The Mirror Princess

CHAPTER IV

"No."

"Father, please just hear me out-"

"I said no Alexios."

The majority of the conversation between Alexios and his father had been like this. King Brannoc looked tired from not only the normal proceedings of the court, but of his son's persistence in going on a quest to rescue the fabled Mirror Princess based on an old journal and a dream he had of her. The two were in King Brannoc's private study, away from prying eyes and curious ears. Alexios stood near the cold fireplace while the King sat in the chair at his desk. A tension was in the air between them, but it wasn't oppressive. Yet.

The King sighed before continuing with his reasons for not letting his son go on this adventure he was so insistent on pursuing. "Alexios, you are a knight of the kingdom and its Crown Prince. Your duties lie here with the people. They need you here just as I do Alexios. I don't want to lose you on this quest to save a princess from a story told to young children."

"But Carthan confirmed that the journal was-" The prince began, but King Brannoc cut him off again for the second time.

"I will be speaking with Carthan later on this, for now I believe you need to go and care for your sword. A dull blade is far more dangerous to the wielder than a sharp one."

The King's tone was one of finality, and Alexios knew there was no point in arguing for his cause further. Not when his father was so unwilling to listen and believe him. Alexios maintained his dignity as a prince however when he left the room, taking on a more stoic demeanor so no one could see his inner and boiling frustrations. Again King Brannoc sighed, and after a few minutes of silence he summoned the Grand Mage to his study. It wasn't long before Carthan appeared from the air, holding onto his staff that still had the many characteristics of the tree branch it once was. The wizard leaned on it slightly as he observed the King's weary features.

"I see you've talked with the young prince." Carthan said carefully, and King Brannoc nodded before asking, "Did you put these notions of the Mirror Princess being real in his head."

"No, he came to those conclusions on his own and truthfully, I agree with them." The Grand Mage replied with absolute seriousness.

King Brannoc leaned forward on his chair slightly, Carthan having his full attention. The King considered Carthan his oldest friend as well as his most trusted advisor in matters of the kingdom, and so when he talked in such a tone about any matter King Brannoc knew as well that he too should take it seriously. Nearly three-hundred years old, Carthan has helped generations of Averon royals in running and defending the kingdom, making sure its people were happy and prosperous.

"What evidence do you propose then that back up my son's claims?"

"A little more insight into the ones Alexios had already told you of. Other than the odd attack on the kingdom, possibly to relieve boredom whenever it strikes him, the Dark Sorcerer instead came that night for a specific object. That journal meant something to him, and it was important enough to come personally for it. I don't know what he would have done with it other than destroy the knowledge contained within."

"If the Dark Sorcerer so desperately, as Alexios put it, wanted to destroy that journal then what would be his motivations to destroy it?"

The Grand Mage thought on this for a moment before replying slowly, "Perhaps he wanted to hide something and by destroying the journal no one would ever find it. Hidden forever and only to remembered throughout time as a childrens fairytale."

"The Mirror Princess." King Brannoc stated, easily catching on to Carthan's implications, and the aged wizard nodded.

"What better way to hide someone than to make everyone else believe that they do not even exist?" Carthan reasoned, "The Dark Sorcerer of Manara has had a thousand years to make this possible, but that night Alexios thwarted his plans. I'm willing to put a stake in saying that the journal is the sole remaining account from the Divide and the last bit of truth concerning those events." After a short pause he then added softly, "And I know you still wonder from time to time about what truly happened all those centuries ago, and what reasons King Raynard the First had in order to so brutally attack Hylaris."