The Sixth Mage
This takes place in an earlier century. Young Evaina is raped and her parents are disgusted. She is sent to the small village of Yagmenta to train as a mage so her parents can restore the family name. In nine months Evaina will be 18, the age when all would-be mages face the biggest test of their lives. That also happens to be the baby's due date. Can she survive?
"How could you do this to us?! You ruined us! You killed the family name. How will we ever get you married now?!" Mother has been shrieking at me for at least an hour now. I was raped about fifteen weeks ago and now it is obvious that I am pregnant. I did not tell my family of the rape. They were clueless until they saw my belly this morning. My parents were furious. They were still livid when I told them it was rape. I don't even know who it was. "Mom, I did nothing! He just grabbed me from behind when I was on my way home from the palace. Please stop shouting. He would not let me go." I tried once again to get it through her head that this was not my fault. "You are a shame to us! You are useless now. You will never be able to bring honor to the family name. It is hard enough to find a husband for a mage but this!! No one would ever want to marry you now!! You are ruined, we are ruined!! You are not to leave your room until your father and I decide what to do with you." She left the room promptly bolting the door before continuing down the hall. I sat on the bed crying.
When I ran out of tears I wandered over to the window and wondered what my parents were saying right now. I sat on the ledge of the open window and looked up at the azure sky and prayed that they would not disown me. "Evaina... Evaina.....Evvy!" Startled I looked around. Someone was calling my name. "Evaina...." I looked down. Sure enough, there he was. Standing in the garden, peering up at me with a worried look on his face. "Peter, what are you doing here?" I was scared that he would get caught but happiness surged through my veins because I knew he came for me. "I have not seen you in fifteen weeks Evaina. I am worried. Are you ill?" I looked away. "Yes I am ill. Oh, Peter I am.... Oh please don't be mad at me as everyone else is. None of this was my doing. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Come up here so I can tell you of what happened properly." I started to cry again as Peter climbed the old stone wall to get to my window.
"What is wrong? Evvy you're crying! What has happened?" I sniffled. "Come, sit down." I sat on my bed and patted the spot beside me. He sat. "Now." His voice was gentle, tender and full of love. "What is it?" "I...I was... R...Raped. Fifteen weeks Ag, ago. I hoped that if I said nothing, nothing would happen. But I am pregnant!!" I looked down at my swelling stomach. "My parents are ashamed of me. Peter, I love you. Please say you love me still." I could handle the loss of my family but I would surely die if I lost Peter. Understanding dawned in his deep violet eyes. "I love you. Nothing and nobody could ever change that." Relief swept over me as he pulled me in for a kiss.
"Thank you." I whispered after the kiss. He smiled and nodded before saying "Does Anastasia know?" I frowned then shook my head. "No. I have not been allowed out at all today and I have been too frightened to tell or even visit her before this." "Well you should tell her. She is your friend. She will understand.....or at least try to. Ana would never abandon you, you two are like sisters." I leaned into him. "You think so?" "Ya. I know so." I smiled for the first time since this all begun. "You had better get going. We would both be dead if my parents caught you in here." He hugged me. "You're right. I will be back tomorrow. Goodbye Evaina." He lowered himself out through the window and climbed down.
About a minute after Peter left, the door slowly opened. My father stepped in. His face was flushed and he looked resigned. "You will be living with your Aunt Elena in the village in Yagmenta." "Yagmenta! Dad, Yagmenta is so far away!" I was shaking. "Evaina. You are going to Yagmenta. Your mother and I are sending you there because we want you to be able to live a life where people will not know of your disgrace. If anyone asks about the baby you can say that your husband is the father and he died. Your aunt will take care of you and your mother and I will keep the family name a good one. That is something that you could not do. You will be leaving first thing in the morning so you had better pack tonight." He left before I had the chance to reply.
With nothing left to do I started to pack but did not get very far. I had to see Peter before I left. I had to tell him where to find me. But first I had to talk to Anastasia. I climbed out of the window just like Peter had done not too long ago and ran through the city trying to get to the palace as soon as possible. "What business do ye have 'ere?" The palace guard asked when I got there. "I am Evaina, Anastasia's friend. Please let me in. I have some urgent news for her." The guard smiled. "She has been miserable lately. She misses ye. Anastasia will be very pleased t' see ye again, come in." He stepped aside and let me in. "Thank you sir." I smiled at him then set off in the direction of Anastasia's room. I waved as several as the servants recognized me and said hello. "Anastasia? It's me, Evaina. Can I come in?" I called through the door after three knocks.
