At dawn a few months later Rime found himself stepping out of a carriage, he had been travelling for the better part of a week in the stuffy carriage, packed in like sardines with strangers he had never met, so the ride was anything but comfortable. He gave the orange hew sky one glance before turning around to collect his little sister who was too tiny to get from the carriage to the ground without landing on her face.

He picked her up placing her on his back and made sure her hands were around his neck before taking a sash and tying her hands so they don't slip off while she was asleep. He made sure her legs were locked in place as she yawned and placed her chin on his shoulder instantly dosing off. He moved to the back to collect his two suitcases that had been taken down from the top before he could take them he had to pay three bronze coins and soon he was off.

It took him nearly two hours to reach the front gates for the Royal Academy, having to take out a pass card the Academy had sent him along with his letter of acceptance that he had received about a month ago. The guard stared at him then collected the card and flipped through a book before nodding, with a flick of his hands the gates opened and allowed him entry. He realized that he was probably hours ahead of the other new students and that was why the guard gave him an odd look.

He had to go through a map of the school that was posted near the entrance before finding the administration building that was straight across from the gates, it was possibly because of how far away it was that made him not notice it. He sighed and walked as quickly as he could to the building, the doors were opened but it was like a ghost town in there. He looked around and headed to the front desk where he hadn't noticed a woman in an odd silver hooded dress standing by a filling cabinet.

Rime nearly jumped out of his skin and his head snapped to the side to look at the woman who was slowly approaching the counter with a large book in her hand. "You're a bit early don't you think?" The woman asked in a bland voice not showing a hint of interest to Rime's reaction at her appearance. "New students aren't set to arrive till about eleven and it's barely seven, if you're looking to get a head start this is a bit of an over reaching."

Rime quickly shook his head "I didn't plan on coming here so early, it's just that the carriage reached ahead of schedule and I didn't have anywhere else to go since the school is going to be providing my boarding."

The woman arched her regal brow at him and nodded "papers?"

He nodded and set the two suitcases down opening up the smallest one that his old school books had been stuffed in. He pulled out a large envelope and handed it to her, the woman’s bland eyes scanned the papers when she pulled them out of the envelope and nodded before looking up at him. "Oh Mr. Tagon, you requested boarding for both you and a Miss Cyra?" He nodded and for the first time since the exchange the woman finally smiled and it was as if the whole room brightened up. "Kindly follow me."

Rime placed the envelope back in the suitcase and closed it picking it up to follow the woman, who someone how instead of going around the front desk went through it causing Rime's dark blue eyes to widen in surprise before he pulled himself together and followed the woman. They walked through the silent school grounds that seemed almost like a cemetery without the children moving around it.

The tall marble buildings that seemed to reach the sky loomed over him, all baring a different color depending on what was thought. The water guardian's building was a shimmering blue while the fire Caster's building was a deep blood red that promised doom to anyone that entered without permission. He gulped and faced forward at the building that seemed to appear out of thin air because when he had looked ahead before, it wasn't there.

It appeared to be several feet higher than the other buildings and four times as wide, made of pristine white marble that seemed to shine under the light of the sun, he looked at her and she smiled. "It's sort of a security measure, no one but the teachers in charge of boarding and the students that are registered to sleep here can see it. So that if by some miracle, to the attackers, they are able to enter the grounds our students won't be hurt in their second home."

He nodded and followed her as she headed straight up the main pathway and then turned left. "You know your request for you to have a room for you and your sister was a complete surprise to the Grand Head master. It was the first time a student had ever made such a request but when we looked at your explanation and then verified your grades we were given the go ahead by the board. So a room has already been set aside for you along with some necessities for the little one."

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Rime smiled at the thought of being able to keep Cyra close to him and not having to send her off to the children's home. He had heard horrible stories about the place and would be too worried about his little sister to focus on his classes if she was taken there. This was also possible because students that attended the Royal Academy were considered to be adults which gave him the right to act as Cyra's legal guardian since his mother's passing.

