“Aldric, stop fiddling with your ribbon!” Eldrin scolded, stopping Aldric in his tracks and fixing the swirls of fabric that hung from his neck. “Have you no sense of decorum!”

“No, I spent my life alone in a forest,” Aldric snipped, pulling himself free from Eldrin’s grasp. He glanced around at the people milling about the square. Many cast them lingering glances, and Aldric could not help but fidget under their gazes. “I don’t understand why I have to wear this.” He writhed under the layers of clothes as if trying to prevent it from touching him.

“It is a uniform, Aldric. That’s why you have to wear it,” Eldrin insisted. “The Academy has very strict rules, and you are going to follow every single one of them or so help me I will hang you in your precious forest.” He rubbed his fingers along his temples, trying to dispel his frustrations.

“Why do I need to go to some academy?” Aldric asked, glaring at his mentor. His fingers twitched slightly as he resisted tugging on the uniform to attempt to make it more comfortable. “And why do we need to wear something so ridiculous?”

“You might not understand this, but I have many other duties,” Eldrin explained. “I can not spend all my time educating you. Attending the Royal Academy will get you caught up on everything you should already know, and I will fill in any gaps they leave. As for your uniform, that is just a part of living in the upper castes. I agree that it is ridiculous, but these people adore their status symbols.”

Aldric considered this. Looking down, he could not help but admit that he stood out in a particular way. Black pants, a starched white shirt, and a scarlet jacket with golden accenting. His appearance was tied together by the ribbon that hung from his neck, annoying, but apt in appearance.

“You should be thankful,” Eldrin continued. “The formal uniform is even more elaborate.”

“This isn’t considered formal?!” Aldric choked, his eyes widening. In response Eldrin only smirked, rolling his eyes slightly. “How am I even supposed to handle an academy? I can’t read nor write!”

“Do you have to make such statements so loudly within public earshot?” Eldrin implored, sighing heavily. “You are a clever boy, I am certain you will find a way.”

“You put too much faith in me,” Aldric mumbled. He tried frowning, but the tension along his hairline hindered him. His previous life was dangerous, and oftentimes he wondered if he would live to see the next sunrise, but he was always free. Now, as he was escorted across the square, it felt as though every last part of him was held captive, not by some elaborate trap, but by the horrors of social conventions.

“I put only as much faith in you as I believe you need,” Eldrin said. He tugged lightly on Aldric’s sleeve, steering the boy’s movements. They quickly approached a building close to the church. Compared to the church and the castle, it was hardly a hovel, but it still stood as a beacon of architecture and engineering when viewed against all the other structures that surrounded it.

“Who should I be weary of?” Aldric asked, his tone more serious. The question momentarily caught Eldrin off guard, but it quickly caused a smile to split his face.

“That is exactly why I have faith in you,” Eldrin commented, giving Aldric a pat on his shoulder. “Astra Ashton.”

“Astra Ashton…” Aldric repeated, grimacing at the taste the name left in his mouth.

“The Witch of Angenia,” Eldrin explained, pushing open the door to the Academy and leading Aldric down a hall. “Before you came along, she was going to be my apprentice. She is easily one of the strongest sorcerers among people her age, and she is likely to grow even stronger as she ages. While I have no doubt that you will amass enemies very quickly, she will likely be your most passionate rival.”

“Calling her a witch seems a bit…” Aldric said, trailing off as he tried to find a suitable word.

“It is demeaning, and upsets her greatly,” Eldrin confirmed. “But names like those tend to stick to people, especially when given by the lower castes.”

“The lower castes, like myself?” Aldric asked.

“Aldric, you live in the castle, the King himself is sponsoring your entire life, and you are the apprentice of one of the three highest seats in the kingdom. Before, you may very well have been the lowest of the low, but now you hold status most could never even dream of.” Aldric considered this for a moment, his shoulders slouching slightly.

“I stole her position from her,” he finally said.

