Out of the Shadows

This is my first attempt at Fanfic, but please give me your honest opinion. I do have a bit more to tell, but I'm anxious to get this up and see what y'all think.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a bit of a spoiler warning necessary in replies, if you know what I mean(or at least you will after reading)...
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MY EDITOR: BLACK MARY!

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It was a sad day when the hemispheres of Eternia were split by the formidable Hordak, and although the malevolent warlord had been repaid in kind for his misdeeds, it was Eternia and its people that had truly suffered for his treachery. For each time the armies of the Horde rose, the forces of Grayskull had would rise to the challenge, yet the resilient and resourceful Hordak continually came back to haunt Eternia. However, it was not often we hear of the other planets and realms which were affected by this madman’s ceaseless obsession of conquering worlds.

Not long after Hordak’s third banishment to Despondos, Norwyn, one of Hordak’s most powerful sorcerers made a foolish mistake in his attempt to free himself and the rest of the Horde from Despondos. He opened a vortex portal, which left gaping holes in many realms, but most importantly, left bridges from Eternia to Despondos and from the glooms of Despondos to the realm of Etheria. As a native of Etheria, Norwyn’s connection to Etheria was so strong, that the inadvertent opening of that tertiary portal could not be prevented.

Once freed from Despondos, hundreds of Hordesmen entered Eternia through the vortex portal, which just happened to open near the very gates of Grayskull itself. Fortunately Grayskull’s army forced the Horde back and away from the mystic Castle, but little did they know that they had crossed the portal barriers of Despondos, and eventually invaded the peaceful soils of Etheria.

A small Etherian village called Mysticor near the tertiary portal was pillaged by the techno horror of the Horde, and was further decimated by the unwitting Grayskull’s army that pursued the Horde here. The resulting devastation was great, yet neither side seemed to notice that their war had crossed over into another dimension; for the Horde, they hardly cared, while the stalwart men of Grayskull remained ignorant of the fact that their conflict had destroyed the lives of many Mysticorians. The king of Mysticor, Admix Aspella, was greatly angered by this, and cast a mighty spell which decimated the opposing armies. The spell unfortunately weakened King Aspella so much that both armies were able to retreat.

Not long after the horrible battle a young girl named Senka returned from butterfly hunting in the woods. Senka was an adventurous waif and a dabbler in magic, who nonetheless only employed her burgeoning magical abilities for such trivial pastimes as capturing butterflies. When she arrived back at her family’s hut and discovered her family had been slain in the crossfire of the outlander armies, shock and grief overcame her that she lost control of the binding spell over the captive butterflies. The residual energy of such a strong spell emanating from such a novice caught the attention of Norwyn, who was still covering the retreat of the Horde in the wake of the battle. Norwyn, although one of Hordak’s most powerful sorcerers was not nearly as heartless as his master; he saw in Senka potential and felt pity for her. He approached Senka and gave a poor excuse of an apology for what had happened to her family and explained to her about King Grayskull’s vicious forces.

“For you see my dear, the Council of elders is a tyrannical dictatorship. They decide who does and does not have freedom on Eternia. The Horde was simply trying to escape from Despondos to be free.”

Realizing that the portals between the three worlds would soon close, Norwyn offered to take Senka under his wing and teach her all that he knew. Senka, confused and overwrought with grief and anger, agreed, unaware that doing so would mean spending her remaining days in a hellish dimension - Grayskull’s army had erected a barricade at the gate of the portal between Eternia and Despondos, and the portal to Etheria would soon close as well.

At the very moment Senka and Norwyn crossed over into Despondos, Queen Veena was forcing Hordak back into imprisonment by closing the portal to Eternia. Norwyn realized that Hordak would be greatly angered by his defeat and decided to hide Senka from him. Norwyn was, of course, correct in surmising that Hordak’s rage would roil, yet he knew that he would also be protected from the mighty one’s wrath as long as they were in Despondos. Norwyn had gained the favor of Horde Prime, the dark brother of Hordak and ruler of Despondos, by providing the dark lord with the ability to open portals all across the universe, and he knew this protected him against their wrath.

Soon after the Horde war had demolished the lands of Mysticor, King Aspella recovered from his debilitating spell and ordered his guards and forces to begin reconstruction of the kingdom. Days passed as troops waded through the carnage and destruction to rebuild what once was beautiful and wonderful, when one of Aspella’s younger soldiers named Neero came across a fallen warrior. From the emblems on the stranger’s armor he could tell that this man came from the legion of soldiers who battled the army of mechanical terror. The fallen soldier was buried under a pile of rubble, and Neero was astonished by the man’s groans when he happened by. As Neero approached, the fallen warrior began to move, his eyes fluttered and this startled the young Mysticorian.

King Aspella, who was nearby overseeing the clean up, hurried over to answer Neero’s call. The King looked down at the soldier, just as shocked at his survival as Neero was, yet he stood firm and said, “You there, who are you?”

