VII.

Magic can be taught to anyone. From the most common of the commoners to the noblest of nobles. Everyone can learn the mysterious ways of magic.

However, there are those who find it easier to absorb and manipulate the energy of the world and to transform the same energy into magic. For those, the act of feeling the magic becomes, unconsciously, some kind of sixth sense and their growth, under training, is much greater than that of others.

Perhaps it is the way of this world to answer to those who think that magic exists to flat the skill levels.

This belief is far from the truth. The magic in this world exists to increase the disparity in the individual power.

* Johanssen M. S. – Magic 101 *

*

In the morning, Rinlia went to bed after taking a bath and cleaning her informal apparel. She had been on the road for too long and the smell of the road was impregnated in her clothes. The tiredness made she fall asleep early the night before. Now, she does not feel sufficiently rested, dressed or clean to go to the castle, but there is not much choice. She could not keep the queen waiting.

She went down to the inn's entrance and found Thiago at the reception. The soldier immediately greeted her.

-Something happened? – She asks.

-No, ma'am. Mr. Barsen ordered me to wait here and help with whatever you may need.

-Where is Barsen?

-He said he could not leave the building and asked me to serve as your bodyguard.

The elf thinks about the situation. Barsen had to stay, making sure that no one tried to contact the prisoner. Gasser had administrative duties to perform and Yvanna was probably taking care of the other members of the party while the commander was away.

-I see. Follow me. – She turns to the exit.

-The stables are in that way, ma'am.

-We are going on foot. I assume you are recovered from the battle.

-Yes ma'am.

-Good.

They walk through the stone streets and Rinlia studies the terrain near the inn. Last night she did the same, but her instincts were telling her that something was wrong. That is why she decided to make sure there were no signs of an ambush.

"There is nothing. Of course, there is nothing." She reassures herself. "Vivre has no reason to suspect us."

Despite the thought, her nerves bother her, and she looks for something. Her eyes find the soldier one more time.

-How is your arm?

Thiago needs some time to understand what she is talking about.

-My arm was not injured during the battle.

-What? Didn't the bear attack you?

-No, ma'am. For some reason, he was repelled, and his bite did not close over my arm.

-Repelled? – She stops walking and faces the soldier. He does not answer, so the possibilities start to pass through her mind. – Let me see your arm.

He shows her and, although the gauntlet prevents him from showing the whole member, she can see that there is no wound.

-See?

-Right... – She starts walking again. – When you saw the beast, did you feel anything coming from it?

-Yes, I did. His aura was quite strong.

She smiles, without turning her face away.

-You can feel the aura of the enemy.

-Yes. It is like an instinct. When I was younger, someone taught me how to be better at it.

-And you like to do it?

He thinks before answering.

-It is more useful than pleasant. It helps a lot in battles.

-I bet it helps. Have you ever thought about studying magic?

Thiago smiles, unable to take the question seriously.

-No, not at all. I would not be able to…

-I am serious. – Despite the friendly tone, the choice of words made Thiago tense. – I did not repel the bear during the battle. I was too busy fighting. You must have repelled it by accident. Are you sure you haven't had any training?

-I…

-You don't need to tell me if you don't want to.

They walk through the city. The castle gates are displayed at the end of the main road.

-I've had some experience with magic in the past. It wasn't good, so I chose not to learn more about it.

The elf glances at the soldier. She sees his look and decides not to ask more questions.

*

-You may enter. – The call is made by a soldier in a yellow cloak and red armor, who, until then, guarded the doors.

-Wait here. – Rinlia orders to Thiago.

-Yes ma'am.

After waiting for a long time, she was allowed to enter. Despite the years of practice, Rinlia still feels some anxiety when dealing with important matters with members of royalty. Mostly because of the volatile moods of such individuals.

She was introduced to a large hall, with a rectangular table in the center, with the length of a canoe, where was carven the map of Vivre's Kingdom. The simple, yet spacious rooms, is the palace's war room: A large room filled with a large table surrounded by high-backed chairs, in which the main members of the kingdom are seated. Where, at the head of the table, sits the Queen: A woman with a dark complexion and almond-shaped eyes. With dark, curly hair, running down a dark-blue taffeta dress; the same hair reaches down below her waistline.

