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The choices we make 51
“Of course dear, you go ahead. If there is anything you need, you let us know.” Bettina said, looking up from her embroidery.“I will go and get your writing equipment.” Kopa said, going into the kitchen. When he came back, he had a stack of paper with him and a little wood box. “Here is your paper and inside the box you will find quills and ink. If you run out of anything, just let me know. You don’t need think about making it last. Use as much as you need,” he said handing it to her.“Thank you, Kopa, I appreciate it,” Mary said and then she went upstairs into her room.---Bettina put down her work and looked up at Kopa. He was sitting looking into the fire, he looked content and happy she thought, and she smiled at him.“She is an amazing person” Bettina said in a low voice, not wanting Mary to overhear the conversation. Kopa turned to her and gave her one of his fleeting smiles, a rarity even for her to see.“She is, isn’t she” he agreed.“I’m just worried that she sometimes gets
Last Updated : 2023-08-12The choices we make 52
‘Dear AnnaI hope this letter finds you well. I have now arrived safely in Salmis, the journey was long but uneventful.The Lady and her two aari started to teach me Salamis on the way. I already know quite a few words and phrases. Did you know that they don’t use the same letters to write as in the Common language? I am slowly learning the new way of writing. When we arrived in Salmis Kopa gave me quite a surprise. He offered me a place in his home. I now live with him and his wife Bettina. They are my new family. I can hardly believe I have a family. It has only been a day, but they have been kind to me and made me feel at home. I really do feel at home here. I know you were hoping for me to find happiness and I think I can find it here. Bettina is kind and patient with me. She is teaching me about my new home, and she will take me dress shopping soon. Kopa has already been more than generous and has bought me all I need to wright this letter and many more if I so wish. I have m
Last Updated : 2023-08-13The choices we make 53
“You see, when we were first married, my lovely husband felt I needed a break from cooking.” Bettina started, ignoring Kopas plead. “He decided to make me breakfast and snuck down to the kitchen. When I woke up, I could smell something burning so I sprinted downstairs and found him trying to hammer out burnt eggs from my favourite skillet.” Mary did her best to suppress a giggle at the story. “You think that would be the worst of it. But he also had tried to roast bread, but with the egg-situation he forgot them over the fire and by the time I came in to the kitchen, they were black and so dry they almost caught fire. Then there was the fact that despite him only cracking some eggs, slicing bread, and stated slicing onions, had the kitchen looking like a disaster.” Bettina shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe it. “It took me an hour cleaning up his mess, and then I still had to cook breakfast. He’s been band from using the kitchen ever since. It was a sweet attempt, but my
Last Updated : 2023-08-13The choices we make 54
“And who might this beautiful woman be?” Cheara asked looking at Mary.“Cheara, this is Mary, my daughter” Bettina said, and Mary smiled and blushed at hearing how Bettina introduced her. It felt nice, but she wasn’t used to it, and it caught her by surprise. Cheara looked surprised.“Bettina, you have been holding out from me all these years” the woman finally said with a smile.“Mary is from Domne, Kopa and the Lady brought her back. She is in need of some new clothes” Bettina explained.“Congratulations to the expansion of your family,” Cheara said, and Mary believed it to be genuine. It surprised her how readily the woman had accepted her place as a part of Kopa’s and Bettina’s family. “In regard to the clothing, you have come to the right place. What are we thinking?”“I think we will start with four dresses for everyday use, two dresses for fancier occasions, a spring cloak and all the undergarments and accessories that goes with that” Bettina counted. Mary looked at her.“Oh no
Last Updated : 2023-08-14The choices we make 55
“I didn’t know she was your guest sir Teeran. I wouldn’t have suggested she come with us if I knew” he quickly said. Mary saw his two friends also stood in attention, their smirks were gone.“She’s my daughter and is off limits, do I make myself clear?” Kopa said with a stare that could have killed.“Your daughter? Yes, of course, perfectly clear sir” Roan said, saluting Kopa.“Off you go” Kopa dismissed them. Mary and Bettina watched as the young men quickly disappeared.“Are you okay Mary?” Kopa asked.“I’m fine”“Of course she’s fine. Everything was just fine until you barged out scaring the poor boy” Bettina said with an accusing tone. Kopa grunted and steered them to start walking. “Kopa, Mary need to have a social life” Bettina said, a bit more kindly. “She can have as many women friends as she wants. But no men, especially not if they look at her as he did.” Kopa huffed.“Honey.”“No, this is my final word. Mary aren’t allowed to speak to any men unless I have approved of them
Last Updated : 2023-08-14The choices we make 56
The next day was just a blur of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation for Mary. After lunch Bettina helped her dress in the other dress she had received the previous day. It had the same cut but was forest green.“It brings out your eyes dear,” Bettina told her as she helped Mary to braid her hair. Mary chose to only have her small rose pendent as decoration, it was more than enough. The two women went downstairs and took their cloaks. Mary now had a pale green cloak that flowed around her. Bettina showed the way through the city streets and Mary soon found herself at the river field. The open space in the middle of the city always caught her by surprise. On the small dock by the river Kopa stood waiting. “Hello ladies are you ready Mary?” he asked holding out a hand. Mary was nervous but nodded. She had realised they were going to go in one of the small boats. Mary had never been on a boat before, in fact, before the journey to Salmisara, the biggest body of water she had been c
