Title: King Edward, Part V
Author: Anonymous
IsNaughty: False
Price: 300
IsUnique: False
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Content:


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[/center]King Edward, Part V



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 Chap 5: In the Crystal Tower





 Inside the Tower, Edward's first impression was of whiteness.
Floors, walls, ceiling, all were white and radiated light.
Their footsteps made soft crunching noises on the rough
floor surface. Except for that, it was very still ... with
occasional soft, unrecognizable far-off sounds. Moraelyn 
moved confidently through winding halls and long rooms. He
seemed very black in all that white. They passed long pools
of water with fountains  that sparkled in the light.

 "Where is everyone?" Edward whispered. 

 "At table, I hope. I'm hungry. Aren't you?"

 "No." Abruptly a big, broad ugly shape appeared in front
of them and roared a challenge. Edward grabbed for
Moraelyn's arm with both hands. Moraelyn shook him off
irritably. "Gods, boy, don't grab my sword arm if ever you
do spot a monster. Stay clear!" But Moraelyn didn't reach
for his blade. He stood still while the monster wrapped its
long arms around him  and pounded on his back, still
roaring. Moraelyn roared back and pounded on the monster's
chest. Then he introduced Edward to the Captain of the
Archmagister's guard.

 "Don't hug him," Moraelyn warned the troll, who grinned at
Edward showing pointy teeth. "He'll break."

 "I thought trolls were dangerous!" Edward gasped as they
ascended a long winding stairway.

 "They are. I'll have bruises for a fortnight. I'd have
shielded, but I didn't like to hurt his feelings."

 "He likes you?!"

 "Oh, aye, it can be done, you see."

 "Why does the Archmagister keep troll guards?"

 "They keep the rats down."

 More trolls, but these paid them little heed. Another long
stairway. More corridors. A sort of guardroom where three
trolls appeared to be gaming  with bones. One of them
shambled to his feet and led them down a shadowy passage. A
row of cages with huge rats, then some with small odd
creatures that looked rather like elves seen in a badly
distorted mirror (though Edward kept this observation to
himself). They gobbled and squeaked as the elf and boy paced
quickly by.

 "Goblins," Moraelyn said with distaste. They turned a corner
and went past two cages that held only large stone statues.
There seemed to be more cages off down other hallways. The
troll unlocked a huge black metal door. It clanged shut
behind them. A very large green and yellow hooved creature
sat man-like in one corner. Its unwinking eyes didn't flicker
as they passed quickly and climbed still another stair. More
white halls. These were patrolled by huge black dogs that
sniffed at them as they passed. Edward stretched a hand to pet
one, but it snarled at him.

 "I wouldn't." Moraelyn said.

 "Yes Sir."

 They came to another massive black metal door. A voice
sounded. "What is black and white, has one body, two heads,
four arms, four legs, two red eyes and two brown?"

 "That's disgusting!" Moraelyn yelled at the door, hands on
hips. 

 "You are correct, mortal. You may pass." The door swung
slowly open, creaking. There was no one behind it, just a
narrow stairway that wound sharply. It seemed dark above.
Moraelyn raced up the stairs, leaving Edward clinging to
the bottom rail, shaking. There was not a thing to do  but
follow.

 "Welcome, Edward." The Archmagister stood white and gold
in the center of a large dim room. Huge windows looked out on
the purple twilit sea below. "Come here, child. Give me your
hands."

 Edward put his hands in the Archmagister's who smiled down at
him. Edward's fatigue and fear vanished instantly. He smiled
back at the Archmagister, who  said softly. "It is well. You
may go," to the furious dark elf who stood glowering to one
side. Edward was barely aware of him, his whole attention
occupied by the Archmagister.

 "Goodbye, Edward."

 "'Bye." Edward didn't take his eyes off the Archmagister.
From far away he heard the dark elf go down the stairs.

 "He calls you son," the Archmagister said.

 "Yes sir. I asked him if I might call him father."

 "But you are not entirely comfortable about it."

 Edward sighed. "No sir."

 "That may be as well. You will return to Daggerfall one
day. And then you must be Corcyr's son. So let the claim be
on Moraelyn's side." The Archmagister moved companionably
to the windows with him. The dusk was fast gathering as Edward
stared out over the hill through which they'd journeyed. A
dark figure appeared below and strode swiftly off into the
night.

 "That's Moraelyn! I thought he was going to stay the night.
It's dangerous out there alone in the dark. There are evil
things out there. Can't you--"

 "Dangerous for any evil that meets Moraelyn in his present
mood. He will go safely, I promise you."

