FF Chapter 11

Alex, Eira, and Frey make their way through the crowd, but not all are happy to see the heiress.

Chapter 11

      Eira nudged Alex. “Are you ready for your first day at the prestigious Yanus Academy?” She asked with a smile.

      “I-I think so.” He nervously replied.

      The princess stared in disbelief. “You can jump down and fight two dralgs without a second thought, but school makes you skittish?”

      Alex defended himself. “I’ve killed dralgs before…but, I’ve never gone to school before.”

      Eira paused for a moment. “I never thought about it like that … Is there anything else you’ve never done that you’d like to do?”

      Alex fidgeted “I’d also like to make some friends if I can.”

      Frey looked at him worriedly. “What do you mean, you’ve never had friends?”

      “Well I grew up in a small village, I was the only kid, and then Future took me away and raised me in The Library. I got to talk to a few people, but I couldn’t really…‘talk’ to them, about myself. I hope it’ll be different here, especially since I don’t have to hide the marks on my arms.” He began to roll up his sleeves, but Eira stopped him.

      The princess quickly looked around, but it seemed like no one noticed what Alex had just said. “Actually” She whispered “I think it would still be a good idea not to go flaunting your beast marks.”

      Alex looked at her. “Why?”

      Eira looked around as if searching for the right words. “Well, some people, especially those from other lands, might not… have the best impressions of marked people. Not everyone is as nice as you.” 

      Alex smiled at the compliment, but was troubled. The only people he’d met with a beast mark were his father, the group at the library, and Captain Johnathan; and out of all of them only Johnathan was anything less than family. He grabbed his sleeve, and stared at his covered arms. Would the stupid red lines cause him trouble again?

      He was jolted out of his thoughts when Frey put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled warmly. “It’ll be fine.” she said, and Alex couldn’t help but believe her.

      Yanus Academy, the greatest academic facility in the world, had not cheated to get that reputation. The whole land seemed to be shrouded in mist until the moment you stepped onto its shore. Only then did you get a good look at the majesty of the island. It was beautiful in every sense of the word. The nature was lush, and, despite the autumn season, still in full bloom. Flowers of all varieties had been brought from all corners of the world, and their colours blended together in many rainbows. The plants there held on longer than any other against the grip of winter, although they too would surrender in time.

      The students were as varied as the flora, with the potential prize of a beast mark drawing in people from all countries, especially those from islands and distant nations, where gaining a mark naturally was nearly impossible. Some traveled from lands so distant no one in The Capital would have even heard of them. Their appearance was fittingly diverse as well. One group looked like a cross between a shark and a rhino; with a thick, grey, hide and sharp teeth. Another had vertical eyes like a snake, which Alex was very jealous of; his were boring and green.

      Eira elbowed him lightly. “Stop staring like you’re at a zoo. You represent the royal house of Yarlden.” Eira then went off on a beautiful speech about how the academy was a melting pot for all the peoples of the world to come together, each bringing some unique spice from their specific culture.

      Alex tried to listen, he really did, but all the talk of soup and spices just made him hungry. What Alex did notice though, was a group of students off to the side, whispering to themselves, and glaring at them…no, not at the whole group, just at Eira.

      Frey noticed it too, and whispered something to her lady, but Alex couldn’t hear what.

      Eira replied out loud “Frey, you worry too much. No wonder you have that white hair.”

      “Well if you stopped giving me reason to worry-” The trio stopped as the other group approached them. There was about five of them, all boring humans. Their expressions ranged from disgust to self-confident smirks.

      “Good morning, princess.” Their leader spat. “First day?”

      Eira put on her best royal smile, and politely replied. “Yes, it is.”

      “Not going to one of your ‘Royal Capital Academies’?”

      “How vain, calling your own nation ‘The Capital’.” Another grumbled from the back.

      Still, Eira stayed composed. She would not allow this group to get a rise out of her. “No, I decided to attend Yanus.”

      “You DO realize this is mostly a combat school, right?” Another asked.

      “I do.” Eira said flatly. She and Frey had a bad feeling about this, but Alex was blissfully ignorant of how threatening the bullies were trying to be.

      “Well then, allow us to welcome you. I am Gordian.” The leader smiled tauntingly. “Did you know, princess, this school also has a dueling arena, in which students can spar at any time?”

      Alex almost jumped with joy “Really!” He cried.
      Eira put out a hand to calm him down, and eyed the other group suspiciously. “I was told there was something like that, yes.”

