You don't have to have magic to follow the example of King Aeëtes.

She had no idea if the sentiments really came out from her heart, or if it was just a clever turn of phrase to adjudicate some kindergartners. It was true, that everyone had unique talents beyond magic, and shared the same opportunity to change the world, but not everyone accepted themselves as they were. Even the storyteller struggled to accept herself for who she was. She ate her own words.

The storyteller walked down the path to her home. Ahead of her was a picturesque scene, waving weeds on a hill and a small town visible in the distance. The perfect blend of activity and stillness, like a summer daydream. The storyteller named Alicia was pondering with the dancing minds. Could she bring about significant changes without magic? Because as far as she knew, the world she lived in did not seem to uphold that idea. Could she be something even though she differed from his kin? Would bliss ever come to her if she did not fit into her clan’s mould?

Alicia's mind then turned to the fact that she had completed the final test at her accelerated Common Academy and would soon graduate. She wondered about her next steps, what she would do with her summer, what kind of education and job she wanted. The dream career of working for the Magisterium of Arcane Plane, like her mage mother, surely was not an option. With all her knowledge, she felt directionless, uninspired by the many open doors before her. So engrossed in her thoughts that she did not even notice her legs paddled as if moving on their own, the sweat on her forehead, or the discomfort of her two-layer uniform in the summer heat. Normal people would have taken off their coats and loosened their ties, or found the nearest water source and immersed themselves in it for a while.

She was unaware that two other students, a lad and a lass, were observing her from a distance. They dressed the same uniform, but they were not accelerated ones like Alicia. The lass possessed dark, curly locks. Her posture was impeccable, her gaze as sharp as the edge of a knife, and her stature firm. Army protégé? Perhaps. The lad, towering and muscular, exuded the nonchalant air of a dissident soldier.

The lad slipped off his jacket, slung it over his shoulder, and loosened his tie, unbuttoning a few buttons on his shirt to let the summer breeze in. He could not stand the uniform, it hung off him like an ill-fitting suit on a paunchy fellow.

The protégé girl beside him pointed at Alicia and gestured with her finger, then placed it on her lips in a menacing manner—a cue to sneak on Alicia and startle her from behind. The lad nodded with a grin, then the two made their move. How surprised it was that Alicia did not turn her neck due to the boy's loud footsteps and the protégé's repeatedly smacking for him to make his step slower. She then patted Alicia's shoulders with both hands and gripped them tightly, as if snatching prey.

"Got ye, ye delicious Crimsonmane wean!"

Alicia let out a startled scream as she nearly lost her balance. She quickly regained her footing, but her heart was shaken still. The two fellows laughed at their successful prank.

"Works every time," said the lad.

"Nadine! Gilmore! Not funny!"

"The Sunchester Vampire joke isn't funny," Nadine, the lass, retorted. "But your reactions always tickle my stomach, and I'll never be deterred. You better be on the lookout for another surprise!"

Alicia sat with her hands behind her back, still catching her breath. "And putting me in danger of having a heart attack at any moment? What a caring friend," she pouted.

"Oh, come on, don't frown like that. Your heart won't beat faster than Gilmore's during his extreme workout," Nadine teased, trying to lighten the mood.

A wide smile came from Gilmore. "Naw, naw. Let her frown. She's a pure bonnie when she frowns."

"Hush, Gilmore, ye freak," Alicia replied, half-annoyed. "And can you please stop making Sunchester Vampire jokes again, I beg you? That's really not funny. Lots of kids have fallen victim to those vampire attacks.”

"Aw, come now. How many times I tell you Sunchester Vampire is just a haver?"

"What do ye mean 'haver'?" Alicia was clearly upset this time. "Did I not tell ye I almost died being kidnapped by that vampire while we were camping? And Mama caught it when she took me on a work trip in Glasnagour? And this is the first time you said the Sunchester vampires aren't real. Dinnae tell me ye dinnae remember it."

