The Princess's Hidden Power

"Lucius..." Zyxll paused, A smile came across his face when he got up and thought drinking was a good idea. "You don't have to be do formal all the time, Especially in private, Please, I insist you don't need to call me or my brother Lord in private. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. You were practically raised in this castle."

Zyxll got up from his study, He couldn't reverse the alcohol from making him drunk, however he placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him better balance and coherent speech. Though it was small it would help him.

"Lucius, I insist you stay in my bed tonight, I am doubtful I will be sleeping, I have plenty of prep work before I have scholars, mages, and teachers coming to learn more on arcane arts, I wish to become the most diverse magus this kingdom has, There is no barrier when you unwall your inhibitions. The world is truly limitless."

Regardless of his depression Zyxll had ambition. Even if he wasn't a lord he would aspire to greatness in the field of magic. For it was something he enjoyed and although he got plenty of skepticism for his choices he knew they were right for him.

"Lucius, have you ever been interested in learning magic? You could become quite powerful if you learned pyromancy, It is dangerous but it's also good for battle, Divine magic is what I am hoping to master next. I digress, Magic is just wonderful."

 

Lucius smiled, having a look of wonder in his eyes.
"You think...that I could learn the ways of magic? I'd never even considered it. That would be incredible!"
It was obvious that he was quite enthusiastic about the idea. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.
"If you are willing to teach me then I will give nothing less than my very best effort to learn. My thanks for this great opportunity, Lord--"

He thought about what Zyxll said and caught himself mid-sentence. He then relaxed his posture slightly and tried again.
"...Thank you, Zyxll. I really appreciate it. And I'll take you up on your offer to stay here for the night if that's alright with you."
He gave Zyxll a warm smile. It took a lot of effort to fight back his instincts and all of his years of training that were telling him not to speak so casually to Zyxll, but if it made him happier to hear Lucius speak that way than it was definitely worth it.

"So, when do you want to begin my training? Just tell me a time, any time at all, and I will find a way to make it work."

Even though she's probably as tired as I am, you'd never know if from how composed she looks. At least, I hope she's as tired as I am. The thought that she might not be kinda freaks me out a little. I shake the thought out of mind and get myself focused again. It's time for the big finish!
"Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's rock!"

I take off, charging right towards her! She takes a few steps towards me and our swords collide. Sparks fly out from the collision, almost like a signal for the start of our final round. We break off and I try to get an early advantage, going in quickly for a few more slashes from the sides which she deflects. She sees that I'm starting to gain some ground and does a backflip to put some distance between us, which she then closes by charging right towards me with a strong overhead slash. I block it and we trade off a few more blows before breaking off again.

We circle around each other for a while, almost like hunter and prey, though it's impossible to tell which of us is which. Just then, like a flash of light, we dash forward and move right past each other, each blocking a swift strike from the other that would've looked like a blur to the untrained eye. It looks like she had the same idea I did; we're trying to catch each other with speed instead of just brute force.

Almost as if we'd planned it, we take off and start running around each other in a circle. Every few seconds, just like before, we dash past each other and trade blows before going back to the circle. After this goes on for a while, the two of us finish it off by jumping high into the air; I do a front flip and bring my sword down while she spins around sideways and swings horizontally.

*CLANG*

Our swords collide in midair with such great strength that the sound it makes echoes through the forest. We can both feel the wind move from the force of the impact. Our swords stay locked as we slowly drift towards the ground; even when we land there's no sign of either of us letting up. We both stand our ground and start trading blows again, but it's different from before. Each slash is a little slower. Each blow feels like it has more impact. I can tell that we're both reaching our limit, so every little movement, every last drop of energy we use is more important than ever. After a while, we don't so much break off as we just slowly step away from each other, neither one of us wanting to give pursuit.

Just then, as we're staring each other down, it hits me.

This is it.

