Love's Lost Decade

by Priceless911

Bk11/Ch3 Burden of the Oracle, the Chief, and the Changeling

Book 11/Chapter 3
Burden of the Oracle, the Chief, and the Changeling
(Year 6, Month 01, Day 7)

Zeil looked over a vast city from a large balcony in a tall gothic styled castle. Confused, Zeil looked at his hand to realize he was in his titan form as he mumbled, “What? Where am i?”
At that moment a tall slender creature approached him from behind as she spoke, “Apologies my love, I had some royal matters to attend to. I hope you did not wait long.”
Confused, Zeil turned to the creature in surprise, the anthropomorphic female was tall as a normal minotaur, but she was nothing of the sort, this creature seemed to resembled a teenage dragoness, but instead of scales the creature had a smooth but thick skin with long white hair on her head. On her back were large bat like wings while she had horns on her head similar to a demon. Though her legs did have backwards knees, she stood strait and prominent as she held out her clawed hand to him, “Shall we?”
Although Zeil was unsure, his body reacted with a different response as he smiled, “Of course my love, you say you wanted to show me something… lead the way.”
As Zeil reached out to take her hand, the vision started to fade as he immediately opened his eyes to find himself staring at the ceiling of a hut with tears rolling down his face.

Confused even more now, Zeil reached up and wiped his tiers away as he mumbled, “That vision… it wasn’t a vision… it was a memory. But… of what?”
As Zeil looked at his hoof, he realized he was in his reformed changeling form as he immediately had a flashback of a blood covered claw as he sat up in worry, “Kante!”
Almost as soon as he sat up, a surge of pain coursed through his entire body as Zeil immediately cringed before looking around to see a medical zebra in the corner of the room. However as soon as the mare saw him, she dropped the tray of utensils she was carrying as she rushed out of the hut in a combination of concern and fear. Falling back into the pillow in pain, Zeil gripped his side in pain as he looked down to see his stitched wound while at the same time seeing the cut over the top of his right arm. Trying to remember what happened Zeil thought to himself as Lady Zera and the concerned nurse entered the hut as Lady Zera smiled, “You’re alright… that’s a relief. It’s hard to see if you will awaken when I cannot see your future.” She looked to the nurse, “I will take it from here, go inform the chiefs of his progress.”
As the nurse left, Zeil tried to speak, “Lady Zera, the battle… the Southern Tribe, what happened? How long was I…”

With a calming voice, the oracle replied, “Shush, Ease your mind Mage Zeil, you have been unconscious for almost two days now. The battle never happened, and thanks to you, no war ever took place.”
Slightly relieved Zeil sighed as he cringed in his pain, “Oh… good… that’s… that’s good.”
She smiled, “That said… do you remember anything?”
Zeil thought to himself, “It’s… fuzzy, as if it were a dream. The last clear image I remember was… His eyes widened, “Kante in my arms…” he looked at Zera, “Kante… is… is she?”
Lady Zera sighed in disappointment as she replied, “Sister Kante of the North, has fallen in battle. Her death was quick, but… she died a warrior and has earned her mark.”
Looking back up to the ceiling, Zeil’s eyes started to tear up as he replied, “It… it’s my fault. I couldn’t protect her, if I had finished Muji like I was supposed to, then she wouldn’t have stepped into the fight. She wouldn’t have died protecting me.”

Lady Zera approached a table and started wetting a rag as she replied, “It couldn’t have been helped, it was her fate.”
Zeil shook his head, “No… it’s my fault… if I had focused her training around patience, if I had left her back at the tribe, if… if…”
Zera trotted to him with the wet rag as she shook her head, “It wouldn’t have changed it. She was fated to fall, and so she did. Don’t blame yourself for what was meant to happen.”
As she batted the rag over a bruise left on his face from the Chief’s punch he replied, “But she would have been safe. She wou… wait…” he gave her a curious look, “Fated?… did… did you know this would happen?”
Zera nodded as she left the rag next to him and trotted back to the table, “I did.”
Zeil started to get angry, “And you didn’t tell me?”
Zera approached the table, “It would have changed nothing.”

