The elders walk into the main hall as the princess exits through the back door. She is met by Aamini, Berot and a slew of anxious students wanting to get to know their future ruler in a more intimate manner. Aamini has a present for Ruscotelep, "The black dwarves came up with this idea. It's a helm. They designed it so you can see through the holes in it but the rest of us can’t see your eyes. That way we can still kick your ass without risking life and limb." Behind her, the students try not to laugh. The princess takes the helm from Aamini, "Couldn't they make it a little lighter? This thing is very heavy. And how is my hair going to fit in it?" Berot grabs it from her and turns it around, pointing at an opening on the back, "You slide it through this hole and it flows down your back. They thought about making it a little lighter but you need protection against the heavy blunt weapons. This way it is safe for all." She takes it again; bends over, slides her hair through the opening and quickly stands back up. Berot, who is still infatuated with the princess, decided to get a little too close to the back of her head and when she stood up, the helm hit him on his chin, knocking his ass right out. Aamini rolls her eyes and shakes her head while the rest of the students burst out laughing. Ruscotelep gets on her knees and apologizes profusely. Berot comes to his senses and finds himself in quite the predicament; his head lays on Ruscotelep's lap, the princess of Fuga, his future queen, and she is ever so softly caressing his temple. He knows he has to get up and get on with the training but when else will he get a chance like this. He keeps his eyes closed and pretends to be unconscious. Ruscotelep continues her caressing and Aamini decides she has had enough. She kicks him hard on the ribs, "I know you are faking it you idiot. Get up and let’s go!" Ruscotelep looks at her while still wearing her helm, "What do you mean faking it? I hit him and he got knocked out. Look at him, he is just laying there. I think I hurt him again." Aamini turns around and starts walking, "You are going to have to get over what happened to him pretty soon girl. The dark creatures are not going to be as kind, you know? And that idiot is milking it for all it is worth. Take the helm off and look at his eyes and see what happens." Those words are enough for Berot to scramble to his feet and run away from the princess in fear. Ruscotelep gets up, shakes her head and starts walking towards Aamini, "I think you are right, no more pity for him. Instead, he is going to be my first sparring partner." She reaches for the two short swords in their holsters and pulls them out, walks to the middle of the arena and calls out for her first victim, "Berot! Get your sneaky ass in here." He hides behind a pillar, "Hell no! I am not going first! Let one of the silver guards go first. They have the most experience. I just started learning how to use this stick a couple of moons ago." Ruscotelep has no patience, "Bring his ass to me!" The other students run to his side, pick him up on their shoulders and deliver him to the princess kicking and screaming to be let go. Aamini casts her healing spell on both of them, "Get on with it!"
Berot tries to run away but Ruscotelep grabs onto his cloak, "You are going to have to learn one way or another Berot. This is your one chance to get even for what I did to you. It will make me feel better if you at least tried to fight with elven honor." Berot stops trying to escape and turns around with a new look in his eyes. There is intensity in them. There is fire in them. He grabs his cloak from Ruscotelep's hands and yanks it right off, "Your majesty, please do not confuse my respect for you and admiration of your beauty for lack of honor. Honor I have plenty. What I am missing is suicidal wishfulness. I have experienced your wrath when it was unintentional. I do not want to find out first hand what it will be like when you are actually trying to hurt me. There is no lack of honor in trying to preserve one's life." Ruscotelep is taken aback by his candor but Aamini isn't, "Stop your whining and get on with the fight. You are just hoping to talk your way out of what is sure to be one hell of a beating. I for one can’t wait to see what new levels of pain she is going to make you experience." Ruscotelep looks at Berot, "I thought you two were friends." He rolls his eyes, "We are!" Then he drops, spins while extending his staff and knocks the princess on her ass. A cloud of dust rises and loud cheers follow. Ever the showman, he lifts his arms in victory and takes a bow to please his adoring crowd; among them, his friend Aamini smiles, more of a grin than a smile. A sure sign something is up. He feels the heat on his back and tries to run but it is too late. The princess made a quick recovery and is standing so close to him that he can feel her fire on his neck. The expressions on rest of the students’ faces in front of him are not very reassuring. The grin on Aamini's is just plain mean. The princess puts a hand on his shoulder and he drops to his knees begging, "Please mistress do no kill me. I am so sorry! I beg of you to please spare my insignificant miserable existence. My father could not bear to lose another son. I plead for my life princess. Think about the pain you will put my mother through. I promise to be your slave for the rest of my life if you find it in your heart to let me live!" Aamini rolls her eyes, "It is an act princess, do not fall for it. He has always been an only child. I have seen him cry harder to a black dwarf while begging for a mug of dwarven ale. Teach him a lesson!" Berot takes advantage once again and tries to hit the princess with his staff but this time she is ready for him and grabs it. He realizes the jig is up and tries to smile his way out of it as Ruscotelep places her boot on his chest and pushes him against the ground, "Fight!"
