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The Youngest Arch-mage

Written by Red William

Chapter one: The Journey begins

Darkness once again enveloped Devon Mallory, but this time he was aware of himself more. In the previous time he was suspended in nothingness he had only a vague remembrance of his former life as a human scientist and engineer. He now had spent several years living a second life as a anthropomorphic rabbit boy named Alwyn Duvane, the son of Duke Elrik of the city-state of Thornbriar. Though he remembered only fragments of his past life as Devon, His life as Alwyn was fresh and vital. He was reborn somehow into this rabbit-kin's life and thrust into a world of magic with beings that were humanoid animals from Earth. He had grown up, learned, trained, even made friends and loved ones in this new world. It was because of these memories that he didn't feel as anxious or nervous about where he was as before.

Just then, he felt his mind shift and something came into focus. Suddenly he appeared in a place that seemed vaguely familiar. It was a comfortable room, carpeted with laminate wood walls. Stacks of books were filling several book cases on his right, while the wall to his left showed framed pictures, certificates and documents. In front of him was a mahogany desk where a small desk lamp, personal computer and various other office equipment was strewn about. The wall behind the desk was a glass window overlooking a beautiful view of the rolling hills of Virginia.

Wait, He considered, This isn't Aeurn. This is my home. It was indeed his home in Virginia when he was Devon Mallory. His memories flashed into awareness now as the documents on the wall became more clear. His Master's degree in science and engineering, a news article about an essay on quantum theory that had the scientific community losing their minds, and of course the pictures of himself and his father out at the lake and the one where he stood beside his father during his graduation from college, his father in a wheelchair and still beaming with pride.

As melancholy threatened to overtake him, he suddenly was aware of someone in the room with him. He turned to notice a mysterious figure on the other side of the desk, staring out the window. Whoever it was appeared humanoid and slim, but most of its features were obscured. It was covered completely in yellow-white light--as if his body was some sort of made of light.

"Beautiful." The figure spoke out, "You really found a beautiful and peaceful place to live at." The figure turned back to him and Devon could barely make out golden orbs that could pass for eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Devon asked. His voice surprised him as he suddenly looked down at himself. He was now in a body, but not the body of Alwyn Duvane. He held out his hands to see not paw-like fingers but actual human digits. He marveled at how odd they seemed now since he had spent years wearing fur. He found a reflective surface in one of the hanging pictures and focused, seeing not the young gray-haired bunny-kin he had been, but a middle-aged man, with salt and pepper hair receding slightly on his skull and a couple days of growth on his chin. It was both familiar but surreal as he grasped onto the old life memories.

"I assumed you would have questions, Devon." The glowing figure replied, stepping towards the chair at the desk and having a seat. "I am known as Lothi, or at least that was my name when I was living."

"Lothi...you're Elvari?" Devon deduced. How did he know that?

The glowing being seemed taken aback by that, "You really are clever, aren't you?" Lothi countered. "Actually I'm not really an Elvari anymore. I'm just a set of memories from the Elvari known as Lothi."

"How am I talking to you?"

Lothi spun around in the chair once before turning back to Devon, "Do you remember what happened when you touched the Magerium crystal that Calatrix showed you?"

Devon rewound his memories to that time. As Alwyn, Calatrix was showing him a crystal common on Aeurn that was how Beast-kins could use magical powers. He recalled how he touched the stone surface and something like lightning arced through his mind and body.

"The Magerium...I downloaded something from that stone..." Devon stared at Lothi, "That was you?"

"I believe you would say in your old world: Bingo!" Lothi remarked gesturing with a finger that he had hit the mark. "The Magerium does far more than just produce mana, Devon. It also can store information, much like this thing did in yours." He pointed to the computer on his desk, "The crystal lattices of Magerium acts a lot like a recording device. You might find that information useful later down the road."

Devon sat down on the chair opposite Lothi's, "Why are you chatting with me now?"

"Cause you're currently sleeping and dreaming. It's where I can talk to you a bit more without your mind being so distracted by all that's going on."

"What am I doing here?" Devon said, leaning forward against the desk.

Lothi seemed lost in thought for a moment before realizing he wasn't referring to the dream solely. "Change is coming to Aeurn again, Devon Mallory, and you've been chosen to be the catalyst."

"Me?" Devon balked, "Why am I chosen?"

"Probably cause you had a mind so well in balanced." Lothi explained, "You were a scientist--a thinker and scholar. You were also a man who believed in magic. You read books about fantasy and science fiction as well as stuff on physics."

"Is that why I was reborn as Alwyn?"

"Alwyn was destined to die that day most likely." Lothi said somberly, "It's tragic, but the Maker chooses what to do with what he creates. Be grateful that the real Alwyn is in the Maker's arms now."

"I don't believe in God." Devon snapped.

Lothi laughed loudly as he spun around on the chair. "It doesn't matter what a finite being like you believes in or not, Devon. The thing about mortals is that they think they know what is really truth, and yet when the real truth stares at them in the face, they cannot grasp it or accept it. The Maker is and always will be whether you have faith in him or not. What matters is that he believes in you enough to pull you out of El's plan and set you here."

"What's El?"

"El...is....well, El!" Lothi spoke more seriously, "El is all that is, was and will be. He is beyond anything we can think of in our mortal minds. He is beyond infinite. Beyond us."

