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Post by Blindside Tex on Mar 24, 2020 14:47:19 GMT -5
The look that the queen gave him told Rhys everything he needed to know, even before the woman confirmed that Magnus was indeed the mage. He drew in a breath, while secrets were in the air now was the time to speak up. “I can tell you where Magnus is, but I can’t guarantee that we can go see him...” His expression was a bit contorted as he thought of the right way to deliver this information. Could he? “He was the mage that taught me, he started the order of Magi. He….wrote this...” He pulled the book from his person and set it upon the table. “Magnus is the most powerful mage of my time.” He looked to Ivy then and bit his lip slightly.
“I have to be honest, I didn’t think that things would be so scrambled, so different than I imagined them to be...” His words were almost cryptic as he spoke. “My time is not of yours...Ivy that is why the Time Reaper attacked me...I am currently altering the timeline as we speak...” He let that sink in for a moment. “Ivy your father came to my time in the future to teach mages, I imagine he jumped around in time before he chose the specific timeline that he did. He found me.” He cleared his throat slightly. “He found me when I was a very young mage and he took me beneath his wing. He would speak of how I could change the world one day. He spoke of how important I was to become. I used to believe that maybe he was a god, maybe he was sent by the fates to guide me into my destiny….or so be it.”
Rhys let out a long breath, “I managed to decipher an old spell that was written into this book, it is a spell of time travel...I calculated it to bring me back more than a century...because in my timeline...the world is a warzone...” His eyes fell to Ivy’s arm and then he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I’m not sure what happened...and I cannot tell you enough that you are not what I am about to speak of….you are nothing like what my timeline holds.” He pressed his lips together. “My queen...in my timeline is Ivy. She plucked me from my home, my family...she used my magic against me and turned me as well as many others into battle mages for her own pleasure of destruction. One by one...innocent after innocent we took the towns down around Balay...if I refused...I would be punished to the full extent...sometimes teetering on the edge of life and death...hell I even saw a reaper once that came for my life...I’m still not certain how it was that I survived.” He looked away and withdrew his hand. “So I worked in my cell to calculate the spell...to bring me back to stop it from ever happening...” His voice grew small as he spoke this line. “I thought you were evil...but clearly it is not you whom is in my timeline...something happened...and I will make sure that it doesn’t happen again.” He lifted his eyes again to look to her. “I won’t let you become that woman...”
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Post by Nyte on Mar 24, 2020 20:06:23 GMT -5
As Rhys began to explain how he knew Magnus Ivy tilted her head with interest. She was curious how he had come to know her apparent father, but when he spoke of a different time and what he had come back to do she pulled her hand from his across the table and leaned away from him. She was the Queen during his time, over a century later, and was apparently a horrible tyrant? No, that couldn't be right. She would never do something like that. He had to be mistaken, but as she looked to her mother whom seemed to accept what he said by the expression on her features she set her jaw as the information slowly sank in.
"If my father is all that you say then I would think he might have found the time to meet me already if he wanted too." She finally stated after a moment of silence had fell between them. "No, we'll just have to figure things out on our own. You say you come back to make sure that I don't plunge the world into war? Done. I would never do that unless I absolutely had to. Another nation attacks, Balay is put under siege or something of that nature. I would never subject people to something like that simply for personal gain."
"Ivy.. things are falling into place for a reason. We just don't know the reason yet.." The Queen tried to explain then gave a sigh. "I still think trying to reach out to Magnus would be a wise decision." She gave the pair a small smile.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Mar 24, 2020 21:15:23 GMT -5
Rhys frowned slightly as she leaned away from him. He knew that would be the case. How could he blame her? Here he was a mage that sat across the table from her claiming to have come back in time to murder her. Her quick comment about her father caused Rhys to look away slightly, he withdrew his own hand and let out a sigh. He turned his attention to the queen as she spoke. His eyes looked to her a moment before he finally gave a nod. “Fate has its way of weaving itself. The three fates do not make mistakes. Things have fallen in such a way that not even I could have guessed.” He bit his lip slightly. “Ivy, I know that you would not cause such horrible devastation. I trust that and I’ve only known you a short while. But, this is good.” He smiled then. “This is something we can fight together.” He searched her eyes a long moment. “I think your mother is right, we should try to locate your father. I might just be able to do such a thing. I’ll have to fabricate the spell, but….I know that it is doable...so long as his soul lives on, or he is alive. I hope it is the second.” He gave a wide smile then.
