The Grand Mage

Random Wednesday Short Story

Hello! I’m Nika, the writer behind this newsletter.^^

A Writer’s Life is all about my life as a writer, mental health topics, life anecdotes and updates on my current romantic short novel WIP called ‘A Sweet Dirsuption’. (And occasionally you will get to read short stories like this one. :))

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Today, as I was looking through my stories for a nice quote to pick for the Advent calendar, I came across a short story I have written a few months ago and I thought:

Why not upload it here as a little special so that more people can read it?

The Grand Mage is a Rumpelstiltskin-inspired short story about a young archmage and his family, a calculating king, a farmer's daughter who turns queen, and a betrayal so tragic it will break your heart.

Trigger Warning:

A little warning for anyone who likes happy endings: this story does not have one.

I also advice for readers to be over 18 years old as this story does mention death and has scenes of people dying.

That said, it’s a bit of a longer one and I wish you a good time reading, for the ones who are brave enough to proceed!

Leave a comment when you got to the end and let me know if you liked it or not!^^

Without further ado, I present to you: The Grand Mage.

Once upon a time, there was a very talented, young magician. He was the first to gain the title of grand mage in his twenties and had accomplished many great deeds for the country.

On a warm, sunny day, close to his 24th birthday, he met a beautiful young lady and as fate wanted it, they fell in love. Two years later, they married and lived a harmonious and peaceful life.

Today, I will tell you the tragic story that took place after our young magician had settled down and he and his wife were expecting to welcome a new life into the world...

Leyla was sitting on the swing chair, softly rocking herself back and forth as she hummed a playful tune while gently stroking her belly.

"Only one more month. I can't wait to finally hold our little one in my arms." I smiled as I walked over to my wife, pressing a light kiss on her temple. My hand carefully held hers over the baby bump and I couldn't agree more.

"I'm sure he or she will be the most beautiful baby the world has ever seen." I was filled with happiness at the thought of adding to our little family. After many years of fighting and sacrificing myself for the kingdom, I could finally live my life for something more meaningful.

The hours got late and as the sun started to set, I wrapped my arms tightly around my love, careful not to hurt her.

"The king sent for me. I need to leave for the palace soon."

Leyla returned the hug and gently patted my back. "If the king has sent for you, then you should go. I will wait for you here, so come back soon."

My heart swelled with love and I couldn't resist giving her an extensive kiss before letting her go and leaving, quite reluctantly, to answer the call of his Majesty.

The current king, Dalion Salves, only 29 years old, sat on the throne and looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. He seemed to be deep in thought before he finally spoke.

"Taras. I have a task for you. A few weeks ago, a poor farmer tried to sell his daughter to me for his debt." The king scoffed disapprovingly.

"He said that she had magic abilities and would be a useful tool for the kingdom. She was sent to the east tower. I want you to examine whether she truly has the magic aptitude or if that old man dared to lie to me."

Even though his majesty was young, he was a strong ruler who strictly followed his principles and would never let it slide if someone dared to question his authority.

Magic users weren't rare, but as per the imperial decree, every person with a magical aptitude had the obligation to register at the mage tower as soon as the first signs showed up. This was for one, to shape future generations of magicians to be loyal to the kingdom, but also because untrained magic could run wild and uncontrollable, ending in disasters or, in the worst cases, destroying whole villages and resulting in the user's death.

I understood His Majesty's caution for this matter, but I also knew what would happen to that woman and her father if his words turned out to be false. The king wasn't merciful towards traitors and liars, so anyone who offended him, and thus the kingdom, would suffer something much worse than death.

"I will take a look at her and thoroughly examine the possibility of her being a magic user." His Majesty nodded, satisfied with my reply.

"Good. Make sure to do so as soon as possible."

I respectfully bid my goodbyes to the king and hurriedly left for the location of the prisoner. The sooner I got this over with, the quicker I could go back to my dear Leyla.

It took me roughly 10 minutes to walk from the great hall to the west tower where a young girl, at most 18 years old, was confined in a room scarce of any furniture except a small bed consisting only of a mattress that was lying on the floor. A large stack of hay was mindlessly left in a corner, right next to the only small window which was barely enough to light the room even at daytime.

"My name is Taras Alheim. I came here to assess your magical abilities. How are you called?"

