Alathil was surprised to see both Lord Benlor and Lady Enlari in the throne room where his father had summoned him and Elross. The brothers then couldn't help but look at each other because of that.
'I wonder what's going on...' Alathil thought as he continued approaching the spot where his father the King was.
He soon bowed as soon as he stopped in front of the king and also to the two mages.
"You called for me, Father?" he asked softly with a small smile. He was not sure why he was nervous all of a sudden when he saw the looks the lord and lady mages were giving each other. But he would have liked to know what was going on between them, even if it wasn't something important.
"Yes, I did, my son. And it's a good thing that you're also here, my little bird."
"Father!" Elross whined. "You know I'm a grown man already for you to still call me like that."
Alathil couldn't help smiling at that, though.
"Well, I just love calling you that way when we're not in front of others. And besides, the Master Mage and Lady Enlari already knew I'd call you like that most of the time." The king said while pointing towards the two mages.
Elross only rolled his eyes at this, but there was a slight blush on his cheeks. It was obvious that he felt embarrassed.
And Alathil could only think how cute this sight was.
That didn't go unnoticed to the two mages, however, so they chuckled lightly at the sight. Even though their faces showed that they weren't feeling much emotion about it, it was obvious that they enjoyed seeing the king's youngest son blushing. It was quite adorable.
With a sigh, Alathil faced his father once again. "Is there a reason for me to be here, Father?"
The king's expression turned serious and nodded. "Yeah, there is. In fact, it involves a new friend of yours."
"Who am I supposed to know by this term?" But at the same time, the woman that he and Elross were just talking about in the library before they were summoned came to mind.
His eyes widened before he could stop himself. 'Is he telling me — ?'
"Yes, the young woman named Risa." The king told him before turning back to face the three. "From what Lady Enlari has mentioned, you saved her from those arrogant knights who tried to harass her. Is that right?"
"Yes, I did. It's not something I'd turn a blind eye on, after all." There was nothing wrong if he told the truth this time to his father. Not to mention, the mages already beat him to it.
But what was the reason for them to bring that topic up, by the way? Was it just to talk to his father? Or more importantly, were they trying to get an explanation or something else from Alathil?
"I see," was all the king said to this. His gaze fell onto one of the two mages now. "Lady Enlari, please explain to Alathil your real business here today."
'Real business?' The thought made Alathil frown and face the said lady mage. "Is there something wrong, my lady?" he asked with an anxious tone.
She merely gave him a small smiled before saying, "Nothing to worry, young prince. I assure you. But let's say that... we need your assistance."
Alathil frowned but paid attention to the lady mage as it seemed that the matter was serious. She was still looking at him and there was also something in the air around her that was making him uneasy.
Was this really about Risa? What exactly did they need him to do? Was she hurt somehow?
"What kind of aid can I give?" he answered the question honestly and without any hesitations. Afterall, he rarely gave assistance to the mages — as he was aware of their ability to protect the kingdom. So for them to go to him and ask him...
"Risa... needed someone to teach her swordsmanship. And after careful consideration, you're the only one skilled enough to give her the lessons she needed."
"So you want me to train her?" the young prince repeated slowly, trying to understand what they meant.
"Exactly," she nodded.
"But why would you want me to train her?" He questioned again.
"We believe that... you're the only one who can provide her the training that she needed to survive in this world. With her magical ability still in question, she wanted to do what she could to raise her ability to fight or at least defend herself when something happens," Lady Enlari replied. "That is if you don't object to this plan of ours, of course."
There was no question in Alathil's mind that he agreed to do whatever it took in order to keep Risa safe. And it might have been selfish for him to agree already but... well...
Alathil turned to look at Elross and his brother just nodded. Then he faced his father who only smiled at him. And he knew what those gestures meant.
It was still up to him to decide whether he'd accept the task or not. This was Risa they were talking about, and he could understand her desire to have the ability to fight. Maybe not fully, but if it would give her safety from all the dangers of the world, it'd make sense for him to take that decision. Especially since the mages in front of him looked like they really needed the skills that his sword taught.
If he could help Risa be able to show some progress in that regard... maybe then he wouldn't have any reason to hesitate in making a decision.