Berot stumbles a time or two while stuttering, "But, but prin, prin, princess. I, I, I, I'm sure you unders, understand." She is not having it, "Get up you wise ass! Defend yourself." He finally gets back on his feet and Ruscotelep kicks his staff towards him. The king has been watching through the main hall's window and yells out, "Stop! What do you think you are doing? Where is Calien? You can’t do this with your real weapons. One if not both of you is going to get seriously hurt. Aamini! You know better. Why are you letting them use their real weapons?" From the king's bedroom window, Calien answers, "Because we do not have time to fake it anymore Varnanároello. Ruscotelep has been using her swords against me for a while now." He jumps onto the arena floor, lifting another cloud of dust, this one much wider than the one before. With the light in the sky so high up and burning down onto the dry sand of the arena, the dust is starting to get real lose. He walks up to Berot and takes his staff, "Ok princess, let’s show them how it is done. Berot, go sit down and pay attention because after she is done with me you're in." He hurries to sit next to Aamini. The princess is quiet. Calien drags his gut across the sand leaving quite the trail behind him. Ruscotelep stands tall gripping both swords by her side. Calien taunts her, "Is the little girl too tired today? Was the big bad Berot mean to her? Is she afraid to get her fancy armor dirty? Poor lonely princess, she doesn’t have any friends." She doesn’t move a muscle. Instead she plants both feet on the ground and stands firm like a beautiful statue. Calien keeps dragging his gut around her while spewing his hate and occasionally throwing sand at her to incite her fury. She controls her rage with ease. The king could not be any prouder of her. Calien charges at her from behind but she dodges him. She runs after him but he jumps above her head while smacking her new helm with the staff. She quickly turns and shaves a few hairs off his butt. He squeals, "Whoa! That was close." The students find it very amusing. Calien drops on the sand and rolls towards the princess catching her by surprise and knocking her to the ground. She reaches for the helm and pulls it off, "I can’t fight with that thing on my head." The audience gasps and turns away. Calien calls out for her, "Keep your eyes on me princess. You have to learn to use the helm. I know it is a pain in the ass but you will get used to it. Right now the most important thing is to get you used to real combat and we do not want to hurt any of your subjects, right?"
The princess pushes her hair away from her face, "Fine, I will try it, but someone better get a hold of those damned dorfs and get them working on making me something that’s is not going to get me killed." The king yells out, "You heard the lady. Get to it!" Calien takes advantage of her temporary blindness while putting the helm back on and launches another attack. She hears it coming and quickly blocks it with her swords. Calien is impressed and smiles. He calls for Aamini, "Let us see what you can do against your cousin." Aamini jumps right in and catches the staff Calien throws at her. Ruscotelep follows the staff and easily subdues her cousin to the ground. Aamini manages to squirm her way out of the princess' hold and calls for help. From every single entrance to the arena a nice selection of lizards comes out to play. The students sitting near the doorways scramble to get out of their way. Calien steps away from the arena. The king follows him, "How is that a fair fight?" Calien simply answers, "It is not! You need to jump in there to help Aamini and bring your students with you. Ruscotelep is going to fall into her trance as soon as the lizards attack and it will take a little more than just Aamini to stop her." The king is confused, "Uhh. What trance? What do you mean? I thought she already broke her will." Calien stops and looks at the king, "She is the champion we have been waiting for. Did you think she was going to be just like her mother and all the queens before her? There is a reason we have been waiting for her. She does something that no other fugan princess has ever done. Her power is multiplied ten fold. Go ahead! Jump in there and find out for yourself. I am going to watch from your room." He takes off up the stairs and the king calls for everyone else to jump into the arena. By the time he gets back out there, the lizards have Ruscotelep surrounded and Aamini is standing on a roof nearby summoning everything she can to throw at the princess. Berot has claimed his staff once again and rushes in with the king and his guard. Ruscotelep looks up, sees the onslaught headed in her direction and feels the world around her slow down.
She feels the fire within starting to burn but not like ever before. She feels control over it. It is as if she could increase her burn at will. Every step the king and his guards take towards her is another level of heat she feels rising within her body. She can see every speck of dust rise up in the air every time the guards' boots hit the ground, she can feel every breath they take, and she can see the beads of sweat on their skin swell under the heat of the light in the sky. The swiftness of her movement is as sharp as ever and she can actually hear the blood running through her veins. The beating of her heart sounds in unison with the flames that cloud her gaze. Through the fire she can look inside every single one of them, including the king. Her hands grip the swords tightly. She lifts one leg and quickly lets it drop on the ground. One step! One single step that discharges all the energy stored in her body. It sends a wave rippling outwards through the ground in every direction that knocks out everything on contact. First, the lizards; they drop on the ground hard. Quickly after them, the king and his guards, they all fall on their knees and can’t get up followed by the students. Calien looks on in amazement. Aamini stands there with her mouth open, totally incredulous of what she just witnessed. Ruscotelep looks up at Calien and starts crying. He jumps down and runs to her. The king tries to but still can’t get up. Calien has to jump over many of the students in order to reach the princess. Aamini snaps out of it and tries to heal those in front of her but there is nothing she can do. They are not wounded. They simply lost their ability to use their legs. Ruscotelep feels like she hurt everyone around her. Calien is a little confused. He knew something was going to happen but did not really think it through. He is a little nervous about how to explain to the king he sent him into the unknown. Right now he has to make sure Ruscotelep doesn’t kick anything again until they figure out what the hell just happened. The king seems fine. In fact, everyone is fine. Even the lizards seem to be fine, they just can’t move. Calien stands in front of Ruscotelep, "Look at me princess! Tell me how it happened. Talk to me!" She is completely freaked out about the whole thing. Calien feels something move and looks to the floor. One of the lizards is back on its feet and moving like nothing ever happened. He turns and sees the others starting to walk again. Soon after, the king and his guard stand back up. He rushes to her side, "That was so amazing! You have got to show your mother. She is going to lose her mind when she sees it. You are going to be untouchable in the battlefield. That was so awesome!" He just can’t contain his pride. Ruscotelep removes her helm and hugs Calien tightly while sobbing softly into his fur. He tries to console her, "Everything is fine sweetheart. Nobody got hurt. Look! They are all back on their feet." She whispers, "I wanted them all to die. I went to a dark place in my mind." Calien puts his arm around her shoulder and rushes her into the main hall. Aamini brings her something to drink. The king stays outside bragging to the elders about his daughter's powers but inside the main hall, the mood is quite different.