The girl was shivering with fear, her clothes were dirty and showed signs of mending at a few seams. She had pretty golden-blonde hair which was tangled in a few spots. Her deep, blue eyes looked at me as if I was the grim reaper, here to rip her soul from her body.

She didn't answer me and even though a tinge of pity wallowed in my heart, I asked her again, this time firmer: "What's your name?"

"L-Louise..."

"Well, then Louise. Your father told the king that you possess a magic aptitude and I was sent to find out if that is the truth."

The young girl looked at me, her gaze showing despair and confusion and I could already tell what she probably knew as well.

"I understand." I turned to leave. There was no use in wasting my time here any longer. As a grand mage with magic power that was far above average, I was able to feel through the energetic flow if someone or something possessed any traces of magic within their soul and body.

This girl in front of me showed only the tiniest sign of any ability, it was just a speck of magic, at best. With such an amount she wouldn't even be able to light her stove at home.

Her father must have also known about this. He simply sent his daughter as a sacrifice to the king.

There was a high probability that he had already packed his stuff to flee the country by now.

I suddenly felt something tugging on my clothes. The young girl, Louise, was clinging to the hem of my mantle, kneeling on the floor with tears streaming down her face.

"Please! Please help me! If I don't do anything the king will kill me!"

She was right.

His Majesty wouldn't hesitate to get rid of her. Chances were high that he would even display her dead body on the castle walls as a warning to the citizens.

"I can't help you. I'm sure you know that you don't hold enough magic power for it to be of any use. People are born with the aptitude so there is no way to change that."

"No, please! My father has cast me away. I don't have anyone I can rely on. I don't want to die here! I beg of you!"

She was a sobbing mess, her hands clutched together as she kneeled on the floor, begging me to save her.

But I couldn't.

As cruel as it sounded, if I were to help her, I would be committing treason towards the crown and I wouldn't put my newly growing family at risk because of something like this.

It wasn't her fault that she grew up under a heartless parent and even though I felt pity towards the young girl, I looked down at her and repeated once more: "I'm sorry. I can't help you."

She looked up at me with despair in her eyes, clutching to my mantle again, begging me to have mercy on her, but it wasn't me she should be begging to spare her life.

With the swing of my finger, she found herself confused at the back of the room near the window, and with one last look, I left that scarce place.

I had planned to directly report back to His Majesty, but on my way to his chambers, the ring on my finger started to glow bright blue, making me stop in my tracks.

I had chanted magic on Leyla's and my wedding rings in case of emergencies and after we were sure that she was pregnant, I told her to use it if she ever felt that something was wrong.

It was still another four weeks until her predicted birthdate, but this signal...

His Majesty will have to wait until tomorrow.

I quickly made up my mind and without wasting any more time, I hastily headed back home...

Only a few hours and a heavy heart later, I held a beautiful baby girl in my arms. We named her Rosa after my wife's favorite flowers and because her cheeks had had a lovely pink when she was born.

Leyla had given birth a month too early, but thanks to the experienced hands of her midwife, she safely delivered a healthy baby and was now calmly sleeping next to me while I admired the new life that was finally a part of our family.

As soon as I understood that my wife was going into labor, I contacted the palace and told them that I wasn't able to give my report in person. I had attached a parchment that stated the magic capability of the young farmer's daughter. With that, I decided to lay that case to rest to concentrate on my sweet little daughter and the recovery of my wife.

Three months went by and I went to the palace to visit His Majesty as he requested my presence once again.

"Taras, my friend!" The king greeted me with a bright smile and I politely returned the gesture.

"Congratulations on the birth of your daughter! You should let me meet her and lovely Leyla once in a while. You're so protective of her that I have only seen her a few times since you two got together and I'm sure it won't be different with your small baby girl."

I smiled slightly at his comment and simply replied: "If Leyla wishes to, I will take her to greet Your Majesty any day."

The king laughed loudly and grinned at me, understanding the meaning behind my words.

"Very well then. Please convey my congratulations to her as well."

His Majesty was in a good mood which made him certainly more pleasant to be around than normal.

"I also have some good news to share with you. The young girl who was brought to the palace almost four months ago, Louise, will soon be my wife. The ceremony is going to be in two weeks' time."

My eyebrows rose in confusion. "The young girl that was held in the west tower?"

