Chapter Twenty One
They finished eating breakfast.
"The time for decision has come, young Andrew," said Teltibane. "Will you be, our Champion? Will you do battle for the cause of good and enlightenment?"
"You mentioned a test, to prove if I am the true Champion?" said Andrew.
"Yes, the test is to drink from the Shimmering Pool of Light, which is contained within the Citadel. If you are the Champion, it will strengthen you, and bestow upon you considerable powers. Heightened speed, reflexes, agility. A higher capacity for learning. You must continue to drink from the Pool every three days, or it will wear off."
"And if I am not the true Champion?"
"Then it will kill you outright."
Andrew mulled it over.
"It is your decision to make," said Teltibane. "No one can force you to, ah, step up to the plate, as humans say."
He could just refuse, go home. But how could he, when there was so much at stake?
"I will risk my life, to fight for the Light, to stop the evil Blue, and to free Katy," Andrew affirmed.
"Are you sure? Your mind must be fully on this. It is your last chance to back out. The training will be grueling, the battles fraught with terrible danger. Once you drink from the Pool, you will be committed, and there will be no turning back."
"Yes. I understand that it is my choice, and I have decided to do this. I can't imagine forsaking everyone, when I am needed to protect the Light from harm. The Light affects everyone. I could never live with myself, knowing that I abandoned everyone when I was needed most."
"Bravo Andrew! The first step down the path is always the hardest. We hope that you will never come to regret this decision," said Teltibane.
"Let us have a toast to Andrew, our new Champion!" said Greybeard, who wasn't one to let a good excuse to drink pass him by.
"Yes, that would be most appropriate. let us have some wine please," said Teltibane to the waiter.
They drank to Andrew, and then Greybeard made more toasts to the Royal House of Green, to the Realm of the Light, to his dwarf King Wiskut, and to the cooperation of Dwarves and Men.
"It is customary to add a name to the Champion," said Teltibane.
"Lugren," suggested Greybeard. "It's old Dwarvish for 'fearsome.'"
"How about Cilifax?" said Finor. "It means 'Light-defender' in Banres Elvish."
"That has a nice ring to it," said Teltibane. "Let us drink once more to Andrew Cilifax, Champion of the Light."
They drank another toast.
"Feel free to explore the grounds today, Andrew," said Teltibane. "Tomorrow you will drink from the Shimmering Pool, and we shall commence your training."
"What about my parents and my family? Even if I do survive by some miracle, won't they be worried about me being gone all these weeks?" Andrew asked.
"That's a good point. But I think that I will be able to return you to the Mortal Realm close to the time that you left."
"So during this time there will be two of me, one here, and one on Earth?"
"No, not exactly. I would try to explain to you how the magic worked, but it would likely just give you a headache. And take several hours." Teltibane smiled. "Now I suggest you go enjoy your free time today. Once your training starts, you won't have that luxury. And trust me, it's going to be tough."
Andrew walked out of the dining hall with Greybeard. "Teltibane makes it sound like he is going to put me through some kind of boot camp."
"No point in tryin' ta pull the wool over yer eyes, Andrew. To transform into a defender of the Light and its people is not goin' to be an easy task."
"I wonder what I'm going to learn," mused Andrew. "Do you think he will teach me how to fight with sorcery? Bam!" Andrew pointed at an imaginary enemy. "You're dead. Zap!" He pointed again. "Two down. Wouldn't that be great?"
"That's not the typical Dwarvish way of battle. But it would be nice. And relatively easy as well, once you have mastered the magic. I can't recall now if any of the other Champions that I've heard of before made heavy use of magic in their battles. Guess we will just have to wait an' see. C'mon, let's explore the grounds."
They strolled out onto the grounds. The castle was situated on a large plateau, several thousand feet high. On three sides the plateau dropped down in cliff, with the western side sloping up to the top in a curved manner, so that the way up the slope began in the southeast of the plateau and ended in the west.
On the mostly flat surface of the plateau was the castle, the Citadel, several huts for the workers, and other structures in the distance. There was a large forest blocking part of the plateau from view.
The castle itself was made out of stone colored in light pastel colors. Which gave it a very different appearance from the drab grey castles on Earth.
The pair walked around the castle, exploring. There was a garden in the east, to the rear of the castle, filled with gorgeous plants and flowers. They walked through it, inhaling the sweet scents of the flowers.
They arrived at a large white stone set in the floor in the center of the garden. There were three tiny holes in its center.
"What do you think is the purpose of this stone, Greybeard?" asked Andrew. "It looks out of place here in the garden."
"Dunno. And why has it got those little holes in it?"
They couldn't figure it out, and walked on. Past the garden was a cluster of ponds, pink and blue water lilies gracing their surface. Jets of water leaped over the ground from one pond to the next, creating a pleasant fountain effect.
"Nice," said Greybeard. "Enchanted jumping ponds. Relatively rare. Last time I saw 'em was more than two hundred years ago, in the Elf Realm of Crinstlin."
"Are there many Elf Realms?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah. Loads. The elves are very tribal in nature, with many small clans. Though they can form alliances with one another to form a stronger Realm."
They took in the sight of the enchanted ponds for several more minutes. It was by now midday.
"Let's head back fer lunch."
