#zinal

“I figured it out.” Spara announced, waltzing into the ballroom with a flair. “The giant’s scared of magic.” 

The council paused their discussions, looking up at the prince. “I beg your pardon?” Magdalene was the first to speak. “What on earth brings you to that conclusion?”

“It’s obvious when you actually take a moment to think about it.” Spara scoffed. “Every instance of magic has driven him mad. He’s lashing out in fright.”

Zinal shook his head. “That’s not plausible. Magic is an innate source of natural energy. To be afraid of magic is as implausible as a fear of drinking water.”

“I agree with Lord Zinal.” Magdalene nodded with an air of one who believes herself wise. “As the resident expert on the matter, I know that the beast is merely frightened by its surroundings. It’s taking time to adjust.”

Spara huffed, annoyed at the backlash. He was never taken seriously by his advisors, likely due to his youth. “How much time will that take, exactly? It seems as though at this rate we should exhaust all possible avenues to get the giant to open up.”

“Perhaps we ought to keep it scared.” Lord Zinal chuckled. “The fearful are more cooperative.”

“Oh yes, he’s been nothing but cooperative.” Spara rolled his eyes, silencing the Lord. “I’m certain on this point and will not waver. Given the opportunity, I could get the giant to trust me, without using magic.”

At this brazen declaration, the hall went quiet.

“And what exactly are you proposing?” The King spoke up, humoring his son. “Magic is what has been providing us an advantage over the beast. To put down one’s greatest asset seems reckless.”

Spara nodded, acknowledging his point. “As Lord Zinal so helpfully pointed out, magic is a natural part of life. In the case of emergency, I would still be able to wield it safely. My casting abilities and reflexes far outpass Magdalene’s, making me a better candidate for such a mission.”

Magdalene glared at the young prince across the room, clearly displeased with his observation. The King gave a noise of consideration, gazing at his son as if to size him up. Prince Spara straightened his posture, standing tall under his father’s scrutiny.

“...very well, Spara.” The King yielded. “You are granted permission to take over Magdalene’s duties to gain the beast’s trust. Be careful.”

📍 Zinal Valais 🇨🇭

9.3 kms 354m ascenso 251m descenso

Prince Spara glanced up, waiting with the rest of the diplomatic party for Lady Magdalene's return. “Any luck?” He asked.

Sadly, the Lady merely shook her head. “It was fruitless. Even going alone and in the light of day, the beast still refused to drink.”

“It’ll get hungry sooner or later.” Lord Zinal pointed out. “Not ideal, but it has to crack any day now.”

“Or it plans to starve itself.” The Duke pointed out with a shrug.

“We don’t even know what it eats.” Spara reminded them with a scowl. “For all we know, it’s Kitlevs.” The others ignored this, used to the prince’s snide comments.

“Well, if it would agree to cooperate, at least we could begin testing out what’s palatable.” Lord Zinal scoffed, referring to the stored rations prepared for the giant once it proved to be docile enough to be fed. The king had the mages working full time to prepare a feast of proportions suitable to the creature, and yet it was still unapproachable.

Several of the citizens of Aurora had been confined to their homes, forbidden from entering the streets while the beast was levitated into the caverns beneath the city. The caves were hollowed from years of mining, the walls converted into prison cells for those unruly enough to be kept out of public eye. Nowadays these cells were empty, and the large chamber had been converted to fit the beast instead. The chains were enchanted to be enlarged, containing the beast lest it lashed out. When the giant was secured, there was only a small diplomatic party present waiting for it to wake, including General Calder, Lady Magdalene, Lord Zinal, the Duke of Erepose, Prince Spara, and King Naedes. All other prying eyes were kept away.

It had started so well. The giant woke up, shifting but not struggling. Calder was the one to notice the change, and alerted the others the time had come. The beast appeared confused, intelligent eyes trying to scan in an unfamiliar environment. Magdalene illuminated the cavern, drawing its attention. The King stepped forwards, explaining they meant no harm. The beast seemed to respond, but the words it formed were meaningless, if they were words at all and not a poor imitation tactic. 

It was at this point Magdalene stepped forward, raising her arm to offer the initial peace treaty. “Here is a drink, for your thirst.” She explained, raising a barrel of freshwater up to eye level for the giant to inspect.

And that’s where it all went wrong.

The giant panicked. It shrieked, deafening the Kitlevians as it scrambled backwards, shoving itself practically into the rocky wall to avoid the innocent barrel.

“What the devil is it doing?!” Prince Spara hissed, covering his ears. Lady Magdalene had quickly brought the barrel back away from the giant, but the beast was not pacified. It continued to hunch over on itself, turning its attention to the Kitlevians as it growled threateningly.

Calder frowned, not certain he could trust the signs in front of his own eyes. “It’s … frightened.”

“Frightened?” Lord Zinal huffed. “Of what, a barrel?”

“It could be a delayed reaction.” Lady Magdalene offered. “A new environment can produce a stress response.”

The duke snorted. “Yeah, for prey animals that don’t know better. So much for your intelligence theory.” 

“Magdalene, douse the lights.” The king ordered, and the lady hastened to comply.

Even in the dark, the creature continued to cry out. The group took a collective step back, holding their breath as they listened to the continued struggles of the beast.

“Do you want me to neutralize it again, sire?” Calder asked, bow drawn as his feline eyes adjusted to the dark.