I heard several hurried steps then the door swung open and Anastasia stood there, grinning from ear to ear. "Evvy! I missed you sooo much! Were you sick? I am so happy that you are back. What happened to you? I have not seen you in so long! I was getting pretty worried!" Her golden eyes sparkled as she hugged me. I hugged her back. I missed her too. "Can we talk inside?" I asked gesturing towards her room. "Of course!! Come in!" She bounced into her room beckoning for me to follow. Her waist length Auburn hair swished as she hopped around her room like a rabbit. Ana always had so much energy. "Ana," I decided to get the worst of it over with as soon as possible.
"I am pregnant." Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. On anybody else this expression would have looked quite stupid but on Ana it looked cute. "Oh my goodness!! That is amazing! Oh Evvy this is great....... Wait..." I strange and almost sad expression crossed her face. "I get to be the godmother...right?" I laughed. I had to. It was impossible not to laugh around Ana, her happiness was so infectious. "Yes, Ana you can be the godmother." The next part was going to be so hard to say. I really hated to ruin such a good mood but I had no choice. She would find out sooner or later and I wanted to be the one to tell her.
"I was raped fifteen weeks ago so now I am pregnant, unwedded and a disgrace. I did not tell anyone. When the morning sickness came around everyone just assumed that I was sick and left it at that. But now that I have a visible belly, there is no way they could have mistaken what happened. Mom and dad both freaked. They... They are... sending me.... away. To Yagmenta....to live with my aunt....and to...to train me as a....as a mage!! Oh Ana, what can I do?" I cried for what seemed like the millionth time that day. There is a limit to how much one person can cry.... Isn't there? "Evvy, that is terrible! You can't leave!" She was crying too now. With nothing more to say we just hugged each other as we cried our eyes out.
"I will try to return once I get things sorted out but I must go tell Peter that I am being sent away. He will want to know where I am and I am hoping that he comes to visit. I know that you can't come because of your... royal obligations." I wiped at my tears. "Does Peter know that you are...Pregnant?" She asked seriously. I nodded. "He visited me this afternoon just before I found out I was being sent away. I'm gonna miss you so much Ana." "I will miss you too Evvy." We hugged one last time before I ventured out of the palace.
I raced down the cobbled streets in hopes of getting to Peter before it got too dark and dangerous to be out. I learned that lesson the hard way once and I did not plan on making the same mistake again. "Peter, please open the door. You have to hear this." I called through the door after knocking in hopes that he would answer it if he knew it was me (he only answers the door if certain people are there). The door creaked open and he was standing there in nothing but his breeches. "Hey Evvy, what is it? You look upset. Your parents said something after I left... What was it?" One of the many reasons I loved him so much was he was so darn smart. "They are sending me away. To Yagmenta to live with my aunt and to train as a mage!" I said it fast. He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me inside.
"Did you tell them that you did not want to go?" I nodded. "I have no choice in the matter. After what happened I should just be glad that they did not disown me." We sat together on the couch. "Send me a message when you get there. I will visit you as often as I can." He looked down. "This cannot be happening!" He said more to himself than to me. "I have to leave first thing in the morning. I came to say goodbye and to tell you where to find me." We shared one last goodbye kiss before I had to leave.
I left with a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. I was about half way home when I felt a sudden pain in my foot and I found myself on the ground. My toes were throbbing and I had scraped my hands from the fall. Turning around, I saw that I had tripped over a crack in the road. With a sigh I got up and continued on my way home, looking out more carefully for cracks and other things that I could trip over. The old floor creaked as I sneaked back into my room through my window. It was dark out and my door was still locked. Time to pack. Sadly I fell asleep on the floor halfway through packing in a fit of tears and was awoken when one of the servants started to shake my shoulder.
