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Once upon a time there was a humble farmer who lived in a cottage in the forest with his pregnant wife. Everything was perfect for the happy couple, until one day the farmer’s wife suddenly fell ill.
The farmer consulted many healers, all of whom told him they didn’t know what was wrong or how to cure his wife.
As she got worse and worse, the farmer’s desperation to save his wife grew. He heard rumours, whispers, about a witch, living not that far from his home.
Unfortunately for him this witch was not a witch at all, but a disgraced goddess, cursed to live in human form.
As soon as he could the farmer bid his wife goodbye and left in search of this goddess. When he found her, the farmer pleaded for her to save his wife. The goddess agreed on one condition: his firstborn.
Without a moment of consideration, or consulting his wife, the farmer agreed, and he was sent on his way with a magical golden flower from the goddess’s garden.
When back home, the farmer used the flower to brew a tea, which instantly made his wife feel better when ingested.
With her regained health, the wife delivered a healthy baby boy who she named ‘Gale’ for the joy he brought her. This joy however was soon snuffed out by the goddess coming to take what was owed.
She screamed and kicked and cried, but to no avail. Her son was taken from her.
The goddess took the infant to a lonely tower, hidden in the forest. She took great care to make sure no one but her could find it and having only one way in and out of the tall structure, great thorn bushes surrounding the tall structure to ensure no one climb it.
She went through these great lengths to keep Gale hidden from the world because he is special. Gale has magic.
Magic is a rare thing nowadays; many believe it to be extinct. The disgraced goddess can feel it, and with it her only chance of returning to her former glory, slowly ebbing away from this world.
Keeping the young wizard close and grooming him and his power to serve her, they lived for many years in that tower. Gale growing into a handsome, strong, clever man.
He is lonely though, aside from Mystra his only company is a Tressym he named ‘Tara’ he accidentally summoned during one of his exercises.
Gale spent most of his time studying the books Mystra brought him. His favourite time of year is when hundreds of floating lights fill the night sky. According to his calculations, it happens once a year, every year, on the same day: his birthday.
You on the other hand are nothing but a humble thief, currently being chased through the forest by several guards of the castle you attempted to break in to. You don’t see why they’re making it out to be such a big deal. They have plenty, and you don’t. It’s not like they would miss a few trinkets or a couple of coins.
Oh well.
Pretty sure they’ve lost your trail; you dare to stop and catch your breath. You don’t recognise this part of the forest, an eery fog covers the landscape. Looking around, you try and find some form of landmark that would lead you back to familiar soil.
You notice a giant boulder, covered in vines. Maybe if you climb it, you’ll have a better vantage point.
And so, climb it you did. Or at least you tried. When grasping the vines to pull yourself up you notice behind them a hidden entrance through the boulder.
Suddenly you hear the sound of the guards chasing you nearing closer. You quickly pull aside the vines and hide inside the boulder. Listening to them pass your hiding place you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding.
Looking further into the cave you see a small valley with a lone tower surrounded by thorny bushes. Your curiosity getting the better of you, you reach the tower. Looping around it you notice it doesn’t seem to have an entrance. There is, however, a bell attached to the old walls, almost unnoticeable, hidden behind the thorny branches.
You, being the sane, reasonable person you are, decide to manoeuvre your hand through the prickly plant and ring the mysterious bell attached to a creepy tower in a hidden valley.
The second the ringing sound pierces the quiet of the valley you are surrounded by a purple hue. When the purple fades away you are no longer standing in the valley but instead a room. Before you can thoroughly start to panic about being magically teleported, you hear a loud ‘CLANG’, and everything fades to black as you fall to the floor.
When you awake, you notice you are sitting in a chair. You try and reach for your throbbing head in an attempt to soothe the pain but notice you can’t move your arm from its place on the armrest.
Trying to blink away your dizziness you find yourself tied to the chair with, purple tendrils? Is this… magic?
What in the ACTUAL HELL?!
“So, what exactly were your intentions here? Kill me? Kidnap me? Extort me for my magic?” The voice comes from a shadowy corner.
“Uh, no? The only thing I want with your magic is to get out of it?!”
“Oh.” The figure in the corner turns and whispers something to something to a cat you hadn’t noticed before, and to your surprise, it whispers back.
“Did- did that cat just talk?” Magic? Talking animals? A few minutes ago both seemed like something out of a fairy tale, with magic having been long extinct. You can’t tell if your head hurts from the bad hit you just took or the insanity of the situation.
