.Elementals.

-17-

"King Alabard and guests, mage Mystery." I had my hand clasped behind my back as usual as I stepped in the room.

"Your Majesty, your Highness, king Alabard, mage Amalia." I greeted with a small bow, pleased to see my fellow mage up and running too.

"Ah mage Mystery it is great to see you up, I finally get the chance to meet you."

"The honor is mine king Alabard."

"Your name precedes you mage Mystery tho our first meeting has been less than proper."

"I am conscious of that and that's why I apologize for my get up but I do not wish to bring more discomfort to myself."

"All is good I understand it was a very important wound. It was surprising you stayed on horseback until the end."

"I couldn't fall as I was the last line of defense left, ambushed by some bandits with wild mages that hid their presence."

"Yes and king Alabard here had sent back troupes to clean up the bodies of those you took out but all had their neck snapped." I looked at the queen with a look, she nodded understanding I was asking if it was like the prisoner.

"How do you know it was me Majesty?" I asked, sitting down next to Amalia as she pulled me out a chair, I nodded a thanks to her which she returned.

"What queen would I be if I wouldn't be able to recognize the work of my different mages?" I nodded. "I compliment your strength mage Mystery, such use of magic and despite an accursed pronged bolt you still stood strong until early this morning."

"I will serve my queen with my life, such is the duty of a mage."

This supper tired me out as it hasn't been long since I had been on the brink of death, no needed for the healers to tell me I could feel it.

The internal bleeding was too great for anyone but the elves to heal it with their advanced knowledge of medicine, mage Mystery would have met her end if we weren't coming this way.
The healers did say if I had lost consciousness earlier I wouldn't have made it, my plants saving my life with my determination to make sure nothing would attack the queen.

I had run into the guard again and this time without the helmet all wore, he's face not unknown to me, a young boy, only one years younger than me but a young spirit I mean, soul wearing no chips and scraps of battle before the ambush where he had his first real battle, he was a shaggy haired blond guy with blue eyes and I think I saw him orbiting Calypso, the two of them getting along so he was in my good books.

His leg would forever by scared by my flames but that was an acceptable price to pay to live, I still apologized for it.

I conversed slightly with him to just be sure guilt or sorrow didn't weigh too hard on his heart after the loss of his other five comrades, I knew it would pain me to lose my five friends and new family members.

After I was sure he'd be fine I went on my own way, following the guiding whispers of the souls of the trees making up this place, it made me smile, all wooden structures were still alive here while humans cut and killed the soul of trees.

They helped me found the castle's garden.

I smiled softly as the young elm standing in the middle of it, it was like forty feet tall but not even 1/10 of the old elm I loved.

I laid my hands on the bark of it, leaning my head against it, listening to it young and gentle soul, singing in a brighter tone then my old elm, it was a nice contrast, this elm having few stories to share.

I stayed there a while, letting it listening to whatever my soul has to share with it, I am sure it enjoyed the stories, branches creaking with pleasant thoughts.

I lifted my face from the bark and sat on one of its roots, a hand still on the bark as I smiled up at it, the elm echoing the song my soul sang, the story of a little girl with dragon eyes and silver hair becoming a famous mage.

"I had hoped you'd be here mage, always preferring the company of plants to other living beings."

"They are simpler minded, no need to impress or convince them of anything, simple yet impressive souls."

"I had the feelings all the time you spent in the gardens was not because of simple love for the plants."

My smile fell into a smaller one that was glowing with wondering as my hand hovered away from the bark and I looked at the princess.

"What's given it away?"

"It wasn't as hard as you'd have wanted it to seem, not to my purple eyes."

"So you have indeed started your training Highness." The royal family always had a small, very small, innate grasp of wild magic the same way we had our elemental magic but it was kept secret, only the head mages knew of this and the next head mage in training but they had one skill only. Her Majesty's skill was the subtle ability to make herself seem more threatening than she would be, an invisible aura that grasps at the heart of someone, making them fear her. I didn't know what the princess' yet and for prince Eleric i never looked into it.

"Yes but another thing that tipped me of mage is you get comfortable enough around me to have said plants are simple MINDED, not even mage Emersme would have said that and it isn't uncommon to see you on the great elm, I saw you a few times even before we met officially."

"You are simply in luck Highness." I smirked, she actually got something out of me, I do get too comfortable around her which is a good trait to have, people could slip up and reveal something that they didn't want to.

"Then it proves the charm works." She said, holding her braid up with one finger, the bead hanging on the end of it like when I had put it on her.

"It sure is, it isn't myths but facts that it works."

"I can't help but wonder." She walked closer and sat by my side. "What would have been the outcome of that ambush if I didn't accept it so easily?"

"Highness don't start thinking about giving it back, it is now yours, so many things in life depend on luck, if I had it maybe the bolt would have scrapped me or struck a rib and not stab into my lung but it cannot be changed now."

"It played on so little that you died Mystery." I was slightly taken back at the lack of title but didn't bring it up, seems she too is dropping her guards around me making it easier to read her face.

"Highness a lot plays with chance and luck, a little more or a little less could make the whole difference Maybe yes, me gifting this to you was the cause of my injuries or maybe I would have still gotten hurt with it on, we'll never know what the charm helped with or not."

"Right....So does the old elm have some stories to share? Now that I cracked this layer of the puzzle you are mage Mystery I'd like to learn more about it."

"And who says I am willing to share?"

"Oh please don't be such hoarder of news, you can share a few."

"I could.... But would I?"

"Oh come on mage don't play with my feelings like that."

"Alright Highness but I'd ask you, as a favor, to not tell your mother her Majesty of this."

"I know how you feel about the title of head mage and what it comes with don't worry, she won't know plus I wouldn't want to share what impressive things the elm must have seen."

"Oh yes Highness, impressive indeed."