In a land far away, very, very long ago, there lived a girl named April. She was a Princess, the Princess in fact. Her father was King of the land of Zendaria, known to all as a place of peace and wisdom. April’s mother had died when she was young, but her father had always done his best to embrace his feminine side – despite his flowing beard and obvious lack of grace. They would sew together, he taught her about flowers and animals, music and poetry, art, everything he believed a Princess should know. The only trouble was, she often grew so terribly bored.

            “Dad, why am I reading this?” April asked impatiently. “It’s all about table manners and how to greet other nobles, it even has a section on meeting my future husband!”

            “All important information for a girl your age April! And you’d do well to listen; there are some things a father can’t teach you, and how to court a Prince is definitely one of them.”

            “Well maybe I don’t want to court a Prince! And I certainly don’t want to learn how to dance the Hopty-Goldy with him, it looks ridiculous!” April glared at the pictures in the book.

            “Aaaaaah I remember dancing that with your mother” the King looked into the distance wistfully, “She did have a fine hop. Never failed to land on my feet though.” The King’s toes felt sore at the mere thought.

            They were sat in the King’s study, where he had been perusing some important document or another while April read in front of the toasty-warm fire. Nestled at her feet was a long oval of brown fluff called Willow; a dog by description, a bundle of mischief by nature, but right now Willow snoozed happily, keeping April’s feet warm. The dog let out a contented snuffling sound from time to time, with her nose pressed into the rug.

            “Can I go outside please?” April begged. Willow’s ears pricked up at the mention of ‘outside’, and she opened one of her eyes wide to check the goings on. The King sighed heavily.

            “Finish that chapter, then you can do as you please until supper. But don’t be late, Miss Regibald has been slaving over a stove for you today, she’s made Tenderbeak Pie with all the trimmings!”

            “The last part of the chapter is about flower arranging, which technically I already learned from you, and you must be better than some dusty old book so reeaally I think I’ve already read the end of the chapter.”

            “Haha, flattery will get you nowhere little rosebud. But fine, off you go, though when you get back I want to hear you describe in detail at least three types of intrinsic magic and four types of extrinsic magic. Alright?”

            “Yes! I can do that in my sleep, thanks dad!” Noticing the tone in April’s voice, Willow’s other eye opened and she quickly leapt to her feet before having a nice long stretch. It was time to go outside! They both scrambled to the door, flung it open and ran down the stone staircase.

            “And be careful of the Greybacks!” the King’s voice boomed down the stairs. April’s bare feet smacked on the stones lining the hallways of the Imperial palace, with the ‘clack-clack’ of Willow’s paws racing beside her. After so expertly navigating the labyrinthine building, they burst out into fresh afternoon sunlight and an explosion of green. They stopped at the balcony at the rear of the palace, which had stairs either side that lead down to the Kingdom. From atop the hill where the palace stood they could see enormous plains and forests, tiny villages and hamlets, bustling towns, they could see almost the whole of Zendaria! Willow leapt up to the white stone barrier on the edge of the balcony and looked out for any nearby squiggles or parabeaks.

            “Where should we go today girl?” April asked excitedly. Willow let out a playful bark; the canine companion didn’t care where they went, she never had, as long as she was with her friend.

            “The forest of Dryleaf? That’s a marvellous idea!” Willow merrily barked twice more in reply, and off they went.

*****

After running at full pelt for almost thirty minutes, the intrepid pair reached the edge of Dryleaf Forest and stopped to catch their breath. Before them stood thousands upon thousands of trees, each decorated with leaves of yellow, red, brown, gold and green. The forest floor was barely visible as the fallen leaves had made a tapestry covering every inch of the ground. You see, Dryleaf Forest was one of many areas of Zendaria caught in a ‘Permanent Season’, in this case, autumn.

            Finally being able to breathe normally again, April knelt down and smiled at Willow.

            “Are you ready girl?” Willow’s tail began manically brushing leaves back and forth on the floor as she tried to contain her excitement. “Are you ready!?” The tail swooped harder, bashing into the roots of a tree, “Ready… go!” Willow sprang forward, head bobbing and mouth wide-open in joy as she ran as fast as she could possibly go before leaping into the biggest pile of leaves she could find. April looked on as eventually a brown blur burst from the leaf-pile and proceeded to roll around on the floor. She ran up and past her leaf-encrusted friend and jumped headfirst into the pile of leaves herself!      

            After a good deal of playing, messing around and general leaf-wrestling, they had tired themselves out again.

            “Shall we have a wander about?” April asked. Willow let out a bark and padded forward into the forest, with April trailing just behind. It was eerily quiet; they could barely hear birds, let alone the occasional chirping of locrickets and beetleworms. They became increasingly aware of the sound of their own footsteps, crunching through the debris on the forest floor. After a good deal of wandering and wondering, they came to a brief clearing with a small wooden hut. A few steps from the hut stood a man wearing black. He wore a mask to cover his face up to his eyes, which were a piercing bright blue. His hair was black, wiry and tousled; the ensemble as a whole made April quite unsettled, so her and Willow quickly ducked into the bushes surrounding the clearing to watch what was going on.