Zeil sat up, “You’re wrong. I could have prepared for it. I could have sent her away, I co-”
Zera insisted, “It would have made no difference.”
Zeil shook his head, “No she would be alive.”
“Something else would have killed her.”
Zeil replied, “And you could have seen that and I could have protected her then!”
Her tone became saddened, “It would still have ended the same.”
Zeil shook his head, “No it wouldn’t not if you had t-”
Zera flung the water bowl off the table as it hit the ground and shattered as she yelled, “Nothing could change it!... Nothing ever can! Don’t you understand!?! Everything I see happens… no matter what we try or what I say, if I see it, it will come to pass!”
Seeing her anger for the first time, Zeil held his silence as Zera wiped away her tears as she sighed, “When Kante’s father fell, she became withdrawn. For the first week she refused to eat or even speak. Worried, my husband asked me to look into her future. He didn’t mind if she never spoke to him, but he wanted to ease his mined in knowing she would find happiness in the near future. But what I saw… was anything but… The Young Warrior will stand between a spear and her friend thereby claiming her mark. This to her shall be her greatest day, as well as her last, for a warrior will meet a warrior’s end.” She looked at the ground in disappointment, “As her fate was seen, there it shall be. Nothing could have been done to change it.”

Though he was still angry, Zeil chose his word carefully as he replied, “I could have changed it.”
She replied, “Are you so sure? You saw it yourself didn’t you? When you arrived, my husband tried to change her fate by refusing to teach her to be a warrior. But with her hopes being on that sole purpose she choose to train herself even when it put here in danger. If he had pushed any harder, then he would only have driven her away. Then… she would have died alone with a feeling of abandonment. And that’s the last thing we wanted.”
Zeil replied, “Then why didn’t you tell me? or her for that matter, if she had only known then she-“
“Would hate us in denial… to tell one that their only dream is unachievable would cause more harm than good. And seeing how attached she was to you, we couldn’t let her hate the only brother she had. Telling you would have either caused you to push her away, to become reluctant in her training, or become overprotective. If she could have any sense of happiness before her death, I would prefer it be genuine.”
Zeil shook his head, “I still could have tried, there was still a chance to change it.”
She shook her head, “No… there wasn’t, no vision is ever falsely seen. Everything good, bad, and otherwise has happened just as I’ve seen it. Even when we try our hardest, nothing changes fate.”
Zeil didn’t reply, instead his looked to the ground in thought as he tried to think of a way he could have prevented this outcome.

Seeing his pondering, Lady Zera sighed, “Did you know… the burden of the Oracle is based on family?” Zeil looked at her as she continued, “Every other generation in my bloodline holds the power of the oracle. My grandmother held it before me, as did her grandmother before her. And should I have a granddaughter, so too will she hold this power. When I was at the age of ten, I had my very first vision. I saw a landslide crumble my home and warned my mother to the impending danger. Luckily my vision only saw my home destroyed, and no others hurt, so we all managed to evade the disaster, and so marked the day I officially became the oracle. Then forth, zebra from all tribes of Zebrica would travel to see me, in hopes that I can answer their most burdening futures. Some wanted to know of love, some, of future accomplishments. But then one came to me with worry. A stallion from Zebabwee, knew of an impending storm that would bring dangerous winds and flooding to his home. So he asked me, what would be the fate of his family. What I saw was concerning, his family would be fine to wait out the rains, but on the day of the storms arrival, I saw him being dragged to the depths by the burdens of his effort. In short, I saw him drown. And in concern for his safety I took it upon myself to warn him, but telling him the truth of his future. As any would in his situation, he chose to pack away his valuables and leave his home with the intent of returning after the storm has passed. And as expected, when the day the storm ravaged his home, he was far from the coast and traveling through the mainland. As he trotted, he came upon a small bridge that crossed a shallow river. But as he crossed, the planks below his hooves gave way and he fell into the water, only to be dragged to the river’s bottom by his hard earned valuables on his back. In only two meters of water far from the coast, the stallion met his end, on the day the storm’s winds blew upon his home. Just as I saw, it came to be.”