The fallen soldier replied hoarsely. “My name is Lighthope…”


Part II

Several years passed and Senka went unnoticed by Hordak, as Norwyn kept her hidden away in his humble hut. Over the years Norwyn grew to love Senka as his own child, even though she was often defiant, oftimes reclusive as a result of her childhood trauma. Nevertheless, Senka reveled in the sorcery which she was being taught; at times it seemed that Norwyn could not teach her quickly enough as she eagerly devoured the knowledge imparted by his books, however, it did seem to him that she glossed over them a little too quickly. Eventually, the day came when Senka’s powers began to rival Norwyn’s. As she entered late adolescence, it seemed that his control over the girl was fading rapidly.

Finally one day, Senka was experimenting with teleportation magic and unexpectedly appeared in the throne room of Hordak himself. There he sat in all his unholy grandeur, a malevolent presence as befit the ruler of the Horde; his ominous presence was so overpowering that it cowed even the brazen Senka. Quickly, she prepared to teleport away when he began to speak in an even tone.

“Who are you, child?”

“My name is Senka, Lord Hordak…” She replied at somewhat of a raspy whisper. She was amazed she could even speak in the presence of the warlord.

“And just who do you think you are really, appearing before me unannounced in my throne room?”

“I am sorry to have disturbed you, I was simply experimenting with a teleportation spell which Norw-” Senka stopped herself when she realized what she was saying, but it was too late.

“So, you are an apprentice of Norwyn, are you? And just where has he been hiding you?”

“Lord Hordak, please do not harm him, he has been as a father to me, and we have-”

Hordak stood up from his throne and cut her off in a booming voice. “Silence child, do not presume to tell me what I will and will not do!”

With that, the warlord approached her and lifted her by the waist in one hand. Senka screamed in fear and began the incantation for her teleportation spell, when suddenly Norwyn appeared into the throne room as well. In an unexpected and ultimate show of bravery, Norwyn pulled out his magical wand from his robes and pointed it at Hordak. “Please my lord, do not harm her!”

In response, Hordak chortled. “You fool; you dare to threaten my greatness? Have you not been paying attention all these years? Hordak does not know mercy.”

Suddenly the throne room began to shake violently; sending vats and vases crashing to the cold, stone floor, while smoke filled the hall. Hordak was startled and dropped the frightened Senka. Norwyn ran over to her, and began to utter an enchantment when suddenly they were all immobilized – nor were they able to speak.

Horde Prime’s presence was felt by all despite the billows of smoke and putrid smell which had filled the room from the chemicals which had spilled in the earthquake. Senka, who had heard about this powerful despot from Norwyn, tried to look out of the corner of her eye, but all she could see was the gleaming silver of a mechanical hand.


Next thing Senka remembered, she was sitting on a mat in Norwyn’s hut. Norwyn was feverishly performing shrinking spells on all his books and charms and placing them in a large sack. He grabbed Senka forcefully by her wrist and pulled her away. Despite still being in a daze, Senka made sure to commit to memory the words Norwyn spoke next: “Sythos Elithios Etherios Zahm!”

Suddenly a small portal like the one she had seen on the day her parents died opened, and he pulled her through it. Senka stumbled through and seemed unable to resist his urging. Very soon after the portal had opened it closed behind them. Senka knew from the words he had spoken that they were back on Etheria, but she did not recognize her homeland.

“Where are we, Norwyn?”

“Silence child, the dark regions are crawling with demons and the skies are filled with harpies, we must leave here quickly. I can see Talon Mountain in the distance; we should be able to find refuge in nearby Brightmoon.”

They scurried through the dark forest for what seemed to Senka as days. Finally when they passed Talon Mountain he allowed her to rest for a moment.

“Norwyn, why have we returned to Etheria? I thought you said Horde Prime would never allow you to leave Despondos?”

“Prime works in mysterious ways child, who knows why he granted us mercy after we were faced with certain doom in the lair of the dark lord, but we should be grateful that we survived.”

“It was a simple mistake, I do not understand why Hordak got so-”

“Mistakes can be extremely costly when using magic, you should only perform a spell when you are sure of its success.”

“How will I learn unless I make mistakes?”

“When you have perfected the simpler spells, you are less likely to make mistakes when you move on to advanced ones. I warned you to wait until you had mastered teleporting objects before you tried attempting it on yourself, but you would not listen.”

“Norwyn, you have told me yourself that you were amazed by my abilities…”

“I am, but they frighten me as well. Come, we must be off, there are some harpies flying not far from here, and Brightmoon is only about another day away.”

Senka could not see any harpies anywhere in the skies above them, but she decided to follow Norwyn’s lead anyway.

