Discovering Reality
by RikugouStandard Disclaimer: No part of this story may be reproduced anywhere else but here. The characters, plot, language, names and spells belong to the author. This is an original story people. All of the characters are MINE!
Notes: Thanks for some of the 'spells' Kit!
Chapter 2
The 'it' Jasen had mentioned was definitely male although the face was framed by long silver hair tied back by a leather thong reaching mid-back, and had weird silver-blue cat slitted eyes. His ears also tapered to a delicate point. These incriminating details pointed to the fact that he was definitely not human. The Elf's eyes whirled around to meet his and Terry felt for a moment a mixture of shock, joy and surprise. A wordless conversation went on between them for what seemed like eternity. The red head shook himself out of the trance.
Terry shrugged mentally and observed the people surrounding him. Facial expressions ranged from fearful to hateful and from smug to grim. It didn't help that the Elf bared his slightly more pronounced canines at the crowd. They moved back fearfully in a loud 'Oh'.
"Let me go!" he shouted in some language. None of the people in the crowd seemed to understand it but somehow, Terry did. "I need to go find Myterinth! I don't have any time for this, humans!"
"What is it saying?" asked several people. Terry chose not to tell them that he understood. They might take it the wrong way and then throw him in the cage with him.
"I said let me go, humans!" he said in their language. A low murmur ran through the crowd at the surprise they felt when they heard the otherworldly creature speak in their tongue.
"What are they going to do with the Elf?" Terry asked, never taking his eyes off of him.
"The Fendricks are keeping it as a pet. They are animal trainers after all," said one.
Green eyes took on a look filled with disgust at the way the people treated the Elf, as if he was an uncivilized animal. He immediately began to review a plan to free him. Nothing, not even wild beasts, deserved to stay in a cage as if they were lower than dirt and only worth as much as they looked.
Slowly, Terry backed away. The crowds of people were too immersed in poking and prodding at the Elf to notice his disappearance. Even the ever observant Jasen didn't even realize he was gone. Running all the way home, he quickly locked the door and ran up to his room.
He then made a search for a set of black clothes he owned and his binoculars. Pulling them on, he crept to the dark garden behind his house. Lush gardens were the rage for everyone in the neighborhood. As long as one was silent and kept to the shadows, which were plenty because of the plants, it was possible for one to go to any house on the same block. Putting on his soft shoes and leather gloves, Terry made his way silently towards his destination.
He decided that the house next door was as close as he could go without breaking his cover. His breath nearly stopped when he saw one of the Fendricks look in his direction. Calming his nerves, he climbed to the flat roof. Taking out his binoculars, he switched them to the highest magnification and began to observe them. He would have to get the Elf as far away from the Fendricks as possible when he got the chance. The crowd began to disperse around an hour after he got settled into his hiding place.
His vigil was not a silent one, at least not physically. Terry paused to ask himself if he had just gone insane. He was about to break into a house and steal someone's pet! The Elf did not deserve to be kept as such but was he worth committing a felony? He was never this impulsive before. His thoughts were cut short when he saw one of the Fendricks, Henry if he remembered, push the cage to their backyard. Laughing and kidding around with his parents, they filed into the house.
He sighed and waited until all the lights were put out. By then, it was already dark out. Carefully, he made his way down the trellis located on the side of the house he was on. Because he was so light, it was thankfully able to take his weight. Quietly, he ran to the cage. The Elf inside saw him and his eyes narrowed. "Idiotic human wants to have me as their pet, too?" he snorted in his language. Terry's eyes hardened and he growled.
"I don't care if you trust me or not but I'm trying to help you get out of here," he growled as he studied the lock on the cage. Terry made a silent prayer to whatever gods might be listening and put his hand over it. Some time ago, he had discovered a strange power he possessed. Researching, he had found something in a book of witchcraft that allowed him to get some modicum of control over it. If he said a couple of lines of words while picturing the act in his head being done, he was usually able to accomplish it. Of course, the power had its drawbacks since he could only use it for small things.
Calming his breathing, he closed his eyes.
"I call the Earth, I call the Fire,
Work thy will, convey my desire.
With harm to none, I promise thee.
As I will, so mote it be."In his mind, he pictured a golden mist appearing around his hand and opening the lock. He made quick work of the contraption and soon had the Elf free. "Follow me," he gestured.