This was making Devon's head hurt. Nothing he was doing at this moment made any sense. He was talking to a long-extinct memory of a being that was trying to preach to him about this 'maker' and 'El" and other existential nonsense.

Devon decided to change the subject. "What kind of changes am I supposed to be a part of?"

Lothi seemed to pause for a moment to order his thoughts. Finally he spoke, "When you wake up, the first people you see again are going to be the people you can most rely and trust in. Next, follow your instincts. Finally, push the boundaries on everything. You have the mind and the will to change the way they think and in doing so, you'll change the lives of all of Aeurn."

"And what if I refuse?" Devon finally declared.

Again, Lothi laughed. "That's not really going to be possible. Just your existence on Aeurn has changed things already, and you haven't even met the King yet!"

"If you're just a memory, how do you know all this?" Devon inquired.

"Cause El knew all this, and he told us." Lothi admitted. "I told you, El is everything. He knows the past and future like you know the present."

"Sounds to me like I have no free will in all this, even 'if' I believe in this 'El'."

"Let me ask you something, Devon." Lothi began. "Do you know what you are going to do in the future?"

Devon had to ruminate on that. He knew as Alwyn he was going to King's Rest along with the Arch-mage Jotham and his new Fiancée Princess Trestia. He was going to be involved in royal politics and even learn magic. Aside from that..

"Long term? No." Devon answered.

"Then you have free will." Lothi announced. "Since you have no idea what's going to happen in the future, what you do is a complete mystery to you. To El, however, he's already seen it. It doesn't change the fact that your actions are still yours to perform."

He had to admit that Lothi had a point. If he had known that he was going to die in his old life from a car accident and be reincarnated as a young rabbit-kin son-of-a duke, then he wouldn't be having this argument. Devon didn't like to admit that he didn't have all the answers--he was a scientist. He was trained to learn and understand the fundamental causes and effects of the universe. Now he was dealing with variables that he couldn't nail down--a no-man's land for a scientist.

"That being said." Devon concluded, "Is there something you can help me with all this?"

Lothi slapped the wooden desk surface enthusiastically, "I'm glad you asked, Devon!" Lothi's glowing body stood from the desk and stepped around it. "I can't really help much other than provide your mind with some preparation. I've already opened your mind to some new paradigms that you're just now starting to work on. All you need now is one last push that you can get at the academy when you get there."

"And what's that?" Devon asked. He was desperate for something to cling to.

"Ah-ah-ah." Lothi wigged a finger in his face, "That would be a spoiler alert, wouldn't it? Just know that the first people you see when you wake up, you can trust completely. They'll have your back if you have theirs, alright?"

"That's all you can tell me?"

"For now."

"Why not more now?"

"Why ruin the fun of discovery? Besides, it's time for you to wake up now."

The room started to pull away as if it was being sucked out of existence, along with Lothi's glowing form. Devon tried to reach out for it, but once again, found himself devoid of his body.

"I'm really going to get sick of this shit."

-

The world jerked as Alwyn awoke, his head landing on something soft and warm. It didn't take him long to remember that he was still riding a carriage but took a bit longer to realize he was resting his head in a familiar girl's lap.

"Good morning master! Did you sleep well?"

It was his personal servant, the cat-kin maid Lenni's lap that he was resting on. Quickly he sat up and rubbed his eyes, regaining focus and clarity. He saw the black and white fur pattern on her face as well as the gleeful and mischievous smile she had, as well as the way her long black and white tipped tail swished about with satisfaction.

Lenni had been with Alwyn ever since he came to this world three years ago. In that time, Lenni had become one of only a few people and probably the first to realize that he was not really who everyone else thought he was, and in doing so, grew to be infatuated with the real person that he had been in a previous life--that of Devon Mallory, a human and scientist from his old world of Earth.

But he was no longer Devon Mallory in this world. Instead he was now Alwyn Duvane, a Bunny-kin and noble's son in a world of walking and talking animals. The original Alwyn to whom he was now using his body had been killed after falling out of a tree, and he woke up instead. The last thing he had remembered from his previous life was a car accident where he swerved in front of an oncoming semi-truck.

"Master?" Lenni asked with a concerned look, "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine, Lenni." Alwyn replied shakily, "Just had a strange dream..."

"A dream, you say?"

All this time, he had just about forgotten about the others on the other side of the coach. In front of him was a large wolf-kin, hair long and silvery white from age. His gnarled knuckles gripped an ornate looking staff that was topped with a crystal sphere made from a piece of Magerium. The old wolf wore a dark robe and a hood covering his shaggy face but still allowed his muzzle to peek out.

Arch-mage Jotham, the royal mage and advisor to King Galen of King's Rest looked over Alwyn, his eyes covered by silver bangs of head fur but somehow still giving Alwyn a piercing stare.

"Yeah." Alwyn remarked, a bit ruffled by his strange visage. Jotham had visited his home in Thornbriar where he discovered Alwyn's true nature and believed it was best to bring him back to the royal capital. He would attend the mage academy and learn to use magic, but it was also because of his unique nature that he needed to be close to the royal house for his protection.

"Do you remember this dream?" Jotham inquired, sounding strangely interested. Since Jotham believed that Alwyn--and Devon's existence was part of some prophecy by their god, anything that he did or experienced might have some significance.

