Branded Mage by D.W.

Eloen walked up a double set of stairs followed closely behind by Thad and the rest of the group. After heading down a few hallways, Eloen led them to a moderately sized room filled with books and an assortment of odd objects.
    Lady Alysia sat in front of a large lo om making what appeared to be a blanket. Setting aside a wooden piece wrapped in a brightly dyed yarn, Alysia turned to them smiling sadly.
    “I guess you heard the news auntie.”
    “Yes, and if young Thaddeus is with you, that means you’ve taken on the duty of protecting him while he’s at Southpass.”
    “We have. He could be the turning point in the battle, but that will come to nothing if he takes a knife in the back.” Eloen replied defensively.
    Alysia stood from her seat and used her hands to smooth the wrinkles in her light blue satin dress. “I’m just worried for you. I don’t plan to have to wear this mantle my whole life. I hope one day you will be ready to take over as duchess and stop gallivanting all over the Queendom looking for a little excitement.”
    Though neith er woman raised their voice, it was easy to see there was tension between the two. When he had spoken to the duchess at the queen’s party, she had seemed proud of her niece, but now it looked as if she disapproved of her choice to be a soldier.
    Alysia walked away from her ni ece and greeted each of the soldiers under her niece’s command, then made her way in front of him. “Master Mage, it hasn’t been that long since we shared a meal and a good conversation, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would join me for a walk around the gardens. I’m not as young as I used to be, but a nice walk with a handsome young man is always welcome.”
    Not seeing a polite way out of the request , or even a reason to decline, Thad offered his arm to the duchess. “It would be my pleasure to escort such a rare beauty.”
    “If you continue to flatter me , my niece will have to pry you away from me.” Alysia said laughing lightly behind her hand.
    The walk to the gardens was not far though he was surprised to see so much green with the cold weather. “How do you keep such a lovely garden with weather such as this?”
    “Oh luckily I have some of the best gardeners in the Queendom. These are year round flowers. There aren’t as many varieties of them, and some of them are very hard to cultivate, but I do so enjoy my evening strolls.”
    The duchess led him to a long stone bench.  “Now that were away from the crowd , tell me what you think of my niece.”
    “She is a little base at times , but over all she is enjoyable to be around.”
    Alysia let out a garish laugh. “You have a way with words, ‘a little base,’ is the understatement of a lifetime. I love the girl to death and she is smart as they come, but she refuses to act like a lady. I swear she would have been happier being born a male even if it meant a lower position in the world.” She said wiping a tear from her eye. “But that isn’t what I was talking about. I think you two would make a good pair, and you’re of age.”
    She left the rest of her statement left unsaid, but Thad understood her meaning. He was fifteen and of age to marry even though the system was seldom used it still existed in the upper societal levels.
    “I……..” Thad tried to get the words past his throat , but it was like trying to force a flower to talk.
    “Oh my! You are the innocent one aren’t you? I don’t want to pressure you child, I just wanted you to think about the offer.” Alysia said in a calming voice. “I think it would be a smart match. Maybe you could get her to settle down a bit.”
    “Well , I think that we have had quite a long enough of a walk. Shall we head back?” Alysia said standing up from the hard bench.
    The walk back was eerily quiet, though the duchess kept giving him looks and giggling slightly. He wasn’t sure what it was about, but it made him feel more than slightly uncomfortable. As soon