"You look harmless enough, although I'm not sure what to expect from a witch," the Elf mumbled to himself. Terry clenched his teeth together. That was the second insult from the Elf. One more and he was going to throw him to the lions.
Rolling his eyes, he grabbed his wrist, ignoring the spark of electricity which ran up his arm. Jasen was sure to have noticed his disappearance after he left. He couldn't go back to his house and explain why to him. Remembering something that his fencing teacher had once said, he decided to take the Elf to Mr. McHenry's house. He pulled the Elf to the back gardens and motioned for him to follow. Silence was of the utmost importance. The Elf smirked at him and wrapped an arm around his waist. In one powerful leap, they were on the roof.
:This is faster. Show me where to go and I shall take you,: the Elf said, not out loud but in his mind!
Terry's eyes widened in shock and amazement.
:Humans do not have telepaths or something?: he said, quirking an eyebrow.
"Um, not that I know of," Terry muttered. Grumbling something about supernatural know-it-alls, he looked off into the darkness, estimating how far they would have to go in order to reach Mr. McHenry. He thanked the gods once again for dark clothes when someone passed them by from below. Two people on the roof late at night was not a normal event. The Elf calmly picked him up maiden-in-distress style. The Elf must have read his mind because the Elf began to jump from roof to roof in the direction of his teacher's house. Surprised, Terry threw his arms around the Elf's neck and closed his eyes against the wind whipping against them.
In less than two minutes, they were there. Sighing in relief, he dropped soundlessly to the balcony leading to Mr. McHenry's bedroom. Luckily, the fencing champion was still up even at the late hour. His amber eyes widened when they saw him and he quickly opened the door. The Elf followed him in. Mr. McHenry's eyes widened even more when they saw the Elf.
"Alexius? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise and not in human speech but the strange language the Elf spoke. Terry was surprised that the person he seemed so close to still had so many secrets.
"Spartye! It's Feryngale. Jespheras has finally shown his true colors. He gathered his forces and attacked without trying to hide his identity or who he sided with. Shiriden is backing him up. I have been told by the remainder of the Council to fetch Prince Myterinth. I was informed that only you knew where he is hidden in the Human World. He captured the rulers and we are not certain how long they will liv--mmph?"
'Mr. McHenry' had covered his mouth with his hand.
Terry looked on in confusion and surprise, his brow furrowing. "What are you talking about?"
"Imbecilic mage," Spartye growled into his ear.
"Would somebody tell me what is going on here?! Who is Jespheras, what is Feryngale and Shiriden and why are you talking about some prince!," Terry yelled. Nobody seemed to be noticing him and it was starting to get on his nerves.
The silver haired Elf looked at him in surprise. He had, in fact, forgotten that he was still there.
"Mr. McHenry, would you please tell me what is going on? If not you, then you!" he said, pointing a slender finger at Alexius.
"Hyrule did not want me to bring his child into the war, Alexius. I am sworn to protect the boy. If he is needed, then I am going as well. The Council will either respect that or live with it. I will not abandon him."
"Does ANYbody know I'm here?" Terry shouted again, waving his arms around frantically.
"Alexius, I would like you to meet Prince Myterinth," Spartye said, gently pushing Terry forward.
"Wait a minute--Prince Myterinth? The last time I checked, I was a normal teenager. Not some prince of Elves!"
The silver-blue eyed Elf quickly dropped to one knee and apologized profusely. "I am sorry, your highness. I was not aware that you were the prince. You know what the Elves think of the humans."
"ARGH! You get up," Terry said, forcefully bringing Alexius to his feet. Whirling around, he turned to his fencing teacher. "You are going to explain all this."
"I think the communication orb I have will explain it better," Alexius offered.
"Yes, it will. We must move quickly for the Fendricks will know soon enough that you are not in your cage," Spartye explained.
From a leather pouch at his waist, Alexius gingerly took out a glowing blue ball. It hovered in the air for a few moments before a three-dimensional picture appeared.
"D-Dad," Terry stuttered. Then, his eyes widened in shock. His father never had cat slitted eyes nor did he have pointed ears before. Next to him appeared his mother, but the person was clearly male. He also had no chest to speak of. "M-Mom?!"
