If It Means A Lot To You

Prologue

     Medieval England, outskirts of Arundel. A cottage sits just far enough away from a creek, and the perfect distance from the forest. The next cottage was about an hour or so away on horseback. In the backyard sat a few chickens and a hutch. A stable with a small field lay not too far away, and a buckskin mare grazed peacefully. The morning breeze rustled the brightly colored leaves and small clouds blew by in the powder blue sky. Two large, black stallions galloped towards the cottage, and two armored men sat upon them. A dog barked as the men unmounted their horses. One of the men knocked on the rickety wooden door that hardly hung on to the hinges.

     A tall man answered the door and leaned casually against the door frame. He had messy dark brown hair that fell just over his right eye. The sides of his hair were shaved. His eyes were a chocolaty brown, and he had a light beard and mustache that seemed like it had been a few days since he last shaved. He wore hunter's gear, a brown leather vest rested over a foresty green, long sleeved shirt. A cloth wrapped around his waist and was tied messily. The vest had KT expertly engraved into the left side of his chest. He wore dark pants with a few rips in them, and leather boots. He wore old brown gloves over his hands each finger open so his skin showed.

     "Kellin Tharcey?" One of the armored men asked. "This is he." He answered, nodding. "The Queen asks your presence." The other said. "For what, may I ask?" Kellin raised an eyebrow. "She did not specify, however she implied it was urgent." He watched each man as they spoke, giving them his full attention. "Of course. Give me a moment to fetch my horse and saddle." He stood up straight and addressed the armored men. They stepped aside to allow Kellin to pass, and went back to their horses after he walked to the stable.

     Kellin clicked his tongue and the buckskin mare trotted almost instantly into the stable. "Hey, girl." He stoked her golden muzzle. "We're goin' back into Arundel for a day or two most likely." He said, walking to the wall that held all the tack. "How's that sound, Delilah?" He grabbed tack off the wall one by one, and quickly dressed her. Climbing onto her back, he drove her out where the men and their stallions were. "Ready, sir?" One man asked. Kellin nodded, and the three men rode off to the castle.

     Kellin had been summoned by the Queen before, so this isn't exactly anything new. He's been asked to create things, or reinforce barriers, or heal soldiers. He's what most refer to as a Sorcerer. Sorcerers are regular people in the beginning, and usually go through trauma at a young age that results into them kicking into some sort of inner magic. Nobody knows exactly how, it isn't exactly a common thing. There's rarely more than two Sorcerers per city or kingdom. As far as Arundel goes, Kellin is the only one.

     After an hour or two they arrive in the city, where most of the population of Arundel lives. Pedestrians move out of the way, and wave to Kellin as he rides through the crowded cobblestone streets. Suppose you could say, nearly everyone knew of Kellin Tharcey, Arundel's Sorcerer. He is responsible of healing the Queen's daughter when she came ill; and created a good majority of the Special Force, or all of it, that is. The Special Force consists of creatures only able to be created by Sorcery. For example vampires, or lycans, trolls, elves, and other oddities. Including a hybrid of species that otherwise never would've mixed; like Kellin's half-panda-half-dog chimera, Panzie.

****

     Kellin strut into the throne room, and bowed before the Queen. She was middle aged and looked fairly young for her age. Long, perfectly curled hair fell perfectly over her body, dark as ebony. She had hazel eyes, a perfect mixture of brown and green, and had fair, pale skin. Not a single blemish nor freckle sat on her. The dress was perfectly lay over her, causing each curve to be pronounced just right, and made her look nearly perfect. The color was a royal purple; and had gold and silver threading and accents. A perfectly white diamond lay over her breasts on a pendant.

     "You called, your majesty?" Kellin asked, still bowed. "Yes, I ask of replacement for some of the Special Force soldiers." The Queen answered. Kellin raised his head, and stayed bowed. "Exactly what soldiers, madam?" "Two elves, two lycans, and a vampire. We lost them fending a farm on the other side of Arundel from a dragon. "Of course, your majesty. How soon?" Kellin stayed bowed, careful not to provoke the Queen. Nobody is even allowed to say her name, not unless they want to be thrown in the dungeon. She is temperamental, yes, but she is a good ruler. "Three days, starting as soon as you're home. You may stay the night here, as it is too late to head back now." She answered. "Yes, ma'am."

"The guards will show you to your room, I'll send people to tend to your horse."

     With that Kellin was escorted out of the throne room and down a long hallway. Doors were evenly laid out down the corridor, and torches hung on either side of each door. Their footsteps and the klank of metal armor echoed through the hallway until they reached Kellin's room. One of the guards opened a creaky wooden door with extremely detailed designs carved into the wood. A large, neatly done bed sat in the center of the room, maroon blankets and impossibly clean pillows draped over it perfectly. Above it hung a gold chandelier with lit candles. It looked expertly crafted, not a single flaw shown, at least not from a distance. A window with red curtains was plastered on the wall across the room. Throw rugs and fancy paintings finished off the room.

     "Bit fancy." Kellin commented. "You're the royal Sorcerer, of course it's fancy." One of the guards added. "I told you, I'm not the royal Sorcerer." He rolled his eyes. "I just create the Special Forces." Kellin had explained this at least a thousand times to just about everyone. He never liked being associated with the word royal. He lived in a cottage on the outskirts of Arundel, there was nothing royal about him. At least that's what he thinks. Most women, and some men, found him to have the looks of a prince. "But, sir! The Special Forces is the most feared military force in all of England! No kingdom has dared declare war on us since it's been created." A guard exclaimed. "But I'm not the only Sorcerer who has learned to create the creatures. I just happen to have a mind." Kellin bragged. "As you say, sir Tharcey. We shall leave you be." With that the guards were out of the room and Kellin was alone.

     Kellin flopped onto the plush bed and let out a long, exaggerated sigh. Maybe after this batch I'll quit. He thought. They don't even pay me. Or I could just ask to be paid and threaten to quit if they don't. It's not like they can survive without the Special Forces, they'll die off eventually. Of course, I'm not immortal, so for their sake let's hope they find a young Sorcerer to be my apprentice. He laughed at the thought. The most recent Sorcerer found in southern England was a 17 year old a few kingdoms away. There's no guarantee it wasn't just a rumor, either.

*****

     Once the lights were off Kellin laid under the covers. His body was sprawled out, taking up most the bed. The liked having all this room to himself. At home, he had a small bed he shared with Panzie. Keep in mind, this chimera was half panda, half dog. It's a giant ball of black and white fluff that bites his feet if he moves them too suddenly. But, he loved the thing. He treated the creature as if it were his son. As the darkness around him hugged him like an old friend, Kellin quickly fell asleep.

AUTHORS NOTE

How's 'at for a prologue. This is just the introduction of a novel me and my boyfriend is writing. So far only one main character has been introduced, and in the next chapter, the story begins. I'm not sure how long it will take for Chapter One to be uploaded, so bare with us.

~Ryker