It was not long before they reached the kingdom of Brightmoon. Senka had heard tales of the glorious Kingdom when she was but a child, so she was not surprised at its opulence when they arrived. Norwyn apparently knew the city very well, as they traversed the humble farming areas with familiarity and ease. Senka saw that the peasants were puzzled by their strange garb, but she did not see or sense any fear in them, which she thought was strange considering that Norwyn still wore a cape with the blighted bat insignia of the Horde as a clasp, and they were both very darkly attired in comparison to the bright pinks, blues and yellows of Brightmoon natives.

Norwyn continued to walk briskly through the town and Senka could see that he was heading straight for the palace. She was surprised at this because she had never heard him speak of Brightmoon himself, nor that he knew anyone who dwelled there. While Norwyn’s origins had always remained a mystery to her, Senka could now surmise that he knew this part of Etheria very well. She struggled to keep up with him, and found herself almost out of breath, yet she managed to ask: “Norwyn…do you know… the king… here in… Brightmoon?”

“Silence Senka, do not use my name again until such a time when I tell you otherwise.” Norwyn snapped.

So, Norwyn did know this place, and apparently it knew him as well – yet he wished to remain incognito.

Soon they were upon the threshold of the palace. It was truly beautiful to behold. Senka could not believe that entire buildings could be forged of marble. All she had known when she was young were the meager dwellings of her family and neighbors; wood and brick huts which did not provide much space. Norwyn’s hovel in Despondos was not much better, and Despondos itself… well fortunately she had already started to forget the horrific landscape of volcanic fires and mud-filled cesspools.

Senka noticed that there were streams and decorations strewn across the gates of the palace, and could see that there were many people gathered in the receiving area. She wondered why so many people were there: were they worshipping their powerful King, presenting sacrifices or schemes the way the servants of Hordak did? Remembering Hordak was not a good idea. Senka tried to distract herself with another subject when she realized she had walked into Norwyn’s back. Norwyn had been stopped in his tracks by the staves of two palace guards.

“Who are you and what is your business here?” the taller guard demanded.

Norwyn replied indignantly “Tell King Moonstone his former charms master is here and I need only a few moments of his time.”

“King Moonstone?” The guard asked in amazement.

“-of the Crescent age?” The other guard finished.

They both laughed at him for several moments. Senka could tell that Norwyn’s patience was running thin and he would soon employ a sedation spell, but suddenly the taller soldier spoke again.

“King Moonstone has been dead these many ages, old man; you could not possibly be his former charms-master.”

Norwyn seemed stunned, which was not a normal emotion for him. Senka could see that the guards were still trying hard not to laugh anymore than they already had. Norwyn sighed heavily and he was about to speak again when the shorter guard stopped him before he could even begin.

“You and your daughter had better be off; you are disturbing the celebration ceremony held in honor of our newborn prince Micah.”


Norwyn backed down. Senka was very surprised by this, as she had only seen him cower before Hordak, and no one else. As they walked away, Senka looked back at the guards, who, now that Norwyn was out of hearing distance, were quite obviously laughing heartily at him.

“Where are we going now Norwyn?”

“I do not know Senka, I need time to think.”

“But why has it been so long since that King you worked for died, are you that old?”

Norwyn answered her in such a tone that she would know not to ask any further questions. “I do not know why so many years have passed since we have been here on Etheria, but it has only been thirty years hence, since I was last employed by the ruler of Brightmoon.”


Part III

Norwyn was once again leading Senka through a dark forest; however, this forest was not in the same direction as where they had come from, and Senka noticed that it seemed to be less gloomy, and there was a great deal more foliage. Senka wondered why they were still walking; Surely Norwyn had recovered enough from the difficult portal spell in order to save their aching feet from walking any farther. Senka decided she would suggest a flotation spell strong enough for the both of them, surely the old man would agree to a chance to rest.

“Norwyn, if we are not able to stop could we at least levitate our way through the forest.”

“I told you Senka, I do not wish to attract attention. Not all Etherians are so understanding of magic, there’s no telling who might see us, especially in open areas.”

“But we’re in a forest.” She protested.

“Senka, until I have my bearings and we have reached familiar land, I will not risk harm to you or myself, we have already faced death sufficiently as of late.”

Senka rolled her eyes and continued following her teacher. Many times she considered stopping and performing the flotation spell herself, but decided not to infuriate him any more.

Finally they came upon a densely wooded area. She looked up into the trees and saw dwellings which were built around the trunks of the trees. They walked a little further in to what seemed like the common area of these tree people, and saw there on a stake the burning carcass of some creature that looked like a bird with four limbs and unnaturally large ears. Unexpectedly, a fat little woman with lavender-hued skin and dressed in an ugly brown rawhide rag of a dress, hobbled out toward them.

“You won’t be stealing my meats you won’t!” She cackled at Norwyn.

“We mean you no harm, we are simply passing through.”

“You wants my meats you do. I know it! I caught hims fair and square!”

