Wake the Ancient

"Have you heard? They say the Ancient Mage is whispering because they are running out of Magic Born to fuel it," a poorly hushed voice whispered mischievously from just beyond the bookshelf. Elle paused her sweeping, intrigued.

"Oh hush it," another voice answered incredulously, foregoing the feigned secrecy. "The Ancient Mage is a myth! There is no one inside the Battery, just pure mana. Besides, if there really was an Ancient Mage, we'd just throw in Magic Borns from around the castle."

Elle's grip on her broom tightened. Being a Magic Born Elle had spent her short 15 years enduring all kinds of rude and hateful behavior, even inside the castle walls that were supposed to protect them in return for their servitude. She could feel her heart begin to race at the thought that she might be thrown into the Battery on a whim. Faintly, she could hear a new voice, a new whisper.

"Let me out..." Elle felt her hair stand on end. Taking a deep breath Elle calmed herself, convincing herself it was just a paranoid thought.

"Let me out!" The voice shouted, forcing Elle to throw her broom with a yelp. Cackling followed as two heads appeared around the bookshelf; Elle knew the faces of the Royal Sisters well.

"Aw, did we scare you? Too bad you didn't set the bookshelf on fire!" the younger of the two sisters, Elsa, sneered.

"Yeah, then we could have just taken you to Daddy and had a few days of fuel for the Battery!" The second, and eldest, Arnista joined in.

"You aren't funny," Elle knew better than to talk back to them and vividly remembered what happened the last time she fought back, but still her tongue moved. Her voice felt almost forgein to herself, not hearing it often as she was not permitted to speak to those who lived inside the castle. "You are just nasty and mean."

The sisters recoiled as if they had been physically struck then looked at each other. Without another word they bunched their ruffled dresses off the floor and stalked out. Knowing she needed to make herself scarce Elle gathered her broom and rushed out to the garden where her little home was located.

The area just past the garden, but still within the castle walls, was affectionately called Magic Land. Frazzled, and with her mind very focused on the imaginings of what was going to happen to her the next time she saw a member of the Royal Staff, she missed a friendly wave from an elder Magic Born as she rushed into her little hut. Elle paced a full circle around her small, sparsely furnished living space before a soft knocking nearly scared the life from her.

"C-Come in!" She called, ignoring her body's desperate urge to flee. The familiar older face of the Magic Born leader, Rutger, appeared.

"Elle? Are you alright? Did something happen?" Rutger asked in a steady rapid fire.

"No! I mean, not really!" Elle shook her head then took a deep breath that did little to slow the stream that followed. "I was in the library and overheard some of the Royals talking about the Ancient Mage and the Battery and a mage shortage and then they decided to scare me so I spoke to them and-"

"You spoke to them?"

"I insulted them!" Elle cried, tears bubbling up. "They were so cruel. They said it was a shame I didn't accidently use magic so they could just feed me to the Battery... I called them nasty..."

Rutger was silent for several moments, his eyes moving over Elle's face with his mouth pulled into a taut line; Elle knew he was disappointed. Finally, he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know we teach you not to speak to the Royals, under any circumstance, but I also understand your reaction. It isn't easy to hear your life joked about. Those treaties are in place so as long as we serve the king, do not use magic, and do not leave the castle we are allowed to exist here safely," Rutger kept his voice low, soothing.