In a flash Ivan spun around, the wind ruffled his hair as he stumbled back, clasping onto the nearest table. Andrew did the same, knocking over a few books in the process.

"Oh, I'm truly sorry for startling ya, my young masters," the voice definantly originated from someone who came from way out in the country and it most certainly did not fit in with its speaker's look whatsoever.

A man with long black hair expertly cut, reaching down to his neck prostrated himself before the boys. He was immensely tall, reaching well over 6ft, his cheekbones stood out along with an abnormally long smile across his pale face. He wore a fine dark purple outfit that covered his slender body, accompanied by a black cape going across his back and hiding his right arm. He had the true look of a mage but his voice box must have wanted another career choice for him. At least he made himself presentable.

"So you are my murderer," stated Ivan glaring down at the man, in a position ready to send his shoe right into that smug face.

"Don't jump to conclusions my prince, I only asked why ya were alive?"

"That can be misinterpreted. Especially by one who is absent from his work space and shows up suddenly from behind."

"Aha, yeah sorry 'bout dat but seriously why are ya still alive? I doubt that ya can just shi...I mean excrete the 'dragon's bile' and be looking dandy afterwards."

"Well there is a reason for that and considering you are a mage, you might know."

"Mage? My prince I ain't a mage, I'm an apothecary."

"Pardon?" Ivan's hostility quickly turned to confusion.

"Ivan, despite his appearance, this is Gorvenal, the apothecary I mentioned earlier," said Andrew.

"Oh, I see, well the mage gave me a healing potion, it must have worked and saved me," equivocated Ivan finally deciding to answer the man's question.

"Odd, must've been a strong one, not a lotta people come out fine after getting that in ya system."

"Um, right," Ivan was still unable to get over the accent and voice of the well dressed man before him who had ceased bowing now, "I have questions for you too so if you wouldn't mind, please wait here with us and answer. Perhaps if we remain then that mage shall show up."

"Yeah, I got no clue where Dolphy has run off to."

"Well that skips my first question. My next one is what are you doing here?" Ivan resumed his solemn expression.

"Good ol' Dolphy asked me to bring 'im some ingredients."

"Very well, where were you the moments before I arrived at the castle?"

"I was at my room, experimentin'."

"You are an apothecary, which means you are quite knowledgeable on things such as poisons, am I correct?"

"Yeah, I was the one who identified 'dragon's bile' in ya body after all."

"So you would be able to craft such an item no?"

"Oi oi, are ya accusing me of tryna kill ya, my prince I would never do some'ing like dat!"

"Unfortunately I cannot take your words at face value."

"Aw c'mon my prince, ya gotta believe me, I'm innocent!"

"As I said, I cannot take your words at face value, so answer the question."

"Hmph, afraid not my prince, to make 'dragon's bile' ya need a rare flower that grows far down south and trust me when I say it's not cheap, the only way I could've got it is if I asked master Andrew 'ere."

"Andrew, did he ever make such a request?"

"No, never, Gorvenal only uses local supplies within his potions."

"Ok then, but that does not eliminate the presumption that you acquired the 'dragon's bile' from an outside source," said Ivan pointing a finger.

"I wouldn't be able to do dat either, I stayed in my room for the past week, only comin' out on rare occasions like this. There's no way I could've met someone and they tell me to kill ya with a bottle of 'dragon's bile'. It ain't possible."

"Andrew, have any guests visited the castle recently?"

"No, ever since my father has been on his trip we have had no visitors, the only exception being you."

"Hmm interesting which means if we are talking about an ordinary person then they must have received the 'dragon's bile' before even coming to the castle and considering the short amount of time between my father's demise and my arrival, very few people could have poisoned my tea. It would have to be someone from inside the castle who had knowledge of my arrival. How long did it take me to arrive after the courier?"

"Roughly about 2 hours I would say," responded Andrew.

"2 hours huh. Approximately how long before my arrival was the tea made?"

"Um, 5 minutes, we wanted to make sure the tea was still warm for when you came."

"So our perpetrator had 5 minutes to poison my tea and escape."

"That can't be right," cut in Gorvenal, "'dragon's bile' takes at least a couple of hours to fully get into a person's system before they start feelin' the effects."

"Wait, so when I drank the tea I shouldn't have felt the effects straight away?"

"No, now that I think about it you would of have had to drink the 'dragon's bile' 2 hours prior to your arrival," stated Gorvenal.

"But that was...hmmm," Ivan trailed off into thought at this new information, "I need to speak with the mage."

"That would be easier said than done if we knew where Adolphus was," chuckled Andrew slightly.

"We are in his laboratory, let us search for clues to his whereabouts," suggested Ivan.

All 3 began to move objects off desks, look inside containers and read books, although they were all hesitant considering that the majority of items were probably magical in nature. Nothing turned up that would be of any use, just spell tomes, strange crystals and other eccentric devices.

Ivan noticed a large open book on a pedestal with odd symbols and writing in it. He approached it and examined its contents.

"Lilliputian?" Ivan read.

He slowly raised his head to a weird sound coming from behind the book, on a desk. It was a minute noise but still, Ivan walked around the pedestal to find another pile of dusty books of various colours. The noise only grew louder but still remained at a low frequency. Pushing aside the volumes he discovered a tiny man sleeping on the wood.

"Uh, can either one of you tell me what this thing is?" Ivan asked, taken slightly aback.

"Hmmm, A...Adolphus!" Yelled Andrew in amazement upon closer inspection.

"So that sound I heard was him snoring," said Ivan bluntly.

The small figure awoke from his slumber rubbing his eyes. He said something but at his level no-one was able to discern it. Sparks and lights suddenly came out of nowhere causing the 3 to take a step back and witness a man appear almost out of thin air.