He drew in a breath and looked to the queen. “Is there anything else that I should know? You’ve tasked me with protecting your daughter...and yet I know nothing of this kingdom. I only know of Balay a century from now...and that place is much...much different. Even the rooms of the castle have changed.” He glanced back to Ivy. “This isn’t going to be easy.” He spoke, “But...I’ll keep you safe...and if I have to I will expose the king for who he truly is...I’ll turn this place upside down in order to keep the future from repeating itself...I will give in. I never did even when I was beaten down...I never gave up hope. You should not give up hope, Ivy.”
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Post by Nyte on Mar 24, 2020 21:31:04 GMT -5
Ivy was skeptical, of both Rhys and her Mother at this point. So many secrets and lies surrounded her it made it hard for her to know who to trust or believe. In all her years she had never felt more isolated than she did in that moment. When Rhys spoke of creating a spell to locate her father she shuddered slightly. "Would we have to go back through the Void?" The horrors of that place were still very fresh on her mind and she was in no hurry to return. The runes on her arms had faded once more after she pulled her hand back from Rhys and there was no trace of them now.
"Ivy." Her mother said in a more authoritative voice. "You've already been through so much. You withstood so much more than the average person can take and you're not weak. You're stronger for it. This is just another challenge and I'm confident you'll rise up to meet it just like all the others you've faced. This time though. You have help, and the knowledge of where to head from here. Don't take that for granted. There's nothing more sacred than an ally you can trust." The Queen looked back to Rhys and her gaze seemed to look through him for a moment before she smiled once more. "You can trust this young man. He's got just as much at stake here that you do."
Though the Queen's words were meant to be reassuring it wasn't quite enough to make Ivy feel better. She recoiled less from Rhys but she did smile. "I will try, mother." Ivy replied and looked back to Rhys across the table.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Mar 24, 2020 21:39:36 GMT -5
Rhys watched Ivy carefully. Would they have to return to the void…? He certainly hoped not. That would mean that Ivy’s father had been lost within the void. The last he had heard of Magnus he was alive and he imagined that he would travel back once he got word that Rhys had traveled back in time. At least...that was what he could hope. “No.” He shook his head. “You don’t have to go into the void again...in fact I won’t allow it for now...not until you’re ready.” He gave a gentle smile. “And...if it is the void that we must go into...then I will go alone and I will do my bidding from within the void to free your father.” He really didn’t want her getting hurt again, and what happened within the void was pain enough. Pain that he hadn’t intended to cause an already broken woman.
He turned his eyes to the queen as she spoke once again. She was doing her best to bring her daughter up. But it seemed to be something that was of no use in this moment. But...he couldn’t blame Ivy for her lack of trust, or her fear. He would be fearful as well if he had just found out all of this information. The fact that Magnus was her father was shock enough for him. Though, it was good news. He could use that and he could help her. The fact that her future self never activated her magic was blessing...she wouldn’t have needed battle mages...and he would have most likely died. So him sitting across from Ivy in this moment, was good news alone.
Rhys gave a smile as Ivy did, he then looked to the queen a moment before he bowed his head slightly. “Princess.” He looked back to her. “Should we…leave before we are caught?” He didn’t want to leave. Though, he knew the longer they stayed the more they risked getting caught by either guards or the king himself.
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Post by Nyte on Mar 24, 2020 21:48:02 GMT -5
"Yes, I think that is for the best as well." The Queen stated and rose from her seat once more. "Come Ivy. You can visit me again in a couple of days if you like. You know my door is always open to you." Once Ivy got up from her seat as well the Queen embraced her daughter in a gentle hug. "I love you more than anything in this world. I'll send a prayer to the gods this evening that they might keep you safe." She released her hold on Ivy and cupped her cheek as she leaned forward to kiss her forehead then ushered her and Rhys towards the door.
"I will come see you again, mother." Ivy promised. "No matter what fa.. The King tells me." Ivy wasn't going to refer to him as her father anymore. He didn't deserve that privilege.
