looked at it, then lowered his head to allow Melina to stroke it.
"I'll keep an eye on Lysander here," Melina called back to Lenoa.
"Are you sure? He seems to like it here, and I... like having him here, too," Lenoa called back.
"Don't worry so much. You may be trapped, but there are few better places I can think of to be stuck in," Melina said. She began to walk towards the forest with Lysander at her side. "And if you get too bored, just brush your hair some more," she said, and Lenoa could barely make out dancing green hair before they entered the woods.
The Princess stared out into nothing while the stars whirled overhead. The night creatures chirped and howled, and all the world was still about her. "I am Lenoa," she said softly to herself. The words broke her silence, and coursed like hot water through her soul. She sank to her knees and began to cry, unaware that for the first time, the wind had completely died.
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Weeell, how was that? Long, I know. I'm wondering if maybe shorter installments might help me with more regular updates. Now is an interesting part, though, since that's all I had written in my head. Now we're in new territory that I have to map out. So, maybe some normal posts while I work it out. Maybe some other stories. Who knows? Let me know what you think, and if you like it!
Twilight out.
Oh, in other news, I interviewed with Auto-Owners Insurance recently. I think it was a good interview, but they told me to wait to hear something. D'oh. Of course, they also asked if I was willing to relocate. So, here I come... anywhere! My dad tried to check with them for me today to see what the status was. I know, "Awww." Fingers crossed!
And story ho!
(I haven't proofread; be gentle)
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After coming to terms with the Sorceress, the Princess changed her routine. She now traveled very discretely outside of the tower, often with a cloak and never on the back of her new equine friend. The stallion, so fond of racing across the land with the Princess, took to the change well. Whenever she went walking about, he would trot calmly beside her. Occasional glimpses from atop the tower of a shining white horse charging across field and meadow, however, told the Princess that he had not given up his wild gallops completely. The most surprising change in the daily life of the tower, though, was the Princess' new fascination with the magical study and its treasury of books.
The Princess had been considering a trip to the study since the day she arrived in the tower. The magic traps and the curiosities of the tower would not leave her mind, and she pondered over them much during her first few weeks. She had assumed, however, that the Sorceress would come back one day with answers to the riddles that haunted them both. Each time that the Princess would ask about it, the Sorceress would smile and say that she was still looking into it. The Princess had grown more impatient every time she asked, and soon found the study entering her thoughts as often as the riddles themselves. After the incident with the horse and the discovery of her father's decree, her longing for answers burned and her resolution to find them hardened.
The Princess had been spending most of her days in the study, only taking the occasional break whenever she needed to eat or when the stallion who visited her - whom she had named Lysander- started neighing loudly for her to come out and see him. The rest of her time was spent going through book after book. She started out with the most introductory book on magic she could find, since she knew nothing other than what she saw the Sorceress do. She had expected to understand maybe half of the book, and that was if she read it paced and slow. What she found was surprisingly simple explanations of how to begin using magic. She wondered if this was a sort of first textbook for those born into magical families. She was so fascinated by her new studies that her pride was unfazed by her interest in what was a possible children's book.
The Princess had amassed a rather untidy pile of books she had read. She had also begun to understand how the Sorceress did the things she did. With a vicious grin, she circled spells in the book she was now reading that had been used in the trap on the tower's door. It was this, more than anything, that made her feel as she did back in castle before her escapade began. She felt a sense of direction. She had only scratched the resources of the study, but she felt like she was finally starting to get a grasp on things. Closing the book of curses with a vindictive slam, she opened up a catalog of wildlife: Creatures - Magical and Otherwise.
The Princess was amazed at the number and variety of creatures she had never heard of, but she was looking for information one beast in particular: the horse. Unlike most of the entries she had looked at so far, the one for horses was divided into normal characteristics and magical properties. With a pounding heart, she started to read the section on magical properties.
