The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 8).

The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Chapter 8).

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Word count: 2500

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One of my earliest lessons in magic was to know how to discern reality from fantasy. When skilled enough, illusionists can tamper with one’s senses; it was imperative to start training to defend against such things from an early age. Lacking strength in combat can be overcome by providing more troops or funds to the war coffer, but it was inexcusable to have a mind or senses that can be easily tricked.

So, though I opened my eyes in the guest room that I was given, I knew that I was in a dream.

The moment I came to that realization, the facsimile faded away, and I found myself standing on a vast and expansive lake.

Where a table with two chairs was present, alongside a porcelain tea set and some pastries.

But the one occupying one of the spare chairs took all my attention.

“I have not had the pleasure of enjoying foods such as this before. Would you mind showing me how to enjoy it?” The figure was clad in swathes of black and azure cloth. A black crown adorned with spikes of sapphires sat on her head. Her skin was almost pure white in color, and faint blue lines glittered on her skin into multitudes of symbols. With hair as white as snow, straight and long enough to reach her calves, she looked at me with teal eyes that seemed almost aglow through a black gossamer veil. The words that left her mouth were not what my mind heard. “You have already seen through the illusion, child. Anything more will invite my betrothed’s wrath.”

The impossibly powerful user of magic before me spoke the word ‘betrothed,’ and everything fell neatly into place.

Though the edges of my senses felt as though they were slowed by invisible muck, I forced myself to bow my head to give both a curtsy and a bow.

“I offer my greetings to the betrothed of Lord Trelawney. I am his student and heiress of the Dukedom of House Argelia.” I was careful of my thoughts. I did my utmost to recall only what Lord Trelawney said of his betrothed without any negatives. Also, I made sure to not speak my first name. That she could already enter my dreams was a sign that she had a connection to me. I did not wish to give her a greater hold. “Please, allow me to serve you.”

I had worked for the queen as part of the princess’s entourage. That entailed learning how to pour tea for my betters. Though I had chafed while learning the methods, I was now grateful as I was able to pour tea with a flourish, as well as give the powerful sorceress a selection of snacks from my dream. I also made sure to stand and wait, not taking the offered seat, while the powerful sorceress sampled the pastries and consumed the tea.

“This drink is too delicate and light to warm the heart in winter. These breads are light and filled with sugars that will not fill the stomach.” She decried it and swept her hand. The top of the table came undone, and in a blink the foods were replaced. A hunk of roasted meat glazed in spices and herbs, a wicker basket of hearty bread, and green glass bottles that were open and filled the air with the scent of fruit and wine. Then, the sorceresses stood up and walked my way… Her hands moved my shoulders and placed me on the opposite seat. With motherly grace, she sliced and served the meat and bread to me. “The meals of my homeland are far superior.”

I almost consumed it, but I stopped and met the gaze of the sorceress through her gossamer veil.

Sweat and terror crawled down my back as a lesson I learned resounded in the back of my mind.

Never consume anything offered to you by a skilled user of magic.

Especially when they have not given you the rights of a guest.

Then, there was the fact that she tried to lure me into a false sense of security by awakening me in my bed.

“I am afraid that I must decline, my lady. I have been forbidden from consuming meals when not given the rights of a guest.” I spoke, and I was ready for horrors to be unleashed, especially as the chair, table, and fine-smelling meals all disappeared.

My dream contorted and changed until I was in a long, dark hall of smooth black stone, and at the end of it, on a throne, sat the sorceress I thought that I had met. The flowing robes, veil, and crown were gone. Instead, a furred coat hung over her shoulders with the face of a fierce beast contorted in a final roar settled on her shoulder, while a long loincloth in black and a band across her chest preserved some modesty.

The light blue lines of magic that coursed all over her milky-white skin had a fiercer glow. The mask of elegance was gone.

A conqueror remained.

I knelt and bowed my head and pleaded for my sanity. “I apologize for all discourtesy. I ask only for mercy.”

Even if I had done nothing wrong, my mind was at this sorceress’s mercy, so I had no choice but to beg—

“That’s two. You’re out, Aigen.” A wave of relief swept over me in an instant at the sound of Lord Trelawney’s voice. It could’ve been a trick, but I felt his power. The abrasive, uncaring, and ruthless weight of his soul permeated the dream. Cracks formed on the smooth black stone, and the glare of the conqueror on the throne narrowed. He reached me, walked past me, and promptly raised his middle finger towards his betrothed. “And, since you didn’t lift a finger to help us despite our engagement, consider it over.”

His hand reached for my shoulder, and I knew that he was moving to crush the dream when the conquering sorceress suddenly spoke.

“I offer restitution for this moment and my lack of action against those who struck against you.” The words were cold and calculating, but I balked at them. Those of royal standing made no such offers. Monarchs did not make mistakes. Not in the presence of others. Not even their equals. Then, I came to a simple realization. If she was this strong and capable, then she would surely know the true strength of Lord Trelawney. “Let there be peace between us.”

Lord Trelawney paused and gave a hum.

“Peace between your lands and mine? You think we can have that after you let my entire family get wiped off the planet? Not even a warning, even though it was agreed that you’d get all the power you ever wanted?” Lord Trelawney chuckled lowly and shook his head. Then, he pointed towards the sorceress that he was engaged to just minutes ago. “No. That’s not fair, let alone just. You might not be fair game since inaction isn’t a good enough reason for your deities to look away… But I can prop up somebody that you hate instead and give her everything that you wanted.”

The cool and dispassionate stare abruptly turned to a glare, and the sorceress stood up to her full height and crafted a spear of darkness with an outstretched hand.

“You dare!?”

Lord Trelawney responded with such enthusiasm that I was sure that he had a smile on his face.

