Ealyn (AY-ah-lin) looked around at her new surroundings with wide, curious eyes. From behind her, she could hear her mother’s voice. “Now be careful, Ealyn....” “Yes Mitha, I know....” Ealyn said absently. Mitha was her what she called her mother, a mix of ‘Mama’ and ‘Lithya’ that she had made up as a toddler.

A sigh. “All right then. You just call ‘Keth or Vlad anytime you need something.” There was a gust of wind as Lithya’s dragon lifted off and teleported away. Ealyn picked up her carisak of belongings and climbed up the steps to the Healing Temple where she was to begin her schooling. She brushed back the hood of her cloak and opened the towering door.

Inside was a long, sunlit hall of polished pale marble with doors lining both sides. The hall widened by the entrance, and directly to one side of the front door was a desk, behind which sat a middle-aged elven woman. The woman looked up and smiled at Ealyn. “Hello dear. Are you the new one?” she asked. Ealyn nodded. “Welcome. I’m Neliya. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask me. I’ll usually be at this desk. Come. We’ve been expecting you.”

Neliya rose from her seat and walked down to where the corridor branched on both sides, turning into the right aisle. Ealyn followed quietly until the older elf stopped at one door and opened it. “Here’s your quarters for now.” Neliya said. Ealyn stepped in and surveyed the room. It was small and sparsely furnished, but adequate. On the left was a neatly made bed with pale blue and white covers. At its foot was a chest for belongings or spare clothes, made from plain dark wood. Across from the bed was a small closet with spare clothes hangers and a low shelf at the back for books. At the front of the room was a desk and chair facing the large window, with an enchanted little lamp on the table. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of smooth marble like the rest of the building. An oval mirror hung beside the window.

Ealyn smiled. “It’s wonderful.” She said. Neliya looked pleased, and handed the young woman a thin sheaf of paper. “Here’s your class schedule, and the full day schedule with general rules and information. If you need anything, come find me. Today you don’t have any classes, so take your time getting settled.” She said, smiling once more before leaving Ealyn alone in her room.

Ealyn stood thoughtfully on the threshold for a moment longer before actually entering the room. She set her carisak down on the desk and unpacked her belongings, hanging her clothes up in the closet and neatly shelving the few books she had brought along. The half-elf opened the various drawers in the desk for lack of anything else to do. One contained various writing implements, as well as a stack of plain white paper. In one of the tiny cubbyholes (presumably for quills and whatnot) she found a fine-linked chain with a round medallion on it.

The rank necklace of a beginning healer. Ealyn lifted it up, examining the flat wooden disk. Both sides were engraved with the sign of healing—a phoenix with wings outstretched. Ealyn smiled and lifted the necklace over her head. The medallion settled comfortably against her skin. She took out her schedule and scanned the contents. Her course subjects included elven anatomy, animal anatomy, the history of healing, medical substances, theories of healing, the art of healing, and the science of healing. Each class was an hour and a half, beginning at the 8th early hour and ending at the 6th late hour, with a break for lunch in between. The day officially began at the 7th early hour with the wake-up call and breakfast. Dinner was from half past the 6th late hour to the 7th. All students were required to be in bed by the 11th hour.

The sudden bustle of noise outside her door reminded Ealyn that it was time for the evening meal. She straightened her flowing, light blue robes, glancing at the mirror. She brushed back a few stray strands of dark hair behind her pointed ears, pausing to study the contrast of her forest-green eyes and black hair against her fair skin. Her father had told her that pale eyes and hair were deemed beautiful in the City, but that her unusual coloring would be considered ‘exotic’, and not to worry about her appearance anyway.

With one last smile Ealyn opened the door and stepped out. She followed the sound of footsteps to the spacious dining room and slid into an empty seat at the end of the beginners’ table as quietly as possible. She managed to remain unnoticed until the first serving platters appeared, at which point the rest of the table turned in her direction, eagerly awaiting the food.

The young elf next to her nearly dropped the heavy plate she was passing him in surprise. Ealyn tried to ignore the stares and picked at the food on her plate. She was used to curious looks at her ears back home, but here, where everyone else had them too.....well, she hadn’t expected this reaction. She nervously smoothed her hair back with one hand. Ealyn considered drawing her hood up over her head, but it was rather too late for that.

Ealyn looked out of the corner of her eye at the elf sitting next to her. He seemed surprise, but not overly shocked like everyone else. He noticed her glance and smiled. “Hi. I’m Reavyin (REE-uh-vee-in).” He told her. Ealyn smiled tentatively back. “My name’s Ealyn.” She answered softly, watching as his eyes widened slightly.

“Ealyn....you’re Prince Eadwyn’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“His name is E’dwyn.” She corrected automatically. “But yes....he is my father. I’m a half-elf.” She silently pleaded for him not to treat her like she was made of eggshells because of her father.

Raevyin nodded slowly. “So you’re royalty. Wow. Welcome to the Healing Temple.” He grinned. Ealyn grinned back. It seemed she had found a friend.

“You are all here because your Power is in healing. But there is more to it than simply having the Power. Before you can progress in the Art of Healing, you must be able to find your inner balance.” Master Wyrendal spoke with a gentle voice, but everyone listened closely. “A healer must be balanced before he or she can bring balance to a patient.”

Ealyn nodded to herself as she wrote down the master’s words. That made sense. One had to be balanced to bring balance. She returned her attention to the aging elf as he continued. “It requires a trance at first. You must relax your body and clear your mind of troubling thoughts. The first few tries it may take several hours, and do not be ashamed if you do not succeed at once. I can sense in each one of you the Skill. Some are stronger, and some are weaker. But all have the ability.” Wyrendal’s gaze settled meaningfully on Ealyn at the word ‘stronger’, but she was too busy copying down the lecture to notice.

“But how do you know when you’ve succeeded?” several students asked anxiously. Wyrendal held up one hand. “You will know. That is all I can tell you. Your work for this week is to practice. Over time you will find the balance faster and easier, but you must not rush or strain yourself and your Power, or all will be in vain. The Masters of this technique can achieve balance in seconds, but it takes many long years of practice. Perhaps you will find that your strength lies in the Science of Healing instead of the Art. But where the Science may fail, the Art will prevail. Remember that.”