THE THIRD MAGE 4 First Day

Denaire realized while walking down that scary street is that n.o.bles do nothing except for mastering their magic. They do not require too much work to sustain life for they are provided by the kingdom. Because, one day, if they do master their own magic, they will be the strongest knights in the kingdom. They would be the ones who'll defend when catastrophe arrives.

Denaire stopped contemplating about the n.o.bles and continued walking while clutching a small piece of paper. This paper was given by Queen Iris yesterday. It was a map towards the new home of Lady Samarra.

When she reached the X mark, what she saw took the sound out of her. She opened her mouth in a silent 'Oh'.

The house was huge, clad in an elegant lavender paint. Denaire supposed it has several storeys because of the windows that reach the ceiling. The gate was a little high so she couldn't see the entrance. But she could already conclude that this house was very beautiful and magnificent.

The gate finally opened and there came the annoying voice of Prince Amon. "Oh here comes the no-mage. Were you tired of walking?"

Denaire glared at the Prince's shoes. She already hated the boy, but she put it all down and made a deep bow.

"Greetings Prince Amon. I have come to serve Lady Samarra."

"I know. I know." Prince Amon replied apathetically while waving his hand. "She has been waiting for you for a long time. Come in."

Denaire followed the Prince to the inside. She noticed there was a fountain at the center of the front lawn with rose bushes guiding the path. The entrance was elevated by three flights of marble stairs and centered by a huge wooden double-door.

As she set foot inside the house, she was met by a huge empty s.p.a.ce. She was slack-jawed for a second, but immediately came back to her senses when she realized it must be the ballroom. 'What a huge ballroom.' She thought that she wouldn't even complete rolling around this huge s.p.a.ce for just a day. 'Oh the rich and the famous!'

A tiny voice then called out to her, "Denaire!"

Denaire immediately looked for the sound of the voice, only to be knocked down by a chubby Lady Samarra.

"Oof!" exclaimed Denaire. She felt a slight pain on her lower back, probably from the impact.

"Samarra!" the Queen's voice overpowered the pain Denaire felt that she immediately jumped to stand up, only to be put down by the return of the pain.

"Oh."

The Queen immediately went to her side. "Denaire are you alright?"

"Your Majesty, I--I--"

"Tell me where is the pain?"

Denaire pointed her hand at her back. She couldn't care less if she were out of decorum. The only thing she can think of at that moment is to take the pain away.

"Here?" the Queen confirmed by placing her hand on top of the pain site.

Denaire nodded vigorously. She immediately felt that she was floating on air. She opened her eyes and sure enough, her whole body was a few feet away from the floor.

"Amon, get up from the couch." the Queen commanded, which earned her a grumble from the Prince. The Queen didn't care of his son's att.i.tude. She was now focused on curing the child.

She carefully placed the girl on the cot, face down.

"Denaire, listen to me. I will heal your back, just tell me if there are any changes in the pain. Okay?"

Denaire could only nod, the pain was growing so intense.

And then, Queen Iris placed her glowing hands on Denaire's back. She a.s.sessed the girl's injury and sucked in a breath. She found out that there was a little fracture on her thoracolumbar area.

"Oh dear." the Queen breathed out. "Denaire dear, remember what I told you."

Without waiting for the girl's reply, she started injecting magic into the fractured area. She pictured the bones mending themselves, injecting enough strength to stabilize and support movement.

Denaire felt something cold and smooth touching her painful back. She felt calm and soothed, the pain slowly ebbing away. She let out a long satisfied sigh and lost consciousness thereafter.

The Queen smiled. She was rather proud of herself for remembering the lessons she learned in the art of healing. And now, what she had learned has been put into good use.

***

Denaire woke up in a small cot in the huge ballroom with full energy. Her sore muscles weren't sore anymore. And what's more, she felt she could run around the ballroom without ever tiring.

Just then, her eyes fell on a huge grand piano. She couldn't resist the pull of the keys to her. She wasn't a magician, but there was no denying that she was from a family of musicians. She slowly walked towards it and sat, gliding over her fingers on the piano keys silently.

She started playing a tune her Mama used to play with her. And then, when she was fully into the music, she played a stronger, more joyous piece. Her small fingers flew through the keys, the music giving off a happy vibe. She was picturing herself in a sunny flower field, playing with the b.u.t.terflies, her family with her. Her thoughts mirrored her music, and the tune played joyous even more. She was so immersed into playing that she didn't know the royal family was spectating her grand performance.

When she ended the piece, she opened her eyes slowly. And the first thing she saw was the glowing blue eyes of Prince Amon.

She immediately jumped up and bowed so deep, her head nearly touching the floor. "Your Royal Highness, Your Majesties, My Lady."

Denaire greeted all of them in one breath, oblivious to the fact that she wasn't entirely heard by the four.

Queen Iris broke the ice by laughing. "Well, you are talented child! I won't even think of hiring a music teacher for Samarra. You are enough!"

Denaire sweated. Sure she knew how to play, but to teach? She can't do it. She just let out her feelings.

"Your Majesty, forgive me for being rude but I do believe that I am fit to teach Lady Samarra about music. I am still just learning and what I played was something that came from what I feel. I really don't know the basic of playing a single instrument." Denaire carefully explained to the Queen.

"But surely, someone taught you of this instrument. Where were you playing before?"

Denaire quickly replied, "At home, Your Majesty. My Mama used to play with me before. You see, my family are all musician."

Queen Iris clapped her hands in delight. "Splendid! Where can we find your family? I want them to teach my son and daughter, it's a royal's duty to learn a little bit of everything before delving deeper in their own magic."

"Oh!" exlaimed Denaire. "You want them to teach the Prince and the Lady music? I could ask them myself, Your Majesty. No need to trouble yourself."

The Queen hopped like a rabbit. "Then most splendid child! Fabulous!" The King then leaned into her ear and whispered something, which made the Queen clear her throat and stand a little bit straighter. Prince Amon chuckled on the side.

"You could do that tomorrow Denaire. Today is a little orientation for all of us in Lady Samarra's living arrangement here. But before that, I want to talk to you in private."

Denaire gulped down her words and solemnly nodded to the Queen.

The Queen led her to an outside veranda from the ballroom. The Queen ushered Denaire to sit down beside her.

"Denaire, how are you feeling?"

"Honestly, Your Majesty, I am feeling so good. I feel so invigorated, like I've spent how many days in a good sleep!"

Queen Iris' eyes sparkled in satisfaction. "I'm glad to hear."

"Uhm, Your Majesty," Denaire braved to ask the question bugging her since she woke up on that cot. "Do you mind me asking?"

"Ask away dear. Ask away."

"What exactly happened earlier?"