Trash Panda

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

“Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to learn to put up with him until I earn your trust,” Rivalen sighed. Suspicion and more suspicion; it seemed that he would always be beneath someone’s watchful gaze. If only the king had been seeking an attendant for his son, then he wouldn’t have had to worry about being scrutinized for signs of perversion by every person in the castle. But, as the situation stood, he was Roxanne’s personal attendant and he was going to be monitored because of it. He would just have to be extra cautious whenever he used his magic beneath the roof of the palace.

After a brief moment of silence, the princess addressed him again and began inquiring about his background, leading him to wonder what he should tell her. He had already started inventing a false past for himself when he spoke with the king earlier that day, but he didn’t want to make up too much otherwise it would be difficult for him to keep his stories straight. Keeping that thought in mind, he decided that it would be best to stay true to the majority of his memories and only fabricate the areas concerning magic—and his imaginary wizard friend, of course.

“I still believe you won’t know the name of my home village,” Rivalen said adamantly. “But I’ll tell it to you anyways: I come from a small settlement on the east side of the kingdom called Oldpine. It is quite humble with a population of only thirty people at the most and, as far as I know, nothing important has every happened there apart from a few witches and wizards being captured.” My mother included, he added to himself with a stab of longing. “Overall, though, there isn’t much to say about the village, and that’s why I doubt you would have known about it.

“Now, you also wanted to know about me?” Rivalen glanced down at Roxanne and caught sight of her subtly looking him over from the corner of her eye. He turned his gaze away and wondered what she hoped to learn by doing that. His clothes were like that of any other peasant in the kingdom and he carried nothing of importance—at least, he had cast an enchantment over his valuables so that they looked like nothing of importance. From what he could tell, there wasn’t much the princess could glean from his appearance alone, so he left her to her fruitless examination and went on speaking, “My mother passed away when I was young and I have no siblings, so my father is the only living family I have. I don’t want to give you my entire life’s story in the same day we met, so for now, that’s all the information I’m going to give you about myself.” He smirked slyly.

When Roxanne asked why he was called ‘witch-slayer,’ Rivalen scoffed, “Actually, today is the first time anyone has referred to me by a title that presumptuous. As I told you before, I only see myself as a common man who happened to be at the right place at the right time. Yes, I have killed three wizards, but no, I am not some all-powerful witch-slayer, as your father chose to put it…” He fell silent as his eyes rested on a young man rounding the corner ahead of them. There had been many people passing by as they walked to Roxanne’s chambers, but this one seemed different from the others. He carried himself in a more businesslike manner and wore clothes that looked much too expensive for the likes of any servant boy. Rivalen watched him with interest. Could he be…?

“Brandon!” Roxanne called out, confirming his suspicions. The young man was indeed the crowned prince, the son of King Cedric. He was also Rivalen’s third and final target. The warlock took a step back as the two siblings began speaking with one another, hoping that they might not mention him, but still it didn’t take long before Brandon directed the conversation towards his sister’s new personal attendant. Rivalen groaned inwardly. He had had enough attention for one day, especially since everyone who laid eyes on him seemed to think he was some sort of a lecher or other lowly type of human being. At this point he had almost given up hope that he could convince them otherwise, so even when the prince began challenging his presence in the castle, he didn’t bother to defend himself in the slightest.

Let him doubt, Rivalen thought bitterly. I have his father’s blessing, anyways.

Fortunately, however, the siblings’ conversation was steered back towards kingdom affairs and Rivalen was spared from the annoying task of refuting accusations of ulterior motives. He was glad about that, but they also mentioned something that piqued his interest: supposedly there had been magical attacks on one of Miroin’s borders. He turned away, concealing a smile by pretending to admire one of the paintings on the wall. His father must have been making a move to distract Cedric from keeping wizards out of his own estate, thus making Rivalen’s job to get in much easier. He would have to remember to thank Morold for that later.

