The Burning Blue Mage

22

The victory over the dryad soon faded as we returned to Azmar. The sudden effect of the battle hit us and it hit us hard.
46 knights had died and that left 46 families to tell the grim news to. Sage was kind enough to proffer to split the list of families but I denied his offer. I would personally see to each and every family.
It was borderline between late afternoon and early evening by the time we rode back. During our half day ride back to the castle, Sage gave me an interesting lesson on how illusions bend light to appear to be there to the eyes and how more advanced mages can actually condense the air and manipulate the texture to make an illusion solid to touch. You would think that explanation wouldn't take half a day but somehow it did.
The first thing I did when we got to the castle was shower and change into my royal uniform. Immediately after I went out to inform the families of the knights who died.
Each family was more devastating the last. I was just approaching the tenth house, the family of a gold ranking knights named Selle, when I saw Sage already at the door.
"I'm truly sorry for the loss of your husband. I wish there was some way I could have saved," Sage said quietly, and I could tell every single word was filled with insincerity.
I heard crying from inside the house. "I... I just can't believe he's gone."
I quietly walked up to the house and pulled Sage to the side. "I thought I told you I was fine doing this by myself!"
"And I thought you knew I don't follow orders I disagree with!" Sage argued. "And this isn't something you should do by yourself."
"Sage-"
"Mommy, where's daddy?" A small voice asked from inside the house, making me pause. Me and Sage both turned to see a little girl, about five, walk up to Selle's wife.
I immediately flinched. None of the other families had kids in them so far and it was hard enough to tell them the news. How do you tell a child that they have to grow up with a father?
Sage walked up to the girl and bent down to her level. A solemn smile was placed on his face and made him seem somehow even more approachable than normal. "Hi, there. What's your name, miss?"
The child briefly looked up at her mother before whispering, "M... My name is Lola."
"Hello, Miss Lola. My name is Sage. I work in the giant castle over there."
"R... Really? Are you a noble?" Lola asked shyly, partially hiding behind her mother's leg. Her mother reached down to stroke Lola's black hair.
Sage laughed softly. "Hardly. I accidentally kinda stumbled upon my job as servant."
Lola nodded silently, clinging to her mother's skirt.
"Hey, want to see something cool?" Sage asked softly. After a pause, Lola hesitantly nodded.
Sage slightly turned to the side, hiding his hands behind him. I saw his arm move slightly, like he was flicking his wrist. He turned back to Lola, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.
I blinked at the flowers in surprise. Where the heck did those come from? Magic can't just materialize things out of thin air, can it?
Lola's eyes widened at the pretty yellow flowers. "They're daffodils. Aren't they pretty? You know, daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. They're the perfect flower for those who need to see the light, who need something joyous to cling on to as they make a new future for themselves. I really like daffodils, don't you?"
Lola nodded, dumbfounded, eyes still watching the pretty yellow flowers. Sage took one of the flowers and carefully slipped it behind Lola's ear before handing her the rest of the bouquet.
Sage smiled thoughtfully. "There. You look beautiful. Now, I need you to do something for me. I need you to be just like a daffodil and bounce back from death. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of despair. And need you to show your mom how to be daffodil too, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Lola's grip tightened on the stems of the daffodils. A single tear trickled down her face. "Is Daddy..."
I looked away to the side. How could Sage just stand there and talk to them when he knows there is no way to ease their pain and suffering? How can he stand this.
"Lola, I'm so sorry."
That's all anyone can really say, isn't it? It doesn't help. It doesn't help anyone. But what do you say in a situation like this?
More tears streamed down her soft, pale face. Her grip loosened on the daffodils so that the bouquet nearly fell out of her hands.
"I wasn't nearly as young as you, but I lost both my parents a few years ago. I... I know how hard it can be to grow up like that. And everyone will just tell you to move on," Sage said quietly.
I tilted my head slightly so that I could see Sage, curious by his approach.
"But... Moving on isn't what you should do. Sure, you can't get caught up on... On things you can't control."
Lola looked to the side and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
Sage softly grabbed Lola's hand and pulled it away from her face. "But you need to grieve. Never hide back those tears. Never smother those emotions. Just... Grieve."