 "Oh. But I haven't thanked him. He's been very kind, really.
Why was he so angry about the door? It was just a silly
question. The answer was him and my mother, when they're
asleep and I'm not there. How do you make a door talk? Is it
an illusion?"

 "That's three questions. Which of them do you want answered?
Aren't you hungry? Would you like a bowl of stew?"

 "Yes, please. I'd like to hear about the door, please."

 "Ah. You think the talking door may prove more
comprehensible than a surly dark elf? More interesting? Or
safer?" The Archmagister's large golden eyes regarded the
boy thoughtfully.

 "I don't know if I, uh, like him. Sometimes I think I ...  and
then other times I ... do you understand about liking? He said
he didn't."

 "You would be more comfortable if you felt the same way
about him at all times, yet you do not."

 "Yes, that's it, exactly. You do understand."

 "Moraelyn is not a comfortable man."

 "Well, I don't mean that exactly. Sometimes he is. Like when
we rode the dragon."

 The Archmagister laughed aloud. His laughter reminded Edward
of chimes. "Yes, yes. I find comfort myself in having
Moraelyn near at hand when dragons are about."

 A young high elf brought in a bowl of stew and set it down on
the table. Edward felt a bit disappointed that the stew had
come in such an ordinary way. Until he remembered that the
Archmagister hadn't sent for the stew.

 "The priest at home in Daggerfall said it was a mark of evil
things, that they cannot bear the light," Edward said between
mouthfuls. "Moraelyn doesn't like sunlight. And he's
black."

 "I see. Do you know what evil is?"

 "Um, well, if you do bad things, then you're evil?"

 "I see. If the cook had burnt the stew, would he then be
evil?"

 Edward grinned. "No, just a bad cook. But if he did it on
purpose, then I guess he'd have done an evil thing ... but
maybe he wouldn't be altogether evil. Maybe he was just
angry about something."

 "Or perhaps the sort of person who is pleased by spoiling
others' pleasure?"

 "I guess that'd make my little brothers evil. They sure like
to spoil my fun."

 "And you?"

 Edward felt his face redden. "I don't take any notice of
them," he said quickly. The Archmagister's large golden eyes
regarded him steadily. To his own dismay, Edward began to
cry. He bawled like a baby. "I don't know what's wrong with
me," he gasped. "I never cry, really, I don't -- hardly ever
--"

 "Why ever not?" Edward looked up. His tears had blurred his
sight, but there seemed to be tears on the Archmagister's
face. His hand reached up to feel the wetness. "You have been
very alone, have you not?" the Archmagister said.

 "Yes. Until you brought the unicorn for me, I was all
alone. They endure no evil," Edward sighed with
satisfaction, feeling relaxed and comfortable. The
Archmagister was wonderful. 

 "We summoned the unicorn, Moraelyn and the dragon and I and
others. It's a great magic and one no single man or woman
may command. But don't trouble yourself overmuch with
judging good and evil. That's a human notion. Life  is
complex; I know of nothing that is wholly good or wholly
evil. Not even the unicorn."

 Edward's time in the Tower passed quickly. There were few
other novices and the youngest of these was several years
older than Edward. The boy spent several hours each day with
the Archmagister. He learned to cast a few  spells and to
open his mind so that he could renew his magicka quickly while
he slept. But often they just talked. Sometimes Edward was
given a book to read. Other times he was allowed to choose one
from the thousands in the library. He usually tired of them
quickly. He didn't read Elvish script easily; his tutor had
taught him the letters, but their few books were in Bretic.

 Spellcasting was more fun. Fire spells came easily to him
and he learned to shield himself readily, but to his chagrin,
he couldn't Heal at all. He invariably made things worse for
the unlucky rats he was allowed to practice on. 

 "I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" Edward cried out in
frustration. He sent a dart of fire at the writhing rat and it
turned into a charred corpse. 

 "Edward, it will be well if you let the Heal spells wait
awhile yet."

 "Moraelyn said Light Heal is the first spell anybody
learns," Edward said sulkily.

 "Did he? Well, he is a practitioner of magic, not a
theorist. Even I would hesitate to say what a Breton might or
might not learn, and when he might learn it. You are the
first of your people with whom I have worked. Certainly
Moraelyn has had no experience with your race, except for
your mother, of course."

 "My mother can't do magic."

 "No, but we think the ability lies within her. She has not been
able to learn to master it, possibly because she was too old
when she first tried. If you want my opinion it is your
thoughts and not your hands which are causing your
difficulty. Weeping might help."

 "I don't feel like crying," Edward said rather sullenly. He
felt more like kicking something, although incinerating the
rat had helped relieve some of that.

 "Meditation might help, then."

 