“My…lady, as I said we do not care about your ‘meats’.” Norwyn replied condescendingly.

“Well, if youts are just passing trew, I guess I can share a bit of my meats.”

At the offer, Senka, who had grown hungry thanks to their long trek, walked quickly toward the meat.

“Aha! I knew youts was after my meats!” The strange woman screeched suddenly, waving an accusing finger at Senka.

Norwyn, who was quite annoyed at this point, pulled out his wand, pointed it at her and said: “Drop ye down in one great heap, drop ye down, be still, and sleep”
He then turned to Senka disappointedly and said.
“Do you see now why I wanted you to remain discreet? Hopefully the rest of her village won’t come seeking revenge for knocking her out.”

“I’m sorry Norwyn, but I am hungry.” She replied.

“Very well if you must, take only what you need and we must be off.”

Senka ripped one of the legs off of the carcass and took a bite. Immediately she spit it out - it was the most disgusting food she had ever tasted. For her troubles, Senka received a laugh from her master. “Did you not wonder why I was not eager to join you in your meal, Senka? Perhaps now you will start listening to my advice. Come, we must go.”

Fortunately the pair did not run into any more of the little purple-skinned fiends, creatures she would come to know as Twiggets. As Norwyn had said, they were “the most wretched creatures in all of Whispering Woods. Hundreds of years might have passed, and yet they have not evolved a day.” Senka completely agreed that the dwarfling creatures were closer to apes than humans, but she was more concerned with the fact that Norwyn had let slip that he believed hundreds of years had passed since they were last on Etheria.


TO BE CONTINUED

HI to anyone interested!

I'm actually in the process of goin back and changing a few things after rewatching some POP episodes, but nothing major, just a name change here and there, and some more acurate descriptions of the surroundings from some better notes that I took...So if you've already read it, you may want to reread again soon...if you haven't feel free to hold off until 3/13, when the reEDITS will definetly be up

Keep Going Hefty!

I'd really like to read the continuation of this...

Write MORE!


I really like the way you humanize Hordak with his dialogue... well done I think!

It would be cool to have some illustrations accompany your story - something perhaps along the lines of "The Return to Anwat Gar" maybe?

I guess that would be something more for the Fan Art Forum...

I had not been coming into the Fan-Fiction Forum too often... but I'll be visiting more often... I have been reading some great stuff around here!

Originally Posted by J-Sun

Keep Going Hefty!

I'd really like to read the continuation of this...

Write MORE!


I really like the way you humanize Hordak with his dialogue... well done I think!

It would be cool to have some illustrations accompany your story - something perhaps along the lines of "The Return to Anwat Gar" maybe?

I guess that would be something more for the Fan Art Forum...

I had not been coming into the Fan-Fiction Forum too often... but I'll be visiting more often... I have been reading some great stuff around here!

Thanks J-Sun!! I'm so happy folks are finally reading this! I'm even more glad you liked it! I'm also glad you liked the characterization of Hordak, I didn't get to have too much interaction with him yet...Stay tuned for some more Hordak appearances, but first we have to get to Castaspella...She's in the next chapters I'm double posting(sorry mods)below...

Oh, and I'm working on some 2 and even 3 D incvarnations of Senka and Norwyn as I type this!

Part IV
Norwyn and Senka’s trek continued on for several more hours after they left the outskirts of the Twigget village in Whispering Woods. Finally they reached a land which Senka recognized as her home-Mysticor. The outskirts of Mysticor were not very different from how Senka had remembered them. She did notice that some of the buildings were different, made out of stronger more durable materials, and large areas of wood and field had been cleared for a larger city, but other otherwise it was very much like she had remembered it.

As they journeyed toward the palace, Senka noticed one of her favorite play areas, and prime butterfly catching ground, the river banks of the Delpha River. Not long after they crossed the river’s banks, Senka knew the ground she was treading on all too well. Her family’s home had once stood here. Now in its place was a small yet dreadfully overrun garden, with a cracked inoperative fountain in the middle. A great sadness came over her. She knew that her family, who had been meager tailors and seamstresses, did not mean much in the scheme of things here on Etheria, but she thought surely that the death and aftermath brought on by the battle between the Horde and Grayskull’s army would have warranted more than a miserable garden for the Spinner family, and other peasants who had suffered and died in such a holocaust.

Perhaps since so many years had passed, the devastation had simply been forgotten, but Senka did not find this thought comforting, since it meant that the number of years which had passed while Norwyn and Senka were in Despondos truly were countless. Norwyn continued walking briskly toward the capitol seemingly ignorant to the neglected surroundings of the memorial, and Senka thought better of expressing her sadness to him in their time of desperation. However, she did suppose that he surely would have felt safer using magics now that they had entered Mysticor, yet he seemed determined to make her walk all the way to the Castle.