With the burden on her mind, Lady Zera looked down in sadness, as Zeil thought deeply about what he had heard. As he thought, Zera spoke, “I often wondered, if I had said nothing, would he had lived through the storm. But then, would I have seen anything, if I didn’t? To be the oracle is a burdensome curse, but… it is one that I must bear, and one that I must be cautious in its use. Sometimes, silence of one’s fate, is the best option, even if the fate is of misfortune.”
Zeil held his silence as lady Zera lost her motivation to stay, “You need your rest, for now do so… you have been through a lot.”
As she started to leave, Zeil stopped her, “Wait… first… tell me about what happened. What happened on the battlefield?”
Before Zera could reply, Chief Basarum entered the hut as he answered, “The battle if you can call it that, ended with only two casualties. Kante was killed fighting Chief Muji, and Chief Muji was killed by you.”
Zeil’s expression became surprised as Zera saw this and spoke, “So… you truly don’t remember what happened.”

Zeil placed his hoof on his head, “No… but… that means that my vow…”
Chief Basarum seemed less then concerned as he replied, “Your vow is still your own… Technically you didn’t kill him. But that remains to be seen.” He looked to Zera, “Chief Chuma and Chief Tanak have returned to their tribes. However, Chieftess Mimea Strongly suggests we stay till she can speak with Zeil.”
Zeil was confused, “Stay… you mean… this is the Western Tribes?”
As Zeil realized this, he started to notice that there was more humidity here then at the Northern Tribes which only let him to assume that they were in or near a rainforest or jungle as Chief Basarum nodded, “Yes, the western enchanters are best with medicine so we brought you here t-”
all of a sudden a commotion was heard outside the hut as a number of voices called out in anger. Although the voices were in too many numbers to hear clearly, it was obvious by the aura that Zeil felt that the voices came from many zebra who were all gathered in a fit of aggravation. Concerned, Chief Basarum trotted outside as Zera spoke to Zeil before following, “Stay here and rest.”
Outside a line of western tribal warriors stood with their spears ready as a group of unarmed Southern Tribe stallion stood in front of them, each speaking in anger as one spoke, “Stop protecting him! You know you would have been next if the chief’s didn’t step in.” another spoke, “Bring him out, he must answer for his crime!” then another, “If you protect him then you too are guilty!”

As the angry zebra protested, Chief Basarum and Lady Zera exited the hut as the chief tried to call over the herd, “Calm yourselves! This is a matter that must be settled with calm minds!”
The chief’s words did little as many continued to call in anger, “He’s a murderer!” “The Chief must be avenged!” “A life for a life!” “The mage has no privilege over our laws!”
one of the dominant members of the protest stepped forward as he started to speak, “IF YOU IGNORE HIS CRIME THEN YOU TOO WILL SER-“
all of a sudden, the zebra who was speaking as well as the rest of the protesting tribe silenced themselves as the lead stallions expression turned from anger to surprise as he took as step back and stared in worry. With the strange change from yelling to silence confusing the chief, Chief Basarum hesitated for a second before turning back to the hut’s entrance as he saw, Zeil exiting the hut behind him in his zebra form. Though he felt weak and pain ridden, Zeil perfectly hid his condition as he stepped out of the hut with a dominant stance and an expressionless gaze that caused all within proximity to feel unease.

The leader of the riot wanted to continue protesting, but as he starred into the eyes of the future mage, he couldn’t bring himself to say a single word as the area felt tense with awkward silence. Finally the silence ended as another voice spoke up, “Enough of this!!!”
At that moment another Southern Tribe stallion entered the area with a few following warriors as he spoke, I told you this matter needed to be dropped, so stop this now and return to the tribe!”
The lead spoke again, “Chief Shaka, you of all should agree. Chief Muji was murdered in cold blood. The mage must speak for his death.”
Zeil was surprised, “Chief?”
Chief Basarum nodded, “That’s right you’ve been asleep for a few days. Mage Zeil, this is Chief Shaka. He was the lead Warrior of the Southern Tribe but now he is the newly appointed Chief.”

