Chapter 9: Lesson Two

"Tell me, Prince Alther," Aspro asked at the beginning of their second lesson. "What is the difference between commanding and persuading?"

"Commands have authority. They're something you have to do. Persuading is convincing, though. You're trying to make someone so something, but ultimately the choice is theirs," Alther replied, and his tutor nodded.

"When the elves first passed their knowledge of magic to us humans, we began to pride ourselves on how quickly we grasped it. We began creating spells the fae could only dream of and we felt superior. After all, in less than 300 years we had done things with magic that they could not. But contrary to popular belief, the fae's grasp of magic was not lesser than ours. Do you know that is?"

Alther shook his head and eagerly readied his pen to write. Aspro smiled and continued.

"To put it simply, it is the fae paying their respect to the magic. The fae have always used magic to survive. They use it to create their houses, grows their crops, and make their lifestyle easier. No elf would ever use fire to create a light show like the one at the parade, as the magic itself would never do such a thing of its own volition. Now, by no means does that imply what we do with our magic is disrespectful. It just means that most wizards try to command their magic rather than persuade it."

"Is that bad?" Alther asked, worried that his previous attempts at magic had been done erroneously.

"Not necessarily," Aspro replied. "In a life or death situation it is better to have full confidence that your magic will obey rather than the uncertainty that it might not cooperate. You see, Your Highness, magic is its own entity. It has emotions and opinions, but its main purpose is to serve. As such, following our whims is in no way insulting to your magic, but its better to be asked than ordered, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose." Alther hurried to write everything down in his journal, making sure he focused on the most important parts.

"Now, I'd like to introduce you to someone, Prince Alther," Aspro stated, and Alther shot to his feet to greet Aspro's companion. "No need for formalities. The person I'm introducing you to is within you."

Alther couldn't hide his confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" He blurted out, and the older man tried to stifle a laugh at his pupil's reaction.

"I'm going to help you meet the manifestation of your magic. Now close your eyes."

Alther did as he was told, excitement taking the place of his confusion. He wondered what his magic looked like. Would it take the shape of some magical creature? Was it just a glowing ball of light?

Come out, he thought, hoping the magic would present itself. A violet glow began to emerge, then vanished when Aspro spoke.

"Remember, you're trying to persuade her to show herself, not command her," his tutor stated.

"Her?" Alther asked, opening his eyes.

"Yes. Magic takes the form of a female. Some speculate that that is because it originates from Athora. Now concentrate. Close your eyes again and ask her to present herself."

Alther closed his eyes again, trying not to sound like he was barking an order as he called out again.

Please come out, he tried, but when nothing happened he continued. My name is Alther. I'd like to meet you if you'd let me.

He smiled slightly as he remembered a time when he'd been five. The queen had yelled at him for something, though he couldn't remember the exact reason. As a little kid, the only reasonable solution to him had been to hide under his bed and refuse to come out. His nanny had tried coaxing him out with toys and candy, but he wouldn't budge. Then the king had come in, offering to take him on a pony ride or get him anything he desired, but Alther remained under the bed.

Finally, Ashton stumbled upon the commotion and asked if he could try. Both the king and the nanny told him it was hopeless but Ashton had insisted and they left him alone with Alther. Instead of trying to bribe Alther, Ashton merely sat on the floor and began to talk, stroking the mane of a lion plush the nanny had left behind. Ashton talked about his day, how the stableboy had let him brush a mare and that he hoped Alther would get to see her. He described that her hair had been soft and how her coat and mane had been completely white.

"She looked like a unicorn," Ashton had exclaimed. "The stableboy said they found her near the edge of the woods so maybe she just hasn't grown her horn yet." Alther had peeked out from under the bedskirt at that, but when Ashton noticed him he went right back in. The older boy continued. "She doesn't have a name yet, though. The stableboy said I could name her, but I want you to do it."

"Snow," Alther whispered, almost inaudibly, but Ashton heard him and smiled.

"Snow the unicorn. It's perfect! Next time I go to the stables I'll tell them her name is Snow, and you can come with me!"

