theworldofdreams.com

"I just can't DO IT!" Sharia snarled at her mentor. Beads of sweat dripped down her face as she glared at the thin, white haired man who stood beside her. He sighed and turned away to walk slowly to the heavy oak table that took up most of the center of the room. Slumping down in a chair that was carved with runic symbols, he regarded the young girl wearily. "There is nothing wrong with you. You did it before, you can do it again." he stated evenly. Sharia glared at the small silver globe that laid upon the table. She hadn't been able to even rock it.

Sharia closed her eyes in frustration. She used to be a master mage, able to wield powerful magical energies in a variety of ways. Then, her life was turned upside down and when things settled down again, she found she couldn't even light up a dark closet. She knew the power words, knew the proper combinations of reagents, knew the precise gestures and movements that often accompanied a particular spell, she knew all that forwards and backwards. But, she couldn't touch the etheric energies of magery anymore. It as if there was a stone wall between here and the power of magery. At times she could sense the power but she couldn't touch it whereas in the past, she just opened herself and let it flow easily into her. She was no fool. She knew it had all to do with Gharon. She knew it was a case of not being able to surrender completely anymore and her mentor knew it as well. But, he was powerless to help her overcome it.

Gharon had arrived in Moonglow one day, a lute hung over one broad shoulder and a gorgeous smile on his lips. Sharia, as well as most other females in the city, had been quite entranced with the young, handsome bard. But, out of all of them, he had chosen her. For weeks he had sung songs to her, had written poetry to her, had done everything in his power to woo her. His voice was melodious and smooth, his face cleanly defined with a sharp, aristocratic bone structure. He legs were long and muscled, his shoulder and chest wide and deep. His mouth...ohhh, Sharia blushed as she thought of his mouth. She had finally let him kiss her one day after surrendering to the almost continuous onslaught of his fervid claim of loving her unto eternity.

Things rapidly progressed after that and Sharia lived in a turgid maelstrom of passionate emotions for a week. She remembered him lying beside her, both of them unclothed and drowsy, gazing into one another's eyes. He would strum his lute and sing soft hymns to her beauty, to her passion and to Love itself. She had neglected her duties as a Prime of Moonglow and the Elder's frowned when they saw her on the street. She would hear them complain to each other, "I told you she was too young, regardless of her expertise and potential powers." or "She is a silly girl, head over heels with that fool bard." She had ignored it all and wallowed in the luxurious emotions that flooded around her until one morning she woke up and Gharon was gone. The bed was empty except for a very brief note. "A higher Love calls me and I must follow my destiny. I'll not forget you." She ground her teeth as she found her strongbox empty of coin as well as the larder empty of food. The villain had taken everything she had possessed...everything of value to her and she felt dirty and stupid.

The citizens of Moonglow empathized with her to varying degrees but she knew her life was ruined. She was told she was not consistent and responsible enough to be a Moonglow Prime, one of the ones that watched over the isle and protected it from evil. What was worse was not being able to touch the Source of magic anymore.

For weeks afterwards she moped about, wandering the island, sitting in the Lycaeum staring at the walls, crying in the secret places of the forest. She had finally gone to her old teacher, her mentor who had helped her discover all her abilities. He had sighed and dropped all his other work to talk to her, to soothe her and explain why things happened sometimes. In time, she healed but there was a scar upon her heart and she could no longer open herself to the mystical energies of the universe. Intellectually she knew how it happened but did not know what to do about it. She had surrendered her very Self, her body and mind and spirit, to another and he had taken her and discarded her carelessly.

Tamien, her mentor, finally smiled and told her to take a break. She walked out of the room and through the Lycaeum to the doors. Passing through, she walked to the beach and sat down, staring over the waves. She heard soft footsetps in the forest behind her and turned to see Raven, from the Provisioner's shop. "Hi Raven, what are you doing way up here?" she inquired. Raven had warned her again Gharon but she hadn't listened at the time. Surprisingly, Raven comforted her later and had helped her get over a lot of the misery. Many people in Moonglow still laughed at her when she walked by.

"I thought you might be up here." Raven said as she seated herself beside Sharia. "You know why you cannot work magic anymore and yet you still cannot overcome the block. It is not an easy thing to do, to heal a broken heart." she continued. Sharia's eyes misted and she looked back the sea. She sighed deeply and whispered, "I'll never be the same again. He took from me something that can never be replaced. I can never love again, much less work magic." She was shocked when Raven laughed loudly. "Ohhh, you will love again, it will just take time. Just the same as you will work magic again once you decide to trust yourself again."

"How can I trust myself?" Sharia exclaimed, "Look how stupid I was!"

"Everyone does things without thinking sometimes. Emotions can confuse anyone. Thinking is often overrated too. The best thing to do is let your emotions flow but don't let them flow away with you riding on them." Raven replied. "You are young, he was gorgeous and he manipulated you with all his abilities, which weren't inconsiderable." Raven reached out and picked up a flat, water worn stone. With a practiced flick of her wrist she sent it skipping over the calm surface of the water. "People like him are like that rock. They skip over life with enormous energy but that is all they have. They can't stay in one place because they have no substance to them, no stick-to-it-ivness. When they get old they sink with scarcely a ripple and no one really misses them."

Sharia thought about this and realized Gharon was exactly like that. He had never said anything really important except how his love for her would never die. And she knew how much worth that was when he left in the night. She sighed again and then ruefully smiled. "You are right. He was nothing. Why didn't I see it though?"

Raven laughed and skipped another rock. "Ohhh, because you are young and the young make mistakes in order to learn. In fact, the old make mistakes in order to learn most of the time. You are human, Sharia, gloriously human, and that means you will make mistakes but I bet you don't make this particular mistake again. Just learn when you make a mistake and don't blame yourself because everyone does it."

Sharia avowed she had certainly learned a lesson and suddenly saw everything in perspective. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Ach, so silly and yet it was so glorious at the time. Maybe the next time a pretty bard came to town...her eyes flew open with astonishment! The next time? She looked over at Raven and saw the understanding in the other woman's eyes. Raven nodded, "Yes, it was bad at the time but it doesn't change who you are, does it?" In reply, Sharia held out her hand, and quieted her inner self. Hesitantly, a small flame appeared above her palm, dancing tenuously in the breeze.

What I really love about Bayn's posts (and others for that matter) is when they take some little detail from WOD--like the name of an NPC--and use it properly in a story. It sounds funny to say it, but it makes the story more real. It's a fiction about a virtual place--believe me, I understand it's NOTHING close to real. Having spent a month or 6 doing vendor quests, I recognise Raven's name, and it's nice to see that she has a life outside of the shop.