Chief Shaka spoke, “Chief Muji was unwell. His actions against the Northern Tribe were unjustified to begin with, therefor he, his duel, and even his death will not be validated due to his defilement of tribal law.”
The stallion argued, “Chief Muji was a chief! His death was deliberate and subject to response!”
Chief Basarum held his head high as he replied with authority, “Chief Muji was a brother and a friend to me when we were young. His actions to infiltrate and attack my tribe were traitorous, and to challenge the mage, a brother to the Northern Tribe to a duel was one more scare on his memory as a noble chief. He was given many chances to be spared, and yet he proceeded to fight a meaningless fight. For that, I hate to say, he died a meaningless death. He will be missed as a friend from long ago, but his final memory to us will not be a pleasant one.”
Zeil was surprised, this was the first time he had actually been called a brother to the Northern Tribe by Chief Basarum, but disregarding that, he looked to the Southern Tribe zebra as he spoke, “I cannot admit that my actions were without my control. But what I can say is that even before losing myself to darkness, I did all that I could to spare him, and since he turned it down, he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions.”

The leader of the mob replied, “You murdered our chief in cold blood!!!”
“AND OUR CHIEF MURDERED MAXIMUS!!!”
Shocked, every zebra in the area looked to Chief Shaka as the angry chief continued, “I was there, I helped build that dam to stop the river from feeding into the Northern Tribe. I helped relay messages from Maximus to Chief Muji over the Northern Tribes and their defense secrets. And yes I stood by and watched as Chief Muji gave the order to kill Maximus right in front of us, only to hide his own guilt even after he was so plainly discovered by the mage. If I am to stand trial for my actions then I will accept responsibility and pay the price for my crimes. But don’t think for a second that what happened to Maximus was a fault of any other then Chief Muji himself. If the chief was so willing to throw one so loyal to the slaughter to save his own pride, then what would he do to any others who even questioned him? All of us are at fault for his actions. Not Maximus, not the Northern Tribe, and certainly not the Mage. If Chief Basarum is to shun us forever, then he is well within his right to do so. What happens next, is entirely of the chief, and the mage’s decision. If we are still an imbalance that must be fixed, then they must do so. But if they are willing to forgive us and allow us a chance to repent. Then I would be grateful that mercy could be shown after all we did.” He looked to Chief Basarum and bowed his head slightly, “Chief we are at your decision, for our crimes of carrying out the words of one who is unwell, what is your verdict?”

Chief Basarum spoke with little concern, “What’s done is done and I'm willing to let it be as it is. Mage Zeil? Do you agree? Or do you feel that balance is still shifted?”
Zeil nodded, “Chief Muji was a pain, but since he is gone, I think it will be better if we just let this go and move on. I would rather see Zebrica at peace then to see it at war.”
Chief Shaka smiled, “Then… let us continue at peace.”
The leading stallion continued to argue, “Peace? PEACE? Easy to say when y-”
“This matter is settled here and now!”
As that was said, Chieftess Memia and a large collection of Western warriors entered the area as the Chieftess spoke, “You heard your chief, this matter is settled and will stop this instant… If you insist on challenging Mage Zeil to a fight, then as a guest to my tribe I and my warriors will have to get involved and protect him. Though, I would fear that he wouldn’t need it. After all, it did take the effort of three tribal chiefs to defeat him the first time… I would hate to see what wouldn’t happen, should he face you, with us on his side this time.”

The stallion hesitated at the thought before looking to his new chief as he replied, “The tribe won't stand for this.”
Chief Shaka replied, “They will get over it… I will not be the fool who picks a fight with the Mage of Zebrica.”
With nothing more to say the stallion and his mob of angry zebra turned and left the area as Zeil looked to the new Chief, “Chief Shaka was it? I want to thank you for defending me.”
The chief looked to Zeil and nodded, “You are welcome Mage Zeil, but I would advise you stay away from the Southern Tribe for a while, there are many who would disagree with me for the time being. And even more who are too terrified to say so.”
Zeil nodded, “I understand, I hope you know that the one who killed Chief Muji, wasn’t the real me.”
The chief nodded as he turned to completely face Zeil, “I don’t understand, but… I won't disagree with the Mage of Zebrica, I for one respect your title.” He looked at one of his guards, “Bring it forth”

