After the little session, I went back to my own training, which involved working with Key to produce higher levels of flames. I trained for quite some time, working on different techniques before I called it a day.
I was getting a room with the other kids, and it appears two new students would be joining it. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but my father insisted I settle in the dorms.
”Someone’s popular this year,” Key snickered inside my mind, shrinking himself so he was perched up on my shoulder. ”And you’re going to be with new students. Fun!”
I chose not to respond, instead walked with my head held high.
”Your bondmate is your life,” he mocked me, impersonating a ridiculously low voice. ”Protect it.”
“Key,” I said out loud, sending him a glare. “Shut up.”
Key merely laughed, shaking his head.
I entered the dorm slowly, eyes immediately looking around. The first thing I noticed were the tags on the top of the doors, determining which student got which room.
The second thing I noticed was the same, the only student who had asked me a question.
I climbed the grand staircase, the heels of my polished shoes clacking against the polished marble. My eyes skipped across the walls, the gilded banisters, the elaborate paintings hung up on the elegantly papered walls. Everywhere I looked, thick, expensive fabric dominated the scene, in hues of rich dark blue peppered with hints of ruby, violet, and saffron. The crisp, cool air smelled of drying ink, curling parchment paper, leather-bound. In short, the Academy was paradise.
I came from a wealthy, respected family, but even the lavish estate in which I’d spent my childhood was drab compared to this. And I would have gotten lost in the labrynthian halls had I not been studying maps of the Academy since January.
When I finally made it to my dormitory, I allowed my Careful expression to slip into one of enthusiasm and awe. My luggage had been carried up without me, and this was my first time seeing the place that I would be calling home. And I loved it.
It didn’t take long for me to unpack my belongings. When I was finished, I settled on one of the luxurious sofas in the common room-like area connecting the separate bedchambers, an open book in my lap. But no sooner had I sat down that the arched door was opening again, revealing none other than His Royal Highness.
“Your Highness,” I greeted, rising to my feet and lowering into a practiced bow while my head spun. Why was he here? Did he need something? Was one of my roommates in trouble? Had I been found out?
The boy bowed, and for the first time, I saw something other than thirst for knowledge on his face. Did he think he was in trouble?
“Stand up straight,” I ordered him. Though I knew they were trained to be respectful, we were merely students. There was no difference in our ranks, aside from the fact that I was his senior and he was my junior. “I appreciate your respect, but there’s no need. We’re simply students in this building.”
I looked around, my eyes wandering through the dorm. My things were already in my room, I suppose. It was rather spacious, but I assumed it was because this was mine as well. There was a kitchen attached, along with what I assumed was an extra bathroom.
“Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?” I questioned, looking at him directly in the eyes. “Is your room to your liking?”
I harshly reprimanded myself for letting my mask slip and fixed a slightly confused but relatively relaxed expression to my face. Straightening my back as he had ordered, I met him square in the eyes, respectful and unafraid all at the same time.
“Not at all,” I answered his question confidently, “The room is amazing, there is nothing to make me uncomfortable for the moment.”
I nodded, satisfied with the way he answered. Confidence was important. Without it, chances of passing decrease by a twenty percent. The less confident you are, the more likely your bondmate will refuse you.
“Out of all the new students,” I started, my eyes looking at him from up and down. “I at least expect you to pass. Do not let me down.”
An immense wave of relief crashed over me, but I refused to let it drag me under. I hadn’t been found out—and even better, the Prince expected me to pass. I allowed a smile to play across my lips, a practiced balance between grateful and assured.
“Thank you, Your—I mean, thank you.” I caught myself just before I made the mistake of using the same title he’d requested I didn’t use. “I wouldn’t dream of failing you.”
I nodded, pleased with the response he’d given me. Not too confident, staying within the line.
“Tomorrow will be a busy day,” I said, looking at Key on my shoulder, who had begun to doze off. “Eat well. Official schedules will be given out tomorrow. You have an advantage since you’ve read about the Other Realm, but we’ll see how you fare physically.”
