(Mallea)
The journey was longer than Mallea had imagined, but Asher and Safreya’s company made the trip enjoyable. She hadn’t expected such an immediate connection with Asher, but their fast friendship was welcome. As the selected three laughed and bonded, the dirt roads beneath the flying carriage turned to cobblestone streets. The green treetops gave way to roofs of towering buildings. The occasional dots that signified other humans, so small from Mallea’s aerial view, became increasingly frequent. There was no doubt about it. Finally, they’d arrived at their destination.
“Welcome to the capital city,” said Jakob, “Solluna.”
Solluna was everything that Mallea had read about in books. However, the illustrations hadn’t done the magnificent city justice. The further the pegasi descended toward the streets, the more overwhelmed Mallea felt. There wasn’t a soul alive who wasn’t awed the first time they arrived at Solluna. Even among the other great kingdoms, it was the largest city in the world.
Jakob escorted the three students out of the carriage and into a building twice the size of Mazgrove’s tallest structure. However, in Solluna, it was of modest height. Awaiting Jakob inside the building was an official-looking woman in a black waistcoat. Despite being in a guild house, the woman didn’t wear a pin. She must work directly for the guilds, thought Mallea.
“Welcome,” said the woman, “the selected from Mazgrove, I take it. Today you’ll register for two guilds, a major and a minor. I believe you all know your major guild, but I can procure you a list of secondary options. Of course, you can select more minor guilds later, but we recommend starting with one.”
“I’ll start us off,” Asher replied. “The name is Asher Setric. I’ve been recommended to the Blade Guild and would like to make the Archer’s Guild my minor.”
Mellea noticed Jakob’s face light up at Asher’s declaration. Undoubtedly, the violet arrow had taken an interest in Asher and looked forward to teaching the young warrior. However, Mallea knew the real reason Asher had chosen the archer’s guild. His childhood friend, Kylie, had been selected two years ago for her archery skills. Heavens, Asher. Day one at the capital, and you’re already chasing skirts, Mallea thought.
The guild worker looked up at Asher with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. “Setric… Hmph, so the exiled branch finally returns to the capital. And what about you, Easterner?”
“Mallea Thorgil, recommendation to the Blacksmith’s Guild. My minor guild...”
To join a guild, one had to be recommended to one. The selection doubled as a recommendation for those outside the capital. However, minor guilds were different. Any guild member could choose another guild within their recommended college to be their minor. A fifth of a guild member’s lessons took place in their minor; it was a big decision. For Mallea, who was focused on crafting weapons imbued with magic, there was a crafter’s guild infamous for remarkable magical craftsmanship.
“The Luthier’s Guild,” said Mallea. “I’d like to learn about magical instruments.” The woman nodded, writing Mallea and Asher’s decisions on a sheet of parchment.
“Thorgil, like Desmia Thorgil… What a crop this is,” the woman said. “So, what’s your story, little one?” The woman asked the group's youngest member.
“With recommendation to the Zoology Guild… My name is Safreya… Safreya Lanvein.” Safreya said as if her name would shock the woman to her core.
“...Is that supposed to ring a bell?” The guild worker asked. Safreya, embarrassed, bowed her head. “Well, at least one of you has a normal peasant lineage. So, miss peasant, your minor guild?”
Safreya stayed lost in thought. It was enough to not get hurt feelings over the guild worker's comments, let alone choosing a place she'd spend years of her life at. Mallea didn’t blame the scholar for struggling with her decision; getting the right minor guild was a big decision. Even a guild outside one's primary came with a hefty time commitment.
What type of scholarship would suit Safreya best? Mallea wondered. Mathematics? World history? Geology?
“Well, the flying serpent attack today reminded me just how dangerous Solluna’s wilderness can be. They weren’t even a particularly aggressive species, and we all could have lost our lives...” Safreya said. “I want to be able to defend myself during research, so I’d like to apply for a minor guild outside the scholar’s college: the archer’s guild.”
It was uncommon for a scholar to apply for a minor guild in the warrior’s college. More than anyone, Mallea was shocked that Safreya would join the Archer’s Guild. One didn’t think of an aspiring archer when they saw the tiny brunette with her wide, circular glasses. However, even stranger was her tone. If she merely wants to join the guild for self-defense, then what's with that tone of curiosity? Mallea wondered.
“As one of the main instructors of the archer’s guild, I accept your application,” Jakob told Safreya, whose face lit up in a joyful trance. “As for your rooming arrangements, would you like to be with girls from your guild or be paired together?”
“Together!” Mallea said, “if that’s fine with Safreya.”
“Of course!” Safreya replied to Mallea’s joy. Mallea wasn’t skilled at meeting new people, and she’d already exhausted too much energy befriending two in one day. More importantly, Safreya had a bookish demeanor that Mallea assumed indicated an excellent bunkmate. She didn’t want anyone hosting wild parties in her space.
“As for Asher…” Jakob started chuckling at suggestive eyebrows from the young warrior. “Unfortunately, Kylie already has a roommate.”
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“Rats,” Asher said with a grimace, snapping his fingers.
“You can either room with another selected member of the warrior’s college or…” Jakob’s lips curled into a mischievous smile, “there’s a boy around your age from the bard’s college who is also taking archery lessons with me. You might recognize the name: Iliastyr Dusk, the prodigy of prodigies.”
Iliastyr Dusk?! Mallea thought, even in Mazgrove, I’ve heard stories of the child prodigy who rose to the top of the magical world in mere months. “Not to sound rude to Asher, sir, but why would a legendary child prodigy like Iliastyr want to room with one of us Mazgrove kids?” Mallea asked Jakob.