Rivalen’s good humor fled at Brandon’s final words, however. Filthy wizards? His kind did nothing to warrant such hateful words! It was the king who drove them to violence, not their own nature. Granted, there were some wizards with a tendency to do wrong, but the same could be said about normal humans. The hypocrites! They had no right to look down upon those who were born with magic just because one person used his gifts for evil. He bit his tongue to keep from snapping these words at the prince. Forcing himself to remain calm, he took a shaky breath and reminded himself that soon it wouldn’t matter what the royal family thought. Morold was going to be king and wizards would be free once again. It was only a matter of time.

Rivalen was just about to decide that he disliked Roxanne’s brother when the prince said something that caught him off-guard. There was still a threat attached to the end, but Brandon had essentially given him his approval to take care of the princess. Rivalen blinked in surprise, “I will tend to Her Highness to the best of my ability, My Liege.” He bowed to the prince, though he found the gesture to be much more difficult than when he did the same for Roxanne. Brandon might have earned a few points back for putting his trust in him, but Rivalen still didn’t forgive him for his comment about ‘filthy wizards.’

The prince went on to tease his sister about someone named Frederick—Rivalen wondered who this man was that could make Roxanne’s cheeks turn rosy at just the mention of his name—before he took his leave, bringing Alain with him (God bless!) so that the princess and her attendant were left alone in the corridor.

“We shall,” Rivalen nodded when Roxanne asked if they should continue. He allowed her to take the lead as they started walking again, “I’ve spoken a fair bit about myself, so I think it is only fitting that you tell me something about yourself now, My Lady.” He grinned at her in a friendly manner. “I’d like to learn a little more about the lovely young princess whom I’ll soon be attending.”

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

Rivalen was pleased to see that his comedic attempt had gone well with the princess. He knew that he had been taking a gamble by making a joke, since most of the upper class citizens of the kingdom—the royal family included—were known to be lacking in the department of humor, but the risk turned out to be worth the reward when he earned a smile from Roxanne. In that moment, he learned a number of things about Her Highness. He now knew that she was fond of tactful jesting and, from the words she spoke to him afterwards, that she had a sense of humor, herself. By that fact, he determined that she was not a completely conservative, rule-abiding young noblewoman, which would inevitably make his task of gaining her trust much simpler. Ah, if only father could see how devious he had become! He couldn’t wait to contact Morold later and tell him of his successes at the castle.

“Have no fear, My Lady,” Rivalen said in response to Roxanne’s ‘concern’ about dust bunnies. “I will see to it that she never lays eyes on a filthy room again, let alone an unwashed article of clothing.” Not that you will have to worry about such things for very long, he added silently. The morbid joke brought him back to thinking about his real assignment in the palace. At the current rate by which he was progressing with the princess, he suspected that he would find an opportunity to catch her and her family alone sooner than he expected when he first arrived. If so, then he would have to start making plans concerning their murders early on as well. The thought was slightly disconcerting. He had been hoping to wait at least a few days before he had to truly begin making preparations. A foolish expectation, he chided. The sooner this is all over with, the better.

Rivalen then noticed that Alain was making threatening gestures at him from behind Roxanne. While his jesting had been welcomed by the princess, the official was not nearly so amused. He shot Alain an apologetic look and made a mental note to be more careful about letting his humor slip in the future. He didn’t want to be expelled from the castle for an out-of-place joke, after all. Morold would surely disown him if he did anything that stupid.

As Roxanne and Alain discussed the issue of his living quarters, Rivalen again contented himself with listening in silence. He had been curious about this as well, though it wasn’t a very high priority on his list. What kind of room did the king plan to give him? Would his room be near to the princess or would he be living among the other servants? Of course, concerning his plans, it made no difference where he slept at night, but he couldn’t help but wonder where his room was going to be. According to Roxanne, he was going to be taking over the quarters of someone named Maria.

Rivalen was just beginning to ponder who this ‘Maria’ was when he was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a deep, resonating chime. He looked up to see a tower in the distance with a strange looking circle on one side. It was patterned with notches at equally-spaced intervals and two lines of different lengths that extended outward from the center. After staring at the foreign design for a moment, he realized that it was a clock: something he had only heard about from his father. Supposedly nobles used them to tell time more accurately than ‘morning,’ ‘noon,’ and ‘night’ like the commoners did, but he couldn’t see how it worked. He would have to ask someone more knowledgeable about it later, but for now the clock remained a mystery to him.