“She’s not a cat, she’s a Tressym.” The man corrects you, carefully stepping out from the shadows, clutching a frying pan. The source of your headache, no doubt. The cat- Tressym follows close behind. As she properly comes into view you notice her birdlike wings.
“My name is Tara!” she says with an offended tone.
The man is dressed in simple, yet well-made clothes. His shoulder-length hair is brown, as are his eyes, and swept back in a half-up-half-down style. A stubble of facial hair decorates his kind, yet stern, looking face. A silver earring, shaped in the form of an eight-pointed star, dangles from his left ear.
An attractive man, you think. If not a bit odd.
“Oh-kay! Nice to meet you?” The odd duo stares at you for a moment, you staring back, before turning to each other. They whisper back and forth for a bit; you can make out Tara telling the man that you ‘don’t seem that bad’ and that he should ‘ask’ you. They seem to come to an agreement and turn back to you.
“Alright intruder-”
“You teleported me up here.”
He ignores your interruption. “We have come to a decision of what to do with you. In return for your freedom, you shall take me to see the lights.”
“The lights?” The man puts up a finger as if gesturing for you to wait and moves to a writing desk, taking some scrolls and showing them to you. “See, they show up every year. According to my calculations they will come again two days from now.”
You look at his notes, they contain astronomical equations, maps, and drawings of his ‘lights’. They seem awfully familiar.
“W- the lanterns? Listen wizard-”
“Ah, I’m Gale.” He interrupts you.
“Whatever. Even if I wanted to take you, I couldn’t. I’m kind of wanted around here.” Taking him with you would only slow you down.
“Oh.” His disappointed eyes remind you of those of a sad baby cow.
He suddenly perks up. “Wait, I could cast a spell so no one could recognise you! What do you say?” You weigh your options and make your decision with a heavy sigh.
“Alright, fine, I guess I can take you.” You cave.
“An excellent choice!” With a flourish of his hand, you’re no longer tied to the chair. You rub your wrists and stand up, glad to be able to move freely again.
“So, a simple cloaking spell should do the trick. Now you just keep standing there.” Having grabbed a thick book, Gale turns to a page halfway through, taps it with his index finger, and speaks some words in a language you don’t understand.
A warm, tingling feeling surrounds your body for a second before disappearing. “Is that it?”
“Yes, anyone who looks upon you from now until after the lanterns won’t be able to recognise you.” He punctuates his sentence by closing his book. “Great. Now, let’s get out of here.” Gale bids Tara, who upon an invitation to come along states she has a prior engagement with a particular comfortable pillow for a nap, goodbye and teleports the two of you out of the tower where your journey begins.
The two of you walk through the forest in silence for a while until Gale breaks it. “Lovely day, this. For now.”
You look at him. He seems a bit skittish, staying close to you while keeping his vigilant gaze on his surroundings. Like he expects an attack to come from behind every tree, rock, and bush. “You don’t get out a lot, huh.”
“No! No. I don’t know if you can tell, but” he leans closer to you, lowering his voice as if telling you a secret “I’ve never actually left the tower.”
That explains a lot. “You don’t say. Well, we’ll have to take the scenic route then, don’t we.” Maybe you can find a way so you don’t have to take him on this little side quest.
“I- Well, a bit of sightseeing can’t hurt, can it?” You give him a pat on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! I know just where to go first, are you hungry?”
You lead him to the infamous ‘Ugly Duckling’, a tavern known to shelter all sorts of thugs and criminals. The perfect place to take your recluse wizard and scare him back to his tower. You almost feel bad for him. Almost.
Opening the heavy door of the unassuming building, you gently push him inside. “Salutat- ions…” Gale exclaims, his excitement ebbing away half-way through the word when he sees inside the dimly lit tavern.
It is quite busy inside; all sorts of unsavoury types fill the old seats and halt their conversation upon hearing Gale’s out-of-place exclamation.
“Don’t mind us gentlefolks! Isn’t this place great? You should try their rotisserie rat, a true delicacy!” You push Gale past a particularly large thug wiping his bloody nose with his long, no longer white, beard. “How unseemly…” You reach the bar and order some food and drink.
Gale surprises you, you figured he would back out from the musty smell of the place alone, but here he sits trying his hardest to make polite conversation with the bartender. “Charmed, I’m sure.”
The bartender gives you a look. “’Charmed’?” You give an apologetic shrug. “He’s not from around here.” The bartender looks Gale up and down one last time before seemingly accepting your answer with a scoff.