"Wait, did ye? Hmm. Ye have hunners tragic stories to tell aboot yerself, so much I cannae even remember when ye told something other than 'near-death, almost kidnapped, blah blah blah'," Gilmore laughed, still not taking her concerns seriously.

Nadine nudged Gilmore in the stomach.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Of course not all of them, idiot! She also has a lot of fun stories. She's not some kind of bairn with an abusive family—main family, to be precise." Nadine then turned back to Alicia. "But maybe you're right, Alicia. Oh, poor Alicia, forgive us. How could we bother such a good, fragile, and sweet lass like you? Here, let me hug you!" Nadine said, pulling Alicia in for a hug. "Don't worry, hen! We'll crack a more civilized joke, my wee elven.”

"Stop that!" Alicia struggled to release herself with a blush on her face, sulking. A little jest, then they made their way to Trinketshore, the small town where they lived.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Where have you been, Crimsonmane? Volunteering at the kindergarten again, I presume?" Nadine queried. She tried to lift Alicia's backpack. "My guess is right. That one's pure heavy. You might want to consider stopping carrying too many props on your shoulders. Unless that's what you want—be a hunched, youthful grandma telling stories to children day and night!"

"Ha ha, Nadine."

"Another joke, hen! Divine Mercy I cannot stop teasing you!" Nadine ruffled Alicia's red hair, a wide grin on her face. "By the by, since you've just been from kindergarten, did you take the final exam?”

"I did this morning. It was awright."

"Wow, I'm sure you passed with flying colours, as always. Congrats, Miss!" Nadine exclaimed, hitting Alicia on the shoulder.

But Alicia just passed a glance to Nadine. "Hm? What’s there to congratulate? I just finished the exam, not passed yet."

"Of course, ye will," Gilmore replied. "An absolute genius like Alicia Crimsonmane, not passing an exam is an anomaly. After all, this is yer last exam in high school, while we're still stuck there for another year, scunnered."

"So, what's next?" Nadine asked again. "I mean, your education? You know, your next Uni, the major?"

Alicia tilted her head slightly upwards as if her eyes were immune to the scorching sun. "Nothing's really caught my attention yet." She reflected a while, then continued with a faint smile on her lips. "I just dinnae ken, hen. Guess I still need some time to think about it. Right now, all I can think about is resting after a series of exams and taking care of those rambunctious preschoolers.”

"That explains the dreich face. It's like yer exam burden hasnae gone at all." Gilmore observed.

Nadine furrowed her brows. "Don't you have to choose a major or at least a job by now? Summer will be over before you know it," she said.

"Och! Och! Och! I ken why she hasnae found a major," Gilmore interrupted with an enthusiastic face, and his index finger pointed at the sky as if he had managed to read the mind of the round-bespectacled girl. "That's because... there's no major to be a mage! Ye ken… Alicia… Crimsonmane… Magic?" He laughed, in a lighthearted sarcastic tone. Alicia sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Oi, Gilmore. There's no need to bring up sensitive topics like being a practitioner to her," Nadine scolded him. "Why you love being a tadger?"

"Ouch! Awright, my bad... I mean if she wants tae repeat her years at the magic academy, it shouldnae be a problem, aye? But... can she? Ha!"

Nadine elbowed Gilmore in the stomach again and hammered his shoulder. Relentless this time.

"Okay, okay, okay! I was playing with her. Just wanted to get along with the conversation, ye ken? Doesnae seem like a problem when ye do it!" Gilmore replied in a slightly sorry tone.

After a moment of thought, Alicia smiled and said, "It's alright, Gilmore. You... you're right. It's hard to tell what I want without worrying it'll hurt my feelings, I ken. But if I don't disclose it, it's not good for my mind, either. To be honest, eight years, and I haven't moved on about being a mage yet.” She turned to Gilmore as they walked. "Thank you for giving me a hand, Gilmore. Ye make it easy to get my point across. I ken I can always trust ye take be blunt with me.” Alicia laughed; a soothing, sincere laugh indeed. A stuttered, awkward punch to his shoulder was the sign of her affection. Gilmore performed a bear hug on her right away.

