Briar

Ch. 1 Coming Home

Rose had never understood Jonas, her best friend. Never.
When they first met at the tender ages of eight and five they were as different as, well, as different as two humans can be. Jonas, eight, was the son of a well to do family in a fishing town on the coast of Abber. He had come to Numberland and the great wizard Azzelbreth to learn magic. His family was known to have a wizard pop up every few generations or so. This was one of the main reasons why Jonas’s family was so well to do. Always good to have a weather wizard by your side when you got 10 ships at sea and a big storm coming. So they checked for signs of magic in their children. Jonas was considered a late bloomer. In the eyes of his family, he had always been a little slow. He wasn’t natural. Always off by himself, doing something, even reading. Suddenly, Jonas’s cousins found themselves in trouble for bulling the scrawny little boy. The adults were cautious around him. Their smiles stretching far into their face hoping to hide their jealous, fearing eyes. Jonas knew well what he was to them. All of the family was happy when a wizard was found. His parents more than anyone. To think that the son that they didn’t like, was a wizard. At least now, the little snot will be out of our hair. There were no tears at his good-bye.
Rose on the other hand was a girl that needed to be kept on a leash. It was like she couldn’t get enough of life, the world, everything. Much to her parents’ dismay. Everyday Rose came home with a bruised knee, another scrap on her face, a bit of hair chopped off. It was only by mistake that her dark locks were so improperly short. And it didn’t help Rose’s disposition that the only other people in her sphere of influence were all over 50. No one to play with, just chores, chores, and more chores, and despite the hipe about folding laundry, Rose did not find it to be that simulating of a game. So when Rose heard there was going to be another child in Numberland, she was more excited than their cow on milking day.
It was clear, however, by the first day that these two would never quiet understand each other. There stood Jonas shaking in his brand new boots with his single bag on the ground by his feet next to a rather large stack of books. His paste colored hair was blown by the pop that accompanies poof-transportation, and his black eyes were widened with shock. It was clear that this was Jonas’s first time seeing true magic and that like most people he was both in awe and fear of it, but Rose paid no never mind to that. She was on him in a second, demanding to know his name, where he came from, what it was like. Jonas could only blink a few times at the wild child before him. Long and short hairs floated neat to each other, creating a messy mop of black hair. It had freckles all over, and its skin was slightly sun burned like the freckles had given up and decided to just let it burn. Its clothes were just about to fall off, and it looked like it had gone through battle before breakfast. Jonas would have gotten his bottom smacked red if he ever looked like this boy, or if he talked as much or so impolitely. Jonas couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He looked around to see if this was anything abnormal. Per haps it was even magic or may be the first test of his power?
Two couples stood in the hallway. One was a very old couple who seemed to be a bit annoyed but resigned to the little boy’s tyranny. They were an odd couple the woman big and stout and the man looked like he could be blown away in the wind even his wooden cane seemed to shake. The other couple was younger, with only about half their hair turned gray. And they also seemed to be the more able of the two. Both were hardy with tan skins and rough hands from many years of work. None of them seemed to have inclination to help him out of the things grasp. Jonas looked to his new master. Perhaps help lay in that route. He towered above everyone else in the hall; this wasn’t just because of his very tall hat. He was thin as a rail and had a beard that was completely white and almost reached his knees. He looked to be the perfect wizard although he didn’t seem to be very comfortable in his long robe, but he seemed to be so preoccupied with moving around in it that he was doing nothing to stop the attack. After what seemed like a small eternity, the hellion had to take a breath, and the younger woman noticed Jonas’s helpless look, she came forward and put a stead hand on the boy’s shoulder. This immediately stopped the flow.
“Now, that you’re done, little one,” said the wizard giving his robe one last shake, “let me introduce my new apprentice, Jonas.”
