by AJ Martin
Matthias’s breath caught, but he managed to speak. “It will be an honour, Your Majesty,” he nodded. He took a sip of wine.
The servant disappeared a moment, re-entered and then, after a pause for breath, and straightening himself so much that his back looked as if it were made of a plank of wood, announced: “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Aralia, Josephine Arwell.”
Thadius rose and beckoned to Matthias who, after taking the hint, wiped his lips free of soup and wine and stood, turning to face the door.
Despite trying to compose himself for her arrival, he was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him. He had seen paintings and heard tales of the woman known as the ‘Jewel of the West,’ but the intense beauty of the young woman who walked into the room was enough to take the breath from anyone’s lungs. Her golden hair hung in ringlets, spiralling down below her shoulders, which were left bare by her delicate blue dress. A line of pearls ran the length of the neckline, framing squarely across her breasts. A delicate silver locket hung from her neck, the clear jewel encrusted in its centre winking as it caught the light. Other jewels were sewn into the front of her kirtle and her hemline sparkled as the sun shone in through the window. As she curtsied to her father and regarded Matthias, her bright, sapphire eyes caught Matthias’s own. They dazzled, framed by her delicate, porcelain skin. Her lips were thin and she had subtle dimples in her cheeks.
The wizard suddenly became aware that his mouth was open, so he shut it quickly, hopefully before anyone noticed. His cheeks flushed crimson despite himself. So much for all those years of training he had performed to suppress his emotions in such situations. He had never been very good at that.
“My daughter!” the king said warmly, embracing her. “I had not expected to see you today. Especially here, in the company of my guest.” He motioned with a hand to Matthias.
“My apologies, Your Grace. I heard you had a visitor from Mahalia and I was compelled to introduce myself.” She nodded to Thadius. “My good man,” she said warmly, baring her teeth in a warm smile. “How are you?”
Thadius nodded. “Very well, thank you princess.”
“This is Matthias Greenwald,” the king advised. His confident demeanour seemed to have become unsteadied now the princess was in the room.
The princess’s gaze turned to Matthias, and her smile dimmed. “Ambassador Greenwald,” she addressed him, nodding her head. “I trust you are well?”
Matthias nodded back. “I am all the better for seeing you, Your Royal Highness,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You are a man of charm, ambassador. But you should work on your tone if you wish to convey yourself with sincerity.” She smiled.
Matthias’s cheeks grew crimson again. “I assure you princess that my words were sincere.”
The princess squinted at him. “Fascinating,” she whispered, peering closely at Matthias’s face.
Matthias coughed. “’Fascinating’, Your Highness?”
“Your eyes. They do not glow with magic as I would have expected of one of your kind.”
Matthias smiled at her. “That’s a common misconception. Our eyes retain their natural colour unless the earth power is wielded. But when it is seized, they turn blue. A little like yours shine now,” he added.
The princess gave a start, and her breathing caught a moment, but she regained her composure almost instantly. “They are a gift from my mother’s side," she advised. "Her family have been known for their beauty for centuries."
“You have never met one of my kind before?” Matthias asked. “Not even Lord Fenzar?
“I try to keep my daughter out of my discussions with Mahalia,” the king interrupted.
“Would you show me what they look like?” the princess asked.
“I’m sorry?” Matthias queried. “Show you what what looks like?
“Your eyes. I should like to see what they look like when you use your magic.”
“Josephine, perhaps another time would be better to satisfy your curiosity,” the king interrupted. “We are in the middle of our breakfast and the ambassador and I have a lot to discuss.”
“It’s alright, Your Grace,” Matthias replied. “I don’t mind.”
He stepped back a pace and held out a palm upwards in front of Josephine. His irises cracked from hazel to sapphire, and from thin air a ball of water no larger than an apple whirled into existence, spun and swirled three inches above his palm. He let it hang there a moment before his fingers twitched and the ball began freezing. In a second he had formed a sphere of ice, which dropped into his waiting hand. Matthias clasped it tightly. The princess watched with amazement.
“Incredible,” Thadius whispered.
Matthias smiled, and from between his fingertips water began to leak. The ice melted, evaporated almost instantly, leaving only behind a small pool of cold water on the wizard’s reopened palm and droplets on the floor. “It’s just parlour trick, Your Highness,” Matthias said, wiggling his hand until the remainder of the water disappeared. “But I hope you approve?” His eyes flashed back to their natural hazel.
The princess took a breath. “Most impressive ambassador,” she said. “An effective demonstration.”
“If you would like I can show you more of my abilities? The earth power allows me to tap in to all the elements of the world. I can light a flame as bright as the sun from nothing and then extinguish it with water as cold as ice.”
“That will be quite alright,” The king said sharply. “I think your spectacle is more than enough for one morning.” He turned to look at his daughter sternly. “My dear, I have business to discuss with the ambassador now.”
