The next day, Helena and her companions woke up early to prepare for their journey west. They bid farewell to Cidarian and their individual delegations. Stepping on board Starlight the Ship, Helena looked westward, where they would be headed. A hand landed on her shoulder, and Helena turned around. She saw a pair of intense green eyes looking at her.
"My Lady, it's a pleasure to meet you." Xavier put his hand to his heart as a greeting, from elven tradition. His brown hair glinted in the sunlight and his white robes lifted gently around his feet from the breeze. "Xavier, it's a pleasure to meet you too. Your reputation certainly precedes you. I've heard from many that you are learned in magic lore. If so, we've found a common topic to talk about."
He smiled.
"I would like to discuss the Relics of Power, for the elves."
Helena nodded her head. "You've found an expert in this field then." The two elves chuckled, and Xavier put his hand up to ask, " Can you tell me all the information about it then?"
"Sure."
Xavier smiled again.
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" The Relics of Power were made because of an order from the queen of the Realm of Fantasy then. In these objects was bound the strength and power to govern each kingdom, and was trusted with its rulers. Of course, none were made for the witches, as the rulers felt they could not be trusted with such power."
" For the elves, four circlets were made, for the leaders of the four clans, the Eagles, Owls, Hawks and Falcons. The keepers of the Circlets still live today."
"Oh!" Xavier was interested. "Who are they?"
Helena plucked the circlet from her head, saying, "This is the Circlet of the Eagles, and I am its keeper. It holds great power, and if it falls into the wrong hands, then the undoing of the world would be upon us."
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That night, Helena requested to talk to Lupa, with whom she had not had a conversation yet. "Princess Lupa," Helena spoke, " It is a pleasure to travel with you. Though we have not yet spoken, I'd like to talk to you. I'm Queen Helena, but Helena will do."
Lupa bowed her head, "I have heard tales of the forest, growing up. They were my bedtime stories, and I have always aspired to meet the Lady of the Wood."
Helena smiled. "Then you've gotten your wish."
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"You know the archwizard Xavier? You two seemed friendly…" Lupa wondered. Helena laughed, "No, I haven't known him for long, but when I saw him, it's like I have known him forever. I feel an urge to protect him like a sister does her brother…"
"I have heard great things about him."
"Indeed, he is great. The Enchanter can perform many things that challenge our wildest expectations. His skill is beyond comprehension." Helena smiled.
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A few nights later, Helena stood on the deck of Starlight, watching Xavier perform his magic. "That's amazing spellwork, Xavier!"
Xavier hung his head modestly, " No, I learned it over the years…"
Both laughed.
"Show me your magic then!" Xavier looked expectantly at Helena.
"I would be rude to disappoint."
Lifting her arms she chanted an incantation, "Sed vade, et avis sapientiae. Surge spiritu fortitudinis. Sed vade, et regina. Aquila in gloria!"
An silvery eagle whooshed out of her fingertips, flew majestically around her, before landing on her shoulder with a regal air. It spread its wings, and light rippled through the air in soft waves.
" That," Helena proclaimed proudly, " is the earliest documented type of magic, and also the most complicated."
Xavier tilted his head curiously.
" It's known for its complexity because only those with a strong willpower should attempt it. It is dangerous as it is beautiful. The spirit should only be summoned in the most dire of situations. Even then, one needs to have mental strength to keep it in check. I've seen cases where people summon the spirit and lose control, resulting in their death and that of those around them. It can ward off evil and protect against the west."
Xavier asked, " What about those with good skills?"
"It doesn't matter. If their mental strength is lacking, they may die performing it. Willpower is needed to concentrate, to keep the spirit focused."
Xavier shuddered. "I probably won't try performing it."
Helena nodded. "You shouldn't."
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The next morning, the Company woke up to the sound of blades clashing. Lupa raised her sword and thrust it towards Helena's face. Helena skilfully blocked the blow with her twin knives, ducking and parrying the blade. She successfully twisted out of Lupa's hands and it fell with a clatter onto the deck.
"To win over me, you'll have to do better than that. You need practice. Don't forget the opponent you are facing now is 6,000 years old" Helena told Lupa, helping her up. "Let's practice that manoeuvre again."
"Cut me some slack, at least a little bit. I've been training all morning, I'm obviously not as agile as you. My arms hurt." Lupa groaned.
Helena stared at her seriously. " I'm training you this hard, so you can defend yourself."
Lupa sighed. "Fine."
Lupa swung her sword at Helena, who ducked it and swung under Lupa's sword arm. She held one of her knives against Lupa's neck, using the other hand to disarm her. Lupa grunted in frustration, swinging her sword arm and it caught Helena around the chest, she not being swift enough to duck.
Helena crashed onto the deck unceremoniously, clutching at her chest area in pain, having dropped her two knives. A clatter of hooves was heard as Thunderhorn ran up to her, sniffing her forehead and speaking to her softly. Xavier and Melvin ran out as well, along with Shade the giant, who was observing what was happening. "She's fine," Melvin said, sunlight bouncing off his white curls, as he examined her pulse. "It's just a large blow. Being an elf, she'll heal in no time." Xavier helped to sling her arm around Thunderhorn's back and the stag helped Helena into their shared room, icy blue eyes glaring at Lupa murderously. Lupa recoiled at the cold stare. Xavier walked into the ship's storage to try and find some athelas leaves.
Meanwhile, Melvin stood on deck looking at Lupa. "What exactly happened earlier? I'd like to know."
Lupa swallowed nervously. "Um, the Lady and I were training sword fighting just now. She told me to take it seriously, and I may have taken her words too literally, so I caught her off guard when I… anyways, I didn't intend to!"
"Hmm."
"What about just now? I hated the way King Thunderhorn looked at me just now! He stared at me like he was going to kill me!" Lupa said.
"Granted, he cares a lot about the Lady, considering they haven't seen each other for quite a while, and they are the best of friends…" Melvin answered. Lupa nodded. "Ah, I see."