"Next to the cat, the horse travels between the realms of magic and nature more than any other creature. Compared to the cat, whose frequent transitions can be impossible to keep track of, the horse has been well observed and documented in its sojourns. As opposed to the cat, however, the horse carries much more of the essence of each world between the veil. Untamed horses are the greatest carriers, even to the extent of exibiting magical abilities of their own in the natural realm and resistance to mystic forces in the magical. Horses used for work or those otherwise denied of their nature show the least magical sensitivity. Between these extremes lie most horses used as mounts and even some warhorses. It is the horse's natural affinity for magic combined with its use as transportation that make it such an important asset for people from both realms. Horses have time and again proven themselves the most effective method for persons traveling between natural and magical towns.
Closely related to the normal family of horses are the unicorns. Some believe they are descended from wild horses that chose to stay in areas inundated with natural magic energies, while others believe that regular horses are unicorns who preferred wide, magicless pastures. Their entire body flows with magic, but their horns are believed to have grown as the foci of their latent powers. Whatever the case may be, there have been sightings of what seem to be half-breeds: unicorns without horns, or perhaps horses with magical blood in their veins. It is an little-understood and rare phenomenon-"
The Princess closed the book, though she made sure to place a bookmark for a later read. Her head was swimming. Could this be why her father banned the riding of horses? Was he afraid of people traveling to the abodes of sorcerers and witches? But the castle was filled with magic users! And the Sorceress! She seemed to know all about it, yet she had shown no regret over the restriction when she told the Princess. No, something more was going on, and the Princess vowed she was going to find out.
Since her head was still spinning with thoughts, she decided it was time for a break. She climbed the stairs to the top floor and walked to the wall. It was already evening. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind as the breeze played with her hair. Upon hearing a neigh, she looked down to see Lysander staring up at her, tossing his head wildly and rearing up on his hind legs. "He must be so excited to see me," the Princess thought fondly. She was about to head down to see him when she noticed a small light coming out of the forest.
The light, a single floating orb, was shining directly in front of a young girl wearing what seemed to be a hoodless cloak. She was walking straight towards the tower, glancing around occasionally. Her dress- was it a dress?- was mainly black, with cuts of purple and blue along the arms and across the chest. Despite a high collar, there was a portion cut out below the neck to reveal some cleavage. As the girl drew closer, the Princess saw that she wasn't wearing a cloak at all, but that the bottom part of her sleeves draped down to her ankles. She could also finally see the girl's long hair, but it was a rainbow of shimmering colors, almost translucent. The girl stopped at the base of tower, still looking around. Then, she caught sight of the Princess staring at her, and frowned.
"Uh... Hello!" the Princess called down, trying to start a dialogue.
The girl continued to stare at the Princess. Then, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. The Princess couldn't tell what she was doing, but soon a glowing mist started to radiate from the girl. Then, the form of a person began to rise from the girl's head. It was a duplicate of the girl herself, except that it was floating up towards the Princess. It reached eye level with the Princess herself and folded its arms, still frowning. Its hair was no longer a translucent, but a dark, shimmering blue. It looked the Princess up and down, eyeing her critically.
"How did you...?" the Princess started, impressed by the spell.
The illusion held up its hand. "I'd rather not answer questions that might damage your little mind, Princess, since there are answers I want from you, first," it said with indifference.
The Princess found herself speechless. Not only was this her first true insult, it was completely unprovoked. Who was this girl? More importantly, who did she think she was?! "How... how did you know I was a Princess?" was all she managed to say.
"This," the girl said, pointing to the blue hair still waving in the breeze.
"What?!" the Princess cried, forgetting the girl's rudeness, "You know something about this? Tell me, please!"
"You don't even know what it means?!" the girl spat, her eyes burning now. Her hair was also a bright red, and flickering about her head like fire. The Princess backed away, afraid of some violence, but none came. The girl continued looking at her with those burning eyes. The Princess thought she could see, behind the anger and contempt, a little sadness, so she tried her luck again.
"Please. I did not know what this tower was when I came here. I still don't, but I'm trying to find out. This place is important, somehow, so maybe I can help you," the Princess said.
"Hmph. I doubt some silly royal girl could help me with more than being mild amusement," the girl replied angrily. Her eyes had lost their violence, though, and her hair calmed down, changing from bright red to violet.
"Will you tell me?" the Princess pressed.
