The Sorcerer and the Queen

[TommyGun15]

1000 years ago, the Rivan King Belgarion slew the Mallorean God-King Kal Torak. Not long after that, Belgarion's son was kidnapped by an agent of a dark prophecy. Ultimately Belgarion slew this dark agent and rescued his son, and by his side on that day was the current emperor of Mallorea. Since that day, the old religious feud that has divided the two continents has died down, and wars have largely been fought for money, or in revenge for some slight. And the Orb of Aldur, symbol of the throne of Riva and artifact of great sorcerous power, has been safe.


But now the sorcerers, who had been largely pursuing their own interests in The Vale of Aldur, have sensed a disturbance in the balance of their world. A weakening of the barrier between this plane of existence, and another. Belgarath, the greatest of the sorcerers, has traveled to with his grandson to Riva, the center point of these disturbances, discuss these events with the current King, as well as the fate of the Prince.


James, the eldest and only child of the King, has entirely the wrong temperament to be king. He is shy, nervous, and lacks the skill with a blade to lead men into combat, instead pursuing art, literature, and science. This displeases the King greatly. However, Belgarath has sense something more to the boy. The young Prince was born into this world with the mark of the Sorcerer, and his talents are beginning to manifest.


Such an event could only be occurring if a time of great significance was approaching. Like his ancestor Belgarion before him, the universe has plans for James, plans that will intertwine his fate with one from across the barrier between worlds. But what is the nature of his fate, and how it will affect both his world, and the one across the rapidly decaying barrier?


The answer to these questions, only time will tell.

 

[TommyGun15]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_05/57a8ca67da552_James2.jpg.ed82e3527ddd9a66f420ade8bf685d0b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="130428" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_05/57a8ca67da552_James2.jpg.ed82e3527ddd9a66f420ade8bf685d0b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


James sat in his room, staring out a window. On the table next to him were a book, and a glass of wine. Though his mother didn't approve, he was still of legal marriage age, and thus his father had celebrated his birthday by allowing him to have his first flagon of ale. However, James had never really found ale to his liking, preferring wine instead. He picked up the glass, swirled the contents inside around for a few seconds, then took a sip. He sighed as he set the glass back on the table.


This was how his days had been going so far. His father was probably conversing with Belgarath and Belgarion right now about this "disturbance in the barrier". After lunch he would begin his lessons with the two aging sorcerers, then he would be sent away. It was funny. Technically James could officially be king, if by some unlikely circumstance something were to happen to this father, yet they still did not trust him to attend a meeting about an important event going on in their kingdom.


James rested his head on his hand and sighed.


"Well, I guess it's going to be another boring day."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe sat quietly in a beautiful carved wooden chair her desk with a pen in hand drawing on a SketchBook the details of a beautiful rose sitting in a vase before her. It wasn't long before her ears pricked up at the sound of knocking to her room door so she stood rising to answer it. There was a blackness replacing the other side of her door and out of curiosity she stepped through ending up falling and falling. A hole opens up with a loud crack in the ceiling of James' room spitting the demoness out onto the floor with a thud crashing into a piece of furniture. Feathers found themselves everywhere as sugarshe trembled for a second with a hand to her head ears flattened and wings flailed out only to curl at her sides. She ran a hand through her purple hair and her decorated tail curled around her side with a groan. "Where am I??"She says.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James bolted out of his seat when he heard the sound of something crashing into the room behind him. He stared down at the strange creature before him, wondering what it... no, she, was. Then his eyes strayed past her to his sword, on the opposite end of the room. He didn't particularly like his odds of getting over there without the... girl? Wolf? He didn't think he could reach the sword without the wolf girl catching him. Then, the wolf girl asked a question. He stood up straight, trying to look respectable. In truth, he only looked very frightened.


