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Family Day
"I will defeat you!" Alaron yelled with fury. He sliced his sword through the air at his opponent.
"Over my dead body!" Devrim responded, his mouth set in a determined line. The Consort deflected the prince's blow.
"That can be arranged, old man," Alaron taunted. He took a step back and then burst forth in a fit of motion. Each stroke was more vigorous than the last. Yet, Devrim was able to keep pace and even force the boy to retreat.
"You will not get very far with all that backing up, unless your goal is to end up against a wall." And just like that Devrim had the prince between his sword and the outer palace wall, fighting with all his might. Alaron made two upward strikes in sequence that nearly disarmed the Emperor, but the seasoned warrior was just a hair too quick. With a skillful blow, Devrim knocked the weapon from Alaron's hand and hit the padding on the boy's chest with the broad side of his sword. Hitting the wall with his back, the prince slid to th
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The prince and princess joined the Council's meeting the next day. Anna was also among the company, having returned from her family visit. She and Ezer stood together, ready to present their tale."Councilman Ezer and I went on the world tour in the place of Her Majesty when she went on her quest to find the Fates." This was not news to anyone; they had all been a privy to that scheme to hide the Empress's absence. Anna continued, "It was on this tour that I came into contact with Xander.""It was not Anna's fault, what happened. She did her best given the circumstances. We both did." Ezer defended his wife admirably."Xander attacked us on our journey without knowing who we were. That part was a bit of luck because he merely robbed us, although he took your original wedding ring, Your Majesty." Anna said with a look of deep remorse."As I have said before, do not worry about such trinkets. Your life is worth far more than silver and gold." Aurora comfort
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Cafer was impatient to reach the palace and traveled mostly underground to reach his destination. With his ground-crimping magic, he was able to arrive at the palace in less than a week, but he was utterly exhausted and drained of his power. He decided to find an inn for the night and regroup.The gnome laid down in the fluffy bed and felt much of the angst leave his body. The other gnomes made fun of Cafer for his love of soft linen, but he had experienced perfection, and nothing else could compare. The others of his kind made their beds among the rocks. It was less than ideal.Cafer pulled the mirror from his belt and checked to see if it was glowing. It was just as well that it was not. The prince and he had already made arrangements to meet the following evening. For now he would rest; tomorrow he would find the entrance to the Storehouse.———————-"You have been under a lot of stress. Have dinner with me toni
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Cafer and Alaron returned to the glowstone, and the entrance to the Storehouse disappeared."Do you know the way back to your mother's room?" Cafer asked."Yes, I can find it. What will you do?" Alaron was surprised to find the gnome would not make the return trip with him."I have some things to take care of. I will contact you with the mirror soon. It has been wonderful to see you in person after so long." Cafer patted Alaron on the shoulder."Good to see you too, Uncle Cafer. I wish you well."They parted ways. Cafer scurried quickly to check on the Royal couple. Having viewed the dinner preparations earlier in the evening, the gnome wanted to see if he could glean any new information by eavesdropping. Silently he approached the one-way window. From his vantage point, the couple seemed happy enough. The gnome fought the urge to open the wall and kill them both.But after his last murder attempt on the balcony, a visit from the Fates warne
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"To whom are you calling for help?" Aurora asked sharply. She hoped that his quick answer would be the most honest."Blazing bees! You scared me!" Alaron yelled.Devrim hauled the boy to his feet by his collar. "Answer your mother's question."The prince realized he had probably been calling to Cafer for help, but there was no way he would admit that. "Anyone! It was just a reaction. It happened so fast and I was not sure who had grabbed me."Aurora did not believe him, but had no proof to the contrary. Instead, she directed all of them to sitting room. They made Alaron sit on a cushioned sofa, while the rest stood hovering around him. Alaron could not help but feel intimidated.The Empress addressed the broad-shouldered soldier. "Junayd, call off the search for the prince, but continue to look for intruders. If Gandr is outside, as I suspect he is, send him in.""Yes your Majesty," Junayd bowed and left."Intruders?" Alaron was
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"What exactly are we looking for?" Brinn asked as they entered the Prince's chambers."It's only a hunch, but I think we are looking for a magic mirror," Gandr responded."That sounds very specific to be only a hunch." Brinn raised her eyebrows. She glanced around, deciding where to start searching."Well, Cafer and I used to communicate through two magic mirrors. Mine disappeared after I was stabbed by that selfish gnome. I thought Zan took it without knowing what it was, but he firmly denies having seen it. If Cafer took it, then it makes sense that he could have given it to the prince." Gandr pulled back the pillows of the couch and peeked below the chairs. "They use very low level magic, and Cafer believed that even the Fates could not detect it.""If what you say is correct, then Alaron and Cafer could have been talking for years without anyone knowing." Brinn rifled through a cabinet."That is my assumption, yes." Gandr stepped back. "If you
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