"Renaissance Magic" Prologue, Ch 1 & 2

Prologue

            There is something you should know about me, for I am not who I seem to be.  To you I may look to be a common young man living an uneventful life.  I live with my mother and sister in a house nestled deep within the piney wood thickets of Southeast Texas.  My trusty ten year-old Ford Ranger, Danielle, gets me back and forth to my uneventful job at Walmart where I work as a Night Receiving Stockman.  I work nights, which is probably the only oddity visible in my life.  I like working nights, though.  There are less people to deal with.
            I am basically a shy person.  I’ve been married once and have three sons whom I never see any more.  Ours was a typical Army marriage.  When I got out of the Army, she got out of the marriage.  The last I heard, she was engaged to a Walmart regional manager back in Upstate New York where we lived and was going to move with him to Canada.  Life, it seems, is not without its little ironies.  I guess that beats the “jar-head” Marine she was dating after our divorce was first finalized.
            As you can see I lead a fairly boring life.  I have only four passions in my life: movies, books, history, and The Texas Renaissance Fantasy Faire.  Well, five passions if you include my fixation with Celtic folk music.  Okay, six if you take into consideration my writing.  I write poetry and short stories.
            Ah, the Texas Renaissance Fantasy Faire!  Home, if ever I had one.  I am twenty-nine years old and have been going to the Festival every year for the last twenty-five of those years.  During the majority of the year I merely exist, but for those seven weekends in October and November, I truly live!  At the Faire there are no pretensions - I am who I am.  In day to day life I am Justin Moore, lowly Stockman at Walmart.  At the Faire, however - I am Dain Thornhold, warrior of The Realm!  I know.  I know what you are saying, “Jeez, another Renaissance geek!”  Yeah, well you may be right, but then something happened that changed my life forever.  You probably won’t believe this tale that I will now relate to you, but, in essence, it is not a tale at all.  It is the purest, most fantastic truth!  I should know, because they happened to me!  Oddly enough, this tale begins with two little words: “Mail Call!”
 
I
Countdown to the Faire

Monday, September 27, 1999

          The most magical words that you could possibly hear when you are expecting e-mail are: “Mail Call!”  Justin Moore had been hoping and praying for those two little words for weeks now.  Finally, his computer spoke those words which inspire so much imagination.  Was she back?  What would she say?  Only one thing to do - read it!
            Justin moved the mouse of his computer over until the cursor arrow was on the mailbox icon of his Cynergy 4.0 browser and clicked the button.  The computer brought up the mail program and displayed the incoming messages.  There were two messages listed on the screen, but it was the second message which immediately caught his eye.
            “Hey, Gwyn’s back!” he said aloud to no one in particular.  “’Bout time!”  He moved the arrow cursor over Gwyn’s message and double-clicked the mouse to open it.

‘Dain:

          Hello!  How have you been?  I have missed you so.  It pains me to no end not to be able to communicate with you during the rest of the year, but forces prevent me from it.  I wish things were different.  Someday I wish to explain, but ‘til then, please, trust me.  My search is nearly complete.  The one we search for will soon be known to my countrymen.  I cannot wait to see you again, my love.  I will be awaiting your arrival at the Faire Friday.  ‘Til then, my love, know that I am with you in spirit.

Love,
Gwynabeth’

            Gwyn Davidson was a very unique woman.  Justin had come to accept over the years he had known her that she would only write to him around the time of the Texas Renaissance Fantasy Faire where she worked.  He had met her five years ago when, working as a tavern maid, she had accidentally bumped into him and spilt beer all over his leather armor.  She had apologized left and right, but he told her that he was retiring that set of armor anyway.  They had felt an immediate attraction and met that evening when she got off work.  They spent the whole night talking about anything and everything.
Gwyn was four years younger than Justin with long dark brown hair and deep emerald eyes.  Her hair hung down to her waist in soft curls and had smelled faintly of lavender.  Over the years, they had developed a deep relationship and spent all of their free time together at the Faire.  Justin spent every weekend there and camped out at the campgrounds Friday and Saturday nights. Gwyn would sneak out of the enclosed camp for the merchants and spend those nights with him most of the time, which only served to heighten his sense of romance and mystery.  All in all, Gwyn was the greatest person in the world to Justin.  A person he could spend the rest of his life with, if he could they could be together beyond the time of the Faire.
            Gwyn was on a mission of sorts.  Her and her people were in dire need of help where they were from, she explained vaguely, and they only knew of one person who could help.  She didn‘t know who this person was, though, which is why they searched year after year.  In her e-mail, she had said that they were close to finally finding this mystery person, which suddenly brought another thought to Justin’s mind.  Maybe they could finally be together on a more permanent basis when they did find this person.  What a wonderful thought!
            Justin clicked his mouse on the ‘REPLY’ icon above the message and started typing.