You sit and enjoy your meal for a bit, Gale less so, until guards suddenly barge into the room. You’re thankful they won’t be able to recognise you, if Gale’s spell worked, but still get ready to run at any moment.
“We have been commissioned to find a wizard. We’ve received word he’s here. Hand him over now, and there won’t be any bloodshed.” The captain’s loud voice fills the room as everyone looks around suspiciously. You feel Gale grasp your arm, squeezing slightly. He’s shaking. You can’t tell if it is due to the adrenaline of the coming fight or the fear of being caught.
The guards draw their swords, making everyone stand up and draw their own weapons. The fight that breaks out starts with a plate being thrown at one of the guards, food still on it. In the chaos you briefly consider slipping away, leaving Gale to fend for himself.
“Swords, meet sorcery!”
Dork.
Wait, idiot! He just gave away his identity!
The fighting continues and suddenly you come face to face with your companion. Gale looks relieved to see you, but relief quickly melts into something else when he sends a purple blast over your shoulder. You look behind you to find a familiar guard unconscious on the ground.
The fighting continues as you and Gale manage to make your way out of the tavern. Finishing off your last opponent you turn to Gale to find him knocked on the ground.
“Get me up, would you?” He pants, clearly not used to using his powers for this cause. “You fought well.” You try to assure him, unsure as to why you’re bothering putting in the effort, pulling him up.
“Well, one can’t always be a gentleman.” The laugh that escapes you is genuine, much to your surprise.
A crashing sound from the tavern pulls you out of your daze. “We should go.” Gale agrees and the two of you rush away to safety.
It is dark when you decide to stop and rest. You gather firewood and Gale sets it ablaze for a perfect campfire. Only then it is you notice a wound on your side. Something must have nicked you in the chaos you think as you peel the fabric of your clothing aside.
“You’re hurt.” Gale states the obvious, taking a seat next to you. “I know a simple spell to remedy that, allow me to demonstrate.” And you do.
With your permission he places a purple glowing hand over your wound, causing you to hiss in pain, before a warmth flows through the tender flesh.
Upon Gale’s hand leaving your body, your skin looks untouched. You gently trace where your wound used to be. Despite having seen it several times now, magic is still a shocking concept to you.
“Thank you.” His gaze is soft, an unreadable look in his gentle eyes. “You are most welcome.”
Oh no, you may be starting to like this guy.
You snap out of your daze, clearing your throat. “Sooo… How long have you been a wizard?”
Gale lets out a surprised chuckle. “Uh. Forever, I suppose. Mystra says people tried to kidnap me for my power when I was a baby. Hence the tower, she says it keeps me, and my gift, safe.”
His eyes grow distant at the mention of this ‘Mystra’. “She must be something special.”
He gives a sad smile as he turns his gaze to the flames. “She is. The Goddess of Magic. She was my guardian, my teacher, muse, and eventually lover.”
Ouch.
And gross.
“Must be a complicated relationship.” Gale chuckles sadly. “It is, I suppose. But it’s the only one I have. Except for Tara, I accidentally summoned her when I was ten. Thankfully Mystra allowed me to keep her.” He smiles as if it’s a good thing.
“’Allowed’? And you’re sure you want to go back?” You can’t stop yourself from asking the question.
Gale startles. “Yes! Maybe- I don’t know. It’s complicated.” He splutters out, scrambling to defend himself, and her.
He clears his throat and turns back to you. “But enough about me. What about you? Have you always been a thief?”
You laugh. “Touché. Ah, no, I haven’t. I didn’t have a lot growing up and had to make do.”
He gives you a sad smile. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.” His voice is soft. You give him a sad smile back. “Exactly.” A warm, fuzzy feeling you can’t exactly place fills you.
You inhale sharply. “It’s getting late, we should probably get some shut-eye.” Gale smiles. “A pity. I’m sure I could talk to you all night, but, as you wish. I bid you goodnight.” You watch him turn away to prepare for the night.
Oh no.
The next day the two of you make the final stretch of your journey into town. Decorations for tonight’s spectacle cover every street and alley. Gale is having a great time drinking it all in, dragging you from stall to stall, from view to view. The food, the sights, the sounds, he simply can’t get enough, and you’re happy to indulge him.
He smiles oh so sweetly at you when you do.
When the day comes to an end and the sun begins to set you take Gale on a small rowing boat on the lake.
