Capítulo 8: King and Knight
Priscilla sat in a large wooden basin filled with water, leaning her head on the rim. The water was kept warm by a magic formula drawn at the base of the tub. Her eyes were closed as she let the warm water pull the tiredness from her bones. Fortunately, there was an inn on the way to their ultimate destination. Priscilla did not think she would be able to relax, but as soon as she got into the bath, her worries seemed to dissolve.
During this short respite, she was able to calmly go over what happened that day. Priscilla realized that Percival had been acting strange for a while. She deduced that whoever was orchestrating this whole situation had contacted him in Sleeping Giant city. Which made her wonder, why wasn't Gawain told? And if he were, why didn't he let Priscilla know? Perhaps they expected him to always be on the King's side, since he was the most loyalty and greatest knight of Camelot.
Priscilla felt strangely happy. For a long time, she respected the King and wanted to be like him. But her achievements were always considered alongside a comparison to the King's similar achievements. So, by taking away his most loyal knight, Priscilla felt like she finally beat him at something. Thinking about it, her magic was also superior to the King. People usually grouped Merlin and Arthur together, so they never considered her magic talent to be anything superior.
"Grandpa Merlin…" Priscilla said unconsciously. He was not there during the revolt. That means he was either being held up on purpose, or could not bare to see it happen. Merlin was more of a father to her than the King. Sometimes she wished he were her biological father. While reminiscing on her childhood, she had climbed out of the bath and dried herself. The owner of the establishment had a daughter, so Priscilla bought a common dress off of him. Luckily, they were close enough in body type.
When she walked out into the common room, where Gawain and the kids were, she saw a strange scene. Gawain stood in a squatting position with his arms outstretched while the two children were attempting to imitate him. "Just hold this stance for a few hours and think about making right-handed circles in your heart. In a few days your first magic circuit will be complete." Gawain said with confidence.
The most comical thing was the kids looked at him with fervor and tried their best. Priscilla could only cover her face in shame and sit far from them to eat her meal. They continued on like that for half an hour before Priscilla could not take it anymore. There were not any other patrons in the common room, so she was not worried about revealing her identity.
"Enough! That will never work. Her affinity is natural magic, so she's like a magnet to the ambient aura given off by plants. Instead of a magic circuit to generate aura, she needs a circuit to store it. Go into my room and pour all of your excess aura into the basin's magic formula. Once you are spent, slowly absorb the ambient aura while imagining left-handed circles in your heart."
The inn owner was busying himself in the kitchen due to Priscilla's large order. She had not properly eaten in a few days so she was veracious. Several dishes of meats, cheeses and a large pot of stew were brought to her. She had plenty of money to survive decadently for a few months, but still offered to create some magical basins for the owner to cover the bill. The knowledge to create these magic formulas was common, so she was not worried about being discovered.
Gawain had since gone over to see how Maia was doing. Alone together in the room, he paused for a second before confronting her.
"The things you told me this morning, do not repeat them to Her Majesty. She already has too much on her mind right now. How is the training going, by the way?"
"Mmm. I am not sure. I did not know when to stop, so after finishing the first circle I'm already making the second one."
Gawain almost spurted blood. Geniuses were truly different from the common folk. He spent twenty years training to complete the first circle, and she did it in twenty minutes. Although, it was nothing compared to Priscilla, who was born as a first circle. He nodded to her and told her she could take a break.
"Food is ready so come and eat. Also, try to practice in front of Her Majesty in the future. Although she's acting cold, deep down she cannot resist the urge to help people. There are so many things she has done for the people that she never got credit for. Maybe if she were a bit greedier for the recognition, things would not have turned out this way…"
"What happened to the Empire, Sir Gawain? We left our village and had been traveling ever since. When those men caught us, we were very confused."
Priscilla had just come up to the door to call them out when she overheard that last question. She had not confronted Gawain about the incident yet, so her ears perked up. She was also interested in what he thinks happened. She carefully wrapped herself in magic and listened in.
"Sigh, it is a long story but perhaps I should start explaining it with a different story. There was a young boy who was raised in a faraway land by people whom he was not related to by blood. He learned to fight at a young age and participated in a battle between two of the largest empires in that land. After successfully winning in a duel to determine the fate of the lands, he was rewarded with the proof of his birth and a horse.
He rode day and night to the far north. He crossed land and sea without stopping. Finally, the boy reached a magnificent castle. Declaring his identity, he was allowed to stay. However, the King refused to see him. During open court, the boy declared that he would prove his ability by doing a task that no other knight was capable. It was at that time, one of the King's allies requested aid, their lady was being held hostage and forced into marriage.
The King decided to give this boy a chance to prove himself. He rode to the barbarian's camp and fought as hard as he could. However, the enemy proved to be more capable and numerous than he expected. Willing to die for the task, he continued on. However, the King and several knights arrived, and with their aid were able to save the lady. The King told this boy that he was courageous and had a valiant heart. The King turned out to be his uncle, and the boy was knighted after proving his mettle.
The reason I tell you this story is because I was that boy. King Arthur, while cold on the outside and ruthless to his enemies, was warm and loving to his people. Therefore, when I saw that man who was both cold on the outside and inside, I could not follow him. His daughter resembled that young King more than the man himself. Whether the true King of Camelot has returned, it matters not. I have already determined to follow Priscilla even after death. My soul in the afterlife will ensure a comfortable time in the underworld for her."
Priscilla started to run away. Her vision was blurry and it was dark, but she needed to keep running. The tears flowed ceaselessly and her mind was jumbled. She knew a little bit of Gawain's past so that did not affect her. But his declaration at the end caused her façade to snap. She hid outside below a large tree while her memories of her father, Gawain, and all the others flashed past in her mind. Her chest began to heat up.
Aura flowed out of her in droves as her heart pounded out of her chest. Due to her mental turmoil she was unable to calm down and the magic flowed faster and faster. Suddenly, the air turned cold and the aura flowed in reverse. Her body condition turned back to normal and she was able to attain a clear mind. Once Priscilla examined the magical flow within her, she recognized a fifth circuit perfectly formed. She exclaimed in shock at the discovery.
Priscilla had been stuck in the fourth circle for several years now. No matter what technique she applied, she could not continue forward in her practice. However, all of a sudden, she had broken through to the fifth circle without even trying. Not only that, but the transition was perfect. Her mind had been clouded with emotion and her heart was beating rapidly. In the past, she always practiced in perfect stillness. She wondered if this was another feature of the dragon bloodline. Realizing she was fifth circle now, a large grin appeared on her face.
"I can finally use that spell."
Status de energia semanal
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