‘My dearest Gwyn:

            Hello!  I am so happy to hear from you again after all these months.  I have missed you so much.  I wish we could be together during the rest of the year, too, but I know that your quest prevents such meetings.  I know that I have been left in the dark about your search and I do rust in your reasoning, but it is hard.  There is so much that I wish to know about you and it pains me to see you hurt by your own forced silence.  I can see your torment in your eyes and your longing washes over me whenever you look at me.  I am so glad that you are finally so close to finding your mystery person.  Hopefully this would lift the restrictions placed upon you and maybe we could finally be together during the rest of the year.  My love for you grows daily, but I don’t know how long I can keep it contained to just seven weekends of sleepless nights, secret rendezvous’, and blissful pleasure. I will be arriving at the Faire at around 8 PM on Friday, October 1st.  Hopefully, you can meet me at the gates of our sanctuary.  Only four more days, my love - only four eternally long days.  Pray for them to fly by.  Until then, my heart, know that my love will spread out over the miles - even time and space - to be with you!

Love,
Dain’

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          
           
            Gwynabeth Davidson saved Dain’s email message to his file.  She was so happy to see him still around.  It would have broken her heart if he were gone.  She was excited about meeting him this year because, if her suspicions were true, they could be together soon.  Dain didn’t know or even suspect but, if her suspicions were correct, he would be their savior.
            The Realm’s champion would be the most powerful warrior and wizard that they had ever known.  Who would have guessed that he would be from Earth instead of the Realm on Sytheria?  Gwyn didn’t pretend to understand the physics of inter-dimensional timeline divergences, but she was happy to be a part of the quest that had brought her into this dimensional reality.  The quest had shown her Dain Thornhold, who called himself Justin Moore in this world.  She was eternally grateful to the Fates for the love that she shared with him.
            The Realm, on Sytheria, was so radically different from this technological monstrosity they called Earth.  The scholars from her world of Sytheria could almost pinpoint the time of the divergence in the timelines that split the mirror worlds apart: the Renaissance.  Earth had found technology and machines and had gone through the Industrial and Technological Ages while Sytheria had advanced in magic.  As Earth used the magical energies of their world less and less, Sytheria had naturally siphoned off the energies for its own uses.  There had to be a give and take, though, and as a result, Sytheria had never advanced beyond the Renaissance.
              The Texas Renaissance Fantasy Faire was almost an exact mirror image of the city in which Gwyn lived in the Realm on Sytheria, but most of the people present at the Faire were merchants and vendors from Earth.  There were only a handful of people there from the Realm.  The magic only allowed a dozen people through the inter-dimensional rift.
            Dain was the exception to the rule, it seemed: a man of Earth who could use magic.  If he was the Warrior-Mage for which they sought, his power would no longer lie dormant once they got him to the Sytheria.  He would have to learn how to control the magic.  That was why Merlin was a member of Gwyn’s Company from the Realm.  He was the most powerful wizard on Sytheria, but once Dain made the migration to Sytheria and learned all that he needed to, he would be even more powerful than the legendary wizard.  That is, if Gwyn’s suspicions proved to be true.
            It had been little things over the years that had led her to believe that Dain could be the Warrior-Mage.  Little stories of odd occurrences that had happened in his life, for example:  extraordinary luck at playing his favorite game of football.  He held the national college level record for pass completions.  The only explanation that Gwyn could come up with for his unbelievable luck was magic.  Only a very powerful wizard or wizard adept could use magic on Earth, because the wizard would have to siphon the magical energies from across the inter-dimensional rift.
            They would soon know for sure if Dain was the one for which they searched.  Merlin had fashioned a necklace imbued with certain magical properties that would draw only a wizard to it.  Only a wizard would feel himself wanting to buy it - needing to own it.  Having been fashioned by Merlin, of course, he would be immune to its effects.  A non-magical person would find themselves repulsed by it, however, and therefore would not buy it.  It was to be placed in one of the shops run by the people from the Realm, where the Company could keep a close eye on it to see who would buy it.  Hopefully, Gwyn thought, it would be Dain.

