Alexander The Great Mage

"Ahh that was a great meal!" Shira leaned back on her chair and rubbed her tummy with great satisfaction.

They had checked in at King's Inn earlier and were enjoying a much deserved sumptuous supper. Aleyria had spared no expense and had ordered the best food for her and her bodyguards. She wanted to reward her team for their hard work, and also to enjoy one last proper meal before adventuring out in search of a dragon.

"Why don't you tell them your life story, Shira?" Aleyria said with an encouraging smile. "I think today is a good day for that."

Shiranui looked at Aleyria uncertainly. She disliked drawing attention to herself, and had always put on a boastful front to dissuade other people from coming in too close to her. Only her Mistress, and to a certain extent, Kan-Dari, knew her for who she really was.

"Yes! That's a good idea. You've only joined us for a year, we barely know you, you stranger! Stranger danger!" Kan-Dari teased.

Shira glared at her best friend whose hide she had saved quite a few times during battle.

Liz'An giggled. Apparently she found 'stranger danger' rather funny.

"It's alright, Shira." Aleyria encouraged her. "We are all family now; we can talk about anything within this little circle."

Shira hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"I remember my mother." Shiranui began. Her three friends edged closer to her so they could hear everything clearly. Shiranui did not notice them.

"We were lying in bed, that final day. She had been really sick for the past few days, and she was really tired that morning, so we stayed in. I drifted in and out of sleep because we had stayed up late the night before. I was so tired. Each time I opened my eyes, I saw her smiling at me. I remember her face staring at me.. It was so dirty, but even then, she was beautiful.

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She really was beautiful. Finally, close to noon, I woke up fully because I was really hungry. I looked at my mother and her beautiful smile once more. I called out to her, telling her I was hungry, but she didn't respond. I shook her body a little bit, but she-she collapsed.

I was shocked! I called out to her again and again, but she didn't respond. She just laid there with her eyes open and her mouth still smiling lightly. After a few moments, I put my finger on her nose to check if she was still breathing. She wasn't. It was only then I realized she was dead."

Kan-Dari gasped in shock. "Oh no..."

"I was four years old. I could not remember much of what happened next, it was a haze of hunger and desperation. All I know was soon after, I arrived at the palace and began my training."

"In Zan, we believe that dying in the presence of our loved one is a blessing from God. Your mother was blessed to go to the afterlife with you in her arms." Liz'An said, somewhat awkwardly.

Shiranui smiled. "Yes, at the final stretch, she was happy. Father was supposed to be home really soon, and although she knew she was dying, she was comforted by the fact that I would be safe with my father around. She died not knowing that father was dead too. He was killed on the final day of the 2nd Expeditionary War, or so I've been told. His body was never recovered."

Kan-Dari's tender heart could stand it no longer and she began to sob very loudly. "It's so sad!" she bawled. "You have such a sad childhood, Shiraa. I'm sorry I treated you so badly all these time.."

Shiranui looked at Kan-Dari anxiously and began comforting her. "There, there, it's alright. It was such a long time ago, I hardly feel anything anymore." Shiranui placed her arms around the sobbing Kan-Dari as Aleyria watched them with an extremely bemused smile. She did not expect Shiranui to be the one doing the comforting.

"Ar..are you sure yo.. You're okay?" Kan-Dari managed to say in between sobs.

"Of course I'm okay!" Shiranui posed theatrically and declared, "I am Shiranui, Sword Mistress of the Orchid and a Red Archmage of Rin-Turah! I have a heart of stone! Bwa ha ha!"

It was such a ridiculous pose and declaration that the entire group burst out laughing.

"Okay then." Kan-Dari sniffed and rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Poor Shira." she patted Shiranui's head comfortingly.

"Speaking of Sword Mistress, are you really of the Order of Orchid, Shira?" Liz'An asked in amazement.

Shiranui blushed slightly in embarrasment at all the attention she was getting. "Well, yes I am. But it was a close thing though, I almost did not make it." she replied.

"How so? Was it because you were too young?" Liz'An asked curiously. "You are so small, even now, you must be really tiny when you were still in training!"

Aleyria grinned widely and chipped in, "Oh yes, Shira was really tiny when she began her training. She had to begin with daggers and close combat before she could proceed to swords. Her arms were not strong enough to swing one!"

Shiranui laughed at the memory and said, "Yes, I really was small when I started training. I was only five and training sure was difficult! It took me almost seven years to get the basics down. I only began training to be Sword Mistress of the Tulip when I was twelve. As you know to be a Sword Mistress of any order, you need to be apprenticed by one from that order and then defeat your master in combat. It took me three years to master the techniques from the Order of Tulip and then defeat my Mistress. At fifteen, I was apprenticed to Sword Master Borino of the Orchid."

"Oh, Sword Master Borino!! Kan-Dari exclaimed. "He is the Sword Master of the Elven Royal Guard! You trained under him? Kan-Dari marveled.

"Yes, that Sword Master Borino. He is such a great swordsman! His speed and technique is unparalleled. He is one of the fastest in the whole world." Shiranui said with obvious adoration in her voice.

"Yes, he is skilled isn't he? And handsome!" Kan-Dari giggled.

"Yes he is! He has such a handsome, rugged look to him.." Shiranui agreed enthusiastically.

"And a very gallant smile!" Kan-Dari added.

Aleyria shook her head in wonder at the girls. "I need to tell my teacher to make sure he does not apprentice little girls to Borino anymore. Look at you two fawning over him like.. Like.."

"Flies to poog?" Liz'An offered helpfully.

Aleyria roared with laughter as the two girls glared at Liz'An. Liz'An smiled her fearsome smile again and the two girls hastily looked away.

"How did you defeat Borino, though?" Aleyria asked curiously. I never did find out the move you used to overcome him."

Shiranui giggled as she remembered that incident, her ears and face turning bright pink.

Aleyria narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It was very much shrouded in secrecy, we were all extremely shocked you defeated Borino so quickly. Two years, was it?"

"Yes Mistress, it was two years." Shiranui replied, her face still pink.

"So? How did you do it?" Aleyria demanded.

"I.. Ah. Well, it was like this." Shiranui stammered. "We had been fighting for almost an hour, and we were both rather tired." Kan-Dari snorted at that.

"We were BOTH very tired." Shiranui reaffirmed.

"I was attacking him with a quick thrust at his body, and he tapped my sword away. He then slashed at my body. I avoided his slash by stepping back, and then I defeated him with a quick strike to his neck."

"What?" Kan-Dari exclaimed loudly. "That is not possible!"

Aleyria looked at Shiranui thoughtfully and said, "Hmm. I agree. That you defeated him, is a fact. Defeating him by such a move is impossible, and that is a fact too. Unless.."

"Unless Shira cast a spell and rendered Sword Master Borino immobile!" Kan-Dari accused Shiranui loudly. "Oh you sneaky little.."

"I did not cast a spell!" Shiranui replied hotly. "Magical neutralizers were in that room!"

"So what did you do then?!" Kan-Dari pressed on rather over-passionately.

"I.. I did nothing!!" Shiranui stammered. "Nothing at all!"

"What happened when you stepped back to avoid his slash?" Aleyria asked.

Shiranui's face turned impossibly red at that question. "I.. Oh look, a pastry, it looks delicious. Let me have a bite."

Aleyria, Kan-Dari and Liz'An all stared at Shira in disbelief at her extremely weak attempt to change the subject.