33 - The Guardian

Elizabeth looked left and right and was astonished when she saw such an image.

They were at the foot of a huge mountain, as if all the mountain ranges in the world overlapped there. Its peaks were barely visible. Many of them were as white as the fur of a great-great-grandfather of the oldest polar bear. When he saw Elizabeth's smiling face, not even Alexander could be silent.

"Yes, there on those peaks I heard we can see flying snow leopards but also mammoths, snow camels or white squirrels. And ... huge minotaurs with six horns."

But the girl quickly ran in another direction leaving Alexander to talk to himself.

After taking less than twenty steps running, the girl stopped at a magic, transparent wall, behind which there was a bizarre creature, looking like a huge flying lizard. She could, in one gulp, swallow the two children in her womb, if it wasn't for that magic shield.

All the creature's enormous nest was full of snow and ice, even if immediately behind it, where Elizabeth sat, it warm and nice, and the snow was completely missing.

The creature herself was made of ice. The scales that covered her body were of ice, her eyes were dark blue, and at the end of her tail she had a multitude of spines ... probably all made of ice. A kind of thicker and definitely very strong icicles.

Her breath let out of her nostrils snowflakes and ice as well as a blustery wind whirling the snow chaotically.

The little girl managed to read on a flying tag that the creature was an ice dragon.

"Take your wand in your hand and repeat after me," Alexander interrupted Miss Edwards' sightseeing.

"Is this a guardian? I want it", said the girl, unable to take her eyes off that beast.

"Ha," Alexander laughed. "Anyone would like it ... But it's impossible. It's not a guardian, and I don't have all the time in the world to be your nanny. So get your wand and repeat after me: Protectorum protectoris."

The girl repeated the words and at that moment the two disappeared. They appeared inside an area that seemed to be a huge cage. It was over 50 meters high and definitely stretched over a very large area, because Elizabeth couldn't see the side walls of that cage, perhaps because of the multitude of trees, plants and bushes. There was even a small crook flowing near them, in that magic cage.

Elizabeth was a little scared. She knew she was in the house of that creature that, unaware how and why, she wanted to be her guardian.

And since she didn't know what kind of animal it was, maybe a dragon that could swallow her on the spot, or a six-horned minotaur, or ... The truth was she was very scared. What if her guardian were to become ... an attacker?

Alexander, as confident as ever, wasn't scared at all.

"Keep calm. Surely your guardian is a little insect. Or a butterfly. That's the beginning. It will be something more important over time, depending on your strength. So now take the wand in your hand and call it. Monstra In is the word.

"Monstra In!" she called out, unaware what kind of creature her guardian will be.

At that moment, they could hear a loud scream that could give anyone goosebumps. Something started to fly fast through the cage, hitting the tops of trees in a deafening roar, then he got close to the girl and grabbed her hand with his claws. It was a small hawk. Alexander started laughing loud.

Elizabeth didn't understand why, so the boy needed to explain:

"Honestly, I expected you to have a small and insignificant guardian, but I didn't really expect this. It's like having a bunny to protect you. In fact, the bunny would surely have grown larger than a hawk and would probably protect you better. I think you should protect him rather," Alexander laughed.

The girl smiled when she saw how friendly that hawk sat on her arm. As if they knew each other for a lifetime. And she smiled even more when she saw the hawk tried to pinch the boy, when he wanted to touch her.

The bird accepted her. And she also liked that guardian. She never had a pet. And now she had a hawk. They'd become best friends, and guardians for one another.

"We'll be good friends," the girl said, not caring that Alexander kept laughing. "We'll do everything together and ..."

"Let's go," the boy said snapping at her. "Even if I laugh a lot when I'm with you because it seems that fate is against you, I still want to leave because I'm done. Finding the guardian means finishing the training, so I won't have to waste my time with you anymore. Even if this little sparrow is your guardian now, I did a perfect job. It's not my fault.

"Relinquo Sanctuarii," said Alexander and the two returned to the entrance of the Sanctuary of mystical and non-mystical creatures.

Prince Soimesti saw Elizabeth a little confused, like a little girl who as soon as she opened the gift from Santa, it was taken from her hand, so he comforted her:

"Stay calm, you didn't lose him. When you need him, call out Monstra In. He will come. And he will also come when he feels you're in danger, because that's the guardians' task. Look ... this Pendant of Summoning, which is now around your neck, if you wear it all the time, that little sparrow will come when you call her or when she feels she has to show up." The girl admired the pendant engrained with a bright green gem. She was so happy and she smiled so beautifully that Alexander couldn't stand her mood.

"But that doesn't mean that the little sparrow will be able to help you," the boy couldn't help rubbing the salt in.

Still, his attitude made no sense. Elizabeth was far too happy. She was happy to have someone to always support her. Someone who'll never leave her. As long as she wears that pendant around her neck, of course ... and she'll never remove it.

The two looked at each other. The girl was on top of the world. But the boy was very bored.

"I finished my schooling job. I did even more than I should have. Go tell Mr. Knudlac that you have a guardian from now on. Now you're on your own."

And Alexander left without looking back, moving away, proud.

The girl also started happily towards the main building of the Elmbridge School of Magic, to get to her bedroom. Inside, she crossed the corridors to her room, when in one of the corridors she met Mr. Knudlac.

"Do you have a guardian, my dear?"

"Yes," the girl answered happily. A hawk. Alexander says that because he's small, he won't be able to protect me, but I don't think so."

"You should know, my dear that strong essences are found in small bottles. Like you ... and that little hawk has a special power for sure."

The girl looked at the professor, beaming.

"Why don't you have a guardian? I heard that instead of a guardian you can cast a spell to create ... another professor Eaden Knudlac."

"I had one when I was younger, but he was killed. I suffered a lot from this. It's like a part of you is dying. You'll see that all his pain will be yours, as well as any joy of his."

"But, the same can happen with ... the other Professor Knudlac, right?"

"If something happens to him ... How can I say? Maybe it will be easier for me to get over this. I'll never miss myself."

The professor laughed loud for a few moments, after which he gently stroke the little girl's head.

"I was kidding. Any loss is painful. Now go to rest as tomorrow a new school day begins."

"OK, Professor Knudlac."

The girl climbed the stairs and entered her room. Elizabeth Catherine Edwards jumped into her bed happier than ever. She thought about what happened since she was at the Elmbridge Magic School, and especially about what happened that day. She now had her pet. A guardian, as the others called it. A friend ... as she saw it.