I can feel it and I'm pretty sure she can, too. Whatever happens next, it's going to be our last move. We've been at this for a while and since we're so close in terms of skill and power, we've had to stay at the top of our game entire time. The human body can only take so much of that, so it's only natural that we'd wear down eventually.

The two of us are standing perfectly still, looking right at each other as the moonlight shines down on us and a gentle breeze flows by. There's something about this moment that's so calm and serene, even after everything that's happened. Even though we're about to finish our duel, I don't feel anxious about it at all. I'm just kind of...taking it all in.

After staying like this for a while, I sheathe my sword and get back into my battle stance. I focus all of the energy I have left into my sword arm. I'm gonna give this final attack everything I have. It's time to use my signature sword technique. As I focus my energy, my body begins to take on a faint blue glow. I grip the hilt of my sword tightly and call out the name of my technique.
"Rising Dragon."

Celest can tell that I'm up to something, so she readies her sword. Just then, like a bolt of lightning, I rush towards her and close the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I draw my sword and perform a series of strikes with such speed that they would almost appear to happen simultaneously.
*CLANG*
She blocks the first one...
*CLANG*
...Then the second...
*CLANG*
...Then the third...
*CLANG*
...Then...the fourth? No...

...

...I only attacked three times. Everything happened so fast, it takes me a moment to understand what happened. The fourth impact...was the sound of her knocking my sword away. She's pointing the tip of her sword directly at me as I stand there unarmed.

"Well...I guess that's it, then. You got me."
I let out a heavy sigh. Even though I had a great time and I don't have any regrets, I gotta say...the sting of defeat still kinda hurts.

 

Name: Yhyr
Age: Wouldn't you like to know?
Powers: Mage, specializing in transformation magic.

The sound of applause sounded throughout the trees, as a figure clad in a long red and blue flowing robe emerged from the shadows of the forest.
“A stellar duel, hmm? Ayeee... Swordplay is always fun to watch!”

Whoever it was bent over the fallen Celest, and tutted. “Out of practice, ayee... still, good, very good.”


It turned, and its face was revealed by a shaft of sunlight. Fur, bright pink irises, and seemingly two slits for nostrils. A wide fanged mouth smiled.


““Rising Dragon?” eh? Ayee... what will people come up with next?”

 

"We can start as soon as you wake up from your drunkeness. I will teach you the basics of restoration magic, I will have a teacher educating me tomorrow." Zyxll gave a hearty smile towards Lucius "so long as you believe, Lucius, anything is possible. I am positive you will use the magic I teach you properly."

Zyxll moved around his room and grabbed his spare sheets, handing them to him. "Lucius, I have a request as a friend, And you can decline, I wish to learn the art of swordsmanship, I know you are more than efficient and my brother requests you to spar with him sometimes, which would indicate similar styles, or that he still struggles beating you. Either way, it is your choice. I would be forever grateful. "

Zyxll moved back to his study and opened up a new tome, this one was for weaponry manifestation. He had a grasp on it, but he wanted to be sure he was doing everything correct, He attempted to make a dagger, which he was successful in doing. It was a simple dagger he was using that he would then disperse it's energy and absorb it back into himself restoring his mana pool, his mana was getting greater every day and soon he wouldnt have as many limitations, his mastery was near complete for restoration.

 

I stand there dumbfounded as Celest slumps down to the ground, apparently unconscious. I would've caught her but honestly, I wasn't expecting that. I guess she really is out of practice. With a few minutes of rest, I could probably go another round or two but she looked completely exhausted. I chuckle a little.
"Does it still count if she passed out right after claiming victory?"
Of course it does. I'm a man of my word and she won fair and square. I mean...I guess I wasn't exactly giving it all I had, but it wasn't that kind of fight, so a win is a win.

That's not just me making excuses, either. I mean, it's not like I completely forgot about my special power or anything. I didn't use it on purpose. If I did use a surprise attack on her with Blink, I'm almost positive I could've taken the win, but I feel like that would've been fighting dirty. First of all, she didn't know about it ahead of time but even if she did, it's not really fair to use an ability on somebody who doesn't have one at all. She beat me cleanly in terms of pure swordsmanship and that's just the kind of duel it was, so I don't feel any regrets about her taking the win. Although I'm sure I will regret it if she remembers our little wager, but that's a problem I can worry about later.