Last Updated : 2023-08-15The choices we make 57
“Yes, and according to history the blessed man had a wife. But this was about saving the ruling family, to keep the country from fall into chaos. After a while the priestess got pregnant and was blessed with a daughter, Samiila. Everyone thought this was the salvation. But they were wrong. As Acmenaten grew up, he learned of how his half-sister was conceived and a feeling grew in him, that he was the only true ruler. As I told you before, there are many gods, not just one, and they are ruled by the mother and father of the gods. The priest and priestess were chosen to mirror this in the human world.” Tarina continued and Mary was amazed. “Acmenaten felt drawn to the father of the gods, and as he considered himself the one true ruler, he decided the same must be true for the gods. As soon as Acmenaten and Samiila ascended to be priest and priestess, Acmenaten declared his sister unworthy and proclaimed the only god mankind should worship was the father of the gods” Tariana said. “The p
Last Updated : 2023-08-15The choices we make 58
His mother had talked about the girl Mary since she got back from her first trip to Dermes. The tale about the brave girl who had jumped down on his mother’s carriage had become standard when his mother entertained children. Tenac had always been too jealous to appreciate the story when he was younger. He didn’t like that his mother had grown so attached to another child. It was hard enough to get her attention with her duties. To have to share it with a ghost girl didn’t sit well with him. But as he grew older, he could appreciate why his mother had such respect for the girl. It had to have taken a good deal of courage to do what she did. His mother had always insisted the strict and unfriendly Kopa had taken a shine to the girl. But Tenac had never heard him mention her. Tenac had always thought his mother had blown it out of proportion. She was at heart a romantic. When he went to welcome his mother home a couple of weeks ago, she had seemed happy despite the fact the mission had f
Last Updated : 2023-08-16
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The choices we make 101
“We finished Procecsa’s experiments today, and we think we can see a pattern,” Mary told Tariana excited. She didn’t know how Tariana already knew about it, but it was the only thing exciting which had happened lately. Tariana laughed again.“That is exciting to hear, but no. I was thinking about the fact that you have gotten some control over your fire magic,” Tariana smiled.“Oh, that. Yes, Procecsa helped me with it last night,” Mary said. She didn’t understand what was so exciting about that.“Do you think you could summon it now?” Tariana asked.“I think so,” Mary nodded. Tariana stood and went over to the bookcase. She got a small tray and walked back, placing it on the desk in front of Mary. On the tray there was a candle, an empty bowl, a feather, a pile of what looked like soil, and a plate with a dried bean.“Please light the candle,” Tariana asked Mary. Mary focused and after a while she found the now familiar feeling of her fire magic. The candle lit. “Fill the bowl with w
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The time until the winter solstice went by quickly and before she knew it, Mary was running around the equipment she had helped Procecsa set up the day before the solstices. They were outside the wall, on a flat part of the plain. The grass had been cut down and a light dusting of snow barely covered the ground. The area was guarded by grey riders. Not for the fear of someone sabotaging their experiments, but to keep curious people away. There was a lot of preparation to be made. Luckily for Mary, she had already done this a couple of times before. According to magical theory, occasions such as the winter solstice and full moons could affect magic in different ways. But to Mary’s surprise, it had never been proven, even though everyone used the principle. Procecsa had therefore designed an experiment to perform some basic magic, which was easy to perform and evaluate the effect of and repeat this during the different beneficial celestial occasions. They had already done the control ro
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“I would love to,” Mary said, looking at him. “But I don’t want to take time away from you seeing your family. I know you don’t get to see them that often,” she said. Tenac shrugged.“I will visit them as often as I can while they are here. It’s okay, I wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t,” he said.“Okay, then I would love to come.”“Good. Now let’s get you a new horse,” he smiled.“No, Tenac. I have told you, Buttercup will do,” Mary objected.“I’m not letting you anywhere near my grandfather whilst you are riding Buttercup, Mary. If you are going to visit a Che’hul camp, you can’t be on a horse like her,” he said. Mary looked at him. She really wanted to go with him to visit his family. Her curiosity and thirst for new things was going crazy at the thought of getting to see this whole new culture. At the same time, it felt like she was betraying Buttercup. The horse had been patient with her from the start. Mary recognised Tenac was dangling the visit to the Che’hul camp as an incent