Alwyn wanted to say 'you won't believe me if I told you' but considering his divinely appointed origin, he no doubt would believe him regardless.

He related briefly what the dream entailed, including the being that called himself an Elvari. That got a reaction from Jotham.

"Could you see what he looked like?" The old wolf-kin questioned.

"Not a lot." Alwyn replied, "It was like he was made of light."

The old wolf leaned back on his seat, stroking his beard with a bony paw. "It is possible that an Elvari might look like that. We have never been able to actually find any pictures of actual Elvari or anything about them."

"Seriously?" Alwyn said surprised. "Didn't the Beast-kin race exist around the same time as the Elvari?"

"Our race wasn't as evolved as we are now."

Everyone turned to notice a young bunny-kin female leaning against the side of the carriage, covered in a dark hood and cloak, her ears spilling out the front of the hood. Now she sat up and pulled the hood off, revealing blonde hair on a face of white fur and bright blue eyes.

"My apologies for waking you, your highness." Jotham said with a lowered head.

Princess Trestia waved the statement off with a dismissive hand gesture, "Who can sleep with all this chattering." She declared, then turned to Alwyn, "To answer your question more completely, our race was less civilized and never developed a means of retaining our histories."

Some of Calatrix's lessons came back to his mind. According to the Lore passed down, the Elvari created the Beast-kin as a sort of companion or slave race, but shortly thereafter, they vanished from the world of Aeurn. A few of the cities on the continent were abandoned and some of the important vaults were sealed. No beast-kin could unlock the vaults and couldn't break through the thick material they composed of. Over the centuries, the Beast-kin's became more civilized while their memory of the Elvari faded and the myth about them became more prominent.

"So most of the knowledge of the Elvari was lost?" Alwyn inquired.

"Indeed." Jotham replied. "Little is truly known about the Elvari. The only thing we still retain is our magical knowledge."

Alwyn's ears perked up--literally. It was a muscle reflex that he had still not gotten used to happening.

"You've never told me how magic works here." When Calatrix had shown him how to channel a ball of mana, which he easily duplicated. It was a matter of a force of will, but it was considered crude.

Jotham rifled through a pack near him and pulled out a leather bound book. Considering how old and weathered it looked, Alwyn felt it was older than the old wolf himself. Jotham pulled open the cover and went through several yellowed pages before he turned the book and presented it to Alwyn.

"The heck is this?" Alwyn asked as he stared at the strange symbols on the page. The glyph was a drawn circle with a single large symbol in the center, and a ring of smaller symbols around it.

"That is a glyph." Jotham explained. "A series of runes scripted from the Elvari language that when memorized, a mage can use to channel mana through to create a more detailed spell." He went into more detail that the method described to him was like some sort of imaginary circuit. Each known glyph was composed of a concentric ring, the central rune referring to an elemental chaos rune describing a form of power, while the outer ring of smaller runes were runes of order that channeled and shaped the power into the desired effect. Mages would memorize the glyphs and while they visualize the glyph and channel mana into it.

"And these runes..." Alwyn asked, "is in the Elvari language?"

"Yes." Jotham answered stroking his chin fur. "Very little of the Elvari language has been deciphered, but the glyphs have remained a part of our history for centuries. Apparently it's one of the few things we carried on from master to student for centuries."

Alwyn stared at the glyph and considered what he should say. As Devon Mallory, he had a near photographic memory, so he was able to lock the glyph into his mind easily. What he noticed about this glyph was curious though.

"This glyph, "Alwyn explained, "Is for a simple light spell, right?"

Both Jotham and Trestia stared at him with stunned looks. There was no description for the glyph on the book, just the glyph. Alwyn wondered if he said something obvious.

"H-How did you know?" The old wolf stammered.

Alwyn pointed to the center rune, "That one says 'light'." He then pointed to the ring of smaller runes, "While these runes seem to describe how to shape that light into a simple ball and even tells it to hover about a foot over the caster's head." It was odd that he could see a completely unknown set of letters and yet his brain deciphered it. Considering I was reincarnated into a world of walking and talking animals, I shouldn't be surprised about anything, He thought.

To emphasize it, Alwyn visualized the glyph in his head and tried to channel the mana into the visualized rune. Just like he did with the mana ball spell Calatrix showed him at the castle, it was a matter of will--Basically like saying to the rune 'do what I want' and making it obey. Despite having his eyes closed, his inner vision went red as a ball of light appeared in his opened palm then slowly floated over his head. The other three watching balked as the carriage was bathed in light for several moments until Alwyn released the spell.

Opening his eyes, he stared to see the old mage, Trestia and even Lenni was staring at him with mouths agape.

"Y...you can read Elvari?" Trestia exclaimed.

"Huh?" Alwyn retorted clumsily. He had expected that the language was common and like muscle memory, his mind simply translated it naturally.

"The Elvari language has been a lost language for centuries." Jotham muttered in disbelief, "Yet you knew the exact composition of the glyph just seeing it once?"

Devon was both dumbstruck and annoyed and he allowed it to show. He could read the symbols as if they were English in his head, and yet he was being told that it was a language no one even bothered to retain and learn over the centuries? "You're kidding me! I read it like it was a native language!"

Both Jotham and Trestia stared at him, then at each other. Their looks of awe and bewilderment got Alwyn even more pissed.