One of the guards brought a cloth wrapped object forward as the chief took the cloth and held it out to Zeil, “However informal this is, let it be known that I Chief Shaka of the Southern Tribe recognize and accept you Mage Zeil, as the true Mage of Zebrica.” He opened the cloth to reveal a very small dashiki made of black, white, and grey bones and claws, “When you and Chief Muji faced each other in combat, you showed acceptable strategy and skill in every action in hope of forcing him to surrender so that the Southern Tribe would not lose its chief. And though his ignorance still led to his death your attempt was still recognized.”
Chief Shaka trotted around Zeil and placed the dashiki around his neck as he spoke, “For this, I will present you with this dashiki of the Southern Tribe. Wear it with pride as proof that we will always accept you as our next Mage of Zebrica.” After it was secured, Chief Shaka stepped back as he adjusted the neckwear until it was centered then smiled, “Wear it with honor Mage Zeil, and may good fortune smile upon you, and your power.”

With that said, Chief Shaka bowed slightly to Zeil before turning away and leaving the area as his personal guards turned and followed him out of the area. As Chief Shaka left, Chieftess Mimea approached as she spoke, Recognized by three in one day… I would have assumed it would take a while considering the fear you pressed into their hearts.”
Zeil nodded, “If only I knew what I had done, then I could bet- Wait… did you say three?”
Chieftess Mimea looked to Chief Basarum, “You didn’t tell him?”
Zeil looked to Chief Basarum as he sighed before reaching into his saddlebag, “I wanted to wait till he was rested, but now is as good a time as any.” He pulled out a dagger, “Zeil, Chief Chuma brought this to you yesterday in hopes of presenting it to you. Just as the dashiki was presented for the Southern Chief’s acceptance, Chief Chuma presents you with this in acceptance from the Eastern Tribe. He mentioned that you were recognized for your ability to use your spear and hooves in perfect combination of adaptation that is always respected of the Easter Tribe. So, this is now yours, and yyou are forever recognized as the Mage of Zebrica to the Eastern Tribe.”

Zeil took the dagger and examined the blade as he immediately recognize it, “Wait… this is the same dagger the mage had… I mean, the mage that I met in the Wooden Pergola Forest.”
Chieftess Mimea nodded as she two held out an artifact. This one was a ring that was cut to resemble a C shape as she spoke, “Now for me… For the record, I had accepted you from the very start Mage Zeil. From the moment I laid eyes on you before the assembly, I could sense your magic and purpose. That you were to become the next Mage of Zebrica.”
The Chieftess held out the ring to Zeil as he smiled and started to take it, “Thank you chieftess, I'm happy t-“
“But now I'm not so sure…”
Surprised, Zeil silenced himself as the chieftess withdrew the ring and held it back as she gave him a stern look, “You allowed the darkness to consume and control you. You let your emotions get the better of you and surrendered yourself so easily to your darker side. I defended you from the Southern Tribe this once, but should it happen again, then I will leave you to the wolves.”

Zeil was surprised by her change in tone, usually she was always so peaceful and supportive, but seeing this side of her actually made him worried that she was more threatening then he originally assumed. Seeing this Chief Basarum started to speak, “I think your being a little hard on h-“
Her anger turned to him, “You’re not out of the fire either, Enchanter Of Light… is it not your task to teach Mage Zeil what he must understand about keeping hold of his lighter side? Exactly what have you taught him thus far? What is the progress of the Mage of Zebrica?”
Chief Basarum replied, “He learned to conceal his magic and pick a Blood Rose. He can see when balance shifts and has already met Somnambula in Duet. And he also knows his mage ability and is learning to control it. Right now, all he needs is to read the first page of the tome, then complete the spell. Then he will be ready to face my final trial and his.”
She nodded, “I see… then let me ask one thing.” She looked to Zeil, “Mage Zeil… I was told that you made a vow… and now it is broken. Tell me… what will you do now that you broke such a vow.”
Realizing it, Zeil started thinking to himself as the Chieftess noticed his silence and continued, “Why make such a vow in the first place… what did you want to accomplish by refraining from killing?”