"I accept," he finally answered and got a small nod in return.
"Then, if it's possible, please come to the Master Mage's house in the Hareskoven Forest at dawn two days from now." Lady Enlari added before bowing to the king and leaving the throne room. The Master Mage remained there.
When the door closed behind them, Alathil sighed and ran a hand through his hair. When he looked at Elross, he frowned when he saw him grinning.
"What are you grinning about?"
His younger brother shook his head, but his grin didn't go away. "I guess fate is making sure you get close to that other dragon listener."
"It seems that you are aware of my ward's ability, Your Highness," the Master Mage interjected.
The two princes faced the old man. Alathil spoke first. "Rannir mentioned something to me before about it, but it was Elross who confirmed it to me. He was there when the Brathos attacked Risa, for some reason."
"It was by chance that I got to see it and make sure she's safe. But it was still perplexing to see the Brathos attacked someone like that for no reason," Elross added.
Alathil was quiet for a few moments, then he looked over at the older mage and asked, "Can I ask you about the details?"
"I will gladly answer your questions, Prince Alathil. Let's sit down somewhere, shall we? I may be a mage, but my age isn't something one can overlook, as well."
Alathil smiled at that and accepted the offer.
The king allowed the Master Mage and Alathil to leave the room for them to head to the nearby garden.
He didn't know what to expect with the conversation that he would have with the Master Mage. But if it would help him learn more about Risa, then perhaps he should do his best.
xxxxxx
Another day of tiring training for Risa, but she didn't mind. At least, she was starting to get the hang of controlling her magical energy with the help of Jehan and even the two dragons.
Even if she hadn't yet figured out why she was able to use magic that easily and quickly. And what caused it and how it was possible.
At least she had managed to learn that a lot faster than she'd expected. Which meant she was getting used to the idea that she could use magic whenever she wanted to. Well, she only wanted to use it when she truly needed it. She didn't want to rely on it fully, even if the world she found herself into relied on using magic too much at some point.
"That's it for today. And I believe this is my last lesson to you. You've managed to learn the basics faster than any of the students in the Magic Academy," Jehan said that only made her smile weakly.
She was still trying to regain her strength that she exhausted from the training. "I never even thought I'd learn it faster than expected, though. I mean, I'm still a noob when it comes to anything related to magic."
"Well, not anymore. From now on, you won't have to worry about learning anything related to magic unless it directly affects your own health. As long as you take care of yourself, then you won't have any problems doing magic that requires your knowledge."
Risa blinked several times as she listened to Jehan's words. "I guess I have to make sure not to make Lady Enlari and the Master Mage worry about my usage of magic, then."
Jehan laughed quietly in response. "You know that there is no need to worry about that. They know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. You've already proven it even without the conscious use of your once sealed magic before."
"And that is exactly the problem." She chuckled as she looked up at Jehan. "I'm worried that I might end up doing something irreversible if this once sealed magic starts going out of control."
"Don't worry. You won't do that. But you should probably be careful in case it would happen anyway," Jehan said and then he shrugged.
A sudden noise of laughter came from Risa. "I know. That means I need to pay close attention to Lady Enlari's lectures about it, then."
"As long as you do so, the rest will surely go by smoothly." He chuckled along with her. "You should go back and change out of your clothes. You haven't gotten lunch yet and I'm sure the two mages are about to arrive soon. Also, you've been working hard. Go and eat something while we start waiting for them."
She nodded and hurried to the house as soon as she knew she had enough energy to run. She even heard Jehan chuckle when she did that. But she didn't mind. She just needed a good meal after that strenuous training.
But all of a sudden, she halted to a stop. Before she could comprehend what was going on, she was suddenly feeling very heavy all of a sudden. She tried to push forward, thinking that she just needed to hurry, but her body felt so numb. It wasn't just physically; everything inside of her felt incredibly sluggish and tired. It was almost like the power within her was drained, leaving her feeling empty.
'What the...?'
And then everything around her went blank as she felt herself falling, for some reason. Was she about to hit the ground?
<Please... hurry...>
That voice again... What was going on?
"Risa!"
Someone screamed her name and she heard footsteps running toward her. Everything started to fade into darkness around her as she fell into nothingness.
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