Calien starts pacing back and forth behind Ruscotelep, "Ok. So you went to a dark place in your mind. You still controlled it right? I mean, you might have been thinking about causing real harm but you controlled it and made it so it wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? Please tell me that is what happened. Because if you, the heir to the throne of the fugan people, direct descendant of the fire king, decides to go into dark places in your mind, that could spell big trouble for all of us." Aamini realizes something is not right and decides to keep on the lookout. Ruscotelep stands up and starts walking around her chair, "I don’t know what happened really. I was fully aware of my surroundings like you taught me. I was ready to take them all out without breaking skin on any of them. I was even ready to spare Aamini's lizards, and they took a few chunks out of my skin, but when father and his bunch stepped on the arena, something happened inside my head. Everything slowed down. I was fully aware of my surroundings and my innards. I could feel every fire metal bit in my blood slowly start to burn. It was something new. I felt in control of every sense. I feared no one, not even my father. The leg thing happened on its own. I do not remember making the decision to lift my leg. I remember very clearly wanting to plant my feet firmly on the ground just like you told me to, but something took over my leg and made it do what it did. When it hit the ground I felt a wave of energy leave my body; a new kind of energy." Calien sits her back down and grabs her shoulders, "Listen to me! When those elders start asking questions, you have to tell them we knew all along this is what was going to happen. Do you understand? They need to believe everything is going just as it was foretold in the ancient tomes. The champion that is to come is described as untouchable by dark creatures and in full control. She will be the bearer of the "weakener" and will love the "impossible one". I do not really know what all that means just yet but if those old bags ask you, that is what you are going to tell them." Ruscotelep turns away, "I do not want to lie to my father. The elders I could care less about but I am not going to hide anything from father and you know that once he knows the truth he is going to tell the elders." Calien grins, "Leave your father to me. Just don’t tell the elders." They agree and Calien turns to Aamini, "Will you keep our secret?" She walks towards Ruscotelep, "Of course!"
The king makes his entrance followed by the elders while Ruscotelep turns away and puts her helm back on; not to avoid harming anyone but to hide her tears. Aamini runs out to get something to drink for everyone. The eldest of the elders, a lanky looking fellow sporting a very long white beard approaches the princess, "Your majesty, congratulations are in order. We witnessed your extraordinary abilities at work out there and I have to say we are very impressed. I pity those who would dare go against you in battle. The dark creatures will have to abandon your island and scurry into whatever hell hole they came out of. The news of your transformation are sure to travel far and wide throughout Rodinia. One of the seven wizards is on the way here as we speak and I want you to meet him, he will carry your plight with him everywhere he goes. I know that Calien has been instructing you in what is written about your arrival in the ancient tomes but I would like to know what you remember of his teachings. It is very important that as a future queen of Fuga you understand what your presence in the world represents. These are very exciting times." Ruscotelep does not know what to say and Calien is nervously rubbing his paws raw hoping she doesn't crack under the pressure. Aamini arrives just in time and tells the eldest of the elders, "Would you like to try a dwarven ale your eminence?" Ruscotelep grabs a mug from her tray and walks away. The eldest of the elders grabs one and chases after her. Calien intercepts him, "She is really tired right now. Don't you think we should let her rest? It has been a very eventful day for all of us." Ruscotelep chugs her ale and takes off running up the stairs, slamming the door to her room shut behind her. The king goes after the princess leaving the elders to start making plans for Ruscotelep's future.
Calien ushers the eldest of the elders and the not so elder along towards the big war table. Once there, he tells Aamini to go get more of that dwarven ale, but this time he wants her to get it from Jacho Centeno, "You have to speak only with him, and tell him it is for the elders. Tell him I sent you. He will know what I need. You might want to take a couple of the students along to help you carry it; just do not let any of them taste the ale. Do you understand? It is very important that they do not taste the ale." Aamini takes off, "I know! Do not worry, they won’t taste it." The elders in the meantime are completely enthralled with each other's ponderings, trying to out posture one another. Calien walks back to the table as the eldest of the elders says, "It is not up to her anymore! There are bigger things at play here. We can’t allow her to fall in the wrong hands. It is imperative that she comes with us to get the proper training." Calien can't believe his ears. They want to take her away from her family, something he knows she is not going to like and they think someone else could be a better trainer than he. They must have been smoking the good stuff, "Are you ancient ones going out of your damn minds? What makes you think her mother is going to let any of you take her away. Hell, never mind her mother, Ruscotelep is not going to let you take her anywhere. Did any of you not see what she is capable of? Her home is here. I am her trainer. She will stay here until I am sure it is safe for her to travel and she wants to go of her own accord. The eldest of the elders stands up, "Who are you to speak to the elders in that manner, or should I say, what are you? I am the eldest of the elders and will not stand for your insolence. She will do as I say. We thank you for your help but I think it might be best if you make your exit now. These are matters that do not concern you anymore." Calien calmly walks around the table making sure every single elder in the room gets a good look at him, eldest elder or not, "I am only here to assist the princess in her transformation and training. I do not care what any of you have to say about it. You sir, the eldest of the elders, should have heard by now about my lack of patience for impertinence. Do not thank me for anything. What I did, I did for the world, not for you or your kind. The only way the prophecy will be fulfilled is if Ruscotelep follows her heart, not if she listens to me or you. I guarantee she will choose the right path!"