"Mmmmm.... What?" I looked up."You have to leave now my lady." An old maid said shrewdly."I...have not finished packing yet." I looked at the mess around me. "Take what you already have and your other things will be sent after you later." She said grumpily and grabbed my arm to haul me to my feet. "You must be ready within the hour!" After that I was hurried into a dress and hastily put up my hair. "Hurry, hurry. You must not keep the carriage waiting! Your parents will be charged extra if you are late!" She was all but dragging me towards the waiting carriage. I scrambled into it because I feared that the servant might actually push me in! My half packed bags were thrown in after me then the carriage took off. My parents did not even come out to say goodbye to me.
***Should I continue? What do you think of it? Please comment. =)
When I ran out of tears I wandered over to the window and wondered what my parents were saying right now. I sat on the ledge of the open window and looked up at the azure sky and prayed that they would not disown me. "Evaina... Evaina.....Evvy!" Startled I looked around. Someone was calling my name. "Evaina...." I looked down. Sure enough, there he was. Standing in the garden, peering up at me with a worried look on his face. "Peter, what are you doing here?" I was scared that he would get caught but happiness surged through my veins because I knew he came for me. "I have not seen you in fifteen weeks Evaina. I am worried. Are you ill?" I looked away. "Yes I am ill. Oh, Peter I am.... Oh please don't be mad at me as everyone else is. None of this was my doing. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Come up here so I can tell you of what happened properly." I started to cry again as Peter climbed the old stone wall to get to my window.
"What is wrong? Evvy you're crying! What has happened?" I sniffled. "Come, sit down." I sat on my bed and patted the spot beside me. He sat. "Now." His voice was gentle, tender and full of love. "What is it?" "I...I was... R...Raped. Fifteen weeks Ag, ago. I hoped that if I said nothing, nothing would happen. But I am pregnant!!" I looked down at my swelling stomach. "My parents are ashamed of me. Peter, I love you. Please say you love me still." I could handle the loss of my family but I would surely die if I lost Peter. Understanding dawned in his deep violet eyes. "I love you. Nothing and nobody could ever change that." Relief swept over me as he pulled me in for a kiss.
"Thank you." I whispered after the kiss. He smiled and nodded before saying "Does Anastasia know?" I frowned then shook my head. "No. I have not been allowed out at all today and I have been too frightened to tell or even visit her before this." "Well you should tell her. She is your friend. She will understand.....or at least try to. Ana would never abandon you, you two are like sisters." I leaned into him. "You think so?" "Ya. I know so." I smiled for the first time since this all begun. "You had better get going. We would both be dead if my parents caught you in here." He hugged me. "You're right. I will be back tomorrow. Goodbye Evaina." He lowered himself out through the window and climbed down.
About a minute after Peter left, the door slowly opened. My father stepped in. His face was flushed and he looked resigned. "You will be living with your Aunt Elena in the village in Yagmenta." "Yagmenta! Dad, Yagmenta is so far away!" I was shaking. "Evaina. You are going to Yagmenta. Your mother and I are sending you there because we want you to be able to live a life where people will not know of your disgrace. If anyone asks about the baby you can say that your husband is the father and he died. Your aunt will take care of you and your mother and I will keep the family name a good one. That is something that you could not do. You will be leaving first thing in the morning so you had better pack tonight." He left before I had the chance to reply.
With nothing left to do I started to pack but did not get very far. I had to see Peter before I left. I had to tell him where to find me. But first I had to talk to Anastasia. I climbed out of the window just like Peter had done not too long ago and ran through the city trying to get to the palace as soon as possible. "What business do ye have 'ere?" The palace guard asked when I got there. "I am Evaina, Anastasia's friend. Please let me in. I have some urgent news for her." The guard smiled. "She has been miserable lately. She misses ye. Anastasia will be very pleased t' see ye again, come in." He stepped aside and let me in. "Thank you sir." I smiled at him then set off in the direction of Anastasia's room. I waved as several as the servants recognized me and said hello. "Anastasia? It's me, Evaina. Can I come in?" I called through the door after three knocks.