“The position is not yours to steal,” Eldrin clarified. “I am free to choose my apprentice, and while Astra shows a lot of potential, and will doubtlessly become one of the finest sorcerers to ever grace this continent, you are…”

“A curiosity,” Aldric finished.

“Yes, but that alone is not why I chose you, Aldric,” Eldrin said, stopping in front of a closed door. “This is where I leave you. Try not to make a mockery of the Crown.” He pushed open the door, revealing a smaller room than Aldric had expected. To one end of the room were two rows of seats, already sparsely populated. To the other was a large board, quickly being filled with text Aldric could not hope to discern. The woman's writing stopped at the intrusion, and her posture quickly straightened when she recognized Eldrin.

“Archmage!” She said, straightening her clothes and bowing slightly. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I was just escorting my apprentice to the Academy,” Eldrin explained. “I do apologise for not giving you any notice, but the decision to enrol him was made with some haste.” Aldric scanned the room, feeling a chilling glare at his introduction as Eldrin’s apprentice. He locked eyes with the source of the glare, refusing to back down. Silence dawned for a moment before Aldric felt a nudge on his back.

“What?” he asked, turning to Eldrin. The eyes of the other students grew wide.

“Introduce yourself to your peers, and then sit down, shut up, and work hard,” Eldrin commanded. He turned back to the woman at the front of the room. “He is a little rowdy, but I trust you can handle it, Miss Eriston.” She quickly reacted, bowing to Eldrin.

“Of course, Archmage,” she said, rushing her words a little. “I will make sure he is educated properly.” Eldrin nodded his approval, gave Aldric a pat on the shoulder, and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, going to take a leisurely stroll before returning to the castle. When the door clicked shut, all eyes in the room shifted directly to Aldric, waiting expectantly. He turned to his new instructor, a sudden dose of fear in his eyes.

“Just tell us your name, and then you can go find a seat,” Miss Eriston said, trying to fill her voice with kindness.

“Aldric,” Aldric said bluntly, walking to the back row of benches and positioning himself as far from every other student as possible.

“Aldric…” Miss Eriston prompted, trying to draw more out of him.

“Just Aldric,” he responded. “I have no family name.”

“Oh, I see,” Miss Eriston said, recoiling a little from the statement. “Well, Aldric, please read through what I have written on the board before class starts.”

“I can’t read,” Aldric said, a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth when all eyes once again turned to him. He reached behind his head and undid the knot holding his messy mop of hair back, letting it sprawl over his face. “I can’t write either. I have no combat ability, and at the moment, I lack the ability to cast even the most rudimentary of spells.”

“This is outrageous!” a girl in the front row called out, the same one that had given him such a chilling glare moments prior. “An illiterate commoner has no place here!”

“I am illiterate, but I’m no commoner,” Aldric retorted, sneering down at the girl, who he could only assume was Astra. “I am the apprentice of the Archmage. A post you failed to secure!”

“Both of you, cease this behaviour at once!” Miss Eriston barked, her kind demeanour all but gone. One of the other students placed a hand on Astra’s shoulder, trying to calm her down and coax her back into her seat. “While this is highly unusual, this is at the request of the Archmage, and we will honour it.” She turned back to the board, hiding the sudden weariness that fell on her shoulders. At least, she thought, it could not get any worse.

###

“Vincent Ashton?” Roland clarified, struggling a little to keep up as they walked up the street towards the square.

“Yes, Vincent Ashton,” Hadrian confirmed, his quick pace not hindering his speech in the slightest. “He is promising, but I believe you should be able to easily outmatch him given time and training.”

“I do not wish to upset anyone, Commander,” Roland said, adjusting the cuff of his jacket. “I just want to better myself.”

“Strength is forged in fire, Roland,” Hadrian said. “And there is no fire that burns brighter than a rivalry.” He paused for a moment, looking wistfully at the people they passed, each of whom cast glances back at them. “You are going into the Academy at a disadvantage. It is not a place where commoners are usually welcome, especially not…”

“Peasants?” Roland offered.

