The Sorcerer's Apprentice #4~ Eilonwy

[Maxim Horvath]

Maxim Horvath, Master Sorcerer of the 777th degree and former apprentice to the Adept Sorcerers Merlin and Morgana, sat at a large walnut desk and inspected the young woman sitting across from him. In contrast to the other female apprentices he'd interviewed so far, this was more of a girl than a young woman. Blond-haired and with an apparent fondness for pink, as well. There was a tilt to her chin that seemed to indicate a certain stubbornness, and to Horvath's surprise, he found he could detect an aura of magic around her already. Not sorcerer's magic, but it was still power.

It remained to see if her existing magic would interfere at all with learning a new system. Horvath was especially interested in this girl for just that reason. If she learned quicker than the other apprentices, he would have to be particularly careful with her. On the other hand, the habits and patterns of thought required for another system might just interfere with her study of sorcery.

This should be most intriguing, Horvath thought. He smiled at the young woman.

"Welcome, Miss... I do apologize, but my Welsh isn't as polished as I'd like it to be. Would you kindly pronounce your name? I would hate to mangle it inadvertently."

[EILONWY ---*]

Eilonwy was elated when she was accepted to be tutored by someone who knew about the art that is magic. Finally! For years she was told by Achren that she was to learn about magic, however her lessons were far and few between. The few spells she did know were simple, and many were self taught. Spending time outside the woman's bedroom helped a lot. Alas, the rare lessons were cut short, as the princess was captured by that horrid Horned King. Her joy when he had died and she had escaped couldn't be measured. Or at least she thought he was dead. She would have sworn she had come across him recently. Perhaps it was all a dream. She hoped it was.

She pushed those horrid thoughts, and a strand of her golden blonde hair, back as she walked in. She wore an amused expression on her face, and her typical attire: a rather ragged dress, slippers, and her black headband. Following her in was her bauble. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that. today. Magic and distractions were not a good combination. Oh at least, in her experience they weren't. Well either way, she was glad her bauble had decided to stick with her. At the very least, it was something familiar. New York, actually learning about magic, a stranger for an instructor. It was all so different. Having that little familiar figure made her slightly more confident.

As she greeted her new instructor, he asked her to re-pronouce her name. It was a fairly common request in most places. "I'm Princess Eilonwy, daught - oh, I already went through all that. No use repeating it." the girl said, a curtsy following her words.

[Maxim Horvath]

"Eilonwy," Horvath repeated, carefully memorizing the way she pronounced it. Names did have power after all, and it wouldn't be wise to mispronounce them. "Very good. Please, sit down. Now, the first thing you will need to know, Princess Eilonwy, is that titles mean nothing among the students. You are hear to learn magic, not to play at politics or socialize. The only title you need concern yourself with is mine- Master." Horvath kept his tone calm, nonthreatening. Titles among students were a distraction. Here, they were all the same. Magic didn't care if you were a prince or a pauper. He himself had been born a commoner, though he'd quickly done his best to rise above his origins. He might have been born among the rabble, but that didn't mean he embraced the lifestyle. They way he lived now was far more comfortable than scrabbling for crusts of bread in a dirt-floored hut.

"I'm quite pleased to have you here," he continued. The sorcerer glanced at the paper lying before him on the desk. It bore various details about this latest student. "I understand you already have some experience with the higher arts. What do you know already?"

[EILONWY ---*]

Yet another good thing was coming out of this. In a way, her title was being disregarded. "Well I see know harm in that. As far as I'm concerned, titles are more a burden than anything else. There are so many rules to follow. How to greet someone, how to eat, how to act, even in private one mustn't act a particular way. Oh, and one mustn't forget the clothing. Never will I understand the need for such elaborate details on a gown one is likely only going to wear once. It's all so very dizzying. In my own opinion, one is better off with a simple life, appreciating what hard work can do for you, than being spoiled all their life with wanting nothing that isn't so ornate they could be blinded by it. Though I hardly think you're interested in my thoughts on the titles and whatnot." Oh she abhorred having a title. It made things so much more complicated. Having seen both parts of the story, she still preferred the fresh air (as castles were so stuffy and so very hard to breath in), hard work, and freedom that came with being like the majority of people she had met, and without mention of her title.