I wasn’t sure why I was giving him that much attention, especially since I didn’t even know his name, but I suppose it was because I was curious. How would this one survive? What type of a creature would he summon? What type of a bondmate would he be to his own?
I was utterly baffled. Why was the Crown Prince in my shared dormitory, giving me this much attention? Complimenting me, even? Naturally, I let none of my bewilderment show, merely nodding.
Of course, I knew that I was built differently than most of the other students due to the fact that I was actually of the opposite sex, but one advantage to my wiry, slimmer yet athletic figure was that it caused people to underestimate my strength. A lifetime of dancing and skating had assured that I was not lacking in physical aptitude, despite how much smaller I looked than the others.
Looking over at him one last time, I let my eyes roam around the room again, landing on the room that was supposed to be mine.
I walked in that direction, opened the door, and without another glance back, I entered it and shut the door.
I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right at this moment. Training with a bondmate was exhausting. I laid a now sleeping Key on the side of my bed and climbed in myself, laying back and heaving a heavy sigh.
My eyes widened at the Prince’s retreating back the moment I saw him lay a hand on the doorknob to one of the four bedchambers. Colton Miller was my roommate? For (hopefully) the whole year? I’d always assumed that he had a private room of his own, being the heir to the throne, but….. apparently not.
I couldn’t decide whether or not this was a good thing or a bad thing,
The next morning, I was up early despite wanting to sleep in. I’d had my daily dosage of caffeine, Key sprawled on the couch lazily.
”What are we doing today?” he asked, waggling his tale.
”Training,” I answered as if it was obvious. Today, the seniors would be training the juniors. It was a good opportunity for the juniors to learn more, especially from those who had recently went up a level. Each of us were assigned different students. Once we attended the class, we’d know which student we needed to train.
”I pity the idiot who ends up as your pupil,” Key yawned. ”You’re going to give him hell.”
I said nothing in response, instead preparing to walk out of the room to head for breakfast before the alarm rang. That was one thing I hated about this school that my father wouldn’t change. When it was time for food, the dorm bell would ring loudly, a shrilly voice that rendered you deaf for a good ten minutes. One day I was going to destroy that thing.
Despite my desperation to stay up late and watch the stars shift across the velvet sky, I’d resolved to discipline myself and sleep soon after the sun did in order to wake up before six in the morning, which would give me plenty of time to prepare for the day and study to refresh my memory before classes started.
When a deafening, ear-shattering alarm startled me enough to make the notebook slip from my hands, I did a hasty sweep of my room to ensure that nothing feminine would be visible to any possible intruders and headed down to the dining hall for breakfast.
Breakfast for today was simple. Roasted chicken, cupcakes, bread and butter for those who didn’t like to eat much, sandwiches, as well as juice and other beverages to drink.
I took a seat next to my father at the royalty’s place, Key on my shoulders, munching on the small piece of chicken I provided him with.
“How are the new students?” My father questioned curiously, knowing I’d already interacted with them.
My mind went from the disappointment I felt to the new kid who had gained my attention, Elliot.
“Disappointing,” I answered blankly. “One or two have potential. Others look like failures. People have stopped taking this seriously, Your Highness.”
The king frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Just then, students began piling in the hall, bowing to us before taking their seats.
I took one of the last available seats, squeezing between a redheaded junior I recognized from yesterday’s class and a bafflingly turquoise-haired senior I’d seen wandering the hallways. Breakfast was simple but filling, the Academy cooks had evidently fine well today, and I took my time, carrying food to my mouth in the almost dainty manner my brother and I both used.
It was time for the training lessons to start. The seniors, including myself, were supposed to get there early, so I excused myself from my father's presence. Along with the others, I walked into the field we were supposed to teach. It was rather annoying teaching those kids, but being more experienced, you get what you get.
”I hope you get stuck with the most troublesome one,” Key snickered.
”If I get stuck, you get stuck,” I responded with a shrug and Key seemed to realize. He immediately shut his mouth and began pouting.