Fortunately the view to the Golden castle was glorious and distracted her from being distraught. The palace was even taller than she had remembered, and she could see that there were now three very high towers, when she only remembered there having been one. Senka also noticed that the castle seemed to be suspended above a huge valley, connecting 2 plateaus. She wondered what had happened for the castle to become suspended like this, and thought perhaps that some great war or spell had caused the foundation to disappear leaving only what appeared to be a floating palace.

After crossing one of the long suspended bridges, they finally reached the outskirts of the castle walls; Norwyn stopped, turned to Senka and looked at her very sternly.
“We are about to invade the privacy of this king and Queen. By showing them an example of my power I’m hoping to gain envy and amaze them. In doing so, we will hopefully find employ and a place to live. Do not, under any circumstances, use your powers, I will tell them that you are my apprentice; however, they need not know the extent of your capabilities. Understood?”
Senka nodded her head to say yes, but at the same time looked at him smoldering. Why shouldn’t they both display their powers? Aren’t two magicians better than one?

Norwyn performed a spell which teleported both of them inside the castle. Apparently his bearings were off, because they ended up in the armory, but Norwyn did not let this deter him. He flung open the door to the armory. They entered a great hall which was decorated in rich blue and gold and seemed to be wallpapered with luscious red curtains. There was a purple and blue runway carpet on the stone floor which ran all the way to the other end of the hall, and there, sitting in a throne was an old man dressed in the same dark blue and gold colored material that the furniture was upholstered in. He had a long red and grey beard and was napping despite the racket Norwyn had made when opening the large armory door.

Norwyn spoke in an amplified voice: “Good evening your Highness”
The old man continued his nap. Norwyn stomped on the floor and the sound echoed through the great hall. Senka noticed a girl peek from behind some curtains in the right corner of the room. She looked like she was only a few years younger than Senka herself.
Norwyn spoke again, much louder this time:
“Good evening your Highness”
The old man did not budge. Senka heard the girl behind the curtain giggle.
“Ennervate” Norwyn muttered lightly under his breathe.
Suddenly the old man grasped the arms of his throne, his head flew up in attention and his eyes bulged.
“I’m sorry to disturb you your majesty.” Senka could not help but laugh at how silly the little old man appeared so alert. She turned her head so he would not see her laugh. Norwyn simply grinned and continued.
“We would like to offer our services. I am a master charms maker. I can give examples of sleeping drafts, metamorphosis formulas, and most importantly, exultant nips. My charge and I require only food and lodging, and I can offer my services as teacher to your young one.” Norwyn motioned towards the window where the girl was hiding.

“Hurmphmphmph” the old man struggled through his bemused response “What is your name charms master?”
“I am Norwyn; this is my pupil, Senka”
The old man’s stunned look changed to that of a bemused one as he grinned cheerfully. “Hello Norwyn, I am King Gaff Aspella. My granddaughter Casta is the one hiding in the corner. Fortunately for you, I am indeed in need of a magician, but not just for charms. You see I am too old, and not very skilled at magics, and my granddaughter, who one day will be Queen, has just arrived here in Mystacor. Her parents have done a fine job of raising her in their domain of Blue Stone, but sent her to me for tutelage in her duties and the ways of the throne. It would give me great pleasure to send her home after a few months with a greater knowledge of charms than what she came. It would impress her parents exceedingly as well.”

Senka and even Norwyn seemed amazed at their luck. What were the chances that this king would so easily welcome them into his court and employ? Senka thought that this old King was a little fool hardy, but if it worked to her and Norwyn’s benefit, she wasn’t going to complain. Norwyn and King Aspella continued negotiating the terms of his employment and his various abilities, and needs in regards to ingredients for charms. Senka noticed now that the King’s granddaughter had come out from behind the curtains, and was slowly venturing towards them. She walked up with a shy smile on her face.
“Hi Senka, I’m Casta.” The young girl said in a very regal yet silky voice.
“Hello” Senka had not interacted with anyone even remotely near her age since she had last been on Etheria, but she felt quite comfortable with Casta for some reason. Casta had a very friendly yet wise face.
“Would you like me to show you around the palace?”
Senka replied bashfully by nodding her head. She was somewhat overwhelmed, since last time she was on Etheria she would never have dreamed of entering the Mysticorian palace, let alone touring and living in it! Casta motioned for her to follow, and Senka looked back at Norwyn for an approving nod. He seemed too engrossed in his conversation with the king to look back, so Senka assumed her going off was fine.

Casta led her first into a receiving area. There were high vaulted ceilings and the pillars were adorned with ornate carvings of men and women in various stances, wielding staffs and magic wands. Casta pointed out several beautiful tapestries on the wall. Next she took Senka down a long hallway. The walls had portraits every few feet. Senka could see that they were pictures of past kings and Queens of Mysticor. Casta pointed out the picture of her father, Prince Caston. He was a very handsome man with dark red hair like Casta’s. Casta had a proud gleam in her eye when she pointed out that her father was one of the first princes in Mystacor’s history to marry a woman with no royal lineage. Senka was especially impressed by this. She smiled at Casta.

