• In the fantasy country of Terania

    Lord Garen of Falcon's Ridge was dying, and he knew it. His physician had already told him that he had a month at most to live. However he wasnt planning on giving in just yet. For the old lord had one wsh that he had to fulfill before he died. And for this task, he had sent for his cousin, Du'tavin, who was also his last remaining relative who looked upon him with any sort of affection.

    Three days later, when Du'tavin arrived, he rushed to his dying cousin,s rooms. The physician was present, but when Lord Garen saw who had burst into his room so unannounced, the man was instantly dismissed. Du'tavin stood aside as the man nearly ran out of the room, but nearly sprinted across the room to the bed where his cousin lay.
    "Why is it that thou hast have called for me, cousin? No, why hast thou not called for me sooner? surely with both our wits combined, we could have had some chance to thwart this vile ailment that hast put thee under its curse." Du'tavin caried on like this for several more minutes, for though he was a good man, brave and loyal, he was not excactly the brightest to be found. he was also a little brash at times. Finally though, his cousin cut him short.
    "Du'tavin, I am glad that thou hast responded to my call, but truly, though thy heart is in the right place, thou shouldst not let it rule thy mind. Now, turn your ear to me and listen. This be my final wish, and I needst must beg your assistence in this matter."
    "Of course, Garen. I will do mine utmost to see thy wish fulfilled."
    "Then hear it. My final wish is to see magic once more before I am passed from this world. I know where to find such magic, but have never had the capability to go there and seek it out myself." And so Garen went on to tell his cousin of a peculiar maze of caverns about three days hard ride to the north of Falcon's Ridge. The caverns had a bad reputation in the area, but Garen was sure that from the studies he had done on the caves from old books and scrolls, that there were wonders beyond his wildest imaginings held within.

    And so, the very next day, Du'tavin set out from Falcon's Ridge to find the mysterious caverns that his cousin had told him about. After four days, they rode into a glen with an enormous rock formation in the center. Around the other side. There was a gaping hole in the rock that led in to the caverns. A little ways down, he and the man-at-arms he had brought with him coulds see little glittering points of light, almost as if there were jewels embedded in the walls. They lit their torches and entered the caverns. As they got deeper and deeper inside, the walls became more and more covered with the little crystals that they had first seen from outside. The tunnel also seemed to be getting smaller. Finally, they came to a wall that was completely covered in the crystals, except for one small hole that was barely big enough for them to crawl through. Both men squeezed ththrough the hole into a high circular room that was completely covered in the crystals. Large crystals covered the lower walls and hung down from the ceiling. It was easily the most beautiful thing either of them had ever seen. After some time, however, and several searches around the room, they agreed that there was nothing truly magical to be found. So they turned back around and walked to the entrance of the tunnel. By then, however, it was already getting quite late, so they set up camp for the night and decided to leave in the morning.

    That night, Du'tavin awoke with a start, and as he looked around for some sign to what could have woken him up, he could see nothing. As he got up, he felt some strange force drawing him to the crystalline tunnel. He walked down and as he drew nearer to the crystal room, the pull became more urgent until he felt almost like breaking into a run. When he reached the hole in the wall, he slid through as fast as he could onto the crystal covered floor and landed on his chest. Lookinf at the floor, he realized that it was perfectly smooth, smoother than the finest glass to be had. Suddenly, the room started to glow. Du'tavin leapt to his feet with a startled oath. He looked up and noticed a small hole in the ceiling that he had not seen before. Moonlight streamed through the hole to light up the crystal walls. Shadowy figures seemed to dance in the crystals, like spirits that had been trapped in the glowing walls. An ethereal voice spoke to him.
    "Why have you come to this place?"
    Du'tavin was nervous but he quickly told his story. A misty, ghostlike figure of a beautiful woman appeared in front of him. She spoke to him in the ethereal voice.
    "I see that what you have said is true. I will grant your cousin's wish, but he will have to pay the price for it." The figure waved her hands and a small crystal detached from its place in the wall and flew over to Du'tavin. On the way, it fashioned itself into a bottle. When it slipped into his upheld palm, the figure nodded and an opening appeared in behind her in the crystal wall. Du'tavin walked through and discovered a small fountain in the center. It was fashioned of pearly material that he couldnt identify, and the liquid that ran through it was shimmering and shiny, like liquid silver. The voice spoke again.
    "Take a vial of this back to your cousin. He will regain his health, but only for so long as he needs to travel here. He will see his magic, but then he must pay the price for his wish."

    In the morning, when Du'tavin awoke once more, he discovered himself back in his tent, his fist tightly clenched around the bottle of silver liquid. With all haste, he woke his man-at-arms and told him of his night's adventure. Then they quickly broke up their camp and rode at full speed to back to Falcon's Ridge. They arrived two and a half days later in the courtyard of Lord Garen's keep. Without pause, Du'tavin rushed to his cousin's quarters once more to tell his story and give the vial to Garen. Once Garen had heard his cousin's tale, despite protestations from his physician, who had listened to Du'tavin's story with fascination, he drank the silver liquid with no hesitation.

    The next day, Garen had fully recovered, and was as strong as he had ever been. The trip back to the crystal cavern went quickly, and they arrived in three days. They waited until nightfall to enter the crystal room, so that Garen might get the full effect the first time he entered. An hour had passed when the room finally started to glow as it had before. Once more, the ethereal figure that had been present last time appeared.
    "This is the one whose wish has been granted?"
    "Yes, Lady, that is I," replied Garen.
    "And will you pay the price for your extended life and granted wish?"
    "I shall, great lady."
    "Then join the spirits in the crystal wall and live in the cystalline world contained therein forevermore." The lady said this in a great voice, and when she was finished, Garen seemed to dissappear, but reappered in a form much like the lady's, ethereal and ghostlike. There was a smile on his face.
    "Do not weep for me, friends. I live on in this place. If you come back, you can visit me sometimes." He turned to the lady. "May I?" She nodded. He turned his back to them and spread his arms wide. A crystal city appeared to their eyes; it was the most magnificent thing they had ever seen. Then Garen held out his arm to the lady, and they and the crystal city dissappeared.

    And that, my friends, is what you get for wishing for magic.