I look over to the man who's casually walking around us and give him a slight grin.
"Well, everybody needs a hobby, right? Some people like to fold paper cranes, I come up with flashy names for my finishing moves."
I'm speaking casually to him, but I make sure to keep a close eye on him at all times as I walk over to my sword and take it out of the ground it planted itself in.
"So, what brings you all the way out here, friend?"
I return my katana to its sheath and start walking towards Celest. I don't like this guy being so close to her so I want to stay near her in case he tries something.
"This place is a little out of the way for a casual stroll, don't you think? In fact, I picked this place specifically because people don't come here very often. And forgive me for jumping to conclusions, but I find it hard to believe that you followed us all the way out here just to watch a duel."
I narrow my eyes slightly, my left hand resting on my sheath to hold it in place in case I need to draw.
"It's kind of rude to sit around watching people from the shadows, don't you think?"

Lucius nodded and gave Zyxll a bright smile as he took the bed sheets.
"Of course, it's only fair since you've offered to teach me the ways of magic. It would be a great pleasure to be both your student and your teacher at the same time!"
He looked at the dagger that Zyxll had just summoned.
"Oh, but if you don't mind, I think we should start off slowly. We have plenty of wooden training weapons in the armory, I'll bring a few of them by whenever you're ready to train."

He carefully laid the bed sheets down on the bed that Zyxll offered to him and sat down.
"I hope you're not too disappointed but I'm not quite as strong as your brother. I can certainly give him a good fight, but he always seems to have the edge on me...ah, no pun intended. He really is impressive. Even at his young age, he's widely recognized as one of the finest swordsmen in the whole kingdom."
He gave Zyxll a look of admiration.
"Just as I'm sure you'll soon be recognized as one of the finest mages in the kingdom."

 

"Ayee, but shadows are the best place to watch from, yes? You see so much more, when people don't think you're looking, ayee!"
The strange creature shook itself, and its knees momentarily flashed beneath the robe - they too were furred, but the knees bent the opposite way to humans. It steepled its gloved hands.
"And actually, I was looking for the way to the castle, ayeee... not from around here, you see?"
He turned to Celest and mumbled what sounded like utter nonsense, before casually picking her up with one hand and throwing her at Turin as though she weighed nothing.
And when she collided with Turin, she did weigh absolutely nothing, feeling as light as a feather.
"You carry. You lead. I snack." The enigmatic beast reached into a pocket and extracted a glob of honey, licking it and sighing. "So good... ayeee..."

 

I brace myself when the strange, furry man in front of me throws Celest towards me. Surprisingly, I catch her effortlessly and she feels as light as a feather while I'm holding her. I give the man a wry smile.
"Alteration magic. And it looks like you're pretty good at it, too."
I'm not sure exactly what kind of spell that was, but I know enough from what I've read up on to know it came from the Alteration school of magic. I've also heard it being called Transformation magic, but that's neither here nor there.

"So you're looking for the castle, huh? I hate to tell you this but you weren't even close. I could get you there but if I'm gonna be playing tour guide, I'd like a little something in return."
I give him a slight smirk.
"If you tell me who you are and what kind of business you have at the castle, I'll get you as far as the castle gates. Sounds like a pretty good deal, wouldn't you say?"

 

Xia, in her feline form, trotted through the castle. As she neared Cereza's room, she noted that her door had not been closed all the way. It was only a tiny crack, but that was all she needed to get into her room.
Once inside, Xia transformed into her half feline form and walked over to the sleeping girl. She smiled gently, and lifted her out of the bay window. She carefully carried her back to her bed, and pulled the blankets over her.
"There's so much riding on your future, you should be more careful." She spoke softly, then turned into her feline form and curled up close to Cereza, purring softly, as she closed her eyes.

