“Lady Mairead! How um… unexpected! Welcome! Are you here to check up on my work for the city guards? I assure you I am working as quickly-“
“It’s nothing to do with that, Baird,” Lady Mairead said, interrupting him.
She didn’t speak loudly at all, but her voice commanded the room, making sure that everyone was aware that each word she said was important.
“While I have always been impressed with the fine weapons and armor you make for the city, it’s more of my husband’s responsibility to check up on how you're faring. I’m here for something else.”
Mairead then turned from Baird and faced me. I felt the need to shrink as her eyes fell on my face, looking me all over, almost as if she was studying me. She seemed tense, her entire body fixed in place, only making movements that looked like they’d been rehearsed for years.
“Is that the boy?” She asked, her eyes still fixed on me, a small, dainty, yet firm finger pointed straight at me.
“Yes. That’s him,” Morrison responded, his signature wry smirk on his face, probably thinking I’m in a lot of trouble, which I most likely was.
At Morrison’s words, her extremely thin body relaxed, her shoulders falling and face shifting into a sweet smile, one that was uncomfortable and pleasant at the same time. Her long, extravagant, blue gown seemed to fit her better as she did so. She started walking towards me, while Cade and Morrison stood guard in front of the door, likely to prevent anyone from entering. As she got closer, I realized how pale she was. Her skin was like a ghosts, almost as white as the snow outside Baird’s shop, and the black coat she wore over her dress only accentuated it further.
“Come here, boy,” she said, stopping just in front of the counter I was standing behind.
I walked around it, standing in front of her so that she could get a full view of me. Lady Mairead studied me like a book, her brown eyes falling over every part of me. I could see Baird standing just behind her, grinding his teeth like he usually did when he was anxious. It wasn’t like him to be so nervous, but I’m sure having one of the most powerful women in Dousin take such an interest in me was worth the toothache. I sure thought it was.
After a very uncomfortable minute, she finally spoke, “You’re a bit thinner than I expected. Have you had enough to eat?”
Her question caught me off guard, and I did little to hide my surprise.
“Oh, I just mean, given your abilities, I expected you to look a bit, well, tougher. Although, a child is a child. Magic or not, I shouldn’t have expected so much.”
I could feel the wound in my pride dig deeper as she spoke. I didn’t know how to answer. I barely understood why she was here or how she knew who I was. Why was I suddenly being insulted by a woman in such a high place?
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I haven’t even explained why I’m here,” she said, clearly reading my confused mind, “I am Blair’s mother. He told me quite a lot about his first friend, including that not only can he do magic at such a young age, but also taught it to him. Quite a remarkable thing, so you can understand why I made such rude comments a moment ago. Once again, I offer my apologies.”
“You’re… You’re Blair’s mother?” I managed to say.
“Yes little one, I am,” she replied, despite not being very tall herself, “He was so excited to talk about you, and when he showed me the magic you taught him, I knew I just had to meet you.”
“Why-“
“You’re quite rare, you know. Very few people are able to do magic before their ten, and yet here you are, only seven,” she said, answering the question I didn’t get to ask, “I am not stupid enough to let such raw talent go to waste. That’s why I’ve come to you with an offer. Blair has much to learn when it comes to magic, so I’m thinking of getting him a teacher. I would like to give you the opportunity to learn from a real mage as well-“
“Yes! Absolutely!” I yelled out without a second thought, cutting her off.
The thought of getting to learn from a real mage had always been at the back of my mind. Mother and Father always talked about how expensive it would be, and how difficult it would be to find a mage in Dousin, which was far from the Mage’s Tower in Vistaria’s capital city to the south. Hearing I had the chance to learn from someone for free was so exciting I forgot to even think about what was happening, let alone ask any questions.
“It’s nice to see you’re excited about it, but I’m afraid I’ll need a little… confirmation. It’s a little hard to believe it all, you see. Blair does like to tell stories. My guards assure me that your talent in magic is real, but I’d like to see it for myself before I invest. Understand, little one?”
