Return to Destiny

Written two years ago.  Comments welcomed. :)

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The small blue-eyed boy stared stonily at the casket of his adoptive parent.  This man had been his only friend and teacher  for as long as the boy could remember.  He had never asked about his parents and now probably lost all chance to.  He felt that he would regret this, but he didn't know why. 

This boy was small for his age and had a piercing, icy stare.  All of his peers teased him for it frequently.

"Hey," the other kids used call.  "Trying to do magic with your eyes?"

The boy would ignore them and turn away.  They followed though.  They always did.

A girl came up beside him as he gazed at the casket and pulled him out of his memories.  She looked a lot like him, with her golden locks and icy stare.  She spoke quietly so she was not to be over heard.

"He left something with me to give you.  Did you know that?"

The boy shook his head for only a second before the girl slipped a note into his hand.  She surprised him, and he turned quickly, looking for her.  He saw the back of her head disappear down a short hallway.  He rushed to follow her.

"Wait," he shouted after her. "Wait for me!"

The girl turned briefly to look at him.  "You will see me soon.  Look at the note."  She whispered before completely disappearing. 

The boy looked down at his hand and opened the note she had slipped him.   It was in his mentor's handwriting.

Dearest Jon,

        If you have this, something has happened-- either in Ornis or to me.  Maybe even both.  If I have died, you need to go back to Ornis.  I can no longer help and guide you.  If I have merely disappeared, you need to go with the girl who gave this to you.  She will keep you safe.  There are instructions to Ornis on the back.

Best of luck,

Robert

The boy, usually called Jon, saw tears on the paper and realized they were his own.  Robert was dead.  Jon was alone except for maybe the girl.  Whoever she was.

Jon flipped the paper over and stared incredulously at the instructions.  They included things like "Go left through the closet," and "Speak your true name at the Rock of Runes."  Below that there was a post script.  "These may not make sense but follow them to the letter."  All of these were written in the hand of his mentor.

Jon paced in the short hall and considered what to do.  He came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to follow Robert's instructions: he had never lead Jon wrong. 

Jon went back to the apartment he and Robert shared before Robert died to pack.  He packed only the things he knew he couldn't live without.  Jon took most of the old, leather-bound books that Robert had said were important in his instructions.  He threw a few pairs of extra clothes into the duffel bag he was taking and found the closet the note mentioned.  Jon looked around the apartment one more time and hesitantly put his hand up to wall, trying to touch it.  As soon as his hand disappeared, the rest of his body was sucked through.  Eventually he found himself in a forested world.   He followed the rest of the directions.  The thought of the girl kept him going.

After about an hour of rough hiking, the girl appeared.

"Master," she said and curtsied.  She had changed and was now in what Jon thought were Medieval training clothes.  She had a bag with clothes for Jon.  He changed behind patch of large trees while pondering what she had said.