 

The creature stopped licking the honey glob irritably.
"Yhir. Magic. Training. Other mage. Ayeee... now lead, lead!" It said nothing else, slurping up honey.

 

I raise an eyebrow at...what did he say his name was? Yhir. That's it, at Yhir's strange behavior. He's definitely suspicious. In fact, everything about him is just unsettling, to be honest. But I don't have any solid reason not to believe his story, either. Either way, I think it works out better escorting him to the castle. At least if he's there, he won't be following me and Celest like he's been doing. Not only that, I can pass him off to the guards once we get there and make sure they keep a close eye on him.
"Alright, so it sounds like you're looking for an apprentice. Fair enough. A deal's a deal, so let's get going."

We make our way out of the forest and through the town with me carrying Celest and Yhir following closely behind. I make it a point to take us through some...quieter areas so we don't attract attention. Not that there's many people out at this time of night, but you can never be too careful. It's a pretty uneventful trip since Yhir doesn't seem to be one for small talk and I don't particularly want to talk to him.

When we reach the gate, I stop and turn to Yhir.
"Wait here. I've got some connections with the guards, I'll tell them your story and get you all set up."
I leave Yhir some distance behind and walk up to the guard on night duty. Understandably, he's a little...perplexed at what he's seeing.

"Lord Turin...? What in the world--"
I walk up to him, get close enough to whisper and quietly cut him off.
"I don't have a lot of time to explain, so I'm gonna need you to listen closely and answer quickly. Where's Captain Lucius?"
"My lord, uh, he's not on duty but I believe I heard one of the guards say that he's spending time with Lord Zyxll."
That makes sense...he must be trying to console him after the big announcement tonight. I don't want to disturb them unless I absolutely have to.
"Who's on duty tonight?"
"Lieutenant Bertram, my lord.
"Okay, here's what I need you to do. You see the man behind me? He's a mage, and he seems to be pretty good at it. The guy says he's looking for an apprentice. Help him out with whatever he needs, but make sure that Bertram and the Elite Guard are keeping an eye on him at all times. If he walks into a room, you stay outside of that room until he walks back out. Follow him wherever he goes. If he leaves for the town, have the town guards keep watch on him. I'll be staying at the Green Dragon Inn. If he ends up going there for whatever reason...that's when I want you to call for Lucius; have him find me immediately."

The guard nods and we walk back to Yhir together.
"Good news, friend. This man here is going to help you out with whatever you need."
I smile and look towards the guard.
"Take good care of Yhir for me, alright?"
The guard follows along and smiles back at me.
"It's our pleasure; we'd be glad to have another talented mage to teach aspiring students the ways of magic."
I look at Yhir, still keeping up my fake smile.
"Well, there you go. You guys go ahead and have fun, alright? I'm heading out somewhere else but let's hope we run into each other again sometime."

 

"Ayee... nice castle, nice place. You have honey, yes? Must have honey."
Yhir looked through the castle gate, and mumbled something ridiculous-sounding. A second later, part of the gate turned into cobwebs and he strolled through them, brushing them aside, before mumbling something else and the gate returned to normal. Before any of them could react, he started meandering off around the castle grounds, still licking the honey blob.
"Somewhere to nap, I think... then get more honey, ayeee..."

 

My eyes go wide and I stare blankly at what this Yhir guy just did. He just...turned our front gate into cobwebs like it was nothing and strolled right through it. I think what really got to me was how effortless he made it seem. The guard and I give each other a shocked look. He speaks up after a few moments of silence.
"I should go get Lieutenant Bertram now, shouldn't I?"
I nod back to him.
"The sooner, the better."
The guard opens the gate-- the normal way-- and goes inside to find Bertram and Yhir. Well...I guess it's their problem now. I'd like to see what he's up to myself, but I'm a little preoccupied at the moment carrying an unconscious girl in my arms. Besides, the Elite Guard know what they're doing, so I can trust them to take care of it. I leave the castle and head towards the Green Dragon Inn.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I take a few steps inside and immediately I realize just how nice this place is. I've heard that it's the finest inn around but I've never actually had a chance to visit it in person. I'm pretty impressed with it. It's almost as nice as the castle.

