The Magic Mirror

Rings and Bells

The carriage was not big but Audrin was surprised by how nice it was. The seats were red leather, and cushioned, the paint was solid and contraption was significantly more friendly than the back of a bandit's wagon.

"Are all knights like you?" she asked.

Sir Marcos sat across from Audrin, beside him was the young woman with the child. He gave a warm, patient smile.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

Audrin shrugged, but she knew exactly what she meant. Despite her attempt not to be rude her eyes traveled over his fine clothing and the rings on his right hand.

"I make a reasonable salary." he said, as if he had read her thoughts. "Nothing extraordinary, but it's enough to support Bridgette and Claude.. and that's all I want."

Audrin looked at the young woman beside Marcos. Bridgette nodded as she held the sleeping child in her lap.

"My brother is being modest," she informed her. "He's in the highest circle of knights. He's quite prestigious, actually."

Marcos applied the same smile to his sister. Audrin doubted it was genuine.

"Please. I've heard enough about me," he sighed. "Tell me more about this ring, Audrin..."

She sank. The ring had stopped speaking. She was beginning to doubt her own sanity again.

"I only know that it wanted me to go to Knight's Haven and find one," she admitted. "I think it's sick, too... It was moaning earlier and now it's completely silent."

Marcos frowned. Audrin watched intently. This man had gentle, dark features and was made of only graceful angles. They didn't make them like this in Shepherd's Hill.

"This is bad news," he said. "The voice from the ring... did he mention a name?"

Audrin considered it. Somewhere in the back of her memory it had occurred to her that this object had had a name. But she had never been great with names to begin with.

"Did the voice ever mention the name Fier?" the knight pressed.

The named sparked something. Yes, she remembered now. "Yes... that's what the ring wanted me to call it. Fier... Fier..." she repeated. She didn't want to forget it again.

Marcos leaned forward. His dark hazel eyes imploring Audrin. "So you've been talking to him! I'm a friend of his. If you hear him again please tell him-"

"You're a friend of the ring?" Audrin asked, incredulously.

Marcos frowned and glanced at Bridgette who stifled a small laugh with one of her pleasant, white gloved hands.

"...Fier is not a ring," he said. "Fier is a young man. The ring on your finger is an object of magic... it gives you a connection to him. Where ever he is he has a similar object."

"What?!" Audrin was more than just a little alarmed by the information.

"He must have told you as much," Bridgette put in, still wearing an amused smile. "But then again... Fier has never taken issue with being objectified."

"Bridgette," Marcos raised a brow at his sister disapprovingly. "He's stuck in a dungeon most likely dead, I think we can afford him some respect."

"Respect," the young woman snorted with a roll of her own charming dark eyes. "He isn't dead and you know it. I've never seen a man so crafty as Fier The Changeling, if he can't weasel himself out of this one then I don't think he deserves my respect."

Audrin knew, that if these two were anything like her own siblings, the uncomfortable silence that was occurring just now would inevitably lead to a fight. So she cut in before either of them could say another word on the subject. "He wanted me to give you the ring.."