II
Tuesday, September 28, 1999

            Even twenty-four hours after Justin had read Gwynabeth’s e-mail, he could still think of nothing else.  He had been distracted all night at work and had almost gotten into trouble for not paying attention to which department’s pallet he was putting the boxes from the delivery truck on.  The numbers on the boxes had to match the department numbers painted on the wall above the pallets.
            Something had been bugging him about how Gwyn had been acting towards the end of last year’s Faire.  She had been distant and when he had tried to find out what was bothering her, she would brush him off with a vague excuse.  She was keeping something important from him and he feared that it had something to do with him.  He had been afraid that he was losing her.
            The computer in his home office beeped at him as it booted up the Cynergy 4.0 program.  He clicked his mouse on the ‘CONNECT’ icon and those gloriously annoying beeps and whistles sang to him as he logged onto the internet.  Not for the first time, he wished that he could afford a DSL connection, but seeing as how his mother’s house where he lived was in the middle of nowhere, the phone company just wouldn’t allow it.
            “Hello, Master,” the monotonous voice of his computer said in greeting and, “Mail call!” in mock excitement.
            There was one new e-mail showing.  He clicked on Gwyn’s new message so he could read it and was surprised to find that it was very lengthy.




‘My beloved Dain,

            Hello.  I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.  I know I have withheld a lot of information from you, but as the person for whom we are searching for becomes known to us, I feel that I can explain least some of it with you.  There are still some things that I am forbidden to speak of, but I will try my best to satisfy your curiosity.
            First, and foremost, you know that I love you with all of my heart and that I would do anything that would let us be together, not just during the Faire, but for all time.  Because I love you, there are certain things about me that you have to know.  Please hold judgment until we meet in person and don’t think that I’m crazy.  I am quite sane.
            I know that I told you that I was from another country.  I said that I was from England, which is not exactly true.  I am from the area that you would know as England, but not you’re England.  Here is where my explanation becomes very hard to believe.  I am not from your world…….’

            Justin paused in his reading.
“What in the Hell is she saying?” he spoke aloud.  “She can’t mean that she’s a space alien or something.”

‘….I know that by now you are probably saying, “Yeah, she’s out of her mind!”  Please, hear me out.  I would never keep anything from you that would hurt you, my love.  I will try to explain it all to you so you can understand.
            I live in a world that is Earth’s mirror - it‘s twin.  It is in another dimensional reality, but very closely linked.  Our histories were identical; however, there was a divergence in the timelines of our two worlds around the time of the Renaissance. Earth advanced beyond us when its peoples discovered industry and technology.  Earth’s magical energies dwindled across the inter-dimensional barrier to my world:  Sytheria.  All of Earth’s magical peoples and creatures, such as Dragons, Faeries, Sprites, and Dwarves (true Dwarves, mind you), Gnomes, and the like, all migrated through the barrier to Sytheria.  Elves were the last to leave.  They thought that they could last on Earth and tried to halt the advancing of technology with the help of Merlin, a very powerful wizard of whom your legends still speak of.  Actually, you have met him, for he is the same Merlin at your Faire.
            Sytheria never advanced beyond the Renaissance.  The Royal Market Square of your Faire is an exact mirror of the square in the city in which I grew up and still live to this day.  Magic is a part of our everyday lives.  We still seek our champion, however, because there is an enemy that would threaten our very existence.  Even our most powerful wizards cannot defeat him.  Our champion, once we find him, will be the most powerful warrior wizard that Sytheria has ever known. He will be even more powerful than your King Arthur was.
            I know that this is all new for you and very hard to believe, but please trust me when I tell you, all the words that are written here are true.  I would never lie to you, my heart.  If you feel that I have deceived you, then I apologize most humbly and beg you to forgive me.  The last thing that I would ever want is to hurt you or lose your trust.  I pray that you will still meet me at our appointed meeting place at the ‘gates of our sanctuary,’ as you called it.  Know this, above all else, that I love you more dearly than life itself.  Now, I must go, but I do look forward to your reply.

