Esmedella emerged from her bedroom dressed in a simple, light green dress that only exposed her shoulders, her legs from below her knees, and a bit her upper chest. The blonde man gave a slight bow and offered his arm with a smile. The queen gave a small giggle and took his arm. The two then made their way down the corridors towards the entrance halls and the dozens of suitors waiting anxiously for the queen.
Kaiser looked at Esmedella and smiled, asking, “Are you ready to be swarmed?” She looked back at him with a smile and responded, “I have you, don’t I? I think I’ll be fine.” He gave a slight laugh and continued to lead her through the vast halls, illuminated by the sunlight entering through the windows.
“So, how were the men from last night?” the duke asked, looking at the woman he was escorting. The queen sighed in response and lowered her head. “It was horrible. All I heard about was how beautiful I was and about the ‘amazing exploits of such-and-such’.” She looked up at the guard. “It’s like they can’t even carry on a normal conversation,” she complained.
Kaiser nodded. “That is to be expected. They’re trying to flatter their way to the crown. Not to your heart.” Esmedella then shook her head and angrily responded, “How can I know if they’re good people or rulers if I can’t know what kind of a person they are?” The duke nodded in agreement. She was right and he knew it. ‘How COULD you know someone if all they talked about was you and their life stories?’ he thought.
Kaiser continued to walk down the halls in silence and then was struck by an ingenious thought. He stopped and looked at Esmedella. The duke then made a simple question, “How would you like to free yourself of these stuck-up suitors for the day?” The queen was caught off guard by this question and had a look of pure surprise on her face. “Well… Yes… I would like that,” she responded hesitantly. Kaiser smiled, grabbed Esmedella’s hand, and then jogged towards the east wing, where the library was located.
Even though he was running, the queen still had to run to keep up with the trained military general. Not only was he accustomed to running far distances at a high speed for a prolonged period of time, but he also wasn’t wearing heels. They made their way all around the palace to the other end of the building. The two finally made it to a door way that was from the floor to the roof. “Here we are,” Kaiser said with a smile. He looked at Esmedella and the smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?” The blonde girl was panting heavily and giving him a slight glare. “Please remind me to hit you later,” she said as soon as she regained her breath and stood up straight.
The two walked into the vast library. The book shelves were made of dark wood and tall enough to touch the roof, which was elegantly painted so that it showed the painter‘s view of what the heavens looked like. Every single shelf was filled with books and scrolls that date back to the establishment of Jaideria’s first royal family. As they stepped through the vast collection of text, their footsteps echoed off the walls of the enormous room. Kaiser then called out, “Master Ramanahs! Master Ramanahs, are you here?”
Then from one of the nearby shelves, a ladder with a man on it came rolling down on a set of wheels and then stopped at the edge of the shelf. Esmedella looked up at the old man who was holding onto the mobile ladder. He was a lanky man with a long grey beard and similar hair. The elder was dressed in dark blue robes with a slightly pointed hat adorning his head.
The queen knew this man quite well. Ramanahs was a very well respected and well liked man in the palace. Not only was he the librarian, but he was also a part of her council and used to be the head sorcerer before age got in the way of his spell casting.
Ramanahs slowly made his way down the ladder and then turned to face the two young nobles. His emerald green eyes shined onto the two and then his face gave a great smile, revealing the pearl-white teeth he had. “Ah, Kaiser and Queen Esmedella. A pleasure to see the two of you here. But I wonder what brings you here?” the old man said with his never faltering smile, “Are you here to teach her a little of your magic?”
The blonde woman looked at the young man at her side with a look of amazement. “Magic? I never knew you knew magic.” The duke gave a smile and responded, “What do you think I’ve been doing with my free time these last few years?” Kaiser then looked at the old man and said, “Master, I need to look through your spell books. I have… a project that I need to do and I was hoping to be able to use the books and scrolls so that I don’t mess it up.” The old man just grinned and nodded. “Of course you can use the spell books. You know the way to them, just remember what I told you.” The blonde man nodded and said, “ ‘Never use magic to do harm. It’ll only harm you in return’.” Ramanahs nodded again and Kaiser took Esmedella’s hand, leading her to the back of the library.
* * * * * * *
Esmedella was sitting at a table looking through a scroll and reading the text on how to perform a complex jinn summoning spell. The ancient piece of paper was big and had more than just writing on it. It had complex instructions and many drawings that simply baffled her. The queen rolled up the scroll and set it down, looking over at Kaiser. The duke was looking from book to book, scroll to scroll, writing down some important piece of information on another sheet of paper. “How can he understand all of this?” the blonde girl thought.
Esmedella then spoke up by asking, “Kaiser, how can you use magic?” The duke stopped and looked up. “What do you mean?” he asked back. She shrugged a little. “I guess what I really want to ask is what is magic and how do you use it?” Kaiser looked at another book and wrote down one last piece of information before setting down his quill.