Aamini walks in the room with another batch of ale which the elders are more than happy to immediately spill all over their beards. It is dark outside now and the breeze is cool. The eldest of the elders takes a big chug and says, "Calien, remember we are the elders in this world. There is a reason for us to have that title. We are not afraid of your powers. I have seen you in action and although quite impressive, there is no way you can take on all of us. I will forgive your insolence and allow you to leave peacefully in deference to your longstanding kindness towards our kind but make no mistake, if pushed we will be forced to put you in your place." Calien looks around the room, "What do you mean "we"? Who will stand by your side?" The eldest of the elders looks around but finds no elder support since the not so elder elders are each passed out on their chairs. Aamini is standing in a dark corner ready to assist Calien if needed. The eldest of the elders turns back to Calien but has to get a hold of a nearby chair for support since he too is going to take a well deserve nap. Calien rushes in to catch him before he cracks his skull hitting the stone floor of the main hall. Just as he props the eldest of the elders' body against the wall, one of the students rushes in, "The king is coming!" Calien signals for Aamini and the student to leave the room. The king is stunned by what he sees, "What in Vanyaómariel's name is going on here? What did you do to them?" Calien looks around the room, "Well. How much do you love your daughter?" The king looks him straight in the eye, "What did you do?" Calien turns away, "They were planning on taking Ruscotelep away from all of us and train her their way. I just don’t think you are going to be very happy if they take her and her mother will go out of her damned mind, not to mention Ruscotelep will probably kill them all trying to get back here so in order to keep everyone alive I had to make them go to sleep for a bit while we work out the details." The king sits down and covers his face, "What do you mean "we"? I had nothing to do with this. You are the one they are going to go after when they wake up." Calien grins, "And who is going to kick your ass when she finds out you let them take her daughter away?" The king thinks for a moment, "Fine! I know a place where we can take them so they can't use their magic to escape. Have Aamini go get Berot and his father. I will go get the guards; we are going to need their help."
Calien walks out of the room to find half of the guards passed out by the main hall’s door. They decided to partake of the libations while Aamini was inside with Calien and they are now paying the price, among them a familiar face. Calien turns to Aamini, "Go find his father, don’t worry, he will wake up soon enough and then you have my permission to kick his ass." She takes off into the darkness. The king calls for the rest of the guards to assemble in the arena. Calien sees a blue light flash in the distance, "The wizard just teleported into the platform. What are we going to tell him?" The king shakes his head, "You are the expert! What should we tell him?" Calien looks out into the distance, "Go get Ruscotelep! She is going to charm the robe off that wizard and get him on our side. We just have to keep him off the main hall while the guards take the elders away. We can have Ruscotelep show him the rest of the school in the meantime." The king runs upstairs to get his daughter. Aamini shows up with Berot's father, "Calien, this is Ug!" Ug steps over the sleeping guards while catching a glimpse of his own son half buried in the pile of drunkenness, "Please tell me this is not my son's fault. His mother and I have tried so hard to keep him in the straight and narrow but he fights us every step of the way and we all have paid dearly for it." Calien shakes the elf's hand, "Do not worry. It is not his fault. It is kind of my fault in a way but he is going to be fine, I promise. Right now we just need your help with making him and all his friends there disappear. The king thought you could be of assistance." Ug crosses his arms and looks at the amount of bodies for a moment, scratches his head and shakes his head, "I do not want to know what happened, but if those elders wake up we are as good as dead, right?" Calien nods. Ug looks at Aamini, "Here is what you are going to do. Go get more of the ale from Jacho. On the way there tell the kitchen gnomes to bring me their vegetable carts. Calien, you get the guards that are not drunk to load the drunken ones, sans my son, onto those carts as they arrive. I will go get some blankets from the sewing guild to cover them and will bring my wagon to take the elders away. I know just where to take them to." Ruscotelep shows up followed by her father, "I was just gone for a few moments, what the hell happened to them?" Then she walks to Calien and sees the drunken guards, "Them too? And isn’t that Berot? What is going on?" Calien has to explain, "We do not have much time. Do you see that blue light in the distance heading our way? That’s the wizard the eldest of the elders wanted you to meet. I need you to show him around the school and at all costs keep him away from the main hall until we clean up this mess. He is going to be here in a few moments, they travel fast when they are alone, so go to the gate and receive him with open arms; your father will be there too. I will take care of this. Go! I will explain later."