      “I’d love to show it to you, up close.” Gordian leaned in, as his friends chuckled in the background. Frey took a step towards her lady, ready for anything.

      “Are you challenging me?” Eira asked outright.

      “Yes, I am, unless the princess is too cowardly.  Would you prefer one of your goons fight me instead?” He eyed Alex, who glared back.

      Alex may have been unfamiliar with intimidation, but he knew insults. He eyed up the group. None of them had beast marks, and no weapons. They were maybe a year or two older than him, a bit taller than him, but he could take them. He took a step forward, but Eira stopped him.

      “I, Eira Yarlden, would be happy to accept your request for a spar. Lead the way.” She gestured to the group, who grinned, and led them along stone paths.

      Eira, Frey and Alex talked quietly to each other as they followed the challengers. Every now and then one of the boys would turn around to making sure their prey was still there.

      Frey leaned over and whispered to Eira “So the rumor of rebels using Yanus as a training ground is true.”

      “If it is, we can try to deal with them here, before they become an issue for my father.”

      “You wish for me to fight for you?” Frey asked, but Eira shook her head.

      “No, they challenged me, and I will fight them.” she said with a determination that Frey knew not to argue with…Alex, however, didn’t.

      “Aww.” He whined “I wanted some fun too.”

 

      They walked along the stone path for only a few minutes. They passed almost no one, and those they did seemed to know exactly where the two groups were going. While the island itself was large and jagged, the school grounds were divided into several ovals, each with a different purpose. The sparring arena and dormitory were on opposite ends, with the classrooms and lecture halls between them. Well-kept paths connected them all, and smaller rest areas and ponds dotted the remaining space.

      The ‘arena’ looked more like a crater, with seats carved into the side and a level field at the bottom for people to fight in. It was surrounded by a short stone wall, and there were a few smaller buildings behind it. The challengers stopped at the gateway and turned around.

      Gordian jerked a thumb towards the door. “This is called ‘The Cowards Gate’. It’s your last chance to chicken out.”

      Eira walked past him into the building. “Then I guess you should think long and hard before following me.”

      Frey smiled as the rebels rushed into the building after the princess.

      “JACKSON!” one of them called out.

      “I’m right here.” A tired voice responded flatly from behind them.

      Alex turned to where the voice was coming from, and found a boy, not three years older than him, sitting on a chair shuffling cards. He had dark circles under his eyes and wore a grey short-sleeved shirt with baggy pants. His bare arms shouted to the world that he hid no beast mark. The wooden chair he occupied was leaned back on its’ hind legs, and the boy looked over the group disinterestedly.

      “Sorry, I didn’t notice you.” The rebel leader apologized.

      “No one ever does.” The boy mumbled, before rising from the chair and introducing himself. He picked a seemingly random card from the deck, flipped it over, and showed it to them without looking at it. It was the jack of spades. “I’m Jackson, call me Jack. I’m the student in charge of overseeing and refereeing the sparring arena. Nothing personal, but is this your first day?” Eira, Frey and Alex nodded. Jack turned to the group of bullies before shrugging. He walked over to a weapon rack and took out two identical wooden swords.

      “This is a one on one match.” He turned to the whole group. “No outside interference” He turned back to the two challengers “and no fighting ‘till I ring the bell. ONE solid hit to the arm, head, or chest will end the match, but any more and you’ll be disqualified and reported to the headmistress. You stop fighting when I ring the bell again. Ready?”

      Eira nodded, and so did her opponent. Jackson led them down to the arena, while Frey and Alex took a spot in the stands. The place was empty, and Eira looked terribly small in the large circle.

      Jack made sure the two were prepared, before joining everyone in the stands. “READY?” He yelled.

      The two challengers yelled back “YES!” and Jack rung the bell.

 

      The fight started fast. The boy was hoping for a quick win, but Eira kept her distance and refused to give him an opening. Jack walked over to the boy’s friends and started talking, while Alex and Frey watched the match intently, discussing what they saw.

      “She’s…not bad.” Alex smiled as he watched Eira block a few weak swings. She wasn’t very good either, but she was winning.

      “Thankfully the boy’s form is sloppy.” Frey commented, relieved that her friend was in no danger.

      “You know a lot about fighting?” Alex asked the maid.

      Frey smiled at the young boy “I may not look it, but I’m a trained fighter, even if my skills are focused more on hand-to-hand and unarmed combat.”

      “Why’d you pick that?”

      “I didn’t exactly pick it, but Eira isn’t usually in places where you’re allowed weapons, like the academy, so I have to be able to fight without one.”