Roxanne then announced that she would be showing Rivalen to his room on her way back to her own chambers and followed up by giving him a subtle warning that he should make arrangements to take care of duties that were better suited for a woman. Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and began walking back towards the castle, leaving both her attendant and guard to follow after her.

“I told you before, My Lady,” Rivalen said, trotting up to walk beside Roxanne. “I am no lecher. I only wish to see my princess taken care of, so I will have the proper arrangements made in due time. You have nothing to worry about.” He shot her a wry grin and lowered his voice, “Although, for this relationship to work, you’re going to have to put a bit more faith in me, Your Highness. You see, I don’t appreciate being tailed by him all day.” He subtly tipped his head back towards Alain. “I don’t think he likes me very much, and I’d rather not be run through by his sword.”

Don't Get Caught [FaithfulMuse + Summer]

I finally found time to post! \^u^/
A thousand apologies for the wait! I hope it was worth... five days of silence. Ugh >w<

Don't Get Caught [FaithfulMuse + Summer]

“You need a place to rest?” Gawain mused, looking over the farm from where he stood on the border. There weren’t very many places to hide a posse of witches, as there were a small number of buildings to begin with. Of course, Simon’s house was out of the question. The old man rarely even let him take shelter beneath the roof unless there was a storm out; he would never allow magic-users inside. If Gawain tried to hide the women there, Simon would have him strung up the instant he stepped through the door. So, with the house ruled out, it seemed that he would have to bring the witches to the only other reasonably safe building on the farm.

“Follow me,” Gawain said to Morgana. He glanced furtively over his shoulder to make sure that there were still no knights in the area and then led the witches across the field. Even though he hadn’t seen any guards, he still moved quickly. As long as they were standing on the open ground among the crops, he knew that there was still a chance that someone might spot them, and that thought alone was enough to bring swiftness to his steps until they reached cover on the other side.

Once there, Gawain directed the witches over to the stables where Simon kept his horses and cows… and his farmhand. Since the old man owned a small house that lacked a guest room, Gawain had been living with the animals as long as he had been on the farm. He never minded much—though the smell had taken some time to get used to—and even found it to be enjoyable at times. In a way, the stables had become his own private place where he could get away from the stresses of work and life in general, and it was for this reason that he wasn’t very keen on having the witches move in with him.

Nevertheless, Gawain unlatched the door and held it aside for the women to enter first, “I warn you, the animals don’t have the nicest fragrance, but then again I suppose you can’t be picky when you’re on the run.” He stepped inside the stables after the witches, latched the door behind him, and then crossed over to sit down in the clean pile of hay, his makeshift bed, where he had been resting before the whole ordeal began. He settled down and leaned back, propping his head up on his arms so he could watch the witches as they moved about.

“So,” Gawain said. “I’ve given you what you want. I take it that means I can rest easy and not have to worry about being murdered in my sleep?” His tone dripped with sarcasm, as he was tired and irritable about having to harbor the women in his own, personal sanctuary. In the rational part of his mind, he knew that they could still kill him, but at this point he didn’t care much. He just wanted to be rid of them as soon as possible. And besides, who knew? Perhaps he would get lucky again and his bitter words would drive the magic-users away. He let out his breath in a quiet sigh. If only it were that simple.

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

Rivalen straightened his posture at the princess’s command and looked up to find that she had dismounted from her horse and was now standing in front of him. The way she held herself was clearly meant to be intimidating, but he found the attempt more amusing than anything else. Roxanne was younger and much shorter than him—he could easily have rested his chin on her head if he wished—and her regal status didn’t threaten him in the least. She might have been powerful, but her father was even more so and he was the one authorizing Rivalen’s assignment as her personal attendant. As much as she hated it, he was here to stay until King Cedric decreed otherwise.

Rivalen stayed quiet and observed the other three, taking the opportunity to learn more about Roxanne as she spoke with the others (‘know thy enemy’ was a popular phrase with Morold). What he saw, however, was slightly worrisome. Part of him had been hoping that she would be arrogant and cruel towards her servants so she would be easier to hate. Instead, though, she treated them kindly and even seemed to take their words to heart. He knew he had only watched her for a short while, but so far she was turning out to be quite different than the spoiled princess he had imagined.