"Wait." Alwyn asked, "How do you learn to make new spells if you don't know the language? How do you even progress in this magic if you don't even know how it even works?"

"We don't." Jotham answered, "We have relied on the thousands of glyphs that we had recovered and preserved over the centuries."

Alwyn felt his cheeks flush with frustration, "You remember about the thousands of glyphs for magic, but never preserved any memories, language or history about the people who created them?"

None of the others could come up with an explanation, even Jotham. It infuriated how this backwater civilization could possibly not bother to learn anything about retaining the old Elvari language nor to keep any of their history and understanding of the race that once existed alongside them. As a result, the magic of this world--wonderous as it was to Devon whose old life never had magic--was now seeing a world whose knowledge of magic was stagnant.

It was then that the words from Lothi came back to his mind. My mind was getting prepared. Since he had downloaded the memories from the Magerium crystal, he gained a lot more than just an annoying Elvari memory apparently. He was a living 'Rosetta stone' of a language lost to antiquity that could reignite magic research for this people.

...you'll change the lives of all of Aeurn...

Lothi's words came back to Devon as he realized just how big of an impact he was going to have as Alwyn Duvane. Just being able to read a lost language that the beings of this world used as magic was going to have untold consequences. What those were he wasn't sure yet, but he knew it was going to mean problems.

I'm starting to wish I stayed dead...

--

Watching Alwyn, Princess Trestia started to realize she may have been mistaken about this young buck.

At first, she thought he was just some backwater bumpkin of a noble who never attended court. Alwyn lived in an isolated region that few ever dealt with because of some religious taboo. He would have been some ignorant, stupid duke's son that she could wrap around her finger--She was after all a princess.

Her father was King Galen and though she was not next in line for the throne--a privilege set up for her older brother Eomund--she still had an important role. Being the daughter, she could be married into another noble house, solidifying their house to the throne. It was all political which irritated Trestia to no end.

That was the reason she decided to offer marriage to the heir of the house of Duvane. Thornbriar was a city loyal to the crown yet kept away from the intrigues of court. The Duke and Duchess were kind and compassionate according to her father, so they seemed like a good prospect. With a son around her age it equated to a simple conclusion: A simple young boy who she could easily manage, satisfy her father's needs and allow her to continue her studies in magic.

She never believed all that nonsense about being twice born but it did give them a good excuse to bring the boy to King's rest--for his protection--which meant he'd be put in some sort of room in the castle and kept away from everyone else. It was perfect: He'd be contained and she could go through the motions of a marriage and go back to studying magic in peace.

Now, seeing what Alwyn just did with the light spell pretty much changed her plans. Granted it was a low level light spell, but first-year students focused on exercising their minds to prepare them to learn the basics of glyphs. He had just done a spell like he was a third year student!

Who was this Alwyn Duvane, she pondered silently. She considered the young bunny-kin as a handsome young buck. The young duke's son had impressed her also by how he carried himself, not just as some noble brat who had thought they were the most amazing and important beast-kin on all of Aeurn, but instead he was humble, simple, and...yeah, mature. He spoke as an adult and sounded wise and intelligent despite his years. It certainly would give someone pause to consider that this young noble might indeed be an older soul if they didn't look at his appearance.

Maybe this twiceborn nonsense wasn't nonsense, She thought grudgingly. It would mean that her plans might be actually thwarted after all. That was something she did not want to happen.

--

The rest of the day was inundated with Jotham showing more and more glyphs to Alwyn and asking about the translation of the runes. It was as if the old wolf suddenly regained 30 years of youth in an instant by this discovery.

Meanwhile, Alwyn was getting a migraine from the constant barrage. He had been content with being just reborn as a noble's son, even if he looked like a character from a children's book. However, now he was not only discovered as an answer to prophecy, but could speak a dead language and perform magic that would take a regular student years to practice.

"This is extraordinary!" Jotham barked enthusiastically, "Just wait until the academy hears about..."

"NO!" Alwyn, Trestia and Lenni, who had been obediently quiet through all this all replied in perfect harmony. The exclamation stunned the old wolf.

"But..." He murmured.

"I thought you were trying to keep me OUT of trouble, Jotham?" Alwyn snapped. "Do you have any idea what kind of chaos this is going to cause?"

"I agree!" Trestia added, "Having the ability to understand the Elvari language could prove an invaluable advantage to our enemies if word gets out of this!"

"And it'll put my master in danger!" Lenni cut in, gripping Alwyn around the shoulders as if wanting to be his shield.

The old mage seemed to relent and cleared his throat, "Yes, you're quite right. I got so excited about this news that I forgot myself." He seemed to look a little glum now, "Still, the fact that you can understand Elvari is going to be a great boon."

"All the more reason to keep him close." Trestia replied. "And keep this information a secret."

"That sounds good to me, your highness." Alwyn inserted. The last thing he wanted to do was bring even more attention and danger to anyone cause of his sake.

"Please, Al." Trestia said calmly, "We are to be married. Please call me Trestia."

Alwyn paused, looking over at the princess with a concerned look, "Are...you sure you want to go through with this now?" He asked.

The princess' eyes went wide, "You...don't want to marry me?"

His ears drooped and he held up his hands, "It's not that, your hi...I mean, Trestia. It's just that knowing what I am, aren't you in more danger being around me?"

