The King

Questions and answers

I felt both exhilarated and exhausted after my encounter with my god parents. And I admit I was less than diplomatic when the dean and his guest bust into the classroom full of questions

***

The class room lurched back into time. Jean Piere looked at Tygon and his sudden companion. Blinking dumbly for a moment. Dismissing the class but stopping Tygon as he made to leave with his class mates. Once the class was clear he spoke.

“What is Iakul?” asked the instructor cautiously eyeing the large Tiger like creature beside Tygon

“Ice, in the Assundran tongue” answered Tygon matter of factly. Jean Piere shook his head.

“I’ll be honest I don’t understand how you can barely manage a fireball and be able to conjure such a powerful ice storm to freeze time itself” he looked knowingly at Tygon, gesturing with his head at Sha’zul. Jumping as the great tiger spoke

“Tyr’s soul was damaged in a past life, by both fire and earth. So those elements are painful if not completely obscured to him. Tyr try Meira, it means earth” Tygon looked at the Sha and nodded. Taking his stance he placed his hands a fist space apart and concentrated. Thinking about earth and dirt and grass. He felt something well up in him. The power he supposed

“Meira” he said, the pain exploding behind his eyes instantly. Falling to the ground in a heap.

“I see,” said Jean Piere, stroking his sculpted beard. “Tygon, try water. I’d give you the ritual chant but it seems you’ve found a short cut.” Sha’zul’s eyes glimmered with humour

“Waeva na sarn” he said to Tygon. Who pulled himself up and shook the last feeling of agony from his head. He looked to both of the instructors and sighed. Taking his stance once more he concentrated on everything that was water. Streams and rivers, the well at home. The power built within him

“Waeva” he said a globe of clear water forming in his hands. Jean Piere extended his hand taking the globe from Tygon and almost juggling it as if it were solid. It suddenly boiled in his hands

“Try and take it from me now that I have heated it, I’m curious” Tygon out stretched left hand. And even before he touched it he felt like it was scalding him. He tried with his right and found that he could get closer but as he concentrated on it he felt it far from his reach

“I can’t sir, my power doesn’t understand it well enough to control” He nodded as if this was no surprise. Smiling and tapping the child on the shoulder.

“Congratulations my boy, You’re an ice water elemental. You’ll be able to control anything thats cold and water up to just before boiling, you’ll have to experiment with that in your own time. I’ll talk to Marcus and ask”

The door opened, and as if summoned by his name Marcus Arcanis, the dean of the academy, stepped foward. But what was startling was his companion.

The man was a giant, standing almost 7 feet tall. His shoulders broad as a bulls, almost to broad for the door. Jean Piere bowed.

“Lord Dean, Your majesty” he said the last words with reverence. Tygon looked at him and felt the power radiating from him. This was the immortal king Aranbold. He bowed too. 

“What were you going to ask me?” Asked Marcus his usual jovial self. Jean Piere stood up retaking his usual stance

“I was going to ask if we could move Tygon here into level 1 ice and water. As through todays lesson we learned that he is better suited to those classes” Marcus nodded.

“I was going to ask you about today’s lesson. It’s not the first time your class has had an interesting feel to it. He suddenly looked at Tygon “And mister Giges seems to always be at the centre of it” Looking at Tygon he suddenly noticed the great cat beside him

“Oh mister Giges, please tell me you have some interesting information for me” Tygon shuffled his feet, his head down cast, the pressure of such scrutiny. Sha’zul nudged him. 

“Remember your heritage na sarn” Tygons shoulder pulled back and he stood tall and proud

“Da na tor, dunva” he looked to the dean and the king behind him “What would you like to know sirs?” Marcus beamed like a child given his favourite toy. The king looked on impassive.

“The energies radiating from this room, were different from the usual elemental ones I feel” Tygon nodded. Recounting his fit of rage at half answers and truth and his explosion of ice energy that froze time. The kings great eyebrow cocked at this and even Marcus was hard pressed to conceal his intrigued

“You froze time with ice magic that you had never used before?” Tygon nodded. Again talking about how he had felt kept in the dark and the rage and anguish and pain of it all caused him to lash out with no thought. Marcus nodded, the kings hand subtly went to the hilt of his sword. But not subtly enough

“Your majesty” spoke the great cat “Is there a problem?” Aranbold looked at the tiger that stood easily waist high to him. And removed his hand from his great golden sword. 

“A momentary lax in judgment” he said “But you can warrant me some fear at the tales of one so young being able to do so much in a state of pique and still be standing” Sha’zul nodded in understanding

“I understand your fear, and Marcus’s though he is better at hiding it behind his curiosity” Marcus shrugged non fussed “But you must understand that I will not let any harm come to the child. Even from one as high as you” Aranbold’s expression turned to one of anger

“You would threaten your king?” he demanded. His hand clearly on the hilt of his great golden sword. Sha’zul gave a look that could be called belittling. As if teaching a quite slow and dense child the simplest of things.

“You are King of this nation, but no king of mine. I lived in a time before your inception and with a people that had no kings but leaders and wisemen. The only crown I ever recognised was that of the Assundran throne. Which, in time Tygon will tell you, he is heir too. Now I mean no threat to you and yours my lord. I am merely protecting one that I have sworn to protect since the day I failed that task.” Marcus looked from the great cat to the great king and back again. His curiousity outweighing the tension of the moment.

“Alright, so you froze time then what” Tygon recounted the appearance of Zul and Crimson. Gesturing at the red dagger on his belt. Explaining that Crimson was a Vlel. When questioned what that was. Sha’zul filled in the blanks.