Zeil hesitated before replying, “I… I don’t want to hurt others anymore. I made this vow, because… I feel like… if… if I hurt others, then Zecora would be unhappy. Unhappy that, others had to die for me to get back to her.”
She shook her head, “I don’t think that is true. I think that killing others reminds you of something you dislike about yourself. If I were to guess, it reminds you of a time before you met Zecora. A time when killing was common.”
Though he didn’t realize it before Zeil couldn’t help but feel like her words were true as Chief Basarum replied, “Perhaps… it reminds you of when you were more of a changeling. When you followed your queen and did her bidding.”
Zeil could only pause in realization as Chieftess Mimea understood his silence and spoke, “I suppose even you don’t understand this as much as you thought… very well. Until further notice, you are unsafe outside of this tribe. I would advise staying here for a few days until the rest of the tribes calm down. After what happened to Chief Muji, you should understand why they are nervous of you.” she held out the ring to him, “You are welcomed here Mage Zeil, and if needed you can continue your training while you are with us. All I ask is that you be mindful of my tribe zebra, they may feel uneasy for a bit, but they know that if you lose yourself again, that we are the only ones who can restrain your magic.”

Feeling guilty Zeil nodded, “I understand, thank you Chieftess.”
The Western chief nodded with a smile as she Handed Zeil the ring and spoke, “Good, as for this, it’s a token to all Western enchanters. Wear it on your dominant arm to show all that you hold in your hoof, the power to make a difference. And of course, that you are forever recognized as the Mage of Zebrica by the Western Tribe.”
Zeil took the ring and ran his right arm through it till it tightened and held its place on his bicep. With the symbol of honor secured on his right forearm, Zeil smiled, “Thank you Chieftess, I will wear it with honor.”
Chieftess Mimea smiled as she looked to Chief Basarum and spoke, “Teach him well… But, don’t disappoint me…”
Feeling odd that she scolded him, Chief Basarum gave Chieftess Mimea a confused look as the chief trotted away with her warriors following. After the western chief was gone Chief Basarum spoke, “Wait… why did I get in trouble?”
Lady Zera smiled, “Because she has faith in you.”

As Zeil thought about the Chieftess’s words he couldn’t help but feel confused, “Chief Basarum… you are the Enchanter of Light… but… now that I think about it. You really haven’t taught me much magic at all.”
Lady Zera smiled, “That’s because he isn’t supposed to teach you magic. In fact, my husband knows no real magic to begin with aside from meditation, and a few self-defense spells.”
Zeil looked to Chief Basarum in surprise, “But… you were Zecora’s teacher.”
The chief nodded, “I was, I taught her to sense magic and to hide her own. I didn’t teach her anymore then what she taught you. Her magic teacher was actually of this tribe… but…”
Lady Zera continued, “She passed last year. The Western Tribes were blighted with a plague and she was amongst the victims. It affected the elderly much worse than the rest.”

Chief Basarum nodded, “She was a wise enchantress. But she too had more to teach to Zecora before she left.”
Lady Zera spoke, “Zecora found her way… we cannot hold a grudge for her own decision.”
Chief Basarum sighed with a slightly angry tone, “Speak for yourself.”
Zeil couldn’t help but feel confused at Chief Basarum’s anger as Lady Zera saw this and spoke, “Do not take offense Mage Zeil. We all have our defects. With me… it’s my curse of seeing the guaranteed future, with my husband, it’s the disappointment of losing his best student.”
Zeil nodded, “I see… and losing your daughter probably threw salt on that wound also right?”
Lady Zera smiled, “I see you understand… but I have been thinking of what the Chieftess mentioned. She said something about the true reason for you vow… tell me… do you resent your changeling race?”
Zeil was confused, “What?”
She continued, “She mentioned that killing reminds you of your changeling life before Zecora… is this true?”

