The next morning Ardwyn woke up with a knock on the door.

“Yes?” he called. “Who is it?”

Flynn was still sleeping. He seemed to be a heavy sleeper, not responding in the slightest to the knock on the door, continuing to snore in his deep sleep.

“Mr. Plum,” the voice answered. “I’m the new dormitory steward.”

Ardwyn opened up the door, not expecting anyone at this hour.

“This is room 1B, isn’t it?” Mr. Plum said.

Mr. Plum was an older gentleman, thin in shape, with thick sideburns running down his face. The top of his head was bald, with longer hair growing out from the sides onto his shoulder. He wore a pair of round gold spectacles and a neat green coat with brown corduroy pants.

They had already hired a new dormitory steward? Ardwyn wondered. That was fast.

“Yes,” Ardwyn said sleepily. “What can I do for you?”

“I was instructed to let you know that Professor Elara wanted you to stop by her office.”

“Did she say why?” Ardwyn asked.

“She didn’t say,” Mr. Plum said and lifted a clipboard from underneath his arm. He scribbled the words 1B in pen on the clipboard. “I am also making my morning rounds, checking in on each of the rooms. Is there anything else that you might need?”

“No…” Ardwyn said.

Mr. Plum took a few more notes, looking briefly around the room, and then quickly glanced at Flynn who was still sleeping. He took another note and looked up. “Okay, I shall be on my way then.”

“Wait—“, Ardwyn called as Mr. Plum was about to leave.

“Yes, sir?”

“Did they tell you what happened to the previous dormitory steward, Mr. Gimble?”

“They said he passed away in a rather unfortunate accident.”

“Did they tell you any details of the accident?” Ardwyn asked.

“No, they didn’t say.” Mr. Plum said. “Why did you want to know?”

“Just wondering,” Ardwyn said.

“Aha, alright,” Mr. Plum said. “Well, is there anything else?”

Ardwyn shook his head. Mr. Plum left the room, continuing to go down the corridor of dorm rooms, checking in on the other students.

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An hour later, after Ardwyn had stopped by breakfast at the dining hall, he made his way up the stairs through the large corridor walkway, where Elara’s office was. He halted near the door with the familiar metal dragon door-knocker. Ardwyn lifted the heavy metal ring and let it fall with a loud thud on the door.

The door opened, and Elara greeted him as if already expecting him.

“Ardwyn,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for coming.” She walked back to her desk and sat down. “Please,” she said and motioned toward the couch for him to sit down. The couch was big, with a soft brownish fur, and wooden curved arms.

Elara said, “First, I wanted to thank you for what you did back there. You showed great bravery under extraordinary circumstances.”

Ardwyn nodded.

Elara continued, “After you left the council meeting, we held further discussions, and came to the decision to admit you to the Academy, provided of course that you are willing to join. We would love to have someone like you, someone who has shown great resolve under pressure such as the incident with the ogres.”

Ardwyn nodded again. He was considering the possibility.

Elara said, “I do realize that you don’t have a lot of choices at the moment, and you are stranded so to speak here in our world. The Academy would provide you with room and board, and all your classes would be paid for. What do you say?”

Ardwyn thought for a moment. She was right. He really did have nowhere to go, no money to rent a place in town, and no money even for basics such as food. Back home, he was used to being poor, but he could rely on his mother. Here he had no one and nothing. Besides, he could have a chance to learn magic. That seemed to be extraordinary on its own. If anything having the support of the Academy could give him time to figure things out and how to get back home.

Ardwyn finally nodded in agreement. “I would like to join the Academy.”

“Excellent!” Elara exclaimed. “Classes start Monday, after the weekend.”

Ardwyn said, “I’ll do my best.” He felt a surge of excitement come over him. He was going to start training to be a mage.

Back at his dorm room, he shared the news with Flynn, who was still sleeping when Ardwyn arrived.

“That’s amazing!” Flynn said when he heard what happened. “We can be classmates.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Ardwyn asked.

“Mr. Plum,” the voice answered.

“Come in!”

Mr. Plum entered the dorm, holding a stack of neatly folded clothes and boots in his arms.

“I’ve been instructed to bring you your new mage uniforms,” Mr. Plum said. He set the stack of clothes and boots by the desk. “You have three pairs of uniforms here. Should you need more just let me know.” Mr. Plum said and left. He seemed extra busy with the first week of class coming up.

Ardwyn looked back at the desk and held up the uniform. The mage uniform was the same as Flynn’s — a black mage robe with black leather lapels. The material felt sturdy yet lightweight. Ardwyn ran his fingers over the smooth fabric. There seemed to be some hint of magical properties woven into the cloth itself by the way the fabric moved in his hands.

The robe was accompanied by a matching black belt with a silver buckle, emblazoned with the Academy’s crest. A pair of comfortable-looking black boots completed the uniform, reinforced for stability with tough soles. These were solid leather boots, not like the cheap sneakers he had at home, and stylish at that. Underneath the folded pairs of mage robes were a set of undershirts and trousers, gray colored.

A part of Ardwyn was relieved. He would no longer have to worry about a lack of money and his limited set of clothes back home. For the first time in his life, it was as if a great burden lifted from his shoulders. He was free to just focus on his studies and not worry about having to get an after-school job just to keep up with the basics of life. He remembered what his mother had said back at the airport the last time he had seen her. Promise me that you will do well at school.

At that moment, Ardwyn decided that he would be one of the best students and mages the Academy had ever seen.