            Love,
            Gwynabeth’

            Justin saved Gwyn’s message in her file and sat back in his chair.  He let her words sink into his mind.  Her story sounded like one of the many novels in his library.  He should have been shocked and raving about Gwyn’s apparent lack of sanity, but oddly enough, he found himself believing what she had explained.  To his way of thinking, it explained quite a bit about her distant behavior towards the end of last year‘s Faire.  To her, Earth must seem to be chaos given form, what with automobiles racing down the hard paved streets and airplanes and jets screaming across the sky.  It all must seem totally and radically weird to her.  Justin tried to imagine seeing all of these things for the very first time and found that he could not.  There was just no way to accomplish this task, for all of these things he had taken for granted his whole life.
            Justin felt an old familiar tickle in the back of his mind.  It was a feeling that he had learned to trust over the years whenever he made a decision.  Gwyn was telling the truth no matter how unbelievable the tale may have seemed.
            This feeling that he had, the tickling, he felt that it was a psychic gift from Divinity.  Whenever he had this feeling, he knew something would happen or knew exactly what to do in a certain situation.  It had never let him down before.  That was why he had been such a great quarterback during high school and college.  He had received countless offers from professional football scouts, but he had turned them all down.  His football career had only been a means to an end.  History had been, and still was, one of his only true passions, but no career was, as of yet, forthcoming so he plodded away at his Wal Mart job.
            Justin clicked his mouse on the ‘REPLY’ icon above the e-mail message and started typing.

‘My Dearest Gwynabeth,
           
No, my dear, I do not think that you are crazy, a loon, or mentally unbalanced.  Oddly enough, I find myself believing your story completely.  Maybe that makes me crazy, but I just have one of those feelings that you are telling me the truth.  I have always suspected that there was more to reality than what mainstream educational institutions have taught us to believe.  I have always thought that most legends and myths had their beginnings in reality.  The stories may have been slightly altered or exaggerated from the original events over time, however.  I suspected that all of the fantastic creatures and races in the novels that I have read were the product of these myths and legends as well.  That all of those creatures, such as elves, dwarves, fairies, and such were based in legend, which in turn, was based in reality.  Your story only confirms what I have always suspected was probably true.
            As the week drags eternally on, I feel impatience creeping into my bones.  I cannot wait to see you again, my love.  Your image shimmers before my eyes and my fingers long to touch your face, but until then, I shall have to content myself with these letters.  I love you with all of my heart, mind, and soul.  Be safe and be well.
           
Love,
            Dain’

