Once Upon A Mage

Finn

"Wh-Who are you?" Finn finally asked as the two figures watched him with intrigue. Nesta made a small sound as if warning him, but Finn hadn't meant to say anything disrespectful, just a simple question.

"My name is Azura, guardian of the sun, and Princess of sky castle." The first woman introduced herself.

"And I am Mene, guardian of the moon, and also Princess of sky castle." The ebony goddess curtsied, her wings fluttering a little behind her. "Rise mages" she ordered and Finn now realized that Nesta and the twins were still kneeling on the ground, at her request, they all rose.

"Your Majesties, what brings you out of the palace?" Nesta asked, her voice ever so polite. Her posture told Finn that the two women were very much high authorities in the area.

Mene spoke first, " we were awaiting your arrival in our kingdom, Finrael, we're merely here to bring you to our castle. Though, though I did not expect The Prince and Future King of luktov to be in your company." she finished, sending a pointed look Rohan's way. He nodded, head high.

"Well he was chasing Finn, and when I used my powers to bring him over the border, he jumped and was brought along," Nesta explained, venom lacing her voice.

Rohan winced.

"Most peculiar!" Azura exclaimed, "But no matter, we shall make our way to the castle, where everything will be explained as to your visit, and your stay; That is if you wish to."

Finn Nodded, and the baby cried, bringing everyone's attention to the little bundle Finn was carrying.

"Oops! I almost forgot!" Princess Azura exclaimed and extended a hand to Finn, "May I?" She asked, and Finn very reluctantly handed her the baby, he didn't think she would do anything else but help. The moment the baby was in her grasp, he shone with a golden flare and instantly morphed into a creature Fin had never seen before. It was a small ball of fluff, with blue fur that caught on the light, a pair of huge blue eyes looked at him as a small muzzle gave him a happy smile.

'What- how-?" Finn was at a loss for words, the baby that he had rescued and cared for was now something Finn couldn't name. "What did you do with the baby?!" He exclaimed, not able to hold the sudden anger that gripped him.

"Now, now, don't worry," Mene spoke, her voice soft as a breeze, "This fellow here is Sprout, our little scout, we sent him to meet you near the border. He's a changeling, so I guess a baby was the most creative form he could come up with to grip your attention."

"Then, what about the massacre?All those dead people?" Rohan asked, voicing Finn's thoughts again.

"Well, that's the deal with changeling magic," Mene answered, "They can get pretty dark in the way they attract one's attention, usually using worse-case scenarios that would guarantee their target would be drawn in."

"I'm afraid it was all but an illusion,"

"Now, I sense that you have questions, and while Mene and I will be very happy to answer all of them we need to get you and your companion to the castle, I can't imagine how tired you must be." 

With a nod, Mene closed her eyes as her hands glowed a silver light. That same light embraced all of them and Finn had to close his eyes as the light got brighter. When he dared open his eyes, Finn let out a small gasp. The room he was In was breathtaking; The walls were decorated with golden and blue tapisseries, and multiple windows with stained glass lined the entirety of the room and cast a rainbow of colors. There were two thrones at one end: a golden one with a sun on top, and the other one was silver with a moon on top, no doubt Azura and Mene's as they were royalty.

"Wow!" Nesta exclaimed as she did a little twirl,' I've never been in the palace before, especially not in the throne room!"

"Where is the Prince?" One of the twins asked and Finn realized he hadn't noticed Rohan wasn't with them.

"I deposited him in one of our dungeons, don't worry, he will not be harmed, but having the Luktovian prince in this castle could be... problematic. As you might have already known, we take in many refugees from luktov, most of them persecuted mages, we will send him back to his kingdom tonight." Azura nodded as she spoke, her eyes never leaving Finn.

"Now! Let's give you a tour of the palace and where you will be situated as our esteemed guess" Mene proclaimed, and they all started walking as the princesses lead them. However, Finn couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about Rohan down in some dungeon cell, all alone.

************

As the bright light that blinded him dimmed, Rohan grew confused. First, he was somehow separated from the others, maybe it was a mistake, but where he got deposited made his second assumption correct; he was in a dungeon, and he guessed by the damp cell he was in. there was a single hay bed near a slimy-looking wall, a bucket, and a small window that was too far out of his reach, and Rohan was tall.

"Hello?!" he called. No response.

"Can anyone hear me, i-I think there had been some kind of mistake, I shouldn't be here. Hello?!"

Still no response. 

He either was alone, or the guards were ignoring him. he sat on the bed. Now that everything had calmed down, his mind wandered to Finn. After he did, well, whatever he did to save them from that monster, he barely looked at Rohan, almost actively avoiding him. Rohan wanted to make things right after he had realized how unfair his father's assumptions were about mages, he hadn't thought about how their lives might be affected, their loved ones, and all the people that were captured, tortured, and killed. He couldn't bring himself to imagine what his dad would have done to Finn if he didn't reach the border in time, or if that mage, Nesta, hadn't used her magic to bring him to the other side.

Finn probably thought he was a monster, and he deserved to be where he was. he just hoped that he would get to talk to him, to apologize. Yes, he would do that.