Starla leaned out of the carriage. Finally, after a week of nonstop traveling and sleeping in inns, they had arrived at the Academy. Whoa, Starla thought. Well, they certainly spared no expense. The Academy was surrounded by a magnificent stone wall, with three huge buildings surrounding a courtyard with a fountain and garden and little stalls everywhere.

As she pulled up, some attendants came out to bring in her trunk. Starla grabbed her travel bag and stepped out of the carriage. “Thank you,” she said to the driver. He nodded and bowed in his seat.

“Good luck, Lady Starla.” She smiled.

“Have an excellent return drive.” He nodded and snapped the reins, preparing to start the long journey back. Starla set her shoulders and turned to the academy. Alright. First things first, I need to get oriented. I’m entering as a second-year student, so I wont have as many resources to help get settled. She walked through the gates and made her way to the central building. The central building had a very large doorway, so she was assuming that was where she had to go.

When Starla stepped inside the building, she had to stop for a second to take it all in. Wow. There were tall columns stretching up to a high ceiling. The walls up to her neck was made of a dark, slightly reddish wood, and everything above that was a smooth, cremeish wood that Starla recognized as rare Fadishin forest wood. Dozens upon dozens of lanterns hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room. White marble tiles stretched across the floor, and a huge velvet red carpet with gold and bronze-colored designs threaded through it covered many of the tiles. Tapestries featuring bright images hung from the walls.

Starla gazed around the beautiful- but empty- room until she looked to her right and saw a desk that seemed tiny compared to the room. A woman with chestnut hair and glasses smiled at her. Starla smiled back, a little bit embarrassed with how long she was staring, and trotted to the desk. “Don’t be sheepish,” the lady said with a laugh. “Take in the sight. It’s the most luxurious room in the Academy. Every other room is a stable in comparison.”

Starla grinned. “Is this where I check in?” she asked.

“You guessed it. Name, please?”

“Starla Verenteis. Of Aureum. I’m entering as a second year.”

“Very good,” the woman said. She handed Starla a key. “You’ll be in room 277. If you walk down the main hall and turn to the left you’ll enter a room where you can gather your baggage.”

“Ok,” Starla said. “Thank you for the information.” She turned to leave.

“Oh, one piece of advice,” the lady said. “Things here usually take quite a bit of adjusting for most students. We have so many cultures meshing that new students typically go through a little bit of culture shock in the second or third week. Just be prepared for that.”

“Thank you,” Starla said. “I’ll be prepared.” The lady waved and Starla started walking down the hall.

She followed the lady’s instructions and entered a room where her trunk was waiting. There was one other person there, a student with white hair and black eyes. “Hello,” the girl said. “Are you the new second year?”

“Yep, that’s me!” Starla said.

“Great!” said the girl. “I’m Meira.” She held out her hand to shake.

“I’m Starla,” Starla said, shaking Meira’s hand.

“Cool name,” Meira said. “I’ll be showing you around and helping you set up your classes, since only first years get orientation.”

“Thanks,” Starla said, smiling nervously. “I’m guessing you don’t get a lot of new students other than first years.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Meira said. “I joined partly through last year. I’m a little bit young to be a second year, but my birthday’s partly through the school year and I’m particularly… talented… so the administration let it slide.” She grimaced “That was a lot of unrelated information, wasn’t it.” Starla smiled for real now.

“It’s ok,” she said. “I don’t mind. Though I would have thought you were my age?” Starla was fifteen, the normal age for seconds years.

“Fourteen,” Meira informed her. The she flipped her hair back dramatically. “It’s the hair. Makes me look older.” Starla giggled. Then she hefted up one end of the trunk.

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“Well then,” she said. “Should we get this tour started?”

…

Meira said they would drop her trunk off in her room first. She helped Starla carry it to the other side of the building and up a flight of stairs. “You’re lucky,” she told Starla. “There are less students this year, so you get your own room.”

“Do you have a roommate?” Starla asked. Meira smiled.

“Yeah, Margret. She’s really nice. I’m not sure how much you’ll see her though, since she’s in a few advanced classes. It really depends on how you set up your schedule.” Starla nodded. A boy passed them, and Starla spoke to him in a different language.

“You speak Elvish?” Starla asked in surprise once the boy had continued. Meira blinked.

“Yeah, do you know it?”

“Just a few words. Mostly official greetings and inquiries, to be honest. Aureum shares a little bit of a border with the elves, so we get a lot of elven visitors at the palace.”

“The palace?!” Meira said in surprise. “Are you a princess?”

