The Potion of Life

Timel

Timel was busy with various stacks of papers. His father, Ugmar, was growing old, and Timel realized that it wouldn't be long before he became the king of Borgon. He dreaded the idea of becoming a king; a king bore the responsibility of an entire province. He had to keep the dukes and other noble families content in his realm and maintain contact with the other kings of the provinces in Midbad. This was just a small fraction of a king's duties. The most important responsibility of a king was ensuring that every citizen in his province lived happily and prosperously. To achieve this, his father, Ugmar, held regular meetings with Brandur, Esmeralda, and Jordaan. He offered them advice on how to govern their realm.

Everyone held his father in high regard, and for many years, peace had reigned in Borgon. There was only one incident that occurred about a year ago. In a single day, a quarter of the population in the city of Morala perished. It remained a mystery throughout Borgon what had transpired that day. However, four individuals knew the truth behind the events.

These were Ugmar, Jordaan, Timel, and the druid Murales. Jordaan was expected in Clarus two weeks before Timel's birthday celebration. King Ugmar needed to know what had happened in Morala. Ugmar allowed Timel to be present during this conversation to learn how a king interacts with his subjects. Timel had to swear to Ugmar not to reveal anything about the incident to Randar. A king's duty was to keep secrets to maintain the province's peace. Randar should only be privy to such matters if he were to become king. However, this was irrelevant, as Timel would likely marry and have children eventually.

When Ugmar, Timel, and Jordaan were alone, Jordaan explained what had occurred two weeks prior in Morala. He revealed that he wanted to better protect his gemstone. He feared that since he was the guardian of Maximiliaan Gurton and not a family member, distant relatives might attempt to steal the gemstone and become the new duke of the Batavia realm. 

To prevent this, Jordaan devised a plan. He spoke with one of the healers from the capital, Murales. Murales was a druid who had healed many people in Morala from their illnesses. However, Murales knew not only healing spells but also curses to afflict people with sickness. So Jordaan asked him to poison the gemstone. This would cause anyone holding the gemstone for too long to be poisoned and die after a few hours.

Murales agreed, but only if he was adequately compensated. Jordaan obliged, and Murales cast a spell on the gemstone. The spell succeeded, and the gemstone became permanently poisoned. However, there was a complication. The spell Murales cast required utmost concentration, and during the ritual, he lost that focus for a split second. This caused a surge of pure magic that swept through Morala. 

A quarter of the people there succumbed to this shock a few hours later. The poison for the gemstone was imbued within the magical shock. Ugmar ordered Jordaan to lock the gemstone away in his vault within the castle. Jordaan was never to lay eyes on it again. He was also to deny Murales access to the city of Morala. Ugmar believed it to be an accident, but it could have been intentional. Jordaan was to explain to Murales that he was no longer welcome in Borgon's villages or towns. He could live in the woods, but Ugmar advised him to leave the province permanently.

As Timel reflected on these events, he concluded that his father's reaction was stern and not entirely fair. Jordaan, the one who wanted to poison the gemstone, remained the duke, while Murales, a man who had healed people before the incident, was now unwelcome in any village or town in Borgon. However, his father had been king for decades, so he must have acted for valid reasons, Timel thought to himself. After a few years as king, Timel would likely arrive at the same conclusion as Ugmar.

Deciding to cease his ruminations, Timel refocused on the papers before him on his desk. The papers pertained to taxes in Borgon. Just as he was reviewing them once more, a knock sounded on his chamber door. Timel answered it and found his brother, Randar, standing there.

 "Timel, do you have a moment? I've discovered something odd as I came from the dungeons."

"What were you doing in the dungeons?" Timel asked, surprised. He knew his brother as someone often found in the throne room or conversing with guards and knights in the city.

"I was talking with a few knights down there, and as we passed some cells, I noticed that one cell had a missing bar," Randar explained.

"A missing bar?"The dungeons beneath the castle were mostly vacant. They were only used for Clarus residents who caused trouble in the city. Typically, a cell wouldn't remain occupied for more than a week. Timel decided to head to the dungeons, and indeed, he saw a cell with a missing bar. Curious, he entered the cell to inspect the bar more closely. 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him and his brother's voice, "Sorry, brother."

Timel looked in surprise at Randar and then saw a man beside him. Timel recognized the man as Nubé Savos. He was a nobleman who had been a frequent guest at the Clarus castle since Timel's birthday celebration the previous year. Randar had been seen with Nubé quite often over the past year.

Timel, however, had no idea who Nubé really was. He knew that Nubé was the new marquis of Kamu after purchasing the estate from the Lockinsé family. Ugmar and Timel had never bothered to investigate why the Lockinsé family had sold their estate and land to Nubé Savos. They were just pleased that Randar had finally found someone in the court he got along with. Timel gazed at Nubé, wanting to ask what he was doing there, but no words came out.

Timel watched as Nubé extended his hand, and suddenly, Timel felt his body shrinking. In a matter of seconds, his body transformed into a colossal bow. He tried to call for help, but no sound emerged. No one could help him except his brother, who stood frozen, watching him. Timel saw a tear roll down Randar's face, but he remained motionless.

The last thing Timel saw before fully transforming into a bow was something he never expected. The wall behind him suddenly ruptured. Three dwarves fell into the cell beside him, each wielding a pickaxe. They looked astonished at Randar and Nubé, but most of all, at Timel, who was changing into a bow.