A Quest Of A Lifetime

The Strange Wizard

It was early evening on a late spring day. The sun warmed while the wind carried hints of the bitter winter that wasn't quite gone. The wind breezed under Jane's cloak bringing a chill with it. Jane pulled her wool cloak closer, trying to shield the basket filled with warm sweet rolls from the icy winds. "You know you didn't need to bring those, Jane" "I know, Pa, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to be neighborly" Jane inwardly wondered if it would be considered insulting to bring sweet rolls to a wizard. They could probably afford all of the food they wanted. "Hey Jane, it's okay, no one could possibly turn down your baking" her father patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Well, I don't know what to do when a wizard arrives, we've never had anyone important visit town" Jane shrugged her shoulders like it didn't bother her, but it always made her uncertain when she didn't know what was expected of her. "Well we're nearly there, and if the wizard doesn't want them, we'll take them back and serve them with dinner." Jane smiled. Her father always knew what to say. The town hall was a comforting sight ahead. The sun hitting the windows made it look very grand, but it was a familiar place to Jane. The center of the towns activities, where the mayor was elected and town meetings happened. Jane had been presented with ribbons for the baking competition of the town's fair there, and she had spent plenty of time playing hide-and-seek with Victor there in her youth.
There was a crowd inside, with everyone who was close enough to come into town. Jane knew she wasn't the only person curious to see an actual wizard. Wizards were very clever people, who studied long and hard to master the laws of magic. They traveled and looked for other people who had the talent to become wizards, and they also studied town lore, and kept histories. Jane didn't think anything worth noting had happened in her town since she was born, and she felt like if something amazing had happened before then, she would have heard about it by now. Given how many times she had heard the old farmers trade tales of "the bad winter" and "Scar the one-eyed catfish" (too clever to be caught, but not clever enough to avoid being noticed by every old fisher around) and "the time farmer Brown's cow exploded" (Jane was pretty sure that story was mostly fiction) unless the wizard was there to study spontaneous combustion in farm animals, Jane wasn't sure what he would be wanting  from them.
Jane and her father edged around the crowd until they could see the wizard at the head of the hall with the mayor.
He, or she? Did not look like Jane expected. The wizard was a dwarf, which as far as Jane knew was rare. The wizard had a long, flowing beard, which Jane would normally think of as masculine, except that it was neatly trimmed, looked silky soft, and the deep brown waves were neatly held in circular silver clasps. The wizard wore a dark brown leather tunic, inscribed with intricate golden markings over maroon robes. She wore a head covering and sash of the same maroon material. The sash was trimmed with golden bangles that jingled softly as she moved. She was speaking in a low voice with the towns mayor, Victor's father, George. It was easy to see the family resemblance between George and Victor, with George having the same brilliant blue eyes, but his blond hair was closer to silver than honey. He had fought in the army before settling in town with Victor's mother, Mary. They were both quiet and confident, and trusted by the town. Jane saw Victor hanging back a bit, trying not to look like he was listening too intently to the conversation his father was having with the wizard, and failing completely. Victor caught Jane's eye and gave her a quick smile. He looked around the crowded room, and seemed a bit surprised and how many people were present. He stepped forward and tapped his father's shoulder and then spoke quietly in his ear. George looked up, realized that quite a crowd had gathered, and motioned for the crowd to quiet down. "I see we're all here, or at least as many as can make it. Allow me to introduce our visitor. This is Amirah, as you have probably noticed, she's a wizard. She's traveling the 12 kingdoms taking something like a census, on behalf of the Wizard's Council. In return for our assistance, she's offering to use her magic to perform difficult repairs for us. She's a specialist in metal work. I'll let her continue from here." There was a quiet murmur from the crowd. Amirah stepped forward, and when she spoke, her voice sounded slightly louder than the mayor's had, but soft and musical as though she was making no particular effort. "I'm pleased to see so many folks here tonight. Thank you for coming to meet me. As your mayor said, I'm here to take a census, and getting demographic information to bring to the council. I'll happily perform what metal repairs I am able too. I have some small skill with healing as well, and may be able to assist in that way." There was a low buzz of conversation as the townspeople talked amongst themselves. "What is this census for?" asked someone towards the back of the crowd. Jane wasn't quite sure who said it, but she thought it sounded like Mrs. Brown, the local midwife. Amirah took a breath, started to say something, stopped, toyed with one of the charms in her beard, then shrugged and started up again. "I'll be honest, every time there's some dire prophecy about how the world is going to end unless we find the True Hero, usually in a town off the beaten path, us wizards have to spend months to years hiking all over the twelve trying to locate the right person. Cities keep a census of all of their citizens, and it's much easier to find the right person that way, so I petitioned the Wizard's Council to provide the resources to make a comprehensive census and database of genealogical research to save time in the future." "And the Wizard's Council agreed with your idea?" Asked Mrs. Brown. Amirah smiled grimly. "They agreed that if I thought it was a good idea, I should go and get started on it."