-2. The Frivolous Princess-

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This morning would be the first day of classes at VxA for first years. I’d woken up much earlier than I typically did and was peering out one of the big windows in my room, which reached almost the full height of the wall.

The latch on my door clicked, followed by the creaking of old wood grated against my ears. I turned to find my attendant, Alaric, peeking into the room.

“Oh, Young Miss. You’re awake.”

I wiped the sleep from my eyes. “Mhmm, ‘morning, Alaric.” My voice was tired and groggy.

Alaric crossed the room and grabbed a covered pitcher and a glass from a table near my bedside. He poured water into the glass and handed it to me.

I took it, sipping at the room temp liquid. My dry lips moistened a little, and the scratchiness of my throat abated.

“Will you be having breakfast this morning, Young Miss?”

“Maybe just something light.”

“How does an apple and a muffin sound?”

“That sounds fine—but if all we have are hallonut muffins then forget about it.”

“As you wish. I’ll return shortly.”

Alaric stepped backwards with a bow, and turned to leave.

“Thanks, Alaric. Oh, wait just a second!”

I called out to him just before the door closed. He gracefully stopped the door with his left foot, turning to face me again.

“Yes, Young Miss?”

“Would you send one of the maids up to help me into my uniform? I don’t want to end up putting it on wrong on my first day…”

“Of course.” He bowed again from the doorway, and disappeared into the hall.

Moments later a knock came at the door and Miss Sofia stepped into my room. She flashed me a bright smile.

“Nervous for the big day, Lady Airis?”

“Maybe just a little. Today could be just another noisy day in Axio, but I find myself worrying how it’ll affect my next six years.”

Miss Sofia’s smile faded, “You worry about things too much for such a young woman.”

“You sound like my mother.”

“Lady Koharu only wishes for you to be happy and to live a normal life!—”

“I know, Sofi. But the life mother wants for me and the one father pushes me toward aren’t the same thing.”

I flopped down on the end of my bed and glanced up. Miss Sofia scowled at me from across the room, before turning to dig through the wardrobe.

The uniform for VxA was a white collared top which was covered by a red silk girdle, though it fit so snug that it almost seemed like a corset, and a pleated skirt, the same daisy colored white as the top. A black, gold-trimmed, capelet completed the outfit, covering the shoulders and upper back.

Miss Sofia brought up the uniform top first. I pulled my sleep wear over my head, tossing it next to me on the bed and stood so that she could help me into the shirt.

It had a series of clasps instead of buttons that were hidden behind frilly ribbon ends sewn into the shirt. Miss Sofia gently pushed them closed and straightened out the collar.

“It’s probably not my place to say such things, but these uniforms for the school really look to favor form over function. They look pretty, but they are such a hassle to wear and maintain.”

She lifted up pair of black leggings along with the skirt next and raised her eyebrows.

I took them from her. I traded my soft pajama pants with the tights and slipped the skirt up over top them. Sofia then laced the girdle up around my waist, and buttoned the front covering.

A knock at the door pulled her attention away, and she opened the door for Alaric, who had returned with a serving tray.

He set it down on a table near the corner of the room and took a position next to it, waiting for me to finish getting dressed.

Sofia fidgeted with the shoulder covering and tied the drawstrings under the shirt collar.

“All set,” she patted her hips and took a step back, “It looks good on you. I can help you style your hair after you finish eating, if you’d like?”

“Thank you, Sofi. I’ll manage on my own though.”

“…”

She looked at me with a face full of doubt.

“If you mean to put your hair up with a clawed-clip, then I insist that you allow me to help you. It’s your first day, and impressions matter. What will your instructor think if you attend class with such a lazy style?”

“Perhaps they will think I am a refined woman who does not get bogged down with the noble society’s fixation on trendy fashion.”

Alaric cleared his throat and made it obvious that he was rolling his eyes at me.

“Fine, fine. I won’t just put my hair up. But I can manage it myself, thank you though.”

“Of course. If there’s nothing else, Lady Airis, I’ll take my leave.”

I nibbled at the food Alaric had brought up. In addition to the simple muffin and apple combo he’d suggested, there was also a small bowl of cut fruit and a plate with two cuts of sausage.

After eating I slipped on a pair of black dress loafers and messed with the crazy mess that was my hair. Once I got it looking semi-presentable we headed out into the palace proper.

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The sun hadn’t yet risen past the horizon, but the faint glow of morning had taken residence. Mother wouldn’t be awake just yet. And father, if he even made it home last night, would either be sleeping or locked in his study. So Alaric and I slipped through the entry hall to the rear entrance near the stables.

One of our smaller carriages had already been readied and loaded. The stable-hands finished bridling the horses soon after we’d gotten comfortable inside.

Alaric asked me if I was sure I wanted to leave already. His insistence that I’d end up at the academy hours before anyone else, was simply a mask over the real question; ‘Are you sure you want to leave without saying goodbye to your mother and sister?’

Starting this evening after classes, I would be assigned a dormitory room at the Academy and I’d be expected to live there, at least until completing my third year.

It wasn’t like there was anything else for me to occupy my time at home, and I was certain mother would visit frequently with Rias, so we set off.

Sunlight continued to peer higher along the rooftops as we made our way through the city. The academy grounds were half and hours ride from the gate of the palace manor to the gated driveway up to the schoolhouse.

We arrived a little earlier than a full thirty minutes, thanks in part to the lack of pedestrians or other carriages. After a brief exchange with the attendants at the entrance we were allowed in.

The coachman pulled up to the main annex, and Alaric stepped out to flag down a staff member and left them know I’d arrived.

Though today was indeed the first day of classes… I had no idea which class I would be assigned to yet.