"Um... This is the Kingdom of Riva... I am James, Crown Prince and Heir to the throne. Please state your name and... and your reason for coming here."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

She looked up with her red eyes and tilted her head lightly raising her eyebrow. She herself was wearing dark clothing and her body decorated in traditional royal beads and jewelry especially her tail. She exhaled quite annoyed. "So this is the other side? I'm sugarshe, queen of hell and daughter of king lucifer.....as for your other question I have no clue why I'm here. I'm guessing Some sort of rift opened up when I tried to leave my room and I'm afraid I have no clue how to go home....." She explained standing up dusting herself off with a little huff in annoyance. She snapped her fingers as she took on a little more human appearance still carrying her ears and tail. She crossed her arms and looked up at James with her wings folded behind her. "Anyways cutie I have to get home I apologize for dropping in so unexpected..." She says pulling a pocket mirror out hoping to contact her father but her mirror was busted. Her eyes went wide with absolute shock and she seemed to be freaking out a little. "Crap...my mirror's busted....how am I supposed to get home if I can't contact dad..."She says and looks quite frustrated.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James turned red when she called him cute, although he himself didn't know quite what to make of the tall winged wolf-girl who stood before him, and her turning into the form of a tall, fairly attractive young woman didn't help. Hell? Lucifer? What?


James sighed and sat back in his seat, looking bewildered. He reached over and down his glass of wine, a bit faster than he normally would've. Without a second thought, he reached over to the bottle and poured himself another glass. Although among the nations of the North it wasn't uncommon for menfolk to be especially heavy drinkers, James would normally not have dared to drink more than a small glass of wine before his lessons with Belgarath. However, he had a feeling that the old man would understand in this case.


"I um... I don't know about that. But my great-grandfather has been monitoring the barrier for a while now, and there is a chance he may already know you are here."


James sat back in his chair and sipped his wine slowly.


"This, is probably the weirdest day of my life."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe nods looking down. "Maybe he knows how to get home....James right? Would you mind escorting me to him, I don't want my father thinking I ran away from my duties again he'd be furious and take it out on my twin brother..." She says softly pushing her bangs to one side. She then noticed James drinking more alcohol and approaches slowly taking in his appearance a bit more. She smirked A little. "You sure are drinking alot...I didn't mean to make you nervous....or is it my appearance??" She asked softly leaning towards her face close his but she moved away turning with a deep sigh. " Now if only my suitors could be just as handsome as you....I bet you don't have a problem with pretty women and cute girls falling all over you do you?" She asked with a giggle.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James hastily put his wine glass down, blushing as she leaned close to him.


"Sorry... It's a bit of a habit most of the men in my country... okay this continent, pick up."


James turned an even deeper shade of red when she mentioned him being handsome, although he frowned at the mention of suitors and women falling all over him.


"Oh, trust me, it's insane. I can't go to a single social event without a dozen daughters of foreign nobles following me like a pack of piranhas. And if I talk to even one of them, even just to tell them to leave me alone, their fathers get it into their heads that I'm interested in their daughter. There was one, Arendish by the look of him, Mimbrate to be precise. I said something to his daughter, I don't even remember what it was, and he marched up to me in the middle of the party and started talking about how "glorious" my wedding to his daughter would be. I swear, I thought he would cave my head in when I said no."


James sighed and drank some more wine. He looked over at a cabinet nearby, where there were several other bottles of wine, and a few glass goblets. As he picked up the bottle to refill his cup, he held out the bottle for the wolf-girl, her name was Sugarshe if James remembered correctly.


"You want any?"


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

She shook her head lightly. "No thanks. I can't consume anything other than blood without getting sick.."She answers and sat down. She placed her chin on her folded hands with a little giggle at his story observing him with her red eyes. "Back in hell all my suitors were either big muscled brutes or wealthy older men who thought they could sway me......as the queen of demons only the most powerful would even dare to persue me.they always think they can win my affections by being the strongest, with fancy gifts,or merely trying to seduce me....but...." She looks down with a little sigh closing her eyes. "I'd rather my suitors be honest with themselves and think about my feelings.....silly isn't ?" She asked not glancing up.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James paled at the mention of blood, although Sugarshe's giggling promptly brought the blush back to his face.


