Invasion

Keeping her eyes low to the ground, as was her habit around the king, Trudy waited patiently until Melony finished saying her goodbyes. The king was off to see to his lands and the reported disturbances along the eastern coast. There had been ships sighted off the high lands and no one knew who would be sailing those waters. Trudy, meanwhile, raised her eyes far enough to see the high leather boots march stolidly out of the study of the new castle that had been built for the former Surin turned king. There was no reason she kept her eyes low, except perhaps her shyness, the king surmised. Trudy was an old friend of Melony, from her former life as Jornigyn’s ward, visiting and teaching Melony in the ways of the mind. Some called it magic, but those schooled knew that there was nothing magical about it, as it required mental discipline and hours upon hours of practice. Now that the king had left, Trudy turned her attention to her old friend that was her new pupil. Trudy was much older and not near as fair as the queen, but they both knew that the powers she possessed could be both beneficial to the kingdom, or it could bring about their doom. Adjutant Graves and her band had spent some time with Melony and the others of the royal house, teaching them the beginnings of the art. Melony was now a master of the meditation practices that Graves had laid before her but felt that there was much more that she could learn. Since Graves was called back to her homeland Melony had practiced the meditations and small cantrips that were made available to her. But they consisted of nothing more than tricks to amuse the children and she desired true power. Therefore, she called the one who would be able to teach her such things, and disguised her as an apprentice of the arts. The king, trusting his wife, thought nothing of it and was glad that his queen had found companionship in this new world. Trudy had her own agenda though, but it would take time to come about, and that is why she waited with eyes downcast, subservient to the king. With time she felt that all would be put right.