Isabelle Lafontaine

Table of Contents

So. This is me. Writing those notes to myself and pretending that nobody is ever going to read them, while also caring way too much about making everything clear and admiration-worthy. It's obvious that what's most likely to happen is that I'll die during an attempt to go back to the fantasy world and all those notes will be found by the police or my parents, or I'll die of old age and leaves those behind to be thrown away without a glance.
Both are just as depressing.

Anyway, since I've started this, I might as well do it properly...

Childhood

Me

Baby Isabelle was born from Solange and Lafontaine on the Tuesday 25th of June 1991 in the agglomeration of Lille, in the North of France, near the Belgium border. I had a rather pampered childhood, to be frank, though not spoiled. Impossible with such parents.

But they were always attentive and loving, encouraging me to learn and pushing me to constantly excel and exceed my limits.
I was always a very clever child. First in all my classes throughout my school career. Always extremely polite and studious, loving reading and drawing. I didn't have many friends, but it's quality rather than quantity that counts.

I can now admit that I might have always thought of myself as superior to those around me.

Cleverer and quicker to understand everything, more curious about the world and with a deep desire to understand the mysteries of its working... And with little patience to deal with dull people thinking themselves as better.

Isabelle Lafontaine by AmélieIS with Artbreeder

Clément

Then my brother was born. Little Clément. On the 14th April 1998, when I was already 7 years old. Precious baby.
His presence changed the dynamics of our household, of course. He was always the first priority, and me, a mere second thought.

But I got used to it and learnt to become independent. And once he grew older, I enjoyed the role of wise mentor.

My parents, though... No matter what happened, I was always at fault. As the oldest, supposed to know better. This gave me my first taste of injustice...

I was in my last year of high school, ready to finally graduate and move on with my life, when disaster struck. A stupid traffic accident that killed Clément.

The following weeks—months—were hard. And then I suddenly didn't have to deal with it anymore.

Clément Lafontaine by Matthew Osborn on Unsplash

Sérannie's call

Arrival

On my way to school one day, a magical portal opened right in front of me and dragged me to another world. A world of magic. Sérannie.
They didn't bother asking for anything, just slapped some translation magic on me and told me point blank that I would help them with their little Dark Lord problem. And then, before I had time to understand what was going on, I was already on horseback on my way to the south of the Sérannian kingdom with the rest of the Questing Party.

By the time I had fought with the translation magic long enough to start to make sense of the situation, we were already deep in the countryside, far away from any kind of magical portal. Not that being in a world full of magic was truly horrible, but I would have appreciated being asked for permission before they kidnapped me away from my world and family.

Magical portal between worlds by Stefan Keller on Pixabay

The Séranniens

And then, it turned out that all members of our party except one where arrogant nobles with a superiority complex who delighted in informing me that, as a commoner and someone who had lacked the exacting education administered to noble children, magic would forever be inaccessible to me.

Of course, I could not accept that. Nor did I accept to follow their etiquette and rules of politeness when all of them were based on a desire to have everyone debased themselves at the feet of nobles.

If my parents have been good for something, it's teaching me how to stand up for myself and not succumb to peer pressure. Too bad for the Séranniens, though.

That didn't exactly make me many friends among our group...

Still, I did not care. I was far too focused on the joy of magic.

Despite what everyone was telling me, there was no way I was going to let all of this wonder and power stay out of my reach. And my perseverance—and genius—finally paid when I managed my first "spell". A fireball, of course.

Take that, Lurose!

Sérannian society by Prospero Piatti

The quest

The Chosen One

During all this time, I also made friend with Romain. The Chosen One. Which led me to understand all this absurd prophecy business to defeat the Dark Lord that wasn't that absurd after all...

Romain has some special magical talents that allow him to use an ancient super powerful sword able to defeat the Dark Lord. And I, as an otherworlder, was apparently capable of seeing through the Dark Lord's terrible illusion magic and would be able to point Romain in the right direction.