Ruscotelep and her father take off just as the gnomes show up with their vegetable carts. The guards load their friends onto them and Ug covers them with blankets. He then motions for them to go into the main hall and bring the elders to the back of the building where his wagon is waiting. Aamini is there with a freshly distilled batch of the magic ale in case the elders start to wake up on the way to their new home. Ug tells the guards to bring Berot to his room and make sure he does not leave it under any circumstances. Calien starts walking towards the front of the hall just as the princess and the wizard make their entrance, "Calien old friend, it is so good to see you again! What kind of mischief have you been up to lately?" Ruscotelep opens her eyes wide and grips her swords' hilts. Calien runs to her side and stands between her and the wizard, "Oh, you know me; always looking for trouble. What brings you to Fuga Drakkon? Did Windancer finally come to her senses and kicked your ass out of her tree?" They laugh and walk back outside. The king meets them by the arena, "I am glad to see you guys getting along." Drakkon smiles, "Ok you two. What have you done with the elders? I know they were supposed to meet me here and you two couldn’t appear any guiltier if you tried. Just let me have it!" Always one to give others what they ask for, Ruscotelep sneaks up behind the wizard and puts his lights out with the hilt of her sword. Calien and the king just didn’t have a chance to stop her. She grabs his hair and puts her sword to his neck, "Should I finish him?" Both Calien and the king scream, "NO!" Let him go. We can’t kill any of our own kind." Ruscotelep is confused, "What do you mean our own kind? He is not one of us. I have never seen an elf look so ordinary. Look at his ears! They look like two slabs of limp meat just hanging from the sides of his head. There is no way he is one of us!" Calien laughs, "Oh dear Ruscotelep! You are going to be really surprised when you meet the other creatures that share Rodinia with you. Drakkon is what we call a human. They are a fairly new species and if the ancient prophecies are correct, they are going to take over the entire world long after the creatures of magic are gone. Most of them are weak and have no magical abilities. They lead ordinary lives, mostly away from magical creatures and doing ordinary things. The few that have inherited the ancient energy developed similar abilities as the rest of us. Drakkon, for example, he is the most powerful wizard in Rodinia today. Not even a high elf wizard could take him on and here you are trying to kill him. He is married to Windancer, a very powerful druid in her own right. They are creatures of light, just like you and me. That’s what I meant when I said one of us. You can't kill creatures of light. Now, let's take him upstairs to the king's bed. We have a lot of explaining to do but he is sure to be understanding to our plight.
Berot tries to run away but Ruscotelep grabs onto his cloak, "You are going to have to learn one way or another Berot. This is your one chance to get even for what I did to you. It will make me feel better if you at least tried to fight with elven honor." Berot stops trying to escape and turns around with a new look in his eyes. There is intensity in them. There is fire in them. He grabs his cloak from Ruscotelep's hands and yanks it right off, "Your majesty, please do not confuse my respect for you and admiration of your beauty for lack of honor. Honor I have plenty. What I am missing is suicidal wishfulness. I have experienced your wrath when it was unintentional. I do not want to find out first hand what it will be like when you are actually trying to hurt me. There is no lack of honor in trying to preserve one's life." Ruscotelep is taken aback by his candor but Aamini isn't, "Stop your whining and get on with the fight. You are just hoping to talk your way out of what is sure to be one hell of a beating. I for one can’t wait to see what new levels of pain she is going to make you experience." Ruscotelep looks at Berot, "I thought you two were friends." He rolls his eyes, "We are!" Then he drops, spins while extending his staff and knocks the princess on her ass. A cloud of dust rises and loud cheers follow. Ever the showman, he lifts his arms in victory and takes a bow to please his adoring crowd; among them, his friend Aamini smiles, more of a grin than a smile. A sure sign something is up. He feels the heat on his back and tries to run but it is too late. The princess made a quick recovery and is standing so close to him that he can feel her fire on his neck. The expressions on rest of the students’ faces in front of him are not very reassuring. The grin on Aamini's is just plain mean. The princess puts a hand on his shoulder and he drops to his knees begging, "Please mistress do no kill me. I am so sorry! I beg of you to please spare my insignificant miserable existence. My father could not bear to lose another son. I plead for my life princess. Think about the pain you will put my mother through. I promise to be your slave for the rest of my life if you find it in your heart to let me live!" Aamini rolls her eyes, "It is an act princess, do not fall for it. He has always been an only child. I have seen him cry harder to a black dwarf while begging for a mug of dwarven ale. Teach him a lesson!" Berot takes advantage once again and tries to hit the princess with his staff but this time she is ready for him and grabs it. He realizes the jig is up and tries to smile his way out of it as Ruscotelep places her boot on his chest and pushes him against the ground, "Fight!"
Berot stumbles a time or two while stuttering, "But, but prin, prin, princess. I, I, I, I'm sure you unders, understand." She is not having it, "Get up you wise ass! Defend yourself." He finally gets back on his feet and Ruscotelep kicks his staff towards him. The king has been watching through the main hall's window and yells out, "Stop! What do you think you are doing? Where is Calien? You can’t do this with your real weapons. One if not both of you is going to get seriously hurt. Aamini! You know better. Why are you letting them use their real weapons?" From the king's bedroom window, Calien answers, "Because we do not have time to fake it anymore Varnanároello. Ruscotelep has been using her swords against me for a while now." He jumps onto the arena floor, lifting another cloud of dust, this one much wider than the one before. With the light in the sky so high up and burning down onto the dry sand of the arena, the dust is starting to get real lose. He walks up to Berot and takes his staff, "Ok princess, let’s show them how it is done. Berot, go sit down and pay attention because after she is done with me you're in." He hurries to sit next to Aamini. The princess is quiet. Calien drags his gut across the sand leaving quite the trail behind him. Ruscotelep stands tall gripping both swords by her side. Calien taunts her, "Is the little girl too tired today? Was the big bad Berot mean to her? Is she afraid to get her fancy armor dirty? Poor lonely princess, she doesn’t have any friends." She doesn’t move a muscle. Instead she plants both feet on the ground and stands firm like a beautiful statue. Calien keeps dragging his gut around her while spewing his hate and occasionally throwing sand at her to incite her fury. She controls her rage with ease. The king could not be any prouder of her. Calien charges at her from behind but she dodges him. She runs after him but he jumps above her head while smacking her new helm with the staff. She quickly turns and shaves a few hairs off his butt. He squeals, "Whoa! That was close." The students find it very amusing. Calien drops on the sand and rolls towards the princess catching her by surprise and knocking her to the ground. She reaches for the helm and pulls it off, "I can’t fight with that thing on my head." The audience gasps and turns away. Calien calls out for her, "Keep your eyes on me princess. You have to learn to use the helm. I know it is a pain in the ass but you will get used to it. Right now the most important thing is to get you used to real combat and we do not want to hurt any of your subjects, right?"
