The journey to the city was not easy, since my heart was sorrowful and the time didn't seem to want to lapse. Scarcely a pair of hours after the dawn, dark clouds completely covered the sky and the first rains of that winter, particularly dry, were allowed to fall. But the late winter was not the only that arrived with the wind from the North. According to the words of the travelers with whom I met in the road, the Necromancer who dominated the lands toward the north, beyond the Kingdom, prepared a great attack against the Ivory Tower, and they would not delay more than 2 days in arriving to the walls of the city.

With the mind confused and invaded by the preoccupation, I demanded Arod to gallop the rest of the day, halting to eat and drink only a pair of times, because we should arrive to the Refuge before the nightfall.

In the night, I wrote a message for the inhabitants on the Castle, warning them of the danger that approached, because if the Tower, cradle of the power of the Order of magicians to which I belong, fell, there would not be nothing that stops the advance of the enemy toward the Mountain. I also wrote to my Lady, begging her to go to a safe place, traveling to her Kingdom beyond the reach of the darkness which approached.

I asked to the owls, Lords of the Night Wind, that hurry to deliver both letters, extreme urgency each one and then I tried to sleep, without achieving it, because many nightmares were in my mind: the imminent war, the good of the Kingdom, the safety of my Lady. What could I do, still an apprentice (although quite advanced), to make the balance be inclined to our favor?

When the light was scarcely enough, I began the ride, since a complete journey left to arrive to the City.

Arod ran as he never done, because he understood the seriousness of the events that would be up to us face, and that's was how I arrived to the City one hour before the sunset.

Neither I quite crossed the portal, a servant of the Tower approached to me, indicating me that the Master had summoned to all the members of the Order. Remained yet a pair of hours before the Council, so I retired to my rooms and I tried to rest a little. Big was the surprise when, barely open the door, behind me, a messenger with a letter for me appeared. Without saying word, he lengthened the hand in order to give it to me and then he went, disappearing amid the crowd. It was a message from her. I read it with detention and I kept it carefully, because by now was impossible to respond. I came before the Master and he put me to the current of the events. Afterwards he summoned a Council of Magicians and Warriors in order to plan the defense of the city and, in the worst of the cases, the defense of the Tower.

So, at the dawn of the second day of the ninth month, the battle arrived in the face of the city. The details of the suffering of the innocents and the glory of the Warriors has been registered in the records of the Tower, and don't correspond me to narrate them, at least not in this occasion.

It was so during something but one month, I only knew about my Lady by the few messages that was able to cross the lines of enemies, but finally, toward the end of month, I could put myself again in the road toward the Enchanted Castle.

Upon arriving, I was immediately informed that she was there. I went to the salon where had met all the Warriors in to talk about their feats. I greeted the friends that I didn't see a while ago and I laughed with those next to whom I fought in the last battles. But my eyes only tried to find a silhouette in particular, one that seemed to avoid me, because it never was where my look settled. Finally I found a pair of almond-shaped eyes and hazel color that looked at me from the door that leads to the corridor. Immediately I went to them and I followed them toward the garden, because was Her eyes those which called me. Finally I found her, sitting in a swing, near the pool. I approached to her side and with a gesture she invited me to sit down. I looked at her for some seconds and we began a conversation that lasted hours. Suddenly, I don't remember well how, I found her hands between mine. A light blush appeared on her cheeks. Gently I caressed her hair, and taking her face in my hands I kissed her gently in the lips... she lowered her gaze and an accomplice smile was drawn in her face.

We went to walk under the fruit-trees that began to blossom, producing a strange mixture of winter and spring. Somebody approached to greet us and stood with us some minutes, but she soon realized she was being ignored and left.

When the morning approached, a light trembling shook her body. I covered her with my cloak and we went to the interior of the Castle. Nobody stayed in the main salon no longer, although from the hallway we could hear some voices, what indicated that still there was people awake. We drank a hot chocolate and we chatted some more minutes, but the fatigue that hours ago had taken possession of us were stronger.

So, the life in the Castle took form for me. Every time was more difficult leave this place where the magic, mixed with her beauty creating a charm of which I was not able to, neither I wanted to liberate myself. But we both knew that these moments of happiness were passengers, because although there were many things that bound us to the Enchanted Castle, there were many more, superiors to us, that forced us to return to our lands, very distant to each other.

Soon I received a note from the Master of the Order in which indicated me that my presence was required in the Ivory Tower within 7 days. The date of the Sacred Ritual of the Blue Flame approached, the moment in which the ability and entirety of the apprentices was proven , like an exam that would decide the following step in his learning.