gramarye
or gram·a·ry
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Marcus sat amidst an ever-flowing mass of books. They flowed around in a ever changing whirlpool of paper and leather. He was barely aware of them, focused as he was on the single volume that lay open on the small desk. He ran his finger along the ink, muttering to himself. His wrinkled brow furrowed and he reread the lines. He then shut the book and placed it into the whirlpool, where it began to move along with the others.
He began looking for another book when he was interrupted by the proximity alarm spells around his home. He sighed, wondering if he needed to bother dealing with the would-be intruder himself. Normally he would let his defensive spells do their job, but this could just be some random person from the nearby village. Best to chase them off and be done with it. He would resume his study afterwards.
A quick spell and he was in the area of the alarm. He saw something running off into the woods. A person, it seemed. Why were they leaving so soon though? He looked around and saw nothing. Then he looked down. There was a baby there. A girl, easily seen since she wore no clothes. The child was small, probably not even a year old, and was painfully thin. She lay still, barely breathing, without even the strength to cry. Her skin was dirty and showed signs of small cuts and bruises, blood and dirt mixing far too freely. But the worst of all was the missing right arm. It had obviously been cut off, as the would was still healing.
“Now why would someone leave a baby here?” He asked, picking up the child.
The moment he did, he could feel something. The unmistakable feel of potent magic. He opened his mystical sight and nearly dropped the child. He was an ancient wizard, well into his third century, and was considered one of the most powerful magic users alive. The power of this child, who had not seen even a single year, dwarfed his. It was like comparing a candle to the sun.
“Ah, I see now.” He said.
He really did. Why she was here. Why her arm had been removed. He understood it all. The peasants in the nearby village had likely noticed the odd occurrences that naturally formed near large deposits of magic, and had figured out the girl was the cause. Fearing such power, they would have removed her arm to keep her from casting, and then abandoned her to the forest. A threat removed by the cruel hand of nature. The fools.
Their efforts were for naught. The magic would subconsciously protect her from any threat. And for a girl with such vast stores of power, a missing arm was barely an inconvenience. Besides, it was possible she could be able to grow a new one before she learned to walk.
“It would be a shame to leave you unattended, child.” Marcus said. He conjured a fine silk blanket for the girl, and wrapped her in it. “Don’t worry, I shall tend to you. I will make sure you learn magic properly. I will teach you to master your power, instead of it mastering you. And I shall raise you to not fear those who took your arm. Perhaps I should make sure you learn to help others. Yes, that is how it should be. One with your power should be a hero to all.” He nodded at the idea. “Yes, that is what shall happen. Now then, what to call you. First, a True Name, known only to us.”
He knew right away what he would Name her. There was only one that would do. He reached out with a strand of magic to her soul, connecting them. He read what was there and smiled. He should have known she would have this Name, even without his tampering. He leaned in close to her and whispered a single word into her ear. A word so ancient even the gods had forgotten it. A word that could shape the world. And now it was hers.
“That is a Name only for us. A deep Name. A powerful Name. Your True Name. For everyone else, I shall call you something that will inspire others to great deeds. A name that shows love and purity. I shall name you Claire. A name that is simple and elegant, but shows the world the purity of your soul, uncorrupted by your great power.”
With the girl thus named, he brought her back to his home. He had much to do now, much to prepare for. And the first part of it was making sure his new daughter lived to see many years, and many great deeds.
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Oo, fantasy stuff. That's fun, right? Hopefully if I ever do something more with this I'll be able to keep from falling into the standard YA "chosen one is special for reasons" trap. We'll see if that ever happens though.
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