“I see you’re feeling yourself again.”
Morwen turned to find Astrid standing in the doorway. “More or less. You’re welcome to come inside.”
Astrid shook her head. “I’ve been called back to Tara, but I wanted to see you first.” Her face was full of compassion. “Before the adjudicators departed, I had a somewhat lengthy conversation with Dorian about how he handled himself in the throne room. I expect he’ll be taking his meals through a straw on the return voyage to Gaul.”
Morwen laughed. “I hope you weren’t too hard on him. I think in his own way he thought he was doing the right thing.”
“You have a talent for seeing the best in others. That’s a rare gift, especially for a magician.” She seemed to weigh her next words carefully. “I’m sorry about the choosing. I understand what it meant to you better than most.”
“Maybe Dorian was right. I’m not strong enough.”
“Strength isn’t everything. Even mages are not as strong as sorcerers. Azeroth could work powerful magic without a staff or wand. Perhaps yours is not the path of the warrior.” Astrid’s gaze settled on the blue robes. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but mage or not, there are still many ways you can help others. The life of a magician is a noble calling.”
Morwen bowed. “Thank you.”
“Farewell, Morwen of Cashel. I am certain we will meet again.”
“Farewell.” When Astrid was gone, Morwen retrieved the blue robes. Astrid was right. Even if she couldn’t be a mage, she remained a trained magician. She could still serve the king and protect the realm from magical threats.
She had just finished putting on her robes when bells rang beyond the castle walls. Alarmed, Morwen rushed to her window and peered outside. A group of soldiers carrying the king’s banners approached the castle.
Thane Ronan and the others, Morwen realized. They’ve returned from Brackhill.
Several in the company appeared injured. From the look of things, the men had come under attack on their return journey. Morwen’s clenched her teeth with unease when she noticed Ronan on a stretcher. Footsteps echoed outside her room, and a messenger appeared outside her chambers following a knock.
“Lady Morwen, you must come at once. Thane Ronan was grazed by a poisoned black arrow before the peace was reached with the goblins of Lakewood Forest. He needs a healer right away.”
If Ronan was only grazed, it explained why it taken so long for the poison to spread through his bloodstream. Fortunately, Morwen knew exactly which poison the goblins dipped their arrows in—and how to cure it.
She stooped to retrieve her staff and slung her satchel over her shoulder, and a grin spread across her face. “Show me the way.”
Acknowledgments
This little short story is very close to my heart.
(I say little, but it clocks in around 70 pages—longer than most short stories, but not quite long enough to qualify as a novella.)
Morwen of Cashel is one of the main characters of my Warden of Fál sword and sorcery fantasy series. She came about as a counterbalance to my protagonist, Esben Berengar. While Berengar is a hardened and cynical warrior, Morwen is youthful, optimistic, and idealistic. The two make great foils for each other and are endlessly fun to write together.
The Blood of Kings, the first novel to feature Morwen, takes place three years after The Heart of Magic. When we encounter Morwen in The Blood of Kings, she serves as King Mór’s court magician before eventually becoming Berengar’s companion. Morwen’s unsuccessful attempt to become a mage is something that still weighs on her, and this short story was the perfect opportunity to explore that part of her past.
There’s a reason this story is personal to me. Morwen’s struggles to become a mage are representative of my own experiences becoming a doctor. I graduated from the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine in 2017, but the path was not an easy one. Like Morwen, I began my journey wide-eyed and full of unbridled optimism. I loved school and had succeeded in high school and college beyond my wildest expectations. I passed the entrance exam and was accepted into medical school after a successful interview.
I knew medical school would be challenging, but I was unprepared for just how difficult it was. I had rarely needed to study in my undergraduate career, and suddenly I found myself buried under an avalanche of material, struggling to stay above water.
The first two years of medical school are confined to the classroom. The second two years consist of clinical rotations and take place in the hospital. In order to move on to the second two years of study, a student must first pass a national board exam—the USMLE Step 1. A student can only move on by passing this eight-hour computer exam. At the end of the fourth year, a medical student must then pass the rigorous USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (a nine-hour computer test) and Clinical Skills (a practical exam with actors as patients) exams. If any of these tests are not passed, a student cannot graduate and become a doctor. Additionally, the scores on these tests—particularly Step 1—determine which residency program (if any) a student will be accepted to for further training after graduation. Even a doctor with a degree must complete a residency program to gain a license and practice medicine. There are few career options even for doctors, if they have not completed residency.
I was fortunate enough to pass all three exams and earn my MD, but something about the system of “must pass” exams always bothered me. A student could literally pass every single test, board exam, and rotation and fail to pass the final exam and would then fail to graduate. The idea that someone could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and four years of their lives in pursuit of a degree only to end up with nothing to show for it is terrifying.
It was this emotion that influenced the writing of this story. Like a medical student taking Step 1 to become a doctor, a magical applicant must succeed in a trial to gain acceptance into an order of mages. Morwen, forced to choose between succeeding in her challenge and doing what was right, was put in an impossible situation that revealed what was in her heart.
Fortunately, Morwen’s failure—while heartbreaking—isn’t the end of her story. We all face defeat sometimes, but it’s how we deal with that adversity that defines us.
I hope you enjoyed reading this story. If you liked the world of Fál, I encourage you to read the other books in my Warden of Fál series: The Wrath of Lords, The Blood of Kings, The City of Thieves, and The Will of Queens. Morwen appears in every book except The Wrath of Lords. You might also enjoy The Path of Vengeance, another 99 cent short story that tells the story of how Queen Nora of Connacht met Morwen’s companion, Esben Berengar.
Until next time,
Kyle Alexander Romines
About the Author
Kyle Alexander Romines is a teller of tales from the hills of Kentucky. He enjoys good reads, thunderstorms, and anything edible. His writing interests include fantasy, science fiction, horror, and western.
Kyle's debut horror novel, The Keeper of the Crows, appeared on the Preliminary Ballot of the 2015 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.
He obtained his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
You can contact Kyle at [email protected]. You can also subscribe to his author newsletter to receive email updates and FREE electronic copies of his Warden of Fál prequel short, The Path of Vengeance, AND his horror/science fiction novella, The Chrononaut, at http://eepurl.com/bsvhYP.
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