Since Cedric had ordered the murder of his mother, Rivalen had no problem summoning his anger when he was around the king—in fact, he predicted that he would often have to stifle his rage when he was in the man’s presence—but he was no killer, himself. Roxanne had not wronged him and, as far as he could tell, she was a genuinely kind person who didn’t deserve the same fate as her father… No, he closed his eyes, silently scolding himself for letting such thoughts into his head. She is Cedric’s daughter. Father was clear in his directions: Every member of the royal family must die. It’s for the good of our kind… for the good of Mother. Princess Roxanne’s death is a necessary evil.

Having strengthened his resolve, Rivalen opened his eyes again and let out his breath in a quiet exhale. He never expected his job to be easy. Though he had been trained to do so, he had never killed anyone before. Violence just wasn’t in his nature, so to take the lives of two innocent people—he would never include their father in that category—was going to be a challenge. He just hoped that he could give the prince and princess a swift passing when the time came, since Cedric’s were the only screams he longed to hear.

Rivalen blinked, suddenly realizing that Roxanne was waiting for him to give her his name. He dipped his head in a subtle bow and smiled again as he replied, “My name is Rivalen, My Lady. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance—” he stopped short as an unexpectedly mischievous look came over the princess’s face. She went on to give him a vicious warning about overstepping his boundaries before she returned to her previous, lighthearted demeanor and greeted him more formally.

“I swear to you, I bear no ill intent,” Rivalen pledged, resting a hand over his heart. “I am but a humble commoner from an even humbler village you’ve likely never heard of, and I’m only here to make sure that my princess is well taken care of.” His smile wavered slightly as he heard a snort from off to one side.

Alain shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, “A humble villager, are you? That’s not the same speech you gave His Highness during your audition, witch-slayer.”

“It’s not any different, either,” Rivalen pointed out, turning to address the official. “I never claimed to be a person of great importance when I spoke with the king, and I don’t believe I am. I credit my talents to circumstance and dumb luck. It was only by those two factors that I came across the wizards’ secret in the first place. Apart from that, I am merely a simple peasant. The only reason I told His Highness of my successes with the wizards was so that he would be aware of my capability to protect his daughter should I need to do so.” He glanced back at Roxanne and gave her an impish wink. “However, after meeting our lovely young princess, I’m beginning to think that she won’t need my help, after all. Her Highness looks perfectly capable of holding her own against the strongest of magicians to me.” He sighed in mock despondence. “It seems the only thing I’ll be protecting her from is dust bunnies and dirty stockings.”

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

Rivalen smiled victoriously as he followed Alain down the corridor. While he didn’t get the most desirable position in the castle, he now had an opportunity to get closer to the king and his family. And to think that all it took was a few white lies! There was no fatal ‘secret weakness’ in wizards; he had made it all up, and yet King Cedric had bought every word. Morold’s attacks must have left him extremely worried about his daughter’s safety if he was acting so quickly to find protection for her. In fact, his thoughtless actions only put her life in further peril. Cedric had practically handed the princess over to his enemy on a silver platter! He couldn’t wait to tell his father.

“In case the king doesn’t come to his senses,” Alain spoke up, interrupting Rivalen’s thoughts. “I suppose I had better inform you of your duties as the princess’s… personal attendant.” He was still visibly reluctant to admit that Rivalen had been given the job. He paused to clear his throat before he went on, “First and foremost, you will be expected to wait on Princess Roxanne from sunrise to sunset. You must offer her your assistance without question or complaint whenever she may need it. You must also make sure that she is cared for even when she is not giving you direct orders. This includes bringing her breakfast from the kitchen in the morning, cleaning her general living quarters, taking care of her laundry…” He trailed off, knitting his brow. “Err, on second thought, you should just bring her laundry to the servant girls and have them wash it. Anyways, you will have other responsibilities, but those will be your main tasks. Do you think you can handle them, witch-slayer?” He spat the title with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

“I think I can,” Rivalen shrugged, ignoring Alain’s taunt. “Living the life of a servant is a small price to pay for the knowledge that our princess will be safe from harm, wouldn’t you agree?” He cast the official a wry grin.