            For a long while the man simply stood, gazing in the direction of the hut, and didn’t move an inch. April was breathing as shallow as she could so not to be heard; it felt like time had stopped and only the three of them were left in the entire world. Suddenly a great THUD came from the hut. And another. And then another. A high-pitched creaking sound grew louder and louder. It became a cacophonous din, until the man quickly tore his hands from his pockets, directed them at the wooden hut, muttered something under his breath and PHWOOM out came enormous plumes of fire from his hands. In a split second the hut had exploded with a deafening bang, and charred bits of wood, ash and burnt bric-a-brac flew into the surrounding woodland, nearly hitting April and Willow.

            They both instinctively stood up in shock of the explosion, eyes and mouths wide open. The man’s eyes shot in their direction, and he turned to face the intruders. A circle of flame burned around him, his eyes flickering as he stared at the girl and her dog, unblinking. April was visibly shaking. She knew that she was far outmatched; she carried a long wooden sword on her adventures with Willow but dared not to unsheathe it for fear of provoking the terrifying power of the man before them. Most of all, she didn’t want to share the same fate as the wooden hut. Following pure adrenaline, she turned away and ran.

            “Come on Willow! Run!” The dog sprinted alongside her, checking their left and right sides for any threats. Every few paces April would dart her head back towards the man, but couldn’t see anything except for a growing fire, burning brighter each moment. He didn’t appear to be following but by the Gods she didn’t want to risk it. Was he sending the fire after them? Dry leaves do burn rather well. But it didn’t seem like it was coming for them specifically, more burning… everything. The pair ran and ran, frightened, exhausted and dirty, they ran until finally they reached the edge of Dryleaf Forest and could see the green pastures surrounding Zendar, the capital city and her home. It was all clear behind them, though a mass of smoke gathered in the distance, they appeared to be safe. They both fell to the floor, exhausted and aching. April’s eyes watered but she refused to cry out of fear or anger anymore. After a brief rest she took out her ticketock watch and realised – oh no – they were going to be late for supper!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

            “It’s not over yet girl, we have to get back to the palace, or no Tenderbeak pie for either of us!” For the first time that day Willow looked truly terrified, and so they both ran as fast as they could back to the palace, and came to a screeching halt in the vast dining hall, where Miss Regibald had just finished laying the final plate of food on the table. The stout, middle-aged woman looked the pair up and down, her gaunt face contorting into a look of disgust.

            “What in the Obe happened to you two? You’re filthy! And you smell like a bonfire!”

            “Well, uh, we-“ April sputtered.

            “Go and get washed up right quick! The King will be here any moment, and if he sees you like this for supper, he’s going to ground you until Frosthaven!”

            “Yes Miss Regibald!” And with that, April and Willow ran to the nearest bathroom to get cleaned up. After much scrubbing, soaping, air-freshening and drying, April thought herself presentable enough for supper. The bathroom on the other hand was not in such a fine state. Willow shook herself dry on the spot, bounced on a soft bottle of flowery doggy perfume, and sidled up to her friend. They both wandered back into the dining hall where the King had taken his seat at the head of the long, dark wooden table. He raised his eyes up from the paperwork he still had with him from earlier in the day and surveyed his daughter. His eyebrow arched upwards quizzically.

            “Playing around the Forest of Dryleaf again, eh?” He boomed, a mirthful grin across his face.

            “What? How did you-“ April stammered.

            “Your feet dear.” The King lowered his head, still smiling at April. She looked down at her feet which were not only still coated with mud (and a little bit of ash), but leaves too!

            “Oh! Whoops…” April looked embarrassed but knew her father wouldn’t mind this break in etiquette too much. It certainly wasn’t the first time.

            “Haha, sit down and eat child. You can bathe properly later.” She took her place at the table in a seat perpendicular to her father’s, and Willow sat patiently between the two, awaiting her serving of pie. The smell in the air was tantalising; meaty, with fresh vegetables, spices, herbs and the occasional waft of berries. Miss Regibald served up a large slice of pie for the King, along with a helping of vegetables, Tenderbeak trimmings and a dollop of thick gravy. April received the same, albeit in a more modest portion size, and finally a bowl was served for Willow, filled with extra Tenderbeak scraps that don’t befit the meal of a King, but a dog may love them. Willow definitely loved them. The second her bowl hit the floor, her face was happily buried in food, enunciated by the sounds of her tongue lapping away and teeth chomping excitedly.

            April toyed with her food, wondering if she should tell her father what happened today, about the man with the blue eyes and incredible power. Before she could muster up the courage, the King spoke:

            “So! We made a deal earlier today. Three types of intrinsic magic and four types of extrinsic magic” he said between mouthfuls, “bonus points if you can explain them to me.” April sat up straight and cleared her throat.

            “Intrinsic magic is the type of magic everyone can perform, but few can master” she began, quoting her textbooks directly, “Many intrinsic magical abilities have been misconstrued as intuition or instinct. Empathy is an example of this; while most people feel a sense of empathy towards others, a skilled mage can detect a person’s precise feelings and reasons for those feelings down to minute detail.”

