The Alchemist's Apprentice

True Genius

The Prime Minister of Lombard Kingdom was relaxing with half a glass of chianti, having spent the afternoon running low on ink and lower on patience. 

While the kingdom wasn’t in bad shape per se, and nothing was actually wrong, three of the neighbouring countries were in economic boom times. If the current state of affairs continued, people would trickle out of the kingdom to greener pastures- and he was certain that any attempt to suppress the flow would be the perfect pretense for a foreign invasion. 

There was some hope if they could marry the prince or one of the princesses off for an alliance, but the former was a known dandy and the latter were… charming but plain. Like their country. Though on reflection, like their country they also had significant mountainous regions. The prime minister was optimistic about their chances.

There was a knock on the door to his study. It wasn’t the maids, and he didn’t have any appointments… 

“Is it urgent?”

“I just brought some things.”

The Prime minister frowned. Lilly? Perhaps she’d brought him a snack from the kitchen, the maids did occasionally have her do odd jobs. He’d have to tell them to be more careful with her. 

“Please enter.”

The door opened, and the girl shuffled in. She was wearing a blue dress that looked like it’d just come out of a clothespress, but, her hair, normally so straight and neat was… Frazzled. The prime minister had never seen a proper frazzling before, but he knew one when it walked into his office. She’d tried to smooth it down but her face looked like she’d poked her nose in a wizards study and gotten a fireball for her troubles. 

“What on earth happened to you?” 

“N…Nothing much, but, I made these for you.”

She held out a thick stack of pure white paper. As the Prime Minister took it, he looked at the parchment on his desk. It was like the difference between a princess’s smile and a pauper’s yellow grimace. 

“You made this Lilly?”

“I… I’ve been reading the books in the alchemy tower, and, I’ve tried a few things.”

The Prime Minister swallowed his surprise and chose his next question carefully. 

“Tried a few things. What else can you make?”

“Ink. Soap. Perfume. I think the books are wrong though, the recipes don’t work unless you change them a bit.”

“Change them?!” The Prime Ministers poker-face didn’t last long. 

“Yeah. You have to tweak them, otherwise it…. Doesn’t work. Doesn’t work at all.” She attempted to smooth her hair as she spoke, part nerves, part hint at the cause of her appearance.

Genius. Alchemy was a notoriously difficult, and profitable field. The prime minister had even taken a c***k at it himself when equipping the castles lab, as everyone knew that alchemy was, in theory, achievable by any and everyone. 

But the difference between theory and reality was too far! It was never clear if the written recipes didn’t work because the ingredients weren’t exactly the same, or the skill of the alchemist was inadequate, or if the formula itself was wrong. 

“How long have you been practicing in secret like this?”

“In secret?”

“Well, I’ve never heard any of my spy-, the staff talk about your studies? When did you get appr-“

Lilly shook her head vigorously. 

“It’s not a secret. I just went up there today, and thought I could do, it, and I read some books, and it failed the first time, but the rest of them worked! I… did want to apologise.”

Aaah ahhhh-”

“I didn’t mean to, but, because the first one failed, I wasted some ingredients, but, since the rest worked, it’s okay, isn’t it?”

Super genius. Incredible. Both sounded flat and insincere. This was a once in a century world class talent. 

“Lilly, could you bring me some of the other things you made?

“You’re not mad?”

“No. I’m not mad. I’d just like to see them. Could you bring them down?”

“Mhm!” Lilly ran off, a childish grin plastered across her face. 

Once she was gone, the Prime Minister rang a bell, and the window of his office opened shortly thereafter. 

“Blain, I’m sure you overheard all of that. For the love of the nine, make sure that nobody lays so much as a finger on her, and while you’re at it, send for his Majesty.”

“Certainly.” Blain frowned ever so slightly when he spoke, but still waited to be dismissed. 

“I know you’re thinking I’m being a little premature, but, I have a certain feeling.” The PM, with no regard for position or dignity, bounced a single sheet of Lilly’s paper on his fingers, bent it a little, placed a corner in his mouth, and finally, put a single penstroke down the surface.

He then reached into a draw, pulled out a small slip of white paper and repeated the same thing. Finally, he took the cover off his desk’s lamp, and held each sheet over the flame. 

Blain could see the difference. Lilly’s paper was absolutely pristine. It hadn’t absorbed spit, it hadn’t creased, the ink had stayed true to the line, a razor sharp stroke. Compared to the other paper, it was superior in every way and most importantly.  Long after the other paper was removed as it started to singe, Lilly’s paper remained unmarred by the fire.

“This colour. These properties. The paper from my drawer was a sample of mid-grade alchemical paper from Elkind’s guild.”

“So hers is high grade?”

“Superior to that. Observe.”

The PM dipped the sheet in his wineglass and pulled it out. The wine ran off the paper in rivulets, leaving no stain. It was as if the paper was a perfect marble tablet that only ink could engrave its mark on. 

“Alchemical paper is used for important books because of it’s resilience. This is on another league entirely. Beyond me to the point that I need an outside expert to confirm my suspicions. You are dismissed.”

Blain was gone by the time the PM turned around. 

Lilly returned to the room with a small wicker basket in hand. When she knocked, and the PM called for her to come in, she opened the door and froze in place.

