Timeline: Present Day
Location: Alley next to Market in Silvermarc, capital of the Verdant Kingdom of Eldoria in the world of Aethalgard
"Prince Callum..."
Callum looked at her disapprovingly.
"Okay, okay... Just Callum," Vivian conceded. "As far as I know, only you are aware that I switch back and forth with Ally. So what do you mean, they are specifically looking for me? And how did they force us to switch?"
Callum was shaking his head. "We do not really know. I just know Ally and I were walking with Kel and, for the first time, I actually saw it. I saw this shimmer all around you, like you became a reflection... or Ally became a reflection?" Callum sighed at not being able to describe it any better. "And then it was as if you were the same person together but fractured."
"Really? That's what it looks like? That actually sounds kind of cool," Vivian reacted, nonplussed and deep in thought as she bit her bottom lip —her habit that stayed with her no matter what body she was in.
Callum was snapping his finger at her and trying to get her attention. "Vivian... Viv!" She finally looked up. "I know you want to put together some theory on why it looks like that or something else from your world that I do not understand. But the priority right now has to be to make sure that you—and Ally body— are safe."
Vivian smirked. "Just Callum, I know this world is misogynistic and there is plenty of that in mine, too. But I can handle myself. You forget half of my job is to run into burning buildings. And Ben and I have been sparring in martial arts for years. Plus, my knowledge of chemistry..."
Callum interrupted her, "Viv? Listen to me. I know your science can be pretty powerful from the things you have shared with me over the years; and I know you can handle yourself against anyone without magic..." Vivian waited for the 'but'. "But… I think it is time to tell my parents and arrange for your protection."
"Does Ally need protection?"
"No... but Ally can practically destroy the whole army—no, a whole kingdom—alone with her magic. You are... you."
The worry on Callum's face finally reached Vivian as she surrendered. "Then what do you think we should do?"
Callum nodded. "Thank you for trusting me with this. I think we tell my parents about you and Ally, first. Then... I think the best course is to train you on how to use magic like Ally."
"I can't use magic like Ally. That would be like asking her to understand chemical elements on the periodic table and how they interact."
"Well, then maybe your Ben-person can teach her that while we teach you some magic. Ally's body already knows it. Maybe it is just a matter of figuring out how you can access it when you are her," Callum explained with some hope that she would accept his plan.
"This would be easier if I knew when I would be switching back. It could be at any given moment or in days or even weeks." Vivian smiled to herself a little as she remembered one of the longest visits to this world was previously three days when Prince Callum supported her hunger for knowledge with access to the royal library.
"I do not know if it will be the same this time," Callum said. "Ally was just able to tell me that it felt like she was being pulled with deliberate intent, and that I should tell you. That is why I am hiding you. That is why I used the decoy. I do not think this is the same as it has been before. You might not be able to switch back until we figure out how it is done."
Vivian nodded. "It did feel different, but... what terrible timing." Vivian scrunched her face, holding the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "I was at a fire scene and using the TIC to identify hot spots that still needed to be knocked out..." Vivian noticed the glazed look on Callum's face as he muttered about things that did not exist to him. "Let's just say, she is going to struggle."
Callum nodded and then grabbed her hand again. "I have asked your attendants to discreetly pack a few things for you. We are going to visit some place that might be helpful. They should be able to quickly teach you some magic to defend yourself, at least." He continued as he tugged at her arm to follow, "But first, let us go tell my parents so they are prepared."
"You are sure, Just Callum? Your dad is kind of intimidating."
Callum sighed. "It is not 'Just Callum,'" he paused, seeing the grin on her face. "I take it back. You and Ally are exactly the same."
------------------------------------------------------
On the way to confess to the king and queen, the air—usually calm and quiet—felt charged with a growing tension. The smooth, living wood of the palace halls, usually so solid, seemed to be whispering a warning.
Suddenly, a shimmer of distortion warped the air ahead. Four familiar black Shadow-mages materialized from the shadows of an alcove. Their faces hidden behind the mask of a flickering black shadow only showed a hint of a person underneath if they turned quickly. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. The intent was clear.
"Cal!" Vivian yelled, spinning him around just as a bolt of that sickly yellow-green energy from one of their hands formed into a thorny vine like before, aiming to bind and capture Vivian (as Ally). Another one of the intruders attempted to incapacitate Callum, but the Shadow-mage's short burst of energy sizzled past Callum's ear and left a scorched mark on the wood. The walls of living wood seemed to groan and slowly close in on the group.
Callum swore, his hand instantly on the hilt of his sword. Keeping her secret even in a crisis, Callum exclaimed, "Ally, you have to run!"
But Vivian wasn't listening. Her gaze was locked on the Shadow-mages, her mind already assessing the situation with her calm, analytical precision she used in her work.
Four of them. Mages. Magic was a distance weapon. They couldn't hit what they couldn't see, and they wouldn't have time to cast a spell if I was close enough to them.
One of the Shadow-mages stepped forward, his hand lowering to expel another sickly, twisted vine. But before he could even touch the floor, Vivian moved. She surged forward, not toward the mage, but toward an ornate vase filled with Everlight Flowers that sat on a pedestal nearby. With a swift kick, she sent the pedestal toppling toward the mage, the vase shattering as it flew. The Everlight Flowers, now free from their vase, flared with a burst of blinding white light, causing the Shadow-mages to shield their eyes.
