Chapter 4 - Master Keldorn
‘Noooooo! I knew it!’ Lilly screamed internally, knowing the hesitation showed on her face. She had dreaded this outcome ever since Selene had started talking about her punishment, and now it was happening.
The princess tried filling the awkward silence with convincing words, “In which case, Guardian Selene would stay here to help you get properly acquainted with the role. Very little would be expected of you, and we could even install a proper enchanting table in the office for you to study and enchant with during your free time.”
Lilly eventually gave her answer, but it was clear that she was hesitating. “Your Highness, my answer was obvious from the moment you asked. I would step up to protect the city as many times as needed, regardless of my title. I only hesitate because of the responsibility, and my ambition of becoming a great enchantress. But as long as most administrative tasks are left to others and I can keep practicing my enchanting, it would be my honor to serve as the City Protector.” Her words were firm, yet her facial expression and tone revealed the conflict within.
The princess looked at her in thought for a moment before replying, “I know I should simply accept that answer and consider the matter finished, but allow me to ask once more – are you certain about this, Lady Lilly?”
Lilly took a moment to think about it as well, once more. “Just a week ago, my flame was a secret only known to a few people. My life was simple, only worrying about enchanting and my new relationship. And I wish I could go back to that…”
She glanced up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “I guess I still had hope that I could, after covering the role of Lady Protector for a short while. It’s probably just a delusion though, and I’ll never get back to normal again.” She deflated, admitting to herself that her life had irreversibly changed at this point.
Selene seemed worried, seeing Lilly like this. She was the one who asked Lilly to take on this responsibility in her place, and she probably felt responsible for all of this. She put her hand on Lilly’s again, silently showing her support.
Finally, Lilly looked the princess in the eyes and continued. “Circumstances have pushed me into this role, and I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t accept it. That’s why I saved the city in the first place.”
Princess Adelia took a moment to reflect on her words, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. “It seems my father is leaning heavily on your noble nature, Lady Lilly. Eldoria owes much to people like you – the backbone of our nation’s strength and unity. And I truly admire you.”
Lilly managed a small smile. “I appreciate it, Your Highness. I’ll be sure to let you know if I find any other self-sacrificing people with ancient powerful bloodlines so that we can share the burden.”
The princess smiled, making Lilly relieved her joke had landed somewhat. “That would be wonderful indeed. Those people don’t grow on trees unfortunately, so we have to appreciate the ones we have. And speaking of which, we should talk about the ceremony tomorrow.”
Lilly leaned forward on the couch now, intent on learning everything she needed for the dreaded ceremony.
The princess detailed the ceremony proceedings with a sense of grandeur. “The event is a celebration of your heroism, Lady Lilly. I anticipate a large turnout to honor their new hero. I'll be on the platform, and after the mayor's introduction highlighting your brave deeds, you'll make your entrance. Approach me, kneel to receive your medal and title, then rise, acknowledge the crowd, perhaps say a few words, and then we exit the stage.”
Lilly repeated everything in her head, making sure to remember it all. ‘Saying a few words sounds challenging, but I guess I should. I’ll have to think about it tonight.’
The princess continued, “We also have to discuss your title, it has yet to be decided. My personal suggestion was ‘Enchantress of the Vermilion Flame’, but I was told it might be a bit too long by some trusted advisors.” She glanced over at Claude while saying the last part, showing a hint of indignation again.
They seemed to have a close and quarrelsome relationship, Lilly thought with a smile.
“So maybe something like ‘Vermilion Enchantress’ is better. What do you think, Lady Lilly?”
Lilly was happy to be recognized as an enchantress, and thought both titles suited her well. The first one was perhaps a bit long, but if ‘Vermilion Enchantress’ could be a shortened version then she was happy having the entire thing as her title. It was the most fitting description of her desired public persona at least.
“I like your version, Princess Adelia. I think it fits me quite well, and titles are supposed to be elegant, right?”
The princess beamed, throwing a victorious look at Claude, who simply rolled his eyes in response. Lilly chuckled inwardly at their exchange, then composed herself as the princess turned back to her. “I’m pleased you agree, Lady Lilly. A title should indeed carry elegance.”
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At that moment, the door opened and Eolande, accompanied by Master Keldorn, re-entered the room. Eoalnde seemed to have recovered, easing Lilly’s concern. “Are you okay Elly?”
Eolande nodded and took her place behind Lilly once again. “I’ll tell you about it later, Lilly, it’s nothing to worry about.” Her neutral expression gave little away, leaving Lilly curious but reassured for the time being.
Master Keldorn, who had retaken his seat on the couch, glanced up at Eolande with a cryptic expression. “Not everything needs to be shared, Miss Eolande.” His face revealed little, though Lilly detected a trace of resignation in his tone.
