Two years had passed and Ariel had begun her lessons in the tower under Greta's tutelage. Her best friend Celest also joined her. Even though she was older by one year, they took the same lessons. Ariel was secretly jealous of Celest who seemed to keep growing her magic, she wondered why she couldn't tap into hers yet. Was something wrong? She had heard her mother Vetra had tapped into her magic at the age of nine. She hoped she was not powerless, she desperately wanted to make her mother proud.
When Ariel first met Celest, it was a bit rocky. Celest would cry for mother, but it fell on deaf ears. Greta tried to soothe the child with little bribes but when that failed she resulted in punishment till she toed the line. After a few weeks Celest finally opened up to Ariel and the girls finally became thick as thieves. Celest would sometimes encourage Ariel to do something that would get her in trouble, but now that she had Jarek to talk to, the room of reflection was not so bad. She had confided in Celest about Jarek, but she was convinced he was an imaginary friend that Ariel needed to let go of.
Both girls had just finished their music lessons and were taking a break in the garden. Celest balanced on the top of a stone fence with two arms stretched out for balance. Celest sometimes reminded Ariel of a storybook heroine. She had long blond curly hair that reached down her back. Her eyes were also blue like Ariel's but there was a mischievous glint that always hid them. She was also much taller than Ariel, and this always encouraged her to take the lead in any situation.
"So, I heard a secret," Celest said in a singsong voice. Thanks to Celest's magical talent she always managed to find a secret or two or find things out before Ariel. Celest was a scribe, her magic was still developing so she could not do much more than simple little tricks, but it was still enough to learn things from time to time.
"What?" Ariel asked as she fumbled with her painting supplies. She wanted to paint while she had some time outside. Greta had given her some new paints and brushes and she was eager to test them out.
"If I told you then it wouldn't be a secret."
Ariel glared at her friend and stuck out her tongue, "Then you shouldn't mention it." She finally had her things set up just right and she tied on her smock to keep her green dress protected. Though she did not really care about it, she hated the color green. She wished Greta would buy her pretty purple dresses, but Greta would just say green suited her better and it was an easier color to shop for. She tried to make a show of ignoring Celest and work on her picture, but her curiosity got the best of her. And she snuck a sideways look in her friend's direction.
"What is it?"
Celest smirked proudly, she knew she had Ariel now. "What will you give for it?"
Ariel thought for a moment, "I'll paint you a picture?"
"Aaaand?"
"You want something else? this better be a good secret."
"It is I promise!" Celest made a show crossing her heart.
"Fine, you can have my dessert tonight."
Celest jumped off the wall, giving a spin before she landed, this was just what she wanted to hear. "Deal! So I heard Greta talking to someone the other day, and it seems another girl our age has manifested her magic. Greta is making arrangements to have her moved here!"
Ariel's eyes widened and she quickly forgot her art project as she rushed to Celest. "Are you sure?!" She asked.
"Of course I'm sure! When have I ever been wrong?"
Ariel gave her friend a look that asked 'Your kidding right?'
"Ok, so I have been wrong on one or two occasions, but I know I'm right this time! I don't know her name but Greta sounded really excited when she heard what her magic was. And She is Ten years old, just like you!"
Ariel felt a bit crestfallen at this news. Another girl her age or younger has manifested her magic, when was it going to be her turn?
'Maybe you won't get magic, it happens you know,' Jarek chimed in. He had a habit of eavesdropping on her conversations now. She had tried to do the same to him, but for some reason, it would not work as easily when she did it. She wondered if it was because he was a full-blooded wolf.
"Shut it, no one asked you," She whispered, hoping Celest would not catch it but she did.
"Are you talking to your imaginary friend again?" Celest asked as a superior smirk crept on her face. "Maybe if you were more mature like me your magic would manifest faster. Your way too old to still have an imaginary friend."
"He's real!" Ariel said stomping her foot. She felt something flare inside of her, almost like a small flame being lit. The winds began to pick up, which was odd it had been still all day.
"NO, he's not! Just admit it you're still a baby!!!"
Ariel began to seeth in anger, and she felt her blood boil up to her ears, "Shut up Celest you don't know anything!" The winds began to blow harder, the sudden gust sent Celest off her feet. She gasped as she looked up at the angry redhead.
"What's wrong with your eyes?!" she asked but Ariel was too far gone. She was tired of Celest acting as if she was better than her just because she had magic and she didn't. Her words against Jarek were the final straw.
Fear washed over Celest, there was feral anger behind Ariel's eyes that Celest had never seen before. These winds were not natural either. A deafening thunderclap shook the earth with its rage. Greta came running outside as Ariel's paint supplies scattered in the wind.
"Oh no, not now," she begged. Greta ran to stand between the two girls and she eyed Ariel down. "Ariel you must calm down!" She shouted over the growing storm. "You are behaving like an animal!"
"I'm not an animal!" Arial argued as tears threatened her eyes.
"Then calm down!" She ordered, but the girl was lost to her inner storm. Her magic was as wild and untamed as her wolf side.
