The Untold Story

It is just beginning

The Republic was gray and unremarkable. It was winter, which made the city looked even worse. There was almost no snow and the air was dry. People were hurrying about their business. Sullen and indifferent. Ezra was sitting on a park bench and reading a book. It had been nearly a hundred years since he had left Nevermoor and come here. He was annoyed by the Republic, it is not his home. His home is Nevermoor. And he vowed that sooner or later he will find a way to return home. Maud Lowry (that was Gracious Goldberry's name here), who was the President of the Republic, will not let him do it, she will not let him go so easily. She wants to conquer Nevermoor and she doesn't care what it will cost, how many people will die. Ezra was the second most powerful person in the Republic. He founded "Squall Industries" with Maud's help. But worst of all, he had to kill children as young as eleven who were born in Eventide. As Maud put it: "They're potential Wundersmiths. We don't need competitors". So he had to send The Hunt of Smoke and Shadow (one of his works) to get rid of them. Ezra invented the legend of the cursed children, so that no one would have any questions about why these children die so early. And people believed it. Human nature was indeed too romantic. Sometimes Ezra even found it amusing. But soon everything will change. Ezra had a plan. He's not the same person he used to be. Life had taught him a lot.

Very soon The Bid Day will take place, where a girl will be present, who will help him implement the plan. Morrigan Crow. Daughter of Chancellor Corvus Crow. Ezra grimaced at the memory of the man. And what did his daughter see in this man? He could never understand it. Gwendolyn. There was a look of sadness in his eyes. It's been almost eleven years since she died. Her mother was beautiful, but love between her and Ezra was out of the question. His heart would always belong to Elodie. He needed to procreate, and Katarina was perfect for that.
But he loved Gwendolyn very much. She was a copy of him: she had the same brown hair and dark eyes that always had a mischievous twinkle in them. She rarely sat still, always looking for adventure. It usually ended up with either bruises or scratches and skinned knees. But even though Gwen was energetic and restless, she was a straight-A student at school, read a lot and was sensible. Ezra was very proud of her. When she announced that she was marrying Corvus Crow, he gave them his blessing, even though he was against the marriage. But he knew that Gwen would not be persuaded. If they loved each other, then he would not interfere with them. Ezra had never met Corvus or his family. He told Gwen that he didn't want them to know who he is. And he always added with a smile that she could come up with something plausible about him. To the public he was Mr. Jones. Ezra came up with this nickname to avoid unnecessary questions about his identity. Of course, his daughter knew that he was a Wundersmith and that he was over 100 years old, but he never told her why he was in the Republic. Ezra didn't want her to be afraid of him, or worse, to hate him. So when she asked him about it, he lied to her.

Gwendolyn died in childbirth. When Ezra was informed of his daughter's death, he did not leave the house for a long time. He later learned that she had a baby girl named Morrigan. And she was a Wundersmith. Ezra knew that when he came to see her. He had to do it at night, while everyone was asleep. As he approached the Morrigan's crib, he saw a small amount of wunder sparkling around the girl. Ezra frowned, knowing that he would have to kill her on her eleventh birthday. But he just couldn't do it, she was his granddaughter. And then he decided that he will make her his apprentice and heir. Secretly, so Maud won't even know about it. She can't keep track of all the children born in Eventide. He will teach Morrigan everything he knew. And maybe in the future she could help him stop Maud. He looked at the little girl, who was snoring peacefully in her crib, and smiled out of the corner of his mouth. He will take care of her. Then Ezra disappeared.

When Ezra finished reading the book, he got up from the bench and sighed. There was a lot of work ahead and he couldn't relax. He decided not to tell Morrigan who he is. Just Ezra Squall, wanting to take her as his apprentice and make her his heir. He would tell her the rest when the time came.
"It's just beginning" - Ezra said softly and walked back up the path, whistling a tune to himself.