A servant immediately announces:

-You are before the Great Queen Aetna and her husband, King Orlov, sovereigns of the Kingdom of Vivre!

Rinlia bows down and maintain her position. The Queen looks at the elf and puts her hand on her own cheek, reflecting for a few seconds. Then, she smiles before going back to her traditional stoic features.

-Say your name and who sent you. – She knew the answer, brought by spies and soldiers, but decided to calmly guide the meeting.

-Majesty, my name is Rinlia and I came to Vivre at the behest of King Njalmar, my sovereign and king over Fiandel.

-Just Rinlia? Don't I deserve the honor of knowing your family name?

-I apologize, Your Highness, but I do not have such name. I don't have a family. If such is your desire, you can call me Rinlia of Fiandel, because Fiandel is my kingdom and my only family.

-And someone without a family reached such a position among the soldiers of the famous army of Fiandel? I heard rumors about a commander with your name. Would you be worthy of the fame that precedes you?

-I can assure your majesty that any merits of eventual victories belong to the knowledge of my superiors and to the dedication of my subordinates.

-Humble, huh? An almost dead art nowadays. But an art that I appreciate. Come on, Rinlia of Fiandel. There is no need for you to remain bowed. Yes, you can stand normally. That's better. Now, tell me: What does Fiandel wants from us this time?

-My mission is to deliver a letter. – Rinlia has the correspondence in hand. – However, before that, I must also deliver a message from my King.

Queen Aetna looks to her right, where her husband is sitting. He is responsible for the spies and had brought news a week ago that can be related to those brought by the messenger.

-It was brought to my knowledge that Njalmar wishes to talk about a possible threat from the East. Is this what this letter is about?

Rinlia took a deep breath.

-This letter, your Majesty, only has details about a possible meeting, in case you agree to talk about details. The message that I carry, in fact, can help to understand.

-Then you must tell me what he told you.

-King Njalmar offers half of his armies, part of his land and a third of tax collection as a tribute to the formation of a unified army with the goal of repelling invaders from the East.

A silence fills the room in response to her words. It would last much longer if it were not broken by the queen's laughter.

-Njalmar! Always with the surprises!

-Your Highness, the message that was given to me also asks to inform that the Kingdom of Fiandel hopes that the allies that want to form an alliance can expect reciprocal support during the coming conflict. Each allied nation must assist with its own specialty. Our offer is related to our better assets, so we expect that nations with a specialization in magic will make contributions in that area. In the same line of thought, a nation with a maritime specialty must make a generous naval contribution.

-So, he is demanding a naval and, possibly, a commercial contribution from us. – Aetna added. – And I imagine he wants a really big contribution, otherwise his proposal would not be so bold.

Rinlia held a smile back. Given the size of its army, the extent of its territory and the fact that they have the largest and most populated cities, Fiandel's offer should be irresistible to any nation.

The King decided to intervene.

-I imagine you do not have a number sent by your king.

-King Njalmar informed me that Vivre's royalty would know how to make a proposal that would not be offensive to other kingdoms.

Aetna smiled again.

-I imagine he also give you an alert to deliver in case we do not accept the proposal.

-The nation that do not accept the invitation will be alone in case of an enemy invasion. However, this is an attitude that compromises the strategies and lands of the whole continent. A joint force, guided as one, will play an essential role in the battles to come.

The queen showed no reaction, but, in her mind, she calculated the risks and possible advantages of such a venture. Fiandel is famous for making few offers to neighboring nations and King Njalmar is known as someone who valued the success of an endeavor over small profits made in a bargain. He will certainly make several concessions if she asks the right questions. Not only in the wars to come, but in the aftermath, influenced by the existence of an alliance.

-Leave the letter on the table. We will think about the proposal.

-The Kingdom of Fiandel thanks you for your sincerity, but, your majesty, I cannot return without a message to my king.