The duo returned to the castle for an excellent lunch. Afterwards they explored the grounds some more. Their walk took them around the lake and to the west of the Citadel.
"Do you think I really have it in me?" said Andrew.
"What?" said Greybeard.
"To become the Champion, I mean. To be able to stand up to Blue, and to stop his evil plans. To free Katy. Blue is an incredibly old, experienced, and accomplished sorcerer. And what am I? Just a young mortal boy from Pine Valley. What I know of magic couldn't fill a thimble. It's like David and Goliath all over again. Only David had the assistance of God himself, in the form of a miracle, but I don't. I feel so unsure of myself. It's like a cocker spaniel taking on a lion. How can I hope to defeat him?"
Greybeard put his arm around Andrew's shoulder, as they strolled through the lawn. "Andrew, don't worry about winning. Worry about givin' it your best. That's all that is asked of you. Lemme tell yah a little about my youth. Today, who hasn't heard of 'Greybeard the Adventurer'? 'Greybeard the Bold'? Bah. Back then, I was also well known. But for a very different reason. I was 'Ganvian the wimp'. Ganvian the softy dwarf. Me' dad was a famous Dwarvish General. Strong, and brave in battle. My brothers and I had much to live up to. And I, I was very small and weak for a dwarf as a youngster. Never could win a fight in the wrestling and sparring matches that are common among our youth."
"Incredible. I would never have thought that you were anything less than a bold and valiant hero from when you were young."
"Yep. By the time I grew up an' became an adult, my confidence was gone. Shot through completely. My strong brothers went out into the world and made names for themselves. In the military, or as independent adventurers. Respectable Dwarvish occupations. They made our father proud. But Ganvian? He stayed home, and found a job at the local bakery. Too afraid, to put himself to the test."
"Wow. What happened?"
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"My father only grew more and more disappointed in me with every passing day. And it looked like things would never change. Ganvian was destined to spend the rest of his life working at the local bakery as baker's assistant. His biggest accomplishment, the cream filled pastries that he was adept at making. An' don't get me wrong. Baker is a fine profession, as fine as any. But it was not what was expected of my brothers and I, the sons of the famous General Koro. Many quests, many adventures came my way. My father urged me to take them up, to go out into the world, and to be strong and fearless. To be like him and my brothers. But I would shy away. Not believing that I was capable of anything more than baking. Perhaps I would be a full fledged baker, one day. But nothing more. I didn't believe that I could face down an ulthar without dropping my sword to run. I didn't believe that I could ever prevail in the face of danger and difficulty."
"But today you are a well known adventurer. How did you change?" Andrew was amazed that the wimpy Ganvian that Greybeard described to him and the courageous Greybeard that he knew were the same person.
Greybeard resumed his tale. "One day my uncle, Farswop, me' mamma's older brother, came to live with us in our village. Like many esteemed dwarves, he made a life of perilous quest after perilous quest. Spy missions for the dwarf Kings, vampire hunts for the Lords of elves and the like. My uncle was getting on in years, and so he chose to settle down in our village, to be near family. He saw what I was. He took an interest in me right away, and he taught me that we all have our strengths. We only need to find them. He believed in me, and that's what mattered most. He gave me encouragement. Which is the one thing that I needed above all, at that point in my life. On my off days he made me practice with all kinds of weapons, until we found one that suited me. And it paid off. We discovered that I possessed the rather rare skill of single-handed broadsword wielding. This gave me the advantage of a shield in my free hand, in a fight."
"When did you partake in your first adventure?"
"My uncle taught me to never doubt myself. We trained hard for two years. Finally, I was ready for my first real quest. Ten young, aspiring dwarves set out to the wild northern region known as en Krasten Minogden, the Ghouls' Playground, to capture the mythical cloud bird who dwelled there. The cloud bird is only visible in the darkest of nights, and is very tough to capture. The going was rough. We encountered many dangerous and wild beings, and several of our number died at their hands. Many of the others succumbed to starvation in that barren place, or turned back, for the difficulty of the task. But one of my strengths came into play here: persistence and perseverance, no matter how hard it got. Until finally, one week after the last of my companions had gone home in defeat, I captured the cloud bird, and returned home to a hero's welcome. How proud my dad was.
"One quest led to another, and I became well known. Until the name of Greybeard the Adventurer eclipsed even that of my father's. Now, I am an adventurer through and through, one of the most respected occupations in our Dwarvish culture. It's as if it is a part of my DNA. But I attribute all my success to that kind uncle, who believed in me, and even more, got me to believe in myself."
"Unbelievable. Greybeard, that's an incredible tale."
"Take it from me, Andrew. Wimp turned warrior, fearful turned fearsome, that it is possible. The most astonishing changes are possible, if you only believe in yourself that you are capable, and that you can scale the mountain of improbability. That, and hard work and effort, will lead you to success, nine times out of ten."
Andrew found Greybeard's incredible tale to be very inspiring. He would give it his best, no matter how improbable or impossible it was. That was all that was asked of him.
Greybeard and Andrew returned to the castle for dinner. Afterwards, Andrew joined the castle workers, who's practice it was to congregate in a large room on the third floor of the castle and sing, with the aid of a few instruments. Most of the tunes were simple, and he was able to catch on easily. It was a soothing way to end the day. Andrew went to sleep wondering what tomorrow would bring.