A few minutes later, the juniors started to assemble, excitement on their features. The second they saw me, it immediately died. I was pleased. This was not something to enjoy. It was to be taken seriously.
After our morning meal, we—that is, each junior—lined up on the field. I ended up in the front row, my chin up, hands nearly at my sides, posture radiating confident control and discipline. I’m reality, all I wanted to do was laugh and free my limbs, but I had to keep up the painfully restricting act for the sake of the incredibly desirable endgame.
The Prince approached us, a stony expression dominating his features, and I head the enthusiastic murmurs around my fade away. Naturally, I was immensely excited to be taking one step closer to the Oath, to my bondmate, but I continued to do what was expected of me and kept my expression vacant of such emotions.
The instructor clapped his hands loudly in an attempt to gain their attention.
“This time around, we will be going things differently,” he started, looking at each individual. “To get you trained properly and ready for the Oath, we’ve decided to assign seniors as your training partners.”
The juniors gulped visibly, possibly dreading being my student.
“We have, in face, decided this on luck. These two boxes you see have numbers one to twenty. The seniors will take from this box, while the juniors will take from the other. The ones who get the same number will be paired up. Now, form a line and get your number!”
As I predicted, I was given the chance to go first. I slipped my hand into the box, grabbing a slip of paper and pulling it out, reading the number on it.
6.
The juniors all shuffled reluctantly into a line, shooting the seniors anxious glances every few seconds. In order to expel some of my pent-up energy, I bounced, extremely lightly, on the balls of my feet, otherwise a vision of calm.
When my turn had come, I slipped a hand inside the box and withdrew a small sheet of paper, which I slipped over to read one I’d stepped out of the way.
6.
Once everyone was done, the teacher instructed the seniors to hold their number high so our juniors could see.
I sighed, unfolding the slip of paper again, raising it high. Whoever it was, I wasn’t planning on going easy. Being paired up with me was, like Key said, the worst thing that could happen. I was not lenient. I demanded perfection, respect and accuracy.
Waiting for my junior to approach me, I began answering Key’s idiotic attempts at cracking jokes.
Six…..
My eyes drifted over each slip of paper, searching for the number that matched my own. I was shocked to see that fate had decided to pair me up with the Prince, who was standing only a few feet away.
I either have ridiculously fantastic, or exceedingly awful luck… I thought to myself, unable to decide on which felt more accurate as I slowly approached Colton and held my number out to him.
”Looks like you got the interesting guy,” Key sighed with relief. ”But the poor guy… I pity him.”
I ignored him, waiting for Elliot to approach me, hardening my expression.
“I do hope you’re prepared,” I finally said when he stood in front of me. “I am not lenient. I expect hard work and point near perfection. I look for nothing less than that. Training will always start before breakfast for ten minutes. At the end of your classes, excluding this one, an hour would be dedicated for more. I expect you to be punctual. I do hope we’re clear on that, otherwise we will have terrible problems.”
“Understood,” I replied, calm and assured. Obviously I was more than a little daunted by the intense show the Prince had put on, and the fact that I would be training with him daily, but I refused to both let it show, and let him down.
I motioned for him to follow me, turning around to walk slowly, starting with the basics.
“What is the basic need for training your physical form?” I questioned him the second he caught up to me. “Why would we need to train our body when we have our bondmates?”
I fell into step beside him, never once breaking my near-perfect stance. “Since we would be bound in soul to them, our state reflects theirs and vice-versa,” I answered without missing a beat, “Therefore, by retaining physical strength, we would help our bondmates as well. Adding to that, it’s especially important for Defenders and Attackers to be fit in order to fulfill their roles.”
I nodded in approval.
“There are also chances where you will need your physical training rather than the magic you’ll get,” I added. “Sometimes you can’t always rely on your abilities. It requires a lot of stamina, so you always use it as the last resort.”
I stopped by a table with weapons on it, gesturing him to choose one.
“The weapon you choose will not be changed,” I said to him. “So think wisely. You may select a second if you need, but only if you’ve mastered your first.”