            Justin sent Gwyn’s e-mail message, shut down his computer, and sat back in his office chair.  He reflected on this odd turn of events.  He had suspected something that something was going on, but he had never imagined this.  Gwyn’s revelations kicked his imagination into high gear.  He tried to imagine what her world was like.  Images of knights, kings, queens, and dragons marched in procession across his mind‘s eye.  He thought how great it must be.
            Justin glanced at his watch and gave a start.
            “Oh, shit!  I’m gonna be late!” he gasped.
            He leapt out of his chair and ran into his bedroom.  He threw open his closet and grabbed his coat.  On his way out of the house, he made a quick phone call.
            “Hey Mike.  I might be a few minutes late.  Start without me if you need to …. Okay …. Okay.  Bye.”
            Justin locked his front door and sprinted to his truck, Danielle.  As he was driving, he thought about what was going to happen when he met Gwyn at the Faire Friday.  He didn’t know if all of her revelations would affect their relationship or not. He didn’t think that they would.  He loved her and he believed that the love he felt for her would see them through anything. Time would be the true test.  Thirty minutes later, as he pulled into his friend, Shawn Rideaux’s driveway, he kicked himself into S.R.A. mode.  It was time to get his light fighter’s certification.
            The S.R.A., better known as the Society for Renaissance Anachronists, was a Renaissance era re-enactment group which began in the early 1980’s as a non-profit organization for the study and demonstration of Renaissance culture.  From the national level down, member areas were broken down into kingdoms.  The kingdoms were in turn broken down into baronies, shires, and cantons.  Justin was a member of the Barony of the March in the Kingdom of Greymarch.  He was attending a meeting of House Morningstar, which was his house within the barony.
            He had been learning rapier sword fighting for over a year and felt it was time to challenge his mentor, Shawn Rideaux, to try and earn his light fighter certification. He needed to find out if he had what it took to be a true fighter.
            He got out of Danielle and unlocked his toolbox to retrieve his rapier, fencing mask, and padded jerkin.  He made sure that his gloves and boots were still securely wrapped up in the jerkin and then closed the box.  He made his way into the one story ranch house where everyone else was patiently awaiting his arrival.  As he entered the living room, he was greeted by Mike Thompson, the head of House Morningstar.
            “Yes folks, he arrives in record time!” Mike exclaimed jokingly.
            “My Lord, you honor me greatly with your welcome,” Justin replied with a bow and a laugh.  Mike returned the bow then shook his hand.  ‘Welcomes’ were always a fun occasion with Mike.
            Justin greeted the others in the room with handshakes for the guys and hugs for the women.  The people of House Morningstar were the only friends and family that he had other than his mother and sister, and since his mother’s illness, his sister had been preoccupied with taking care of her.  This had left Justin lonely, an outsider within his own family.
            He found a seat and the meeting got underway.  There wasn’t much new business to discuss, though.  The highest point was whether to accept an offer to attend the Grand Opening of the new Flanagan’s Leather Emporium to display and demonstrate Renaissance period leatherwork.  It was voted unanimously that the group would accept the offer and attend.
            The meeting wound down and everyone migrated out into the backyard for the melees.  Justin suited up and inspected his gear.  The sword was a replica of the 1500’s Black Rose swept-hilt rapier.  It was his pride and joy.  Every one of the other light fighters ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the sight of it and Mike fairly drooled every time he was in it’s presence.  Of course, it didn’t look quite as impressive with the practice blade on.
            The practice blades were a must, though.  In the great state of Texas, it was illegal to fight with bare steel.  The sword could be carried, however, with the real blade as long as the scabbard was equipped with a locking mechanism or the sword was tied down so the blade could not be drawn out of the scabbard.
            Justin, confident that his gear was donned properly, moved to one side of the yard in order to get a little more practice in before his tourney.  He drew his blade and took up a fighting stance.  He silhouetted himself before an imaginary opponent and raised his blade.  His sword-arm’s elbow was a fist’s width away from his side.  He extended the flimsy practice blade until the distance from the crook of his elbow and the tip of the blade formed a straight line pointing to the bridge of his imaginary opponent’s nose.  He practiced moving his forearm and wrist in such a manner that his blade would block an incoming blow, never moving the tip of the blade away from the imaginary foe’s face.
            Justin had spent the better part of an hour going through his maneuvers when Mike came over to his practice area.  He sheathed his rapier and sat down on a nearby bench.
            “My God, Justin, I can’t believe how far you’ve advanced your sword fighting skills in this short year.  You, son, are a natural.  I’ve been saying it for months now, but I have never in my life seen such control and concentration.  You fight as if the sword were your own arm and the blade, your fist,” Mike said.
            “I don’t know about all of that, but Shawn still kicks my butt on a regular basis,” Justin replied as he mopped his sweaty brow with a towel.
            “Let me tell you a little secret, son,” Mike whispered dramatically.  “I talked to Shawn last weekend and - don’t tell him I told you - but, he said that he was finding it nearly impossible to keep you away from him during your sparring matches.  He may win, sure, but you are taxing him to his uttermost limits.  There is nothing more that he can teach you.  He has confided in me that he can’t even do some of the moves you use and says that some of your moves he has never even seen!”
            “Sometimes, while fighting, I just know things - when to parry - when to strike.  I sometimes know my opponents moves before they make them.  I know it may sound crazy, but that includes wrong moves.  I get a feeling for their movements and tactics.”
            “Like I said, my boy.  You are a natural.  You fight as if you’ve been training all of your life instead of just one year.  It may be your psychic gift helping you but, if you ask me, it seems almost like magic!”  Mike said, laughing.
            Mike’s words struck Justin like a war hammer in the head.  “Gwyn’s Warrior-Mage?” Justin thought to himself.  He suddenly found himself wondering if he could actually be the one for whom she searched.
            “Excuse me for a sec, Mike.  I need some water.”
            “Sure.  Hey, they’ll be calling for you soon.  There is only one more tourney before yours,” Mike said.
            “Okay, thanks.”
            Justin walked across the yard and entered the house through the rear sliding-glass door.  He walked to the kitchen sink and grabbed a glass from the drainer and filled it from the faucet.  As he took a drink, he mulled the concept of him being Gwyn’s Warrior-Mage over and wondered if he real could be the one.
            “Just when I thought I had all the rules figured out, leave it to me to change the game, “Justin remarked to himself.