Josephine withdrew into herself at his gaze and nodded. “Of course father. Please forgive me Your Grace.” She nodded to Matthias. “Ambassador, it has been a brief but interesting pleasure.”
Matthias bowed to her. “The pleasure has been mine,” he replied.
The princess nodded to Thadius and then turned to her father. “Your Grace,” she addressed him again and bowed before turning and swiftly leaving the room. Matthias stared after her, lingering on the door as it closed behind her.
“I must apologise for my daughter,” the king said. “She does not get to meet many people outside of the usual nobles. It is not often that we have guests that prove to be more interesting.” He beckoned for them to sit again.
Matthias shook his head. “It was an honour to entertain your daughter, however brief it may have been,” he said.
“Well, now what is left of our soup is likely cold and the pleasantries are over with, perhaps we should discuss your reason for your being here?” the king suggested.
Matthias nodded. “Yes, of course.” He placed his hands together and rested them on the table. “Your Grace, the truth is that I am here on matter of great importance to you. I have to tell you about a great danger to Aralia.”
“I knew it,” Thadius exclaimed. “All your talk earlier of our armies being prepared for battle.”
Matthias nodded. “My queries were thinly veiled at best,” he responded.
“You were as transparent as glass,” Thadius quipped.
The king shook his head. “What kind of danger are you referring to?” he asked.
“It’s Sikaris, the creature known as the Great Dragon. He’s breaking free.” He shifted his gaze from the king to Thadius, observing their reactions.
King Arwell looked at him perplexed. “The Great Dragon?” he repeated. Matthias nodded. “The Great Dragon?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Matthias said. “There is no other.”
The king shifted in his chair. “But that’s impossible!”
“I wish that were true,” Matthias replied.
“But the creature has been imprisoned for over four hundred years!” the king exclaimed. “Your kind turned him to stone!”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Matthias replied. "But a stone prison made of the earth power like any prison made of iron and steel
has its own weaknesses, and someone, somewhere has finally found them.”
The king rose from his chair and towered over him. “How has this happened?”
Matthias took a breath. “It’s… complicated. The Council of Wizards has good reason to believe that a group of people with the ability to wield one of the five streams of power are working on releasing him.”
“To what end?” Thadius interjected, as the king paced to the window.
Matthias shook his head. “We’re not sure.”
“Well, who are the people doing this?” Thadius continued.
“We’re… not sure of that either.”
“Is there anything you are sure of?” he snorted. “Where has your ‘information’, such as it is, come from?”
“That’s also complicated." Matthias turned to the window, where King Arwell was staring intently out towards the horizon. "Your Grace, have you heard of an object called a seeing stone?" he asked.
Arwell turned and nodded. "I have heard of them. They are rare gems, said to contain messages from the gods," he answered. “But I thought they were mythical?”
“Your description is right. Except seeing stones aren’t imaginary. Inside they hold prophecies: images and words, voices and noises, all held deep within.”
“Like the jewel in your pendant?” Thadius asked. “This ‘moment’ they hold inside?”
Matthias tilted his head. “A little. Except that they aren’t man - made. As far as is known they are created by the three gods and sent down to Erithia to be read. If you know how to, you can decipher their messages. They are so rarely found though that they’ve become legendary. There have only been a half dozen found in the last two thousand years.” He leaned forward in his chair as the king returned to his own and sat down. “The images that have been deciphered have always come true. They are always accurate.”
“So you are saying they are sent down from the gods to warn us of danger?” Thadius asked.
Matthias nodded.
“And you have found one that has warned you about the dragon?" the king asked.
Matthias nodded. "We have. It showed Sikaris breaking free from his prison and devastating the world. There were also images of people using one of the powers to release him. These events are coming. Soon.”
“But... if these stones show you images of the future, how do you know when the events depicted are due to occur? Could they not be decades away? Centuries?” the king shook his head in confusion.
“There were indicators in the prophecies that narrowed down the time of the events.”
“Like what?” Thadius asked.
“People, places, things along those lines,” Matthias advised. “My people have experience in researching the prophecies in the past.”
“But you can’t tell who the people are who are supposed to be breaking the dragon free?” Thadius asked. “There are no recognisable faces?”
“No,” Matthias said with distaste. “Unhelpfully.”
"I can't believe that anyone anywhere would want to free the dragon!" the king exclaimed. “How can you really be sure of these prophecies?”
Matthias smiled. “Your Grace is free to believe what you want of course. But I have come here to tell you that the Council of Mahalia recommends that you prepare for this threat.”
“And what if we ignore your warnings?” Thadius asked.
“They are not my warnings, or Mahalia’s. They are from the gods.”
“According to you,” the king rebuffed.
Matthias shrugged. “Regardless who the prophecy is from, if you don’t prepare then you risk the event that this country will burn.”
“A threat?” the guardsman asked.
“A truth,” Matthias responded.
Thadius’s face grew dour. He turned back to the king. “Your Grace? What do you think of this news?”
