Hidden World: The Archmages(Draft)

Chapter 7 (Draft)

ARWEN HAD MADE up her mind in traveling with Aurelian to see these Archmages, she started to see Aurelian less of a threat to her.
He did partly save her by bandaging her wounds-Arwen however refused to let him change her bandages and check on her wounds.
She was alone at a small stream that flowed gently through the woods.
She winced as she pressed the cool wet cloth to the deep scratches in her side.
They were painfully reddish but appeared to be healing rather well.
When Arwen finished attending to her wounds she headed back to Aurelian, he gazed down at her with interest.
"Why do you wear that cloak? Is it to hide those interesting markings of yours?" He asks.
Arwen nodded, "I didn't have to worry about them too much in my village-but now...I'll have to with soldiers wondering around..."
Aurelian began leading the way once more through the woods, silence was between them.
They eventually come upon an open meadow, there galloping up to them in the distance was Nòir, his long mane drifted in the wind behind him.
He trotted to a halt before them breathing out hot breaths from his nostrils. Aurelian cupped the stallion's muzzle in his hand, "I think he wants to come with us" he said smiling.
Arwen was still slightly scared of the pegasus, "why? I thought he was suppose to protect the others?" Arwen questioned.
Aurelian shrugged his shoulders, "perhaps the Archmages are calling him back"

They continued on with the large black pegasus flying overhead of them-his wingbeats could be slightly heard. The meadow disappeared into open plains, with trees dotting the land here and there.
Aurelian and Arwen eventually made camp under an old looking large tree.
Arwen sat down with her back against the tree, she jumped slightly as Nóir landed down near them with a loud thud of his heavy hooves.
Aurelian looked a her with an amused expression, "I don't think I've met a mage as hostile as you" he says as he began trying to set up a fire.
Arwen narrowed her eyes at him "what's that suppose to mean?" She asked slightly offended. Aurelian merely chuckled, "I mean you don't know how to relax" He states.
"Oh..." Arwen looked down and began picking at sticks that had fallen from the tree branches above her.
"My...mentor use to tell that I should never let my guard down...if I'm alone". She said quietly. Creus always advised Arwen to avoid strangers unknown to their lands-especially if they are from the Kingdoms.
Aurelian smiled softly at her "well-you're not alone...so you can relax now" he assured her. Arwen still wasn't sure if she trusted Aurelian fully enough yet to relax.
Arwen did feel slightly better now that she wasn't alone in the wilderness anymore.
Her mind raced back to when she first encountered the other mages to her village.

"Stay back!" She had yelled at one as they surrounded her in the forest she had wondered for days, she was extremely weak and exhausted.
She showed off her lightning powers as a warning to them that she meant business, their eyes widened with shock but not fear.
"She's...she's a mage..." they all exchanged looks of concern.

Arwen doesn't remember much after that because Velet who was an amazing Hypnosis possibly the only one of her kind in Mirri, drowsed her into sleep.
Arwen felt sorrow fill her heart, it was hard to imagine her being gone as well. Velet helped Arwen to relax around them and convinced her that the mages meant her no harm despite them not knowing of her origins.
It was hard for them to comprehend how Arwen got into the hands of The kingdom's villagers.
Arwen could only tell them of what she remembered of her mother...which wasn't much. Arwen remembered her mother being taken out of their home for using magic against the people-which lead Arwen into a cell to be tormented for her magic abilities.
Velet found ways to soothe Arwen's troubled mind by getting her to read interesting scrolls and books about the land of Mirri.