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

            Gwynabeth walked into the makeshift meeting hall that the Company from the Realm used.  It was one of the old abandoned travel trailers that the Faire used for merchant lodging.  The others were already present and awaiting Merlin’s arrival.  As she looked around the crowded room, she couldn’t help but feel as if she were at a family reunion.  The twin brothers, Thomas and Raven Wylde, were seated on a couch quietly talking amongst themselves.  Christabel Runarch, a jewelry shop owner, was leaning on the bar.  Tobias McMillan, the armorer, was also at the bar pouring a shot of Irish whiskey.  Katarine Lovell, Mag Dervish, Persephone Marcel, and Dougan  Shill were going over what needed to be prepared at the tavern where Gwynabeth worked every year.  They were seated at the dining room table talking in hushed voices.  Gerard Malcolm Diller, the official court bard this year, was quietly singing to himself in the corner.  This was the tenth year that the Company had made the journey across the Rift and, in that time, had become a family of sorts.
            Gwyn pulled up a chair next to Gerard and sat down as the front door opened and Merlin entered the trailer.  He closed the door behind him, locked it, and made a gesture with his hand.
            “This place is warded against unwanted ears so speak freely this evening,” said Merlin.
            He walked to the center of the room and took a head count.
            “This meeting of the Company will now come to order.  The reason that I have called this meeting is to finalize the plans for placing the Talisman of Attraction.  Its construction is complete and is ready for placement.  The second reason that this meeting was called is to discuss the matter of Dain Thornhold.  Gwynabeth, I turn the floor over to you,” said Merlin.
            As Merlin backed toward the wall, Gwynabeth rose from her chair and strode to the center of the room.
            “As we all know, I’ve known Dain for five years.  I was drawn to him not only because he is a very attractive and charming man, but also because when I first saw him seven years ago at the Faire, I noticed odd things happening around him. For example, the first time I saw him a large pine branch was falling out of a tree near him at the tavern where I work.  Dain was walking by under the falling branch, but before the branch got to him, a large bird swooped down out of the sky and was struck by the branch, deflecting it just enough to miss hitting him.  That caught my attention, so I started following him. Many, many more strange and unexplainable things happened around him in the following weeks:  a couple who were fighting suddenly made up and apologized as he walked past them, a baby was choking coughed up a piece of meat at his touch, and many more.  Strange bouts of luck follow in his wake.
            “All of these things you already know.  Most of you have probably already guessed, but Dain and I have fallen in love.  This happened last year and it was truly an amazing discovery for me.  I would never have guessed that I would fall in love with someone from Earth.
            “Now I come to the new news.  Merlin and I have talked at length about these suspicions of mine - that Dain could be the one for whom we are searching for.  This led to the creation of the Talisman of Attraction.  The Talisman will be placed in Christabel’s jewelry shop in an inconspicuous, out of the way place where we will be able to watch it at all time to see who will buy it.  If my suspicions are true, Dain will more than likely be the one to buy it.
            “With Merlin’s permission, I have sent Dain an electronic message explaining why the Company is here and where we truly come from.”
            This news brought gasps and worried looks from the people gathered in the trailer.
            “How could you do this without first consulting with the rest of the Company?” asked Gerard angrily.
            Merlin stepped forward and spoke in Gwynabeth’s defense.
            “It was necessary and we didn’t have time to gather everyone for a vote.  We needed to know if he would believe her story.”
            “The magic would, and did, show him the truth of my words.  He believed wholly the story related to him.  He doesn’t yet know of my suspicions about him, though.  I will not tell him that unless he buys the Talisman,” Gwynabeth continued.
            “By telling him the truth about us, you have jeopardized our mission here.  What if he had not believed your story?  He could have exposed us to the public.  He still could,” Gerard grumbled, still not convinced.
            “Gerard, he did believe me and he would never compromise me.  We love each other too much.  And just for argument’s sake, id he did tell someone about us, who would honestly believe him?  This world has lost it’s magic.  It is only a thing in fairy tales.  These people disbelieve anytime that they cannot taste, touch, feel, smell, or hear.  He would have been laughed at and scorned by everyone.  His Earthly credibility would have been destroyed,” Gwyn explained.  Gerard nodded his head finally in agreement and gestured for her to continue.
            “Now that everyone here knows that Dain knows about us, nothing changes.  Dain will be the one to buy the Talisman and he will be heralded as the Warrior-Mage of prophecy.  To assure my fellow Companions here that I will not tell Dain about any of this, I submit to you that Merlin bind my tongue on the matter with his magic.  Are all here in agreement?  If so, raise your hand.”
            Gerard’s hand shot up and was followed by the rest of the Company.
            “It is so agreed,” Gwyn said.  She turned to Merlin.  “Master Wizard your task is set.”
            Merlin nodded and walked to the center to stand in front of Gwyn.  “Child, this that you ask of me will leave you drained of your energy, for the strength of you convictions are your own,” the wizard said in warning.
            “My friend, to ensure the safety and moral of the Company, it must be done.”  Gwyn pulled up a chair and sat down. “I am ready.”
            Merlin put his left hand over Gwyn’s mouth and his right hand above her head with its index and pinky fingers extended.  As he chanted words in the arcane language of magic a blue misty halo surrounded Gwyn’s head.  The blue light sparkled and swirled around her.  Merlin’s chanting became louder and faster and the light became a tornado.  As he finished, he removed his left hand from her mouth.  The blue light was immediately inhaled by Gwyn, which caused her to convulse wildly.  She screamed in pain as her whole body sparkled with the light as it infused itself with her.  As the convulsions subsided, Gwyn passed out.  Merlin picked her up and laid her on the couch where the twins, Thomas and Raven, had been sitting.
            “Merlin, I had no idea….  Will she be alright?” whispered Gerard.
            “She will sleep for a time, but she will awake refreshed with no memory of what she has just undergone,” Merlin informed the Company.  “She made this sacrifice with full knowledge of the consequences.  She will remember everything except the actual spell being performed.  She will not remember the pain.”
            “I believe, Master Wizard, that I have misjudged her.  I should have had more faith in her choice of action,” Gerard continued.
            “Lord Diller, I believe that this is a matter for you to discuss with Lady Gwynabeth, for she will be glad to hear it,” Merlin said, with a sympathetic smile.
            Gerard pulled a chair nearer to the couch and sat vigil over the sleeping form as Merlin led the others out of the makeshift meeting hall.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *
           