The princess pushes her hair away from her face, "Fine, I will try it, but someone better get a hold of those damned dorfs and get them working on making me something that’s is not going to get me killed." The king yells out, "You heard the lady. Get to it!" Calien takes advantage of her temporary blindness while putting the helm back on and launches another attack. She hears it coming and quickly blocks it with her swords. Calien is impressed and smiles. He calls for Aamini, "Let us see what you can do against your cousin." Aamini jumps right in and catches the staff Calien throws at her. Ruscotelep follows the staff and easily subdues her cousin to the ground. Aamini manages to squirm her way out of the princess' hold and calls for help. From every single entrance to the arena a nice selection of lizards comes out to play. The students sitting near the doorways scramble to get out of their way. Calien steps away from the arena. The king follows him, "How is that a fair fight?" Calien simply answers, "It is not! You need to jump in there to help Aamini and bring your students with you. Ruscotelep is going to fall into her trance as soon as the lizards attack and it will take a little more than just Aamini to stop her." The king is confused, "Uhh. What trance? What do you mean? I thought she already broke her will." Calien stops and looks at the king, "She is the champion we have been waiting for. Did you think she was going to be just like her mother and all the queens before her? There is a reason we have been waiting for her. She does something that no other fugan princess has ever done. Her power is multiplied ten fold. Go ahead! Jump in there and find out for yourself. I am going to watch from your room." He takes off up the stairs and the king calls for everyone else to jump into the arena. By the time he gets back out there, the lizards have Ruscotelep surrounded and Aamini is standing on a roof nearby summoning everything she can to throw at the princess. Berot has claimed his staff once again and rushes in with the king and his guard. Ruscotelep looks up, sees the onslaught headed in her direction and feels the world around her slow down.
She feels the fire within starting to burn but not like ever before. She feels control over it. It is as if she could increase her burn at will. Every step the king and his guards take towards her is another level of heat she feels rising within her body. She can see every speck of dust rise up in the air every time the guards' boots hit the ground, she can feel every breath they take, and she can see the beads of sweat on their skin swell under the heat of the light in the sky. The swiftness of her movement is as sharp as ever and she can actually hear the blood running through her veins. The beating of her heart sounds in unison with the flames that cloud her gaze. Through the fire she can look inside every single one of them, including the king. Her hands grip the swords tightly. She lifts one leg and quickly lets it drop on the ground. One step! One single step that discharges all the energy stored in her body. It sends a wave rippling outwards through the ground in every direction that knocks out everything on contact. First, the lizards; they drop on the ground hard. Quickly after them, the king and his guards, they all fall on their knees and can’t get up followed by the students. Calien looks on in amazement. Aamini stands there with her mouth open, totally incredulous of what she just witnessed. Ruscotelep looks up at Calien and starts crying. He jumps down and runs to her. The king tries to but still can’t get up. Calien has to jump over many of the students in order to reach the princess. Aamini snaps out of it and tries to heal those in front of her but there is nothing she can do. They are not wounded. They simply lost their ability to use their legs. Ruscotelep feels like she hurt everyone around her. Calien is a little confused. He knew something was going to happen but did not really think it through. He is a little nervous about how to explain to the king he sent him into the unknown. Right now he has to make sure Ruscotelep doesn’t kick anything again until they figure out what the hell just happened. The king seems fine. In fact, everyone is fine. Even the lizards seem to be fine, they just can’t move. Calien stands in front of Ruscotelep, "Look at me princess! Tell me how it happened. Talk to me!" She is completely freaked out about the whole thing. Calien feels something move and looks to the floor. One of the lizards is back on its feet and moving like nothing ever happened. He turns and sees the others starting to walk again. Soon after, the king and his guard stand back up. He rushes to her side, "That was so amazing! You have got to show your mother. She is going to lose her mind when she sees it. You are going to be untouchable in the battlefield. That was so awesome!" He just can’t contain his pride. Ruscotelep removes her helm and hugs Calien tightly while sobbing softly into his fur. He tries to console her, "Everything is fine sweetheart. Nobody got hurt. Look! They are all back on their feet." She whispers, "I wanted them all to die. I went to a dark place in my mind." Calien puts his arm around her shoulder and rushes her into the main hall. Aamini brings her something to drink. The king stays outside bragging to the elders about his daughter's powers but inside the main hall, the mood is quite different.
Calien starts pacing back and forth behind Ruscotelep, "Ok. So you went to a dark place in your mind. You still controlled it right? I mean, you might have been thinking about causing real harm but you controlled it and made it so it wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? Please tell me that is what happened. Because if you, the heir to the throne of the fugan people, direct descendant of the fire king, decides to go into dark places in your mind, that could spell big trouble for all of us." Aamini realizes something is not right and decides to keep on the lookout. Ruscotelep stands up and starts walking around her chair, "I don’t know what happened really. I was fully aware of my surroundings like you taught me. I was ready to take them all out without breaking skin on any of them. I was even ready to spare Aamini's lizards, and they took a few chunks out of my skin, but when father and his bunch stepped on the arena, something happened inside my head. Everything slowed down. I was fully aware of my surroundings and my innards. I could feel every fire metal bit in my blood slowly start to burn. It was something new. I felt in control of every sense. I feared no one, not even my father. The leg thing happened on its own. I do not remember making the decision to lift my leg. I remember very clearly wanting to plant my feet firmly on the ground just like you told me to, but something took over my leg and made it do what it did. When it hit the ground I felt a wave of energy leave my body; a new kind of energy." Calien sits her back down and grabs her shoulders, "Listen to me! When those elders start asking questions, you have to tell them we knew all along this is what was going to happen. Do you understand? They need to believe everything is going just as it was foretold in the ancient tomes. The champion that is to come is described as untouchable by dark creatures and in full control. She will be the bearer of the "weakener" and will love the "impossible one". I do not really know what all that means just yet but if those old bags ask you, that is what you are going to tell them." Ruscotelep turns away, "I do not want to lie to my father. The elders I could care less about but I am not going to hide anything from father and you know that once he knows the truth he is going to tell the elders." Calien grins, "Leave your father to me. Just don’t tell the elders." They agree and Calien turns to Aamini, "Will you keep our secret?" She walks towards Ruscotelep, "Of course!"
