I twirl the little rose quartz necklace in my fingers. My mother gave it to me before I left. She said that her mother gave it to her when she left her home when she was a teen. She said it gave her strength through the hard times and that it would give me strength to. I can and will do this for my family.
As I walk through the city walls of Adrein the anxiety sets in. There were many people at little different markets around me. This place was huge. I had to get to the castle before the sun set and I could see the magnificent building not too far away from me. I can do this. I repeat to myself as I head to the castle. I can do this.
Twelve broad, round towers dwarf everything below them and are connected by enormous, massive walls made of light brown stone.
Dull windows are scattered here and there across the walls in a seemingly random pattern, along with symmetric holes for archers and artillery.
A vast gate with tall wooden doors, a drawbridge and a moat offers a safe home to all those in need in these cold mountains, but it's not the only way in, which fortunately only very few know.
Fields of nothingness stretch out outside the castle, allowing to see people coming far before they pose a threat. This castle looks very new, but without knowing its history it's impossible to tell if it's a newly build castle or a well kept one.
When I walk up to the castle gates the guards rise in alert and have their hands ready to draw their swords or arrows. "It's okay." I say quickly. "I'm here for the quest." I pull out the flier from my satchel and hold it up for them to see.
"Pat her down." The shortest of the guards said. Two of the men walked towards me.
"Spread your arms and legs." One of them started patting me down while the other one searched through my bag. "She clean." He said once he was done manhandling me.
"Once you walk in there will be signs leading you to the dining room and you will wait for the king." The short one said, letting me through.
"Thank you."
The castle my look nice on the outside, but it looked even better on the inside. There were large staircases, chandeliers, couches, everything. Everything in this city seems huge. From the streets to the people. From the people to the castles.
I look around for the signs the man was talking about and finally found my way. I sign my name to a list saying that I am a participant for the quest. After that I am rushed into an extravagant dining room. There was a long table with over a hundred seats, a huge crystal chandelier hung over the table, and many beautiful paintings hung on the walls. All kinds of delicious foods were set up on the table. Mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, ham, turkey, lamb, mutton, etc. Any food you could think of, it was there. I never seen food like this before. My stomach growled as I smelt the air. Boy I was hungry.
The smell of the food is becoming so strong that I can't even think straight anymore. All the chairs are filled except one. The one at the head of the table. The king's chair. And if the king doesn't get here soon I'm going to shove a turkey leg in my satchel and run.
King Cristole. The king of all of Ebrain. A very stern and greedy king. He will do anything to get his way. Even if it meant killing his people.
I look around to the other people sitting at the table with me. Mostly men. A few women. No children. Like me. Some of these people are Ebrain's greatest criminals, assassins, bounty hunters, wizards, mages.
Me? I'm just a 14 year old girl from a poor village who can barely do magic and is very shy.
Why are you on this journey, you may ask. Well. My father is terribly sick with Catalepsy, and there is no one who can heal him. And I am the only mage in my village, and since I'm not good at magic I don't want to take my chances and kill my father. The only other way to heal him is to get a doctor from Adrein. And these doctors are very very expensive.
I'm hoping that with the reward I can use it to get a doctor for him and then he'll be better.
Finally the king entered the room and everyone went silent. The king was a very handsome man. Short, shaggy brown hair with a gold crown on top of his head, large chocolate brown eyes, and a small beard.
Once he was seated we started eating. I was so happy. I'm pretty sure I was drooling.
Halfway through the meal a tinging noise filled the air. Everyone stopped eating and looked at the king. The king gracefully stood up. "You are here to fulfill the request of your king. And my request is to be your king everlasting. As you all know my son, heir to the throne, is very irresponsible and my wife is sick, and so am I. This quest is for you to find The Silver Lake. If you haven't heard, legend be told if the water from The Silver Lake is drinked, you will have immortality. If one of you are the first to find this lake, you will be reworded with many riches."
Everyone nodded in approval.
"The quest starts tomorrow at 7 am. You have six hours to sleep. You are dismissed."
Everyone was led to their own individual rooms. I never had a room all to myself. I had to share one room with my parents.
When I walked into the room my jaw hit the floor. The room was huge. It was bigger than my whole house! There was a bed that could fit my whole family and other village members, a ceiling to floor bookshelf, a closet full of the clothes I wear, and a nice balcony. "Woah."
I have be traveling all day and I was in dire need of a bath. I grab a nightgown from the closet and walk into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom and filled the tub with warm water. This may be the last bath I have for a long time. This may be the last bath I have ever.
I scrub and scrub and scrub until every part of me is clean, and my were fingers are all wrinkled. I climb and quickly slip on my night gown. I grab the brush and brush all the tangles out of my hair.
When I was done I grabbed my satchel and pull out my spell book to practice a little before I go to sleep like I do every night.
The first one I try is a basic wind spell. I think of the wind. How cool and nice it feels, but how powerful and destructive it can be. I wave my arm up and down three times, then lift my hand halfway up and push my hand forward. A strong gust of wind blows forward and pushes open the balcony door. I smile at my success.
I walk onto the balcony and see some guards play a card game. It would be wrong to mess with them, but also it would be wrong not to.
I flip through my book to see which one would be appropriate to use to mess with them. I giggle once I find the right one. A levitation spell. I just need deep concentration. I stretch my arm out towards one of the guards and imagine him being lifted up in the air. A second later I hear yelling and I see that one of the guards in the air. As I move my hand he moves with me. I twirl my hand all around making him bounce and flip. I think he had enough torture. I set him down and they continue on with their game.
It's going to be a long night and with their yelling, accusing the other of cheating I know I'm not going to get much sleep. So I decide to put a sleep spell on them. I concentrate on sleep and chant the chant three times.
"Awake by day,
At rest by night
I thank the Gods,
And turn out the light
I pray to thee, O holy ones,
Let me sleep, and my day be done"
Suddenly they all pass out a snore. I crawl into bed and try not to think of the worst that may come.