“You’ve been looking forward to this for so long, I figured you should have a decent seat.” Gale smiles at you, but you can tell it’s forced. “Is everything alright?”
He sighs, brows furrowing. “I- I don’t know. All my life I’ve been dreaming about what this very moment would feel like. What if it’s not everything that I dreamed it would be?”
You grab his hand, an impulsive decision meant to comfort him. “I’m sure it will be.” You squeeze his hand. “And if it isn’t, you’ll get to find a new dream to look forward to.”
His soft gaze and small smile gracing his lips make your heart clench and butterflies erupt in your stomach. It makes you both afraid and excited. Adrenaline flowing through your veins like electricity.
“Gale I-” You hesitate, Gale’s thumb caressing the back of your hand in a comforting motion. “You have my attention.” He gently encourages.
You take a breath to speak again but interrupt your confession when you notice a small light rising from behind the trees. “Look.” He does.
Hundreds of lanterns start filling the night’s sky, casting a soft yellow light that showcases Gale’s bright smile as he watches them being carried by the wind towards you.
You look at him instead. How the lights’ twinkle reflects in his eyes. His excitement when the lanterns float close enough for him to guide one back into the air.
As the lights slowly drift away Gale turns to you, grasping both of your hands into his. “Thank you. Truly. I wouldn’t have even left my tower if it wasn’t for you. I am so very glad you came, to share this with me.” He looks at you so earnestly. It feels like your very soul has been set ablaze.
“I have enjoyed our time together. A little too much, perhaps.” There is a shake in his voice that wasn’t there before.
“With you, I feel happy, safe. You must know you’re- you’re very special to me.”
A breath.
“With you, I forget my goddess.” That last bit is spoken as if it is a secret only meant for your ears. It makes your heart skip a beat.
“I don’t think I want to go back to the tower. You’ve shown me there is so much for me to see, to learn, to experience out here.” One of his hands releases yours to reach up and take out his earring.
“Mystra gave this to me as a token of our relationship.” With one quick motion he throws the silver earring into the lake, for it to sink into its inky depths.
“But that is in the past. I want to move forward now,” His hands clutch yours again, the same shake present as in the tavern.
“, with you, if you’ll have me.”
Time seems to stop.
Your brain, seemingly unable to present an eloquent agreement, instead moves your hand to softly cup his cheek.
You lean in closer, his breath tickling your face, yours probably doing the same to him. You can feel his face starting to heat up underneath your palm.
Just when you are about to meet in the middle Gale suddenly halts his movement, his suddenly stern gaze fixed on something behind you.
“Is everything alright?” It isn’t, you can tell, but can’t stop yourself asking.
“Yes. I just-” He takes a breath, steadying himself before turning his gaze to you again. “I need to take care of something before we leave.”
Once back on land Gale nervously asks you to wait by the boat until he comes back before disappearing into the dark of the forest.
You sit there, anxiously waiting for him to come back as seconds turn to minutes which turns to close to an hour.
About to lose hope of Gale coming back you let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a dark figure emerging from the forest. “There you are. I was starting to think you’d ran back to your tower and left me.”
Your smile leaves your face when the figure comes closer, revealing not Gale, but a tall, slender woman with dark hair.
Mystra.
“He did.” Her voice is smooth, powerful.
“What?” You start to feel nauseous.
“Gale came to realise the mistake that was leaving his tower.” You’re shaking now, tears welling up. “No, he- we were-” She interrupts you. “You were what? Come now dear, you didn’t think any of it was real, did you?”
“Now, dry those tears. He’s back where he belongs. With me.” She then disappears.
Confused and hurt you head back to town. You aimlessly wander the cobblestone streets, wondering if it indeed was all fake.
“Rough night, hon?” You stop and turn to the source of the voice. An older woman, dressed in a purple cloak. Her long, brown hair, decorated with silver streaks, pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.
“I suppose you can say that.” She looks at you with, oddly familiar, dark eyes, framed by crow’s feet and laced with a melancholy sort of pain.
“It happens to the best of us. I can never find it in myself to be particularly joyous on this day.” She takes you by the arm. “Come child. I’ll put on the kettle for you.”
Her cottage is warm, homely. The tea is comforting, and so is the crackling hearth. You fall into easy conversation with the woman, Morena, as she introduced herself.
“Hmm, you know I started with the lanterns?” She reveals. “I hoped that one day my son would see them, and they would lead him back to me.”