"Terribly sorry, I used a spell that made me shrink and I guess I...haaaahhh..."

The supposed mage Adolphus, the man standing before them, looked nothing like a mage, in fact he looked more like a carpenter with his leather apron and dirty white shirt. He was a plump little old man with a round red nose and chest hair sprawling out of his shirt that intertwined with his brown beard.

"Is he awake?" Questioned Gorvenal noticing Adolphus' eyes were half closed.

"Huh! What...oh you wanted to talk, yeah what is," the mage paused upon realising who was standing before him, "P, p, p, p, prince Ivan!? And Master Andrew!?"

"Oi why's my name not included!"

"So sorry for not...haaahh...I should probably stop yawning, for not realising sooner that it was you two...haaaahhh...damn it."

Ivan was revolted at the lack of respect that he was ready to shout at the old man but Andrew saved him the lecture by butting in.

"Yes we understand, my friend has some questions he would like to ask you about recent, events, is that alright?"

"Why yes, of course, please, ask away."

Ivan's temper had calmed down but there was still a hint of exasperation in his voice but not so that anyone could recognise.

"First off you must be wondering how I am alive and the simple answer is your potion and no other sources of aid," Ivan lied once again, keeping his immortality a secret, his reason was because he felt that very few would believe him even if he could prove it but also for another reason, "I thank you for saving my life and I am indebted to you but brushing that aside, the question I wish to pose upon you is only 1 in fact and that is, I want a list of all your magical abilities."

"Eh? Why do you want that?"

"If I can see them then you will be clear of suspicion and I will know who tried to murder me. I know hardly anything about magic but to me there is a myriad of ways a mage like yourself could have accomplished such a feat, although coming from me means it holds no credibility."

"It's a long list Prince Ivan, are you sure?"

"Yes."

Adolphus produced a beige coloured piece of paper out of his sleeve that was almost as long as Ivan himself.

"I'm more of, a magician, I guess you could call it but anyway here's the list."

"Thank you," Ivan began rolling up the overlong list with a disgruntled expression.

"Let us head back to the lounge, it will be easier to review the notes then, you and Gorvenal can come also, considering how mixed up you 2 have become, I am sure you would like to see the conclusion to this mystery."

"Splendid idea," approved Ivan.

"Thank you Master Andrew," both Gorvenal and Adolphus said in unison.

After heading back to the lounge and taking a seat on the velvety armchairs, all 4 of them sat quietly, unable to eat or drink anything due to the worry of being poisoned themselves, although Adolphus had already fallen fast asleep. Ivan quickly scoured over each spell, sometimes waking up the sleepy mage for reference to what each spell did. After what seemed like half an hour, did Ivan finally finish reading.

"Well?" Inquired Andrew.

"There are a few here that caught my attention but I doubt that he could use them to his advantage."

"So Adolphus is clear of suspicion?"

"Yes and I never really thought it would be him, considering how he acts."

"Pardon me, my prince," spoke up Gorvenal, " but maybe Dolphy gave ya a fake list with missin' info."

"A good point but I doubt that also considering his personality and how he left some rather embarrassing spells on there, he probably wouldn't have hid some of them," Ivan mocked Adolphus with unrequited disdain for giving him such a long list even though he said he wanted it, luckily for him, the old man was snoozing in the chair.

"So now that that is finished, do you know who the culprit is?"

"Indeed I do but first I must go collect the box I left back in the carriage and I am very glad that I did leave it there."

A morning breeze blew against Ivan's hair as he walked towards the dark red carriage, he saw the driver polishing the fine vehicle and promptly waved hello to him, the man who's face was as average as they come stared at Ivan but then smiled back. It was a smile of disbelief. Opening up the door, the maroon box still remained in the spot it had been since the last time Ivan had seen it. Good no-one has touched it, he thought.

Placing his hands around it, the sensation of a beating heart instantaneously travelled along the fingers of the prince. I need to get it away from here as fast as possible, Ivan thought to himself. He couldn't go too far so he decided to stroll away and place it in a nearby bush when no-one was looking.

"Say Mr driver, what is your real name?" Asked Ivan, not even facing the man being questioned.

"Ah, well, why do you want to know my prince?"

"I was just curious."

"Well, it's Walter, Walter Argon."

"I see, tell me Mr Argon who would you prefer to become king? I won't discriminate against your opinion."

"Ah, it is a matter of debate so I don't really know my prince."

"What if one of the candidates were to suddenly die from poison?"

Ivan sensed the slightest twitch in Walter's demeanour and it was all the justification he needed to know that it was him. Turning around to face him, Ivan smiled maliciously.

"You see I was very fortunate to have left the box in the carriage otherwise you might have left, and I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to have get better acquainted with my murderer, but, surprise, I am not dead."

Walter stumbled back, whipping out a knife from his pocket, the fear on his face was so stupidly obvious

"You were contracted to poison me by one of the royal candidates, I am going to guess Julius, that sly fox, considering he was the only one who knew where I was going."

"S...stay away!" Screamed Walter, "you're supposed to be dead!"

"So you admit it, very well."

Ivan raised his hand and clicked his fingers. Adolphus and Gorvenal appeared out of the doors to the castle along with Andrew who had a face that said 'how dare you'.

Like a duet in perfect harmony the mage and the apothecary rushed forward to attack.

"Trying to poison me when I was asleep, how very cowardly of you," sneered Ivan.

"I'm not dying here!" Walter raised one arm and pointed his palm out towards the attackers, a strange sensation hit the group and with an incantation. He disappeared, everything disappeared, it was all just black

Did I just die again? Wondered Ivan.