Duke Tremont walked down the hallway of his manor, preparing to share a breakfast with his two daughters. He was followed by his Adjunct, as well as close friend, Lars. He didn't want to be late for their regular family breakfast, but he always had to take care of his demanding role as duke. "What do we have today, Lars?", Duke Tremont asked as they rounded the corner to enter the private dining area.
"We having a meeting with the Duke of Manor Baelson at the 12th hour. Following after, we must inspect the 2nd Noble Guard Squadron. If all goes well, we may have enough time to visit one of the knights. Might I suggest that we visit Sir Francis. He has always been very loyal and his contract is due for renewal in about a fourthmonth's time", Lars replied.
"Sir Francis is getting too old to continue to fight, even if he wishes to", the Duke answered. "He should focus on his family. I know that he misses his daughter during his missions."
"May I recommend Sir Carlton? He is rather young and he knows his way around the battlefield."
"Sir Carlton was written up for insubordination twice. He may be an asset in this war, but he must mature before I begin to consider him for promotions."
"That does not leave us with many options. We may have to delay mee…", Lars replied, interrupted by a strange sensation. "Your Grace, I sense a foreign energy before us."
The Duke stopped in his tracks and manifested his Aether into an armor. Lars quickly followed suit, forming an armor while converting his Aether into Maga in preparation. The sensation continued for almost a full minute, causing them to begin to feel anxious. Just as they were about to call for reinforcements, a man appeared on the floor.
"What the hell!?!", Lars exclaimed in shock.
He had never seen anyone as young as the boy teleport before, let alone into the manor. Even the notion of it was unheard of, at least it was for a human.
Lars walked up to the man and reached down to assess him. He noticed that he was unconscious, but he was still alive and breathing. "Your Grace, he is alive", Lars said as he began to strike different points on the man's body. "For now he is Blocked. I will summon the guards to detain him for now."
Spreading his Aether out throughout the manor, he found the nearest patrol and summoned them to their location. Once the guards arrived, they saluted the Duke. "Your Grace", they exclaimed.
"Detain the boy on charges of trespassing and place him in holding", the Duke responded. "Keep him Blocked, but do not harm him in any other manner. Master Lars wishes to question him further."
"As you wish, Your Grace", the guards said with practiced precision as they picked the man up and walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~
Richard woke up chained to a cold wall. He was disoriented and confused. He looked around to try to get his bearings, but all he could see was a room made out of nothing but stone, chains that were around his wrists and ankles, and a door that let in a bit of light. The last thing he remembered was being sick and passing out. Everything after that was hazy, so he couldn't figure out where he was or how he had gotten there.
As he lowered his head and tried to calm himself, he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door. The sound grew until they finally stopped in front of his door. Suddenly, light began to flow into the room as the door opened, causing Richard to go blind for a few seconds. "Master Lars wishes to question you, boy", one of the men stated as he unlocked the chains which were connected to the wall. "Attempts to resist will be met with aggression and Blockage."
"Blockage?", Richard asked, confused about what he meant.
"Do not play stupid with me, boy", the man replied before grabbing Richard under his shoulder and dragging him towards the door. "It would be best to be cautious around us. Your Aether is so weak that my men would not even enjoy suppressing you."
Richard looked down to the ground and allowed himself to be dragged by the man. He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew all too well when it was time to just submit. So, all he could do was nod his compliance.
~~~~~~~~~~
Duke Tremont walked up to his chair at the head of the family dining table and took his seat. With a smooth motion that could only come from repetition, he grabbed his napkin and placed it over his lap as he began to say grace. Once he ended his prayer, he motioned for his two daughters to begin to eat. "How are my two beautiful flowers?", the Duke asked as he began to cut the piece of ham on his plate.
"Fairly good, Father", the older girl answered, taking a quick bite of her bread. "I was looking through my wardrobe and I could not help but notice that I require more Rubles to order a dress for the upcoming ball."
"As always", the younger girl whispered under her breath.
"Father, I think that my younger sister is jealous of me."
"Father, I am not jealous of Tricia. I just do not understand why she must waste so many Rubles on her appearance."
"Oh, hush. I am of twenty-five seasons and am to be courted. If I am to have the best choices of suitors, I must display my beauty in all of its glory."
"I do not believe your appearance is the problem if you have not found a suitor by the age of twenty-five seasons. Maybe there are more unaddressed issues that deters potential suitors from taking the hand of the Great Duke Tremont's daughter.
"You two behave", the Duke said as he continued to eat. "Now, as you may have heard by now, a young man has appeared on the estate in an unusual manner. He is currently being questioned by Master Lars. If he manages to escape, however, you two will need to secure yourselves within one of the Barrier Rooms."
"Father, was he unconscious when he appeared?", the younger girl asked, putting her utensils down.
"How did you know that, Dear?", the Duke asked, amazed by how fast information flowed to his daughter.
"Was his skin dark and had her black hair?"