“You have a son?” It would explain her motherly nature. “Yes, but he was taken from me when he was but a baby.” Her brows furrow. “His father sold him, so he could cure me. A witch took him. Apparently, my son had, has, a gift.” She takes a shaky breath. “I dropped that man as soon as I found out. Never saw him again, nor my son.”
Wait a minute.
“Your son. What was his name?” She looks at you, confused by your sudden desperation.
“Gale. I named him Gale.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.
“I am so very sorry, Ms Dekarios, but I suddenly realized something, I have to go.” Surprised by your sudden rush she allows you to borrow her horse after you promise to bring it back.
“C’mon boy, let’s see how fast you can run.” You ride through the forest, arriving at the boulder that shelters the hidden tower, dark clouds make it seem even more menacing than before.
You jump off your horse, rushing to the tall structure and ring the bell, thorns scratching at your hand in your rush. “Gale? Gale, I need to speak to you!”
Nothing seems to happen for a moment, then, instead of the familiar purple, a white haze surrounds your vision. When it clears you are back in that room. It is dark and in disarray, books strewn from their place on the shelves over the floor. Gale is nowhere to be found.
“Gale?” You call for him. A muffled sound catches your attention.
Gale is gagged and bound to a chair in the familiar way you were previously. Instead of purple, white tendrils hold him in place.
“You should have stayed away.” Mystra comes slithering into view behind Gale. “He. Is. Mine.” She traces her perfectly manicured nails across Gale’s face, causing him to flinch away. “And now you’ve forced my hand.”
Before you can reply you feel yourself being violently pushed by an invisible force. You go flying through the room and out its only window. The last thing you hear before hitting the ground is Gale’s panicked, muffled voice calling for you and the wind rushing through your ears.
The first thing you notice when you wake up is the drops of rain hitting your face, the second is the darkness, and the third the pain.
You try and blink your sight back, to no avail, as you attempt to get up. As you wrestle your way out of the thorns you realise, they must have broken your fall, blinding you in the process.
Freed from the plants you kneel to the wet ground, breathing shakily. Bringing your trembling hands up to your face you gingerly feel around, finding cuts and torn flesh. You find yourself unable to tell the wetness of your blood apart from that of the rain. You bring your hands back to the ground, trying to find stability in the wet earth.
Unable to tell how long you’ve been out; you use your remaining senses to try and figure out what is going on.
You hear voices above you, though it’s hard to understand what they are saying above the clattering of the rain, the rushing of the wind, and the occasional clap of thunder.
“NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Your suddenly hear a blast, loud enough to make you cover your ears. The earth beneath you shakes and a gust of what you can now clearly identify as magic passes through you.
You sit with bated breath, hands still digging into the ground. It has stopped raining.
A gush of wind, clumsy footsteps, a sharp gasp.
“You’re- I thought you were- I thought I would never see you again.” Gale’s voice shakes, heavy with emotion.
He collapses next to you, clutching your shoulders as if they are his only lifeline. You cry his name through a sob, bringing your hands up to hold onto his arms.
“Your eyes.” He breathes, his warm, gentle hand brushes over your cold, wet cheek.
You let out a nervous chuckle, shaky with adrenaline. “I’ll live. What happened up there?” You feel his forehead resting against yours. “She’s gone. I’m free.” He lets out his own shaky laugh as you feel your tears mixing with his.
When you go to blink the wetness from your ruined eyes you suddenly notice your vision growing better with each blink.
“Gale.” He hums and pulls back slightly, a shocked expression gracing his face when he does. “Your eyes!”
You laugh, honestly and earnestly, as does he, pulling you into a tight hug, which you gladly return.
“I have to tell you something. Something I didn’t have a chance to on that boat on the lake.” He pulls back slightly, looking at you intently. “I could go hours waxing poetry about how I feel about you, but I feel this situation calls for something simpler. I love you. Plainly and completely.”
You can’t hold back the smile tugging at your mouth. “And I love you.”
He then pulls you into a gentle kiss, filled with desperation and relief. It tastes of blood, and rain, and tears.
It is perfect.
“I hate to interrupt this sweet moment, but I would like to know where we are to go now?” You had almost forgotten about Tara you think, Gale spluttering excuses at her.
“I don’t think that is something we have to worry about. Gale there is someone I met while we were separated. I’m sure she would very much like to see you again.”
And there, back in that small town, after a tearful reunion with his sweet mother, you and Gale lived happily ever after.
The End.