"Fine," the girl sighed, "but only enough to shut you up. That dye responds to magic. It won't fasten itself to anyone without some exposure to magic. Since you're obviously no sorceress yourself, you must know one. And the only people out here they have regular contact with are the kings and queens who like having them around."
The girl's illusion floated in closer and sat on the wall, facing inward, "And unless this whole boring world is doing worse than I thought, you're no queen."
"No," the Princess answered.
"But you would need the help of someone who knew magic -and well- in order to get past the traps my uncle set," the girl concluded.
"Your uncle? The warlock was your uncle?" the Princess asked.
"Is. He's doing fine, thanks for asking. And yes, he was here not long ago. Now, if your pretty little curiosity is satisfied, I'd like to ask about important things," the girl said cooly.
The Princess scowled at the girl's continued rudeness, but waited for her first question. "First of all," the girl began, "tell me why you came here."
"That... is my business," the Princess said defiantly, not wanting to share her embarassing story with some rude stranger.
"That's very cute, Princess, but either you tell me, or I take it from your mind," the girl said flatly.
The Princess did not like this girl. She told the story of the Princes, the whole time afraid that her face would catch fire.
"You poor thing," the girl said with a sarcastic smile after the tale, "It must have been so hard to be the object of so much affection." Her hair almost seemed to bounce, going from purple to bright green for a few moments, then back again.
"You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" the Princess thought angrily.
"Well, that explains a lot," the girl said thoughtfully, "I only have one question left for you, then: when do you leave?"
"Leave? I plan to do no such thing!" the Princess said. She was not very surprised that the girl would ask this. From the moment she had arrived, the Princess thought that she was little more than an inconvenience to her. This was a battle of wills, and the Princess did not like losing. Besides, the problem with the Princes was no longer the Princess's main concern. There were things she needed to know, and the tower might be the only way she could find answers.
The girl tossed the long, trailing edges of her sleeves behind her head, where they slowly arched together and stopped in mid-air. The girl then leaned her head back against them and closed her eyes. When she spoke, she sounded bored, "Well, the way I see it, you can either leave yourself, or I can go tell your father that you're doing just fine out here with no evil witch in sight."
"What? That's just... childish!" the Princess cried. Then something occured to her. It was childish. Why would a girl with such obvious magical skill resort to telling on her? Why not just force her out? Could it be that she couldn't? Sky-blue strands brushed by her face as the Princess decided a second time that night to take a chance.
"I can handle my father," the Princess said, squaring her shoulders and clenching her fists, "So why don't you make me leave?"
The girl opened her eyes. Her hair briefly flickered red and curled around her arms before it settled back into a straight purple. She stared at the Princess, whose whole form was rigid with determination and anxiety. "Maybe you're not as dumb as you look," the girl said, studying the Princess a second time. "Though that's still not saying much," she finished with a smirk.
The Princess was now rigid with renewed anger. She opened her mouth to say a few unkind words of her own, but the girl lept down onto the floor from her reclined position in mid-air and continued on. "Very well, Your Highness," she said with a mocking bow, "I will tell you about this tower you seem so fond of. Then maybe you'll understand why it's important that you take your rather enviable problem elsewhere."
"You see, Princess, this tower is rather special. It's old, for one thing. It was first built as a kind of watchpost for the border between the two realms. You see, this spot is very special. There are... flows of power both magical and natural that intersect here," the girl explained.
"Like leylines?" the Princess asked, remembering what she had read.
"Yes... leylines. Seems you have had some education in the magics. Good. Then this will go faster," the girl said, and continued on, "Finding intersecting leylines from both realms was like finding a diamond in a peat bog. A Dream Temple like no other was going to be built here, but considering the proximity to your kingdoms, it was decided that a tower would be better."
The Princess wanted to ask what a Dream Temple was, but after impressing the girl, she didn't want to ruin her image.
"That was in the old days. For some time, this tower has been abandoned. I don't know why, and neither did my uncle," the girl paused, weighing her words, "There are things we wanted to know, so my uncle came here and started to replace the weakened enchantments here. I came to straighten things up and make it liveable."