The living wood of the palace continued to creak and shift, isolating the battle, an audible and physical complaint about the invasion and damage caused by the Shadow-mages' violation. At the same time, the isolation meant that the Royal Security Barklars were stuck behind a stubborn door and unable to reach the conflict.
Callum, who had shielded his eyes in anticipation of the flash, used the momentary distraction to draw his sword with a clean, melodic shhhhhhnick!. He moved with his fluid grace, compelling his sword made from songcrystal to vibrate faster than the eye could see. It was like he was accompanying the figurative dance with his blade.
Slice. Parry. Slice. It was almost a waltz.
Meanwhile, Vivian's mind was racing, assessing and internally cursing the impracticality of her ornate, layered gown. The heavy fabric and corsetry were a cage, a hindrance to every instinct in her body. With a decisive huff, she reached for the hem of her skirt and rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiipp, with a powerful, tearing motion. The hand-stitched fabric was tossed exposing her leggings up to her thighs. The sound was cacophonic and shocking in its sheer audacity. She then tore away the constricting stays in a complimentary cracking, the sudden release of pressure was nearly a jolt of freedom.
She dove low, sliding on the smoothed flooring beneath a bolt of energy that would have bound her in place. She came up at the feet of a Shadow-mage on the far right, her hands grabbing the man's ankles in a practiced judo sweep. She pulled hard, and the mage went down with a surprised yelp, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud. His spell dissipated into a shower of harmless sparks.
The two remaining Shadow-mages focused their attention on her, their faces, contorting behind the black flame flicker, with a mixture of anger and disbelief. One of them sent a series of twisting, ethereal chains toward her, but Vivian was still in motion. She grabbed a heavy, velvet tapestry from the wall and used it as a shield, the chains snagging and tearing at the thick fabric as she rolled. She came to her feet and, using the momentum of the roll, lunged forward with a move from her self-defense training. She pinned the Shadow-mage's arms to his sides with a swift, efficient tackle.
"Ally!" Callum yelled, surprised. The sight of Vivian in Alura's body, with a ripped ornate dress, wrestling with a Shadow-mage, was both ridiculous and inspiring.
The last Shadow-mage, a female with an angry scowl that permeated the black flickering flames masking her form, had recovered. She was raising her hands to cast a powerful offensive spell, her mouth already shaping the words of power.
Callum, seeing her, moved with a speed born of desperation. He threw a quick pulse of energy from his sword, not to wound her, but to knock her off-balance, the shimmering pulse of magic caught her hand and disrupted the spell.
The Shadow-mage staggered back, her eyes wide with fury breaking through the flame covering for a moment, just as Vivian, having disarmed her male opponent, leaped over him and toward the staggering last Shado-mage. She closed the distance quickly, her hand shooting out to grab the Shadow-mage's wrist. As Vivian spun her movements were economical and precise, using the Shadow-mage's own leverage against her. She pulled, then pivoted, and the Shadow-mage went flying, crashing into the heavy double doors of the hall with a loud bang, and collapsing to the floor in a heap. Through the brief view of the opened doors in mid-swing, Vivian got a good view of a few Barklars from Callum's protective detail already at the door, watching her.
Vivian stood there, chest heaving, a triumphant, breathless grin on her face. Her dress was torn, her hair was a mess, and her face was flushed with exertion, but her eyes shone with a fierce, quiet pride. Callum covered Vivian with his cape and hood, then turned his attention to the intruders. Looking over at the three unconscious Shadow-mages and the one still stunned on the floor, sheathed his sword. He then looked at Vivian in her tattered, filthy dress. "Vi… uh… Ally... what in the world was that?"
Vivian shrugged, her grin widening. "Self-defense," she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I told you, I can handle myself. I just need to get this body into shape. I'm so out of breath right now."
The silence that followed was broken by a soft chuckle from Kel, who had just stepped through the now-open double doors.
"So," Kel said, "does this mean she gets a sword?"
Callum grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the protective detail, who were handling the crumpled remnants of the defeated mages. "I think that settles it. Right?" Vivian nodded, ready to try Callum's suggestion to see if she could access Ally's magic.
Just then Vivian heard a soft whisper that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The sight of air warping began again. Two Shadow-mages on the floor who were not yet restrained, scrambled and disappeared into the shimmer. Another broke free of the Barklar holding her and dove into the distortion. The fourth Shadow-mage went limp as the distortion faded. It was unclear if he had taken his own life or someone on the other side of the shimmer had ended it for him. As the black, flickering shadowy flame extinguished, a normal-looking boy in his late teens, wearing some light, leather armor emerged into full view. Vivian felt a pang of sorrow seeing the life cut short of someone who hadn't yet begun to live it.
Leaving the rest in the Barklars' care, Vivian and Prince Callum continued to the king and queen's chambers to disclose the truth about the switches over the years, despite Vivian's protest about her state of dress. And now, they also had to report the unwelcome guests that had shimmered directly into the corridor.