Alain scoffed and shook his head, “I suppose I can’t argue with that. Now come along, the stables are this way.” He turned down a wide hallway that led to a set of doors on the west side of the castle. Rivalen followed after him, admiring the paintings on the walls as they walked. A number of different scenes were depicted, ranging from memories of successful war conquests to portraits of former rulers to expensive-looking pictures of scenery that the king had likely been given by foreign artisans. They were all different, but they were also all beautifully crafted. Rivalen made a mental note to explore the rest of the palace once he was settled in. He figured that he might as well start learning the layout now. It was soon to be his home once he got rid of King Cedric, after all.

Alain opened the door and they stepped out onto a wide, open pasture, framed on all sides by the surrounding forest. He continued to lead Rivalen until they came to the stables where a young boy was tending to the horses. The boy looked up at them, his gaze resting curiously on the warlock before he turned to speak to the official, “Hello, Alain. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Quentin,” Alain nodded in greeting. “Could you fetch the princess? This young man is here to see her.”

“Alright,” Quentin said, his eyes darting to Rivalen once more before he turned and ran off to find the king’s daughter.

After a while the boy returned with a stormy gray horse, atop which was a young woman: Princess Roxanne. Rivalen watched as she approached, narrowing his eyes slightly against the sunlight in order to get a better look at her. Honestly, she was much more beautiful than he had expected the daughter of King Cedric to be. With her dark hair, green eyes, fair skin, and slender frame, she had quite a unique appearance. It was almost disappointing that he would have to kill her, too.

When she stopped in front of them, Roxanne went on greet Alain who in turn announced Rivalen as her new personal attendant. Rivalen expected her to show at least some sign of surprise or disgust at the news of her father’s decision, but instead she merely laughed, taking the official’s words as a joke. She then turned to him to confirm her theory. Unfortunately, however, she would find that she was severely mistaken.

“He speaks the truth,” Rivalen said with an innocent smile. “I was given an audience with the king, and he tasked me with the responsibility of taking care of you, Your Highness.” He leaned forward in a deep but elegant bow. “I hope I don’t come as a disappointment. I promise I will work hard as your attendant to ensure that you are well cared for and want for nothing.”

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

“Hold your head high, boy, you’re the beginning of a new era,” Morold gave his son a corrective tap on the chin as he adjusted his cloak. He stepped back, looking Rivalen over with a scrutinizing gaze. “You are fortunate; you have the eyes of a trustworthy man. I don’t doubt that you will be able to fool the king and his kin, but you will need to believe in your own abilities as well, or your gifts will go to waste.”

“Yes, father,” Rivalen said. He squared his shoulders in an attempt to look more confident, but still a flicker of doubt crossed over his face. “How am I to earn the king’s trust when I first arrive though? I’m an outsider, so naturally he’s going to be wary of me.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Morold answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Cedric will be just as skeptical of the servants in his own household as he will be of you, boy. I’ve taken the liberty to plant false witnesses in the castle, and they have been reporting to the king that his current staff is riddled with wizards. He should be desperate enough to clear them out that he’ll welcome you with open arms.” He chuckled for a moment, but quickly returned to his usual stern demeanor as he went on. “Of course this also means that you will need to tread carefully during your time at the palace. Cedric is on high alert for the slightest traces of magic within his walls, so you must act with vigilance if you ever find yourself in a situation that demands the use of your powers.”

“I will, father,” Rivalen nodded, feeling slightly reassured now that he knew about Morold’s prearrangements.

“Good,” Morold rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I have high hopes for you, Rivalen. Don’t disappoint me.”

Rivalen dipped his head, “The sooner I depart, the sooner I can be done with it. I’ll take my leave immediately.”

“So be it,” Morold retracted his hand. “When you take up a position in the castle, be sure to contact me at the earliest opportunity. I will be awaiting word from you here.”

“I’ll be in touch,” Rivalen picked up an animal-skin pack and slung it over his shoulder. “Goodbye, father.”