Greta glared and held up her hands and began to chant. Suddenly Ariel lost all feeling in her body, and she fell to the ground, glaring up at her teacher. She was not ready to calm down and stop her tantrum. Just as fast as it started, the winds dispersed. Greta took a long breath and relaxed. "A Tempest, just like Vetra. Of course, the Goddess could not make this easy on me," Even as she complained about the situation a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Ariel's magic had finally manifested itself, Ariel would have been excited if she was not still so angry at Celest.
"Celest, go to your room, I will come and talk to you in a bit. For now, I think Ariel needs a moment to calm down," Greta ordered as she picked up the limp child. "I hate to do this to you child, but you must learn to tame that temper of yours now that you have magic. She took Ariel up to the room of reflection and locked her inside.
Ariel wanted to scream, but she couldn't even manage that, Greta's magic was so much stronger than her will. But after a few moments, she felt the hold weaken a little and she could relax her jaw. At least she could scream now, not that anyone would hear.
'Are you ok?' Jarek asked.
"NO! I am so angry!!! I want to ... I want to..."
'You want to tear up things? And run around and scream?'
"Yes. I want to do all those things!"
'I feel that way a lot too. If it makes you feel better I think your power is pretty cool.'
Ariel felt herself begin to relax a little as she remembered she had magic, she finally felt whole. "Reall?" She asked softly
'Yeah! Summoning a whole storm that sounds cool! You know my friend Rowan's mom could do that too. They called her a Tempest.'
Ariel blinked as she felt more of the magic begin to fade, but Jarek was doing a good job at distracting her from her rage. "She could? What was her name?" She hoped against hope that maybe it was her mother.
'Priscella.'
Ariel sighed in disappointment. Her mother was Vetra, so it was just a coincidence, were Tempests usually drawn to wolves so easily?
'Sorry, I guess it's a different person,' Jarek knew what Ariel's secret hope was, but he would not push her further.
"It's fine. I think I'm starting to feel better now. Thank you, Jarek."
'Of course, I got your back.'
The door flew open before they could continue. Ariel squinted as she adjusted to the sudden light. Greta roughly pulled her out of the room, she must have talked to Celest and found out she was still talking to Jarek. This was not good, the first time Ariel mentioned Jarek, she was punished with four lashings. Ariel was not sure why but Greta did not like her 'imaginary friend.'
Ariel was dragged to Greta's room and thrown on a cushioned stool. "What did tell you about telling lies, Ariel."
Ariel stiffened, she knew what Greta wanted to hear, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it. "I'm not lying. Jarek is real!" her voice quivered in fear of what was going to happen next. But to her surprise, Greta took a seat next to her. "Come here little one," she instructed as she took a softer tone. Ariel quietly crawled into her lap and looked at her hands, refusing to make eye contact.
"Perhaps I have been a little too hard on you. I know it's not been easy being alone in this tower for so many years and you have that wild side of you, I know you are fighting against. So I have a gift for you."
Ariel tilted her head, curious as to where this was going, but she did not interrupt. Greta pulled out a black velvet box and opened it revealing a silver chain, that had an emerald jewel that was not just for decoration. Ariel could feel power pulsating from it, it had been enchanted. "What is that?" She asked.
Greta placed the chain in Ariel's hand, "I think you are old enough to hear the story about your mother Ariel, and how you came to be in my care." Ariel's eyes widened, she had always wanted to hear this story, but Greta always refused. This made her sit a little taller as if that would prove Greta right that she was mature enough to hear the tale.
"Your mother Vetra was part of my Coven. She took her vows with me and sister Rhian. She was a very powerful Tempest and men were lining up to request her hand in marriage. But she refused all of them, she was determined to join the Sisterhood and make the Order proud. And she did for many years, till one day we had to visit the Daimos pack. There was a young wolf there that had fallen for Vetra. He took advantage of her and forced himself on her. She became pregnant. "
Ariel's heart began to pace with guilt. She did not know her mother was hurt by the wolves. This made her feel dirty for having any blood linked to any of them. Ariel took a moment to check and make sure Jarek was not listening in. She could not sense him, and that made her relax, this was a personal story that he had no business to.
"She risked her life to give birth to you my pet. I was there coaching her through the whole thing, she was so strong. Unfortunately, her heart could not handle all the stress she bore over the years and she died, while I held you in my arms."
Ariel forced down tears, she would not cry, she had to prove she was strong enough to hear the dark ugly truth.
"Do you know about the treaties we have with the Daimos pack?" She asked. Ariel shook her head no, Greta did not talk too much about the pack, whenever they came to visit each year she kept her charges far away from them. "When a hybrid is born, they are to be put in their care. Do you know what they do to wolves who have magic, like you?" To this, Ariel shook her head again. "They put a collar around them, that they call a seal. This seal's away their magic and they can only access it if the alpha lets them."