The duke leaned forward on his arms. “Well, magic is simple but complex at the same time,” he started, “It’s a little difficult to explain, but I’ll try my best.” He shifted in his seat and began to speak. “Magic isn’t just a natural ability. Someone isn’t born with this special power inside of them. Magic is really just a manipulation of the world around us so that we can perform impossible feats that a normal person can’t.”
Kaiser saw that Esmedella was absolutely confused by what he said and laughed a bit. “Let me start with the basics. In our world, there is an indestructible force of energy that exists in everything in this world. Everything from the smallest grain of salt in the sea to the largest Drakol in the world has this energy flowing through them. When a living creature dies, this energy is then dispersed and passed on to the next creature to be born. Are you understanding?” The queen nodded and responded, “So there’s an invisible energy in our world that we can’t control.”
Kaiser nodded and continued, “Correct. People who can manipulate this energy are the same people who can cast spells. This power allows the spell casters to use the energy in any way they want, but it’s unstable and could potentially kill them. Spells are simply instructions on how to perform a certain ability.” Esmedella gave a look of understanding. “Oh. So if I wanted to cast a spell to start a fire, I would have to read the instructions and then practice it until I can do it correctly,” she said.
The duke nodded with a smile. “Right,” he responded. The young woman sat there silently and then asked, “So is it possible to combine spells? Like, a spell to grow wings and a fire spell so that you can have fire wings?” Kaiser smiled again and responded, “Yes, you can.” Esmedella then leaned forward and asked, “Is that what you’re doing? Trying to combine spells?”
Kaiser looked around, leaned forward, and then lowered his voice. “Yes. But combining spells is difficult. I need to look through these books so that I can cast it without it back firing.” Esmedella got closer and lowered her voice. “What are you planning on doing?” The duke grinned and then began to whisper his plan to the queen. Once he finished, the blonde girl grinned and quietly exclaimed, “I love it!” Kaiser nodded and said, “I thought you would. Now I just need a big pot and some time to prepare it. How about you go entertain your guests while I work on it?”
* * * * * * *
Esmedella was walking down the corridors a minute later, headed towards the audience chamber. It was already mid-morning and by now, there must have been dozens upon dozens of men waiting for her. She continued on her way until she came to one of the side entrance doors of the chamber. The queen reached for the handle, took a deep breath, and then plunged herself into the room.
As she predicted, the room was filled to its maximum capacity with men. They were all arguing over who was most likely to earn the heart of the queen. Each one was bragging about either their wealth, their strength, their rank, or their accomplishments. Esmedella saw that the arguing was escalading and was most likely going to end up in fighting. She then began to walk towards the throne.
Half way there, the arguing ended and there was pure silence. The blonde woman didn’t look at any of them, but could feel their eyes on her. It felt as if they were trying to feel her body with just their eyes and she felt revolted, but she continued to walk in a elegant and dignified way. Esmedella sat down in her throne and looked at the crowd of men. Before she could say a word, the suitors began yelling praises and shoving each other away so that they could get closer to the queen.
Esmedella couldn’t handle this. The situation was far worse than before and these men were more than just determined to win her over. Just as the situation escaladed, there was a sharp and loud whistle. Everyone in the room covered their ears to muffle the sound of the loud and high pitched sound. When the whistle ended, everyone let go of their heads and turned to see Kaiser standing in the doorway that Esmedella came through.
One of the men from the crowd called out in a deep voice, “What is the meaning of this?” They all began to yell at the duke. “IF YOU ALL DON’T WANT ME TO ACTUALLY MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR HEARING, THEN YOU’LL BE QUIET AND LET ME SPEAK!!!” Kaiser yelled over the crowd. They all fell silent, but glared at the blonde man.
The duke then cleared his throat, stood up straight with his hands behind his back, and said, “Since you all are so intent of trying to flatter the queen with your words than to allow her the privilege of informing you of something important, then you will all have to listen to me as I relay it.” He took a step forward and continued. “I am Kaiser fon Rosen and you all are aware of my position, including Queen Esmedella’s personal guard. The queen wished to inform you all that she far too occupied today and must send you all back to your homes.”
The suitors began to protest, but were instantly silenced with the raising of the duke’s hand. Kaiser put his hand behind his back again and then said, “Do not worry. You will all have a chance at the queen’s heart.” The blonde man clapped his hands and three servants came into the audience chamber carrying a large ceramic pot. It was painted dark blue with the Jaiderian seal of the red falcon on one side and a royal purple stripe wrapped around it, connecting each side of the seal. “You may all write down your thoughts and place it in this pot. If you wish, you may attach a gift to give the queen. I also wish to inform you all that one of the sorcerers placed a spell on it so that you may place your letter and gift in, but impossible for you to tamper with anyone else’s.”
