Word spread around the castle at Stormforth with the news that High King Viran had infiltrated the castle. Tillion and the other councilmen gathered in the high court awaiting for information on the attack discussing among themselves the rumors and ideas as to how the attack occurred. With the constant mumbling Tillion sat tapping his foot, jittery and impatient with where his king was.

The main doors opened with Gideon and King Airrick marching in. Everyone grew quiet watching him enter to see what he would say. Gideon had done all he could to prepare the king for this meeting, discussing with him the possible ways in which the attack could occur. With Destin still being out cold, even with it being past noon, they could only discuss and wait for him to awake.

The King sat in his chair atop the stairs quiet. He didn’t open with any words but sat observing his men in the room. Tillion arose from his seat and joined the other men at the center of the room looking as though to wonder what was going through the king mind. Airrick scratched his chin and nose followed by an aggressive sniff and finally broke the silence, “The rumors are confirmed, but it is not entirely what it seems.”

The men stood more confused by the vagueness of the words the king had spoken, the king continued, “Last night, it is true our enemy in Arthemis infiltrated our city and visited our guest Destin. How, I am unsure. Gideon is here to shed some light on the situation.” He motioned his hand down to Gideon who stood at the bottom of the stairs ready to speak.

“It was nothing to be too fearful of but it was what we call a dream weld. In other words Viran was able to tap into Destin’s mind while asleep and access him in his dreams.” He paused a moment considering the phrasing to use next, “It is powerful magic used to interrogate mostly, and it is safe to assume that is presciently what it was used for.”

Tillion spoke up, “So what you are saying is that Arthemis has had access to magic the entire time?” His said with little hope, “How do we combat such power?”

“How much of an advantage does it really give? Does Arthemis know our whereabouts, our conversations and troop movements? Can he see us now?” Another councilman panicked with his voice cracking.

“Brethren, it is a time of awakening, let not our mind go straight to fear.” Airrick reassured. “Patience, and allow Gideon to explain what this all entails for us.” He passed it onto Gideon while the room feel to a hush.

For Gideon it was a moment of fear in himself on how much he revealed to them, and if they got the full truth of the matter. Would such people whose eyes have been opened be able to justly comprehend the matter rationally? They were currently, for the greater majority, proving otherwise. As this was the case, he decided to pick and choose just what they knew.

“I will speak openly with you. Be reassured, he does not have the ability to spy on us in the present.” He partially lied, “The High King can only invade the minds of those who are Highborn. Imagine a darkened night with neither of the moons, Highborn are lanterns in the night, while humans fade into the darkness. You and your king are in no danger.” Though it was the truth, he felt bothered by the fact of the first of many lies.

Gideon continued speaking, “The war effort from what I can tell is an even battlefield. Magic and the ability thereof has been hidden and erased from Alluvion for hundreds of years. Therefore, if the High King uses magic for gain, he would not do so in the open.”

Watching everyone carefully Airrick listened in on all the words, paying special attention to Gideon, “So we have a chance to win this war you’re saying?”

“The High King and his followers will not reveal magic, to do so would be death. They only will when forced to.” Gideon explained. “That is my better judgement on the matter.”

Tillion intervened in the conversation, “So tell me then why do we not tell the kingdom of Stormforth the truth of magic? Certainly we have much to gain in doing so.”

“If the world suddenly knows and Arthemis has no way to cover up as they did in Orrinshire, then that gives them all the more reason to use magic in the open without fear.” He cautioned. “I fear in this cause they will become a much deadlier force, more than Stormforth and our allies could handle.”

“I will admit, I know nothing of these sources of power or how they are applied, but I do feel if they are able to use this strength then we can match as well.” A councilman said.

“Nevrick has a point there.” King Airrick agreed. “They may be able to use it as a weapon but so can we right?”

Gideon’s expressions turned morbid at the thought feeling as though this group of like minded people had a minuscule idea in the workings of magic in Alluvion. Mystical and mysterious, in their two brief discussions they are attempting to formulate a correct path to tread on. Like climbing a mountain in the thickest fog, there was no clear pathway to resolve this issue.

“It would put us in over our heads. We do not know nor understand the resources Arthemis has. We have an untrained boy entering adulthood, and a master. The odds are not in our favor by that aspect.” Gideon informed. “Furthermore, in Orrinshire upon attack there was a Highborn master who was not the High King Viran, meaning there are multiple masters.”

“Brethren, this is in the case on if the knowledge of magic makes itself known in the world once more. I do feel as though we are off topic with what lies at the core of our problem. Do we tell Alluvion the truth it has lost?” King Airrick asked the court.