I heard several hurried steps then the door swung open and Anastasia stood there, grinning from ear to ear. "Evvy! I missed you sooo much! Were you sick? I am so happy that you are back. What happened to you? I have not seen you in so long! I was getting pretty worried!" Her golden eyes sparkled as she hugged me. I hugged her back. I missed her too. "Can we talk inside?" I asked gesturing towards her room. "Of course!! Come in!" She bounced into her room beckoning for me to follow. Her waist length Auburn hair swished as she hopped around her room like a rabbit. Ana always had so much energy. "Ana," I decided to get the worst of it over with as soon as possible.
"I am pregnant." Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. On anybody else this expression would have looked quite stupid but on Ana it looked cute. "Oh my goodness!! That is amazing! Oh Evvy this is great....... Wait..." I strange and almost sad expression crossed her face. "I get to be the godmother...right?" I laughed. I had to. It was impossible not to laugh around Ana, her happiness was so infectious. "Yes, Ana you can be the godmother." The next part was going to be so hard to say. I really hated to ruin such a good mood but I had no choice. She would find out sooner or later and I wanted to be the one to tell her.
"I was raped fifteen weeks ago so now I am pregnant, unwedded and a disgrace. I did not tell anyone. When the morning sickness came around everyone just assumed that I was sick and left it at that. But now that I have a visible belly, there is no way they could have mistaken what happened. Mom and dad both freaked. They... They are... sending me.... away. To Yagmenta....to live with my aunt....and to...to train me as a....as a mage!! Oh Ana, what can I do?" I cried for what seemed like the millionth time that day. There is a limit to how much one person can cry.... Isn't there? "Evvy, that is terrible! You can't leave!" She was crying too now. With nothing more to say we just hugged each other as we cried our eyes out.
"I will try to return once I get things sorted out but I must go tell Peter that I am being sent away. He will want to know where I am and I am hoping that he comes to visit. I know that you can't come because of your... royal obligations." I wiped at my tears. "Does Peter know that you are...Pregnant?" She asked seriously. I nodded. "He visited me this afternoon just before I found out I was being sent away. I'm gonna miss you so much Ana." "I will miss you too Evvy." We hugged one last time before I ventured out of the palace.
I raced down the cobbled streets in hopes of getting to Peter before it got too dark and dangerous to be out. I learned that lesson the hard way once and I did not plan on making the same mistake again. "Peter, please open the door. You have to hear this." I called through the door after knocking in hopes that he would answer it if he knew it was me (he only answers the door if certain people are there). The door creaked open and he was standing there in nothing but his breeches. "Hey Evvy, what is it? You look upset. Your parents said something after I left... What was it?" One of the many reasons I loved him so much was he was so darn smart. "They are sending me away. To Yagmenta to live with my aunt and to train as a mage!" I said it fast. He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me inside.
"Did you tell them that you did not want to go?" I nodded. "I have no choice in the matter. After what happened I should just be glad that they did not disown me." We sat together on the couch. "Send me a message when you get there. I will visit you as often as I can." He looked down. "This cannot be happening!" He said more to himself than to me. "I have to leave first thing in the morning. I came to say goodbye and to tell you where to find me." We shared one last goodbye kiss before I had to leave.
I left with a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. I was about half way home when I felt a sudden pain in my foot and I found myself on the ground. My toes were throbbing and I had scraped my hands from the fall. Turning around, I saw that I had tripped over a crack in the road. With a sigh I got up and continued on my way home, looking out more carefully for cracks and other things that I could trip over. The old floor creaked as I sneaked back into my room through my window. It was dark out and my door was still locked. Time to pack. Sadly I fell asleep on the floor halfway through packing in a fit of tears and was awoken when one of the servants started to shake my shoulder.
"Mmmmm.... What?" I looked up."You have to leave now my lady." An old maid said shrewdly."I...have not finished packing yet." I looked at the mess around me. "Take what you already have and your other things will be sent after you later." She said grumpily and grabbed my arm to haul me to my feet. "You must be ready within the hour!" After that I was hurried into a dress and hastily put up my hair. "Hurry, hurry. You must not keep the carriage waiting! Your parents will be charged extra if you are late!" She was all but dragging me towards the waiting carriage. I scrambled into it because I feared that the servant might actually push me in! My half packed bags were thrown in after me then the carriage took off. My parents did not even come out to say goodbye to me.
***Should I continue? What do you think of it? Please comment. =)
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