Rose

Rose

The tower she lives in is a separate building from the rest of the castle. The noblemen had complained to the king numerous times about their distrust of magic, forcing his majesty to move all wizards into the precarious post. Her room happened to be on the very top of the tower, something that she didn’t mind too much at all really. The stairs gave her good exercise as she ran errands for the Grand Wizard, and the view from her window was quite breath taking really. In fact one of her favorite pass times was staring out over the open world in front of her, imagining her life from different points of view. 

Sometimes she was a farmer, tending the land to produce crops for the people. Other times she was a knight, brave and strong, willing to do anything if it meant brining justice. One time she was even a merchant, not the kind of haggling sleazy merchants that infest the land. But a kind, wise, merchant. The kind of merchant that would gladly give food away to starving children or maybe even try to give an extra deal to a family in need, that is the kind of merchant she would be.

But today she is not a merchant. Today she is the apprentice of the Grand Wizard, how she still cannot fathom. She had been told all of her life that she possessed great magical power. Power that coursed through the ground beneath her as she walked. Power that made all other wizards around her quake with anxiety, as if just a breath from her mouth could flatten them all. At least, that is what they told her. So far she hasn’t been able to cast even the smallest charm, much less an actual spell. From the simple levitating spell that preschool wizarding children are taught to the more complicated ignite spell her Master had so desperately tried to teach her, not a single wisp of magic seeped from her fingertips. 

She has felt it before, the course of magic around her. Of course she has felt it. The very tower they reside in pulsed with an almost unstable amount of energy, and energy that she longed to use so desperately. She wondered if they were lying to her, telling her she has promise when she really possesses the magical power of a teaspoon. Could someone really be so cruel that way? All her life she’d wanted to learn magic. She can still hear the mocking voices of her family to this very day. They had laughed at her, oh yes, they laughed. That had been the day that she finally left. She doesn’t know how far she ran before collapsing, all that mattered to her then was that she was as far away from those people as possible. When she woke, she was in the tower, surrounded by magic and the most impressive man that she had ever laid eyes on. 

He was young, even though he should be aged incredibly. Magic tends to do that to the users. His robes were modest compared to the wizards around him, one might even call him a peasant if they didn’t know any better. But she knew better. She was in the presence of the Grand Wizard, and he was not to be taken lightly. Somehow he had seen magic in her, a certain spark that caught his interest enough to take her under his wing. A spark that she couldn’t use at all. Her spirits fell as she thought of how disappointed in her he must be. 

There is a tapping at her window that startles her out of her memories. A raven. His raven. Its beady eyes gaze over her briefly before it lets out an ear piercing shriek and flies off. A message. Get back to practicing. She doesn’t know how the Grand Wizard can tell she is not practicing, but a small shiver runs through her nonetheless. With a wipe of her brow she clasps her hands once more and turns her attention to the wilted rose in front of her. Eagerly she closes her eyes and focuses all of her might on the incantation she had been taught time after time, praying that just a small amount of magic would appear in this moment. She felt the familiar pulling sensation in her mind as the Darkness tried to pull her through, the dangers of magic never seem to end. Her body ached with the desire to join the Dark, to become more powerful, to see if maybe she could use her real powers with what the Darkness has to offer. She can feel her mind reaching its breaking point and lets out small sounds of pain as she cancels the spell mid-cast. A stinging sensation runs up her arm and she lets out a small yelp. 

She blinks away the stars in front of her eyes rapidly and looks around. Nothing seems to have changed at all. That is when she notices him standing in the doorway, a large smile on his face. The raven on his shoulder almost looks as if it is laughing at her as she pants on the floor, the consequences of casting affecting her body more than usual. Without a sound the Grand Wizard points to the rose on the floor. Her eyes glance over and immediately begin to fill with tears. For a second she can’t believe that it is real, then she looks at her arm and almost jumps out of her skin with joy. There, where once was pale skin, is an intricate vine of flowers that runs all the way up the length of her arm. The mark of a true wizard is different for everyone, she has never seen one like this before. 

Tears trail down her face as she runs and jumps into the Grand Wizard’s arms, something that no one is allowed to do. For the moment it doesn’t matter. The rose is no longer wilted, in fact, it might be healthier than it ever was before now. The girl can hear her parents laughing softly in the background, she had finally done it. It’s a small step, but she had finally cast. She can finally cast a spell. She can finally be a wizard.