His Majesty nodded his head, the smile on his face not ceasing. "Our dear youngest grand mage seems to have done a sloppy job this time because, to my surprise, she does have the magic aptitude.

I gave her three assignments to make sure of it and she mastered them brilliantly.

You wrote in your quick little letter that she was a hopeless case. Perhaps it's time for you to retire?"

Even though the king was smiling, I could feel that he wasn't amused at my blunder.

"Is that so? I apologize for my mistake then."

It wasn't like I cared much about what had happened to one of the people who were imprisoned, but the fact that the young girl's magic aptitude had slipped past me was certainly suspicious.  Though seeing that his Majesty didn't seem to care much about this matter anymore, I stayed silent.

I wasn't interested in meddling with palace affairs, let alone the king's private life. I had stated my point of view in the letter that had been sent a few months ago, so it wasn't like I withheld any information.

"It's alright. It didn't turn into a big deal and I have taken quite a liking to her straightforward nature." His laugh boomed through the great hall.

"Shouldn't you congratulate me?"

It wasn't unusual for the ruler of a kingdom to have a young wife and given that his Majesty himself was only 29, the age difference wasn't much of a problem. The young farmer's daughter would be his first wife and thus soon the official queen.

With a hand held to my chest, I conveyed my congratulations.

"May the two of you always live in health and harmony."

"Obviously you are invited to the festivities. I won't allow you to ditch me for your wife this time." The king leaned forward on his throne, his voice was stern, but his eyes held a mischievous glint.

"I will be there."

Time flew by fast and the wedding of the farmer's daughter and the king was over in a flash. A big festival had been held for five whole days to honor the new couple and welcome the first queen to the kingdom.

Taras had been busy with preparations until the wedding and afterward, he focused on his family and his adorable baby daughter, who was his pride and joy with his wife.

Just like that, the calendar turned almost two seasons.

And as so often, there came a day when his Majesty sent the archmage on a trip to the high mage tower to observe the new talents that were promoted to officials that year.

The day of his return was supposed to be a joyous one, where he would see his lovely wife, Leyla, and his sweet daughter, Rosa, again after being apart for a while.

Little did he know that the crowned queen had a secret she could no longer keep, and the ever-calculating king knew exactly how to use her desperation and this newfound information to his advantage. 

One misstep by the hateful Archmage and the trap His Majesty had so carefully crafted over the years finally snapped shut...

And so, the moment Taras opened the door of his normally warm and laughter-filled home, his mind went blank witnessing the scene that was unfolding in front of him...

Nothing. Not one sound, no laughter of joy nor the rustling of someone busily working was heard as I entered the house where my family was supposed to be waiting excitedly for my return.

The first thing I saw was the messy living room and the open kitchen. Plates lay broken on the floor, stools had been knocked over, and food that had been trampled on was scattered over the tiles of the kitchen floor.

I spotted red streaks across the ground and as my gaze followed them, my heart stopped.

Leyla was lying motionless next to the dining table, blood dying the parquet under her red.

I ran to her side and lifted her head onto my lap, lightly tapping her cheeks.

"Leyla! My love! Please answer me!"

Her body was still warm and after calling her name a few more times, she opened her eyes the tiniest bit.

"Ta-ras... The-y took... her a-way..." My hands trembled and I didn't understand what she was talking about right away.

Until I realized that our daughter was missing.

"Plea-se. You... need to..."

Her breathing turned heavier and she coughed hard, blood seeping out of the corner of her mouth.

"No. No, no. I will find her, but you have to stay with me now."

She lifted her shaking hand to softly caress my cheek as she smiled at me in pain.

"I'm sorry..."

I leaned into her touch with hot teardrops flowing down my face. My arms held her tight to my chest when I felt her body go limp. The hand on my cheek slid to the ground and her heartbeat stopped after pounding one last time.

Leyla, the love of my life, the woman I was finally able to marry after many hardships, and the one I had planned to spend the rest of my life with, died in my arms.

She died in my arms, and I hadn't been able to do anything about it.

A wave of soul-crushing sadness came over me, accompanied by another emotion.

Rage.

I swore right then and there, that whoever was responsible for my wife's death would pay for it tenfold.

After I placed her dead body comfortably on our bed in the master bedroom of the house, I went back to the living room to search for clues that could give me a lead to the attacker.