I had gotten the results of the aptitude testing from the school. Mother received a letter, and she’d given it to me to see for myself. Apparently I scored well in all the schools of magick that were taught at VxA, but my best-fit affinity was for Holy Magick.

The letter stated I would be placed in a class with others whose aptitude results were the same, and that my dormitory would be a shared room with another classmate.

The letter failed to state which classroom number that would be, or which dorm room I’d been given.

When Alaric had inquired directly to the school on our behalf he was told that both the class and dorm assignments were always made the first day classes began.

Quite some time passed before Alaric returned, and when he finally emerged from the administration build he was joined by another man. Although the man had an academy insignia displayed prominently on his chest, his entire demeanor screamed anything but teacher.

Next to the average built Alaric, he looked huge. Well over six foot tall, with broad shoulders and wide muscular arms. He was wearing plated greaves, gauntlets, and a breastplate in the iconic red of the Vanixian Republic’s divisionals, along with a long gray cloak. He had a mess of golden hair, that was grown out in the back in a long rat-tail.

This guy looks more like he’s ready to go into battle. Why is he geared up like this at the school?

Alaric jarred the carriage door open and poked his head in.

“I’ve found your instructor.”

“Huh!? That guy is my teacher? He looks equipped to take care of demons, not students.”

“Apparently most the faculty here are… unconventional. Believe me, Young Miss, when I tell you that of all the people who were in that building, this man seemed the tamest of the bunch.”

I glanced out the window at the crimson-clad soldier and he waved at me.

Alaric got the number for my dorm room and was going to take care of getting my things unpacked and set up there, and I got to follow my warrior instructor to the classroom.

He introduced himself as Magister Timmons, and this was his first year teaching at VxA. I tried asking him about his odd choice of outfit, but he simply brushed my question aside and told me to follow him.

We entered a large complex on the east side of the academy and made our way to the central stairway.

The first floor had a number of commons areas like a cafeteria, a library, and some study rooms. The second floor was where all the classrooms and training halls were located. And the third floor housed the student dormitories.

215… 217… 219… All of the classrooms seemed to be assigned odd numbers. When I asked why, Magister Timmons explained that the building was broken into two wings, odd for the girls and even for the boys. The first and second floors shared a stairwell, but to get to the third floor dormitories you’d have to enter through a separate restricted stairway for each side that was enforced by a series of magi-tool scanners.

He also noted that this building in particular was for students who belonged to third-class noble houses or above. Apparently the academy segregated commoners and bottom-tier nobles from the Republic’s ‘elite’.

“Here we are, room two-three-five. Find a seat anywhere you’d like. Class will start in…”

Magister Timmons held out his right arm, swiping his left hand over a rune mark on his skin. A light mist condensed around his hand and the rune light up, illuminating a small display on the mist.

“Oh, huh... you sure got here super early. Well, hang tight I guess. You have two hours before classes start.”

He chuckled and left the room.

Judging by the available seating, our class was going to be fairly small. There were eight ‘seats’ total, two columns of wooden benches ran towards the back of the room, built into a rising floor, like a miniature theater.

The front of the room had a colossal desk, that was clearly too large for any one person to use just as a workspace, flanked by two podiums. On the wall behind them were a triad of slate chalkboards. The center board was ran the length of the massive desk, a single unbroken piece. The other two were square in shape and were centered on the podiums. Great single-pane windows ran the length of the far wall, exposing a full view of the building courtyard.

I walked over to the windows and spotted a carriage pulling away from the paved drive. It was smaller and painted a brighter color than the one I’d arrived in.

A girl was walking up to the schoolhouse, right towards another figure heading the opposite way. Judging by the large frame, it was probably Magister Timmons.

He stopped her and, after a quick conversation, they started towards the building. Minutes later I heard the Magister’s voice echoing down the hall.

The classroom door opened.

“Good news, early bird. I found another lark who decided to show up hours before class.” Magister Timmons turned towards the girl standing behind him in the doorway and motioned for her to step through, “Alright young lady, find a seat wherever you’d like. The two of you can keep each other company for the next few hours.”

The Magister took his leave again, and the girl stepped into the room. She was a little shorter than I was and had reddish hair—a lighter shade than mine, more of a ruby color than crimson. Her eyes were bright pink and sparkled like jewels in the classroom’s soft light.

“Hiya! My name’s Hailey.” She waved her hand eagerly, beaming a bright smile at me.

“Nice to meet you, Hailey. My name is Airis.”

“Airis, huh? That’s a pretty name! Have ya’ decided where you’re gonna sit?”

“Nope, not yet. Wanna take a chance?” I pulled the golden coin with my family crest out of my pocket, “We each call a side of the coin, and whoever comes up gets to choose where we’ll sit.”

“Okay!”

The glint of golden light tumbled through the air as I flicked my coin up with my thumb. It spun violently as it fell, landing on the back of my hand.

I quickly covered it with my other hand. Glancing up at Hailey, who was standing in front of me, I smirked, “Tails!”

“Awh, no fair! I was gonna call tails…”

“Hehe, you can have tails then.”

“You’re too nice, Airis. Thanks!”

I lifted my palm up to reveal the outcome of the coin toss. Crimson red Phoenix wings shined bright under the sun coming in from the windows. Tails.

“That means I win, right?” Hailey looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

“Yeah, that means you win. Looks like you get to choose where we’re gonna sit.”

She bounced over to the front of the massive desk and looked over the room while fidgeting with her hands behind her back.

“Hmmmm…” After a minute she threw her arm out, pointing at a bench, “Those ones!”

I followed the extended finger to the first row of seats.

“The front row!?”

She grinned at me from ear to ear, “Yep!”