Tillion walked to the center of the room, “Airrick, we have been friends and allies since childhood, so heed my word now more than this Highborn’s.” He jabbed at Gideon with a direct point. “It is our duty to tell the people, they deserve, no, it is their right as humans to know the truth.”

“Calm yourself Tillion, you’re out of place.” The king warned.

One of the councilman added with his nasally voice, “On top of that it would give a jump start to recruiting more men for the armies, which at this time are dwindling down due to the recent bloodshed and shifting of Ronin’s allegiance to Arthemis. We must recover!”

“We will recover, we are in talks with the atryi Aurella who speaks for her people on such an allies to balance our odds again.” King Airrick insisted trying to calm the court’s passions down. “Gideon, what say you?”

He thought to himself carefully knowing full well the world was not ready for such a revelation, “Think of how this room reacted to my telling of this brand new world. If we reveal such knowledge before we are prepared, I fear the majority will be in panic with us being unable to provide the answers needed.”

The king stood up and walked down the stairs next to Gideon, “I for one am for telling the kingdom. You are new here so you don’t know, but we keep our knowledge public and in the eyes of the people. To keep such a fountain of knowledge is a crime in and of itself. Is it possible that like Destin, those with powers exist but are unknowing?”

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Gideon nodded confirming there are those with abilities who are in the dark, yet he responded, “With all respect, I must disagree.”

The council watched in shock at the disagreement of the situation, and Gideon knew just how serious it was for him to disagree on this front. “Council, as I have stated there is a danger in releasing world changing information into the world without the proper resources. Yes, we have the ability to prove it but the danger of starting panic is an issue we must consider.”

The judges broke out in a yelling frenzy providing their points in a boisterous rant beyond what any could comprehend. Echoing in the tower collapsed into madness while the king only watched his most trusted advisers fight among one another. Gideon too sat back for a moment, only to observe even with one yelling curses and slang in his face. It was a troubling topic for the top minds in Stormforth, and Gideon understood it would be a passionate discussion which could and did grow heated.

The king walked back up the stairs, and up to the surrounding stone tables where the judges normally sat. He picked up the wooden chair and casually tossed it over the edge where it collapsed and broke apart with a strident echo which silenced all in the room. Each man focused on their king.

“We are going to be civil. I expect this discussion to have arguments and disagreements, but we will not turn against each other in this sense again.” He commanded in a near shouting voice. “If anyone cuts another off in their speech again, you will be taken from the room and locked away for a time.” The men all stood frozen. Tillion was taken aback by the presence of the king as well but without hesitation agreed with his friend.

Gideon spoke rather boldly to the council, and considering his mind was openly speaking it looked as though to not sit well with the majority. “This is indeed open for discussion. Say what you wish, it is why you are all here.” King Airrick stated to the group. He sat on the lower part of the stairs, “I will hear all of your council, the for and against, but in the end I will make the choice I feel is right. For the time being we will hold off on telling the people until we ourselves understand magic more fully. This is my final decision.”

A sigh of relief swept over him with the fact that they would postpone the decision for a later time. Seeing they were in no sure way to make a good judgement call, he knew this was the correct move to make. Still, they had a great deal to discuss and learn in order to better prepare for the battles ahead. Gideon would need to learn and understand the world around him, and the wars being fought. Likewise, the king and his judges would need to understand magic at a much higher level. It was a great stride, but one which would take time.

Gideon was uneasy with how Tillion reacted towards his words. In no way did he mean to cause him to go so strongly on the offensive, yet he did. Now he was someone new to the court who suddenly had a great voice and in a way a direct link to power which could oppose Tillion. He watched carefully the movements of Tillion from that point onward.

“We will adjourn for a time to cool down from the tension. I have some matters to take care of on my own, until the next time.” The king commanded beginning to walk out of the room.

Each man faced him, bowing as he passed by, as did Gideon. The doors opened by the soldiers and he walked out and down the hallway. After his exit each man left going their own way to perform the duties of the day. Gideon assumed as such anyway, and felt the need to check on Destin.

With the hours that past, Destin had still not awakened since the dream weld. With the great deal of energy that was expelled between the two, it didn’t surprise him in the slightest that he was still out cold. He looked for the king to discuss a number of things with him, and after a little searching, found him in the outer garden.