The mentor chuckled. “I couldn’t pay anyone else to room with Iliastyr. The kid is a horrible person.”
“I came here to get stronger and prove my family wrong; anyone who can further that goal is a good person to me,” Asher told Jakob. “Set me up to bunk with Iliastyr Dusk.”
Anyone who can help you reach your goal is a good person, huh? Mallea thought. But I’m more than just someone who can help you reach your goal… we are friends… right, Asher?
“Besides, he’s a genius. I’m sure he can help Mal and Saf!” Asher said with his signature solar smile, easing Mallea’s worries.
Jakob ushered over a guard, pleased the prodigy finally found a roommate. After whispering in the guard's ear momentarily, Jakob released the young man to his task. “I’ve sent a messenger on ahead,” Jakob told Asher, “you’ll get to see Kylie soon.”
Mallea noted the way her friend’s body tensed up. The bumps on Asher’s skin and the shiver down his spine told Mallea everything she needed to know. Asher’s heart completely and utterly belonged to Kylie Novasca. Mallea remembered Kylie from her days in Mazgrove; she was a mighty warrior known for her dancing and guitar abilities. People praised her unmatched agility and unique fighting style influenced by growing up as a dancer. Mallea couldn't think of a better match for her new friend.
I'm rooting for you two, Asher, Mallea thought. It must be wonderful to have someone you care about like that.
And so, after saying their goodbyes, Mallea and Safreya said goodbye to their male companion. Asher left with a wide grin, waving to the girls until he and Jakob were out of view. Since they had separate major guilds, Asher and Iliastyr would take up lodging in the archer’s dorms. While Jakob escorted Asher across town to the dorm for the archery guild, the guards took Safreya and Mallea to a shared girls’ dormitory.
The red brick dorm stood proudly in the middle of the scholar and crafter’s colleges. The four colleges consisted of scholar to the north, warrior to the south, bard to the east, and crafter to the west. Thus, the girls found themselves in the northwest of town. The scholar-crafter dorm was the largest and most populated of all the girls' midway dorms, just above the scholar-bard dorms.
Mallea and Safreya were guided into a large lobby of girls selected from many cities. Some girls who arrived the day prior had received their red pins, and three already wore orange rank pins. Talented children born in the capital typically qualified for their first guild at age 13, and the red ranking was meant to reflect that. Unsurprisingly, some selected 16, 17, and 18-year-olds had skipped the earliest rank.
The girls in the lobby worked on crafts or diligently read books. Mallea closed her eyes in a silent thankful prayer that she was with the crafters and scholars. She would have lost her mind with the young women from the warrior or bard’s college. Many of the girls looked at Mallea as she passed. The capital was more diverse than Mazgrove, but those from the eastern kingdoms still stood out.
Honestly, there are probably people in the capital who are half-alucardian or half-merfolk, Mallea thought. Is a girl with tanner skin truly so unique to you?
“Mallea, I found our room!” Safreya shouted, peeling away down the hall. Mallea followed her young friend away from the crowd and toward an open door. On the other side of the door was a wooden plank with the girls’ names carved into it.
The beds, a perfect marriage between soft and firm, were the most comfortable Mallea had ever laid on. The closets were filled with uniforms for their major and minor guilds. The girls rushed to try on the clothing the capital had gifted them. Seeing Safreya in her archery gear made Mallea burst into a fit of laughter.
“Do I look that strange?” Safreya asked, awkwardly adjusting the leather tunic that protected her torso.
“No, of course not! Fierce and fashionable,” Mallea told her junior.
“Have you noticed the guild uniforms offer skirts and slacks?” Safreya asked excitedly, “They're so much higher quality than we had in school, too!”
Safreya was right. Girls had to wear the same drab blouse and long skirt combination at their school in Mazgrove. In terms of uniform options alone, dozens of potential outfits were available in her closet. Slacks, skirts, blouses, tunics, and armor of infinite variety sat within the room. Not only that, but they’d given Mallea the quality nightgowns that she dreamed of back in Mazgrove.
“I only wish Amalda could be here,” Safreya sighed, falling on her bed and cuddling up to the massive pillows.
“The girl from the great farewell, right? You two seemed to have a very special connection,” Mallea said with a giggle as Safreya turned a fascinating shade of red. “I am rooting for you two, and those relationships are more accepted in the capital than they are in Mazgrove.”
“Well, everything is better in the capital, isn’t it?” Safreya asked.
“We’ll see if you still feel that way after weeks of collapsing onto your fancy new bed in exhaustion,” Mallea teased, “they’ve given us this luxury for a reason. We are expected to perform to their standards.”
While Mallea began to change into her new nightgown with hopes for a good night's rest, Safreya was busy stepping into the boots of her archery uniform. After grabbing a light coin purse from her Mazgrove belongings, Safreya began to exit their room.
“Going out?” Mallea asked, relaxing into her bed.
“I want to meet that prodigy,” Safreya said, “Iliastyr Dusk... There's something that I'm looking for; I think he might have it.”
That’s the mentality you need to have, Mallea thought approvingly as Safreya exited. Mellea believed the trio from Mazgrove would perform to the capital’s lofty standards. She’d become a black hammer and stand on the same level as her aunt, Asher would become the diamond blade and prove his family wrong, and Safreya would… Wait, what does Safreya even want? What a weird girl, Mallea thought with a shrug as she drifted off to sleep.