Senka was amazed at the opulence of the palace, yet at the same time, she felt very much at home, and attributed this to the fact that Casta had been so welcoming and charming. Casta had an almost hypnotic quality in her communiqué. Senka felt as though she could just listen to her for hours. Better yet, she could tell that Casta would be a great friend to her. Senka was eager to show Casta her abilities in magic, but she knew that Norwyn would become very angry at her for teaching advanced spells to a novice. Still, she felt the need to impress Casta after she had just been shown so many wonderful rooms and beautiful effects. She decided to perform the very teleportation spell which had landed her and Norwyn back on Etheria. Senka hesitated at first, but decided that she very much wanted to show Casta just how powerful she was. She interrupted Casta in the midst of describing the history of a carafe used in an ancient courage ritual.
“Wanna see a really neat trick?”
Casta seemed somewhat startled by Senka’s impertinence, but was intrigued.
“Sure”
“I can teleport us back to the throne room so we don’t have to walk all the way back through all those rooms and the great hall”

“I actually like going through the great hall Senka, but that does sound like a neat trick, are you sure you can pull it off?”
Senka was now determined to show Casta that she was not only capable of, but an expert at the teleportation spell. She grabbed Casta by the hand and said:
“Throndel Slogus”
Instantly the two were back in the throne room, but to Senka’s dismay they were hovering about 10 feet above King Gaff and Norwyn, who were still conversing the terms of Norwyn’s employment and his various abilities. The girls both looked around and realized they were in the air and shrieked.
Norwyn, who was always very much aware of the magics in the goings on around him, looked up and performed a flotation spell in the blink of an eye. The girls were levitated in mid air and Norwyn gently floated them the rest of the way down. Senka was terribly embarrassed and disappointed in herself. She felt tears coming on and could not bear to look at Casta or Norwyn.
King Gaff, who looked even more alert than he did after Norwyn had performed the rousing spell on him, leapt from his seat.
“Casta, are you alright my dear?”
“Yes grandfather, that was actually pretty fun.”
“Goodness me, you gave me a fright. I am glad Norwyn here was able to prevent you from hurting yourselves however!”
Norwyn iterated “I’m sorry your majesty, sometimes my apprentice is a little too eager to show off her abilities-despite the fact that she is nowhere near mastering them.” He looked at Senka condemningly.
“No need to worry, I too was a bit overzealous in my youth Norwyn, I’m sure the girl meant no harm.” Gaff replied.
“Indeed.” Norwyn replied. His voice was coated with dissonance. With this Senka knew she was in for it later.
“You girls have actually returned just in time for dinner. Come, the cook always makes more than enough for myself and Casta, we shall dine together to celebrate the beginning of our professional relations.” King Gaff said, rather gleefully.

Senka was overjoyed at the meal they were presented with. Delicious kelper fruits from Salineas, bread made from the rich grains of Thaymore fields, many types of thick puddings and best of all, none of the infamous flesh the Twigget’s called “meat”. Senka ate and ate as though she had never eaten before. When they had all finished eating Gaff called for one of his servants to show Senka and Norwyn to their lodgings. Norwyn got up and bowed; Senka followed his lead and bowed as well.
“Thank you for a fine meal and the opportunity to prove that my services will be invaluable to you your highness.” Norwyn said. She could not recall ever seeing him so happy to be serving someone.
“I expect great things from you Master Norwyn, I am sure you have many things to teach my granddaughter, and I look forward to the anti-arthritis charm you’ll be performing for me tomorrow afternoon. Rangeaux here will carry your things.”
Gaff motioned for the gangly young servant to guide them and attend to their things, and realized that Norwyn had only his large sack while Senka had come in with nothing and gave Norwyn a puzzled look.
“Where are your belongings old man, have you left them outside?” Gaff asked.
Norwyn laughed. “I have them all here in my sack.”
Casta seemed bewildered. “Surely a master charms maker such as yourself is not living as a pauper.”
“I assure you young lady, though it appears as though we carry a light load, you would be surprised at the number of things I am able to pack away in my sack with a simple shrinking spell. Perhaps tomorrow we will start with that lesson…”
Casta’s eyes lit up. “I would like that very much sir”
Senka tried hard not to roll her eyes at how boring she knew the next day would be for her since she had already mastered shrinking spells, but she did not want to insult Casta’s naiveté.
Rangeaux led them upstairs, and being so thin and lanky, Senka wondered if he would have even been able to carry any luggage if she or Norwyn had had some. The boy seemed nervous in the presence of a powerful wizard and Senka could tell that he was fearful when he began to speak.
“King Gaff tells us that you are from far away from here.”
“Actually my boy, I am originally from Mysticor myself, as well is my apprentice. However, it is has been a great many years since either of us have visited our homeland.”
Senka was just as amazed at Norwyn’s answer as Rangeaux was. She knew that Norwyn was a native Etherian, but she had not known that he too had come from Mysticor.
“Well we are very glad indeed to have you on staff here at the palace, it has been many years since the king last employed a magician, to be honest I think he is a bit embarrassed that he himself is not better at magics. Being of the Aspella bloodline, you would think he would be great without even trying, but our monarch is much better at matters of diplomacy than of mysticism.”
Senka was amazed at Rangeaux’s candor. She, nor Norwyn, nor any of Hordak's servants for that matter, would ever dare to speak ill of the abilities of their ruler.

