EPISODE 08 : Sorcerer Ambrose

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Arthur, who lost his brother, feels a sense of numbness. His mind goes blank as his face. Leo's cries echo in his ears but nothing brings back his conciousness. He feels as if a part of him has been snatched away from him unfairly and brutally. He doesn't cry. The tears on his cheeks dried off. 

Leo, the best friend has an awareness more than Arthur, however, the grudge within his heart keeps growing with his cries. 

He yells, "You are the worst human, Adrian. You never deserved to be the King." 

Apperently, unlike Arthur, the brother, Leo is angered. He is angry not at the culprit, the killer but the dead himself, Adrian.

Leo yells again, "You used me for as long as you wanted and now when you got everything, you left. You left me alone. You abandoned your brother, your friend. Burn in hell!"

Meanwhile, Tristan standing next to Rose starts shedding tears as if he can sense the pain that Leo is going through. Even though he knows that Asher was just like a fictional character in real life, played by Leo, Tristan still has the brotherly feelings for him.

Tristan rushes and kneels next to Leo to console and comfort him while Rose stands still with a cold face. However her eyes gazed steadily at Arthur who was still as a rock. She sighs, looks down and then up, walks straight in his direction, looking like the bearer of a turning point. 

She stops her feet next to Arthur and says, "Look at his face."

Arthur responds nothing. She says a bit louder, "Arthur, look at your brother's face."

Leo glares at Rose and says holding grudge in his tone, "Are you mocking him?! Haven't you caused him enough pain by killing his only brother?! What a way of torture is it to force him look at his dead brother's face."

Rose, with a cold tone replies, as if Leo's infuriating words didn't affect her at all, "I know what I'm doing. And you have no clues. So as I said earlier, keep shut."

Leo in silence glances at Arthur who on Rose's words, "Look at his face, Arthur, just once.", looks at Adrian's face when a shock hits him. His eyes widen to look at Adrian's face. "He is alive.", he says avidly to Leo who responds, "What?", in confusion.

Rose explains, "Adrian isn't dead and that's why Arthur can't see his face. His curse of being face blind hasn't ended yet because Adrian's death only should end it."

A divine voice intrudes, "Unless a huge sacrifice is made by the sinner." Rose bows to pay obeisances to Goddess Atlas, who cursed Arthur to be face blind until his brother's death. 

Arthur gets up, bows and asks in a low tone, "What sacrifice does he have to make?"

Goddess smiles and replies, "He already made a sacrifice."

Arthur looks up at her with mixed feelings when she looks at Rose with a smize signalling her about something. Rose nods at Goddess' sign and like a sorcerer raises her arm straight to the front and parallel to Adrian's body lying on the ground. Magical sparks lead to a blinding light in the room which when dims off, draws all eyes to the Prince.

Adrian opens his eyes, looks around and tries to get up but loses his balance and his head almost falls to the ground when like a saviour Leo catches him and brings him in a hug. Seeing the two best friends hugging each other, Rose's eyes teared up.

Rose's tears, the rare pearls, shake her in surprise when Goddess explains, "As a sacrifice made by Adrian out of remorse, his innate powers have been relinquished and as result of his remorse, the curse on you, Arthur, has relinquished too."

Smiles brighten the faces when Goddess continues, "Rose has experienced a lot of pain at a young age which led to her depression, anger and grudge. Imagine her pain, Arthur. It's four times more than what you just suffered. She lost her father, her mother and her little sister." 

Hearing the Goddess, the faces saddened, especially Rose's.

Goddess says, "Even after all the pain and suffering, she never stopped believing in me. She worshipped me, always. Rose, in the sorcerer world, you'll be remembered as my greatest devotee."

Rose kneels down and cries out her overwhelming emotions. In a trice, then the Goddess disappears.

Says astonished Tristan, "The Sorcerer World. There's a world like that?"

Leo replies, "It's a world of brutalness. Horrible place for commoners like us."

Tristan : "Rose is not a commoner?"

Leo: "She isn't."

Rose nods and says with a replies, "I know."

Arthur asks in a gentle voice, "How do you feel being a sorcerer?"

Replies Rose with dreamy eyes, "Empowered." She remembers her past, the day when she saw her mother for the last time. She closes her eyes as the flashback runs through.

 Four years ago, in the Haynes prison, peeping out the jail bars, Ariana Ambrose, Rose's mother waited desperately to see her daughter's face. Like any usual saturday, Rose was on her way to the Haynes prison. 

The fourteen year old's eyes were depressed and tired, however her wisdom and kindness left her sparkles everywhere. At a young age, she lost her baby sister, father and mother's love but noone was allowed to sympathise, be friends with her or even talk to her. She and her family were popularly known in the kingdom as "the scars", the prejudicing title given by the King. 

Rose was in rush when a little child blocked her way. She stopped her bicycle and asked the child with concern, "Are you okay?" 