"That explains the kitchen, at least," thought the Princess.
"After about a year, my uncle needed a more secluded spot for... certain studies, so he went to a dragon friend of his. Which brings us to the present," the girl finished. She was now looking expectantly -and impatiently- at the Princess.
"That's it?" the Princess asked in amazement, "That doesn't answer anything! You can't expect me to leave after just that? If this place is so important, how did the Sorceress find it in a classified? Why did you just leave it? What's all that hair for? And why is my hair blue?!"
The girl's hair turned a dark orange and began to twist in and out around itself. "You should be thankful for that hair, girl. It means more than you know," the girl said in a low voice.
"Thankful?! I lost my beautiful gold to this Forever Dye! And if it means more than I know, why don't you tell me everything, girl?" the Princess snapped back.
The girl's hair lit up immediately into a shining bright orange. Her face was livid, and her voice grew with each word she spoke. "I have no intention of wasting anymore of my time prattling on just to please the spoiled fancies of a displaced royal tart! I don't care how, but one way or another you're going to leave this tower!" she shouted.
"Or what?" the Princess said with a smirk, finally unable to keep her anger in check, "You'll blind me with your uncontrolled hair?"
Almost as if in response to the Princess's suggestion, the girl's hair shined brighter, lighting up the top floor of the tower. It flailed madly around her head. The Princess covered her face with her arms, expecting some horrible magic. What she saw, silhouetted against the brilliant hair, was the girl's face, contorted in rage and... something else. Bitterness?
"CURSE YOU!" the girl cried, and the Princess fell as if struck.
As soon as she uttered the words, the girl's hair fell and returned to a dark purple. She looked around in confusion. "What? No, that couldn't be it...," she began to say to herself in a worried voice.
The Princess stood up and checked herself over. Whatever happened, it hadn't done anything to her. Well, nothing obvious. "What just happened?" she asked the girl.
"I... I think I just trapped you here, Princess," the girl answered, still in shock.
"Huh? But I thought you wanted me gone?" the Princess asked.
"I did! But then I lost my temper, and I cursed you, and... apparently that was the trigger," the girl said angrily.
"Trigger? For what?" the Princess asked.
The girl sighed, "There is ancient magic in this tower, as my uncle and I discovered. As you may or may not know, magic is born, ultimately, from the soul. The longer it remains somewhere, the stronger and more complicated it gets, until it finally comes alive."
"A-Alive?"
"Yes, alive. What is born from shall be born into. We knew that there was a powerful awareness in this tower, but we couldn't reach it. We knew nothing about it. Now, I seem to have caught its attention with my outburst, and what it wants is for you to stay right where you are."
"No, that can't be...," the Princess said. It was only a tale to get her away from the castle! It couldn't have just become real!
"Look at your hand mirror, then, if you don't believe me. I can tell it has a magical connection to another mirror. I you were just sealed here, then the shock would have broken it," the girl said.
The Princess slowly walked over to the table where she kept the mirror the Sorceress had given her. It was faced down. She slowly reached out and grabbed the handle. She held it up to her face, and with a deep breath, turned it around. Right across the middle of the mirror was a single, thick crack.
The Princess dropped the mirror in devastation, ignoring the sounds of it shattering on the stone floor. It was true. Before it was a lie, but now it was true. And it was all because of that infuriating witch!
"You!" the Princess yelled, spinning on her heel to face the girl, "This is all your fault!"
To the Princess's surprise, the girl's hair remained a calm, dark purple, "I think we're both to blame here. Me, for losing my temper, and you, for not knowing what you were getting into." She sighed, "But, as I am partly responsible, I won't leave you alone in this."
The girl closed her eyes. After a few moments, the girl herself, who had been on the ground the whole time, flew up to the top floor and stepped into her illusion. It vanished into her as she walked up.
"My name is Melina," the girl said, holding out a hand to the Princess.
The Princess looked from the hand to the girl, then slowly reached out to take it, "My name is-"
"Don't tell me," Melina interrupted, "Now that you're wrapped up in the magics of this tower, your true name has power, even over you. Guard it, and only give it to those whom you truly know and trust. In the meantime, you'll need another name to go by."
