A cool spring wind blew through the opened windows of his bedchamber brushing up against him. It caused the pages within the book to rapidly motion by causing him to lose his spot. It was like the wind was toying with him. That was what he got for having his window open. The wind thankfully calmed itself and he pulled back the pages to return to where he had left off.
With spring’s recent arrival, the giant trees outside his window in the open field all had white buds showcasing that winter was truly no more.
He dipped his pen into the quill and continued writing. Even though this writing was only ever meant for him to see, he put in the effort to make the writing look nice visually speaking.
Someone knocked on his door disrupting his writing. He thought to ignore them and go on about his own business. Ignoring them didn’t work for long. Their knocking intensified until eventually the door was thrown open, and he could hear the loud footsteps coming from his sister’s heels.
He paid her no mind, continuing to write as if she didn’t exist at all. However, once the footsteps stopped, a shadow crept over from up and above him landing on the paper he wanted to keep writing in. Their hand finagled the pen from his hand and set it aside on his desk.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he said angrily.
“You’re supposed to be with me outside as we wait for Father to arrive,” his sister Amberilla said while she looked at him disapprovingly. She brushed her long black hair behind her left ear to reveal more of her annoyed face.
“What does it matter whether I’m there for the exact moment he potentially arrives or not?”
“I imagine he’d like for us to be there to greet him first thing. Besides, he hasn’t seen us in over a year and I’d like for us to welcome him properly.”
“And whose choice was it dear sister to be away from us for so long? Oh, I already know the answer. It was him of course.” She chose not to respond. She scrunched up her nose while crossing her covered arms. “If it’s so important for us to be out there waiting the exact same second he is to arrive he maybe should show us the same courtesy.”
“He’s going to. That letter he sent a few days ago saying he would be arriving today is him making the effort to do so. Can’t you be satisfied with that?”
It didn’t matter how many times their father would say he would be coming to visit them only to end up never coming. Even then, she continued to adore him and expect that this time would be different. He had long ago given up on such a thing. If Father said he was coming, he most certainly was not.
“Will you at least do this for me?” She dropped her arms to her side and stared down at the floor briefly. “I want you to be there with me during the moment he initially arrives. Just do this for me Raelle, please.”
He just wanted to remain in his bedchamber, keep on writing in his book, and if Father ended up coming, then he’d greet him moments later.
But that look on her face swayed even someone as stubborn as him. It just didn’t feel right to deny her request. He let out a sigh and closed the book he wanted to write in. “Fine, but we’re just going to be wasting time.”
His comment irked her judging by her expression, but she chose to make no verbal response. Instead, she led the way for both of them to exit his bedchamber. He ended up following her into one of the many long hallways within their family’s esteemed estate.
They passed by several servants going from one room to the next. He had trouble catching up with his sister for a moment. She was walking at a quick pace. He sped up eventually managing to catch up and walk beside her. She must’ve wanted to ensure that they were at the front in case their father was to arrive any second now.
As they made it outside into the morning sunlight, the light glistened off the water flowing from the fountain surrounded by a road that circled it. The road went for several miles towards the north meaning if their father was to in fact come, they’d at least see his carriage or somebody’s anyways long before they reached their estate.
The estate itself had been in the Eisel family’s lineage for over a century and maintained to keep its appearance fresh and new. It was a massive estate that could fit dozens of people at a single time but its size meant it required a full staff of servants and a few guards to manage its security. His father had inherited it from their father and so on and so forth. They were a noble family that didn’t necessarily hold immense political power, but they still operated within those circles due to their advanced research and knowledge in arcane-specific matters. His father had become one of the most esteemed and advanced researchers involving the kinds of magic that he couldn’t understand even a little bit about no matter how hard he tried.
Being one of the best and most sought-after people in sorcery and similar fields meant he was always busy and needed in a variety of places. His role within human society along with his position within the king’s council demanded him to be absent from him and his sister or at least that was the reasoning behind his father’s rationale for always being away.
And frankly, he didn’t think that was right. So what if he was so important? Raelle wanted his father to be there with them. He had demanded it many times only to be denied that one crucial desire of his. He could have everything else. All the money he could ever want. All the best items and trinkets that were out there. He could even be given an endless array of women to court and choose from to one day marry and have children with. But he couldn’t have his father. Just everything else except that.
He makes me so angry. Why do I even care anymore? He couldn’t help but have a sour look on his face. He had been having a decent enough day writing in his personal book. Now he had to stand outside watching and wondering whether the carriage with his father would ever turn down onto their road.
“Look!” She directed his attention towards the beginning of the road from several miles out. He saw a carriage with two horses driving it down the road and towards their estate.
Raelle put his hands behind his back and waited for the carriage to come. His sister stood right beside him. The cool spring breeze sent her braided black hair flowing backwards whenever it blew at or around them.
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After a few minutes of waiting, the carriage came and twisted around until the driver stopped with the right-side carriage door facing them. The driver hopped off the carriage, opened the carriage’s door, and that smile on his sister’s face diminished the moment his uncle came out instead of the one they both wanted to see.
“I knew it,” he whispered just loudly enough so she could hear.
Even though she was undoubtedly disappointed that it wasn’t their father who came, she was eager to welcome the one who came in their father’s stead.
“Uncle!” She ran up to him and embraced him with a hug.
“Ah, my dearest and beloved Amberilla. You are far too gracious to greet me with such a warm welcome.” He eyed Raelle and pulled out a letter from one of his long coat pockets. “It’s good to see you too Raelle. Here, take this. This is from your father.”