            “Good! And well done for reciting the book verbatim” the King chuckled. “Two more?” April nodded.

            “Precognition, or the ability to see the future. For most people this power is limited to a short time in the future based on predicted behaviours of people they know very well. But for a mage, especially in combination with other intrinsic magics, it’s possible to see every eventuality of their lives planned out for years, depending what paths they want to take.”

            “Perfect! One more, then we’re onto the extrinsic.”

            “Okay, for the third I’ll go with… Leafwind.”

            “Oh, good one! A topical choice for someone with leaves on her feet.” the King chuckled.

            “While most people can dodge a direct strike against them, say from a sword or club, by leaping out of the way or ducking, a mage can enhance this ability to the point where their body becomes like a leaf on the wind. Anything that attempts to strike the mage can be instantly dodged, even high-speed projectiles like arrows. This is one of the few intrinsic magical abilities that requires some physical training, so the mage’s body does as it’s told in the right moment.”

            “Splendid! That’s intrinsic covered, and with finesse I must say!” Willow licked her lips contentedly as she’d finished wolfing down her supper and laid next to her bowl. There are few things better than a nap after a hearty meal. “Extrinsic magics next, though these are easier to explain.”

            “Alright.” April’s mind harkened back to earlier in the day, to the explosion of flames; blue eyes flashed across her memories. “Pyromancy. The ability to summon flame from one’s body. As with all extrinsic magics, this is achieved by manipulating the elements around the caster. Only expert mages can practice extrinsic magics, they’re dangerous to work with and can often harm the caster if not used correctly.”

            “Good. A destructive starting point, but good.”

            “Telemancy, the ability to transport yourself, objects and others across distance within a split second.”

            “And the drawback is?”

            “…if you mess it up you can end up irreversibly disfigured or destroy the object you were trying to move.”

            “Which is why very few practice Telemancy. Next?”

            “Cryomancy, the elemental opposite of Pyromancy. Mages disciplined in Cryomancy can create frost out of anything, manipulating the moisture in the air. The main risk with it is the potential to cause the caster severe frostbite, or even for the mage to freeze themselves.”

            “Good. Alright, one more and I’ll let you eat in peace!” The King smiled.

            “Necromancy.” The King’s eyes flashed at his daughter.

            “Where did you learn about that!? It’s a dark and dangerous practice!”

            “There are books on it in the Royal Library” said April innocently.

            “In the restricted section.” Scolded the King. He let out a great sigh. “Fine, at least tell me what you learned of it.”

            “Necromancy is the ability to raise the dead back to life. A particularly skilled Necromancer will even be able to manipulate the will of the dead they raise, though it takes considerable effort and energy to do so, and there are very few recorded cases of it happening.”

            “Anything else?”

            “Necromancy is banned in Zendaria but is commonly practiced among the Dryad Elves in lands to the North. They are said to be an immortal race because of their expertise in the craft.” The King wrinkled his nose.

            “Dark Elves. Though we’ve not fought with them for millennia, they are not to be trifled with. I didn’t expect you to learn of them yet. They are savages, April. Grey-skinned, and reputed to be mangled and twisted from the sheer number of resurrections they’ve been through.”

            “Have you ever seen one, dad?”

            “No. But your grandfather did, during the Trytach wars. He said it was the most wretched experience of his life.” The King looked lost in thought, his eyes staring into middle-distance. “Anyway, this isn’t appropriate conversation for mealtimes. Let’s enjoy our supper.” April nodded and began shovelling food into her mouth while trying to maintain a modicum of grace. It was delicious, and she was famished from the day’s adventure.

            After the main course was demolished the King tucked into some Zendarian pastries but April was far too full, so she excused herself, said goodnight and went up to her bedroom. She brushed her teeth in the adjoining bathroom, washed her face, tied her hair into a bun and finally gave her feet a good scrub after forgetting them earlier. When she came back into the bedroom Willow was already snuggled up at the end of her bed, as per their routine. April dove under the covers, switched her lamp off, wished Willow a good night and from the moment her head hit the pillow she was asleep.

*****

In the midst of a heavy darkness where the weight of a thousand worlds rests, there was a spark, a crack and then a flash of blue flame. It felt uneasy, unsettled, like a ship on the verge of capsizing. A squirming, writhing sensation crept through, getting colder and colder, plucking on nerves like taut bowstrings, stretching and wrenching at every inch. The moment dragged, sticky and slow, oozing from one second to the next.

            Finally, an enormous burst of fire tore through the dreamscape with an intense, dry heat. From the flames opened a pair of luminous blue eyes, staring into April’s soul with immaculate precision. A fever of hot and cold swept over her as the intensity of the eyes grew bluer, brighter and more fierce. A blinding white light erupted from the pupils, culminating in a searing, vicious pain that blistered through April’s brain.

            She awoke gasping for breath, bathed in cold sweat and her heart pounding; Willow raced over and licked her face, clearly worried for her friend.

            “What was that?”