The walls hung above them protecting them and the castle from the outside world. The garden itself was a hidden paradise. The sound of a stream running through the entire garden saw personally to water and keep thriving the life which surrounded it. The mixture of flowers, shrubbery and trees beautifully plotted and spread around the entire garden. The king himself was managing and pruning a bush near the stream. Gideon approached but waited to be invited.

The king paying no attention to Gideon had a finite focus on the bloomed pink rose which he carefully cut and cleaned. “You know, of all the insanity in the world, it is the moments like this which makes me believe we still have peace.” He said to Gideon while still carefully snipping away. One final snip as the frail branch fell to the ground and he looked over to Gideon, “Were you ever one for gardening?”

Gideon smiled and walked up to the king in discussion, “It has always been one of my loves. As a Highborn you are tied to specific elements and earth is my strongest. Always has been.” He motioned to the bush of roses, “May I?”

The king nodded and stepped back a little to provide the proper room. “Nature is the finest beauty the gods and goddesses blessed us with. Sephera, the goddess of earth, gives Highborn’s the rare gift to create and mold as she does.”

His eyes glowed like emeralds in the noonday sun. Being remarkably attentive he guided his hands around the rosebush as a thin tree rose above the bush. The branches reached outward and sprouted thick azure leaves which matched the richness of the sky. Bulbs began to appear throughout the thicket of leaves until they began to bloom one at a time, revealing a flower exalted above all other flowers. It's fullness of color and beauty radiated unlike anything the king had seen prior.

Gideon had finished and took a step back to return to the king. “It is the Star of Amaryllis, a rather rare flower by the looks of it, but my favorite.”

The king moved closely to the tree to get a better view, “Astonishing, in all my years I could not imagine such a flower.” He turned to face Gideon, “Thank you, truly.”

“It will stay in bloom while magic is near, probably why I haven’t seen much of it in my travels.” Gideon said, “I do appreciate the hospitality, it hasn’t been the easiest, but thank you.”

“No need to speak proper anymore Gideon, we are not in the courts.” The king joked with a joyful chuckle. “Still, what you are providing us, which you continue to prove, is beyond worth.” He motioned back to the Star of Amaryllis, “I wish I understood all of this better, I can’t begin to imagine what it was like back then.”

“About the same. Same problems, different causes, but it was amazing to see the world so alive. We had wars, and our problems sure, but there felt to be more purpose.” Gideon said. “There is something I need to tell you, something that needed to be shared outside of the court.”

Airrick motioned for him to say what was on his mind, “I have no theories as to how such a thing is possible, but High King Viran is Revnic. The very one who destroyed the Highborn’s and erased magic from the world. Somehow, he has survived these three hundred years.”

For once, the kings internal thoughts obviously showed by his shocked facial expression. He turned away from Gideon for a second and took a few steps back. He found a stone bench in the lush garden where he sat down to better comprehend the situation. “H… How?!” He stuttered. “I know you don’t know the answer but this is beyond me.”

“From the vision last night, it has left no doubt in my mind. His voice was unmistakable, it was Revnic.” Gideon said slightly shuddering thinking about their conversation last night. “Which changes everything on how I was going to deal with this situation, especially the war.”

Airrick shrugged his shoulders and clapped his hands together, “Well, knowing this he is far smarter and stronger than we have previously estimated. What do you suggest we do?”

Gideon considered the options which were flowing around in his mind, but nothing seemed plausible enough to execute or reveal. “I am not sure, I need a much better understanding on the war and the tactics him and his men have used thus far. We do have another ally which will be a great help in this effort.”

The king looked over to Gideon while he explained the answer, “Destin is the son of one of the high generals in Arthemis’ army. Destin is able to communicate with his father by summoning him through a ring. Something I have never seen before but Destin’s access to Valera, the goddess of spirits is unprecedented.”

“And you believe Destin will allow us to communicate with him?” The king asked.

“He already has, which is how we had safe passage to Stormforth. I think it will be a powerful asset. In the meantime, I also will begin to train Destin in our ways so that this dream weld does not happen again.” Gideon promised to Airrick.

They both nodded and stood up, “This is not an easy road ahead in the slightest. Somehow we are going to need to come out on top for the good of Alluvion.” He placed both his hands on Gideon’s shoulders, “It's our greatest sacrifice but we will restore that which is lost to the world again, I promise you that!” The King said with a solemn expression over his face.

They ended the conversation there, Gideon walking his separate pathway out of the garden to enter the castle once more. Looking back on the Star of Amaryllis above the rose bush he gave a gentle smile. As long as that tree stood, it would provide the tie of this new alliance between the Highborn and Stormforth.