            The sun was behind Justin, which was to his advantage.  Shawn had been pressing him very hard, but he had held his ground against his teacher.  His rapier felt like an extension of his own arm.  Justin was aware only of his opponent before him. Shawn snaked a thrust beneath his right shoulder, but Justin twisted left and thrust his own blade over Shawn’s arm and pegged his facemask with a solid blow.  It was a killing blow, or would have been if this had been actual combat.  Shawn crumpled to the ground and the marshal raised Justin’s arm and declared him the victor.
            Shawn got up and brushed himself off.  Once he had his mask off, he shook Justin’s hand and congratulated him.
            “Man, you are just too good for your old teacher.  There is nothing more that I can teach you and it seems that you have found some moves of your own that you could teach me.  You have definitely won your certification.  Congratulations, son!” Shawn said.
            “Thank you, my friend,” Justin replied after removing his own mask.
            Justin accepted his light fighter’s certification in a formal ceremony led by Mike and was congratulated by the entire Household.  It had, indeed, been a great day.  On his way home, his thoughts returned once again to Gwyn.  He had won his light fighter’s certification, and that on top of Mike’s magical reference, made him wonder again if he was the Warrior-Mage that Gwyn and her Company from the Realm were searching for.  The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. He was going to have to talk to Gwyn about this.  This was just too weird to be a coincidence.