_Was he actually concerned about me,_She wondered openly. Trestia seemed to consider that then smiled warmly. "Not at all, Alwyn. If anything, it makes me want you around more. You're a valuable asset for my father."

It didn't seem like Trestia meant it the way Alwyn expected, but her words kind of stung. She didn't see him as a companion, lover or friend, but only wanted to marry him because it kept him tied to the royal throne. Oftentimes, royal marriages in some of his old fantasy novels were decided more by politics than anything else and little on love. They had only met of course so Devon didn't expect the princess to suddenly fall for him, but hearing her say that it was just political still hurt his ego.

He soon felt a paw on his head and felt Lenni rub her cheek against his. "Don't worry, Master. I'll protect you, no matter what!" The statement warmed Alwyn's spirit, helping to numb Trestia's words. At least he had one person who cared for him on this trip.

--

Watching the cat maid nuzzling up to Alwyn triggered something in Trestia. She felt heat burn her cheeks and make her ears droop at the open sign of affection. How dare that alley cat cling to him so blatantly, She thought while hiding a scowl.

Realizing that she was feeling offense at such an action quickly sobered the princess. Why was she getting jealous over a maid's affection towards her master? Sure Alwyn was handsome for a young bunny-kin, and he seemed capable. What stunned her the most was how he was able to use magic so well after just a glance. It had taken her two years at academy to get such a spell going and not nearly as long as he did. He was definitely talented--even a possible genius--which irritated her even more.

Ever since she was born, her natural magical talent was evident. Since she was the second child to the king and a female, there was little chance of her ascending to the throne and even if she did, she would no doubt be married off to some bratty noble who would become the next king instead of her. She was a rung on a ladder for some upstart and petty aristocrat to have a chance at becoming the royal monarch if anything happened to her brother, Eomund. Thus, she had devoted herself to studying magic since it not only something she could do well, it would potentially make her more useful down the line.

Then a thought came to her. If he could actually read Elvari--the language of magic, then couldn't he write it as well? The way he talked about reading it indicated that he expected it to be a common language for mages and his reading it wasn't spectacular, but it had devastating prospects.

What if he could write Elvari, she wondered. If he learned the basics of magic and figured out how to reverse-engineer the glyphs, could he actually make new spells? Her mind reeled at the implication of him creating new glyphs and even advancing the science of magic. It would mean she could learn powerful new spells that would make her unique among other mages.

It also made her realize what a danger he could become. What would happen if a renegade noble house or guild got a hold of him, and forced or cajoled him into researching new magic: new weapons, techniques and devastating powers that could alter the balance of power on Aeurn. Trestia was smart enough to realize what could happen if the language of the Elvari was unlocked and anyone could create new and potentially hazardous new magic. Such powers could not only overthrow the kingdom but untold numbers of beast-kin would die.

Then it really hit Trestia with a new thought. What if Alwyn himself orchestrated such a coup? If he was not treated right by her family or even herself, could he grow resentful and be more inclined to use this new power to destroy the monarchy? He already appeared annoyed with all that was going on about moving to the capital and leaving his life as a duke's son behind. With enough time and planning, a being with the intelligence and talent as Alwyn could do it, and the thought frightened her. Unchecked, he could be a useful tool or a deadly threat.

Trestia no longer saw just Alwyn Duvane in that young Bunny-kin, but the other being who now inhabited it-what was his name? Devon? Her mind worked backwards to think about how he was thrust into a new world from his old. He was an old soul; Devon having lived a previous life and learned strange lore, only to be thrust into her world to live a new one. Yet he retained all that he had learned in the past life to this one, along with his life experiences and wisdom. Past mistakes he did as a child was now practical knowledge and reflected in the way he behaved and spoke. It made her mind reel at how Alwyn--no, Devon--had managed to cope with all that has happened to him to be as he is now.

She watched as Alwyn's cat maid fussed over her new fiancée and realized something. She was jealous, but not of the cat kin's affection, but of Alwyn's power. He was already a talented fighter thanks to those fools in Thornbriar who trained him, but now combined with the magical knowledge he could learn could make him truly dangerous. The more the princess thought about it, the more concerned she grew at what Alwyn could do if not pointed in the right direction.

It was there that Trestia came to a conclusion: She must stay close to Alwyn Duvane. She needed to keep him happy to avoid him turning against them. Again, he wasn't a bad looking young bunny-kin and would no doubt bring him notoriety if his true nature was discovered by the general populace. That meant that...she would have to really fall in love with him, marry him, and bear him children. To protect her own family and the royal house: to preserve the kingdom of Illuminaria, she needed to actually insure that Alwyn Duvane was hers and hers alone. Could she do it? Could she actually make Alwyn fall for her? She was charming and powerful as all the other nobles would dote on her at court but she knew they were just playing games to try to woo her into marrying into the royal family. Alwyn on the other hand was forced into it--like she might have been if she hadn't taken advantage of him. Realizing what she had done, Trestia felt a bit ashamed for roping Alwyn into an engagement for the sake of her own selfishness.

--

Before the sun had set, the carriage and their guard escort managed to make it to a roadside inn before night set. The head of the guards had sent word ahead of their approach and prepared rooms in advance for the secret royal travelers, as well as insuring the inn was secure from unsavory beast-folk that might be sneaking about.

During the final leg of their trip, Jotham had been showing Alwyn several more glyphs until he couldn't take any more.

