A familiar bell rang, its cry echoing through discordant halls. A young boy sighed, making his way to his new designated classroom. As he sat as his desk, listening intently as attendance was called, he waited patiently for that name he recognized. Name after name was called, Luke becoming evermore anxious as each was read off.
His name was earlier on the list, as he was accustomed to from the year prior. Familiar names had come up, names he recognized from last year, until at last the man reached the end.
“Alright, that’s everyone. Let’s start with what you did over the summer.”
Luke’s heart hurt, his worst fear realized. He couldn’t focus on what the blonde, stout man was saying, other than he had made kids come up to the front to talk about stuff. His mind had tuned out the world in front of him, instead leaving him to daydream about his friend.
“Luke Baronia.”
The boy snapped out of the dream when he heard his named, lost to current conversation.
“What did you do this summer?”
“Oh, I…I tried to leave Lumina.”
“I imagine that didn’t go over too well. On a side note, I’d like to see you before lunch about something.”
Luke turtled in his seat when the eyes of the class darted his way, several accusatory “oohs” joining the stares.
“Ahem, class.” The teacher waited for complete silence before continuing. “I would just like to inform that, unlike last year, recess will not be the second to last thing we do; the last will be math.”
The teacher could physically feel the malice of every kid in the room as they collectively groaned.
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As the rowdy cluster departed for food, Luke waited for a reprimand from the teacher.
“Ah, Baronia, I know that you must be eager for lunch, so I’ll make my rambling concise; and no, you’re not in trouble.”
“Okay then, what do you want?”
The boy eyed the stout man, taking note of his short blonde hair, white coat that draped over tan pants, and most of all the elegant tone with which he carried himself. He wasn’t brash and uncouth like most other adults, but instead he spoke calmly, yet without hesitating or second guessing himself.
“A question: are you genuinely unable to use mana?”
Luke nodded, confounded people still couldn’t grasp his handicap.
“Unfortunate. I heard you were a troublemaker, but your grades suggest otherwise. What happened last year?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Some kid pushed me into a girl and the teacher thought I did it. He didn’t let me eat for the day and wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Oh my. And you didn’t tell anyone?”
“Nobody would do anything if I did.”
“Believe me Luke, that teacher would be gone from the city, much less the school, if that story made it to the public. Even if the incident is a year old, that man shouldn’t be working here!”
Luke was taken aback by the man’s resolve, yet also feeling that same energy begin to infect him.
“Ahem,” the man cleared his throat, “you may go and eat now Baronia, thank you for your time.”
“Oh, well thank you mister…”
“Carem.” The man put his hands behind his back and closed his eyes.
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As Luke marched down the castle halls, his eyes immediately caught a glimpse of a man talking to the chancellor. Strangers were a common sight in the castle, usually during summer, but this particular man stood out among most. For one, on his back was a backpack, larger than any Luke had ever seen. The man himself was wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants, meaning he either wasn’t from the country or he was masochistic. After the men parted, Luke snaked his way to chancellor.
“Hey, Edward, who was that man?”
“A foreigner who claims to be an ambassador from Pyora. He didn’t say where in Pyora he was from. I think he might be a journalist, though I’ve never heard of him before.”
“So, what’s the difference between an ambassador and a journalist?”
“An ambassador goes to a foreign country to represent the good it has to offer. A journalist goes to a foreign country to harass people for money.”
“So he’s going to write bad things about the queen?”
“My explanation for a journalist was a tad exaggerated -just a smidge- because they’re supposed to write about things people want to read. People eat up any bad news they hear, and the people of Lumina would kill to hear slander against the queen.”
“Do people not like the queen?”
“People fear her, yet also belittle her. She means well, but the people of Lumina have heard or experienced a world without monarchs, and many can see a world where Lumina has none either.”
“What does a queen even do?”
“Well, talk to people, make decisions on how to improve the city, what laws we should have. Boring adult stuff. What scares people is that she can force people to leave.”
“She can?!”
“Yes. The city population is believed to be adequate for its own survival, but it will forever be limited by the very thing that keeps it alive: the wall. As long as we have the wall, we offer a guaranteed safety from the outside world, but the queen could so easily take that fewer people are coming to Lumina than leaving it. But the queen would never abuse her power.”
“Never?”
“Not unless the person does something illegal.”
“But she could do it for any reason?”
“Yes.”
Luke paused, forming a situation in his head. He had wanted to go see Elizabeth today, but now he was both even more eager, yet felt unprepared to talk to her. When he heard a cough, the boy remembered the chancellor was still standing over him.
“Thanks Ed!” Luke ran passed the man.
“Luke, you know how I hate-“
But the man was too late to protest, nor did he care enough to pursue the boy.
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“How was your first day back?”
Luke’s mind had been racing the whole day; upon reaching the peaceful scene of the princess taking care of her garden, his mind had halted immediately. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt her, but she had turned to see him, as if she knew.
“It was okay, but I did make a new friend, I think.”
“A new friend? Who are they?”
“It was the teacher. He asked me a few questions and seemed really nice.”
“Did you see your old friend?”
“No.” Luke gritted his teeth without opening his mouth. Warding off his conscious, he continued, “Did you tell your mother about her?”
“I might have said something, why?”
“Just wondering.”
The princess had narrowed her eyes, but the boy pressed on her nose before running off. He knew he was going to get tackled, but it beat any possible alternative.