The child replied, "Yes" when Rose noticed the newspaper in his hand. She saw the picture of her mother, black and white, on the newspaper and next to it was the headline, "PRINCE DISAPPEARS, ARIANA DEATH SENTENCED", which almost took away Rose's soul out in fearing shock. "What? But he promised me to save Mom..", she wondered and cycled as fast as she could to the prison. As soon as she reached, she left her bicycle as it is and ran up the stairs of entrance.   

Ariana's wait was over when her daughter stood right in front of her eyes. "I thought...", Rose said catching breath, "you..." Ariana intervenes completing the sentence for her daughter, "You thought I died." Rose's eyes teared up when her mother, with a thin smile, said, "Rose, you see that woman.." Rose looks to her right at another cell with a woman. Ariana continued, "She was sentenced to death last night and when this morning her daughter came, she lied to her."

Rose looked straight at her mother now, as she spoke the most painful words, "Rose, I won't lie to you like an ordinary mother. Because, you are not an ordinary girl and your mother was never an ordinary woman. Right?" Rose nodded holding in her crying emotions. Ariana continued, "I am death sentenced. This is the last time we're seeing each other." Rose cried her tears out when Ariana puts a stop to her breakdown. She said, "Now on Rose, you will never cry. You will never feel sad about your family's death. You will never hold any grudge against anyone. The bravory of your parents is and will be a legend remembered. So, our death, to you, will never be sadness and vengeance but a glorious feeling of pride. Promise me, you will live as however Goddess Atlas directs you."

Rose wiped off her tears like a courageous warrior as if her mother's bravory reflecting in the strong words said by her, fueled up the daughter with immense strength. "Promise.", replied the young girl.

Ariana smiled with tears and said, "But you won't be alone. Goddess Atlas will always stay around you like a shield. She will be your loving mother as well as your protective father. Worship her."

The royal officer steps in, saying, "Leave right now! King's Order."

Rose's heart clenched as she heard the officer. She looked at Ariana and kept gazing at her. The mother and daughter yearned for each other but the minimal false hope that they carried in their hearts like a heavy rock, was just a dilusion. Death sentence is never withdrawn. 

Rose wanted to say a lot but the grief growing to its deepest limit bulldozed her throat. Her mind was emptied but at the same time had a lot of despairing thoughts going back and forth. The moment felt like an aching full stop when the mother said, "Leave Rose. Go!"

Rose curled her lips as she promised not to cry and walked away. She never looked back. Stepping outside, she spotted her bicycle. There was a deep feeling of grief and loss haunting her heart but the promises that she made to her mother, gave her a push to continue living.

****************

Coming back to present, Rose opens her teary eyes and finds none other than Arthur watching her. "What do you want?", she asks in a cold tone.

Arthur sighs a smile and answers, "Goddess Atlas surely has an answer to that."

Rose rolls her eyes and brushing off his words, walks out of the room.

 Tristan, Leo and Adrian sing out his name mockingly, "Arthur~". Says Adrian, "Let's go home, brother." A big smile draws on Arthur's face, hearing his brother. The boys walk away with their voices fading as, "Let's invite Chris too.", says Tristan.

Meanwhile, Rose whose life just came across a drastic turning point, walks with some strange sensation in her heart. She feels empowered but vulnerable at the same time. She has power but no direction. She is on the path but without a guide. 

Shows up, out of sudden, Goddess Atlas, Rose's ultimate guide. As soon as she sees the Goddess, she bows in respect and then looks up at her hunting for words of advice which she always has in store.

Goddess smiles and says, "Where are you heading without me?"

Rose replies, "Mom said you will always stay around me no matter where I go."

Goddess gives off a satisfactory look. She says, "Your Mom was a great woman, Rose and now it's the daughter's turn."

"I .... am mystified.", replies Rose in a nervous tone.

Goddess : "No quavering. Rose, you have powers now. You're the gifted sorcerer. You should be celebrating."

Rose : "With power comes great responsibility."

Rose's words don't fail to satisfy the Goddess again.

Rose continues, "The fact that I am gifted with the powers of none other than Prince Adrian Haynes, the then future King, gives me shivers. Adrian was the greatest sorcerer following the King."

Goddess guides her devotee, "Rose, fear isn't permanent but your duty is. Surrender yourself to your duties towards your true purpose."

Rose asks, "What duty o' purpose do I have?"

Goddess answers, "About your duties, you're unware but you surely know what your purpose has been since Ariana's death."

Rose thinks and replies, "Since Mom's death, I have been following you. My purpose was to worship you."

Goddess smiles and says, "Indeed. Your mother's last wish is your true purpose. However, your duty came in with the powers you hold. As the royal sorcerer, Rose, you have to serve Haynes Kingdom. Haynes Kingdom needs a King."

Rose intervenes saying, "But, I am not a royal sorcerer. I am Ambrose. How will I serve the kingdom as a commoner?"

Goddess smiles again widely to reply, "Rose, you have to be Haynes' Queen. You have Adrian's powers, so King's oath is protected."

Rose cringes in a thought and asks, "And, who will be the King?"

Goddess chuckles as Rose gets her sign. "No-No-No.", she says stepping back, "I'm not marrying that Arthur."



-------------------------------------------

Word Count : 1920

-------------------------------------------










You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net