“Hah,” Starla laughed. “No. Just a Lady. My uncle is the king.”

“Huh,” Meira said. “I don’t really know a lot about how nobility and lines of power work, but that sounds pretty high ranking to me.”

“Sort of,” Starla responded. “I’m high ranking, but I don’t really have a lot of power or respect because of my position alone. Most of my significance in the court is because I’m a powerful mage with a good head on my shoulders.” Meira nodded.

By then they had reached Starla’s dorm. Starla opened the door, and the two girls carried the trunk right inside. The room was simple, but comfortable. The floor was covered by a soft carpet and the walls were beige. There were two beds, two desks, and one large wardrobe. The beds had plain white sheets, and when Starla opened the wardrobe, it was empty.

“You can decorate it however you want,” Meira said. “But for now, let’s finish the tour!”

Now freed from the trunk, Starla and Meira were able to move at a much faster pace. Meira showed Starla the (very large) mess hall, and the main floor, which held around twenty classrooms. “This building is mostly for the dormitories and the office rooms,” Meira said. “Oh, and the academy will sometimes hold special events in the main hall.”

Then she led Starla outside. “The other two buildings are where a lot of the classes are. The Sapphire building,” she pointed to the one on the far left, “has a hangout room for students. There is also where you’ll find the history classrooms, math classrooms, finance classrooms, politic and language classrooms, etiquette classrooms, and so on.” Then she pointed to the building on the far right.

“That’s the Orchard building. More practical or physical classes are held there, including biology, art, most of the magic classes, and so on. The combat classes are held right outside the building, but on the far side, so you cant see them from here.”

Meira took Starla to see the combat yard first. It was small, with an old shed that was nearly falling apart. Starla looked around it in silence.

“Its… not very impressive,” Meira said, looking almost embarrassed. “Combat was not a very popular class. Its gotten more popular recently, so they brought in another instructor, but it’s still small.” She turned to look at Starla. “Are you going to take the class?”

“Uhh, probably not,” Starla said. “Physical combat is not really my thing. I’m more talented with my affinity.” She decided not to mention her double affinity. ‘It would probably sound too much like boasting,’ she thought. She was hoping Meira would like her enough to be friends.

“Do they have any magical combat classes?” she asked hopefully.

“Uh, yes,” Meira said, sounding hesitant. “I don’t take them though. Because I don’t need to. Heh.” She cleared her throat. “Should we finish the tour?”

“Yes, let’s go,” Starla answered.

…

After Meira finished showing Starla around the academy she and Starla sat at a table in the hangout room at the Sapphire building. Meira pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket.

“Ok,” she said. “You just need to fill this out and turn it into the main desk, and you’ll be all set.” Starla took the paper and saw that it was a weekly schedule. It was set up so that she had four primary classes every day and two electives a day that rotated every other day. So eight classes in total.

“For two of your primary classes you need math and history. It’s a requirement,” Meira said. Starla filled out the paper accordingly. “The rest of the classes are completely up to you.” She pulled out a thin book from another pocket. “Here are all the classes available. I already crossed out the ones that are full.”

“Thanks,” Starla said. She got started browsing. Twenty minutes later she had decided on what classes she wanted. Her four primary classes were Math, History, Magic concepts (a higher leveled class), and Magic combat.

Her four electives included Politics, Art, Fae (a language class) and Cooking (primarily because she got to eat what she cooked).

“Nice classes,” Meira said when Starla finished. Starla smiled.

“Thank you. I’m going to go turn this in, but thanks again for helping me. I never would have figured it out on my own.”

“No problem,” Meira said. Starla got up to leave.

“See you later,” she said with a wave. Meira nodded. When Starla turned toward the main building she had a smile on her face. ‘I think I’ll like it here.’ Her thoughts drifted back to Kastra, and surprisingly, his heir. ‘One day,’ she promised. ‘One day I’ll help defeat him. But for now, I think I’ll just enjoy being a kid.’

…

Meira watched Starla leave. ‘I can’t believe I almost slipped up,’ she thought. ‘But I didn’t. And, seriously, who’s gonna suspect I’m a dragon?” Anyway, Starla seemed nice. But… something in her- her instincts, maybe- said that Starla was the start of something big. Something dangerous, and world changing. The start of an adventure where evil was slain, and unexpected allies were made.

‘Or maybe I’m just being dramatic,’ Meira thought wryly. ‘Anyway, I have to get to the combat yard for my combat session with Margret.’ She started towards the combat yard.