Try and Try Again

Simon did not successfully cast magic again that day. Hours of trying later he found himself exhausted and collapsed on the table, his brain practically melted from his attempts. Regardless of what he had tried or the advice he had been given, he had been unable to conjure forth the effect he desired.

At first he had tried repeating what he had done the day before. He grasped his medallion in his right hand and focused on the paper, trying to bring his mind to a state of subconscious until he felt the tug. This proved completely ineffective, and after an hour of repeatedly trying this tactic he deemed it no longer effective. He imagined that this was likely the result of what Sonia had suggested, a focus on replicating what he had done yesterday, rather than focusing on the magic itself.

That thought in mind, he redirected his strategy. He tried to replicate his initial attempts, keeping his eyes closed and hoping that some familiarity with magic would carry him through to success. When that inevitably failed as well he reset his thinking. While he kept his eyes open, he put his body into a resting position and focused on the command of making the writing appear, but instead of repeating it he attempted to push it back into the recesses of his mind. While the idea felt promising to him, and Gideon encouraged it, another hour of attempts proved it to be as fruitless as the last.

Eventually, after further attempts, varying small things bit by bit, he found himself unable to continue, the magic having leaked from his body and leaving him thoroughly spent. If the physical training had left him in pain and his body lethargic, the magical training had left his mind equally slowed, the beginnings of a headache only held at bay by constant intakes of water.

"It's a shame, but what can you do... I suppose he just wasn't up to the task. And woe, now we are doomed to die upon these cold hard stones." Gideon dramatised his words with grand sweeps of his arms, his voice calling to the reddening skies.

"Enough Gideon. This was an expected issue. It will likely take some time for him to capture the tug again. Until that time we'll continue training just like this. Apologies Sir Simon but we shall be forced to continue pushing you substantially from this point." Sonia stood, pushed Gideon out of the garden even at his protests, and turned back to Simon.

"I understand you must feel defeated after continuous failures today. You have been given a great duty, your failures reaching not just yourself but us as well. Rest assured, however, that this was the expected result. We do not hold this against you nor do we feel rushed. Our enemies still gather, and have much to prepare before their march. You will have much time yet to grow stronger and increase your magical capabilities."

She reached over and laid her armoured hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. "Now, while it is yet early, I believe it's time you eat a meal and find yourself asleep again. I'm certain you will find yourself rejuvenated in the morning."

"You're right I think. I'm not going to get anywhere fast, I'll need to take my time and not lose sight of the goal if I want to succeed, these small losses don't mean anything in the grander scheme." He tried to perk himself up as much as he could. "Right, what's for dinner? Hopefully, I'll be able to think a bit after some food to get my energy up. Hopefully it's meat."

He sat next to Sonia as they ate their meal together. The food tonight was roast duck, served with potatoes and sweet sauce, topped with several herbs and spices from the region. It wasn't anything particularly extravagant, but it was certainly well prepared. Simon tried in particular to identify the seasoning on his tongue but ultimately couldn't quite place them.

It was somewhere around halfway through the meal that his mind began to recover and he recalled what he had intended to say to Sonia. Stuffing down a particularly hefty mouthful of duck, he turned to her,

"Right, I have some really good news actually. All of the training distracted me but I've been meaning to tell you since this morning."

Sonia continued eating, but glanced slightly toward him and raised a subtle yet quizzical eyebrow.

"The Goddess talked to me last night. She told me about Varok and his army. Turns out they're not coming at us with everything they have. Apparently their Knights are all fighting in the West against a God called Aiolon or something. She said that we stand a good chance of winning, probably because they're underestimating us."

"She said that?" Sonia swallowed hard, dropping her fork on her plate. "Are you absolutely sure she said that?"

"Yeah, think those were nearly the exact words, I think I could check again tonight if you want."

"No, no there's no need for that." Sonia almost jumped out of her seat. This was unarguably the most energy he'd seen from her till now. "Aiolon's territory is nearly the entire opposite side of the continent. If Varok's Knights are there then they won't be able to reach us for almost a year, even if they were to leave now." Her words were uncharacteristically rushed. "We can use that time to strengthen our defences and increase our stores. The attack would still occur shortly after winter, but it would be better than our current situation. We could even try to establish an alliance and get more troops." She finally began to slow down.

"But first we need to make sure of their actual numbers. We'll need to send a scouting party of some sort, perhaps we could launch a surprise attack... Thank you for this information Simon, it's yet another font of hope. The Goddess is good."

"Well I'm glad I could be helpful somehow, seeing that I've struggled to do much today at all." Simon smiled sheepishly. "It's nice to do some good."

Sonia nodded at him, too engrossed in her own thoughts to properly pay attention. Dozens of plans and ideas were rotating through her mind. She had the chance to win and she was going to take it.

"I must retire for the night Sir Simon, please sleep early and see to it that you aren't late for Orion's training. Gideon will take over in my place tomorrow, I suspect I will be busy planning until after the session would otherwise be complete. Good night." He imagined he'd see her rush out of the room, but instead her amulet glowed a blinding red, forcing him to close his eyes. Once they opened again she was gone.

Simon was left temporarily bewildered, unsure of what he had just seen happen. He thought back to Gideon's show with the quill yesterday, having teleported it from Simon's own room. He wasn't sure that there was enough rush to warrant an act of teleportation but she did seem quite excited. Coming to that conclusion he found himself eating by himself, her half finished plate beside him.

Simon thought to find someone else to eat with, but with neither Orion or Gideon in sight he resigned himself to eating alone. He was just too tired to possibly meet anyone new. A few times a couple of the soldiers would peer over at him, before ducking back into their conversations when he would spot them. It truly was strange, he didn't have strength nor any particular knowledge, but they looked at him like some unapproachable prophet because of some title he'd never earned.

He finished his meal in silence. Leaving the plates on the tables to be cleaned up with the rest, he began to head to his room, again noticing but paying no mind to the stares that followed him. Night had made the gloom of the cloister deep, the scarce candles fighting desperately against combined assault of the wind and the dark. Nonetheless, he had memorised the path now, so he found it fairly easy to move through the dark.

When he opened his room he was shocked to find a large tub of water placed in the center, a small sponge placed on the floor beside it, and an almost identical change of clothes on the chair beside that. A note addressed from Gideon was attached to the side, reading 'Wash up, I think you'll need it. Wouldn't want to darken your mood any further."

Simon hadn't been told but he was certain that Gideon had been assigned as some sort of head caretaker to him. He appreciated the thought; he may not know many of his comrades, but he was happy to know that there were those he could still rely on amidst it all.

Sighing, he undressed and readied himself to relax after the long day. His muscles still ached every time he moved, and his bruises had only blackened since the morning. He slowly lowered himself into the water. The bath had been perfectly filled so as not to spill with him in it.

"Damn, it's already cold."