---

EIGHT DAYS LATER

Rivalen stared up at the walls of the castle in awe of their vastness. Morold had described the king’s estate in lengthy detail, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience. After having lived in the poor, small village of Oldpine for more than twenty years, he never imagined that such an enormous structure existed. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what the inside looked like. The inside… Suddenly, he was quite eager to step through the doors.

Rivalen looked away from the castle when he caught sight of a servant girl walking by with a breadbasket—likely something she had picked up at the market. He cast the tall double-doors one last glance and hurried to catch up with her, calling out to get her attention, “Excuse me; hold on one moment, miss!”

The girl turned around, casting him a cautious look (everyone was wary of everyone else these days, it seemed…) and taking a step back as she responded, “Yes?”

Rivalen held up his hands and smiled in an attempt to seem less threatening, “I heard that the king has openings for new servants in his palace. Do you think you could tell me how I can get an audience with him in order to determine if I’m qualified for the job?”

The girl hesitated for a moment and then nodded, “Actually, you came at just the right time if you’re looking for a position in the castle. King Cedric is holding auditions right now, although…” she looked Rivalen over and cracked a smile. “I don’t think you’re likely to be chosen for the role.”

“And why is that?” Rivalen frowned at the girl’s words. He couldn’t see how she knew whether or not he was well suited for a job at merely a glance. Was there something he had overlooked?

“Well,” the girl’s subtle grin grew wider. “For one thing, King Cedric seeks a woman to fill this position. He is looking for a personal attendant for his daughter, Princess Roxanne, and I doubt he would be willing to appoint a strange man to such a trusted duty.”

“I see,” Rivalen nodded contemplatively. “In that case, when will he be holding auditions for the other positions?”

“He won’t be,” the girl shook her head. “King Cedric has more important things to do than look for new servants, what with all of the wizards on the loose. It will be quite a while before he replenishes the staff.”

“Oh,” Rivalen knit his brow. “Well, thank you for your help.”

The girl smiled again and turned to take her breadbasket inside the castle.

Rivalen looked at the castle again with a concerned expression. His only flicker of opportunity to install himself near the king was put out by the simple fact that he was a man. Of course, he could always learn a spell to change his own sex, but he wasn’t desperate enough to try a move like that just yet. Maintaining such a powerful enchantment would be quite draining and he would have to avoid any and all mirrors in the palace—reflective glass had a nasty habit of revealing the truth—and besides that, the thought of living as a woman for so long was off-putting to him in more ways than one. No, an enchantment wouldn’t just do. He had to find some other way to win the position.

If King Cedric was willing to take time out of his allegedly busy schedule to hold auditions for a personal attendant, the role was obviously one he deemed of high importance. Perhaps he was even getting a bit desperate to find someone suitable. In that case, Rivalen wondered if he might be able to convince the king that he was the right person for the job—even if he was a man. All he needed to do was come up with a reason why he was more qualified than his female competition. It couldn’t be that difficult, right? He smiled to himself. Suddenly, his situation didn’t seem so hopeless after all.

Rivalen climbed the stairs leading up to the castle and pulled open one of the large doors. After stepping inside, he stopped again by the entrance, taking a moment to admire his surroundings. The inside of the palace was even more breathtaking than the outside, but he didn’t have time to stay and stare at it now. According to the servant girl, King Cedric was holding auditions at that very moment, and he didn’t want to miss his chance to infiltrate the staff. He turned his attention back to the matter at hand and continued walking.

To Rivalen, the castle was built like a labyrinth. Its countless hallways branched off and crossed over each other, weaving a confusing path for the village-born outsider. After doubling back twice and consulting a number of servants for directions, however, he managed to find the right corridor where four women stood waiting for an audience with the king. He frowned at the sight of them. Well this just wouldn’t do. He didn’t come all this way to stand in a line. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. It looked like he would have to clear out the competition.

Rivalen approached the girls with an apologetic smile, “I’m very sorry, ladies, but King Cedric is no longer taking auditions.”

