Storm Mage; Chapter One

The way of the warrior, it was said, was to know the peace within thyself.  Only through that peace could one hope to weather those without.
Tala was a warrior, no one would question that.  But she'd never really felt at peace.  Perhaps it was the fact that the Empire had not seen peace in her Grandfather, dead before her birth, or father's combined lifetimes.  And mind you that was adding the totals, not counting it based on their reigns as most did.  She often reassured herself that this was coincidence, and had nothing to do with her Great-Grandfather's reputation as a selfish brute who had no qualms about ordering the deaths of any imperial family member who would have managed to keep the empire as stable as it supposedly still was.  Such a notion was, as her ambitious mother had often put it, preposterous.
Or perhaps it was her family life.  After her mother's untimely death, which most of the court would forever insist was an unfortunate hunting accident, she'd been left the responsibility of keeping her younger sister safe.  In most families this would have been relatively safe; a stern warning that fire was very hot and making sure they didn't run with scissors, but in Tala's family, that meant killing assassins and exposing plots by jealous relatives, and overzealous off-worlders.  In short, she'd learned not to trust anyone, and further still she'd learned the most expeditious manners in which to dispose of anyone or thing that she could no longer justify continuing to allow to exist.  Most of the court had learned to stay on her good side, the rest just kept in mind how they'd gotten their job and stayed out of sight.  It had made her teenage years rather lonely, and her adult ones more so.  But if she wasn't happy, she was at least glad to be alive enough to answer the question.  And at the end of the day, that was the important part.

Of course, the skills that had kept her alive had also gotten her noticed by her father.  King Than of Gasca was, and this was no exaggeration, one of the most imposing presences in all Nieldic history.  He was literally a foot taller than the next tallest Nielda in the Empire, every one of his eight and a half feet covered in markedly defined muscle.  He was broad, and wore armor even to fancy parties.  And above all else, he valued strength.
Tala was strong, but the family resemblance vanished there.  She was short, and not simply compared to her Giant of a father.  At five and a half feet, she was the shortest person in the court.  Even her younger sister, now sixteen herself, stood at nearly seven foot.  She was also slight of build, like a willow in a forest of redwood.  Visitors often remarked that she was the most beautiful thing in the palace, but Tala felt that in any less masculine a setting, they'd have felt otherwise.  She held only one trait to be attractive about herself; her long, chestnut colored hair.  It was her favorite part of herself, Aesthetically speaking, and the only thing she ever paid special attention to.  And when her Father had called her into his presence, it was the first thing about her which he noticed.

"Tala, daughter of Gorra, my third wife."
"Yes your majesty."  Tala curtsied politely.  Not as politely as was probably expected of those entering his presence, but enough to seem an honest mistake.
"The rest of you, leave us.  I wish to speak with my daughter."  The room emptied quickly.  It was not merely his appearance which drove fear into the hearts of the assembled, and Tala had not gotten her ruthless efficiency from her mother.
When the had all gone, Than stepped down from his throne and set his hand on her shoulder.  With the other her raised her chin.
"You have your mother's hair, and her skin as well.  But I can see you have the fire of a warrior in your eyes, and if my captain is to be believed, you have the ferocity of Tara under five moons."
"I'm sorry sir, I was only seekin to keep my sister safe."
"I see.  Then my Captain and his men have not protected you?"
"If they have, I haven't seen it.  All due respect."
"I see."  Than began to pace in front of her.  His face was not the sort that represented anything but anger with real clarity, but she could tell that he was considering the situation carefully.  "Tala, I have a proposition for you.  I shall send my own men to watch over your sister."
"Thank you sir!"
"And in exchange, you will take up the rightful place of a warrior like yourself.  You see, we have many enemies who will not be swayed by reason or a steady hand, and for that we maintain an army.  I want you to stand at the head of this army, lead it into battle and show our enemies that we are not to be triffled with.  Do these terms seem agreeable to you?"
Tala thought of her time with TacSim, and her years of fighting assassins and the like.  She could do it, and it would certainly be to her liking.  Than was a man of his word, and she knew he would fulfill his end of the bargain and protect Lysstrelle as well as she had.  There was really no reason to say no, not that it had ever truly been an option to begin with.
"It would be my honor, Father."