"Spartye, old friend. I am sorry to say that I must make you break the promise you made to me. You must bring Myterinth to Feryngale. Terry, if you have received this message, this means that we are in trouble. I know that you have no reason to trust me anymore because I have forced you to grow up earlier than normal elflings but things were going against me.
"As you can see, I am from a race of Elves as is the person you call your mother. The Elves do not have females that resemble the humans as we are an entire civilization of males. But our goddess, Ashia, has given all of us the ability to carry and produce children. So in a sense, we are a more developed race than those in the Human World. We had Alian dress up in female clothes to fool the humans. We wanted you to have a peaceful childhood away from the kingdom so we chose the Human World," he said. Alian continued.
"Feryngale is beautiful world with lush forests but we wanted you to grow up normally. As a prince, you would have lead a lonely childhood. Also, that role would force us to leave you alone for long periods of time. I know that we've been leaving you alone more and more since you were six but a war has ravaged our wonderful kingdom. It saps our time together until nothing is left. You have received the training of a very talented warrior. Spartye has taught you well but you have not embraced your true heritage.
"You were destined to become a great leader, elfling. Your father and I are both warriors but I am a Healer while he is a Mage. We expected you to be of either calling but never to be of both and be so powerful. Those that possess both gifts are rare and are generally much weaker in one element than those who have it as major alignment. You seem to be the exception," co-ruler Alian said.
"Son, I have sent Warrior-Mage Alexius with this message for he is to train you in your Mage-Gifts and basic Healing-Gifts for he is the only one with such talents although his Healing powers are not that strong. His Warrior-Healer brother shall fully educate you in that segment of your powers. You must come and help Feryngale, son. For you are our last hope for this kingdom. May Ashia protect you always, Myterinth..."
"Mom. Dad," Terry cried out, his hand reaching out for the fading image of his parents.
"I thought as much. Hyrule never told me about your powers though," Spartye said.
Terry began to smile and then giggle. After a while, he was all out laughing hysterically with harsh sobs. He fell to his knees as silver tears began to run down his face. "I wanted something interesting to happen and I got it. Why am I not happy that my wish was fulfilled?"
Vaguely, he felt arms wrap around his body. He just didn't care anymore. Terry reached up and wrapped his arms around whoever was holding him and cried into the crook of his neck. "Shhh, elfling. Everything will be all right. Ashia has ordained it so. So don't go worrying your pretty little head off," said a soothing voice. The person who was comforting him made soothing sounds. Gradually, the smaller boy calmed down.
"I got your clothes wet," he sniffled as he reluctantly backed away from the strong arms. He looked into those strange cat slitted silver-blue eyes and felt himself drowning in them before he mentally shook himself out of his trance.
"That's okay. Everyone needs a good cry once in a while right?" Alexius said with a crooked smile.
"Now that you are finished, shall we go fetch the prince's belongings? We must leave as soon as possible. By tomorrow, these people will retain no memory of us ever being here. It's too dangerous. This place is obsessed with ridding the world of non-humans and I do not want to remain any longer. It has been a while since I have roamed the forests of Feryngale," he said.
"W-We have to l-leave? Can't I say good-bye to Jasen first?"
"I do not think that would be wise. He will be under the same spell as the rest of this neighborhood. Besides, his family has been living here for generations as have the rest of them. They are all superstitious of what they do not know. Do you think Jasen will take well to the fact that you are an Elf, much less the prince of the entire race. We must leave as soon as possi--"
"OPEN UP! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE Elf-LOVERS!" came an angry shout.
"Drat, it's too late. We have to leave, now! I have to go get something. Alexius, you take the prince away and under no uncertain terms are you to let him out of your sight or hands," Spartye growled before running downstairs.
"Well, you heard him, your highness. We have to go," Alexius said.
"B-But," stuttered Terry.
"You don't want to get into their hands. They shot me at least five times with guns to make sure I could be captured. They're lucky that we Elves can heal rather fast but nothing can heal quick enough to avoid being killed by a heart shot," Alexius said grimly.
"Okay, let's go," Terry said, beginning to walk towards the bedroom door.