An uncomfortable silence followed his comment, and Princess Adelia appeared visibly uneasy. “We’ve covered the necessary official topics, Master Keldorn. Perhaps now would be a good time to discuss your instructional plans for Lady Lilly?”
He waved the suggestion aside. “It can wait until after the ceremony. At that time, I’ll evaluate your abilities, Lady Lilly, and tailor a training program accordingly.”
Princess Adelia stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “In that case, I believe we’ve taken up enough of your time, Lady Lilly. I must say I’ve really enjoyed talking to you.”
As the others rose to show their respect, Lilly responded warmly, “The pleasure was mine, Your Highness. I look forward to our next discussion.”
Selene stepped forward, ready to escort the royal guests. “Please allow me to show you to your accommodations. We’ve prepared our finest rooms for your stay.”
Lilly watched them leave while thinking back on the conversation, leaving only herself and Eolande in the room again. She sighed. “This position became a lot more permanent than I had hoped.” She turned to Eolande, noting her restless demeanor. “And what’s on your mind?”
Eolande almost blurted out, “Master Keldorn isn’t real.”
A myriad of thoughts flew through Lilly’s mind upon hearing that, but none made enough sense for her to understand what she was saying. “Could you elaborate a bit, Elly?”
“Let’s sit down for this,” Eolande said, taking a seat on the couch they had just used. “As you probably noticed, he doesn’t want me to tell you all this. But I don’t want to lie to you.”
Lilly sat on the couch across from her, eager and slightly nervous to hear what she had to say.
Eolande took a breath before starting her explanation. “The man known as Keldorn is just a temporary identity of a man I know very well. We call him ‘Grandfather’, and he’s the mastermind behind our organization of assassins.”
Lilly was surprised, and started to feel fear towards the man she had just considered her future teacher. “Is that why you looked so unwell?”
“Yes,” Eolande admitted, with a shadow of fear still lingering on her face. “I was terrified he might harm you. I didn’t recognize him immediately, but when I did, it struck me hard. If he intended to harm you, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him.”
“He’s that strong?” Lilly asked, sensing the helplessness in Eolande’s voice.
Eolande nodded solemnly. “He’s the deadliest person I’ve ever known. The agreement to keep secrets from you was with my brother, the current leader. But Grandfather never agreed to that, and I was afraid he was here to… correct a mistake.”
“But he wasn’t?” Lilly asked, feeling a sense of relief
“No, thank the gods,” Eolande confirmed, a hint of gratitude in her tone. “It was just a coincidence that he was chosen by Selene to teach you enchanting. He accepted because he found you interesting and wanted to meet you. That’s why he didn’t want me to tell you, to keep your student-teacher relationship mostly normal.”
Lilly thought for a moment, thinking about whether she was fine with having this ‘Grandfather’ teach her enchanting. ‘Someone at his age would probably be very experienced, and if he got to the position of royal enchanter on his own merit then he’s the real deal. I guess it’s fine if he still intends to teach me.’
“How old is he exactly? And why do you call him Grandfather?”
“No one knows how old he is, but he was already the oldest when the second oldest person in our clan was a young kid. So well over 2000 years probably. And we call him Grandfather because he’s always been called that. He was the only person who was nice to us kids when we grew up. He would often be away, but he would bring us gifts when he returned. So everyone loved him, and we were fiercely loyal.” Eolande looked down at the table and sighed.
Lilly sensed her sadness, and could imagine some of the story behind her leaving. “But in the end, it was all to keep you loyal to him and the clan?”
“... He does actually care for us, but at the same time, they train us to be killers and to follow his rules blindly. If he hadn’t been the one making those rules, I would still have trusted him with all my heart. But I eventually grew to hate our way of life, and we had a falling out. His final answer was ‘The rules cannot change’, so I left.”
Lilly admired Eolande's bravery. “Leaving everyone you’ve ever really known like that… It must have been incredibly difficult.”
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And that’s why the clan is still standing, because leaving is so hard.”
“But surely he has a good reason for maintaining it at least?”
“Yeah, it’s a tool for maintaining the world's peace. I know we have avoided some potential conflicts with our work, but I still cannot justify taking innocent lives like that.”
Lilly felt confused about their motives surrounding this war if that was the case. But maybe she had found the reason she was a target. Her thoughts turned in dangerous directions as soon as she made the connection.
“So I could be a threat to the peace? If I learned the secrets you’re keeping from me?”
Eolande looked frightened after hearing Lilly say that, like she was getting close to some dangerous knowledge.
‘So what secret could make me dangerous? Something that could turn me against the rest of the country? Something that…’ She stopped for a second, drawing another terrifying conclusion. ‘They were behind the elimination of the Vermilion clan!?’