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“In my case?” Mary asked.“For some reason, you have been conditioned to suppress your fire. Most likely not in an effort to suppress the magic, but a characteristic which goes with it. Like anger,” Procecsa said. Mary could hear that she tried to be gentle. Mary sat quietly for a while and thought things through. Her time in the kitchen had made her put a tight lead on her emotions, especially anger, but also passion and love. It would have been the last thing she did in the castle if she had become angry with someone higher up the rank than her. Which had been most people.“So, what do I do? Do I have to get angry at Tenac?” Mary asked, making Procecsa laugh.“No, I don’t think he deserves it. He’s just trying to help you, after all” she smiled at Mary.“I need to get angry at someone else?” Mary asked, confused.“I don’t know if you need to get angry at anyone, Mary. I think it would be okay just for you to accept it is okay for you to get angry. Just to allow yourself to experienc
The choices we make 97
It had been over six months since Mary had started her training, and each day offered new opportunities to learn and to explore the world. She discovered she had a craving for learning. The more she learnt, the more questions she had. Her mentor, Procecsa, had picked up on this and gave Mary more and more books to read. Mary was helping her mentor with all sorts of experiments. Procecsa was good at explaining things in a way Mary understood them. In just a few weeks, the winter solstice was to take place and Mary was looking forward to it. Several of the experiments that Procecsa had Mary help with depended on it. In the class for basic magic, they had learned certain celestial events could impact magic. The winter solstice was one of those. Mary was to assist her mentor in trying to figure out just how much it affected certain types of magic. Mary found the whole thing fascinating and couldn’t wait to get to see the results. After the solstice, they would have a two-week break. It wa
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Zerden stood looking at the men under his command. They were training, and they looked tired. Zerden knew he had been pushing them hard this past month. His bad mood had made him irritable, and every mistake was now punished with a gruelling training session. He knew he needed to back off a bit. His men were well trained and the minor mistakes they made didn’t warrant this punishment. Zerden needed to get his temper back in check. Which was easier said than done. It would be easier if he just had known why he was in such a bad mood. If he was honest with himself, he knew why. He just wasn’t up for admitting it just yet. So instead, his bad mood continued and everyone around him endured and stayed out of his way as much as they could.“Don’t forget to put everything back before you head to get dinner,” he shouted. He didn’t wait around to make sure they did what he told them. No one wanted to disobey him at the moment. He walked inside and headed to his room in the castle. Zerden had j
The choices we make 95
“Sure, happy to help,” Jontak said, smiling. Firlea looked at Mary, slightly panicked. Mary smiled at her.“Thanks, Jontak,” Mary said. She and Sinhera looked as Jontak and Firlea left the shop.“Not the smoothest hint, but I think that will do,” Sinhera smiled.“It’s a good start at least,” Mary nodded.“What are you two plotting?” Tenac asked as he walked up to them. “And where are Jontak and your friend?”“Firlea needed ink. Jontak escorted her there as it’s her first time to the market,” Mary smiled at him.“You two are scaring me. Please don’t help me like that, ever,” he said. Both Mary and Sinhera laughed. They waited for the two to return before heading towards the weapons stalls. There were a lot of different weapons. Some Mary didn’t even know the names of and couldn’t figure out how to use.“Do you want to look at a new knife, Mary?” Jontak asked her.“No thank you, I’m happy with the one I have,” she told him.“Do you even know how to use it?” Tenac asked her.“Well, it’s
The choices we make 94
As Mary got back to her room, both her friends were sitting in the bay window reading. Mary had things she needed to read as well. But she felt like she needed to write her last letter. She wanted to let go of the past. She settled down at her desk and stared down at the empty paper in front of her. This was going to be difficult.‘Dear Anna,I’m so pleased to hear that things are looking up for you. That gives me hope this wave of the sickness will fade as well. I want to thank you for your kind words. They mean so much to me and I will always remember them. I told my father about your kind words, and he was grateful. That brings me to the difficult part of this letter. This is not something which is easy for me to write, or to think about doing. But I feel like it has to be done. Last time I wrote, I was taking the acceptance test to become an aari. Well, as you predicted, I made it and have now moved into the sanctum to start my training. With my training, my lessons with Tenac an
The choices we make 93
“What did you need to talk about?” Kopa said, as the two of them sat down at the table. “I read the letter you gave me,” Mary started. “And you got upset?”“Not like last time. I’m angry this time, more than I’m sad,” Mary admitted, which earned her a surprised look from Kopa.“I know. Who knew?” she said, laughing at his expression.“So, what advice do you need?”“I think I know what I need to do, but I don’t know if I should do it, or if I really want to,” Mary told him. “Okay, can you tell me what made you angry?” Kopa asked.“Do you promise to stay calm?” Mary asked.“I do”“I won’t go into details, but the jest of it is that Zerden told me I was a disappointment for choosing to live my life the way I am. For the choices I have made since coming here,” Mary said, looking at Kopa. He had clenched his jaw and there was a muscle tick above his right eye. But he kept his promise and stayed calm, at least on the surface. It made Mary smile. “Are you okay, dad?”“Fine. The letter was