"Please, Jotham!" Alwyn groaned, "I swear my head's going to explode!"

The carriage came to a stop at the inn as Jotham and Alwyn disembarked. The old mage offered his hand to Trestia as she descended from the cart, then Alwyn did the same for Lenni, who seemed taken aback by his concern for her. Thankfully, Alwyn didn't seem to notice the scowl that came on Trestia as she saw him help her commoner maid out of the coach.

Guards in mercenary garb were all about, patrolling the inn while hiding the fact that they were royal guards for the king. Even if Alwyn didn't know that, the way these soldiers were carrying themselves was a dead giveaway. At least this way they won't have to worry about anyone even thinking of causing trouble here tonight. Guess it's probably all right that they stick out like a sore thumb. At least it should deter anyone from giving us problems.

After a meal from a rather robust and gruff looking beast-kin who resembled a Raccoon along with his equally plump wife, Alwyn and Jotham chatted more about magic. Trestia, finishing her tea excused herself and went up to her room for bed. Jotham showed Alwyn more of the glyphs and even some very complex ones. Some were two or more glyphs that connected to one another through simple lines, as if they were wires connected to a microprocessor from his old world. It occurred to Devon that magic in this world worked similar to a computer program or a circuit board, connecting a glyph that performed one function then connected to another that had a separate function. The drawback was that such complicated glyphs would be hard to memorize, even for him, and thus hard to use. It probably explains why magic in this world, however amazing it is at this level, hasn't advanced very far beyond that.

It was growing dark and both Jotham and Alwyn were growing tired so they retired to their respective rooms. Alwyn's room was small, but rustic, with a bed, desk and chair and a small set of drawers for extended visits. The mattress on the bed was probably filled with hay or feathers and promised an itchy alternative from the plush beds back in Thornbriar.

Walking over to the end of the room, he opened the small door that led out to an outside balcony where he could see the night sky. Alwyn never got tired of seeing the unique stars and astronomical bodies in this world. Since there were no city lights or electric lights to light up the night, the stars shone both numerously and brightly. To the left he could see the multi colored rings that orbited the planet shimmer like a ribbon of brightly ornate silk. He scanned the heavens, trying to find the north star of this world but couldn't really make out any constellations from his old world. That would be natural considering he was on another world and probably in another dimension entirely. As he mused, he saw a blue green moon high above followed by a larger yellow orange one right behind it.

What were those again? Devon internally tried to recall the lessons he got from Calatrix about this world's astronomy. Aeurn orbited a binary star system; Telah and Plesius, or the twin dragons who governed the day. Aeurn itself had three moons that could be seen orbiting the planet even during the day. They were Ketai, the smaller of the three, Vuln, and the largest Astau. He was seeing Ketai in front of its older brother Astau. Vuln had a slower orbit that the other two so it would not show up until morning.

Just then, Alwyn heard someone singing. It was a young girl's voice and she was simply singing the notes and not having lyrics. He looked to his right and saw Trestia as the source of that singing on her own balcony, hands outstretched to the heavens. She was so enraptured by the singing that by the time she ended she gasped as she noticed Alwyn watching.

"Oh!" She said looking flushed. "Forgive me if I woke you, Alwyn."

"It's quite alright, Princess." He replied back, "I didn't know you could sing so beautifully."

Her long bunny ears sagged and she tilted her head down in embarrassment, "You're too kind."

"What was the song of?" Alwyn asked, leaning over the railing between their balconies.

"My mother sang it for me every night before bed. She said it was an Aria to the Maker and to the dragons."

According to the mythology, the Maker created the dragons as the governors of the celestial realm he created. The tales were that after the fall of the betrayer, Malegurn, the other celestial dragons took station around the celestial realm and the physical realm, and their glowing bodies would illuminate the night sky as stars. Of course, Devon didn't have the heart to disprove such a romantic tale by saying that the stars were balls of super heated gasses. Besides, he would have been called a lunatic if he did.

"Your mom sounds like a wonderful queen." Alwyn complimented, "I can't wait to see her."

Trestia facial expression grew solemn, "I'm afraid you won't, Alwyn. She has returned to the Maker."

Returned to the Maker was a common term for the religious types of Aeurn to mark someone's death. Even though he hadn't known, he still felt guilty for bringing it up, "I'm sorry, Trestia."

She turned a sidelong glance at Alwyn, feeling that his words were not some empty platitude, but a genuine apology. She smiled sweetly, "It's not your fault. She died from a fever when I was very young. They feared a plague and had her taken to a secret location where she passed on. Every night I sing that song to the heavens knowing mother will hear it and know that I am well."

There was an awkward silence between the two young rabbit-kin before Trestia straightened and looked towards him.

"Alwyn, I owe you an apology." She offered.

Alwyn's ears swiveled forward in surprise. "An apology? For what?"

"Proposing marriage to you." She explained. "At first I thought all that Jotham had been harping on about was just superstitious nonsense. I offered marriage both as a justification and as an excuse."

Resting his head on the balcony rail, Alwyn smirked, "You wanted to marry me to avoid a political one back home?"

Trestia's ears stood straight up and she stared in shock, "How did you..." Then she relaxed, "Of course...you're twiceborn."

Of course Alwyn would have thought that far ahead, Trestia mused sullenly, he's already had a life and maybe even had such a scenario happen to him or someone else in his world.

