4Chapter 2: A History Lesson with a Wizard
Jerome's bar was a pleasant enough place with brick red walls and high ceilings. Jerome himself was a pleasant man, though he was always in a hurry. His wild green eyes and tuffs of red hair that stuck out every which way made him the subject of many jokes, but he was good-natured and laughed along with them.
As Adrianna approached the door, she noticed a sign that said 'closed' on the door. Inside, she heard what sounded like two men arguing. Curious, she peeked in the window only to find Jerome and the 'doctor' engaged in a heated discussion.
"You shouldn't be dragging her into this Tamen; she's only a young girl." It looked like Jerome who was saying this.
"Jerome, she has the mark of Elvira." The 'doctor' or 'Tamen' as he was called no longer had the pale face she saw yesterday, his face was still thin and drawn-in but it was beet-red and his eyes were like sparks from a bomb fire.
Adrianna couldn't stand it any longer. She had to know why they were talking about her. She knocked rather loudly until Tamen came to the door. He looked extremely relieved to see her. He pointed to the long, oak table where Jerome was sitting, frowning. She walked over silently, followed by Tamen. Tamen ran his hands over the table and revealed a picture, or rather, a series of pictures. The first was of six men holding a sword; its gleaming black blade shone in the sun, casting shadows on the men's smiling faces. The second was of another man- or a monster; half of his face was smooth and tan; the other half gnarled and too awful to describe. The thing was holding a black sword to five of the men's throats. The next picture was confusing; it showed many faces with a mixture of surprise and agony on their faces. But their faces were drowned out by a black mark- the same as the mark on her arm. The last picture was only half finished; it was of a girl, but it was too dark to see her face or any distinguishing features. She was holding- something, but then the picture stopped and the table which it was on returned to its normal state.
"What- what was that?' Adrianna asked. She was greatly disturbed by many of the pictures, particularly of the man who was half monster.
"Tamen! You're frightening her!" Jerome stood, his face nearly purple with anger.
Tamen walked over to Jerome and laid his hand on his chest. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious. A strange purple light streamed from his tattered shirt where Tamen's hand had been. Adrianna screamed realizing Tamen was a wizard of the highest command. She started to run towards the door, but was stopped when Tamen uttered the word 'Zarkin.' The young girl flailed and tried to get free but was held fast but invisible shackles, she tried to scream but no sound came out, she tried to run, but her feet were stuck to the ground.
"Are you tired yet?" The voice came from Tamen.
"You dirty little…" She could speak now, and her voice was filled with venom.
"Quiet my child, you must listen. I mean this not to hurt you, but to teach you a lesson. You must never mess with wizards. Now, on to the reason of your calling here." His face had gone back to its normal color, and his eyes were no longer icy, but gentle and serious.
"Please, get on with it."
Ignoring her latest comment, the old wizard spoke. "You saw those pictures on the table, did you not?"
"Yes sir, what were they?" Now that she was free to move around, she could talk, and the invisible shackles removed, Adrianna wasn't quite so fiery.
"History, my girl, history. Except for the last one, we'll get to that one later, they tell the story of the past. The first picture; those six men are the six Elvin Lords. They crafted a sword, the Black Sword, to protect their people from Roatran, the Dark Lord. Roatran had invaded and wiped out many villages, and they were worried the same would happen to them. True to the Elvin Lord's fears, Roatran did invade and was killed by the Black Sword. The blood on the Black Sword gave it black magic; the same kind Roatran used himself."
"Well, that's nice for them" her voice was flat. "What does this all have to do with me, if Roatran is already dead?"
"Roatran had a son, also called Roatran."
"Well, weren't they just brilliant at naming?" Adrianna asked, her voice edgy. She was getting tired of this history lesson already, and she was beginning to wonder about the mental state of the poor man.
"Are you going to listen?" The old wizard was loosing his patience. "That's what the second scene was about. The first half of the man was Roatran, the father. He was an evil man, and used dark magic, but was slain before he could be corrupted by it. The other half of the man was Roatran, the son. Before he was corrupted by his magic, he was quite handsome. It is rumored he has a young son somewhere. The third picture is complicated. The sea of faces represents the many who have tried to oppose Roatran and gain back the sword- wizard, elves, and mortals alike. Eventually, a wizard they called Maon came along and told the people to stop needlessly sacrificing their lives. Maon said that when the 'Chosen One', the one to oppose Roatran and save them, came they would know her by the mark on her arm, the mark of Elvira. The shape that covers those many faces is the mark of Elvira- the same mark you have."
"Are you saying I'm the chosen one?" Adrianna laughed. She was really beginning to wonder about this man.
"Do not laugh, my child. Even now, Roatran is searching, searching for the girl with the mark."
Adrianna just stared; disbelief and wonder filled her once stubborn eyes.
"Calm, my child. The mark will come and go the first few days. You are just past twenty, the age when things of that sort start. It won't be permanent until you are of age, in five years. By then, hopefully this will be all over." He sighed.
"What will be all over? You never explained the last picture, the unfinished one." Abandoning her doubts, Adrianna really was starting to get curious.
"The last one, my dear, is not finished because it has not happened yet." Tamen paused. "The girl in the picture is the Chosen One- the one with the mark of Elvira. She is holding the Black Sword, and giving it to the last remaining Elvin Lord."
"The last Elvin Lord? I thought there were six, and elves live a terribly long time."
"There were six, five died at the hand of Roatran, the son, when Elvira fell and the Black sword was taken. In order to stop this madness, the Black Sword must be given to the last Elvin Lord, Shymer, before he dies. He has almost reached his nine hundred years. When Shymer breathes his last breath, if he carries the sword, the black magic will dissolve and Roatran will die. However, if he breathes his last breath without the Black Sword, all hope for redemption will vanish, as he is the last Elvin Lord."
"But, why? Why does it have to die with Shymer, and not someone else?" Adrianna's normally bright face had faded and her usual cheery blue eyes showed the seriousness of the situation, her mouth formed a grim, unsmiling line.
"Shymer is the last of the Elvin Lords, the creators of the Black Sword. Only those with the power to create something that changed history such as the Sword can destroy it. As I mentioned before, Shymer is reaching his nine hundred years quickly. He is already ill with age, and cannot move. The Chosen One will not only have to retrieve the Sword from His Dark Lair, but also return through the perilous hills they came from to give it to Shymer. Without losing the Sword, being corrupted by black magic, or dying themselves. Adrianna, this is a perilous task, in the end not all heroes will win."
A/N: Thank you to my reviewers! What did you think about this one? I tried to make it as interesting as possible, but none of the rest of the story will make sense if you don't understand the history. Sorry about the grammar issues, I have trouble with that…