The Queen nodded and once they had left she closed the door behind them. Once they were alone in the stairwell Ivy turned to Rhys and studied him for a moment. "Well, it seems we have a lot of work ahead of us. Do you regret coming here yet?" She asked him then looked out a window that lay directly behind Rhys. On the ledge was a small white dove with a piece of paper in its mouth. It watched the pair and occasionally pecked on the glass as if knocking to be let in. "I think.. that dove has a message?" Ivy stated as she motioned to the window.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Mar 24, 2020 21:58:51 GMT -5
Rhys stood as the queen did and he walked toward the door with the two. He gave a smile as the woman embraced her daughter. This is what Ivy needed. She needed love and care. She needed to see what she truly deserved, not this isolation and hate that the king showed her and forced her into. He smirked slightly when he noticed that she wouldn’t call the king her father. He didn’t deserve it. But he thought it was rather interesting that she chose not to now that she knew.
He followed her into the hall and he paused when she did, his eyes looked curiously to her. “Hm we do have quite a bit of work.” He smiled. “But no, I do not regret coming. If anything I am glad that I have. I hope to help you so that you do not have to go through whatever it is that caused the future...because...to see you as you truly are...and to know how broken you were in my time...” He bit his lip and looked away. “I don’t even want to know what happened to cause it...But...we won’t allow it to happen again.” He gave a gentle smile. He then turned as she pointed out the dove, his brow raised. “A dove...curious...not many use these anymore...they can be such touchy things...unless….” He carefully opened the window. The dove walked in onto the sill and cooed at him after it dropped the letter. Rhys lifted the rolled up paper and watched as the dove exited the window and flew away swiftly. He looked to the rolled up letter, there was a wax seal upon it with blue ribbon.
“Magnus...” He spoke softly. He ran his thumb over the seal. “I...would know this seal anywhere. I can promise you that this seal is his own...look.” He held the letter to her to show her the seal. “See the intricate lines? The etching of a tree. That is the tree of life. He believed greatly in the tree of life.” Rhys grinned, “Perhaps we do not have to search very far for him?” He spoke as he looked to the letter, anxiously awaiting her to open it. Though he drew his brows together then. “Wait...we should go somewhere private….out of this spire...hm?”
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Post by Nyte on Mar 24, 2020 22:21:13 GMT -5
Ivy furrowed her brows as Rhys stated that it was Magnus's seal. It was awfully convenient, and as she took the little note in her hands she ran her thumb over the seal and couldn't help but give a small smile. When Rhys stopped her from opening it though she jumped slightly but nodded in agreement. "Here, hold onto this this." She stated and handed it back to Rhys. "I don't have pockets." She shrugged sheepishly as she gestured to her clothes that were thin and revealed much of her skin. She wasn't meant to have to carry things.
Once they got out of the spire, and through a door back into the dinning hall, ensuring that no one was around when they exited, she lead him back towards the library. It was the best place as they were supposed to be studying and no one would dare interrupt her lessons. Well, besides the King that is and he never approached quietly.
The library was just as they left it, which was a complete mess, and once she was sure they were completely alone she held out her hand for the letter. "What if.. what if he wants to meet? What would I even say?" She asked as she held the tiny parchment. She was very nervous to see what it might say.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Mar 31, 2020 10:49:38 GMT -5
Rhys smirked to her as he took the note back. “You don’t have much of anything...” He spoke with a raised brow and then shook his head. “If this is a note from your father, truly...then he must be watching...he must know...something...” He furrowed his brows slightly as they walked down the stairs. He then fell quiet as he followed her. His eyes looked about the dining hall as they passed through it quickly. Soon enough they arrived in the library once again. He looked to the disarray that the library was left in and gave a soft sigh, he would have to fix this so that the king didn’t come down on Ivy once again. He could only imagine that the king’s temper would only rise in this occasion.
Rhys turned his attention to Ivy as she spoke, he could tell she was nervous just by the tone over her voice, the pause in her sentence. He gave a soft sigh as he slipped the note from beneath his robes. “Well...” He spoke and then thought for a moment. “We will take it one step at a time, hm?” He offered her a smile then. “This kingdom was not built in one day, you will not become a great mage in one day. And...the relationship with your father will not be mended in a single day either. Things take time.” He spoke carefully. He watched her for a long moment and then gave another smile. “I think this is the beginning of something great, Ivy.” He held the note forward toward her. “Go ahead, lets see what it says. Perhaps it is just from a follower of your father? That is another possibility.” He tried to reassure her. He tried his best to help calm her nerves. He too was nervous for what was to come. He had come back in time to kill the woman that stood before him...and now he was tasked in protecting her. A strange turn of events that he would have never thought to happen. He found his hate for Ivy melting away and his thoughts of the queen in his future were seeming to slip from his mind the more her interacted with her. She was nothing like the woman that he knew. He had to protect this woman before him, she would make a wonderful queen.
