Of the Green--Chapter One
She was cold; most people would call her cold. However, the inner core, the sole remainder of her childhood still burning within, was a hint that the chilly silence and frosty gaze was merely a facade. Real enough, but it hid the inner warmth that nobody knew was there, and so, an act.
For those who had known her as a child, it would also seem odd that she acted very indifferently towards her peers. She had very few friends, and none of them close. But she had her own reasons for her silence and chill, and would reveal herself from time to time.
Today, when she woke up, was one of those times. She woke up, got out of bed, and spent a moment gazing at the recently planted aspen saplings outside her window. Even in this faint autumn breeze, their branches were swaying and dancing, and would soon change color from a bright summer green to soft golds, browns, and reds.
Strange, that in slumber they were as beautiful, if not more beautiful than they were while awake, and gave the semblance of life when there was none. For that, she knew, was autumn; twilight, and old age, slinking up so slowly upon the sunny youth of day one was hardly aware of it, until it finally became the cold night of winter, the frozen touch of death. And spring; the budding dawn that broke at last through the mourning darkness of the long hours in deep twilight, the early life soon to burst into the vibrant excitement of summer once more.
A knock at her door broke her silent reverie, and she started, instantly turning cold and distant once more. Then she said, "Come in."
"Rhea, there you are!" One of her acquaintances, Kristin, had entered her room. The blonde girl was much friendlier than Rhea and often tried to make friends; not simply with Rhea, but with everyone. "Come on, you’ll be late for the first lesson!"
Rhea nodded and went to the wardrobe of soft rosewood in the corner. By the time she pulled out one of the white uniforms worn by all the magic-less students, Kristin had shut the door and left, obviously letting Rhea have some privacy while she changed.
The plain, colorless article of clothing was a symbol of the lowest rank, a student who had neither requested nor received the gift of magic. It was a single-piece garment with elbow-length, somewhat tight sleeves and a hem that, if fitted correctly, would reach just above one’s ankles.
When a student moved up to become an apprentice, the style would not change, but instead the color would alter, to represent the magic he or she had received. Green for plants and earth; red for fire; blue for water; and yellow for air. And when an apprentice graduated to a Master, the robes would become scattered with an embroidered design in white, as a reminder of the first color they had worn at the academy.
As Rhea looked in the mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door and twisted her robe a little to straighten it, she suddenly realized that, despite the fact that a tailor had never touched them, her robes still fit her exactly. But she had been eight when she first came to the academy, and she would turn fourteen in 6 days. She knew she outgrew her things rather slowly, but this was completely ridiculous.
However, there was no time to sit and ponder about that curious fact; if Rhea guessed correctly, her lesson would start in roughly ten minutes. After running a comb through her hair and grabbing her bag, she quickly went out of her room and half-ran, half-walked down the hall, then went up the stairs to the Third Teaching Floor.
300, 302, 304... The large, iron numbers passed by until Rhea stopped at 304. She looked at the other side of the hall and saw room 309 just ahead.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she crossed the hall and opened the door, settling into her seat just as Master Trenton rapped his baton on the desk.
"Hush, hush, class," he said. Silence grudgingly returned as he cleared his throat to speak. "Now, I know you all have been well educated on the subject of magic, and choosing your magic to be precise... Ahem!"
He directed a stern gaze towards two girls who had been gossiping quietly behind Rhea. They instantly stopped talking, at least pretending to pay attention. Even so, Rhea heard the rustle of parchment and a silenced quill-pen scratching as they began passing notes.
"I regret to say that you have not learned anything about the very school you reside in. Now, do any of you have questions about the academy?"
Rhea was both startled and pleased at this change of subject. While she had learned most of the general magic topics, none had been so opportune as this. She raised her hand as the rest of the class sat, idly chatting in whispers.
"Yes, Rhea?"
"Master Trenton, why do my robes still fit after nearly six years?"
"Ahh. We were waiting for someone to notice that." He was obviously pleased about the question. "In all my 37 years of teaching, only two other people have asked me that question. Your robes still fit because your wardrobes are magicked to give you whatever you need, apparel wise." The Master thought a moment, then added, "It takes a great deal of magic to keep those spells going, even though they aren’t particularly hard to cast in the first place."
"Is that also why there always seems to be at least one clean set?" Rhea asked. Several other students snickered at that.
"Of course. Have you any other questions, Rhea?"
She shook her head, just as another student--a boy, Joshua or something like that--raised his hand.
"Yes, Joss?"
"How come nobody seems to get lost, not even the students?" Rhea paid a moment’s attention to amending the confused names, then focused on the answer. This subject was more interesting than she’d originally given it credit for.
"If you mean you are always able to find the room you are looking for, we cast that spell so you would have one less excuse for being late."
So I memorized the order of the doors all those years ago for absolutely nothing? Rhea thought, indignant at six years of wasted effort. However, the rest of the class was laughing as Master Trenton said quickly, "It was also a matter of safety. There are rooms here that none should stumble upon unknowingly, rooms that I will not reveal to you in case you wish to search for them."
This intrigued Rhea and she instantly forgot about her irritation. She raised her hand again. "When will we learn about these rooms?"
"When you are a Master--or in your case, a Mistress--which is quite a span of years away. Really, Rhea, I expected you to have inferred that already."
Undeterred, Rhea began thinking rapidly about the subject of the rooms unknown to the students. If Master Trenton was correct, then the school was even bigger than she’d thought it was.
If there are spells to make sure your clothes still fit after six years, there are spells to find out hidden places, Rhea thought. And if they don’t exist, I’ll have to make them myself...
This didn’t bother Rhea too much. She often used whatever methods she could to obtain knowledge (which weren’t always respectable) and the small amount of common magic permitted to students--magic used to mend books or keep insects away, for example--was something she was quite clever with, if she wasn’t always able to keep out of trouble.
Rhea’s thoughts were once again interrupted as Master Trenton said, amidst the other students’ groaning and complaining, "Now, we shall review what you have learned over the past 2 weeks. Take out your writing things, and do be quick about it. The sooner we start, the sooner it will be over."
She took out a piece of parchment and inked her quill. A surprise review in the morning was very common, and she knew better than to complain. It was only a waste of her time and breath.
"Write down the aspects of all four element magics. All of them, mind--and you will lose points for leaving something off, as always..."
"Wasn’t that surprise test dreadful?" Kristin asked.
Heaving an unvoiced sigh of annoyance, Rhea answered shortly, "They aren’t even that hard to begin with, so why bother disliking it?"
The anguish in Kristin’s voice was clear as she said, "I was only trying to--"
"Now look." Rhea interrupted unsympathetically, before Kristin could say any more. "I was only trying to make a point, and I didn't mean to upset you. You really have to be a little less sensitive."
She abruptly turned on a heel and left Kristin standing where she was in a mix of confusion and distress. Rhea disliked bothering with people any more than she absolutely had to. Sensitive people in particular rather annoyed her, and Kristin was no exception to the rule.
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