"Oh, Alicia! How can you think of saying something like that? If only the whole world acted like ye! "

"G-Gilmore! Y-you're making me sick…!" Alicia admonished him, accompanied by shortness of breath and headache.

Too bad Gilmore was still deaf. "Ye know what? To Hades with the Royal Camelot Guards! I'll be yer forever knight!" Gilmore kept hugging her up, spinning about seven times.

"Gilmore, you're crushing her like a bloody weapon, you eejit!" Nadine screamed in panic. His carelessness really could kill some people, sometimes.

"Shite! Sorry, Alicia," he lowered her to the ground. Alicia bent over one hand along Nadine's shoulder, and the other on her thigh while trying to catch her breath.

After that, she corrected her misaligned glasses. "Wow. What a stifling ride," the triplets laughed and continued their journey.

"But seriously, hen," Nadine said to Alicia. "You shouldn't let yourself be discouraged just because you're not like the rest of your family. I mean, you're one of the smartest people I know in Trinketshore! With all of your accomplishments so far, the world is your oyster. You know you can change the world without saying 'abracadabra' or anything, right? Trust me, when you find the right path, you'll forget you ever wanted to be a witch from House Crimsonmane. You'll step out of your family's shadow. But of course, take your time figuring it out. Just remember the world needs your talents.”

Alicia's sincere grin came out. "Funny, I've heard the short version of it recently.”

"From whom?"

"Uh, never mind," she giggled. Nadine looked at her, puzzled, but decided to ignore it, anyway.

Alicia put her left hand on Nadine's shoulder while her right only reached for Gilmore's waist. "Ah, I never know what it feels like if I don't know you, pals. But I do, so... lucky me!"

Alicia, Nadine, and Gilmore finally entered the town. Alicia stood still for a moment while the others preceded her.

"Going straight home?" Alicia asked her two friends.

"Eh… Yes, of course. What’s up?" Nadine asked back.

"Meat buffet at Howlett's? My treat."

Both Nadine and Gilmore exclaimed in disbelief, "Ye, what?" Gilmore's intense gaze pierced through Alicia's glasses as if he could not believe she was serious.

"Well, I've just finished my final exam, remember?" Alicia slightly blushed, but her sweet smile still did not go away. She scratched the back of her head, trying to find the right words for the next sentence. "All the activities and trips back home this summer really made me done in. I think I'm fancy for a wee meal. Meanwhile, Gilmore might be able to eat all kinds of meat there all the way to its ranch. I heard that swordsmanship training is so strenuous that it requires all the acceptable protein to train properly!"

"Yas! Proteins!" Gilmore shouted as the girls giggled. "If ye're not fast enough, dinnae think ye're getting any meat, not even the bones!" With that, Gilmore bolted towards the restaurant.

"Aye! Keep running, muscle brain! We're just gonna eat somewhere else, and you'll have to pay the entire farm for all the meat you eat!" shouted Nadine in a loud voice. Alicia broke her laugh.

For a moment, watching her two best friends, Alicia was reminded of when she and her family had first moved to the small town of Trinketshore and had met them both when young. Little Alicia had been very shy and did not want to make friends because of all the bullying she had received. She had only clung to her mother all the time. Her mother had wisely encouraged her to venture out and make friends in her new home with an allegory: if people in the West reject you, keep going East until you find people who accept you. Keep walking east and eventually, you'll be in the west.

The mementoes conveyed a longing, that she felt. But Alicia knew that her mother did not want her to be trapped in a sadness that takes her nowhere. A promise Alicia made to herself—which she kept working on—to continue living her life to the fullest so the fewer regrets she would have. []