The entrance exam for Nobility would take place in the capital of Tethia. That was why Cassandra was not surprised when the carriage pulled to a stop to camp for the night. Her body was stiff from travel, and Mr. Book was desperate to get some distance. After all, there was no way the others had ridden in silence all day.

Cassandra had learned a lot about her travel companions during the journey. Lily was incredible. She was joining Nobility not to become an archmage, but a healer. There was a lesser known fifth course in Nobility for healers, but they mostly ended up being lumped in the magicians. The flower in her hair was actually there for practice. Her goal was to keep it alive until the test was over with her magic.

Marcus was far less pompous than he had seemed at first. In fact, he had quickly become embarrassed by his half-conscious arrogance. Just like Cassandra he had a big dream. He wanted to be the hero who protected Tethia, and the best position to do that was as the king. He was a bit clumsy, and Cassandra couldn’t help but worry about his chances of passing.

Caleb would volunteer information only when he thought it might get them to leave him alone. He had quickly given up on demanding silence. It turned out, he was actually nervous and was doing some last minute studying on advanced magic theory. Cassandra doubted that he would need that for the entrance exam, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. More than anything, he just wanted to study magic.

There was one thing that bothered her, though. For some reason, he was even colder to her than the others. Had she done something to particularly offend him? As the driver, who they learned was named Ryder, prepared a meal for them over the campfire Cassandra decided to find out. As his nickname suggested, Mr. Book had found a tree to prop himself against and was deep within a new volume from the advanced magic series.

“Mr. Book,” she called out to him, using the nickname on purpose. She would use his name if he would use hers. “Why do you dislike me?” There was no point beating around the bush.

Caleb sighed. “Ms. Cookie,” he greeted, his tone full of frustration and sarcasm, “I thought it would be obvious why we wouldn’t get along. I love magic, and I dislike those who place restrictions on it. You want to become the queen, the one who who makes the annoying laws on magic.”

So that was what this was about. Still, Cassandra didn’t quite see the problem. “I love magic too. That is exactly why I need to become queen.”

“What?” Caleb asked, visibly confused.

“Think of it. Wouldn’t it be better to have the one in the seat who makes the laws and restrictions on magic be one who loves it?” she told him, “If someone who hates magic takes that seat, magic will smothered. I want magic to thrive and flourish for everyone.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Caleb’s demeanor changed. “You would sacrifice your chance to study magic up close to protect it for everyone else?”

Cassandra frowned. “Sacrifice? Of course not. I intend to be a queen very involved in magic. What kind of silly queen makes the rules on magic without experiencing it for herself?”

Lily approached the two of them with a bowl of food in her hands. “Dinner is done!” she announced with a smile, “I’m glad you made up, but don’t let it get cold.”

The journey was a lot easier after that. At the very least, the atmosphere inside the carriage was a lot more pleasant. Before they knew it, the carriage had passed through the gates of Arte, the capital of Tethia. Through the windows, Cassandra could see the clean stone wall towering high above, protecting the great city. Hundreds of travelers were packed along the roads in carriages and on foot. There were even those riding devices that looked suspiciously like bicycles, if bicycles were made with magic.

The slow pace of the carriage inside the city gave all of them the opportunity to take in the sights. Colorful banners and vendors were everywhere as if this were the middle of some kind of festival. Other prospective students stopped to visit the stalls for good luck charms and other souvenirs of their journey. It was likely a good thing they remained safely inside the carriage. Good for their wallets, if nothing else.

After a while they approached another, shorter wall. Behind that wall was the impressive expanse of the castle. The castle that housed the leadership of Tethia was made of polished white stone that all but sparkled in the sunlight. It was hard to believe the exam would truly be taking place in such a majestic location. Would there be any time to tour before leaving for Nobility?

Once inside the castle’s gate, Cassandra was able to see a long line of carriages waiting to drop off testees like them. There were so many of them! How many students did Nobility accept each year? How many of those students actually made it into the system of the country? Surely a drop compared to the endless crowd of teenagers milling about in the courtyard.

For the first time, Cassandra was nervous. Could she really compete with all of them to be recognized by the queen in such a short time frame? If she fell short here, there would be no second chances. The official exam had not yet even begun, but Cassandra could not help but feel like every choice was important.

Once it was finally their turn to dismount, Cassandra could see adults in servant uniforms skillfully guiding everyone where they needed to go. Rather than the chaotic gathering of teenagers she had imagined, everyone was orderly and on their best behavior. Then again, no one could afford to make a mistake before the test had even begun. Those who were foolish enough to make a scene were swiftly removed to make way for the others.

Such perfect elegance and order. This was the kind of leadership Cassandra admired and strived for. She dreamed of the day she could command a crowd with such effortless ease. Each person was given their own room in the castle, in a wing designed for this exact purpose. The rooms were all small, but had the essentials a bedroom needed.

Luckily, Cassandra’s luggage had arrived safe and sound. Now all she had to do was not lose the key, and not get lost. The rooms were numbered, which helped. Hers was 3054. If that number was accurate, considering her room was only in the middle of her corridor, that meant she had thousands of competitors. She knew for a fact that those who were accepted were only in the hundreds.

According to the schedule she had been given, the first test would be the simplest, and what everyone had prepared for. It was an exam to test if their base knowledge was high enough to cope with the courses of Nobility. After all, the school had no time to waste with basic subjects like math and language. It was expected to have already mastered them before attending.

“I should brush up on my history again,” Cassandra muttered, pulling out her own study materials from her bags. Perhaps she should have studied on the way like Caleb had, but it was far too late to think of that now.