I suddenly noticed that Sage himself had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He suddenly smiled. "And be a daffodil."
I stared at Sage, a pain of sympathy suddenly surrounding me. This was the most vulnerable I've ever seen him.
I noticed a thin line of grey clouds lined the sky as it slowly started to sprinkle. I thought back to what Sage said each emotion that correlates with his magic. Sadness.
Sage slowly lowered Lola's hand and wrapped it around the stems of the bouquet and squeezed her hands around it softly.
Lola looked at the yellow flowers in her hands and smiled sadly. "Yes. I'll be a daffodil."
I watched in amazement. I couldn't believe how Sage was able to cheer up Lola while still letting her know it's okay to be upset and to cry. How well he was able to talk with the little girl.
Sage stood up and looked at Lola's mother, still smiling softly. "You have such a strong daughter. I'm sure she'll be just fine."
Tears streamed down Lola's mother's face but she smiled ever so slightly. "Thank you. Thank you," she mumbled silently in between sobs.
How? How does he do it? That he can make people smile through grief? That he can make people still feel grateful after tragedy?
Sage nodded his head in respect before slowly walking up to me. We stared at each other in silence for a few seconds as the rain sprinkled on us lightly.
Tears still lined the edges of his eyes, yet a smile was on his face. "I think Lola is a name that suits her well."
"Why's that?"
"Lola means 'sorrow' in Spanish, but Lola is also a common nickname for Charlotte, which means 'free'. I guess those two meanings go hand in hand, don't they?"
I smiled softly before nodding. Sage truly does know everything. "I think you handled that situation quite well."
Sage looked up at the grey clouded sky. "I just spoke the truth, from experience. You should never ignore your emotions." Sage looked back at me and smiled brightly, his eyes closed and no longer tearful. The rain slowly came to a stop and the sky started to clear away. "You should just recognize and consult your feelings. Know why you feel like that, and then find a way to come to peace with your feelings."
Oh, Sage. I can't even imagine what you went through.
"Still want to complete that list on your own? You know, this probably isn't the only house with a child in it."
That's the sad truth that I had to come to terms with. "Are you still willing to come with? I... I would really appreciate your company."
"You don't even have to ask! I'll always be here to help you, whether you want me to or not!" Sage said cheerfully.
I smiled at him. "Thanks."
Sage walked past me with a mischievous smile. "Of course, emperor."
I turned to look at him. "Will you ever stop calling me that?"
"Nope!" Sage said cheerfully, not turning around or stop walking.
I smiled and ran up to catch up to him. "Okay. I guess I can live with that."
We soon headed to the next house. I was relived to find out there was no children in the house. Only the knights younger sister. I felt confident in being able to handle the situation so I took the lead in delivering the news. Sage respectively stood back and only gave a few words of respect to the sister.
The next house had two older kids who had to be just a few years younger than us. At first they were really stubborn with us but Sage has a way with kids somehow. He pulled a flower from behind both of their ears. Though they weren't daffodils this time but foxgloves. The meaning: heal and hurt. The two of them opened up quickly to Sage.
The next house had a younger child like the first. Sage walked ip to the small girl with flowing blonde hair. "Hi, there. What's your name?"
The child blinked at Sage surprised. "My name? I'm Aurora."
"Whoa, Aurora? I didn't know I was in the presence of royalty!" Sage said cheerfully, going into an over the top bow. Aurora smiled and giggled.
I was about to step back when Sage walked up to me and handed me a blue iris.
I looked at the flowers, surprised. "What's this? Why are you handing me this?"
"Isn't it obvious? Only a prince can give a princess a flower. It's an iris, meaning royalty and faith," Sage explained.
"Me? But I'm no good with kids! Not like you, anyway!" I whispered to him panicked.
"You'll be fine! Now go give that princess her flower!" Sage said cheerfully, giving me a little push in the direction where Aurora was standing.
I stumbled up to Aurora with a shy smile and I could feel my face turning red. "Hello, princess Aurora. Would you like a flower as royal as yourself?" I said a bit awkwardly and handed the iris to her.
Aurora admired the blue flower. "Thank you, Mr. Prince."
I chuckled. "Of course. You know, iris's also symbolize faith. So keep that flower close to heart in times of need, okay?"