The Princess thought. She was continually being caught up in things she didn't understand and left to fend for herself. She was scared and uncertain, but also a little excited and very curious. Most of all, though, she wanted company...
The Princess tightened her grip on Melina's hand, and said, "Then call me Lenoa."
"Excellent, Lenoa," Melina said, with the first smile that the Princess- that Lenoa- had seen, "I don't expect that we'll become the best of friends, but I think we can tolerate one another."
"Agreed," Lenoa said, releasing Melina's hand. Her smile had seemed forced in Lenoa's view. Lenoa could see guilt still lingering in Melina's eyes over what had just happened. Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all. Well, not quite as bad.
Melina walked to the edge of the tower, then turned to Lenoa, "I'll come by every now and then to check on you. There's still much for us to discuss, and even more to find out."
With that, she jumped off the edge and floated to the ground, where Lysander was standing, watching as she came down. They stared at each other, until Melina held out her hand. Lysander looked at it, then lowered his head to allow Melina to stroke it.
"I'll keep an eye on Lysander here," Melina called back to Lenoa.
"Are you sure? He seems to like it here, and I... like having him here, too," Lenoa called back.
"Don't worry so much. You may be trapped, but there are few better places I can think of to be stuck in," Melina said. She began to walk towards the forest with Lysander at her side. "And if you get too bored, just brush your hair some more," she said, and Lenoa could barely make out dancing green hair before they entered the woods.
The Princess stared out into nothing while the stars whirled overhead. The night creatures chirped and howled, and all the world was still about her. "I am Lenoa," she said softly to herself. The words broke her silence, and coursed like hot water through her soul. She sank to her knees and began to cry, unaware that for the first time, the wind had completely died.
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Weeell, how was that? Long, I know. I'm wondering if maybe shorter installments might help me with more regular updates. Now is an interesting part, though, since that's all I had written in my head. Now we're in new territory that I have to map out. So, maybe some normal posts while I work it out. Maybe some other stories. Who knows? Let me know what you think, and if you like it!
Twilight out.
posted by Aisyrn | 2:46 PM
5 Comments:
This is an alternate ending I thought of before I wrote the first version. Because I was in a hurry, I decided on a simple version. Here now, you can see which you prefer. You'll notice that there are many things I kept between the two versions. It's the new girl who was really the only thing to change.
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"CURSE YOU!" the girl cried, and the Princess fell as if struck.
As soon as she uttered the words, the girl's hair fell and returned to a dark purple. She looked around in confusion. "What? No, that couldn't be it...," she began to say to herself in a worried voice.
The Princess stood up and checked herself over. Whatever happened, it hadn't done anything to her. Well, nothing obvious. "What just happened?" she asked the girl.
The girl looked at the Princess and her hair erupted into waves of crimson. She seemed to be weighing what to do with the Princess through a vicious stare. The Princess chanced her question again.
"What's going on?" she asked meekly.
"What's going on? You've got your wish, strumpet. You're trapped here," the girl answered, smirking in a mixture of hatred and amusement.
"Trapped? You mean I can't leave? How? What did you do?!" the Princess demanded.
"I think I'll let you figure that out on your own. If you can," the girl said snidely. Her illusion turned and jumped from the edge of the tower. The Princess ran to the edge and looked down in time to see the illusion merging with the body of the girl still standing on the ground. The girl opened her eyes and looked up at the Princess. With a smirk and a laugh, she turned and began to walk back to the forest.
"No, wait! Please!" the Princess cried, but the girl showed no concern.
Part of her wanted to let the arrogant, rude little witch go. One less headache for her. The Princess turned away, but curiosity knawed at her about what the girl had said. So, the Princess decided to try a simple teleportation spell she had learned. She closed her eyes and envisioned the area at te edge of the forest. She spread an open hand in front of her face and said the incantation.
Instead being transported out of the tower, the magic she had been summoning disappeared. It was like some force had batted it away. It was true. She spun on her heel and looked out towards the girl. She needed the girl's help. But how was she to get her to come back?