Rangeaux continued. “King Gaff is a great man though, and an even better ruler. We servants live better lives than some kings I know of which reside here on Etheria.”
Both Senka and Norwyn were amazed to hear this
“Someday I hope to serve on his Council of Courage. And ever since the king instated the law that all subjects have equal opportunity, well that dream might someday come true.”
Norwyn seemed impressed, which for him was remarkable and said:
“Indeed, I am very much looking forward to working for King Gaff, he is a great deal more forgiving and practical than my previous…employer.”
After climbing two flights of spiraling stairs they arrived in what Senka figured to be the left tower of the castle. It seemed to Senka just as warm and inviting as the rest of the castle had been. Rangeaux turned around and smiled at them.
“Well, here we are, Master Norwyn, your quarters are on the left, you’ll see you have a lovely view of the valley. Young Senka’s room is two doors down on the right and has an excellent view of the courtyard. She’ll be on the same side as the ladies-in-waitings' rooms.”
Norwyn looked pleased. “Fine. Fine, well thank you for showing us to our rooms Rangeaux; if you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with Senka.”
Senka prayed that Rangeaux would insist on showing her her room personally, but he simply bid them good evening and was off in a gangly flash. Senka shuttered to turn around and face Norwyn who would most certainly be harshly reprimanding her for her little teleportation stunt earlier in the evening. Despite her fear, she turned around anyway, almost defiantly, and was very surprised to see the biggest smile she had ever seen on Norwyn’s face.
“Now Senka, we need to discuss some of the rules here at the castle. Young Casta is a very impressionable little princess, and we are quite fortunate that King Gaff has been so gracious to employ us. I do not-“
Senka was amazed that Norwyn was not being more stern, especially after so many glasses of Thaymore wine, yet she felt the need to stop him before he could even begin to yell at her for her previous mistake.
“Norwyn, I was only trying to impress Casta, I wanted her to like me.”
“Yes, yes child, I understand completely, I am glad that you are so eager to befriend someone near your own age.”
Senka was stunned.
“Don’t look so surprised my dear, your little debacle unwittingly gave me the opportunity to prove myself and my abilities before the king, and at the same time showed our young Casta the wonders of charms. She is intrigued, and her grandfather saw how adept I am at protecting his young liege. So, I actually should thank you Senka, you helped me to impress the king.”
Senka continued to stare in awe.
Norwyn giggled smugly. “Well you must be very tired my dear, I know I am. I’ll wake you in the morning an hour before breakfast so that we can prepare the first lesson. Good night child.” He shooed her into the hallway and pointed her once again toward her new room. Senka walked stilted down the hall, she was unsure of this knew disposition Norwyn had taken on. Nonetheless, she was enormously tired from their long trek and such an eventful day, and did not even bother to inspect her new surroundings on her first night in a room all to herself. Instead, she collapsed on her bed, leaving her dress and cape on, and fell instantly off to sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED

I must admit that I'm not much of a POP fan, but SW is one of the few characters from the POP mythos that I kinda liked. So far, this is looking pretty solid. Enjoying it so far. It ain't easy, so you deserve some extra praise just for undertaking it in the first place. Keep it coming.

Originally Posted by Drunken Fist

I must admit that I'm not much of a POP fan, but SW is one of the few characters from the POP mythos that I kinda liked. So far, this is looking pretty solid. Enjoying it so far. It ain't easy, so you deserve some extra praise just for undertaking it in the first place. Keep it coming.

Thanks for the compliments DF!
Everything POP related I do, I try very hard to make "cool" and I try very hard to make it gel well with MOTU mythos. I'm glad you like her so far, but just wait til you see whats coming...
I threw some comedy into the mix of the fic as well, maybe it wasn't as funny as I thought tho

I will have to read this over a day or two
very good so far hefty

Originally Posted by TRAPPER

I will have to read this over a day or two
very good so far hefty

Thanks Trap! LMK what you think. Hopefully I'll get to work on the next chapter this week!

NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE
very good so far!!!!!

