Chapter 1
On a certain cold afternoon, a certain wizard met a certain king to discuss business. The king had a simple proposal: retrieve information from the near nation of Lyon to ensure no nefarious plots were underway. All Grand Wizard Klein needed to do was sneak about the palace and investigate for possible acts of espionage and war. Surely, anyone could’ve been chosen for this particular task, but the young ruler, Grandoi needed absolute certainty that the task would be completed correctly.
The wizard had been a good friend to the recently deceased former ruler. When war met Grandoi, Victor Klein was there to aid his nation and his friend. Frances Grandoi was very young, with a small child of barely five years of age. His wife had fallen ill a month prior and he had his suspicions that the kingdom of Lyon may be responsible. With fear and paranoia in his heart, he needed to turn to someone he knew with absolute certainty he could trust.
For the price of enough gold to live comfortably for two or three years, the wizard agreed to investigate and help the young king. He wasn’t poor, and could do fine without the money, but in truth, Frances was like a nephew to Victor. He’d never had any children of his own, and being in his mid-fifties at this point, his hair striping gray, there wasn’t a good chance of that ever happening, so he saw fit to spend his fatherly affection and energy on Frances. He knew that if he had passed and left a child behind, former king, Brandt, would surely do the same.
“Are you about to head out?” His companion, Valorie, called to him.
Valorie’s dark eyes seemed troubled, though her voice had been confident. Tall and dark-skinned, she appeared to be the picture of a strong, human woman, but in truth, this was not her only form.
“Yes, Val,” Victor answered. “I’ll be back within a week’s time, so please don’t worry too much. I’m a grand wizard and a national hero: I can handle this.”
Val huffed. “Sure, you’re a big bad wizard, but you’re also old, and human, and perfectly and completely mortal, so don’t get too confident.”
“Its true that I’m no dragon, but this is a stealth mission. I’ll be fine. They won’t even know I was there.”
Hesitantly accepting his argument, she said, “Alright then, Sir Invisi-vincible. Go then!”
Valorie drew in a breath, deeper and deeper as she grew, as if she were a self-inflating balloon. Comfortably in her dragon form, she turned and headed deep into the cave as Victor went the opposite direction, into the world and toward the kingdom of Lyon.
...
Victor moved unnoticed through the hallways of the palace. It was his second day of exploration, having found nothing amiss on the first. He spent his days sleeping and worked in the dead of night. Dusk had only just broken when he began his search this night.
By the time the moon was high in the sky, Victor had his answer: though there were no plans to mobilize an army, the kingdom of Lyon was indeed responsible for the mysterious illness of Queen Grandoi. Rage broiled inside him, but was quelled by the comfort provided in knowing that he could surely cure the Queen, though she would never bear any other children. The young princess, Theodora was destined to be an only child, but at least she would receive all their love and need not fight anyone for her place as crown princess.
The wizard was readying his escape when a shrill sound pierced his ears: the pained screams of a child. His head told him to leave it be, but his heart knew that wouldn’t happen. Slowly and carefully, he approached the basement of the palace, and then a window to a room. He held in a gasp of horror at what he saw: a young girl being held down and branded.
At first, he assumed her to be a slave. It was looked down on, but some people still branded them. However, he knew this not to be the case when he saw the very queen of Lyon comforting her. He couldn’t hear much, but the young girl was definitely the two-year-old princess, Evonne Maive Lyon. Branding anyone, much less a child, was horrific, but why would they do this to their own daughter?
“Are you an angel?”
Jumping back, Victor swiveled to see a young boy no older than eight, eyes bright blue.I must’ve let down my barrier from the shock!He was about to flee when the boy spoke again, quieter this time. “Are you here to save Evie?”
The wizard paused and turned back to the child as he pieced things together. Lowly and quickly, he asked, “Are you the young prince Leonardo? And her, Princess Evonne Lyon?”
Leonardo nodded, tears in his eyes. “Please,” he begged, “please save Evie. They said they’re gonna give her away. That’s why they’re branding her, incase she leaves when she’s older, before she’s old enough to tell anyone they did it.”
Taking in what the boy said, Victor thought,they’ve already planned her marriage, this soon? What horrible sort of things did they have planned that they needed her branded; that they feared she would run?
Leonardo saw the horror in Victor’s eyes and assumed it to be refusal. He clinged to his leg, weeping, “Please. They never let her outside, they keep her down here. They.. they’re gonna...” His sobs interrupted his speech. “You can save her, right? You’re an angel, aren’t you? That’s how you just appeared, isn’t it?
“I’m no angel,” Victor stated. “I’m a wizard.”
Through his anger, the wizard already knew what he would do, regardless of the boys answer. “Young Leonardo, I will save your sister, but you must promise me not to tell a soul I was here. You must act as though you have no idea where the princess has gone and no idea who took her, do you understand?”
Leonardo nodded, “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”
Smiling tightly, he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Alright, then. You’re a brave and caring soul, Leonardo. You’ll lead this country well one day if you keep strong and don’t lose your heart to greed. I’ll wait for them to leave, and then in the morning, your sister will be safe with me.”
...
Grand Wizard Klein kept his promise to the young prince. When the princess was deep asleep, with no soul in sight, he took her from her bed and swept her away, using a magic stone to teleport home.
When he stepped onto the stone floor of the cave, Victor heard Valorie groan. She was always a light sleeper. “Vic? Are you back?”
“Yes, but speak quietly. Don’t wake her.”
Valorie stepped into his sight as candleflame slowly lit the cave. He had appeared just next to the cabin he built inside. Anyone would find a cabin inside a cave odd, but he liked the normal feel to it. It helped him feel less like a homeless person, which offended Val at first, but she grew used to having a home inside her home.
The dragon paused the moment she spotted the girl sleeping in Victor’s arms. “Would you care to explain?” Her voice was grave.
“You’ve always wanted children, haven’t you? I picked one up at the market.” He joked.
This angered her. “Victor Klein, where did you find that child?”
Understanding it was not the time for jokes, Victor placed Princess Evonne on a chair before explaining to Valorie everything he’d seen and heard in Lyon.
Shocked and horrified, Valorie stuttered, “So that’s the young princess from Lyon?”
“Correct.”
Valorie let out a sigh, “well, I suppose its best to take this in stride. You’re right. I have always wanted to be a mother, though this is definitely not how I imagined it happening.”
