A Legend's Tale Season 2

Part 1 - Mother Has Left Us

Darkness. Dark clouds hovering over the once so lively-looking land. Birds leaving their nests and flying away to another world perhaps. Deer running away through the plains. All the possible signs of doom. On the high cliffs of the camp of the wizards, Donovan watches the flocks of birds all flying towards the Late. A magnificent sight to be sure, nature at its strongest it seems. Countless animals uniting like that and all undergoing the same journey. The wind blows through Donovan's short black hair as he doesn't look where the birds are heading, but where they are coming from. The place that has been mentioned so many times in the camp that the sheer thinking of it makes his skin crawl. On the bright side, the endless storms have stopped attacking the World's End, now only dark clouds remain, hanging right above where the cave should be. Not a single ray of sunlight can penetrate them it seems. Miles and miles away, but still. The Master has announced that a gathering will take place that afternoon in the main tent, about the vision he had not too long ago. Donovan is certain of it. This is all linked. The dark clouds, the storms, the birds flying away, the Master's vision. If this won't convince the other wizards that there's definitely something going on, he will have to take matters into his own hands. When he steps out of his thoughts and frustrations, he suddenly sees Joshua again before him. This is the seventh time or so that he dives into his mind, rather than training Joshua properly. He has been holding him back, he knows it, and Joshua knows it most of all. Weeks has it been, yet not even once has Joshua already been trained with actual magic or wisdom. "Train the boy", the Master said, "Train the boy". The look on Joshua's face this morning, when Donovan told him that he would be meditating again for the twentieth time or so, was something unforgivable almost. Sure, Joshua never has been that enthusiastic about his training, but he's willing to learn. Now Joshua just sits there with his legs crossed and arms spread. Sighing heavily each and every time. Amelia spots both Donovan and Joshua from a distance. She knows Donovan all too well, his mind is somewhere else far away, and Joshua is suffering because of it.

Later on, Joshua walks through the woods to a vantage point. The vantage point has a beautiful view of the Distant. Waves clashing with the rocks, birds flying high in the sky and the wind as a force to be reckoned with. Joshua sits on the ground, his feet almost over the edge of the cliff. Did he really leave his father alone for this? How every apprentice here hasn't abandoned his duties because of boredom he will never know. Footsteps are heard and suddenly Joshua is jumped at from behind. He almost shouts but upon realizing it's Delphine, he calms down. She laughs as she sits next to him and asks him how his day has gone. Joshua gives no reply, but the look on his face says it all. Delphine tries to assure him that his time will come, she has every bit of faith. Joshua smirks. He never thought he would say this, but he's actually jealous of Delphine. He sees how she and Amelia train every day. How they go to the so-called lake and how she always comes back with the biggest of smiles on her face. He's been here as long as she has and Donovan hasn't even mentioned that so-called lake. All he's doing is sitting, that's really all it is. Yes, meditating they call it, but who could ever know that exercises to make you come at ease would actually infuriate someone more than anything else. Delphine calms him down and places her hand on his back. Calling him "little brother". Joshua is a year older but Delphine has always mocked him by calling him that for laughs. There are no laughs now however. His time will come, Delphine knows it. Joshua isn't so sure about that however. If this continues to go on as it has been, his time will come...to go home.

At the fortress of Anthea, the atmosphere can't be more different. The army camp has been set up completely since their arrival and everyone is doing their job. You have the watchers, who stand in the guard towers or patrol along the spiked borders of the camp. The builders maintain the conditions of the camp and see if expansions can be made for the new recruits who arrive every now and then. The trainers who train the new recruits in the courtyard of the castle. The hunters who take care of the food. Squires who help their appointed knight with whatever task they might get. Every single soldier has their own task and duty, and thus the royal army functions like a perfectly oiled machine, every day, for all the years that have past and are still to come. Sarah, being a 2nd rank knight, has received the duty as trainer. She stands in the courtyard, teaching men and women how to properly hold a sword and take position. The basic lessons for every newcomer. These men and women however are only sixteen years old, the minimum age. Sarah even hesitates sometimes to call them "men and women". She takes on the role of leader pretty well, although every now and then, when a newcomer cracks a joke about someone else, she can't help but force back a smile. Every time however, she remains strict and keeps order as well as she can along with some other trainers who assist her.