"Were you eavesdropping on us", the Duke questioned as he began to wonder how she knew so much about the incident.
"I am sorry to interrupt, Father, but I believe that I should go see the Diviner."
~~~~~~~~~~
Richard sat in a chair, still chained from his appendages. In front of him stood a man he believed to be Master Lars. Beside him was a woman who wore one of the most elegant medieval dress he had ever seen. "They must be stuck in the past, huh", Richard thought to himself to try to make his mood a bit lighter. Around the room, he could see guards posted in every corner. He knew that he didn't have any chance of resisting, so he just sat there and waited for whatever would come about.
After what felt like hours, the woman walked up to him. As Richard watched her to see what she would do, he saw an indigo light begin to flow out of her body. At first, it began to mesmerize him. However, he soon began to experience the beginning of a migraine. It wasn't as bad as the one he experienced back in his dorm room, but it was comparable to it.
The woman didn't seem to notice his wincing, or maybe she didn't care. She continued to walk up to him and placed her hand on his forehead. Fearing her touch, Richard shut his eyes and pulled away ever so slightly. He relaxed a bit when he realized that she wasn't going to strike him, but he was startled once again when he saw the same light appear behind his closed eyelids.
"I cannot tell whether he is resisting me or if there is external interference, but I can not seem to reach any further than his surface thoughts", the woman stated.
"Maybe you need to increase the pressure to overcome his Cloak", Master Lars replied, raising his hand when he saw that she was going to protest. "I know the risks. However, we must find his origin and purpose of appearing here."
She seemed to be thinking it over for a few seconds, just standing there with her eyes closed. With a sigh, she reinforced the energy inside of his head and allowed more of her Maga to flow into Richard. His migraine intensified, but he slowly began to also feel a foreign presence within his mind. He didn't know what was happening, but he slowly grew used to the foreign presence in his head. He found that if he accepted it, the migraine would lessen and he could manage the pain. She finally removed her hand from his forehead, but he still felt the foreign presence. "He resisted initially, but he seemed to have accepted it. If you wish to interrogate him, you may proceed", she exclaimed, having began to sweat.
"Tell me, boy", Master Lars said as he walked up to Richard, "what is your name?"
"I am Richard Corbyn", Richard answered.
The woman nodded, telling Lars that there was no deceit. "Well, Richard Corbyn, what is the purpose of your appearance in this place?"
"To be honest, sir, I don't know. I remember being sick at home and passing out on my bed. The next thing I know, I woke up in chains."
The woman once again nodded her head to Lars, catching him by surprise. "So where is home for you, Richard?"
"Pocatello, Idaho."
"I have never heard of such place. What region is it located in?"
"The United States."
Richard looked at the expression of confusion on Lars's face and became confused himself. "In North America", Richard continued, still receiving a confused expression in response.
"On Earth."
"He is either a master at manipulating his thoughts or he is telling the truth", the woman stated. "All of his preconscious thoughts shows a land in which you could never imagine."
"Are you not of this realm?", Master Lars asked Richard.
"What is this realm?", Richard asked in response.
"This is the Kingdom Of Raosien."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I've never heard of Raosien", Richard said as he looked away.
Lars looked over to the woman, but she could only shrug in response. Nothing about Richard was making sense to Lars. If he was to believe everything that was said, Richard was from a far away place and had no recollection of coming to this realm, which he had never even heard of. "If everything you have said was true, then you were transported here against your will", the woman stated, bringing Lars out of his train of thought.
"Even if he was, who transported him and what was their ulterior motive?", Master Lars asked her.
The door to the room opened at that moment, causing Richard to look over. He was met with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They shone, almost as though they were a melted pot of the richest, finest gold. They stared at him and grasped his attention. He likened them to honey slowly dripping from a honeycomb, slow and smooth, yet so captivating.
"I am sorry for the intrusion, Madam Cecie", the golden eyed woman said, "but may I ple…"
The woman stood there and stared at Richard in wonder. He could feel the intensity of her gaze as he took in her beauty. It felt as though they were entranced by each other for an eternity until Madam Cecie finally interrupted them. "Lady Saria, what is troubling you?"
"Huh?", the woman, who Richard assumed was Lady Saria, asked as they broke eye contact. "Oh, my apologies, Madam. May I please have a word with you?"
"If you are willing to wait until the interrogation is complete, I will be more that happy to speak with you", Madam Cecie answered.
"I have gained enough information for the time being", Master Lars interjected. "I must retire to my study to decide on the next course of action prior to Our Grace's meeting."
"Well, then", Madam Cecie replied, walking towards the door. "I will take my leave, Master Lars. I will send the guards in to escort young Richard back to his cell if you wish it."
"Thank you, that would be appreciated."
Madam Cecie nodded before walking out of the door and signaling the guards to enter the room. As they walked in and began to pull him from his chair, Richard snuck one last glance at Saria and felt a jolt run through his being.