Originally Posted by TRAPPER

NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE
very good so far!!!!!

Glad you liked it!!! I'm doing my best, but it may be a bit before I post the next chapter...stay tuned!

I am chewing my nails off here waiting for the

NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE

Next chapter coming soon, I promise, hopefully by august!

Great Job Hefty!!!! I also love to see Black Mary do some Pics to this story.

Originally Posted by D.B. Keldor

Great Job Hefty!!!! I also love to see Black Mary do some Pics to this story.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner!
I'd love for Black Mary to do some pics! But I think she is too busy...Maybe someday someone will...

Just bumping coz I'll have an update soon, and don't want to lose the thread

Good to hear Hefty.

As promised I have an update by August's end...unfortunately it is only a TEENY TINY one, but I hope it keeps folks satisfied for now...There are big things brewing on the horizon tho

PART V

Senka had forgotten how beautiful and serene Etheria was, especially after so many years in Despondos. She couldn’t help but linger in her room for a bit early the next morning, and found herself looking down from her window out onto the courtyard. Below she could see the lanky young boy who had shown her and Norwyn to their rooms the night before. Rangeaux was attending to one of King Gaff’s steeds. She watched him as he gently brushed the Steed’s hair, fed him, and prepared his saddle. As he was putting the horse back into its stable, Senka realized she felt a little strange, a feeling she had not felt before. Although she was experiencing a flood of new emotions since returning to Etheria, she was having a hard time understanding the slight dizziness that was coming over her. It was a sorta happy scary feeling, which was a strange mix, but just as Senka was trying to understand this, there was a tap at the door, it was Norwyn making sure she was awake, he entered the room after only knocking twice, but Senka did not mind since she was not used to privacy anyway.

“Good morning child, how was your first night in your own room?”
Senka moved from her spot at the window. “I slept very well Norwyn, I was just admiring the gardens in the courtyard, they have the most beautiful flowers.”
“Indeed they do, I’m sure their blooms attract some of Etheria’s most precious butterflys.”
Senka was touched by the fact that the old man remembered her fondness for butterflies, she thought he had ignored her complaints of Despondos’ lack of them. Indeed, Norwyn’s new disposition was certainly going to take some getting used to. Senka was almost sickened by the sweetness and serenity which surrounded her. She very nearly longed for the dreariness of Despondos.

“Come Senka, your mind is wondering. We must prepare today’s lesson for the princess.”
They walked together back down the spiral stair case to the base of the tower. Norwyn stopped for a moment, apparently lost. Senka however remembered the way and led him past the great hall and to the receiving room. Norwyn asked Senka to gather several objects of varying size and line them up for Casta to practice the shrinking spell on.
After levitating a book, a potion bottle, a pillow, a chair, and several other objects of various size, weight and proportion, into a row, Senka walked back over to Norwyn, who was consulting one of his spell books. Senka thought this odd, since she knew that Norwyn must have the spell memorized. He turned to see Senka’s work.
“A fine selection Senka, we should have no trouble progressing down this line the way you have set it up.” Norwyn commended her.
Senka thought it was no big deal for her to have done as much, and in the past Norwyn would have simply expected as much without congratulations.
Norwyn patted his stomach. “Well, shall we off to breakfast?” Senka nodded with a huge smile.

When Senka and Norwyn arrived in the dining room, Gaff was already seated at the end, conversing with an older man dressed in Mysticorian royal attire, who Senka assumed was one of his aids. Casta was at his right as she was the evening before for dinner. Senka could see that the chef had prepared as lavish a meal for breakfast as he had for dinner. There were several courses and many different choices. Senka decided on pancakes, a welcome change to her usual breakfast of Despondos gruel. She was not quite as hungry as she had been the night before, but she still ate well more than her fair share, as well did Norwyn. King Gaff acknowledged them, but spent most of the meal speaking with his advisor and nodding to Casta who seemed bored out her mind. In fact, Casta’s interaction with her grandfather over lessons in diplomacy reminded Senka very much of her relationship with Norwyn.

MORE TO COME

That's not that little an update!

EXCELLENT!!!

Keep it going!!!

MORE PLEASE!!!!!

Originally Posted by TRAPPER

MORE PLEASE!!!!!

I'm really hopin to get another update in soon, but it may be awhile since I have another one I am working on,,,have faith tho, Senka's complete story is in my head, and it will be finished here!!!

Originally Posted by heftysmurf76

I'm really hopin to get another update in soon, but it may be awhile since I have another one I am working on,,,have faith tho, Senka's complete story is in my head, and it will be finished here!!!

I will be in a rocking chair and need reading glasses by the time we get the
next installment

Originally Posted by TRAPPER

I will be in a rocking chair and need reading glasses by the time we get the
next installment

I know I know...sorry, I will do my best to have it for the New year!

taps feet

Getting close to a year since you first posted this.

Any updates yet