However, if there was one thing she was grateful for when it came to her being a princess, was the magical element that she was born with, as her mother and her mother's mother had been. For the longest time, the women of House of Llyr had been powerful sorceresses. Or at least, it was what Achren had told the girl. Though she could hardly be trusted. She hadn't done a good job with her teachings, which left the girl with few skills in magical arts. "Well sir, as much as it pains me to say it, my past instructor taught me very little, leaving me with few skills," she started, leaving out the fact that most of which she had picked up though listening to the vile woman when she should have been doing something else. "My skills? Well, I have a rather limited knowledge of ancient writings. Not that anyone would believe me. I don't know much spell wise. I learned one which allows me to summon frogs, though I don't use it, as frogs and I don't mix too well. One can never be sure if they're frogs or humans. Anyway, I suppose the most useful thing I can do is make a rather sticky web form out of an arrow, though I don't suppose I was listening well enough. I was to learn a spell for opening locks, though that never happened. I'm rather good at telling weather or not food has been tampered with or is otherwise unsafe to eat, and I have rather strong haunches about certain things. Though those are really things I was born with, and I highly doubt those count." Llyr, there really wasn't much was there. Well, she figured, that was very much the reason she wanted to be taught.

[Maxim Horvath]

Well, weather prediction was hardly a useless skill, particularly in areas not gifted by modern meteorological surveillance. And Horvath was pleased to know about her ability to detect tampered food. He'd been planning a test in which uncomfortable but relatively harmless concoctions were slipped into the students' foods as a way to measure their observation skills. Eilonwy would need to be tested differently if she inherently knew whether food was good or bad.

"So you have some measure of understanding of basic magical theory, but little in the way of practical skills, is that correct?" Horvath gave a slight nod. "In that case, I do not believe you will have much difficulty adjusting to this particular system of magic. It is very much based on patterns of thinking, you see, and expertise in another system could make it hard to teach you to think like a sorceress."

[EILONWY ---*]

Llyr this man confused her. He seemed to be taking the long way when it came to getting his thoughts out. It was only typical she supposed. She was all too used to such speech. After all, she was of course one to speak in such a manner. Upon hearing the next question directed at her, the girl nodded. "Well I suppose that's true. However, Mister Horvath, it all depends on what one considers practical. In many cases, the few skills I possess can be extremely useful. For instance, being able to tell if something isn't right once saved most of my companions lives. And the webs I can produce are very useful in keeping the huntsmen down for awhile. Those are rather horrid things too. You kill one, they all get that much stronger." Belin did she ramble. Oh but she loved telling her stories, and she hardly had a chance to do so.

"Well that's good I suppose. I would hate for my current skills, though few, to be a burden. Although if it's thought based, I may have some problems. You see, my thoughts often get very jumbled, which leads to my constant rambling." she said in response to his next statement.

[Maxim Horvath]

Horvath made a mental note to find out just what these 'huntsmen' she spoke of were. Creatures that grew stronger when you killed them? That sounded like something Morgana might have come up with. Well, perhaps it was. He didn't possess all of her knowledge, after all.

"A sorceress cannot afford to have jumbled thinking, Miss Eilonwy," Horvath informed his new student. "A certain amount of discipline is required for the successful practice of magic. That is one of the things you will learn here."

Opening one of the drawers of his desk, he pulled out a silver ring set with seven tiny diamonds and a large, leather bound book. These he set in front of the girl. "This ring is your focus. It its what allows you to project your will into the material world as magic. Do not lose it- without a focus, a sorcerer cannot cast spells." All except for the Prime Merlinean, that was. "The book is your Incantus- it contains our history and our lore. Study it. You in particular will find the chapter on mental discipline useful. I wish for you to read that chapter before we begin lessons."