I understood what she wanted. Without thinking, I let the energy enter my body, connecting myself to all the water around me. I could feel the snow outside, covering all of Relva road and its many buildings, as well as the water inside of Baird’s shop. It took me a moment to figure out what I wanted to show her. I knew it had to be impressive, something that warranted further lessons in magic, but I didn’t want to fully exhaust myself in case she wanted to see more. As I thought about it more, I came up with a brilliant idea. Reaching out with my Soul, I felt the top layer of snow just outside the shop. Pulling with both my Soul and my body, I moved the snow into the shop, blowing past the door and lifting it to the top of the room so it looked like a cloud. I wanted to see Lady Mairead’s initial reaction to my trick, but what I was about to do next would take too much of my focus. Very slowly, I released my control over the snow so that flakes would occasionally fall down from the cloud I had made. I had made it snow indoors.
Everyone was astonished, their eyes lighting up at the spectacle I had created. Even Baird, who saw me use magic regularly when I was bored, was giving a hearty laugh at his own amazement. The pride I had lost earlier from Lady Mairead’s unhidden insults returned to me.
“It seems I’ve found a diamond in the rough,” Lady Mairead said, her face changing into a wide grin.
“So… this means I can get a magic teacher now, right?” I asked her, worried that she may ask for more when I could feel myself losing strength.
“Yes, Sean, I think you’ve proven yourself worthy. You’ll be a very strong man in the future. The Frost Feast is coming up soon with the first snowfall happening so early, so I will be busy for the foreseeable future, but I will begin my search for a proper mage soon after. I’ll see to it that you and Blair get a proper education. Now, I think I’ve stayed a little long. Lord Malcolm may be wondering where I am, so I must be off,” she said, making her way towards the door.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
As she turned, Lady Mairead’s foot slipped on the melting snow I had sprinkled all over the floor. Morrison and Cade ran to her, but they were too far. Luckily, Baird was able to catch her just in time.
“Oh my, how unlady-like of me. I’m so sorry Baird. Thank you for the help. My husband is lucky to have a friend like you in this city.”
“Uh… it was no problem, miss,” Baird replied, letting go of Lady Mairead as she collected herself.
“Still, I feel I owe you something. Feel free to let me know if Malcolm ever tries to rush your work again. I’ll talk to him if he ever bothers you. Now, Morrison, Cade, we must be off.”
Cade gave me and Baird a small wave before he walked out the door first. Lady Mairead followed behind him, not even turning around to offer us a final goodbye. Morrison was last, and he simply gave me a nod before marching outside behind the Lady. After being sure that the three of them were long gone, Baird let out a long breath, like he’d been holding it since they arrived.
“Damn that was stressful. Always hate it when those nobles poke around my store. Even Malcolm. Seems like they're always up to something. Anyways, congrats boy! I don’t know how you did it, but it looks like you’re one lucky son of a bitch! Uh… don’t tell your mother I said that, okay bud,” Baird said, shutting himself up after the rude comment about my mother.
I didn’t take any offense, but Baird seemed like he really wanted to get back to work and stop thinking about everything that just happened. I, on the other hand, was ecstatic. After years of trying to unveil the mysteries of magic, I was finally getting a teacher. I couldn’t wait to tell Mother and Father. I spent the rest of the day at the shop unable to sit still. All I wanted to do was go home and tell my parents the great news. Even on the way home I felt like sprinting ahead of Baird, encouraging him to chase after me with his short legs. He quickly grew tired of doing so, and told me to run ahead by myself, an offer I took immediately.
It didn’t take long for me to reach the front door of our house. I opened it to find it completely empty. Typically my mother and Ailisa would greet me and Baird as soon as we walked in, and my Father would follow behind us not long after. Seeing the house so empty was strange. As I shut the door I began to hear some noise coming from upstairs. It was a voice, but I couldn’t make out who it was or what they were saying. I crept up the stairs, trying to hear what the voice was saying.
“It's okay. It's okay,” I heard my mother’s voice say.
“Please Cori, leave me alone,” my father said back to her.
“Just let me help. Please Aaron!”
I continued up the steps, reaching the top and peeking into the room the two of them were in. Father was sat down at the table, his head in his hands and tears rolling down his face. My mother was holding him, trying to comfort him in any way she could. It was a lot to take in, seeing my father cry. I had heard him before, but I had never actually seen one of his episodes.
“Please, just let go of me!” Father yelled, throwing my mother off of himself.