The king makes his entrance followed by the elders while Ruscotelep turns away and puts her helm back on; not to avoid harming anyone but to hide her tears. Aamini runs out to get something to drink for everyone. The eldest of the elders, a lanky looking fellow sporting a very long white beard approaches the princess, "Your majesty, congratulations are in order. We witnessed your extraordinary abilities at work out there and I have to say we are very impressed. I pity those who would dare go against you in battle. The dark creatures will have to abandon your island and scurry into whatever hell hole they came out of. The news of your transformation are sure to travel far and wide throughout Rodinia. One of the seven wizards is on the way here as we speak and I want you to meet him, he will carry your plight with him everywhere he goes. I know that Calien has been instructing you in what is written about your arrival in the ancient tomes but I would like to know what you remember of his teachings. It is very important that as a future queen of Fuga you understand what your presence in the world represents. These are very exciting times." Ruscotelep does not know what to say and Calien is nervously rubbing his paws raw hoping she doesn't crack under the pressure. Aamini arrives just in time and tells the eldest of the elders, "Would you like to try a dwarven ale your eminence?" Ruscotelep grabs a mug from her tray and walks away. The eldest of the elders grabs one and chases after her. Calien intercepts him, "She is really tired right now. Don't you think we should let her rest? It has been a very eventful day for all of us." Ruscotelep chugs her ale and takes off running up the stairs, slamming the door to her room shut behind her. The king goes after the princess leaving the elders to start making plans for Ruscotelep's future.
Calien ushers the eldest of the elders and the not so elder along towards the big war table. Once there, he tells Aamini to go get more of that dwarven ale, but this time he wants her to get it from Jacho Centeno, "You have to speak only with him, and tell him it is for the elders. Tell him I sent you. He will know what I need. You might want to take a couple of the students along to help you carry it; just do not let any of them taste the ale. Do you understand? It is very important that they do not taste the ale." Aamini takes off, "I know! Do not worry, they won’t taste it." The elders in the meantime are completely enthralled with each other's ponderings, trying to out posture one another. Calien walks back to the table as the eldest of the elders says, "It is not up to her anymore! There are bigger things at play here. We can’t allow her to fall in the wrong hands. It is imperative that she comes with us to get the proper training." Calien can't believe his ears. They want to take her away from her family, something he knows she is not going to like and they think someone else could be a better trainer than he. They must have been smoking the good stuff, "Are you ancient ones going out of your damn minds? What makes you think her mother is going to let any of you take her away. Hell, never mind her mother, Ruscotelep is not going to let you take her anywhere. Did any of you not see what she is capable of? Her home is here. I am her trainer. She will stay here until I am sure it is safe for her to travel and she wants to go of her own accord. The eldest of the elders stands up, "Who are you to speak to the elders in that manner, or should I say, what are you? I am the eldest of the elders and will not stand for your insolence. She will do as I say. We thank you for your help but I think it might be best if you make your exit now. These are matters that do not concern you anymore." Calien calmly walks around the table making sure every single elder in the room gets a good look at him, eldest elder or not, "I am only here to assist the princess in her transformation and training. I do not care what any of you have to say about it. You sir, the eldest of the elders, should have heard by now about my lack of patience for impertinence. Do not thank me for anything. What I did, I did for the world, not for you or your kind. The only way the prophecy will be fulfilled is if Ruscotelep follows her heart, not if she listens to me or you. I guarantee she will choose the right path!"
Aamini walks in the room with another batch of ale which the elders are more than happy to immediately spill all over their beards. It is dark outside now and the breeze is cool. The eldest of the elders takes a big chug and says, "Calien, remember we are the elders in this world. There is a reason for us to have that title. We are not afraid of your powers. I have seen you in action and although quite impressive, there is no way you can take on all of us. I will forgive your insolence and allow you to leave peacefully in deference to your longstanding kindness towards our kind but make no mistake, if pushed we will be forced to put you in your place." Calien looks around the room, "What do you mean "we"? Who will stand by your side?" The eldest of the elders looks around but finds no elder support since the not so elder elders are each passed out on their chairs. Aamini is standing in a dark corner ready to assist Calien if needed. The eldest of the elders turns back to Calien but has to get a hold of a nearby chair for support since he too is going to take a well deserve nap. Calien rushes in to catch him before he cracks his skull hitting the stone floor of the main hall. Just as he props the eldest of the elders' body against the wall, one of the students rushes in, "The king is coming!" Calien signals for Aamini and the student to leave the room. The king is stunned by what he sees, "What in Vanyaómariel's name is going on here? What did you do to them?" Calien looks around the room, "Well. How much do you love your daughter?" The king looks him straight in the eye, "What did you do?" Calien turns away, "They were planning on taking Ruscotelep away from all of us and train her their way. I just don’t think you are going to be very happy if they take her and her mother will go out of her damned mind, not to mention Ruscotelep will probably kill them all trying to get back here so in order to keep everyone alive I had to make them go to sleep for a bit while we work out the details." The king sits down and covers his face, "What do you mean "we"? I had nothing to do with this. You are the one they are going to go after when they wake up." Calien grins, "And who is going to kick your ass when she finds out you let them take her daughter away?" The king thinks for a moment, "Fine! I know a place where we can take them so they can't use their magic to escape. Have Aamini go get Berot and his father. I will go get the guards; we are going to need their help."