The four turned to look at him, muttering amongst each other in concern. “How do you know that?” one of women spoke up, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I’m a servant of the king,” Rivalen lied with a casual shrug. “He gave me instructions to let all of you know that he’s found the person he’s been looking for, so he is no longer holding auditions.”

“Are you sure?” another girl spoke up worriedly. “Why didn’t he come to tell us, himself?”

“King Cedric is a busy man,” Rivalen replied simply. “He sent me in his stead.” He dipped his head in a bow. “I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

“Well that’s just wonderful,” another woman sighed with a shake of her head. “I suppose there’s no point in waiting around here anymore.” With that, she walked off down the corridor, and the other three girls followed suit, grumbling in frustration. Rivalen watched them go, stifling the satisfied smirk that threatened to take over his lips. Being a man did have one advantage, he supposed. The four women had no idea that he was out to get the same position they wanted! It had almost been too easy to get rid of them.

Rivalen turned back to the door to the king’s audience chambers when he heard them creak open. A young woman—he guessed that she was the last one to hold an audition—stepped out, escorted by a court official. The official left her to find her own way out of the palace and turned to address the next person in line, “The king will see you now—” he stopped short when his eyes fell on Rivalen. He knit his brow in confusion and glanced over the young warlock’s shoulder, “Where did the other girls go?”

“I have no idea,” Rivalen shook his head and shrugged. “However, I would like an audience with the king since there is no one else here.”

“I don’t believe you’re suited for the position,” the official said curtly.

“I believe I’m more suited for the position than you realize,” Rivalen said confidently. “If you let me speak with the king, I think you’ll find that he agrees with me.”

“Very well,” the official sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I suppose there’s no harm since the other girls seem to have left.” He opened the door and waved his hand, gesturing for Rivalen to come inside. “King Cedric will see you now.”

“Thank you,” Rivalen nodded and stepped through the doorway.

This was where he got his first look at the man he was supposed to kill.

King Cedric was an older man, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t strong. Rivalen could see the outline of hard muscles beneath the sleeves of his white, silk shirt. While the man was still able-bodied, however, Rivalen was also certain that Cedric wouldn’t stand a chance against his own powers. He swallowed anxiously, feeling a sudden surge of anger. This was the man who outlawed magic from all of Miroin and sent every wizard into hiding; the man who sentenced his mother to death. Here he was, sitting in a room alone and completely unguarded, and Rivalen could take his life with a single wave of his hand.

But he knew he shouldn’t. If he killed Cedric now, the king’s two children would be taken into protection and he would be unable to get rid of them, too. He bit back his anger and forced himself to relax. In order for this mission to be successful, he had to be patient and wait for a moment when all three members of the royal family were vulnerable. So, instead of summoning a bath of flames to burn Cedric alive or enchanting the tapestries on the walls to smother him to death, Rivalen simply leaned forward in a begrudging bow, “Your Highness.”

If possible, the king looked more surprised to see him than his official had. His eyes widened as they fell on Rivalen’s unexpected form. After staring at him for a moment, Cedric turned to the official with an impatient glare, “What is this?”

“This,” the official said stiffly. “Is our final candidate for the position, Sire. He believes he has some… special qualifications that distinguish him from the others.”

“Is that so?” Cedric mused, looking Rivalen over skeptically. “Does he know that I will only accept a woman for this role?”

“I understand perfectly,” Rivalen spoke up, taking a step forward. “But I believe that you will make an exception for me.”

“And just why would I do that?” Cedric scoffed. “Take this fool out of my sight, Alain.”

“Your Highness, wait,” Rivalen went on persistently. “I assure you, my motives are pure. I intend to protect your daughter, not harm her.”

The king pursed his lips in thoughtful silence, a gesture which told the warlock that he had made the right proposition. Cedric was obviously worried about Morold’s frequent attacks on the kingdom, all of which had been slowly getting closer to the castle, so he must have been afraid for the princess’s safety as well. This was the key Rivalen could use to get in, and luckily his suspicion was proven correct when the king spoke again, “Go on.”

Rivalen nodded, fidgeting slightly in his eagerness, “I believe your majesty will be pleased to know that I am skilled in fighting those wizards that have been tormenting you, and I wish to offer my services to protect your daughter.”