"No, back the way we came. I'm sure that they haven't begun to surround the backyard yet, your highness," Alexius said before flipping the smaller boy into his arms. There was no time for him to convince the prince. Instinctively, Terry wrapped his arms around Alexius neck and then they were off. The silver haired Elf leapt straight down a three-story house and fell soundlessly onto the ground. The second he landed, he began to run towards the forest. Someone obviously spotted him because of his silver hair shimmering from the moonlight and gave chase. The roar of motorcycles echoed through the night.
"Give him back to us! He means nothing to you! If you do that, then we will leave you be," came a familiar voice. Terry's green eyes tentatively peeked over Alexius shoulder to see Jasen brandishing a pistol. Nothing in his face could he associate with that of his friendly companion. Spartye was right. They were superstitious to the point of being obsessed with what was natural and unnatural.
"If they shoot, I'm not sure if we can get you to safety. I may be fast but I do not think I can outrun those machines, your majesty," Alexius told him.
"We'll get there. I trust you, Alexius. I don't know why but I do," Terry whispered back to him. Gunshots were heard and Terry looked anxiously at the ever thickening crowd of motorcyclists. He never knew so many people owned them in his neighborhood. He heard a half-stifled groan of pain. His green eyes widened when he saw the gunshot wound.
"I told you they were ruthless. They will use any means of putting me down. They are blinded by their obsession to the point that friends do not recognize friends," Alexius said through clenched teeth. "The only reason they haven't taken out the heavy artillery yet is because their subconscious is telling them that someone they know very well has been kidnapped by a creature of their demons, my liege." Terry's weight in his arms did not help the new wound that he had gotten.
Terry was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to heal that wound, but how? Then he remembered his--uh, mother's words, 'Your father and I are both warriors but I am a Healer while he is a Mage. The most we expected was for you to be of either calling but never to be of both and be so powerful...'
I can do this. I have to at least try to heal him. I could always tell him to put me down but I know he won't do it, he thought. Might as well try. I at least know the rudimentary skills to use this weird gift.
The braided boy put a gentle hand on top of the wound and closed his eyes. Centering himself, he calmed all his thoughts and left but one need to heal Alexius' wound. In his mind, he saw a green light suffusing his hand. Terry willed the power to compress and pushed it outwards. When he opened his eyes again, the gunshot wound was no longer there.
"Are you sure you are untrained?" Alexius asked, glancing briefly at his healed arm.
"Not entirely untrained, just half-trained," Terry said, a bit breathless from the Healing.
"Hmm, in that case. I need you to..." Alexius then began to explain to him how to conjure up a mage light, use it to blind people and form a shield just in case their pursuers would shoot blindly. They needed to get away from the motorcyclists as fast as they could.
Ignoring the bullets flying around them, Terry concentrated on making a ball of energy appear in his palm. At first a small white ball appeared before growing bigger to about the size of a volleyball. Smiling in triumph, he willed it to fly towards the crowd following them. He heard shouts of alarm and the screeching of tires. Closing his eyes and turning his head to the crook of Alexius' head, Terry mentally released the energy from its confined spherical shape, keeping a thin shield between them. A flash of light illuminated the sky, turning night into day for a brief moment.
"I--did not--get this tired--busting the lock, why am I--so tired--now?" he asked.
"The ability to use magick is like a muscle. It would be a person who never walked before in his life started to walk. Believe me, you will get better at this. Unlike a muscle, using magick is much easier to exercise and keep in shape. Besides, you used more than the required amount of magick to make a simple mage light and from what I've seen, you have only used the smaller magicks," Alexius said. "There's the forest."
"Is Feryngale--somewhere--in the forest?" Terry asked, still a bit breathless and starting to feel a headache coming on.
"Oh, no. Of course not. It's in another dimension entirely. I called a dimensional gate in order to come to the Human World," he said. "Do you see anyone following us?"
"Um, not anymore. Where did Mr. McHenry--I mean, Spartye go?" he asked.
"I'm not sure myself. But I know the old goat can take care of himself. After all, he hasn't lived for over seven hundred years for nothing..."
"S-Seven hundred years?!" Terry squeaked.
"We Elves are immortal as well as eternally young. But that does not mean we are invincible. You don't survive through hundreds of years without learning some tricks or sitting on your arse," Alexius said, panting a bit. Finally, he reached the forest and he relaxed a bit, feeling safer surrounded by the green plants than anywhere else in the Human World. A small rustling sound made him whirl around. A soft chuckle invaded his thoughts.