I walk up towards the innkeeper. He quite understandably looks a little confused when he sees me carrying Celest. I give him a wry smile and laugh.
"It's been a long trip, she got a little tired along the way."
What? It's pretty much true and it's a lot easier than explaining the whole story.
"We'd like a room for the night, please. The best one you have if it's open."

I set Celest down in a chair nearby and give the innkeeper a few gold pieces. He gives me a knowing smile and whispers to me.
"Try not to have too much fun in there, alright? A lot of the other guests are trying to get some sleep."
He gives me a quick bump on the shoulder. I...I don't even know how to answer that. I laugh back at him-- a little awkwardly, but I think it was convincing enough.
"Hey, you know, no promises."
Awkward, awkward, very awkward. I quickly take my room key, pick up Celest and get us into our room as quickly as possible.

When we're inside, I gently put her down on the bed and lock the door to the room. Then I fall into a nearby chair, letting out a big sigh of relief as my body finally has a chance to relax.
"Talk about a long day. So much has happened...now all I want to do is get some shuteye."
But before I do, there's a few things I need to sort out in my head. I start thinking out loud.
"Let's see...once she wakes up, I'll make sure she gets back to her house alright. Oh yeah, and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for that Yhir guy along the way. Then I'll make my way back to the castle. Or maybe I'll come back here and stay the night, who knows? I already paid for it so it'd almost be a shame to not stay here."
I let out a big yawn, stretching my arms behind my back.
"I wonder if she'll wake up soon...eh...couldn't hurt to rest my eyes until then."
I let my eyelids close and before I know it, I start to drift off somewhere between consciousness and sleep.

 

Yhir had somehow (most likely deliberately) found his way into the castle kitchens, and was currently pestering some terrified cooks for honey and getting quite irritated when they insisted on screaming rather than giving him honey.
"Ayee... talk too much," he growled a little. A few guards who had not as of yet been informed of Yhir's presence arrived and immediately leveled their swords at what looked very much like a demon.
Now, Yhir didn't actually mind this. What he did mind was when they told him to leave without his getting any honey. So Yhir got a tiny bit... cross.
The guard Turin had sent after Yhir could soon have found him from half a mile off, after three very shellshocked moles and a toucan came waddling out of the kitchen, followed by some very agitated kitchen staff who thought the castle was under attack, and Yhir himself was having a bit of a sulk as he followed said traumatized cooks around, in the forlorn hope one of them would visit a honey stash.

 

"He just has something worth defeding Lucius, that is the only reason he is always winning against you, you'll find something worth defending. Something more important than your honor. You'll one day have a dream and will defend it till your dying breath. Your dream will be recognized, and you'll set forth onto a long road. But you will achieve it. Like I have, only my road has been lone..." before he could finish his statement he heard a whole lot of racket coming from outside in the courtyard near the kitchen.

"Lucius, stay here for the night, Even if the guards come to collect you, you're too intoxicated to help regardless." Zyxll got up and walked outside it was fairly late at this point. And Zyxll was getting tired but he couldn't afford the sleep. When he looked over at the kitchen he saw a few Moles and a figure behind them following. Zyxll's natural reaction was to laugh.

It was obvious he was hoping that this new person in the kingdom would hear him and come to him, But to be safe he started walking towards the person following the moles that were once guards. He made his presence known to Yhir and spoke up.

"Hello, Friend. I am Zyxll, what brings you here to the castle?" The 3 mole soldiers turned on their heels and in an attempt to look intimidating started to guard Zyxll. Although that only prompted more laughter. Zyxll was anticipating becoming an animal just because everyone else seemed to have met the same fate. "Whatever it is, I hope that maybe I will be of service. You seem to be quite an impressive mage, I could sense someone similar to me upon your entrance. I just didn't think it would be so hilarious to meet them."