It was interesting to Arwen how there was none on Archmages or mages that can shift into animals. The sky was painted in lush pinks and orange by the time Aurelian had a fire lit and returned with food.
He had two wild hares roasting on the fire.
Nóir came up near them and laid down, his wings draped on the ground.
Arwen slowly approached him, she still had the apple Aurelian had given her, the stallion raised his large black head, his ears were pricked forward and his dark eyes were focused fully on her.
Arwen offered the red apple to him, his nostrils flared slightly as he sniffed it. Without any hesitation Nóir accepted the apple, he took it within his jaws and crunched down on it with ease.
Nóir stood and bumped Arwen with his muzzle sniffing her for more, Arwen grabbed his chin and ran her hand down his forehead with the other giggling.
"I don't have anymore..." she said to him. He seemed to grumble at her displeased his ears flicked back.
The orangeish-yellow glow of the firelight loomed off of Nóir's sleek black body. Arwen smiled softly at him-the vicious creature he was before trying to stamp his mighty hooves down on her was no longer present in this calm beautiful steed.
Arwen could feel a strange connection slowly forming between them as she ran her fingers through Nóir's forelock.
The late night came but Arwen couldn't sleep, the sound of the crackling fire and crickets filled her ears as she laid on her back staring up at the stars. She glanced over at Aurelian who was fast asleep on the other side of the crackling fire, she hadn't asked him too much about these Archmages like she possibly should.
Her curiosity was growing to know more about them,
"The Archmages are our ancestors! Our Creators! How could the Mages of Mirri lose this sacred knowledge!" She recalled him saying.
Arwen felt her eyelids droop as her mind slowed down from thinking about the Archmages.
Before Arwen knew it morning came, Aurelian awoke her earlier than usual "we're never going to cover real ground if we keep going at this slow pace" he insisted.
Arwen merely groaned but was soon wide awake as the mage lands were growing farther and farther away behind them.
She realized this as Avar's River came into her view, her eyes widened "you're taking me outside the mage lands!?" She said horrified. Avar's River could not be crossed without a boat of some sort, it zipped through the land, the water reflected the sky and the sun.
The other side was visible but the river out a great distance between Arwen and it. Aurelian nodded to her, "we have to go to the mountains in order to get back to the Archmages" He explained.
"But...there are dragons there! And before that...The Berunda Kingdom!" Arwen didn't feel comfortable at all about leaving the mage lands.
"The dragons won't bother you-they're like the pegasuses and Nòir as long as they see that you're a mage they won't harm you" Aurelian assured her.
Arwen narrowed her eyes at him, "and what about the soldiers of Berunda? When they see that I am a mage they'll try to kill me-as well as you" She points out.

Nóir seemed to feel Arwen's tension, he lightly bumped her with his muzzle, his ears flicked back and forth as his gaze came onto the river.
"No one ever bothered me when I first came through here, so why would they now?" Aurelian stated.
Aurelian's expression turned into concern, "come to think of it...the villages I did come across were much like your's...destroyed...".
Arwen couldn't believe what Aurelian just said, 'they're killing their own too? Were there mages among them too...like I was?'
Aurelian began glowing a goldish color as he just so happens to shift into a gryphon, his feathers were more of a bright cold color rather than a coppery brown color the soldiers Arwen encountered before had.
"Don't worry Arwen I won't let anything bad happen to you if we do encounter danger" Aurelian said spreading his wings the sunlight shimmered off of them giving them that extra gold shine.
He lifted on talon and held his eagle-like head high up in the air, "now climb on" he says gesturing to his back.

Arwen looked at him as if he was crazy, "I don't know about this...".
Arwen wasn't about to go crossing Avar's River into Berunda Lands so easily.
Aurelian made a strange cooing sound in his gryphon form, encouraging Arwen to trust him.
Arwen reluctantly did, she slowly climbed onto him and sat in between the gap between his wings.
His gold feathers were soft and silky, Aurelian flicked his ears as he turned towards the river spreading his wings.
"Hold on tight Arwen" he advised before he shot up into the air-Arwen could hardly catch her breath as the wind whipped their her, she gripped a handful Aurelian's feathers as tightly as she could as he soared over Avar's River with ease.
Arwen hesitantly looked down to see the beautiful river was right underneath them, the river flowed for miles throughout the land endlessly from both ways.
Feathers drift off of Aurelian, they drifted in the wind behind them.

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