Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 1

"Don't wait dinner on me, Mother; I plan to make a late night of it here in the shop." Gareth trusted his mother to hear the truth behind his words. I'm not up to another evening of Father's disapproval and lecturing tonight. Work gave Gareth a good excuse to hide from the world- and his family- for a while.

As he expected, his mother nodded, a troubled expression creasing her brow. "As you wish, Son. I'll have your sister bring you a plate, later. May I tell everyone that you'll rejoin us tomorrow?" The blue flash in her eyes warned him to expect her voice in his head through her 'Sending' spell. No potion heals a broken heart. I'm sorry, Son; your dad means well, but . . . he's never met my mother and you take after her. "Come here for a hug, since I won't get it before bed."

Though mildly annoying to hear his mother's voice in his head, it was a useful spell for such intimate conversations while others were about. Since there was indeed a late-shopping customer in the store, Gareth was grateful for the privacy. He used the normal effects of the spell to answer her. Are you saying that my relationship choices are a genetic anomaly? I choose to love someone for who they are, not what they are.

She sighed a little. No Gareth; like her, you feel more deeply and tend to love quickly. You know my feelings, but I love you no matter your choices.

Gareth went and got his hug. "Thanks, Mum." Her answer had assured him that, despite the choices he made that she disapproved of, Gareth's mother still loved him.

She squeezed a little tighter. "It hurts me to see you like this, no matter who broke your heart. I love you. Someday, you'll find the right one; I just know it!"

"I'm glad one of us does," muttered Gareth, then felt his mother's kiss on his cheek. He took comfort in the extra, little squeeze before she let go.

"Someday," she promised him. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mum," he replied to her as he retreated into the workroom that was walled off from the left side of the showroom and partially intended as storage.

The potion still required tending, all three distillation chambers, and there really was an order to be worked on. Given the way his mother's hands were paining her lately, the intricate gestures needed to enchant the particular piece he'd be working on would be beyond her capabilities, Gareth knew. As exacting as the motions tended to be for this particular spell, his mother's aging joints wouldn't allow her to cast it properly without leaving her in serious pain.

It hurt Gareth to see her age. His mother had always been Gareth's rock, his role model. She was the strongest mage he'd ever met, even during his time at the school of arcana.

Once more, Gareth had no regrets about his decision to stay home to work at the store with his mother after graduation, instead of going to sea with the rest of his family. Mother needed his help; it was growing clear. He couldn't leave her to tend the shop alone!

Perhaps it was time to start taking a larger role in the running of the business. Though he'd only been out of school for two years, twenty-year-old Gareth knew that running the shop was what he wanted to do with his life. He'd need to learn to manage the business from his mother, not just creating goods for sale.

From the showroom, Gareth heard his mother conclude the sale and lock up behind their customer. Deliberately, Gareth marshaled his thoughts in order to focus on the task at hand. In order to instill the required arcane properties into the very matrix of the shield he was enchanting, it would take Gareth's full attention, would require the enchantment to be reinforced several times per day for at least two full tendays. Gareth was less than halfway through the first tenday.