Zeil sighed with preparation for his response as he replied, “Have you ever taken a life?”
Zera shook her head, “No.”
Chief Basarum replied with little enthusiasm, “I have but not without reason.”
Zeil nodded as he continued, “Before Zecora, before I renounced my queen and my swarm. I’ve taken many lives. And through them all, I did it without hesitation, pity, or even enough concern to remember their names. But after I met Zecora, after she showed me the value of life by saving my own, after she showed me the magic around us in all living things. I understood what I did to those poor souls. And that was after recently taking the life of a royal guard in Canterlot. Since then, I remember everything about him. He was a Corporal name Stan. He wasn’t too high in rank and he had no family to speak of so it was easy taking his place to infiltrate the castle. The way I did it, was by luring him into an ally acting as a mare in distress… he… only wanted to help out of the goodness of his heart. But I didn’t care. I killed him disguised myself as him and took his place in the kingdom. Now that I understand how heartless that makes me look, I feel nothing but disgust for who I was. And I can only assume if Zecora saw me like that… then she would feel the same way I do. She would be ashamed to even know me.”

Lady Zera nodded as she replied, “So… that’s why you take the form of a zebra… your ashamed of your changeling self.”
Zeil nodded as Chief Basarum replied, “I see… so the vow was an attempt to change how you see yourself.”
Zeil looked at his zebra form hoof as he replied, “If I look at my changeling form, even my reformed self, I only see a murderer. A parasite that feeds on love like a gluten leaving none to spare. Following the orders of a queen like a mindless drone. And hurting all I cross in my wake.”
Chief Basarum smiled, “It’s a good thing that you’re anything but. Even if you killed Chief Muji, you did so while showing as much mercy as you could. You tried to spare him and even killed him for the good of all of Zebrica. You are anything but a mindless drone, you are the Mage of Zebrica. And I Chief Basarum of the North Recognize you. It goes without saying, but the Northern Tribe now respect you more than ever. You saved us, and I know without a doubt, Zecora would feel the same. We cannot decide how we respond when fate throws obstacles in our way. But how we respond can always be seen as the response from a sinner, or a saint. I for one am happy to see you in this light, Vow or not.” He turned to leave, “Take this win, and rest easy. The tribes will be unsure for a while, but I think in time they will each understand what had to be done.”

With those as his last bit of advice, Chief Basarum trotted away as Zeil could only watch before speaking to Lady Zera, “How is he so sure?”
Zera replied, “Because he lost a friend. Despite his actions, Chief Muji was a friend of ours. I'll even admit when his passed, I shed a tear for him. I wasn’t happy he was gone, and I did feel a sense of relief. But as I think about it. I remember when we all knew each other very well. I knew a time were we could laugh together, and feel no worry for the future. And though he shouldn’t show it. My husband is far more emotional in this subject then I. I shed a tear, he wept. We won't blame you for what happened nor will admit it was the best choice. But what you did, you did in the interest of helping the Northern Tribe. So you have our thanks. But… you’re training isn’t over. The purpose of the Enchanter of light is to remind you of your light side, while learning to harness your darkness. Now that you know what your darkness is capable of, know that you must learn to control it. Take this lesson and move forward. As we all must.”
Lady Zera started to leave as Zeil stopped her, “I can't do that so easily, Kante, my vow… how can I carry on knowing that this darkness can overtake me so easily?”

Zera nodded as she smiled, “Kante has fallen, but she fell as a warrior and will be remembered as such. Your vow is broken, but one can argue that it wasn’t you who broke it. and as for your darkness, it only took hold when you lost the will to continue. Remember the darkness is within you but you yourself are the light. You hold more control, and as long as you do, you will never have to see yourself as that changeling you used to be. Zecora believes in you, I know she does, as do I.” She started to trot away, “May good fortune smile upon you Mage Zeil… and your burden.”
With those words as her last, Lady Zera trotted away as Zeil now stood alone outside the medical hut as he took the time to look around at his surroundings with her words circling in his mind. Looking at the surroundings of a village in the Zebrican jungle, Zeil slowly looked to his zebra hoof before changing it into his changeling form as he mumbled, “My burden… is she talking about this… or the Mage.”

Comments

[tsaukpaetra]

The answer, of course, is "yes".