-Do you dare to make demands? – Exclaimed a white-bearded man with a stooped posture, who slapped his hands on the table. He is immediately interrupted by a gesture from the Queen.

-Of course, you cannot go back empty handed. – She says. – Tell him that we will negotiate. As proof of our good faith, we will send reinforcements for your trip back home, to ensure that you arrive safely. Let your soldiers rest from the long journey but leave as soon as possible. A royal order will be delivered in your room. It will give you permission to be escorted by a detachment of thirty of our soldiers and, with them, there will be a letter with my proposal, which I will write after reading yours.

Rinlia bowed. She knew that Aetna should know about her arrival and about Fiandel's interest in making an agreement with the formation of a new army. The size of the proposal, however, must be the reason why she needed time to adjust her expectations and proposals.

Rinlia was about to leave when she heard the queen's voice once again:

-By the way, did your group encounter any strange magical manifestations on the road?

The phrase took Rinlia by surprise and the elf had to wait a second to turn around, in order to have time to mask her expression.

-Actually, my group was attacked by animals after the last storm. Fortunately, we were able to exterminate them.

-Right. Animals. – The monarch rubs her chin. – But it wasn't just that, was it?

Rinlia's spine was rigid. Her expression becomes sullen.

-Is there anything in particular that I can be of assistance?

-Rinlia, don't test my patience. You came into my country as a messenger, but you are still the head of a company of foreign soldiers. Throughout your journey, you did not try to hide, certainly because, at first, there was nothing to hide. But that gave time for outposts to alert me of your journey, even after you passed Lake Martha. You captured someone on the way, didn't you?

-Ah, yes. The boy on the beach. I just found him and felt like he was wanted by Fiandel. We interrogated him and he was not consistent, so we are escorting him for questioning.

-If it is just that, why didn't you report the existence of this prisoner? – Aetna's tone acquired icy strokes. – After all, you found him in my territory. It was foolish not to show him to my men and not something I would expect from a high-ranking officer. It was a very high risk, don't you think? My husband informed me about this just in case and I intended to ignore it as a courtesy, since the prisoner did not seem to be someone important, but I was curious. Some instinct compelled me to investigate. What would have made you risk lose the prisoner instead of ensuring he were trapped in my dungeon?

-Your Majesty-

-Shut up. I did not ask for your excuses. I ordered a report to be drawn up with information extracted from the innkeepers. They told me that the boy was injured. I thought it was related to the attack you suffered, but something was off. Whatever attacked him, was part of the forces that killed your men. Certainly, something strong attacked him. So, I went to the surroundings of the inn you are all hosted.

Aetna stood up and her magical aura expanded through the environment. She stepped forward and Rinlia, for the first time on this expedition, feared for her life. A thin magical layer allowed the elf to feel the queen's power. She finally understood the fame of the "strongest magician" in the Kingdom of Vivre.

Queen Aetna is an "enchanted". An animal capable of acquiring humanoid shape through the amount of magic it is capable of absorbing. Most of the time she chooses to keep her own magic hidden in order to maintain an "ordinary" life. However, now, she allows Rinlia to understand who she is talking to.

One step away from the elf, the queen puts her hand under Rinlia's head.

-I was there. – Said the queen. – Last night. I felt the power he emits. You could not feel that, right? You thought that it was impossible for someone to find him without seeing his magic in action. You lack magical sensitivity. Who knows? A few more years and maybe you can do that.

-He… - The elf babbles, looking for strength to continue. – Where is he now?

Aetna returned to her seat.

-While we talk, my men surround the inn. How many soldiers we sent, my dear? – She turns to the King. – Forty? – He nods. – It is a little too much, but the goal is to avoid a fight with your subordinates. We just want to capture your prisoner, not to cause a bloodbath with those who should be our guests.

-If that is the case, I ask you to allow me to go immediately there.

-Can you tell me why?

-Because my subordinate, responsible for guarding the boy, may do something that will cause a bloodbath.

*

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