"I don't think it's silly. Here, replace big muscled brutes with empty headed bimbos and you've pretty much got what my life has been for the past two years. And my father and his advisors aren't helping. The worst part is, it's almost never "find a wife". It's always "produce an heir". The way I've been going so far, I figure I've got until my next birthday to find a bride before my father goes and chooses one for me."


James sat back and sighed, sipping his third glass of wine. By this point it was probably safe to say that James was drunk.


"You know what kind of girls I've always liked? I like smart girls. But the smart girls are all either married off already, or are old, rich widows. I swear, I had to bathe for hours before I felt clean after the first time a woman old enough to be my mother tried to seduce me..."


James sighed as he finished his third glass of wine.


"You know, it's insulting really. All these women seem to think I'm just some young, foolish boy that they can wrap around their fingers with low-cut blouses, high-cut skirts, and blatant invasion of my personal space."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

"Hmmm....it seems we're in a similar situation there." she says resting her chin on her wrist making a soft hum sound. she noticed james was drunk giving a amused look as a smile spread on her lips. she tilted her head as her gaze returned to him red eyes looking quite curious.She listened to him speak. "Hmmm.....I'd offer you a chance for my hand but humans don't live long, you'd die and leave me all alone....." She added and with that stood turning torwards the door.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James sighed at her words, pouring yet more wine for himself. At this point he wasn't fully processing what Sugarshe was saying anymore.


"Yeah, I wish that was the case. I found out about a year ago that I was a sorcerer. I'm probably going to live until the sun explodes. Imagine waking up one day and being told you're going to watch almost everyone you know die."


James drank his wine and moved to set his glass down. Instead, his shaking hand missed the table and the goblet clattered to the floor. James sighed and saw Sugarshe leaving.


"I wouldn't go out there if I were you. They guards don't know who you are. If they see you wandering around out there, they'll probably arrest you."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe looked back at James with a slight tilt of the head pushing her purple hair to the side. "a little trouble never bothered me and I surely can't stay in your forever....I guess you'll have to escort me." She says crossing her arms and turning to face him with a rather annoyed look. Her wings shuffled and stretched curling at her sides.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James shakily got to his feet, his face beet red, though from alcohol or embarrassment it was impossible to tell.


"Umm... Yes. Of course. It would be my pleasure to escort you to Belgarath. He and my father are probably in the throne room right now."


James walked over to Sugarshe, moving slowly to avoid stumbling, and offered her his arm.


"Although, the wings will probably attract some attention."


James scratched the back of his head as he stood next to her.


"So... Tell me about yourself. You said most humans don't live very long... So I take it you aren't one..."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe nods and snapped her fingers making her wings vanish. She moved her arms around the one James offered with a little smile. "I'm a demon of sorts, my kind is typically immortal....Though I also carry the wolf blood and my wings are like my father's...born with the curse of blood drinking..." She says with a smirk hugging his arm into her chest learning in. "You don't have demons here??"she asked.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_05/57a8ca6edc261_James2.jpg.68779857ed52bb0c8db79847b75fe11c.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="130695" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_05/57a8ca6edc261_James2.jpg.68779857ed52bb0c8db79847b75fe11c.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


James was stunned by how close she was for a moment before leading her out of the room, stopping only to don a plain grey woolen cloak that was the traditional garb of all Rivans. The only thing about James's robe to mark him as a member of royalty was a simple gold trim around the edges of his cloak. James had to lean slightly against Sugarshe as he walked to prevent himself from stumbling. He didn't want to be tripping over himself when they met his father and Belgarath. As they walked, James answered Sugarshe's question.


"Um... Immortal huh? I guess that makes two of us... Well we do have demons. But they're enormous, nasty creatures that live in the far north. They typically eat people alive... not that you would do something like that... right?"