Calien walks out of the room to find half of the guards passed out by the main hall’s door. They decided to partake of the libations while Aamini was inside with Calien and they are now paying the price, among them a familiar face. Calien turns to Aamini, "Go find his father, don’t worry, he will wake up soon enough and then you have my permission to kick his ass." She takes off into the darkness. The king calls for the rest of the guards to assemble in the arena. Calien sees a blue light flash in the distance, "The wizard just teleported into the platform. What are we going to tell him?" The king shakes his head, "You are the expert! What should we tell him?" Calien looks out into the distance, "Go get Ruscotelep! She is going to charm the robe off that wizard and get him on our side. We just have to keep him off the main hall while the guards take the elders away. We can have Ruscotelep show him the rest of the school in the meantime." The king runs upstairs to get his daughter. Aamini shows up with Berot's father, "Calien, this is Ug!" Ug steps over the sleeping guards while catching a glimpse of his own son half buried in the pile of drunkenness, "Please tell me this is not my son's fault. His mother and I have tried so hard to keep him in the straight and narrow but he fights us every step of the way and we all have paid dearly for it." Calien shakes the elf's hand, "Do not worry. It is not his fault. It is kind of my fault in a way but he is going to be fine, I promise. Right now we just need your help with making him and all his friends there disappear. The king thought you could be of assistance." Ug crosses his arms and looks at the amount of bodies for a moment, scratches his head and shakes his head, "I do not want to know what happened, but if those elders wake up we are as good as dead, right?" Calien nods. Ug looks at Aamini, "Here is what you are going to do. Go get more of the ale from Jacho. On the way there tell the kitchen gnomes to bring me their vegetable carts. Calien, you get the guards that are not drunk to load the drunken ones, sans my son, onto those carts as they arrive. I will go get some blankets from the sewing guild to cover them and will bring my wagon to take the elders away. I know just where to take them to." Ruscotelep shows up followed by her father, "I was just gone for a few moments, what the hell happened to them?" Then she walks to Calien and sees the drunken guards, "Them too? And isn’t that Berot? What is going on?" Calien has to explain, "We do not have much time. Do you see that blue light in the distance heading our way? That’s the wizard the eldest of the elders wanted you to meet. I need you to show him around the school and at all costs keep him away from the main hall until we clean up this mess. He is going to be here in a few moments, they travel fast when they are alone, so go to the gate and receive him with open arms; your father will be there too. I will take care of this. Go! I will explain later."
Ruscotelep and her father take off just as the gnomes show up with their vegetable carts. The guards load their friends onto them and Ug covers them with blankets. He then motions for them to go into the main hall and bring the elders to the back of the building where his wagon is waiting. Aamini is there with a freshly distilled batch of the magic ale in case the elders start to wake up on the way to their new home. Ug tells the guards to bring Berot to his room and make sure he does not leave it under any circumstances. Calien starts walking towards the front of the hall just as the princess and the wizard make their entrance, "Calien old friend, it is so good to see you again! What kind of mischief have you been up to lately?" Ruscotelep opens her eyes wide and grips her swords' hilts. Calien runs to her side and stands between her and the wizard, "Oh, you know me; always looking for trouble. What brings you to Fuga Drakkon? Did Windancer finally come to her senses and kicked your ass out of her tree?" They laugh and walk back outside. The king meets them by the arena, "I am glad to see you guys getting along." Drakkon smiles, "Ok you two. What have you done with the elders? I know they were supposed to meet me here and you two couldn’t appear any guiltier if you tried. Just let me have it!" Always one to give others what they ask for, Ruscotelep sneaks up behind the wizard and puts his lights out with the hilt of her sword. Calien and the king just didn’t have a chance to stop her. She grabs his hair and puts her sword to his neck, "Should I finish him?" Both Calien and the king scream, "NO!" Let him go. We can’t kill any of our own kind." Ruscotelep is confused, "What do you mean our own kind? He is not one of us. I have never seen an elf look so ordinary. Look at his ears! They look like two slabs of limp meat just hanging from the sides of his head. There is no way he is one of us!" Calien laughs, "Oh dear Ruscotelep! You are going to be really surprised when you meet the other creatures that share Rodinia with you. Drakkon is what we call a human. They are a fairly new species and if the ancient prophecies are correct, they are going to take over the entire world long after the creatures of magic are gone. Most of them are weak and have no magical abilities. They lead ordinary lives, mostly away from magical creatures and doing ordinary things. The few that have inherited the ancient energy developed similar abilities as the rest of us. Drakkon, for example, he is the most powerful wizard in Rodinia today. Not even a high elf wizard could take him on and here you are trying to kill him. He is married to Windancer, a very powerful druid in her own right. They are creatures of light, just like you and me. That’s what I meant when I said one of us. You can't kill creatures of light. Now, let's take him upstairs to the king's bed. We have a lot of explaining to do but he is sure to be understanding to our plight.