"Took you long enough," said a voice. Out of nowhere, Spartye appeared. Terry stared and then stared some more.
"Mr. McHenry?"
"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" he asked with a smirk. No longer did Terry's fencing teacher look human. He sported the same pointed ears that Alexis had and his amber eyes glowed slightly in the darkness of the forest with cat slitted pupils. The points of his fangs were visible when he smirked. He was clad entirely in dark greens and browns which blended wonderfully with the trees around them. Also, Spartye seemed to have lost at least ten years. In his hands was a long cloth wrapped package and a small leather bag.
Alexius put Terry down to stand of his own power so he could call the dimensional gate. Spartye pulled Terry away so the silver haired Elf could concentrate without outside distractions.
"Should I worry that I might get interrupted by humans?" Alexius asked.
"That problem is solved already. I wiped their minds of our presence and they are as clueless as ever," Spartye assured him.
Briefly, Terry mourned the loss of his laptop and nibbled on the end of his braid nervously. He was about to be sent to a world that probably no human had ever gone before. Well, he wasn't human but he looked like one. How was he supposed to help an entire race of Elves or gain their trust if he looked like a human?
"Do not worry, elfling," Spartye said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Terry smiled weakly at him and watched Alexius work.
Graceful arms traced glowing runes into the air as he mumbled the incantation under his breath.
"Earth, air, fire, water,
Wind, rock, tree, sand,
Light, dark, sun, moon,
Take us now across the land."A whirlpool of light appeared before him before the image of softly rolling green hills and meadows of multicolored flowers appeared in its place. Alexius turned and gave them a smile before bowing extravagantly. "After you, my prince and King's Champion."
"Come along, elfling. We need to go. A dimensional gate saps the energy of the maker and we do not want Alexius too tired to cast spells," Spartye said, pushing Terry ahead of him.
"I-Is that thing safe?" Terry squeaked.
"Of course it is! I made it!" Alexius said, pouting a bit. A devious smile formed on his face and he shoved Terry over to the other side. Spartye glared at him a bit but did not say anything. He knew as well as the silver haired Elf that it would have taken too long to convince the Elf prince to cross the gate. Quickly he crossed the gate after Terry.
***
Terry felt a vague feeling of falling before landing on his face and smelling grass? He opened his eyes to see a clear sunny sky. Wasn't it night a second ago? He rolled clear of the gate just in time for Spartye to step through. A moment later, Alexius did as well. The taking down of the gate was much faster. It was just a simple matter of taking the energy back into himself.
Alexius wiped the back of his hand over his slightly sweaty brow. "Shouldn't you revert to your true form, your highness?" he asked.
"I don't know how. As far as I knew until about an hour ago, I was a human," Terry snapped.
"This should be able to solve that problem," Spartye intervened. He unwrapped the bundle he was carrying the entire time to reveal an ornately carved sheath containing a sword. The handle was made of what seemed like gold with inlaid emeralds that stood for the eyes of the dragon carved onto it. Terry took it in slightly shaking hands.
"I-I recognize this sword from when I was young and just starting to learn how to fence. I used to watch my Dad polish it and I would reach for it even though I was too small. He would then laugh and tell me that I wasn't supposed to get it until I was older and trained in the magick and Healing arts. I-I had forgotten that conversation because I never saw the sword again until now," Terry said, his eyes far away. He pulled it out of its case and held it up to observe the gleam of the blade in the sun. He was caught into its hypnotic beauty.
Alexius and Spartye instinctively took a step back when they saw a bright white glow suffuse Terry into its embrace. His eyes became a bit more angled upwards at the corners. His green eyes were now catlike in appearance and his ears became pointed. Instead of the thin black clothes he was wearing previously, lightweight dark green armor appeared, along with a pair of black leather breaches and boots, a fashion more in the cut of Alexius and Spartye's clothing than the garments he had been wearing previously.
On his head sat a simple silver coronet with a circular emerald stone the same color as the gems in his sword. Terry slowly lowered his sword and smiled sadly at them. "I guess that Terry Aildeus no longer exists in this world does he," he said softly, more to himself than to his new protectors.
From now on, I am Prince Myterinth, future ruler to all of Feryngale.
Chapter 3