As they walked, they passed several guards standing watch in the hallways. They'd never seen the Crown Prince walking arm in arm with a woman in such a manner before. On top of this, none of the guards had ever seen the woman before, though by her clothes and the way she carried herself, she must've been some sort of foreign royalty. This caused a few whispers of speculation to pass between the guards and the serving staff as the pair walked. By the end of the day, the news will have reached the entire city that the Prince had been seen walking with a strange noble woman, with stories of this woman and her relationship to the Prince getting wilder and wilder as the rumors spread.


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

She shakes her head. "No. The only demons that eat humans are feral or cannibal, though there are some who survive off sex and some who eat small vermin or maybe have to drink blood as I do....Now devils on the other hand are very much different. Very irrational and they lack soul..."She explains with a mild giggle as she walks by his side. She smiles a little bit looking up at him with her red eyes. She somewhat hears murmurs due to her wolf like hearing but does nothing only focusing on James. She walked following him to the throne room. It was noticeable she was wearing dark clothing with beaded jewelry and boots with a beautiful silver circlet with Crystal beads since this was what she was expected to wear by her father.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James nodded as she spoke, turning pale once again at the mention of drinking blood. He led her to a set of large double doors. Before entering, he stopped and looked her dead in the eyes. Despite the wine he'd drank, James looked dead serious.


"Okay. This is the throne room. My father and Belgarath are inside. They will definitely ask who you are, where you came from, and how you got here. Now, I want to warn you, as I said before my father has been trying to pressure me into finding a bride. Given that you are a foreign noblewoman of marriageable age representing a realm that has no political connections to Riva, he will likely try very hard to convince you to agree to let me court you. I obviously cannot tell you how to respond to this, but I thought it was only fair that you should be prepared for this before entering. Do you have any other questions?"


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

"No. I think I'll be fine,I will simply respond as seen fit..." She says with confidence in her voice and brushes her purple hair behind her ear away from her red eyes. Sugarshe stared at James for a second before turning her gaze to the large throne room doors. She somewhat wondered what the two James spoke of were like. Hopefully they were respectable good men who'd understand the little problem. Having understood why James was warning her she didn't honestly see anything wrong with the idea. If she could at least have means to contact home she would definitely reward it and no doubt offer up her hand if asked to. James from what she could tell didn't seem so bad of a guy and he was very attractive after all.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

James nodded.


"Okay. Oh, and try not to stare too long at the sword, or the jewel in it's pommel. It's very important, and this whole castle was kind of built for the sole purpose of defending it. You might set people on edge if you stare at it too long."


With the, James opened the door to the throne room. It wasn't hard to spot the sword he spoke of. Placed just about the throne in a position where it was high enough to be seen by all in the room, but low enough that a person sitting in the throne could easily reach back and grab it, the sword was the first thing one saw when entering the hall.


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8ca6fcb45b_Swordofriva.jpg.42edb2aa25ef1c2e475047775ad30183.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="130733" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_06/57a8ca6fcb45b_Swordofriva.jpg.42edb2aa25ef1c2e475047775ad30183.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


Below this sword, were two men holding a discussion. One was a man in his late thirties dressed in the same grey and gold trimmed robe James wore, who sat in a simple yet comfortable looking throne. The other was an old man in a ragged blue tunic and breeches wearing an old rope as a belt, who sat in a plain wooden chair. When James opened the doors, the two men turned to look at him first, then at Sugarshe. The man on the throne stood.


The man was undoubtedly James father, they looked remarkably alike. His appearance gave a good indication of what James would look like when he was older. Tall, broad shoulders, a strong jawline with a short beard and mustache the color of spun gold. James's father looked every inch a king, and in him was a premonition of the man James would most likely grow up to be.


"James, I am afraid you come at a most inopportune time. Belgarath tells me that there has been a small breach in the barrier of our world. We were just discussing the possible ramifications of this event. Although..."


The King looked between Sugarshe and his son appraisingly, the sight of her holding his arm so closely bringing a small smile to his face..