“Yes, peasants,” Hadrian said, sighing heavily. “You will need to work hard to earn the respect of your peers. Surpassing Vincent Ashton would show anyone you could encounter that you are a force to be reckoned with and that your social standing does not make you any less of a threat.”

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“You want me to be an idol,” Roland said. “A symbol for those not of high standing, to inspire pride in the Kingdom.”

“You are more perceptive than I gave you credit for,” Hadrian complimented. “Yes, Roland, that is a part of the plan.” He lowered his voice a little. “The war to the North is taxing our resources severely. If military recruitment does not improve, we will find ourselves in dire circumstances. The tournament provided a good stopgap, but we need a more permanent solution.”

“If that is the case, then why not enrol Aldric too?” Roland asked. “I have not heard much, but from what he has told me his beginnings are as humble as they come.”

“Because Aldric is dangerous,” Hadrian explained. “He will surely be an invaluable asset and a magnificent sorcerer, but the journey to that point is one wrought with danger, mostly posed by Aldric himself. It would be truly foolish to enrol him into the Academy.” Roland looked back down to the ground, considering this. He knew that the Commander was right, but it did not sit right with him. For the time being he put his objections aside, focusing instead on the knot of nerves in his stomach.

“Will we be doing a lot of combat?” he asked, his hand gently grazing the sword that hung from his hip.

“Yes, you will,” Hadrian said. “You will have martial training twice a week, practical arcane training twice a week, and mixed combat training once a week. The training will vary a lot, but it is nothing you will not be able to handle. What is important is that you learn to control your strength. I have shown you what you are capable of. You need to be able to summon that strength at will and temper it when needed. Your strikes will walk a tightrope between cleaving through your opponent’s defences, and cleaving through your opponent.” Roland grimaced at the conjured mental image.

“I will try,” he said, his voice riddled with uncertainty. “Though I expect to be made a fool of. You seem to hold Vincent in very high regard, and if he is to be my rival… I doubt that I can measure up. Not yet, at least.”

“Perhaps,” Hadrian agreed. “But I have seen stranger things.” They round the corner by the church, their morning walk nearing its end as they approached the academy building. “But as long as you keep your head high and fight with honour, even in defeat, then you will never truly be a fool.”

Roland let these words swim in his mind as they entered the Academy and navigated its sparse halls, eventually coming to a stop before a closed door. Hadrian did not bother knocking, pushing it open and bellowing into the room.

“Miss Eriston! I have another brave young mind for you!”

“Commander! You as well?” Miss Eriston asked, her voice a mix of surprise and exasperation.

“Me as well?” Hadrian echoed, confused. He looked into the classroom, where six students sat, five at attention. The last was slouched in his chair, his mop of messy hair starkly contrasting his crisp uniform.

“Aldric is here,” Roland said, earning a glint of recognition from the other boy’s eyes.

“So it would seem,” Hadrian said, his grin twisting to a snarl. “Miss Eriston, you would need to excuse me. Please take care of my charge. I entrust his education to you.”

“I shall do my best,” Miss Eriston responded. “Please, introduce yourself, lad.”

“My name is Roland Wainwright,” Roland began. Hadrian did not hear the rest of his introduction. He stormed off quickly, doing his best not to slam doors as he went. At a pace few could match he rushed across the square and back into the castle, storming up the stairs with thunderous steps. The door to Eldrin’s study was closed, a clear sign that he was busy, and one that Hadrian happily ignored.

“What were you thinking!?” he barked, nearly sending the heavy doors off their hinges with the force of his entry. “You enrolled Aldric in the Academy?” Eldrin turned from where he was sitting by his desk.

“Of course, I enrolled Aldric in the Academy,” he said. “His education is lacking, to say the least, and I have not the time to bring it up to par. This is the best way for him to catch up to his peers.”