The King smiled warmly at her and beckoned her to come in. 

“Lilly. We don’t talk often these days, but, Lawrence tells me you’ve made no small achievement in Alchemy.”

The king stroked his salt-and-pepper beard and spoke jovially. The tremors in Lilly’s legs stopped and she walked in and stood proudly, holding out her basket to the PM. 

Relieved of her burden, she curtsied properly to the King. 

“I’m honoured, but, it’s little more than playing around… I hope that it wasn’t too bad I used the ingredients without asking.”

The king roared with laughter. 

“Not at all. It was put there to be used, if you’re the one to use it, who am I to object against fate.”

The PM was examining the contents of the basket. A bottle of amber liquid, a perfectly clear glass lens, two pink waxy bars and the crowning jewel; a small bottle filled with what might as well have been liquid darkness. He swished the inkwell and the contents sloshed seductively, a temptation to pour one’s innermost thoughts onto paper, just to watch the blackness spread.

“Is… this everything you made today?”

“I…. There was one more thing.” Lilly looked guilty. “I just made it before I left the room and…”

she closed her eyes, as if confessing to a terrible sin.

“I was afraid that you’d tell me not to go back up there, and I wanted something to keep-“

“Lawrence, you’re scaring the girl half to death. Lilly, we aren’t angry at you at all. Are we Lawrence?” The King glanced at Lawrence, who returned the glance. In an instant, the King saw that Lawrence appeared to be on the verge of a mental break-down and was only barely holding onto his calm façade. 

Lilly wasn’t done however, and proceeded to deliver the final blow. 

“I thought I was a bit messy earlier, so, I made this mirror….” She took out a handmirror that could’ve easily fitted onto the nightstand of a queen. It was simple, silver and perfect, inviting vanity with it’s gleam. 

Lawrence made a strangling noise in the back of his throat. 

“Very good Lilly! You can keep it for now. In fact, you seem to like Alchemy quite a bit. I recall there was a vacant room in the alchemy tower. Would you like to sleep up there- that way if a recipe ever, pops into your mind, you can make it straightaway.”

Lilly broke into a beaming, blinding smile. 

“I could, really, I could?”

“Really! Just think, you could even sleep there tonight.”

The King could see Lilly brimming with excitement as she was dismissed, and then turned to Lawrence, who seemed to be on the verge of losing his soul. 

“Is she really that talented?” 

“Consider a swordsman your Majesty, who one day picked up a sword, swung it once, and then split an iron helmet in two.”

“Mhm.”

“If Lilly’s talent in alchemy was in swordsmanship, the swordsman I just mentioned would look as talentless as the Prince is. The more I think about it, the more it seems impossible. Blain, check where she’s been for the past week… month…. Five months. I could believe it if she’s been studying day and night for about that long.”

“Would that mean she’s ordinary?”

“Frankly majesty, it would just mean she’s a once in a thousand years prodigy, and a scared child who didn’t want to get into too much trouble.”

“And if she’s telling the truth?”

“Impossible.”

The two lingered, examining the products of alchemy in detail, and determined that each one was flawless and exquisite. When Blain returned, the room was heavy with the scent of peach blossom from the perfume. 

“Majesty. Sir. Lilly has been getting food from the gaurdposts rather than the kitchens in the last two weeks, trading them for small trinkets.”

“Made with alchemy I suppose. But why?”

Blain was impassive. 

“The Prince has been eyeing her. He seems to have designs on the little lady. Some of the maids were tasked by the prince to bring her to him. Hence, she’s been staying out of their sight. They knew she hadn’t left the castle, but didn’t say anything when she practically went missing. They are aware that was a mistake, now.” The corner of Blain’s eye twitched ever so slightly as he held back his disgust at both master and servant alike.

“But this seals it. Just… Two Weeks. Two weeks.” Lawrence devolved into fevered muttering, and Blain looked to his Majesty for instructions. 

“Prince Deboraine will get to spend some quality tutoring time with his aunt. I’ll suffer as well of course, but, it seems the most fitting way to ensure he never entertains such thoughts again.”

“Majesty. Your orders?” Blain was impassive.

“Pick your most trusted subordinate. He will attend Lawrence, you are to assist Lilly with whatever she requires.”

“Sire, I should make myself known?”

“Yes. I want her to feel safe here. Moreover, I don’t want her to feel she lacks anything. Right now, by her own testimony, she’s largely self-taught. No matter how talented she is, in order to have her grow to her full potential, we’ll need a teacher and resources- but we have none suited to be the former and precious little of the latter.”

“Majesty, there is one problem. If we send her away to be trained, her goods are too outstanding.” Lawrence had come to his senses. “She’ll be revealed immediately.”

“We’ll just have to handle it carefully. For now we can’t reveal her existence as an alchemist, but, I want both of you to keep her supplied with reagents. We’ll keep advertising for another alchemist while we look for a way to move any products she creates. Blain, stop her from giving the guards those trinkets, move her belongings to the alchemy tower and don’t tell anyone where she is, or what she’s doing. I trust nobody else knows?”

“Unless she speaks of it, only myself, and the watcher who followed her from this room are aware of her activities. Naturally, the watcher is the individual who will be reassigned to Lawrence.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”