The Immortal Guardians: Book II

Prologue

***Sequel to Phoenix Guardian Year 1

Guardian History

By: Thomas Joel

Dr. Langston

History, Year 5

Guardians are the three most powerful Immortals ever born. They are more powerful than the Crown Heir and tend to outlive the heir. They are only chosen when a Crown Heir is born otherwise none others exist. The Royal Family only ever has one Heir so to not create turmoil for the throne. The Guardians vary every hundred years or so from one to even as many as five depending on how many are born during the hour the Crown Heir is born. Not all Guardians born have a talent but according to tradition, a Guardian will have the most powerful gift that any of his previous ancestors have had and there will never be two alike. The oldest Guardian will be forever linked to the Crown Heir. The First Guardian will have an unbreakable bond that can only be severed by death. It was created to ensure safety of the Crown Heir. The Second Guardian will be the strongest and most loyal to the Crown Heir. They will fight to death along with the Crown Heir. At the end of the Crown Heir's reign, the Guardians follow suit and they retire together. They are only called upon by the new Guardians if they are needed and if their Heir is in danger.

The Guardians identities are kept by the Guardian Keeper who trains and provides guidance. Once the Guardian Keeper has identified the future Guardians, he or she will pick members to form the Counsel of Guardian Keepers. It typically consists of family members, old Guard/Guardians, and/or prominent figures to ensure that Guardians are being provided with all necessary resources and guidance. The Guardian Keeper and the chosen Guardians are the only ones that can reveal their own identities. Those that reveal the identities of the Guardians will die a horrible cursed death.

There are various conspiracy theories about the selection of the Guardians. The most interesting theory has been that families will offer their first born male to become a Guardian which has been rather controversial. Another theory that was proposed by the eccentric Wizard Shiloh Lancaster has been that newborn Immortals are submitted to a painful test so that their true power can be judged shortly after birth. The most interesting theory is that only pure-blooded Immortals will become Guardians which hasn't been accepted due to the fact that it would mean that all Guardians are related by blood and would have similar gifts and abilities. The theory of Guardian selection is a widely misunderstood phenomenon. Immortals born during the hour that the Heir was born are named Guardians. Those born during that hour have been proven to be the most powerful and most loyal to the Heir. The Heir does not know the identity of the Guardians until Selection Day. Most Heirs learn the identities of the Guardians because they are trained torgether.

As part of tradition that was enacted by a King who foresaw the premature death of one of his heirs. Heirs have always followed in the footsteps of their Guardians to make them stronger and create alliances during their training. Heirs learn to not only lead but they learn to protect the very Immortals they are supposed to serve. The Immortal Counsel was enacted when a certain population of Witches and Wizards who only had basic magical qualities were outliving them. The longest living Witches and Wizards have been up to 160 years old while Immortals have been reported to live up to 350 years. The more powerful and gifted the Immortal, the shorter the lifespan. They joined together and formed a Counsel that has only been represented by a male. He doesn't take the throne until his parents step down, which isn't usually until he is 40 or 50 years old. Even after finish training, the Heir will continue to serve in the Guard and will typically work as an Ambassador between different peoples. Once the Heir assumes the throne, he will serve for about 150 years. Heirs used to have arranged marriages with others most notably Witches but the practice died down when many started to marry women from the Weston School for Immortals. All Heirs have the affinity for Fire and they will inherit any family relics that have been passed down. Their most noticeable trait are their colorless eyes, and a sweet tooth. An Heir won't have any other gift unless the mother passes on the most powerful gift from her people.

Dr. Langston put down the essay submitted by Thomas Joel, the second Guardian. He rubbed his head. The boy was too bright for his own good. He sighed in frustration. If he said anything, they were all in trouble. He needed to have a word with Andrea as soon as possible. He had kept the essay from last year just in case one of them proved to know something. The only one that had gotten remotely close to the truth was Thomas. He knew what was going on but he didn't know the full details. Luckily, his student Byron hadn't read these essays. He liked to grade the essays on the Royal family and Guardians himself. It was a measure of precaution yet he knew it was risky assigning such a topic. He needed to be more careful.

"Sir" Byron knocked. Dr. Langston lifted his eyes. Dr. Langston had grown considerably older this past year. It was only going to get worse. "The Students are arriving, the Headmistress told me to inform you."

"Thank you Byron" Dr. Langston got to his feet. He was rather excited to see his students again especially his Guardians. He wanted to see how much they had grown over the summer. He had kept in touch with Andrea Burke to see how Iris was doing since last year hadn't gone all that well for her. Andrea had told him that she was doing much better but she worried about Iris, the youngest female Guardian.

"Ready for another fun year" Dr. Langston clasped Byron's shoulder. Dr. Nan appeared and walked with them.

"Yes sir, I'm looking forward to training the Guardians again" Byron laughed. There was a look of dislike on his face. Dr. Langston laughed. He and Iris hadn't particularly liked each other. They had gotten over their problems.

"Yes I want to see how they are doing" Dr. Nan, Dr. Langston's oldest friend, responded. "Especially Iris Burke, poor thing had a fatal first year."

"Andrea said that she is doing better but there are times when things get dark for Iris" Dr. Langston shook his head sadly. Byron stared at him with interest. "Take care of her, Byron. Watch her carefully, keep her busy." Dr. Langston knew Byron appreciated the task of watching over the Guardians. He had taken control of her training last year so she could succeed in Swords training.

"Of course, sir" Byron nodded. He met Dr. Nan's eyes. Dr. Nan glanced at Byron. They were both aware that Byron cared about her. The incoming students' voices rose as they got near to the entrance.

"Another year, more gray hair" Dr. Langston chuckled at his joke. "Oh the minds we are going to teach- the students we will meet" Dr. Langston smiled at the incoming first year students who were looking at the castle with wide eyes.