“The child is a hazard, Eldrin!” Hadrian scolded. “What if he loses control of his magic in the Academy? He could easily kill one of the other students! Not to mention his behaviour-”

“How do you know Aldric is in the Academy?” Eldrin asked, interrupting Hadrian’s berating.

“I saw him there this morning, when I escorted Roland,” Hadrian explained, glaring.

“Why would you enrol Roland in the Academy!?” Eldrin cried out. “He can do no magic! He is a peasant! He will be driven out by the other students long before he can learn anything!”

“Need I remind you all of that currently applies to Aldric too?” Hadrian hissed. “Not to mention the fact that Aldric is illiterate!”

“Hadrian, you can not possibly-” Eldrin began, but the report died on his lips when he spotted movement over Hadrian’s shoulder. Leaning over, he saw a figure cloaked in rage rapidly approaching. “Oh, no.”

###

“Are you really sure about this, High Priestess?” Seraphina asked, her glee palpable in her voice. She twirled in front of the mirror, studying every angle of the uniform she was clad in.

“Yes, Saint, I am certain,” Aeliana responded. She walked over to Seraphina, stopping her twirling and making a small adjustment to her collar. “Now, can you stop preening? We are already late.”

“Of course, my apologies,” Seraphina rattled, bowing instinctively. Usually, the High Priestess’s disapproving tone would dampen her spirits, but in that moment she found her soul too filled with excitement to be dampened. “Please, let us leave.” Aeliana sighed, beckoning for Seraphina to follow her. As the girl bounded out of her chambers, Aeliana could not help but smile at the sight of her charge truly happy.

“Your uniform suits you well, Saint,” she complimented, earning a sheepish smile from Seraphina.

“Thank you, High Priestess,” she responded, looking down at herself again. The golden accenting matched almost perfectly with the gold in her eyes, drawing them out against the raven framing of her hair. For the first time in her life, she felt the faintest swell of pride in her relation to the kingdom. “I can not wait to be there.”

“You must observe care, please,” Aeliana pleaded, following Seraphina down the stairs. “I know that I have been overly strict with you. I am allowing this request, but if I find it to be too dangerous or disadvantageous to your progression as Saint I will remove you from the Academy.”

“I promise, I will not disappoint you,” Seraphina said, nearly vibrating out of her skin with excited energy. “I have seen the students of the Academy in the square so many times. I wished to be among them every time, and now…”

“Saint, I must warn you,” Aeliana interrupted. “This might not live up to your imagination. You are a symbol across the nation. You should expect your peers to react accordingly. The Academy will likely bar you from any combat training, and I will support their decision. Your safety will always be paramount.”

“I understand,” Seraphina said, slowing down a little as they exited the church and entered the square, immediately drawing the attention of the people around them. “I know I can never escape my title, but… I hope at least one of them will see me.” Aeliana’s heart ached at the desperate undertone in Seraphina’s voice.

“Power and status come at a severe cost,” Aeliana said, her eyes locked on the Academy doors as they approached. “For me, the Archmage, the Commander, even the King, it was a cost we chose to pay. None of us fully understood the weight of that choice, but every day I can console myself knowing it was my choice.” She took a deep breath, pushing open the doors to the Academy. “I can not say the same for you, Saint. Destiny has dealt you cards that you have no choice but to play. I am sorry, but for some of us, payment is taken regardless of our consent.”

“I understand,” Seraphina repeated. “I have a role that I must fulfil. I am grateful that you allow me this concession. I promise I will make the most of it.” The rest of their short walk was spent in silence, navigating the halls until they reached a closed door. Aeliana knocked lightly and waited for a voice inside to call them in. Once she heard it, she pushed the door open and almost instantly froze in her tracks as the classroom came into view.

“High Priestess! What a surprise,” Miss Eriston said, her tone more weary than surprised. “What brings you to my class today?”

