Everyone had gotten downstairs and was packing up their belongings. The nobles had sent a messenger to Falden, announcing their arrival and requesting things to be organized to specific descriptions. Mel hadn’t really listened to the conversation they had had with the messenger, but she had overheard bits and pieces. In her stomach, it felt wrong.

They were acting like royalty and requesting things from a city and school they had never been to before. They were foreigners here and Mel felt more like she wanted to lean back and observe Aldrion before she demanded things of the city.

In some ways, Mel felt closer to Gabriella than she did to Marcus or had done to Minnie. But in others, Mel felt like Gabriella was a complete alien, one born on a foreign planet with rules much different to the ones Mel was used to.

Gabriella was powerful, both in beauty and money. When she entered a room, people turned to watch her and when she handed someone a gold coin, they scrambled to listen to her command. She was someone who changed lives, not someone like Mel, who observed others and waited for them to change her life.

Marcus walked up to Mel by her seat at the inn table. She had been sitting here for hours now. First with Grace and the travel agency and when they had left, with the nobles. She was still angry with him for not following the agency back over the mountain pass and further to Windbrook. She desperately wanted him to return home.

“Look, I’m sorry about before,” he said. “I don’t want to fight. We are both here in Aldrion now, and I’m not leaving. So please don’t ask me to go.”

Mel wrinkled her nose and regarded Marcus with a distaste she often felt for him. Her stable friendship with Marcus had become a rocky relationship she wished to end. Then at once, she felt guilty for wrinkling her nose and for disliking him. Mel felt like a truly bad person. Because she knew that any sane person would be happy to have someone like Marcus to protect them.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m sorry for not appreciating you more.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said. “We’ve been through a lot these past days and I think the mountain got to us. Let’s start fresh today and find us someplace to live. We don’t have much money left, only two silver and a few copper, but hopefully it will be enough for a small place close to Falden.”

“Us?” Mel asked. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to live together.”

Mel felt her heart aching, saying this to Marcus. But at the same time, she knew it would be harder if they moved in with each other to keep him at arm's length. She knew it would bring hope to him for a more mature relationship between them in the future, and Mel just didn’t feel ready for that.

Marcus’ face scrunched up, and he looked disappointed. But before he could respond to her comment, Gabriella joined them.

“Hey, are you ready to go to Falden with us?” Gabriella asked.

“We actually need to find someplace to stay first,” Marcus said, answering for Mel. “I think it’s best if you fancy folk go to Falden today and Mel hangs back here with me to find a cheap room somewhere.”

Mel gave Gabriella an apologetic half-smile and immediately felt embarrassed about Marcus’ behavior.

“Why doesn't Mel just get a room at school?” Gabriella asked. “The dorms are cheap and meals are included in the rent. But yes, pretend soldier boys don’t get to share that room, of course.”

Mel’s gaze flickered between Gabriella and Marcus, feeling her cheeks flush red. The both of them were staring daggers at each other and Mel felt her palms sweat.

“Thanks, Gabriella,” Mel said and gave her a warning look before turning to Marcus. “A room at school actually does sound good. Maybe you could find something for yourself in the city?”

Marcus took a step back, like Gabriella and Mel had physically hurt him. He watched Mel’s face for a moment before he squared his jaw.

“Sure,” he said. “I get that school is important for you. So get a room in the dorms. I will find my own way to stay in Aldrion and protect you. I made a promise to the dragons and I plan to keep it.”

He handed Mel the coin purse, and she took it. Mel looked down at the purse in her hands and felt stunned. She lifted out the copper pieces and handed them back to Marcus.

“Here, at least take these,” she said. “That way, maybe you can find someplace to sleep or something to eat today.”

Marcus looked at the few coins in her palm, and then reluctantly grabbed them. He walked out from the inn and left Mel with the nobles inside. Mel looked over at Gabriella and let go of the breath she had been holding.

“Thanks,” Mel said. “But it wouldn’t hurt you to be nicer to Marcus.”

Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest, and a wide smile spread over her lips.

“Why?” she asked. “You don’t seem to like him very much these days. And it’s not like you're super nice to him either. I’m just following your lead.”

Mel winced at that comment.

“Oh man,” she said. “I really should be nicer. I just find it so hard to be around him right now. All he does is remind me of my destiny and the responsibility that rests on my shoulders. Some days, I wish I could just run away from him and never look back.”

#

They arrived at Falden an hour later and were greeted at the big gates by a man called Henry. Mel and the nobles had taken a horse-drawn carriage down toward the eastern gates and then around a few city streets, crossing the town square and then all the way up the mountain again to the school. Mel had kept her head hanging out of the window like a dog the whole way there.

Aldrion was an old outpost that had been built to block the entrance to the mountain pass, the only way across the big mountains sectioning off the valley from the wastelands. From the eastern to the western gates, there was only a steep upward walk of maybe an hour. But the city had been spread out to the south as well and at the top of the most southwestern peak of the city, the great dragon forge lay. It was hidden inside the mountain, but Mel knew exactly where it was when looking up from the school gates toward the mountainside.

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There was a reddish glow high up there and a winding staircase carved into the rock. At the end of the city to the south, a big waterfall fell down the mountainside and there, Mel knew, the mage smiths crafted their weapons. She dreamed of going up there, of being allowed inside the forge. Of becoming a mage smith.

“Welcome to Falden,” Henry said and spread out his arms wide. “I’m going to be your tour guide today and this will be your first visit to the campus, where you will spend the next years of your lives.”

Mel lowered her gaze from the mountainside and the forge, waiting for her up there. She regarded the short and stout man called Henry, and noticed he had a reddish beard growing on his face. He had nice clothes, and a smile seemed to cover his face the entire time.