He brushed off the sad thought and focused all his attention on the woman that led him to their room. They went down a very Spartan like white hall and then stopped at the room that was just at the end of the hall the woman stepped aside and asked him to write his name on the door with a pen that was floating next to it. He did as he was told and then watched as the door glowed and then requested a pass code from him, he decided on a combination of his and his sister's name Mercy.

When he was finished he was told to open the door and turned the black handle, when he entered he was surprised by the size of the room. It was maybe two times the side of his old room at home that he his mother and sister had shared, three of the walls were painted in white but the wall across from the door was painted in a sapphire blue that matched his sister's eyes.

In the room were two large beds on either side, with white sheets and blue covered pillows, in between them was a large white night stand with a lamp on it. He looked to his left just off the door to see a book shelf that took up the entire wall and a desk and chair and just behind the door was a large wardrobe and off of that a small vanity and another desk and chair. But oddly enough the desk and chair were a soft pink; someone had designed the room with his sister in mind.

He placed his suitcases next to the wardrobe and moved to the bed just across from it, he untied the sash that was holding his sister in place and gently lifted her off his back and set her on the bed. He took off her pink cloak and worn out brown boots, and then loosed out the braid her hair was in. Pulling the covers over her, he placed a kiss on his head and turned around nearly jumping at the sight of the woman he had forgotten was there.

"She looks like she will be resting for some time, so we should just get the school tour over with so you can get settled in. After all you have much more things to take care of than the other students, come along." He nodded and gave his sister on last glance before following after the woman.

++++++++

Rime returned to the room an half an hour later, he opened the door and went inside locking it behind him. He unpacked the little clothes they had brought and then unpacked his books onto the shelves and his writing supplies onto his desk. By the time he was finished Cyra had already woken up and was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Ri?" she asked in her soft baby voice and he stood up and headed over to her, she jumped up and hugged him "where you go?"

Rime felt like crying as he heard that question, he remembered her asking that question to their mother just before she closed her eyes for the last time, crying out in misery when she didn't answer. Rime shook his head and held her tighter. "I go nowhere." Cyra seemed to relax at his answer and sat back with a sad smile on her face. He wanted to cry even more at the thought of her never being able to smile as bright as she used to, she was only two years old and it was as if her childhood had flown out the window.

He shook the sad thoughts from his mind and smiled at her as bright as he could. "Come on lets go bathe and then we can get something to eat, sounds good?" Cyra nodded excitedly and jumped off of the bed, Rime barely catching her so she didn't land on her face. He sighed and helped her to put on her boots, he grabbed up some clean clothes he had set aside for them along with a towel and some soap.

It was hard for him to find the bathroom, it was a floor up from the one he was on and had large double doors that read bathroom on the front. He walked in and looked around, it was still empty in fact when he toured the school he had yet to see another student but did see a few teachers moving around in lazy fashion. He locked in the door behind them and took off both of their clothes; he went to a small tub in the corner and pressed a pattern on the wall that allowed the tub to instantly be filled with soap and water.

He wasn't really expecting the soap but he guessed it worked in his favor, he got them both in the tub and pulled out a rough cloth from a rack and began to scrub Cyra down. He could see the grime that fell off her skin to reveal a pale tone then washed her hair that became a few shades lighter before scrubbing down his skin and hair. Rime lifted her out of the tub and as soon as their feet touched the ground water poured from gods knows where and rinsed them down thoroughly. Then a section in the wall opened revealing a pair of brushes and a tube of liquid mint.

This school was full of weird surprises; they brushed their teeth, him having to do Cyra's back for her when she was finished. Then they quickly dried off and pulled on their clothes, Cyra spun around in her white dress that stopped just below her knees. Rime used the clip to twist her hair into a bun and clip it in place, then pulled on her boots and blue cloak. Then he quickly braided his hair that had grown since his mother's passing and used a small band to tie the end so it didn't lose, then pulled on his own boots and grey cloak.

He returned their things to their room and then held her hand to lead her off to the cafeteria.