"I think it is something that can be put on hold for a few minutes. Come in, both of you. I would love to learn about your guest."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe merely glanced around the throne room for a mere seconds before looking over to the other two men. She seems pretty much not surprised at how the room looked of course. Back at home her father's throne room of course was a lot different but that was to be expected because she was from hell unlike james. She seemed quite calm and very confident in herself over any words or actions she would make. This was something she actually had done before speaking of which. She carefully moved herself away from James and moved forward clapping his hands together and gave a little bow which someone considered a customary and proper greeting from where she was from. Sugarshevstood straight and begin to speak in a calm polite manner. " your majesty, I am princess Sugarshe of Hell daughter of Lucifer...." She says speaking of her kingdom beyond the barrier.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

The King's smile evaporated in an instant the second Sugarshe said where she was from. He spoke slowly, with a hint of mistrust in his voice.


"I see."


Slowly, he sat back in his throne. As he did so, he reached up behind him, and pulled the sword from where it rested on above the throne, setting in across his lap. Next to him, the old man, most likely Belgarath, also frowned, but he seemed to be frowning as much at the King's behavior as at the reply from Sugarshe.


"So." The King said, one hand resting dangerously close to the hilt of his sword. "You are from the other side of the barrier I take it. What can you tell me of this world?"


James shifted nervously behind Sugarshe. Right... James had forgotten to mention that between the initial greetings and trying to get her to marry him, his father would most likely not so subtly threaten her.


Perfect. Just freakin' perfect.


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

"My world is a bit different from here, it's a bit chaotic compared to mortal worlds but it's quite intriguing.....the land dividend up fairly among the humans and mortals..." She told him describing her world as asked of her. She moved her hand and pulled out the royal pocket mirror from her pocket opening it to show the broken glass in her hands. She looks down at it. "To clear things up,I fell through a hole that opened and my only way to contact home is busted......in other words I'm unable to return home nor can I contact my father. I apologize for the inconvenience...." She says softly.


@TommyGun15

 

[TommyGun15]

The King considered Sugarshe words very carefully. After a moment or two, he leaned over and began to whisper something to Belgarath. From across the room, only a few words could be heard.


"...do you think..."


"...it is possible..."


"...is it worth..."


"...undeniably dangerous..."


"...and be done with it...


"...but perhaps..."


"...I am not sure..."


"...it solves the issue of..."


"...he is my son..."


"...but to form an..."


"...I don't like this..."


"...may be no other..."


"...very well..."


The King stood from his throne again, holding his sword in his off-hand. Meanwhile, Belgarath rose from his own chair and began to make his way towards Sugarshe across the long hallway. The King spoke.


"Princess Sugarshe of the land of Hell. I have conferred with the great Sorcerer Belgarath, and the two of us have decided to aid you in returning to your world. However, in exchange for this, I have a request I wish to make of you. Your title as princess suggests that you are as of yet unwed. Therefore, I request that when we establish a connection between your world and our own, you take my son Prince James with you, that he may attempt to court you."


James frowned slightly at this, his posture rigid. So, it was finally happening. His father was straight-up choosing a bride for him.


"My son is of marriageable age. Should it please you, I would be honored, as I'm sure would he, if you were to agree to marry him, and secure an alliance between our kingdoms. Do these terms meet your approval?"


As the King finished his speech, Belgarath reached their side of the room. He held out his hand.


"If you would allow me to hold on to the mirror for now. Perhaps I might find a away to copy it's effect onto a larger mirror."


@mewbot5408

 

[Nonexisting]

Sugarshe nods lightly. "Very well. I agree on those terms...i don't mind." She says agreeing and looked up with her red eyes. She glanced Back at James for a brief second blushing before placing the pocket mirror in the king's hand. "I must warn you the runes on my mirror if messed up the slightest bit it could even corrupt....the glass is broken so the power seeping inside runes aren't sealed properly." She explained softly warning him the mirror could be dangerous if not handled properly. She then gives another bow and looks at James a bit unsure of what to do next.


@TommyGun15