"It seemed logical." Alwyn lectured, "No doubt you wanted to avoid being married to some snobby, arrogant little punk back home who was only looking to you as a way to get into the royal line. It's a common enough theme in some of the fantasy books back in my other life."

I knew it, Trestia inwardly cheered.

"Oh yeah." Alwyn hopped up onto the railing and let his feet dangle over the side. "The usual premise: girl get forced into a love-less marriage, the king or next in line has a horrible 'accident' and the grieving girl becomes the queen, with the newly married husband taking the crown."

Her jaw dropped at the scenario, "By the Maker!" Trestia squeeked. "It's like you could read my thoughts!" The more she got to know this buck, the more frightening his mind became to her.

Now it was Alwyn's turn to look shocked, "Seriously? You think that's going to actually happen?"

She raced up towards Alwyn, grasping the railing, "It's my worst fear, Alwyn. I marry into some other house and my brother dies either from a hunting accident or assassin. Father is already weak from age and the loss could send him quickly to Maker right after."

"...and then you becoming queen and your hubby takes the crown." Alwyn finished her thought, "And the line of kings goes in a bad direction."

Trestia stared up at Alwyn, her blue eyes sparkling with renewed respect for him. It was kind of disconcerting that this girl, who technically was old enough to be Devon's grandchild was suddenly admiring him. Course physically she was slightly older than him, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"I've never believed in the God-king before until this day, Alwyn." She said, reaching out to grasp his hand, "But it's like you were sent to protect my father and our house after all."

And that was when he felt a new weight falling on his already burdened shoulders. He let out an audible groan and leaned back, nearly falling back into the balcony.

"I'm not that special, Tress." He complained, "Sure, my coming here was, but I'm just a scientist--a scholar to your world."

"A scholar." Trestia retorted, "Who knows and does things none of us could possibly do. A Scholar who can read and understand a language my people have lost centuries ago that could make changes to Aeurn for both good or evil, depending on how you're used."

Alwyn cocked his head and glared at Trestia, "Evil? Do you think I'm a threat?"

"No." She quickly corrected. "At least...not yet." She felt a pang of guilt at having said her heart openly, but considering how intelligent Alwyn was, she couldn't help but fall back into brutal honesty instead. "I honestly do not know you well enough, and frankly, hearing the way you speak with such wisdom scares me despite your youth."

"So my getting married to you..." Alwyn spoke coldly now, "Is to keep me placated? Maybe happy as your husband?"

What a sharp mind. Trestia realized as she replied openly. "When I saw what you did with the glyphs, I realized what kind of potential you could pose to my family and all of Aeurn." She lowered her head and looked surprisingly guilty, "I confess that my reasons to marry you were selfish at first, then I realized you were a threat to the realm or its greatest hope."

Alwyn's face softened, "So you figured the best way to keep me from turning into some sort of evil monster was to keep me close?"

Trestia's eyes started to moisten, "I hadn't considered your feelings, Alwyn Duvane. My reasons are selfish but then I realized what a burden has been placed on you. For that, I apologize." She looked up at Alwyn with tears in her eyes, "If you wish, we can cancel the marriage and part ways. I will not be offended if you do."

It was then that Alwyn realized something about Trestia. She was a shrewd character, both pretty and smart in her own right. She thought this out and once she learned about his real ability, knew that she was getting in over her head. She was still willing to sacrifice herself for her father, brother and all of Aeurn to keep him pointed in the right direction. It didn't hurt that she was also, despite being a rabbit-girl, a knockout.

Trestia turned around and he could hear her sobbing, which made Alwyn feel concern for the princess. She wasn't a bad girl honestly, just thrust into a bad situation. A lot like myself, he realized. Perhaps Trestia could be useful to him as well. Oh, he wasn't 'in love' with her, but he thought he could eventually, and she might also help him as well. Lenni was in the same boat, but she wasn't near as bright. Lenni was a loving companion that he could find emotional comfort with, maybe even physical as well when his body matured. Trestia could fill another role for him--as a counselor or a sounding board. She could help him figure out things, talk stuff over, and share their concerns together as...friends? Lovers maybe? It wasn't far-fetched, but it would take time.

At that, Alwyn hopped into Trestia's balcony and crossed over to her. "Tress." He says calmly, turning her around. She had tears matting the fur under her eyes so he took a handkerchief from his waistcoat and wiped them from her cheekfur. "I know that you meant well by doing this, Tress. I realized that when you made that proposal to me at Thornbriar." He stepped back an stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, leaning against the railing. "But after careful consideration, I think you might have a point."

Trestia watched him in stunned silence as he explained, "Honestly, Tress, I'm in a no-man's land here. I've been cooped up inside Thornbriar for years and sheltered cause my parents in this world were nobles and I could get kidnapped or fall out of another tree like the one that brought me here. Now, I'm going to be dragged off to the capitol of this kingdom, put into some Game of Thrones slug-fest where I might be the prize for anyone who realizes what I am capable of."

Some of what Alwyn spoke about didn't make sense--what was a slug-fest?--but she did get the meaning of most of it.