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Post by Nyte on Apr 9, 2020 21:27:19 GMT -5
When Rhys gave the note back she looked to him and nodded as he tried to offer her words of encouragement. Perhaps it was only a representative of her father. Someone who was reaching out on his behalf for one reason or another and she wouldn't have to meet him.. but she wanted to. To know the man her mother had fallen in love with and broken her vows to conceive a daughter with. "Alright.." She finally said and broke the seal before unrolling the tiny scroll.
On the parchment was a series of symbols, so small she could barely make them out, and when she brought it closer to get a better look the paper suddenly began to grow. The change scared Ivy and she gave a small scream before dropping the scroll like it was burning. Even as it hit the ground the scroll continued to grow until it was the size of an area rug and drawn onto it was a teleportation rune.
"Gah, magic is frightening sometimes." She stated as she recomposed herself and brushed her hair out of her face.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Apr 9, 2020 21:44:16 GMT -5
Rhys gave a smile to her and watched quietly as she broke the seal of the note. He stepped forward when she screamed his hand instinctively rest upon her shoulder a moment as he reached forward. Though, he paused as he looked over the symbols upon the parchment. “Frightening doesn’t even begin to cover it.” He spoke and looked to her with a bit of a smile. “This is much more than a simple letter, Ivy.” He tilted his head as he looked it over, he walked around the parchment and read over it a few times to be sure that he knew what he was looking at.
“This is a very special placement of symbols to create something that took me years to muster the courage to do...then again I was afraid of getting caught in the act, your future self would have had me chopped into tiny pieces...” He let out a sigh and then lifted his eyes to her. “Though this doesn’t dabble in time. It is a teleportation rune. To where….I cannot say...but...I can say this...that is your father’s handwriting. I would recognize it anywhere.” He gave a slow thoughtful nod. He drew his brows together slightly as if he was trying to decide if this was a good idea or not. He had to keep her safe after all. That was what he had promised the queen. There was a sound from across the library then and he drew in a breath. “Now or never?” He grasped her hand and pulled her upon the parchement. “You’ll thank me later.” He gave a reassuring smile as he took her other hand into his and he began to speak the words that were laid out upon the parchment. The spell that would cause them to teleport.
The glow came to his eyes and the runes appeared upon his cheek and raced down his jaw. Beneath his robes his skin held runes as well, though not as elegant as her own runes. “Deep breath.” He spoke just before a rush of air surrounded them. It was cold like the kiss of winter. Rhys wrapped his arms around her as the world around them swirled and became dark. The parchment itself would turn to dust after its use. A handy little addition to the spell that Rhys tacked onto the end. It would at least hide the evidence. Not that anyone in the castle knew how to read the language.
Rhys drew in a breath as the cold rush of air released them. He stared to Ivy a moment to make sure she was steady before he lowered his arms from her. He glanced around. A crackling fireplace sparked as the flames danced about the logs. It was a small cottage from the looks of the room. A large area rug lay upon the floor before a sofa that faced the fire. Rhys cleared his throat slightly as he looked about the room. “Well...I’m not sure where...here is….” He spoke and then glanced to Ivy with a bit of a sheepish smile.
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Post by Nyte on Apr 9, 2020 21:58:01 GMT -5
When they stepped onto the parchment Ivy offered no resistance, not even when he wrapped his arms around her did she try to pull away and instead held onto him as well. The cold, in her revealing state of dress, was enough to steal her breath away. She was afraid to look out while the spell carried them away from the palace. Afraid she would see another reaper. When she felt the warmth of a fire, heard the soft crackling of the firewood, and felt the solid ground beneath her feet she finally peaked out to her surroundings.
"It's like.." She started to say before a sound behind them made Ivy turn around.
