Mystery? In a Royal Court?
What price do you pay to protect someone? What cost to yourself do you pay to make sure tender dreams are not crushed?
There are no dragons (not on this planet, everyone is glad about that). Dungeons are generally fo...
The mage leads Violet into a room with sunken circular padded seating.
In the center of the large circular space, there are two padded benches positioned in parallel. There is magical lighting, but no other furniture.
The mage leads Violet to a bench, so her back is to the King and Queen of the Central Kingdom.
On the other bench, Yva and 'Good Fellow' sit with their backs to the King and Queen of Annovae.
Violet can see the faces of Yva and 'Good Fellow' though they are not seated directly across on benches. Yva's expression is happy but with a hint of nervousness. 'Good Fellow' is either completely at ease, or hides feelings very well.
The mage sits by the stairs that lead down into the circle, but sits at floor level with his feet on the circular bench.
"Before we start, does anyone here wish to hold back information? I will be circumspect if anyone wishes to make an appeal.
I think most of the facts are clear. In this room, there is a magic that is larger than any ever recorded.
We took special steps to provide transport usually reserved for very large beings or large groups.
Violet was accepted to this academy years ago and is still on record as a student. She exhibited a rare 'pure soul' capability. Going into trances and leading people to one to another. Two marriages resulted from those trance states.
Her mother scolded her frequently for such things, but her older sister contacted us on the matter.
Such people may not have great magic, but can be powerful agents of good.
At the moment, she is reduced in size and frail. That being a different matter than her deeply wounded condition.
The "Emme" spell created for her was novel in design. If those mages had showed it to us here, we would have granted them certificates of achievement.
It seemed to include a tell tale feature. Probably meant to let the spell caster know when it was nearby. Giving him an advantage for a spell that obscures perceptions.
I have read the reports sent from the Annovae Kingdom. They were quite detailed.
The tell tale portion in the Emme spell and the spell for Princess Annovae has been attracting them together.
I hope some of you can get past the magic present and see that Princess Yva seated here is actually nothing more than a magic decoy.
A magical decoy that was meant to die in a tragic accident (to confuse others from finding the princess still hidden within the protection spell).
A magical decoy that has persisted longer and conformed in many ways to Lady Violet. Violet poured her life into a magical decoy and changed the course of its operation.
Adopting behaviors similar to Emme and Violet.
Attempts to unlock the real Princess Yva and adjust the decoy with the bead orbs have failed.
In a nearby room, there is a request being placed. I suggest we avoid thinking of this as summoning spell. We are making a petition to have this matter resolved by one other involved party.
The Sprites."
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