Alwyn continued, "I need someone I can trust here, Tress. Someone who thinks like me and understands the in's and out's about court and magic and all this other nonsense." At this, Alwyn reached over and took her hands in his, "But I also need a friend. Someone I can confide in, talk to, figure things out. Lenni is a sweet girl, but she's a commoner. She's going to be able to help me in other things, but you...you got smarts when it comes to all the court intrigues I'm going to get roped into. I need someone like you by my side to keep me honest. You were right, Tress--I'm dangerous with what I can do. That's why I need you to help me. Can you do that?"

Trestia, staring into Alwyn's eyes started to sob anew, "I...I can try." She choked out. She had gambled on honesty, openly vocalizing her fears to him, and it paid off. Trestia took the chance that Alwyn was indeed an honorable being and by talking truthfully, earned his trust.

Alwyn then got down on one knee and looked up at her, "I don't know how to formally do this in this world," he said somewhat nervously, "But....Princess Trestia...will you honor me and become my wife?"

She suddenly broke down, pulling one hand away to cover her muzzle. She nodded, then nearly tackled Alwyn on the Balcony.

"Yes!" She cried, "Yes! Oh Alwyn, yes!" The two laughed and tumbled in her balcony, overcome with emotion.

As the two bunny-kin tumbled in the balcony, A lone cat maid watched silently from the other balcony, and felt both elated and sad. She loved Alwyn as well, but Lenni was like what Alwyn said: 'just a commoner'. She had silently wished it was her on the receiving end of such a unorthodox proposal but she knew it would never be possible. Devon was a brave, smart and loving person despite being in the body of a young boy. She knew the man inside and had fallen in love with who he was. Still, hearing how Alwyn regarded her as important filled her with contentment.

Breathing a sigh, she turned back to the room. She had duties to perform. It was all she could do for her master now, but perhaps when they reached King's rest...she could do more for the young Duke she loved.

--

The next morning, Alwyn and Trestia came down to the Dining hall of the inn, her arm linked into his and both appearing quite content. Jotham noticed the two and seemed perplexed.

"Did something happen last night?"

"Yes." Said Alwyn, "And you can get whatever dirty minded thoughts out of your head too. We stayed up talking last night."

The old wolf's fur bristled and he mumbled something in a growling fluster.

It was true. After a long moment of cathartic crying, Trestia sat up with Alwyn for most of the night talking to one another. She wanted to know everything she could about Alwyn, or 'Al' as he requested her to use. Alwyn did his best to tell her about all that had happened--his past life memory of the accident, along with trying to explain things like 'cars' and 'deer'. He also tried to tell her all he knew about his time in Thornbriar and even offered to teach the cooks how to make some of the meals he had shown the cooks back home from his old life.

Devon, was still fragments of his original life, memories like a jigsaw puzzle that not all the pieces were put in place. He knew he was a scientist, he had a love of reading books and memorizing a great deal of them, thanks to his photographic memory, and retained much of his learned skills in math, history, science and language. He still knew he had a father, never knew his mother, and he also hated bullies. All of this he shared with Trestia.

Trestia in turn, told Alwyn about King's rest and the court. When she had mentioned the city's name, Alwyn has asked, "Why is the capital called 'King's rest' anyway?" Apparently it was an odd name for the main city of the Illuminarian Kingdom.

"Back in the dark days after the Elvari disappeared," Trestia explained, "The various tribes of beast-kin were lost without their masters to guide them. Our ancestors kept close to many of the surviving cities of the Elvari to this day. By then, Beast-kin were segregated by like species and we rarely talked to one another. Eventually some tribes got into conflict with one another over hunting grounds and water. Then one day a rabbit-kin chieftain named Galen came, supposedly guided by the Maker to unify the tribes together against the dark dragons."

"I take it, that didn't go over very well?" Alwyn had interrupted.

"No, it didn't." Trestia continued. "The conflict would be known as the war of unity, and Galen led the various tribes that sided with his and subjugated the others. At the last battle, when the dark dragons did appear, Galen appeared in the battlefield riding an earth dragon."

"An Earth dragon?" Alwyn interjected, "I thought the Dragons never meddled with beast-kin?"

"True, but the Dragons made an exception at this point cause it meant repelling the Betrayer. Anyway, the battle then was the most fierce that after driving back Maelgurn's forces, Galen collapsed on the battle field and slept there for three days. The dragon he had ridden into battle stayed by his side, protecting the divinely appointed king. The site that he slept on later became the capital known as King's rest."

Alwyn was enthralled by the story and silently wished he could go back to his old world and publish a story like that.

The two new friends soon had to part, but neither one could really sleep, their discussions and company together was far too energizing. Even now, as they came down to breakfast, neither one seemed exhausted from last night's escapades.

That all changed after breakfast and getting back into the carriages to continue their journey. In a few minutes, Alwyn was leaning back in the seat, out like a light, and Trestia laying against his shoulder appearing lost to the world.

Lenni sat next to the couple and scowled at their undignified appearance. Jotham instead chuckled.

"They seem to be getting along well." He said towards Lenni. She started, her fur bristling at the comment.

"Y-yes! They m-make a cute couple, Master Arch-mage..." She stammered anxiously.

The old wolf chuckled again which made Lenni bristle even more, "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh...just thinking of the power of the young is all." Jotham replied.

Lenni hissed, "Oh....go sniff a tree, you old mutt!" She grumbled, looking out the window in a huff.

Jotham wasn't offended, instead he laughed a little louder, knowing the real reason for the cat-maid's distress.

Ah, to be young and in love...