Romain, the Chosen One by AmélieIS with Artbreeder

Illusion magic

How ridiculousn thoughn that illusion magic is considered so taboo... That's really not what you'd think of at the mention of terrible dark magic!

And of course, by the point I fully understood what was going on, we were already several years into our little quest with no sign of success, and things were starting to turn a little more... deadly.

And magic is all fine and good, but there is no way I'd die for any of those people!

So I decided to take things into my own hands: rather than just be a potted plant barely doing anything more in our group than stand around and look nice—amazing even!—I decided to go about learning illusion magic myself.
And, like every time I set my mind on something, I succeeded, of course.

But then, I also had to come up with the whole plan to defeat of the Dark Lord and to convince the rest of the group that, no I wasn't evil, and yes this would totally work provided they could actually follow orders.

Illusion magic by Stefan Keller on Pixabay

Calendre

I did not mention it, but during all those years, the rest of the group slowly warmed up to me. Of course, all blown away by my obvious magnificence and skills.

And I also warmed up to them. With time, you get used to everything

Prince Calendre, in particular, proved out to be intelligent and witty, and actually a good person below his cold and distant persona.

We even ended up "going out" together, formalising our relationship by announcing it to the rest of the group—who were hilariously more than slightly outraged by this.

I didn't understand at the time. Of course, I was expecting disapproval from the king and the court; I'm not a naïve idiot. I just underestimated the breadth of it.

Yet, that relationship gave me a strong support among our group, and I managed to convince everyone to go along with my plan. And everything would have gone on perfectly if they had somehow not left me alone to be captured by the Dark Lord before we could execute it.

Prince Calendre by AmélieIS with Artbreeder

Final battle and glories

He tortured me. But I managed to hold on to all information as well as the illusions I had cast on the rest of the party. I managed to save the day and show Romain where to hit. And we defeated the Dark Lord thanks to me.

And once we came back to the Sérannie, the capital of the kingdom, and the court, we were all lauded as hero. Huge celebrations were taking place, and Romain and Princess Jérine were going to be wedded. He, a commoner just like me. And yet, I was refused the right to marry Calendre.

I thought I could wear the king and the court's resistance down, just like I had done with our Questing Party. That, sooner or later, they too would recognise my skills, and that, in the meantime, they would at least be forced to tolerate my presence out of gratitude.
But no.
All those bastards were only getting ready to stab me in the back!!!

And worse of all, Calendre was the one chosen to deal the death blow. Right in the middle of Roman and Jérine's wedding, they opened an interworld portal, and he pushed me right through it without warning...

by Peter Forster on Unsplash

Back to the normal world

Coming back to France was surreal. Straight out of a nightmare where you're forced to go back to school and take an exam whose topic you've completely forgotten. Because of course, I had to come back as if no time at all had gone by, in my old body, unmarred by any torture injury but younger by years. And right of an important exam day too.

Of course, I completely flunk it. Anybody would have.

And of course, my parents did not take that well at all. And what a nice reunion it was, after years away from them, when I had finally finished mourning them and got resigned to the idea of not seeing them ever again. And then, they welcome me with that? When I had become an adult, a Master mage highly respected? Treating me like a disobedient child rebelling stupidly and unable to follow basic instruction to study a minimum, throwing away my future on a whim.

Worst of all, all the wondrous magic I had trained so hard to master has stayed behind in Sérannie. I am now left in a state of perpetual cold and powerless against everything and everyone.

I am now supposed to grow resigned and settle back into my life as if nothing had ever happened, like a good little hero that had now grown useless. A Cincinnatus, amazing war leader who went back humbling to cultivate his field after having served his country.
No way in hell am I ever going to accept that.

I don't know by which means, I don't know how long it's going to take me, but I will come back. And I will wrench away from the king's hands all the honours and titles that are my due after what I've done for them. They will all regret their betrayal. No matter what I have to do.

Revenge by AmélieIS with images from Pixabay and Vecteezy