Alther had crawled out from under the bed almost immediately upon hearing he'd get to see a real live unicorn, and he and Ashton talked about how they would take her on walks and feed her candy and that she'd grant them wishes like all unicorns do in fairytales. And though Snow turned out not to be a unicorn, Alther realized that when he was with Ashton he felt safe.

The memory gave Alther an idea. If he wanted to convince his magic to reveal herself he would need to make her feel safe as well. He recreated his room in his mind, tried to remember what exactly had made him want to come out from his hiding spot. Sure, the promise of a unicorn had played a part, but the other attempts had also contained promises. With Ashton it hadn't felt like he needed to leave the safety of his bed. It was more of a come out whenever you're ready than a you'd better come out right now.

With that in mind, Alther sat on the floor of his imagined room, and he began to talk.

"You know, last year I never would have imagined something like this would happen," he began, feeling somewhat silly about talking to himself in an imaginary room. "I never thought I'd get to learn magic in the castle, or that the wizards would be free to practice their spells freely. I didn't really believe it until the parade. When I saw everyone dancing and cheering, and all the creatures made of water and fire I felt like I was dreaming. It was just so...breathtaking." Violet light began emitting into the room, softly at first but getting brighter as he spoke.

"And to think that maybe one day I'll be able to do that because of you, it makes me happier than I know how to put into words."

A young girl slowly came into the room. She appeared to be a few years younger than Alther, but there was an ageless quality about her. Straight violet hair cascaded down to her waist, her skin appeared to be lilac, and she wore a sleeveless dress that came down to her knees, though Alther wasn't sure if it was truly a lavender color or if the glow from her body made it appear so.

The girl said nothing as she approached him. Once she was a few steps away she held her hands out and cupped his face, causing Alther's eyes to fly open as the buzzing sensation shot through him, stronger than he'd ever felt it before.

"Excellent, it seems she liked you," Aspro smiled and placed a candle, a glass of water, and a flower pot on the table. "I'm sure you'll find it easier to perform spells now that you've been introduced. So let's start off with a few easy spells. You said you made a flower grow three years ago, correct?"

"Yes," Alther smiled.

"Excellent. If you still remember the spell you used, then go ahead and make this plant grow," Aspro pushed the pot forward gently.

Alther closed his eyes and concentrated. He imagined the plant sprouting and willed it to happen, the word grow repeating over and over in his head. Upon feeling the magic work, he opened his eyes to see his tutor nodding approvingly. In the pot, a sapling had begun growing.

"Great work. But do you think you commanded it to grow, or did you ask it to?"

"I...I think I commanded it," Alther answered sheepishly.

"I believe you did. Once again, that is not necessarily a bad thing, but for this next one, try asking your magic. Lift the water from the glass in the air. It's the same principle as lifting a pen."

Alther did as he was told and tried asking his magic instead. There was a brief moment where nothing happened, then the water began rising from the glass slowly. Alther could feel his grip on the water slipping, and the ball of water quivered violently for a moment before splashing back into the glass.

"You held that longer than I thought you would," Aspro said in amusement.

"You knew I'd drop it?" Alther asked, a little disappointed that Aspro had thought such a thing.

"It's not an insult. Elemental magic can be rather finicky. They tend to respond to your emotions, and water prefers a calm mindset. You're excited, if I'm not mistaken, or were when you tried the spell. However, I do believe fire will appreciate your enthusiasm. Why don't you try lighting that candle?"

Alther was relieved to see that the water falling didn't mean he was bad at magic, and he eagerly turned his attention to the candle.

"Have you ever used a fire spell before?" Aspro asked. When Alther said no he began explaining. "The concept is simple. Focus your attention on the place you want to light, imagine heat springing forth from that area and recite the words-"

Before he could say the words, the prince's eyes glowed and the candle wick ignited. Aspro blinked in surprise, certain that he'd imagined it, but the candle remained lit and Alther had a look of pride on his face.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"I did as you said, I imagined heat coming from the wick and it lit. Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all. Though I've never heard of a wizard who could cast magic without knowing the spell required for it. No matter," he played a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Keep practicing, young one. With time, I've no doubt you'll be an incredible wizard."

As Alther left the room, Aspro began skimming through the books the king had lent him on magic, hoping to find some sort of clue as to how his pupil could perform magic so effortlessly.