King Arwell exhaled deeply. “If this is the truth...” he trailed off, shaking his head. “I believe in many things. The first is to never underestimate a Mahalian wizard.” He looked to Matthias gravely. “If he says it is true then gods help us, it most likely is.”
“But Your Grace would be the first to admit that Mahalia is known for deception. Wizards weave trickery in every word they speak!” Thadius exclaimed. He turned to Matthias. “You seem no different in that.”
“Your every sentence does invoke a deep sense of confusion in me ‘ambassador’,” the king said to Matthias. “There’s an old saying: ‘Better to bed in with a den of vipers than to take a wizard at face value.’” Matthias raised a brow. Then the king sighed. “But then again, there is also another saying: ‘Foolish is the man who distances himself from the advice of those who wield fire and water.’”
“Might I ask which of those you are inclined towards?” Matthias asked.
King Arwell sniffed. “I have been king for nearly thirty years, mister Greenwald. In that time I have been lied to many times by your kind. But even so, I have always been inclined – some would say pushed- to swing to the latter and heed your people’s warnings. Sometimes your Council has led us on a true course, and other times I have been burned by them. As have my forebears. It is a delicate balance to navigate your ‘recommendations’.”
“Your Grace, you will certainly get burned should the dragon be freed,” Matthias advised. Then he sighed. “I know that you have no reason to believe me. But if I were trying to deceive you, then why would I ask you to arm your men to the teeth?”
King Arwell looked at Matthias thoughtfully. “Your people were the ones who sealed Sikaris into that prison. Can’t you simply, I don’t know, reinforce the cell?”
Matthias took a sip of his wine and smiled. “Your Grace knows that this is no normal prison. I’m afraid it’s not as simple as that. The cage was formed by petrification, an old trick of the earth power that turns skin and bone to stone. It’s not something a wizard has been able to perform for quite a long time.”
“You have forgotten how?” Thadius asked. “I thought your people were meant to be clever?”
“It’s not so much a case that we have forgotten how. It is more that no – one has the strength to weave the necessary threads of power anymore.”
“You mean your people have grown weaker?” the king asked quickly.
“In short, yes,” Matthias replied just as abruptly. “We are less powerful that we used to be, less adept at using the earth power of the world.”
The king’s lip twitched into a thin smile. “It’s unlike a wizard to admit to weakness,” he said.
“My people aren’t infallible,” Matthias shrugged. “Why pretend it is otherwise?”
“I have never known any wizard to reveal a chink in their armour,” the king said, belying his surprise.
“Perhaps I’m no ordinary wizard?” Matthias suggested, and gestured with his wine glass to him.
“That much is certain,” the king responded. “The question is whether that is for better or worse.”
Matthias smiled knowingly. “I can see that I have a good deal further to go before I earn your trust, Your Grace. The reality is that we do not have much more time for me to do so.”
The king took a breath and looked away from him. He fidgeted where he sat as he pondered. “I am no stranger to the stories of the dragon’s ability to destroy,” he said. “The creature’s past and my kingdom’s own fate have been intertwined since Sikaris reduced the city on which this new Rina is built to ashes. Four hundred years may have passed since that time, but the memory of those events has been embedded deeply within my forebears and thus, myself.”
Matthias nodded, recalling the tiled depiction of the End of Days in the palace’s entrance hall: the battle from which the dragon began his reign of terror. “Too many people from many civilisations died in those battles,” he said grimly. “But there was one positive amongst all that death. People from all across the Triskan continent worked together in a common goal, to stop the Dreadlord Tanzanal from expanding his reach.”
“Not long at all,” Matthias advised. “Perhaps a month or two.”
“Barely any time at all to recall my forces from across Aralia,” the king murmured. “And even then, if the creature does come here, then what would my men do against such a beast? It would sear the flesh from their bones in a heartbeat!”
“The first thing you should do is to prepare for the worst,” Matthias advised. “Shore up any strongholds you have in Aralia. Gather food and drink there. Prepare for a siege. You should start to make plans to move your people to safer ground. But I would suggest not making the information public just yet. People can be dangerous when panicked,” Matthias instructed.
“And that’s it?” the king asked. “We simply lie low and wait for something else to happen? For the dragon to leave? To grow old and die? Or until your people find some way of stopping him again?”
“There must be something else we can do to help?” Thadius asked.
Matthias took a breath. “Perhaps there is.”
“What?” the king asked. “What is it?”
Matthias looked at him lingeringly, and then with a start, shook his head. “You… you misunderstand me, Your Grace. Perhaps there is more you can do, but I am afraid we just don’t know what that is yet. I’m sorry for the confusion.” He smiled once again. “I haven't spoken Aralian for many years. My grasp of the nuances of your language is… mixed.”
"Then the proposal is to prepare to shelter our people and be on the lookout for the dragon?" Thadius shook his head. "That doesn’t sound like much of a plan to me.”
“You’re free to make you own plans of course,” Matthias responded. “I was only sent here to warn you, after all.”