Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 14:50:20 -0800 (PST)
From: Corey Perez <blade_singer@go.com>
Subject: Eternal Dream-7 (Gay,male,Fantasy)series...

	Just to let you all know, I haven't forgotten either the story, or
any of you.  I have had a new Job lately (programming once more Yea me!),
and it has taken up a lot of my time.  That combined with not having my own
computer has created a great Drag on my being able to post the stories.

	It's also given me time to bask in the Glory of the Emails sent to
me from people who enjoy the story, and has made my ego so powerful, I must
now beat it back with a club just to keep it in line ;-)

	Well, enough of the boring points of my existence, so that I can
get on to what you REALLY want.

  And so, as Promised.....

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Part VII

	"You aren't the only person who loved Ethan...."

	Those words, spoken with quiet dignity, rocked the King to the
core.  Now was not the time for his own private grief, not when his people
hurt almost as much as he did.

	Kail rose, and washed his face, taking time to make sure he looked
like the Ruler he was supposed to be.  He inhaled deeply, and stepped
outside to face his guests.

				     *

	For the last few hours, ever since the King had been taken into his
pavilion, Andy was getting an education in Magic.  He had been shown how to
weave patterns of Fire or Air to hold off opponents, or seal off areas.
She had showed him how to use the Soothing power of the Water to heal the
wounds on people's flesh, and Air and Spirit to heal the wounds of the
Mind.

	Annea could only feel shock at how fast the Andy would pick up on
what she taught him.  She had been surprised when he had asked her to show
him Magic, and so, to humor him, she had created images of Fire, and Air.
She had made them dance with each other in a distracting manner, and tied
off the spell to keep him occupied.

	True shock came when she saw HIM weave images of his own to dance
with hers, and then wove the two spells together.  It had taken Annea years
of study, and hard work learning magical and elemental Theory to be able to
work the simplest of Magic's.  At first she believed that the boy was an
apprentice mage, or perhaps a young practitioner who was still new to the
field, and was playing with her.

	Then he asked her to show him more.

	For three hours she had woven one spell after another, and for
three hours he watched intently, and then had duplicated her efforts with
only a single demonstration.  He seemed to intuitively understand how the
Elements worked together, and seemed able to re-work the spells as he cast
them.  And to add to the boy's incredible talent, when she tried to show
him how to disrupt the flow of another's spells, she had utterly failed.
Her blade of Spirit energy had disintegrated the instant it touched his
spells, destroyed by the sheer power behind his workings.

	Shaken, Annea called an end to the lesson as soon as she saw King
Kail come out of his pavilion.  Excusing herself hurriedly, she almost fled
to the King's side.

	"Your Majesty."  She said quietly "The boy, Andy...  He is
Powerful, far more so than I am."

	The King looked down at her thoughtfully "Who trained him?"  He
asked, equally quiet.

	"I did, your Majesty." She looked him right in the eye "I trained
him in everything I know in under three hours." She shivered "He has
absorbed everything I could show him, and then has shown an ability to work
with it that would make the Archmagi envious."

	Kail looked from her to the boy that looked so much like his son, a
boy who could also wield Magic... With a slight smile he realized he had a
plan, one that might lift up the spirit of his people, and give him a
weapon against the Orks.

"Find Lance, and bring him, and our two guests into the Pavilion.  Move
quickly Annea, we have little time."  And with that, he returned to his
Pavilion.

				     *

Ter'Zhull the Black, mighty Shaman of Kerlack, God of the Orks, moved
around his tent anxiously, his gaze occasionally falling on a crystal
mounted on top of his staff.  Twice now he had needed to quell the spirit
that dwelled within it.

Recently bound spirits were usually a problem.  They always tried to break
free, and time had to be spent teaching them their place.  This spirit was
different.  All the others he had ever captured in his 300 years of life
had learned to accept their fate as a means to power his great Magic.

But this soul was stronger than any other he had ever bound, and he still
had to fight for every bit of power he drew from it.  Perhaps it was the
price Kerlack wanted him to pay for the power he gained from it.  For
indeed, it was the most powerful soul he had ever taken in all the years of
his life.