Behind them a man stood next to a small dinning table. He wore robes, had a salt and pepper beard, and bright eyes that matched Ivy's. "Well, that pigeon got there faster than I thought. Or rather you used the scroll faster than I thought." He stated and gave a smile as he approached the pair. "Rhys.. it's good to see you again, and Ivy.." he looked at her with a look of admiration with a touch of sadness. "You're just as beautiful as your mother.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Apr 9, 2020 22:06:22 GMT -5
Rhys looked to Ivy as she began to speak, though his eyes caught Magnus before the man even spoke. A smile turned up his lips. He bowed his head slightly, “It is good to see you as well Magnus.” He grinned and then looked to Ivy, “With a touch of you, in her eyes at least.” He commented and then turned his eyes to the mage before him. “The salt and pepper in your beard...it adds a nice touch. I didn’t think you aged at all.” He smirked then before he let out a breath.
“So I imagine this was in your plans all along, Magnus.” He spoke his eyes became curious as he watched the man. “What...happened to cause our future?” He asked, his brows tugged together. “How can we stop it? Or….have we already starting to derail that train?” He raised a brow slightly. “This...isn’t the Ivy that I know...” He shook his head. “Not at all.”
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Post by Nyte on Apr 9, 2020 22:18:02 GMT -5
Ivy was a speechless as she looked at Magnus. She wasn't sure what to think. His smile was kind, his voice gentle yet held an undeniable authority, and he was so casual and comfortable. Anything she had thoughts she might say was quickly gone and all her training, lessons and drills that she had been put through her entire life failed in that moment.
"Yeah? Glad you like it. I was afraid it aged me a little too much." Magnus responded to Rhy's comment about his beard as he ran his fingers through it to smooth it down somewhat. "Aging is relative though. Sometimes time can be persuaded to over look you." He chuckled and gave a small shrug. "Come sit down, both of you. There is much to discuss." He motioned towards the couch in front of the fire. "What do they have you dressed in Ivy? Are you a princess or a doll?" He asked as he looked at her clothes with distaste. "Here.." He touched the bottom hem of one of her sleeve pieces and whispered a few words before the cloth changed and slid across her body. The elegant silks changed to a simple yet comfortable dress that covered much more of her form than she was used to, but she couldn't deny it was nice not to be on display in that moment.
"Thank you." She said softly as she looked down at her new attire before sitting on the couch next to Rhys.
"To answer your question, Rhys." Magnus said as he lowered himself into a large arm chair with a grunt and a sigh. "No, you haven't changed too much of that future yet. A couple small things here and there but overall everything is the same. There's a larger threat at work that I haven't been able to pinpoint yet. Something.. happens to Ivy." He looked to his daughter with another gentle smile upon his lips. "Something I cannot see nor change. Which is why I wanted to give you the tools to come back. Perhaps you can change it, but you're going to have to stay vigilant to be able to see it coming."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Apr 9, 2020 22:30:44 GMT -5
Rhys chuckled slightly as he watched his teacher accept the compliment. “Of course. Just as time has forgotten about me.” He replied and gave a soft smile. It was something that the queen in the future had done to both of them. She wanted to keep him with her. For whatever reason Ivy was very attached to him...because he was her first mage? He was certainly the most talented and the most powerful. He furrowed his brows to the thought. What if...he had already come to the past? What if he merely clung to him because he was familiar? Somehow. Though his thoughts were put to a halt as he watched the clothing slip over Ivy and she was placed into a beautiful dress that suited her much more than the scraps that the king had her in.
He cleared his throat slightly as he took his seat and he awaited her to sit down. His eyes looked to the princess a long moment. As if he were studying her once again, though he looked to the Magnus again and his brows furrowed. “I’m not so special Magnus.” He spoke and shook his head. “I’m just a mage, I’m nothing to the magnitude that you are...” He let out a breath as he looked to the crackling fireplace. “I don’t want to imagine what it is that happens. It must be simply horrible.” He looked to Ivy then, “To change you in such a way...” He shook his head then. “You are merely a reflection of your future self. You look the same...everything on the surface is the same. But your voice...your actions...nothing beneath the surface is the same.”
Rhys seemed to think deeply his eyes moved back to the fireplace again. “Magnus, I won’t let this happen to her.” He finally looked to the mage. “I will stop whatever it is...before it happens. I won’t see her turned into the queen that I know...no...she doesn’t deserve that.” He looked to Ivy then, his brow raised slightly. He tilted his head a bit. “Is there anything you can think of Ivy? Anything that has been abnormal lately? There has to be something...” He paused and looked to Magnus, he was at a loss for words. What could he do that Magnus couldn’t? Was he truly stronger than the man that was once his master mage? Could Rhys prevent the horrible future from befalling the princess? Or would he fail?
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