Ariel's eyes widened in horror as she gently cupped her neck. She had just accessed her magic, she could not imagine being cut off from it. "It's horrible, those poor girls. Every time I see them I want to help them getaway, but there is nothing I can do. But I was able to make a deal with Alpha Rainer, and he agreed to let me keep you in my care." Ariel hugged Greta tight and dug her head into the side. She felt ashamed for ever doubting Greta, yes she was harsh on her sometimes, but she only did it to keep her from becoming like those wolves.
'But Jarek seems really nice,' She argued with herself. But then a thought crept up and she wondered if maybe Jarek really was just a figment of her imagination. Perhaps it was her wolf side playing tricks on her. This realization made her shiver.
Greta gently lifted Ariel's chin to make her look at her, "I will not let you fall to their tricks. So if you truly feel plagued by this voice in your head I would like to help." She then held up the necklace again. 'Why did it have to be green? It would have been so pretty if it weren't green.' Ariel thought uncharitably as she stared at the piece.
"This will protect your mind from any intruders, and it will lock away any wolfish part of you. So no matter if the voice is real or not, this will stop it."
There was a long pause before Ariel responded, she had to admit even now, there was a part of her afraid to lock away that part of her. But she knew it needed to be done. "Is this what my mom would want?"
"Without a doubt."
Ariel nodded her head and moved her long hair off her shoulders as she turned around. Greta then snapped the chain around her, and Ariel felt something like a wall form in her mind. The anger she had felt before was fading and she felt more like the sorceress and less like the beast. She hated to admit she would still secretly miss Jarek, but this was for the best. He was probably imaginary anyways. She was becoming a woman and needed to let go of childhood fancy anyways. A thought made Ariel bite her bottom lip and shame washed over her, "Greta...is Celest mad at me?"
Greta cupped the little girl's chin and smiled, "I had a talk with her so she understands. But you should go and speak with her and make up." Ariel nodded in agreement and ran off to find her real friend and apologies for her appalling behavior.
To her surprise, Celest seemed more excited than upset at Ariel. Her friend had finally tapped into her magic and she was happy for her. Celest held her in a tight embrace, "I'm not mad, Greta explained everything and said she was going to fix it. Do you feel better now?" she asked.
"I don't know... it's a new feeling I have to get used to," Ariel answered truthfully. A thought crossed Celest's mind that made her bubble with excitement, "You know what this means though right?!?! You get to choose your new name!!!"
"I had forgotten about that!" Ariel felt herself become excited now. This was just what she needed to shed away from her old self. "I don't know what to choose though!"
"We can wait till we meet the new girl and you can pick names together! That will be fun!" For the first time in a while, Ariel burst with excitement. She could not wait to meet their new sister and finally find her new name.
A few days later Greta had the room prepared for their new arrival. Her name was Kalina, unlike Celest, she who had not picked her new name just yet. When Celest's magic manifested she had picked her name before even being approached by the Order. This made Ariel relax, she was happy she would have a friend to navigate the new power with. When the girl finally arrived at the tower both Ariel and Celest were awestruck by how beautiful she was. She had hair blacker than a night sky with eyes that glistened like stardust. Her lips were a natural deep red that seemed brighter against her pale skin. Ariel was jealous of the girl's lack of freckles, in comparison to hers that always seemed to freckle in the sun. She also had such a natural grace about her, something that Ariel felt she could not imitate no matter how many years she practiced. The girl had a pull about her, something that made Ariel want to know more about her and become her best friend.
"Girls this is Kalina. Kalina this is Celest and Ariel. Ariel has just manifested her magic just like you, so you can both pick names out together."
When Ariel blushed, it made her whole body look like a tomato, but when this perfect girl blushed it only added to her girlish charm. Everything about this girl seemed perfect. The girl walked to the pair and curtsied politely, "It's nice to meet you. What is your power? "
"I'm a scribe," Celest boasted. Kalina tilted her head, her shiny hair fell lightly over her face. "What is that?" Celest thought for a moment and then pulled out two pieces of paper. She gave one to Kalina and kept the other. She then wrote the word, "hello" Kalina's eyes brightened in amazement as the words appeared on her paper as well. "I know it's not much now, but when I'm older I will be able to spy on anyone."
"I think it's really wonderful!" The girl beamed. "What's yours?" She asked, directing her attention to Ariel.
Ariel concentrated and summoned a small gust of wind to push the girl gently, "Greta says I'm a Tempest, like my mom." She boasted proudly. "Now it's your turn."
"They said I'm an Enchantress. I can make glamours and make people happy," Was the simplest way that was explained to Kalina. The name alone sounded extravagant to Ariel, she was almost jealous. She was afraid such a gift would make someone think they were better than others, but Kalina's smile shined brightly at her new friends, and Ariel could not imagine this girl having a mean bone in her body.
"Why don't you girls have lunch in the garden and you can get to know each other more," Greta encouraged. The girls almost jumped in excitement, Celest and Ariel loved eating outside. They both took Kalina by her hand and pulled her to the kitchen to set up their meal. Ariel felt herself finally start to relax and feel like she was on the right track. She had real flesh and blood friends that she would grow up with and mature into powerful sorceresses. It was becoming easier to ignore the stubborn longing she still had for the imaginary boy.