Emalia sat in the middle of the herb garden, smelling each of the plants that grew around her. Only days before she had been with no one but herself, the idle chit-chat of strangers, and her books. Today, she was a Crimson Guardian. She took in a deep breath and smiled to herself while she looked over the insignia she wore. It seemed like a dream.
Fizz trotted up to her, nudging her shoulder with a nickering whinny, snapping Emalia from her reverie. "Oh my newest friend, what is it you desire?" A snort tickled Emalia's cheek as she was again nudged. "A carrot. Coming right up." Emalia rose to her feet, chanting a quick line for a quick treat. She smiled deeply as Fizz tossed the carrot into the air, only to chomp down on it and hop away like a colt.
Emalia felt automatically at home, marginally concerned that she had still not heard from her family, save her Uncle Sandorin, who had vanished again from her life. She sat again in the herbs, her mind drifting from her travel to Westbridge, to her journey into the Guardians, then to the events of the day. Immediately, a frown crossed her features.
Emalia knew she was born with abilities different from many. Her mother made sure she knew it - when she wasn't talking to herself - but Emalia wasn't quite sure what they were. She had harmed Elbryan with a simple spell, but couldn't place a finger on why or even how. Holding back a few tears, Emalia bit her lip, her pride stinging as she thought of exactly how she felt like such a failure. She'd harmed someone...
A deep neigh wrested her from her thoughts and a sense of calm flooded her. Fizz stared at her with deep brown eyes - already she could feel a connection with him. "Another?" She stood again, repeating her earlier incantation, and shook her head with a grin as Fizz repeated his.
In the quiet of the gardens, Emalia centered herself deciding that the silence would allow her to read. Certain that Fizz was finally contented, she slipped another violet-bound tome from her pack. By any sense she was a quick reader, it only taking her a day to pour through the thick volumes. She began in again reading through Cyric's past, pushing all her thoughts of home, family, and failure to the side. The texts flowed with detail, almost vividly leaping from the page. Emalia was so mesmerized that even Fizz's insistent nudges did nothing to rouse her.