Aurora nodded excitedly. "You got it Mr. Prince!" She shouted cheerfully before running back into the house, her hands cherishing the iris.
I turned to look at Aurora's mother and saw she was smiling. "Thank you, your highness. You have no idea how much this means to her."
I was surprised for a second at her thanks before I smiled. "Of course. Please feel free to ask for me for anything."
Aurora's mother immediately shook her head. "Oh no, i could never ask something from you, your highness."
"I insist. If you need help, just ask. I would love to check up on Aurora and see how she's doing."
Aurora's mother smiled brightly. "Thank you."
I nodded my head in goodbye and walked up to Sage. "See, was that so bad? Surely no harder than killing a nymph!" He teased.
I smiled, blushing in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess so."
"You know, aside from being a princess, the name Aurora means 'dawn'. I think that can be taken a lot of ways, but it sure is inspiring."
"Yes, I think so too."
We continued going house to house of the knights who were killed by the dryad and paid our respects to the families for the rest of the day. We switched off every once in a while with who took the lead, especially when children were involved. Though even when i dealt with them, Sage would always give me a flower and each house it would be a different one and he would like know the symbolic meaning of each, as well as the names of the children.
"How do you know all these meanings? I mean, the flowers you could always look up beforehand but what about the names? Are you just saying whatever comes to mind with confidence and hoping you trick everyone into thinking it's true?"
Sage chuckled. "I like to do my research. Name orgins are just so interesting."
"Okay, then what does my name mean?" I asked, stopping.
Sage stopped walking and turned towards me, deep in thought. "That's a tricky one. Rook is a piece in chess, in which the name means 'chariot'. Then there's the bird named rook, in which case your name would be along the lines of 'crow' or 'raven'. In Dutch, the word rook translates to 'smoke' and in old English, the name rook means 'to cheat'. Oh, in England, Rook was a family name, given to those with black hair or dark complexions."
"How the heck do you know this?! You know, I'm going to double-check all this information when we get back to the castle!"
Sage laughed. "Well, your name was so interesting so I did some research after I moved in."
"And what of your name? I'm sure you researched that?" I asked, continuing to walk.
Sage started walking as well. "Of course I did. The results were pretty much what I expected. 'wise', 'learned', 'prophetic', 'sharp', 'perspective'. Or you'll see it as 'herb' or 'reed'. But my personal favorite is 'to have good tastes'."
"What?! You have to be messing with me!"
"Nope. Look it up," Sage said with a wink.
I breathed out a sigh. "I wish I could argue but with you knowing the meanings behind all those names and flowers, it's hard to say you aren't wise."
Sage beamed with happiness. Anyone else and you would think they would be arrogant, but some how Sage isn't. He's just low-key annoying.
"And speaking of flowers, how the heck did you get those flowers?! I'm pretty sure half of them don't even grow here!"
Sage smiled, cupping his hands behind his head and looking up at the sky as he walked. "A magician never reveals his tricks."
I raised an eyebrow. "So your a magician now?"
Sage turned his head towards me with a grin. "Sure, why not?"
I sighed. "For being wise you sure are the biggest idiot I've ever met."
"Oh come on, that's not true," Sage said before nudging me in the arm. "You just say that because you love me."
"W... What?! What the heck are you talking about?!" I shouted, my face turning bright red.
Sage burst into laughter. "You look like a tomato! I'm just teasing you, after all!"
My embarrassment soon turned to rage. Sage immediately started running, still laughing.
"Sage, you're dead meat!" I shouted, running after him.
I chased him down to the training grounds before I was able to tackle him. We struggled for a few seconds before I was able to pin Sage to the ground.
Sage kept laughing and soon I found myself laughing as well. I slid off of Sage and laid down next to him, staring at the darkening evening sky.
"I wish every day could be like this. It sure would brighten the mood," Sage said.
"Yeah," I mumbled. "But I'm guessing that won't happen anytime soon, will it?"
Sage sat up and looked at me. "I'll make sure it will happen. All we have to do is kill Nirvana," Sage said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
I chuckled. "Yep. All we have to do."
Nirvana may be strong but she can't prevent Sage from being Sage. Not even she can damper his spirits.