“I have plenty of knights who would be willing to do the same job,” the king pointed out, though he leaned forward in his chair, seeming interested in Rivalen’s words. “Why should I hire an outsider whom I have no reason to trust?”

“Because I am more capable than your knights,” Rivalen explained. “I have information about your enemies that the royal guards don’t know and may not be capable of understanding without getting close to someone who uses magic. For me, that person was a friend who is now deceased. Of course, I feel no regret about his execution. He was violent in nature, a typical characteristic of wizards, so it is better for everyone that he is gone now. The only good that came out of our friendly relationship was that I learned of a critical weakness in him that I also found to be true for every other wizard; one that I’ve used to kill three others already.”

“And what is that?” Cedric asked, his interest now audibly piqued.

“Well, I can’t tell you that,” Rivalen said. “If you knew my secret, you wouldn’t give me the job I want.”

“This sounds like trickery to me,” the king narrowed his eyes.

“If I’m lying, you’ll easily find out the next time a wizard attacks, now won’t you?”

King Cedric paused at that before nodding in agreement, “Very well, but what have you to gain from protecting Roxanne? I refuse to believe that you want to take this position out of the goodness of your heart.”

“You aren’t wrong. I want payment in silver coins and a room in the castle.”

“In return for my daughter’s safety?” Cedric leaned back in his chair. “That sounds fair to me. I will give you the job, witch-slayer.” He turned to the official, Alain. “Escort our guest…”

“Rivalen,” he supplied his own name with a polite smile.

“Yes. Alain, escort Rivalen to the stables. Roxanne should be there now, and I want her to meet her new personal attendant.”

“Sire, are you certain that this is a good idea?” Alain asked concernedly. “A young man attending your daughter? It sounds suspicious to me.”

“You worry too much,” Cedric shook his head and turned back to Rivalen. “I’m sure our guest is aware that if he tries to do anything indecent, his head will roll before he can speak another word with that silver tongue of his.”

“Naturally,” Rivalen bowed again.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Alain bent forward in a reluctant bow as well and then gestured for Rivalen to follow him out the door. “Come with me, sir, and I will take you to see Princess Roxanne.”

Don't Get Caught [FaithfulMuse + Summer]

Ah, sorry for the delay @.@
I'm in California, so I don't have much time to write!
I'll try to work on a post while I'm here, but it might not get done until I come home on Tuesday.

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

Rivalen

Age
23

Gender
Male

Race
Warlock (human born with magic)

Family
Father: Morold
Mother: Lynne (deceased)

Short Biography
Rivalen was born and raised on the outskirts of the kingdom in a small village by the name of Oldpine. His life there was about as quaint as it could be—if one overlooked the army of knights that wanted his kind dead. With the king so determined to kill off anyone capable of using magic, Rivalen and his family were always on the run. They were forced to hide their natural born talents from the rest of the village for fear of being turned in to the king’s men who would not hesitate to execute them on the spot. It was a life of little rest, but Rivalen managed to make the most of it…

…Until the knights caught his mother.

For Rivalen, the memory still lingers in the form of occasional nightmares, but for his father, it was a life-altering trauma. After his wife’s public execution, Morold became filled with hatred for the king and everything he stood for. He began taking his revenge through what appeared to be magical attacks on the kingdom, but in reality these attacks were merely decoys to distract the king from his main plan: Morold was going to send his son to take the lives of every member of the royal family, thus cutting off the king’s lineage and leaving an empty throne for him to assume.

In preparation for the final strike, Morold fed Rivalen messages of hate, teaching the eight-year-old boy to despise the king and training him to control his powers so that he would be both eager and able to complete the task. Now, after fifteen long years of manipulation, Rivalen is final being dispatched to the palace where he is to carry out his duty for his father.

Other
Every witch or warlock has a “tell” that gives him/her away when he/she uses magic: a slight, golden-colored glow around the center of the iris. Rivalen is no exception to this rule.

Royally Enchanted [MyCatGinger + Summer]

I realized that we totally forgot to choose a name for the kingdom XP
We should probably get all of that political stuff out of the way (kingdom, currency, ruler, army, etc...)