The Youngest Mage [Completed]

(2) At the Queens Mound

Dalbreath was up early the next morning; early enough, in fact, that he woke up the cook and half the servants.

"What is it?" growled the cook when opening the door after hearing a faint knock. His room was just off the kitchen down a short hallway near the stairs. The cook looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Down here," said Dalbreath.

"Huh? Oh, it's you little Dalbreath. What's wrong? What's wrong? Is something wrong?"

"I was thinking we could have breakfast a little early this morning," he said, with a sheepish grin.

"What?" yelled the cook.

That's when half the servants woke up too, and came out to see what the commotion was.

"WHAT, little Dalbreath? What is it? It's still dark out. I make it a point never to cook breakfast at NIGHT! Night is for dinner, and dinner has been served. Come back later and I'll cook you a nice breakfast."

Dalbreath smiled thinking he had the upper hand, but that's when his father showed up. "What is going on here?" he demanded to know.

The cook was not shaken by Lianonn's stern gaze. "It seems that little Dalbreath wants breakfast at night now."

"Dalbreath?" said his father.

"I can explain," he said, not too convincingly.

"It's four o'clock in the morning, Dalbreath. To bed with you."

"Thank you sir," said the cook, and went back into his room and slammed the door shut.
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Dalbreath went back to his room, defeated, and fell asleep and didn't wake up until late morning. His mother insisted that he be allowed to sleep, since he had been up very early that morning, so Leanha let him be.

After breakfast, which consisted of a thick Rhetian waffle with sliced strawberries and real peach syrup, Dalbreath went out under the Winter Tree, to the Queens Mound, which is an unusual mound halfway from the edge of canopy to the trunk of the great tree. But the only surprise there was that morning was that Leanha was sitting on the mound reading a book. She smiled at him, and waited for him to sit down beside her.

"Why aren't you at home?" he asked, after he sat down beside her.

"Why aren't you?" she said in return.

"I thought I was going to find something here," he said, looking around for something or someone.

"How do you know you haven't?" she asked.

Dalbreath smirked. "You're not a surprise," said Dalbreath.

"Either are you," she whispered.

He was so disappointed that he sat there staring at the ground. Then he saw a small rock sitting on the Queens Mound. He stared at the rock for a while, and then a strange thought occurred to him. He suddenly had the thought that he might be able to move the rock with his mind if he tried. Then after staring at the rock for a while it flew up into the air two feet, spun around three times and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Did you see that?" He asked, excitedly. "I did that. I am a Mage."

"Very good," said Leanha. "I'm impressed. I'll bet you didn't think you had it in you."

"Yes!" he yelled. "And you were here to see it."

"Well, try it again," she said. "Let's make sure it wasn't a fluke."

So he concentrated on moving the rock with his mind for one minute, two, three, five, and then he stopped. "I don't understand," he said, his shoulders slumping noticeably.

"Don't give up so easily," she said, "I'll come back with you tomorrow, and the next day, until we're certain you have it in you to be a Mage."

"Thank you, Leanha," he said, respectfully. "You're the best nanny ever."

"I'm the only nanny you've ever had," she said, smiling.

"I know, I just wanted to say that," he said.

She laughed, and messed up his hair.

"Hey, you're supposed to straighten it out again."

"You're a big boy now, comb it yourself," and then she handed him a beautiful ebony comb.

"Wow Leanha, why are you giving me this?"

She smiled proudly. "I had a feeling you would do something great today. The Mother Blessing is right, you should be a Mage."

"You're the surprise," whispered Dalbreath.

"Shush," said Leanha. "It's a secret. Don't tell your mother about it, or she'll have me fired."

Dalbreath sounded flustered when he said, "I don't know how I will convince my father that she really wants me to be a Mage."

"The Mother Blessing will find a way to open his heart, and then we will see what you can do."