My Black Heart

Chapter Five

A few days had passed since I accepted my Quest, and my nerves had not settled at all. Every day I had practised magic more then ever before, as I was sure I would need it when the time came for me to confront the Black Witch. It would soon be the day where I left the castle for the first time. Strangely, I was looking forward to experiencing the outside world, but if only I wasn't experiencing it on a journey to certain death. I could only try, everyone kept telling me, and I could only do my best.

Father had ordered me to practise my swordsmanship thoroughly. Out of my brothers, I was the best at wielding a sword. This was because of my magic, I was sure. Every time I held the pointed object in my hands, it would feel just like an extension on my arm, to use however I wished. When using a sword, I had to be extremely careful not to automatically call on an element. I had only done this once before, when I was about thirteen years of age. I had been fighting my brother Paul, and he was winning. He had disarmed me, so out of instinct I raised my hands and shot a powerful blast of air at him, sending him backwards. This was a huge mistake of course, and I covered it up by saying the winds were strong that day, and luckily, everyone except Paul believed it. Fortunately he has forgotten about that incident now.

So as necessary, I made my way down to the training fields. There, waiting for me, were the castle's finest guards, Terry, Graham and Frederick. I pulled my sword from its sheath and challenged all three at once to a duel. First to attack me was Graham. Clumsily, he swung his sword at my head and it came crashing down to the floor as I quickly dodged the blade. I kicked the blunt edge and it fell out of Graham's weak hands. Pointing my sword at his chest, he surrendered and there were only two more guards left to fight. Terry made the next move. I noticed immediately that he had more experience than Graham had, which meant I had to think more about strategy. Almost effortlessly I blocked every swing he made, and just as I was about to knock the sword from his hands, Frederick decided to join in the fight too. It was now two on one, and I could still cope confidently. I reached for my mental zone and the sword felt just like my arm. It was time to use magic unnoticeably.

The fight ended within a minute after that. Both men who were twice the size of me were flat on their backs and both surrendered. I had gained quite the audience whilst we were fighting, and I gained lots of compliments on my skill and style.

            "Good fight, Prince Zack," Graham congratulated.

            "Thank you, not so bad yourself," I replied. So yes, I lied, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. It made me feel fairly frightened about the castle's safety if these were the best guards my father could provide, but that was a worry for another time.

            "It was a pleasure to duel with you, my Prince," Terry exclaimed. He was honoured to be in my presence, I could tell.

            "Keep practising and we will do so again," I told him, and he grinned happily before taking off to fight another guard. My audience of none fighters had now sat down, and as I checked the clock tower, I realised I should be going back inside the castle so that I could go to dinner.

            "Thanks for a good fight," I said to Frederick, and he gave a pat on the back and then went to join the other soldiers.

When I was walking back to the castle, my mind urged me to turn around, because it felt as if somebody was following me. As I turned, I recognised one of the older men from my audience falling into step behind me.

            "What is it that you want?" I asked him. He seemed surprised that I had noticed him at all. Instead of answering my question, he beckoned me to come closer with his finger.  "Can't you speak?" He still did not answer my questions, and continuously tried to get me to come closer. Curiously, I took a few steps towards him, so he turned around and motioned for me to follow. Wary of the time, I slowly followed him through the village, until finally we came to a small lonely house near to the spot that I practised my magic by the river. He signed for me to wait there for a second, so I did as I was told. Something warned me not to mess with this man.

            "You can come now," he finally spoke. His voice was that of an old grandfather, soft, but a little strict. He was not somebody that would allow people to mess with him. I nodded at him, and then followed him into the house. Inside it was just as unimpressive as the outside, with only a few small rooms. It was more like a cabin than a house. Suddenly, he stopped outside of a door, and then entered. This room was an office of some kind. The walls were covered with old paintings of men with beards and there was also a painting above the fireplace of the man in front of me. A fireplace stood proudly at the back of the room, and it was lit with bright dancing flames. This room was grander than any other in the house, and felt as if it did not belong in there.

            "Please sit down, Zack," the man commanded, and I sat in the chair at the mahogany desk. I was happy that this man had chosen to avoid using my unnecessary title.

            "Who are you, sir?" I asked curiously. I had not meant to be so impolite, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me.

            "I am Edmund," was the only answer he gave me. For a few more minutes we just sat there in silence, but then he started to speak. "I know you can magic, Zack." I gasped at the revelation. Nobody knew my secret. I suppose I did not do a good job of keeping it a secret, as my outright gasp had made it obvious that his statement was true.

            "Ho-how?" I stammered. He smiled at me.

            "I have watched you at the river every day for the past year. You have the elements of Earth, Water and Air, if I am correct?" he admitted. My mouth dropped open forming a perfect circle of shock.

            "Does anybody else know?" I asked in a hurry. How many people knew my secret? Was I in trouble?

            "No, it is only myself that knows of this secret," he mused, and I let out a breath of relief. This was good news.

            "What am I here with you now for?" I asked. Surely he did not bring my here for that reason only.

            "I wish to help you on your Quest."

            "But you'll be killed!" I exclaimed. This man was older than my grandfather; he probably wouldn't even survive the journey to the Black Witch's castle. At my reaction, as if on cue, he turned towards the fire behind him. He cupped his hands into a ball and pulled on to the air. A ball of flames rose from the fireplace and darted around the room like a firework. It was beautiful.

            "You can do magic," I whispered, and he nodded his head. I suppose it would be helpful to have a man like him as a helper.

            "So will you allow me to come, Zack? I only wish to help you, and I can teach you many things about magic if you will let me," he pleaded. I paused for a few seconds, and finally came to a decision.

            "You may come with me, on one condition," I told him.

            "Which is?"

            "Nobody must know of my magical powers." He agreed to my terms. I explained that we would leave tomorrow morning, early, and that he should meet me on the edge of the village an hour after I leave the castle, so that it gave time for all the villagers to wish me luck on the quest.

The old man, Edmund, let me leave as I explained I was already late for dinner. After expressing my gratitude, I quickly ran back to the house, pondering the events that had just happened as I did so. One good thing had came from today, and that was that I had another magician by my side. Even though he was old, he was strong, and I would be able to learn a lot from him. The thought of learning new magic thrilled me. Maybe, just maybe, I would have a chance at defeating the evil being called the Black Witch after all.

Comment Vote Fan! if you want haha, not going to force you. Yet it would be nice to get some support....Hope you like it, you will get some more Elsa next chapter! :D I love writing Elsa, she is so murderously evil muhahaha. :) x