“It seems, the same thing that brought the Commander and the Archmage,” Aeliana responded through gritted teeth. The entire room froze as Seraphina entered.

“High Priestess, surely you can not mean…” Miss Eriston asked hesitantly.

“The Saint will be attending the academy for the foreseeable future,” Aeliana said, regaining her composure and smiling kindly at Miss Eriston. “I would love to stay and discuss the matter, but there are two severely injured men who require my attention.”

“Oh, I hope it is not anything too serious,” Miss Eriston said, gently guiding Seraphina to the front of the classroom.

“Do not worry yourself,” Aeliana said, her grin wide. “They have simply suffered severe brain damage if my eyes are to be believed.” Her eyes flitted between two sides of the room, alternating between two young boys. “Now please, excuse me.”

As the door clicked shut, her demeanour shifted, the blind fury she had suppressed boiling over. She raced out of the Academy and to the castle, people instinctively parting around her, lest they earn her ire. She traversed the castle with practised ease, rising up the floors until she caught sight of the Archmage’s private study. The door was open, and inside she saw the two men whose necks she so eagerly wanted to wring.

“What were you thinking!?” she shouted as she crossed the threshold into the study. “You enrolled Aldric and Roland into the Academy? How could you possibly think that that was a good idea?”

“Good to see you too, Aeliana,” Eldrin said, mock sincerity flooding his voice. “I trust you are doing well?”

“Eldrin, I do not have the stomach for your games today,” Aeliana hissed. “Tell me what possessed you to make such an idiotic move, and without discussing it with me!”

“I do not need you to approve of my actions, Aeliana,” Eldrin said, crossing his arms. “And neither does Hadrian. We hold just as much authority as you.”

“Both of you, hold on,” Hadrian said, raising his arms to stop their bickering. “Each of us only acted in the way we thought was best. Arguing now will not get us anywhere.”

“How did you know?” Aldric asked, his eyes slowly widening.

“What do you mean?” Aeliana prompted, her brow furrowing.

“How did you know Roland and Aldric were enrolled?” Eldrin asked, though his tone betrayed his realisation. “I beg of you, please tell me someone told you.”

“I… saw them,” Aeliana said, her bravado shrinking.

“You saw them?” Hadrian asked, terror, dawning in his tone. “Did you have business with Miss Eriston?”

“Yes, perhaps you wanted to invite her to tea?” Eldrin said, begging the reality of the situation not to be true.

“I enrolled the Saint in the Academy,” Aeliana said softly.

“You did what!?” both men shouted in unison.

“Last night you all encouraged me to take a more gentle approach with her!” Aeliana defended. “‘Let her taste the carrot’, that’s what you said! She has begged me to let her be with her peers for years! This was the safest way to grant her wish.”

“You let the beacon of hope for our kingdom enrol in the Academy, and you call that safe?” Hadrian asked.

“Both of you, shut up,” Eldrin demanded. Aeliana and Hadrian both wanted to retort, but the look in Eldrin’s eyes made them reconsider. “Do you realise what we have done?” The other two looked on, silently prompting him to continue. “The three of us hold the highest stations in the kingdom, and we have enrolled our wards in the Academy on the same day. Anyone watching from the outside could only view this as some sort of political manoeuvre, especially considering the Saint’s involvement. Do you see what I am saying?”

“We have just made a play for power and influence the likes of which has not been seen since Cedric’s ascension,” Hadrian said, his eyes wide with realisation.

“And Cedric does not know,” Aeliana finished. The three stood in silence for a minute, letting the full scope of their failure to communicate settle into their bones.

“I will go fetch him,” Eldrin said quietly, walking somberly out of the room.

“I will go get wine,” Hadrian offered, following Eldrin out of the room. Aeliana ran her fingers through her hair, still trying to process the implications of their actions.

“I will get us glasses,” she muttered, the others already out of earshot. She trudged out of the study, leaving behind an air thick with uncertainty. “Though, I suppose we will only need the bottles”