The crowd of men then began to rush out, looking for a pen and paper, possibly even an expensive gift for their possible ‘bride-to-be’. When the audience chamber left, Kaiser looked at Esmedella with a smile. “There. They should be preoccupied for the time being and they’ll leave shortly after putting in their letters.” The blonde woman smiled and got up from the golden throne. She bowed her head to the duke and said, “Thank you for the help. I’m glad you’re talented in more than just military subjects.” Esmedella raised her head and then took a hold of Kaiser’s arm. She smiled up at him and asked, “Why don’t we get something to eat and then go do something together?” The blonde man nodded and responded, “Of course. I heard your stomach growl while I spoke to the men.” The queen blushed with a smile and the two then went to the dining hall to get some food.
* * * * * * *
It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. Kaiser and Esmedella were in the empty rear courtyard at the archery field. The queen had an arrow knocked in her wooden short bow and Kaiser was standing close by with his heavier, wooden bow that he called the Sagittarius Bow, since it was an absolutely perfect design. The blonde woman glanced over at the duke and then focused on the target at the end of the field. She pulled back on the arrow, straining the string with the pressure of being stretched. Esmedella focused on the red dot in the very middle of the target at the end of the field. She released the arrow and heard it give a slight whistle as it sped through the air towards the other end of the field. There was a slight thunk as it hit the very edge of the bull’s eye.
Kaiser looked down at the field and whistled. “That’s was pretty close. For a short bow, that was extremely well done,” he said as he approached the spot where Esmedella stood grinning. The duke then raised his dark wooden bow. The entire thing was carved from an entire tree, decorated with various carvings of vines and leaves, and had a thick piece of string that was tightened as much as possible to be difficult to pull on and also provide the arrow with more speed.
He grabbed an arrow from the quiver on the ground and knocked it into the bow. Kaiser slowly pulled back on the arrow, stretching the string and flexing the wood of the bow backwards. He stood there, staring at the target, using almost all of his strength to hold the bow and arrow in place. The duke then released the arrow, sending it across the field with a quick whistle, and it dug its shaft halfway into the bull’s eye. He smiled and looked at Esmedella. “That’s how it’s done,” Kaiser stated, confidence being clearly expressed in his voice.
The blonde woman stuck her tongue out at him, but then immediately went into a more dignified pose when she saw a servant coming from within the palace. He approached and bowed to the two of them, addressing each of them in turn. “Your Majesty… My lord… The last of the guests has left his letter in the jar and has left.” The queen nodded to him and sent him on his way. She turned to her guard and sighed. “Looks like fun time is over and we need to go check those letters and gifts.”
After putting all of the equipment away, which included the bows, arrows, quivers, and targets, they returned to the empty audience hall to see the pot absolutely filled with papers and presents. Esmedella walked over to the jar and looked in to see it filled to the brim with useless flatteries. “It will take FOREVER to read all of these,” she whined.
Kaiser went over to the side of the jar and asked, “Do you really want these letters?” The woman looked at him and exclaimed, “I don’t even want the gifts!” The duke smiled and raised a hand. “You might want to step back.” Esmedella did as he said and stepped back a few feet. Kaiser then snapped his fingers and the inside of the jar erupted in a purple flame that extended about five feet into the air for a few seconds before dispersing completely.
The queen was surprised by this and even jumped back a little. When the flames were gone, she approached the jar and looked inside to see that there was nothing inside. Not even ashes. Esmedella looked at the blonde man with a mixture of shock and bewilderment on her face. Noticing the look and understanding the question, Kaiser said, “I cast a spell on it so that it completely destroys anything inside at my command.”
She sighed and then smiled at the duke. “Let’s go to bed. I’m tired and I think it would benefit us if we slept well tonight,” Esmedella said. Kaiser went over to her and held out his arm for her to take again. The queen gave a slight smile and accepted, then being escorted to her private chambers.
The two walked through the candle lit corridors, since the sun already went down and the night began to reveal itself. When they reached the queen’s private chambers, Esmedella turned to face Kaiser. She looked up into his face and smiled warmly. “Why is that you always know what to do when I need help?” The duke shrugged with a smiled and responded, “I guess it’s because I care enough about you to come up with something.”
Esmedella wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, as she always did before going to sleep. But this time was different. She didn’t let go immediately after giving the hug. The queen looked up at Kaiser and gently said, “Thank you. For everything.” She got up on the tips of her toes as he began to lower his head. Just as their lips were about to touch, the blonde girl diverted his lips and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Esmedella and Kaiser then stood up straight. “Well, good night,” he said bluntly. The queen nodded and went into her room, the duke going into his own a few moments later. Kaiser stood in his room and sighed. He wanted to punch or kick something in frustration. In the next room, Esmedella was just as frustrated as he was. She was sitting at her vanity with her hands in her hair and looking at her own reflection. The two of them were thinking the same thought. ‘Why did that happen and why am I feeling this way?'
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