He approached him and took the letter.
“I’m sorry he’s not the one to greet either of you two. There’s been some real trouble brewing in the capital city that required his immediate attention. But he didn’t want you two to think he didn’t care so he sent you little ol’ me!”
When his uncle said little, he wasn’t kidding. He was a short-statured man not quite reaching the height of someone past five feet. It meant that even when Raelle was around nine or so years old, he had already outgrown him. Even his sister who was just a few inches shorter than himself was taller than him.
“My oh my, shall we go inside?” he said with a bit of a tired sigh. They all went in together as a group of three. He appeared noticeably worn down. The capital was quite a bit of a ride away. At least three or more days depending on the weather and whether the roads were in good condition which was apparently often not the case.
His uncle took off his long coat which for any other person would’ve been just a regular-sized coat. A servant took it for him and he patted Raelle on the arm in a loving sort of way. “You’ve gotten bigger haven’t you?”
“Possibly.”
“He clearly has although he probably can’t tell himself,” she said, “but I for sure can.”
Raelle was only fourteen years of age while his sister was eighteen years of age. Every year it seemed like he grew so much. She hadn’t gotten any taller though or so it appeared. She had been taller than him until he turned twelve and then he gained height supremacy over her since then.
“Is it still early enough for breakfast?”
A nearby servant approached and bowed towards him. “Shall we escort you to the dining hall sir?”
“Why yes of course. I am terribly famished and require something to satisfy my hunger.” All three of them headed for the dining hall without delay. “I barely had anything to eat for the last few days. So let this be a warning to you two. By the time I’m gone, all of your food might be too.”
He had a bit of a jolly laugh managing to get a laugh from his sister as well. His uncle was a bit of a character needless to say. He liked him and he knew how to make people laugh and just have a grand ol’ time. But he was still not his father who he felt severe frustration towards.
They all sat down at the long table. Servants brought out warm food and even coffee imported from a place halfway across the world.
“Ah yes,” his uncle muttered as they smelled the freshly brewed coffee. “You know all those sycophants in the capital are hooked on this. I’m fairly certain that the entire country and world for that matter would collapse if this didn’t exist.”
“Really?” his sister asked.
“Yes my dear. I cannot overstate the importance of such a basic liquid substance. They say wars have been fought over it. Men have slain men over it if you can believe it. And you know, there’s that saying that a man’s worth his salt. Well, if you ask me, a man’s worth his coffee ought to be the saying instead.”
“Wars fought over coffee.” His sister shook her head. “It seems so ridiculous when you think about it.”
“It does sound a bit silly. But at the same time, it’s the livelihood and way of life for a lot of people. Take away someone’s ability to grow and sell a crop for example, and you’re just begging for conflict. Many such cases throughout our history and I imagine it will continue.”
“So,” Raelle said interjecting to change the conversation. “What’s father’s reason for being absent this time?”
“I wouldn’t want to bore you with all the details. Just know that problems are brewing in the capital and he’s working with the honorable king and his circle of people to try to solve them. And I promise you he was eager to come visit you two this weekend, but there was an incident that happened that required him to stay put.”
His sister furrowed her brows. “Father’s not in any serious danger is he?”
“No my dear. You have nothing to worry about. There is no safer place than the capital.”
He always had his reasons for not being here. Maybe if they would tell him what exactly he was doing he would be more accepting of his absence. They both liked to keep secrets however no matter how many times they were asked.
“How long are you planning on staying?” his sister asked.
“Oh for a few days at least.” He stuck his fork into a piece of sausage. His face lit up as he ate it and devoured it bite after bite.
Later that day before night befell the sky, Raelle wandered through the estate. The sound of his footsteps echoed inside the emptied southern part where there was little activity. This area of the estate was devoted more towards his father’s various hobbies and research. In every room there was some unique dedicated purpose such as one room being dedicated towards the study and manufacturing of alchemical substances. Such a room was strictly off-limits for anyone except Father. Not even Raelle could enter it since a powerful magical seal had been put up around it. Removing such a seal required either the original sorcerer who created it or someone who knew how to break them. The latter task was quite difficult according to his father who reminded him to quit ever thinking that he would get inside without his father allowing it. Even as a kid, he would make attempts to get in and would alas fail every time. Knowing what he knew now about alchemy—which was very little admittedly—he was glad he never managed to get in. He could’ve easily killed himself or everyone in and around the estate had he mixed the wrong alchemical components together.
The seals also served the purpose of keeping nefarious actors from ever getting onto closely held secrets. Alchemical experimentation was one of those things that was kept closely guarded by almost all alchemists and sorcerers in general. If someone nefarious could get their hands on dangerous alchemical compositions, a disaster was just waiting to occur. Only pre-approved individuals were allowed to manufacture, sell, and research alchemy. Someone doing any one of those three would face the real chance of being executed. And the theft of alchemical recipes would also result in death.
Despite the severity, people still pursued alchemy without the approval of the king or those beneath him that administered those lawful determinations.
Raelle wandered by more magically sealed rooms until reaching a staircase leading to a basement. He began to wander down it and see a bluish-white light flashing intermittently. A shadow cast by his uncle spread out from him in bursts as he made his slow approach. His uncle wielded a hammer in his right hand and slammed it against some obscured object on a slab of runic stone. The sound pierced through his ears and made him flinch every time the hammer hit whatever he was slamming it up against.
His uncle was a sorcerer of sorts as well, although not one quite as high ranking as his father. He had been wondering what his uncle was up to and apparently, he had kept himself busy hammering something all alone down in the darkness of the basement.