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used to
protecting yourself from them.”
    Kelsey thought about this. It had
been almost two years since she had traveled through the kingdom.
She could scarcely remember what her life was like before she had
begun training. She had been out in the world her whole life, but
it seemed like a very different place after having been away from
it.
    “That looked like a regular
storm,” Kelsey mused. “It was intense, but there was nothing
supernatural about it. Why didn’t the sorcerer make the trees come
alive or something more dramatic?”
    “I don’t know,” Maggie answered
with annoyance in her voice. “And what makes you think it was the
sorcerer, anyway?”
    “I’m talking to Roland,” Kelsey
responded to Maggie with equal annoyance in her tone. She turned to
look at the fox. “There are better ways to confuse people than with
rain and thunder.”
    “Other methods can be obvious, and
you might see that something outside yourself was causing the
confusion," he explained. “Because a rainstorm is a common
incident, it makes the deception more effective.”
    Kelsey reflected on this
information. It did make sense. After all, she had no idea that the
storm wasn’t real. It had fooled her and left her disoriented. She
looked up at Roland and noticed how calm he was.
    “The sorcerer’s spell didn’t have
any effect on you, did it?” Kelsey asked.
    “No, it didn’t,” Roland
answered.
    “Is your conversation
interesting?” Maggie asked. “Because it’s pretty boring from my
perspective.”
    “Do you always see reality?”
Kelsey asked Roland, ignoring Maggie’s question.
    “It’s very difficult for anyone to
fool death – even a sorcerer,” he said. At this remark, Kelsey
suddenly understood the value of having Roland on the quest, and
she knew that the king was looking out for her.
    “This is tougher than the
experiences I remember,” Kelsey confessed.
    “Memories are not always the best
measure of things, especially in this kingdom,” Roland
replied.
    Kelsey paused to consider his
words. It was now easier to think than it had been during the
storm, but it was still difficult. She had not expected this type
of complication, but she now realized that she should have. She had
been isolated and protected in the castle and had forgotten what it
was like in the outside world. She had thought the quest would be
mostly fighting battles and physical adventure. Fighting unreality
was a different sort of problem than she had anticipated. She knew
that Roland was competent, but she had just seen how quickly she
and Maggie had both fallen into the storm of confusion. She felt a
sudden wave of discouragement as she understood her limitations and
the size of the task ahead of them.
    “Are we going to make it?” she
asked Roland with concern in her voice. He glanced around at the
woods carefully before responding.
    “Since we’re on our way to rescue
hope, it might be a good idea to start this journey by embracing
hope rather than despair,” he replied.
    “I’m not embracing despair. I’m
embracing reality.” Kelsey awkwardly shifted the weight of her
backpack as she spoke.
    “No, you’re not. What you call
reality is actually despair. We’re away from the castle now, so
you’re incapable of recognizing what’s real and what isn’t. Despair
appears real to you, but it doesn’t have to. You always have a
choice, and since at the moment you can’t discern reality, I
recommend that you choose the perspective of hope and make it your
reality. It’s a better way to travel.”
    Kelsey felt awkward under Roland’s
gaze. She admired his wisdom, but her own lack of it made her feel
uncomfortable in his presence.
    “I don’t like these little
lessons,” Kelsey retorted.
    “What lessons?” Maggie
asked.
    “Well, I have another one for
you,” Roland said.
    “Yes?”
    “Sometimes it rains,” he replied,
smiling to himself at his own joke as he turned away.
    “Gee, thanks.”
    “Are you done