Of Fate and Actions

Year 349

The wizard trudged glumly through the streets of Viorar, his feet seeming to be wandering almost as much as his thoughts. With no real schedule, Sunflash had decided to take the long way to his goal while he considered his options. Passing by a tavern, he paused to get a drink. Stepping inside, it became apparent that someone inside had been enjoying several mugs of cider. The smell seemed to trigger a memory, one of not too long ago...

"So no one has bothered you yet, eh?"

Jacen shook his head. "Musta' been too busy with the wizard to bother little ole me."

Sunny grinned as the young knight took a long drink of his cider. "Well as far as I know I wasn't tailed, and your name wasn't on the list when I crossed mine off. You should be fine for awhile yet. Planning on hanging out here for now?"

Jacen gave a nod as Sunflash finished off his glass of wine. "Yeah. They can use just about any help they can get to help rework the fields and whatnot. Not like I have anything better to do anyhow."

Sunny shook off the memory, finding himself staring at another empty wine glass. After checking that his tab was paid off, the wizard hauled himself to his feet again and moved on, feeling oddly restless. His thoughts seemed chaotic, jumping from topic to topic faster than a rabite on nectar. When he finally corralled his herd of rabites, he found himself on a bridge near a lighthouse. Staring upwards at the stars, the gentle sloshing of the waves seemed to scatter his thoughts momentarily before drawing forth another memory; this time from a past so long ago, it almost didn't seem real...

"So would now be a good time to ask 'what now'?"

Sunny's quiet question seemed to start the girl next to him out of her contemplation, leading to a sigh. "We've just been kicked out of the Academy, all but run out of town, and narrowly avoided being branded rogue mages; and yet the only thing you can think to ask is 'what now'?"

Beuki's frown, sharp enough to slice bread, was casually shrugged off. "I suppose I could ask you what your plans were for breakfast, if you'd prefer?"

It hung there for a moment, broad grin fencing with a deep frown before Beuki gave up with a giggle. "I suppose anything you can laugh at isn't that horrible, right?"

Laughing himself, Sunny's grin grew broader. "Hey, we're still standing, so it's not the end of the world yet!"

The deep toll of Viorar's bells broke his reverie, reminding him that it was past noon and he still had things to do. With a mutter about distractions Sunflash turned and made his way back towards the center of town. After a short stop to pick up his bag from the inn (and some lunch), the wizard found himself staring up at the great Etansel Library and cursing under his breath. It was bigger than he remembered. Climbing the steps, he shook his head. It had only been what, two or three years ago since he had last been here? Checking with the librarian about where to find the historical section, he suddenly realized that the last time he had been here was after he had first arrived in the Cleft...

He had only been in the Cleft for about a year, and had already noticed it felt close to home. There were differences, of course. For starters, he no longer felt like he was being belabored with constant comments about the glory of the gods, and how if he didn't join in he was at best stupid. Then again, neither did he notice much of any references to gods or whatever; and while this was a welcome break from the norm, it struck his Hylian heritage as rather offsetting.

So it was rather surprising one day to be wandering about the southern reaches of Zigolis Swamp and stumble into a concealed glade. Like several of the other glades he had found already, this had a large tree sitting in the middle of a pool of water. Unlike the other glades, there was also a man standing at the base of the tree, calmly staring up into its branches. As Sunflash cautiously approached, the man turned to face the suddenly awe-struck Hylian. With a motion of his arm, he spoke quietly.

"I greet thee, Spell-Twister, and bid thee welcome. I am called Tenor, and would speak with ye on some few matters."

It took several gallons of self-control for Sunny to keep from twitching. This person, while also seeming to have a faint glow, had a power to their presence. Sunflash had been in the presence of several powerful wizards back at the Academy, but nothing compared to this.

"I am aware, to a degree, of thine abilities in the arts of spellcasting; and I find myself curious as to thine views upon a number of topics."

They spoke for quite awhile about a wide range of things. After some time, Sunny suddenly felt as though the conversation wasn't the only examination happening, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Not long after he became aware of this odd feeling, Tenor suddenly straightened. "I am satisfied with thine answers, but I hath but one remaining question. You have revealed that thou art a scholar of history amongst other things, and hath discovered little reason to seek a path elsewhere. Art thou willing to assist others in avoiding mistakes similar to those made by their kin, or will thou hold thyself apart?"

After but a moment of careful consideration, Sunflash nodded.

"This then I offer thee; I wouldst make thee a champion of mine and assist thee from afar in certain tasks. However, in exchange, thou must make a sacrifice. I would have thee accept whatever fate is yours. Thou hast already attempted to thwart fate once before, and it graciously allowed thee to arrive here instead of meeting an end. Therefore thou must show thy thankfulness by no longer challenging the march of fate. Guide thyself, direct thyself, but know that whatever happens, thou must accept it. Dost thou agree?"

"...I do, Sir."

Lost as he was in thought, it took Sunflash some time to realize he was staring at a desk in the Library. After a sigh and a stretch, he stood up and started towards the shelves. "Time to make sure that I don't make the mistakes of those before me, I think..."