 

Yhir looked up at the mage, and mumbled.

The three moles were suddenly naked men once again, and as they covered their modesty, one of them (the former toucan) fell out of the sky and proceeded to look just as mortified as the rest of his colleagues.

Yhir pulled out his now sorely-shrunken glob of honey and sparingly licked it while looking Zyxll up and down. Apparently satisfied with whatever it was that he saw, Yhir snapped his teeth with a feral smile.
“I am Yhir. You're a mage. Show me your skills, ayee...” He finished his glob of honey and looked downcast. “Show me honey first though...”

 

Lucius let out a heavy sigh. He knew that he couldn't argue with what Zyxll said.
"Good luck, and be careful out there, Zyxll."
All he could do was wish Zyxll the best as he left the room.

Lieutenant Bertram and four other guards-- two swordsmen including the guard from earlier, an archer and a mage-- stormed into the room where Zyxll, Yhir and the naked guards were. At the sight of Yhir and their...incapacitated comrades, they immediately put their hands on their weapons and called out to Zyxll.
"Lord Zyxll! Thank goodness you are still safe. This man or whatever he may be appears to be a very dangerous mage, please stand back and allow us to deal with him!"
He then called out to Yhir.
"That's enough magic for one day, intruder! Stand down or we will not hesitate to use force!"

...

...Huh?

I'm gently stirred out of my sleep by a familiar voice. I slowly open my eyes and blink a few times, trying to get my bearings back. I turn my head to where the voice came from and as my eyes adjust to the morning light. I see Celest looking right back at me. Then it all starts coming back to me.
"Huh. I guess I ended up falling asleep, too."
I sit up and rub my eyes, letting out a slight yawn.
"That's what happens when I go out for a late-night duel instead of getting my beauty rest."

I look to Celest again and try to gather my thoughts. I'll bet she'd really appreciate some answers right about now. I'm still a little out of sorts, but I'm pretty sure I can put something together.
"I'm guessing you want to know what's with the change of scenery, huh? Well...something weird happened after you passed out."
I think back to last night, to that...thing that called itself Yhir. The thought crossed my mind to keep the whole incident from her, but I think it'd be better to tell her what really happened.
"I'm gonna level with you here because you seem like the kind of person who can keep a cool head even when weird things happen. It turns out we were being watched while we were dueling. A mage by the name of Yhir said that he got lost in the forest, he asked me to bring him to the castle. He mumbled something about looking for an apprentice...anyhow, I brought him to the castle and that was the end of it. But I wanted to make sure he wasn't gonna follow us back to your place, so I decided to get us a room at the Green Dragon for the night. That way he might lose our trail if he did try to follow us, and we can both keep an eye out for him while we head back to your place."

I think about how to describe him, but you know what? I don't think I even need to say anything.
"If you saw him in the road, trust me...you'd know who is right away. He sticks out in a crowd. And I mean, he really sticks out."
Man, that guy was some kind of freak show. Ayee...

 

Yhir looked at the new arrivals.
"Honey?" he asked, hopefully.
When they shouted for him to stand down or force would be used, he sighed and raised a hand, waggling each finger in a different way while mumbling rapidly under his breath.
The archer's bow suddenly morphed into a huge snake that wrapped themselves tightly around the archer, squeezing him hard. At the same time, the two swordsmen were suddenly thrown to the floor as their clothes became too heavy for them to even move in, rendering them helpless. The mage's shirt-sleeves suddenly elongated, coming over their hands before becoming tight enough to effectively mummify their hands so well that even a single twitch would not succeed.
As for Bertram, he suddenly found himself floating, inches above the ground, feeling lighter than air, completely helpless even to move.
"Is honey illegal in this place?" Yhir muttered. "Can't even have a decent conversation, ayee..."