“Look at it this way, your bloodline still gets empowered! Just not through you, bitch! Tell Aire that I send my regards, and tell everyone who worked against my family to get ready to be wiped off the face of the planet!”

A roar of power rushed at us, and the spear flew at us. It burned with an azure flame and coursed with golden lightning.

I was sure that the blow would shatter a castle with ease, and I thought that we’d leave the dream before it reached us.

Instead, Lord Trelawney seized it with his magic via an outstretched hand, then clenched that hand into a fist, and rendered it to mere motes of dissipating power.

It was only a dream, but dreams reflected reality, and a shiver went down my spine as I realized my teacher hid more power than I realized.

Then, his hand settled on my shoulder, and the dream began to fade.

But not before he gave his last statement towards the furious Sorceress-Queen.

“If you have something else to say, come and say it to my face! Invading the dreams of young women doesn’t suit you!”

If looks could kill, Lord Trelawney would’ve been obliterated from existence with not even his soul remaining.

They did not, so his laughter echoed through my mind as the dream faded back into a natural rest.

…

I questioned Lord Trelawney on my dream and his broken engagement when I found myself shocked beyond belief.

“Oh? Nah. It’s not over. I basically told her to get over here and apologize personally instead of bullshitting.” I had awoken from my slumber and went to seek him out after modestly covering myself up. A lady couldn’t meet with a young man in her nightgown, of course. I found him in the guest room with a maid, and he had mulled wine at the ready for me to imbibe. I questioned him, and he answered me. “She’s a whore, but she’s smart enough to know what she needs to do. And that is to get over here, beg to stay in my good graces, and become an honest woman. Or, you know, I’ll kill all the people who don’t hate her and empower the people that do.”

“You are… incredibly blasé regarding this matter. I know that you are strong, but is it wise to incur the wrath of such a powerful being?” The Fading Isle was a land from myth and legend. There, mortals, ephemeral creatures, and gods walked the same land. Their isolation and the fact that they had little interest in the rest of the world made it so no other deities entreated with them to allow for civilization to flourish. It was a wild land where might made right, and to be a queen-sorceress there meant one had the ability to rival a deity’s whims. “Would it not have been better to simply allow her to do as she wishes, even if you could defeat her?”

Lord Trelawney considered the question for a bit. While I had mulled wine to help me sleep, he was sipping on warmed milk that was spiced.

“Aigen is a powerful sorceress, but she’s hit her limit. That’s why she goes around making multiple bodies, while staying young, and finding strong bloodlines to mix with her own. Her ultimate goal is power for herself by creating a new body to inhabit.” I blinked at the words that came forth from Lord Trelawney’s mouth. The manipulation of the flesh and the soul through magic was considered the realm of those who have truly mastered magic. They were sages and hidden hermits who used immortality to study magic in seclusion. Not sorcerers bent on conquest and power. “She’s spent the last fifty years after reaching her current state sending out bodies, seducing men, and becoming concubines or wives... for the sake of personal power.”

Lord Trelawney leaned forward and raised an eyebrow after his wanton statements.

“Do you think a person with that much drive and who uses her body like a tool to gain power… would respect someone who wouldn’t stand up to her in his own home?”

The answer came to me swiftly.

“No. She would not.” Lord Trelawney was right. If he hadn’t come to my defense as his guest, he would’ve shamed himself. In fact, if he did not treat the sorceress’ actions as he did, by declaring his intent, issuing forth his threats, and demanding a personal appearance, he would have been ill-suited to be a lord. Those were the actions to be expected of his title and position. I shook my head and regathered my thoughts. “I should have known that.”

“In your defense, princess, you just had your mind invaded and your sanity held hostage. You can stand to give yourself a little credit.” I nodded as Lord Trelawney took a stand. He handed his mug to the maid, and she took my own empty mug. The mulled wine was doing its work. It was strong, and drowsiness was taking over me, while a pleasant warmth crawled up my chest. “Now, go ahead and get some rest. You only have a few hours before you need to start fighting again.”

I nodded.

The knowledge of the next upcoming bout for the sake of strength wiped away my fears and concerns.

Then, another… frightening thought occurred to me.

“Lord Trelawney… Is it possible that Lady Aigen believes that I am your new fiancé?”

Lord Trelawney paused at my question, then a frightening sound left his lips.

“Huh.” It was a sound of damnation and realization in equal measure. He looked my way with concern, and my entire world felt as though it were spinning on its axis. “She might, actually.”

“And… and you told her to come here after defending me against her!” I reviewed my memories of the dream. My instincts all told me to stay on guard the moment I had entered it, as though I were in the presence of someone who wished to destroy me. Why would such a powerful individual go out of their way to try and trick me and then confront me directly, except while operating under the belief that I was her foe? “Is there some way to contact her and ensure that she knows the truth? I still have my father’s letter with his seal upon it with the truth writ!”

“Yeah, you should go fetch that.” For the first time, Lord Trelawney looked like a child as he idly scratched his cheek and blushed lightly. A blush that a boy would make after making a mistake and was properly chastised. Unfortunately, that mistake may very well lead to my doom! “I’ll give her a call this evening to clear things up and tell her you’re not my fiancé.”

He held up his hand and muttered a spell, and suddenly the sound of howling winds surged across the leisure room of the guest wing.

He cut off the spell and looked my way.

“…She can’t hear the spell because of the winds. It’s pretty stormy around the Isle at this time of the year.” My heart dropped into my stomach at his words. He bowed his head in apology and offered a guilty smile. “I’ll try to intercept her before she gets into the castle, but the skies are pretty vast.”

No amount of mulled wine could’ve hoped to bring me to rest.

A sorceress that can defy gods is on her way here, and I stood between her and her desires!