It didn't take me long to find a small, shiny, silver button. There was an emblem engraved in it that I knew all too well.

It was the crest of his Majesties personal guard.

Clenching my fists, I couldn’t wrap my head around why the king had sent his soldiers to murder my family, but I would find out soon.

Using teleportation was a complicated matter, but it proved very useful when I found myself in the great hall, right in front of my kingdom's ruler, just a few seconds later.

"Greetings Taras. I didn't think you would get here so fast." The king was sitting lazily on his throne with one hand under his chin. He stared at me with a cold gaze.

"Why?!" Trying my best to stay rational, I glared at His Majesty.

Before I didn't know whether my daughter was still alive, I couldn't get rid of him just yet.

"You mean why did I kill your wife and take your most precious daughter away?" His body leaned forward as he laughed emotionlessly.

"Because you betrayed me, Taras."

My eyes twitched at his accusation, but before I could say anything, his Majesty continued: "You were right. My wife didn't have any magical powers. Do you know what she used instead?" He paused and pulled out a fist-sized, blue crystal from his pocket.

"This. She used this to perform magic. Does this stone look familiar to you?"

I scoffed and suddenly things made a lot more sense. The object his Majesty was holding was used to store a large amount of magic in case of emergencies. There were only two of those crystals currently existing in the kingdom, one was in his Majesties possession and the other had been mine.

At least until the point almost a year ago when I noticed it missing. It wasn't too big of a deal for a mage of my level and too much had happened at the time back then that I just forgot about it.

So, this is where it ended up.

I should have been smarter when the king told me about the sudden magical talent of the young queen instead of simply disregarding it.

"Louise confessed everything and she said that she got this magic item from you. The problem is that I can't simply get rid of my newly wedded wife, but someone has to pay the price for betraying me."

And that someone would be me.

I always knew that the king wasn't too keen on my presence in the higher circles. He couldn't control me like the other representatives. I had always been a threat to his position, but he had to keep me around because of my magic talent, the achievements that I had made possible, and the respect that the other mages of the tower held towards me.

This incident was the perfect excuse to finally get rid of me.

"Where is my daughter?" My voice was filled with repressed anger.

"Your daughter? She's with my wife. Don't worry, she will take good care of her. It would be a waste to kill such a cute baby who was also born to the most powerful grand mage in the kingdom. I'm sure she will be useful in the future."

My blood began to boil hearing his words and I could feel the scalding flow of power in my veins trying to break through.

As I wanted to unleash my magic, a soft light suddenly started glowing right under my feet and a sharp pain in my chest took my breath away. I had to cough at the sensation. It felt like someone was trying to rip my heart in two with bare hands.

"Now, now. Let's not be so hasty. The symbol under your feet marks a slave circle. I'm sure you are familiar with this type of magic as you must have used it a lot in the last war."

My eyes were shooting poison at the man before me, but as much as I wanted to move, my body wouldn't listen to me.

"It activates when you step on it and I'm sure you also know how it is used." The king stood up from his throne leisurely strolling over just to stop a few inches away from me.

"Taras Darius Alheim." A new wave of excruciating pain washed through me at the sound of my full name.

"How does it feel to be at the receiving end? Does it feel like every cell of your body is getting ripped apart into small pieces? But it's alright. I won't kill you."

He leaned even closer, whispering into my ear: "You will do it yourself."

I angrily ground my jaw. This arrogant bastard wanted me to end my own life to avoid getting his hands dirty.

"Oh please, don't glare at me like that. We both knew that one of us had to go sooner or later. It's just that I stroke first." He laughed amusedly at me and then turned around.

"Well then Taras Darius Alheim. Be good and die for me."

I screamed in rage as my magic power went berserk inside of me, obeying the magic circle under my feet.

But there was one thing his Majesty hadn't been aware of. These circles were my creations and thus I had planted a loophole in them. It wouldn't be enough to save myself, but I could drag the man who destroyed my family down to hell with me.

And so, with the last of my strength, I cast the rest of the magic that I could control into a spell straight through the king's heart before my own dispersed and everything around me turned dark.

The kingdom lost its strongest archmage and its ruler in just one day. One died grieving for his family and one died thinking he won the ultimate power. It was a tragedy like no other and the people tell the story of the youngest archmage and the king who betrayed him to this day.

-End.