Morgan Rice - A Clash of Honor

Thunder suddenly clapped, and a great wall of water fell down on him. Thor heard a rumbling noise, and an instant later he felt himself drenched, water raining down all around him, landing on the dusty sand, on his head, drenching him.

“Good!” Argon screamed, over the sound of the rain, also drenched. “Now stop it!”

Thor closed his eyes, felt the wall of water, and raised one palm overhead, directing it at the cloud. Moments later, the water stopped.

Thor opened his eyes and was amazed to see the water raining from the sky, but stopping just feet above his head. He was holding it there-and it was sapping his energy. He felt his legs begin to shake from the effort.

“You are tired because you trying too hard,” Argon yelled. “Make the cloud disappear!” Argon commanded.

“I can’t!” Thor yelled back, shaking from the effort of holding up the rain.

“That is because you think it is hard. It is not!” Argon said.

Impatient, Argon raised his staff and waved it overhead; suddenly, the cloud disappeared. The day was clear and cloudless once again.

Thor looked all around, and there was no evidence that the cloud had ever been there-except for the fact that his clothes were dripping wet. He looked over at Argon in awe. His power was inspiring.

“I can feel my power,” Thor said. “But it feels uneven, unsteady.”

“That is the human part of you,” Argon explained. “You are part human. That is an asset and a weakness. You must learn to master your imperfections. You might never be as strong as your mother; or, you might be stronger. The key lies in your mind, in your resolve, in your developing your skills.”

Thor was struggling to comprehend all of this.

“But all of this-moving water, creating rain-I still don’t understand how this shall help me in battle,” Thor said.

“Don’t you?” Argon asked.

Argon suddenly turned, held out a palm, aimed at a boulder and then lifted his hand.

Fifty feet away, an immense boulder, ten times the size of Thor, suddenly shot up high in the air, then, as Argon moved his wrist, it came slamming down with a great crash, a few feet before Thor.

Thor stumbled at the impact as the ground shook, leaving a crater in the earth, insects scurrying in every direction.

Thor looked at Argon with wonder-and fear. He had underestimated him, once again.

“All nature is connected,” Argon said. “The water, the rocks, the sky. If you can direct the flow of water, you can direct anything. Even the animals.”

Argon looked up at the sky.

“Do you see that bird?” Argon asked.

Thor looked up, and saw an eagle circling high overhead.

“Summon it down to us. Have it land on your shoulder.”

Thor closed his eyes, reached up, and tried with all he had to direct the bird’s energy. He felt the bird getting closer-but then suddenly flying away. He tried as hard as he could, but he could not control it. He opened his eyes to see the bird disappearing. He lowered his palm, mentally and physically exhausted.

“I’m sorry,” Thor said. “I could not control it. It was too hard.”

“It was only too hard because you tried too hard,” Argon said. “You did not allow it to come to you. You still rely on your human sense of will.”

“But I don’t see how we can control all animals,” Thor said.

Argon raised his staff, and suddenly Thor heard a roar.

He turned and saw a lion walking towards them, quickly, and as Argon moved his hand, the lion followed the direction of Argon’s palm. It came up to Argon, sat beside him, and stared out at Thor. Tranquil. Obedient.

Thor was speechless.

“I can’t believe it,” Thor said.

“That is precisely your problem,” Argon said. “If you cannot believe, you cannot create. Because you don’t see it, you don’t manifest it. You must learn to trust yourself. You know more than you think possible.”

Suddenly, a great flash came and Argon disappeared-and the lion with him.

Thor looked about, in every direction, but they were gone.

Thor felt exhausted, but also stronger. He felt as if he had trained all day. He had taken an important step, and he felt his skills developing. But he still knew there was much left to learn, and he wondered if he would ever be able to master it all.

How vast were his powers? What was his destiny? How was he supposed to help the Ring?

Until he met his parents, somehow, he felt, he would never solve the mystery.

Gwendolyn stood amidst the rolling hills on the beautiful Fall day, Krohn playing beside her, flowers in bloom as far as the eye could see, the landscape a tapestry of purples and yellows and whites. She took a deep breath, took aim with her bow, and let the arrow fly.

It whizzed through the air, and barely grazed the target on the distant oak tree. She frowned. It was her tenth attempt at this target, and each time she missed. When she had been younger, she had spent years training with the royal archer, and her aim had been true. She hadn’t picked up the bow in years, and she had just expected her aim to be accurate. But it wasn’t. Perhaps it was because she was older, or perhaps whatever skill she’d once had just wasn’t with her anymore.

Gwen set the bow down and breathed the air in deeply, enjoying her surroundings. She had come out here to clear her mind, to try to get her mind off of Thor. Krohn yelped and pounced in the fields, chasing a rabbit, and she smiled at the sight. He been a true companion since Thor had left, and seeing him made her constantly think of him, and gave her a sense of assurance. She loved Krohn as if he were her own, she could feel his protectiveness, and was so grateful for it. He was growing every day, before her eyes, and was well on his way to becoming a full grown leopard. Sometimes she would look at him and be afraid, until he looked back at her and she saw the love in his eyes.

Gwen looked out at the beautiful fall day, saw the light shifting in the clouds, the distant swaying of the trees, and the field of flowers seemed alive as the wind pushed the colors one way, then the next. As she watched the horizon, she thought of Thor. He was somewhere out there, in that village, rebuilding. She wondered what he was doing right now. She had put on a strong face when she had said goodbye, but inside, her heart had been breaking. She ached to see him again, missed him beyond what she could describe, and she wished more than anything that he was here with her, right now.

Gwen also felt a craving to leave this place. She did not feel safe here anymore, since the attempt on her life, since the Nevaruns had showed up to take her way. She felt some measure of safety living here in her mother’s keep, far from the castle, and spending her time secluded from the others, in these hills. She also felt a measure of safety with Krohn here, and in knowing that Thor return soon. She couldn’t wait until he returned and the two of them could leave this place for good. In the meantime, she prayed that Godfrey could find the evidence they all needed to bring down Gareth once and for all. If he could, she would not even need to flee; but Gareth seemed indomitable, and she had her doubts whether they would ever be able to bring him down.

Gwen saw Thor’s face in her mind, and she remembered back to that moment when he looked as if he were about to ask her something. And then something like fear had crossed his face. She wondered what it was. Was he going to ask her to marry him? Her heart swelled at the thought. There was nothing she wanted more. But she did not understand why he had not asked her yet. Were his feelings not as strong as hers?

She prayed that was not the case. She reached down and grabbed her stomach, remembered Argon’s words, and could not help feeling just a little bit stronger each day, feeling with every ounce of her body that she was carrying Thor’s child. A mystical, powerful child.