If the girl wouldn't listen to the Princess, then she would have to use another way. The Princess knew she couldn't overpower an accomplished witch with what few spells she knew.
"Think!" the Princess told herself. Her mind was racing in search of some way to get the girl to come back. "If I could just get her to listen to me! My reasons are just as valid as hers! Besides, its her fault that I'm trapped here now."
Then she remembered. She had read of binding spells, and how effective they could be when the party being bound owed some duty or responsibility to the one doing the binding. Would it work on an accomplished witch, though?
It was all she had. The girl, with hair still dancing red, had almost reached the forest. The Princess took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. She calmed all the anger and indignation in her heart until it was quiet and pure. Then, she held out her hand with an open palm towards the girl. She placed her other hand over it and closed her fingers around the first hand. She reached out for the flows of magic with her mind, then said in a voice that shook the tower, "I bind you!"
There was no sound and no flash of light. Not a blade of glass was moved, nor did the crickets miss a beat. But the girl had stopped in her tracks. Her flaming red hair had cooled to a throbbing orange. She turned around, and without sound or movement, she vanished from where she stood and reappeared in front of the Princess.
"Impressive, Princess. That was shrewd; most unlike you. But tell me," the girl said, leaning in closer, "do you really want to bind a sorceress who would rather turn you into a slug than help you?"
The Princess had had enough. She knew the laws of the spell, and since this witch had been bound for harming the Princess, she could only do things to help her.
"Your threats are empty, witch. You trapped me here by your own admission, so you will now help to free me," the Princess said.
The two of them stood there, sizing the other up and refusing to yield. Then, the girl sighed and began to rub the ridge between her eyes.
"Fine, I see you know the rules of what little magic you can do, but setting you free is no easy task. And don't call me witch, unless you want a sore bottom. I don't go tossing magic about just to suit my fancy. I'm a sorceress, and proud of it." the girl said.
The Princess was relieved that she was dealing with an honest sorceress. Most people didn't know the subtle differences between the two terms, but she did. This girl was part of a magical community that held her to codes of conduct. For all her rudeness, at least she seemed to have some honor.
"What do you mean, that it's no easy task? You did it, didn't you?" the Princess asked.
"My outburst was the trigger, but it was the magic in this tower that holds you here. You see, there is ancient magic in this tower, as my uncle and I discovered. As you may or may not know, magic is born, ultimately, from the soul. The longer it remains somewhere, the stronger and more complicated it gets, until it finally comes alive,"
the sorceress explained.
"A-Alive?" the Princess said.
"Yes, alive. "What is born from shall be born into." We knew that there was a powerful awareness in this tower, but we couldn't reach it. We could tell nothing about it. Now, I seem to have caught its attention, and what it wants is for you to stay right where you are."
"So, what do we do?" the Princess asked.
"For right now, I think we should introduce ourselves to avoid these trite titles. My name is Melina," the sorceress said, bowing a little. So she did know some courtesy.
"My name is-" the Princess began, but Melina interrupted.
"Don't tell me," she said, "Now that you're wrapped up in the magics of this tower, your true name has power, even over you. Guard it, and only give it to those whom you truly know and trust. In the meantime, you'll need another name to go by."
The Princess thought. A new name? It was fitting, in a way, since she had changed so much since coming to the tower. She was continually being caught up in things she didn't understand and left to fend for herself. She was scared and uncertain, but also a little excited and very curious. Most of all, though, she was always in want of company...
With a hard gaze, the Princess looked to Melina and said, "Then call me Lenoa."
Melina nodded. Then, without a word, she walked to the edge of the tower. She looked over her shoulder to Lenoa, "I'll come by every now and then to check on you. As I said, this is no easy task we take on, and we'll need a battle plan."
With that, she jumped off the edge and floated to the ground, where Lysander was standing, watching as she came down. They stared at each other for several minutes. Then Melina slowly held out her hand. Lysander looked at it, then lowered his head to allow Melina to stroke it.
"I'll keep an eye on Lysander here," Melina called back to Lenoa.
"Are you sure? He seems to like it here, and I... like having him here, too," Lenoa called back.