“So you’re name’s Jonas. That’s a good-” the hand on the boys shoulder squeezed a little more, and he closed his vacuum again.
“Now, these are my servants. They keep Numberland in working order. Without them I’m afraid I would be quite useless.” That brought a smirk to the fat woman’s face. “Never forget that, boy, magic cannot do everything.” He gestured to the elder couple, “This is Mr. and Mrs. Fonderal. And the other family in our employ is Mr. and Mrs. Happershap and their young Rose.”
“Rose? That’s not a boy’s name.”
“Well I’m not a boy, stupid.” Her head swerved in that could only be described as feminine. Jonas had once seen his mother make her exact expression when his father had denied her any shopping money.
“Rose, that’s no way to speak to the young master.”
“Well a young maser should be smart enough to know a girl when he sees one.” Rose tugged at her clothes to accentuate curves that had not yet grown in.
“Don’t be snippy, young lady, welcome the new master home.”
That floppy head turned to the side, and she mumbled something that sounded like, “Welcome home, stupid head.”
Azzelbreth looked between the two, one angry and one confused, and he began to laugh. “Well, this will make the next few years interesting.”
Rose forgot her anger within an hour and continued to bother Jonas. Days rolled by, and Jonas began to study magic with Azzelbreth, or as Rose called him Azzel. Jonas had a lot of aptitude for magic and absorbed as many volumes as he could get his hands on. Rose plowed through Jonas’s worries and barriers, surprising her parents with her dedication to bothering the young master. Before long Jonas had run out of excuses, and Rose had pulled him outside to run, play, climb trees, and pick roses from the bushes that surrounded Numberland. Rose taught Jonas how to have fun, and Jonas taught Rose how to stay indoors on rainy days, how to read and write, how to calm things down and think. Not that thinking thing through was very anything she did. Rose maintained that she was a woman of action. It was probably due to this that the two of them didn’t stay out of trouble completely, stealing cookies and “accidentally” ripping down the hideous pea green curtains. They were constantly causing trouble for the servants, especially Mrs. Happershap.
It was only once that they truly got into trouble. Jonas had been learning to use glamour, and Rose had talked him into trying it on her. She said she wanted hair the color of sunlight instead of the dead of night. So Jonas learned the right words for hair, and they went to the library to perform the spell. It worked perfectly, dark and drably turned pale and frothy. She was like a beat up angel encased in light. Rose was so excited that she ran straight to her mother, overjoyed. Unfortunately, Mrs. Happershap was scared witless.
“What have you done!” She grabbed Rose up and rushed her to Azzelbreth. A confused Jonas hot on her tails. “Help, help!” Mrs. Happerhap was almost in tears as she fell to her knees.
“Mommy what wrong? Don’t you like it?”
Azzel too one look at the situation and put it all together, “Don’t worry Mrs. Happershap. Nothing has been done that won’t pass in time. Nothing that will change her life.”
As he spoke Roses hair faded back to ebony, and Mrs. Happershap gave way to grateful tears. Azzel shot her a look before going to Mrs. Happershap and picking her up off the floor and accompanying her to the door of the magic working room, telling her that he would handle the situation.
Once she had left, Azzel gave them a hard look, and they knew they were in for something. “Jonas, it’s a terrible thing to use magic so casually. And Rose, you shouldn’t try and push him to misuse his magic. Now as you can see Mrs. Happershap has an aversion to magic. So, be nice to your mother and stay away from magic. And Jonas, you should know better. Magic is not a toy to be played with. I’m very disappointed in you. In punishment, you are both to clean to clean this castle top to bottom within a week. Let this be a lesson to you both not to abuse your powers of persuasion or the dark arts.” Both Rose and Jonas were ashamed of themselves and dutifully cleaned the castle as best they could about 6 feet if Rose stood on Jonas shoulders.
From that day on Jonas kept his magic inside of his training room. They discussed the magic that Jonas learned only vaguely, and Rose kept away from the magic halls and the heavy magic texts that Jonas was so fond of.


Sorry I'm such a bad speller but that's just how I am. My mom always says that I need an editor. Please work through it and I'll try harder to catch them.