He stood up, saw Mother on the floor and began apologizing through his tears. Eventually, though, he gave up and ran into their bedroom, hiding himself from her. As Mother collected herself, she turned to the stairs and saw me, her face showing how scared she was that I witnessed what had happened. She quickly walked over to me and pulled me into a strong hug.
“It’s okay Sean. It’s okay. Your father has a lot to deal with, and sometimes it can be very hard. He’s a strong man. He really is. He’ll always protect us, no matter what. We just have to do our best to help him through the hard times. It’s up to us to help him,” Mother frantically said to me.
My father's issues had always been a touchy subject in our house, one that I didn’t dare ask about, but it was now clear to me that not talking about it could be a problem as well.
“Mother, why is Father this way? What happened to him? Why is he in so much pain?” I asked her.
Mother looked at me for a while before answering, clearly thinking hard about my questions.
“Your birthday is in a few days. I’m going to take you somewhere special then. It will be a fun day for you and me. I’ll do my best to answer what I can then,” she said, giving me one last squeeze before following Father into the bedroom.
The days went by quickly after the outburst I had witnessed, and my birthday had suddenly arrived. Ailisa and Baird gave me their best wishes before leaving in the morning, while my father remained in his room like he had done for the last few days, not even going to work. I worried that he would lose his job, but Mother reassured me each day that it was okay for him to stay home. After breakfast, Mother and I headed out towards the inner city, until we stopped at the church near the fountian me and Blair first met at.
“Do you know what this building is, Sean?” Mother asked me.
“It’s a church,” I said.
“Yes, it is. This is where Ailisa and I go to worship God. Our God is powerful, Sean. They sent us a great king many years ago. One that founded our home.”
“God sent the first king?” I asked her, excited to learn more about this world’s history.
“Yes, they did. The first king came to Cistra, the continent we live on, from the west. He came from across the ocean and even farther west than the continent of Jua. The first king was a mystery to everyone he ran across, and the people hated him, but God had given him great powers that won over the people. Back then, Aishya, the country to the east on the other side of the River of Division, controlled most of the continent. The first king of Vistaria came and conquered what was promised to him by God, freeing the people from the false god of Aishya.”
“Why didn’t the king conquer all of Aishya with his power?”
Mother scowled at my question, “The king grew weak with his age. His wife passed, and he decided to make peace with the Aishyan’s, against God’s wishes. Over the last two hundred years, there have been many skirmishes, but it wasn’t until ten years ago when a new war finally broke out. Unfortunately, Vistaria had troubles, and our king was weak, failing our God.”
As Mother finished, I took a few moments to take everything in. God’s, kings, wars, it was all so much. I never realized what a rich history this world may have, nor did I know how much of a zealot my own mother was. Religion was something I knew wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the idea of spending my life worshiping the unknown. I’d rather focus on something more tangible. Something I enjoyed, like magic. I didn’t doubt the existence of God’s, given my own circumstances as a reincarnate, but I didn't know how much of my mother’s words I could believe. I felt awful for doubting her when she had given me so much, but I knew better than to take all of this at face value.
After a short break, Mother bent down and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking me directly in the eye and said, “The church is being corrupted by Aishya’s influence. It has yet to reach Dousin, but soon their lies will be everywhere. You must not believe them and continue to follow the true God. Okay Sean?”
“Okay,” I answered half heartedly.
“Good. Now it’s time I told you about your father,” she said, standing up and leading me away from the church, “Aaron, your father, has had a hard time because of the Aishyans. They… did something to him in the past. Something that your father can never forget.”
Immediately my mind went to the scars all over my father’s body, as well as his missing eye.
“Now that Aishyans are moving into Vistaria due to our king's failure, they are showing up at the city gates of Dousin every so often. Lord Malcolm refuses to let them into the city, thank God, but when Aaron guards the gates, he has to see them. Your father… made a scene a few days ago. He was relieved of duty for a week. That’s why he looked like that when you came home that day. I promise you though, your father is a very strong man. He’ll get through this. I know he will.”
I had doubted many of the things my mother said to me that day, but I believed what she said about Father. He was strong, and I think he will win the battle inside of his own mind. After all, I had managed to go outside, and my father was much stronger than I was. A few days passed before Father was finally able to go back to work. His first day back was one that would cause him a lot of stress though, as it was the day of the annual Frost Feast, a celebration that would bring people into the city from all the surrounding towns to commemorate the first snowfall of the season.