“Are we ready to see the mystical realm of Falden School of Magic?” Henry asked the group.

Mel looked around at the nobles, and they seemed unimpressed so far with the tour. Mel raised her hand to the sky and squirmed a bit. Henry noted her enthusiasm, and his smile grew even wider.

“Great,” he said. “Come with me, children. Let’s discover some magic today.”

The group followed Henry inside the gates of the school and walked down a narrow stone path toward a huge building rising in the distance. They passed bushes and trees and a well kept lawn around the grounds. Mel looked up at the sky and noticed it was gray today, just as it had been up on the mountain pass all yesterday and the day before. She wondered if the sunlight ever shined on Aldrion or if the stories she’d heard were true.

They walked inside the enormous building and entered a big hall with stairs leading up to various floors.

“This is the main building,” Henry said, turning to look at the group while he spoke. “This is where you will have most of your classes. Especially in the beginning. This is the place where you can find the library and where theory will be taught in all the different subjects. Now let me guess, you are all dreaming of becoming elemental warriors, am I right?”

Everyone nodded except for Mel.

“I’m going to study to become a mage smith,” she said.

Henry looked taken aback and a frown spread on his face, but he quickly assembled himself and his smile came back.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” Mel said. “I’m sure.”

“Oh, well, that’s a bit unusual,” he said. “But I guess there is a first time for everything. Now let’s move on.”

Mel wanted to ask what he meant by that, but Henry soon shuffled the group outside again and they didn’t get to see much more from the main building today. Henry led them around the massive gray granite structure to the back, where the stone path spread in several directions and Mel saw smaller buildings stretching before them.

They walked uphill toward the northernmost building, and Henry stopped outside.

“This is the dining room,” he said. “For all of you who will be staying at the dorms, which I suspect all of you will, this is the place to get food. Don’t forget your meal badge or else they won’t feed you.”

Henry chuckled and then walked away again. The group followed him around the school grounds like small chickens following their mama. They didn’t know why they were walking here and there, and his introductions to the places seemed random at best. Mel felt like she wished they had gotten a better tour guide, but she guessed she would have years to experience campus, anyway.

“Here is where I will leave you,” Henry suddenly said.

He stopped in front of a big statue of an old man holding a book in his arms. The statue was gray, like the entire city seemed to be, and the man had his head raised to the sky.

“This is the great Falden of whom the school was named after,” Henry said. “I won’t spoil the rich history of Aldrion or of this school as I assume you all have heard it before and if you haven’t, I’m sure your history professor will bore you to death with the story, as is required of her. But I leave you here, not only to have the opportunity to pay reverence to Falden but also to point out the administration building to you. It’s right behind us.”

Henry pointed to a smaller granite building behind him.

“This is my workplace and the place where you can come with your problems regarding administration. Greta and I will be happy to help you sign up to classes, change your dorms, or anything else you may require. I’m also the school's handyman, so if anything is broken, let me know and I will fix it. Actually, some second-year kid broke a shower in the dormitory last night, so I will head over there now, in case any of you would like to follow me to your rooms.”

Mel lifted her hand in the sky and Henry pointed to her to speak.

“I don’t have a room yet, but would love to book one. How much does it cost?”

“Interesting question,” Henry said, and gave her a quizzical look. “For single rooms, the rent is one gold per semester and for doubles, it's one gold and five silver per semester.”

Mel swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step back from the group. Her face paled, and she felt her breath coming in shallow bursts. Gabriella turned to her with a worried expression on her face.

“Thanks,” Mel said, and Henry seemed unconcerned by her reaction.

He waved to the group to follow him to the dorms, but Mel stayed behind. Gabriella stayed with Mel and grabbed her hand in hers.

“Are you okay?” Gabriella asked. “You look a little like you’ve seen a beast.”

Mel nodded and then changed her mind and shook her head.

“No, I’m not okay,” she said. “I just sent Marcus away and I don’t know where he went. The rent is too expensive for me to even pay for one semester and I don’t have any other options. I only have two silver in my purse and I don’t know what I will do now. You said it was cheap.”

“It is cheap,” Gabriella said. “I don’t think you can find a better deal in all of Aldrion. But I didn’t know you were so low on cash. You should have told me.”

Mel looked at Gabriella and felt at once she should have told her about how little money they had left. She just hadn’t wanted to admit to Gabriella that she was poor. But of course, that seemed silly now since she had on her pair of brown pants and shirt again under her red cloak. Not a silk dress with an embroidered green cloak like Gabriella was wearing. She really must look like a servant to outsiders.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Gabriella said. “Look, you can stay with me. I actually have a double room, but requested they would throw out the second bed. All the nobles do it, to get more space for ourselves. But if you run into administration and tell them you will share rooms with me, then I can go to the dorms and make sure they don’t throw out your bed.”

Mel looked at Gabriella with wide eyes.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes, really,” Gabriella said. “I would love to have you as my roommate and you don’t have to pay me either. Just consider it a gift from my father. He’s the one paying for all this, anyway.”

“If I get the money,” Mel said. “I will pay you back. Okay?”

“Sure,” Gabriella said. “I don’t actually care. But sure, if it makes you happy.”

“Thank you, Gabs. I really appreciate it.”

“Gabs?” Gabriella asked.

Mel gave her a warm smile. “I mean, you are like my best friend now and my roommate. So maybe you can call me Mel instead of Melissa and I can call you Gabs? If that’s not too common tongue for you.”

Gabriella chuckled and shook her head.

“No, not at all,” she said. “I love it. No one has ever called me that before. It will be like your special name for me.”