And he needed it to make the Elven Capital of El'Analon his own.  Need it's
power to break down the enchantments that kept them from taking the
buildings, and setting up a Temple to Kerlack... enchantments that kept him
out of the Great Library.

The thought of what he could do with the Books stored there made him shiver
with delight.

"All knowledge is power" he said to himself "and all knowledge will be
mine."

				     *

The Historian shuddered at the thought of Orks rampaging through the Great
Library.  They would wind up destroying countless books in their frenzy of
destruction, and all that knowledge would be lost for all time.

He could only pray that it would not come to that.

				     *

Andy gaped at the King's pavilion.  He had never seen such beautiful
fabrics, and intricate designs.  The braziers, which provided light and
warmth were wrought of deeply carved Bronze, and gilded with gold inlay,
and the smoke that drifted out of them smelled of incense. The room's
tables were covered with maps and charts, reports from all over as well as
wax and large brass Seals.

He ran his hand over the back of a carved wooden chair.  Thick cushions lay
in the seat of it, held up by arms shaped to look like the paws of a Lion
outstretched.

"Sit."  King Kail said from the chair he occupied.  "Make yourselves at
ease.  I have something I must discuss with you."  Kail waited for Erin,
Andy, Lance, and Annea to take their seats before he continued.  "I have
had a thought, and it will require your consent."  This directed at Andy,
"and the cooperation of the rest of you."

He paused for a moment, studying the face of the young man who looked so
like his lost son. "You most likely have heard how much like my son Ethan
you look..." He began quietly. "An appearance that makes even me wonder if
you are not my son returned to me. I know that you are not Ethan, but
maybe, just maybe... you can fill the void his death left in the Kingdom."

The faces of Lance, Andy and Annea showed confusion, Erin's showed
realization and disapproval.

"I would like you to pretend to be my son Ethan... I want you to
demonstrate your power and tell people that you were able to use your Magic
to convince the Orks that you had died so that you could all escape."

"I don't know anything about being a Price!"  Andy exclaimed, "And I'm no
good at lying."

Kail smiled softly "Then all you have to do is let us lie... just simply
don't contradict us."  He looked at Lance whose face was dead white, and
his eyes wide with outrage.

"You WILL back this up Lance.  After all, there is no body, and no ashes to
dispute this, now are there?"  His eyes turned to Annea.

"Your son will need to have a Kingdom if he is to be King.  Without
something to give the people Courage and strength, all we have will fall to
the Orks in short order."

"You, your Highness," he said to Erin. "Will have the hardest part of all.
You will have to pretend to be the Betrothed to a man pretending to be a
Prince.  But worry not; this farce will end before you are required to
marry.  We must liberate the city of El'Analon before we can have such a
ceremony anyway.  And in the meantime, we should be able to rally the
remaining Elves to our banner and perhaps even rescue your Father."

Erin said nothing, only looking at his feet.  He wanted to stand up and
shout how he DID want to marry Andy, but instead he quietly asked "And who
am I supposed to Marry?  You know as well as I do that I MUST marry a Human
Prince to maintain the Cycle.  Everyone knows that, and will wonder why I
do not marry him."

Kail smiled softly "Annea's son will fill that role your Highness, and the
Cycle will be maintained.  As for why, well, we shall cross that bridge
when we come to it.  Either way, I will make sure that you are taken care
of Andy, and that you will be well rewarded for your help in this."

Andy didn't want to do it, he had no desire to pretend to be a Prince, and
he certainly did NOT want Erin to marry someone else.  He opened his mouth
to say just that, but the only words that came out were "Yes, I will do
it."

Blinking in surprise he wondered how that had happened...

				     *

The Historian gaped in astonishment as he saw the spirit speak through the
boy, binding the young man to a course that seemed illogical, even
suicidal.  For if the Orks found this out, they would stop at nothing to
Hunt down young Andy, and kill him so that the Cycle would be broken...

A cycle begun by the very spirit that spoke those words.  The Historian
continued to watch at the five people planned to fool three nations, and in
doing so, try to preserve the world they knew.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

 Ok, there it is, part VII, and coming soon, the action begins in Part VIII!


Hope you all like it, and that you enjoy the next

Corey Perez