"Don't worry so much. You may be trapped, but there are few better places I can think of to be stuck in," Melina said. She began to walk towards the forest with Lysander at her side. "And if you get too bored, just brush your hair some more," she said with a laugh, and Lenoa could barely make out dancing green hair before they entered the woods.
The Princess stared out into nothing while the stars whirled overhead. The night creatures chirped and howled, and all the world was still about her. "I am Lenoa," she said softly to herself. The words broke her silence, and coursed like hot water through her soul. She sank to her knees and began to cry, unaware that for the first time, the wind had completely died.
There has to be a middle ground between the two endings. One one hand, it's impossible to believe such a quick shift in action from the new character without some sort of explanation, but on the other hand, a binding spell... and then she leaves anyway...
And watch your geek-ometer. The more technical you get with the magic and the explanations thereof, the more you funnel your story down towards a particular fantasy world. Magic should just be magic.
And when did the princess practice and learn? The first time she uses it is on the second ending? That seems strange.
Don't be in a hurry (:-P) smaller chunks? Just keep writing.
Middle ground, eh? Hmm... then how about this?
Melina nodded. Then, without a word, she walked to the edge of the tower. She looked over her shoulder to Lenoa, "I'll come by every now and then to check on you. As I said, this is no easy task we take on, and we'll need a battle plan."
With that, she jumped off the edge and floated to the ground, where Lysander was standing, watching as she came down. They stared at each other for several minutes. Then Melina slowly held out her hand. Lysander looked at it, then lowered his head to allow Melina to stroke it.
"I'll keep an eye on Lysander here," Melina called back to Lenoa.
Lenoa had been watching in curiosity, but now confusion and panic rose in her. "Wait, where are you going? I bound you!" she said.
"Indeed you did, and my assistance is yours. However, I am bound only to help you, not live with you. Besides, there are things I must tend to. Rest easy. If you cannot trust in the word of a sorceress, then trust in the magic you laid on me that I will be back," Melina answered.
Better?
And to what exactly are you referring when you warn about my geek-ometer? I admit you make a good point, but do you mean the living ancient magic and the leylines (which were story elements) or the details of magic use (which I felt a kind of responsibility to report, since it's magic characters are using and not just mysterious enchantments)?
I could add something describing her recalling how to use magic or I could add scenes with her practicing. Another good point.
This is no easy story for me to tell. Of course, no good story ever is easy, is it? I don't write for the sake of the story, either. I write to be read. And the person who wanted me to write this, Becky, seems not to care about it anymore (or else she is reading and not commenting). Were it not for you, Arnold, I would have already given up on this tale. Despite the pride and pleasure I get from writing something of value, it is still an activity I struggle with. Enough whining, though. Thanks for being a loyal reader and reviewer.
What I mean to say is, leylines... eh, common to a great deal of themes. Mirrors cracking because of binding spells... seems specific to an author. "Binding" spells, and the grammar and execution thereof, highly different from one interpretation to another.
It's like me using a powerful ring in a story, and then saying that it's power flows from another. But hark! My character can cast off the control and even use the weaker ring to attack the bearer of the stronger!
Now, I never mentioned Tolkien at all, but the first thing anyone's going to say was "That's not how it works, or Elrond and Galadriel would have SO kicked Sauron's ass!"
See what I mean? It's subtle I know, but the best thing to do with magic is to leave it magical. It works "just 'cause" and move on. The only time to define it is (as you have used it) to explain why it went wrong (and she's stuck in the tower now).
I mean, if it were a movie, her dress would have gone tingly and then stuck to the floor (like the static cling effect of a sock fresh from the dryer). But it would probably would have stayed on her, unlike the earlier scene with the bush.
Hmm... I wonder... does our princess have blue hair everywhere?
I agree with Arnold, I mean you don't want to get stuck with trying to why everything magical works, why should you, magic is just that magic and it should be magical and unexplainable (is that a word?) But I think that is good story, and I would agree some scenes of her practicing would be great, make them funny, since the beginning of the story had alot of humor in it, her practicing would be a great way to continue with the humor. But it is still a GREAT STORY! And you definitely need to finish it.
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