      “That makes sense.” Alex stared at his arms, still covered by his sleeves. “I always have these with me, so I really don’t have to worry about stuff like that.”

      “Yeah” she laughed “I guess you are your own weapon.”

      They heard yelling from the arena, and turned their full attention back to the fight. The rebel boy had been getting exhausted and impatient, and that was making him even sloppier, but Eira wasn’t in the best shape either. She was panting, but her form remained strong. Her wooden sword remained steady in her hand as she dodged a lunge. The boy had recklessly jumped past his feet, and lost his balance. Eira took advantage of the opening and brought her weapon down on the boys’ neck. It softly touched his skin. Jack rung the bell; Eira had won.

      Alex and Frey joined the tired princess in the arena, while the loser was joined by his friends and inspected for injuries by Jack.

      The referee stood up and said disinterestedly “Yep, the girl wins.”

      “No fair!” one of the boys yelled. “She’s trained by royalty!”

      Jack shrugged “Nothing personal, but you should’ve thought of that before. A win’s a win, now pay up.” He held out his hand and the group of boys all placed coins in it. Alex saw Jack smile for the first time as he counted his winnings; it was a small smirk, barely a twitch of the lips, but it was there. “The match is finished. Be sure to get washed up before heading to your classes.” He turned his back and waved the two groups away. But one of them wasn’t finished. One of the boys picked up a rock and threw it at Eira, who had her back turned. It barely had time to leave his hand.

      A red beam struck the stone, and it exploded into dust. Alex glared at them, hands still flaring with energy. His eyes pierced them, daring them to try and hurt his friends again. The would-be bullies started screaming in terror.

      “He has a beast mark!” “RUN!” “DON’T HURT US!”

      They ran out of the building before anyone else could say a word.

      Alex took a few deep breaths to calm down, and looked at Jack guiltily. “Um, sorry.” He waved his hand until the red glow dispersed.

      Jack mumbled. “It’s fine. Just a bunch of sore losers.”  He jingled the money in his hands, but his eyes kept darting back to Alex’s arms. He eventually turned away from them and went back to playing with his cards. “The showers are over there.” He gestured outside the arena.

 

      The trio began walking toward where Jack had said the showers were. They discovered that the small buildings just outside the open-air arena were changing rooms and storage sheds, complete with places to quickly wash and dry clothes. Frey seemed at home doing laundry while her mistress washed, humming to herself absentmindedly as she worked. Alex wanted to show Jackson his own card trick, but couldn’t find the boy, so he climbed up the nearest tree to watch birds instead.

      Eira eventually returned, and put her dry clothes back on. Frey did her best to comb her still sopping wet hair; the most hated head of hair in the royal family. Her blonde curls may have looked beautiful, but they were the constant aggravation of her attendants. While her friend tended to her rebellious mane, Eira vented her frustration to the attentive Alex.

      “Those jerks! We’re not even here ten minutes and they try to ruin our day! They never even used my name, just called me ‘princess’.” She spat the word.

      Alex smiled at her “What’s so bad about a nickname? I thought girls liked being called ‘princess’?”

       Frey continued to calmly comb as Eira fumed. “Ever since I can remember people have talked down to me, treating me like I’m some doll. I’m here to show them I’m more than just a title. ‘Princess’ is an insult! My name is Eira!”

      Alex felt sorry for her, and thought for a moment before responding “My Uncle Bor once told me that names and titles are just words, its actions that give them meaning.”

      Frey smiled at him. “Your Uncle Bor sounds very wise.”

      Alex blushed at the pretty lady’s compliment, and nodded “He should know, he was around when words got their meanings.”

      Before Frey could ask more, Eira spoke up. “Well the Yarlden name was tainted by the actions of my grandfather! What was he thinking, taking the throne by force? He made a mockery of the Kings’ Guard, turning them against their very name! Now my father’s trying to be peaceful, but no one respects him. Without a beast mark, everyone calls us ‘weak’, ‘useless’…’pathetic’. They don’t think I hear them, but I do.” Tears began to well in her eyes.

      Alex stared at his arms. “I’d give you mine, if I could.”

      Eira laughed weakly. “It doesn’t work that way, I know, many people have died trying. No, I have to kill a Dan’darun. Then people won’t try and mess with me anymore.” Eira though back to how the bullies ran screaming at the sight of Alex’s mark. She wanted that kind of power; that respect and fear. “Having a mark is the difference between being treated like a princess, and a pauper.”

      “Is it really that bad?’ Alex asked.

      Frey and Eira nodded sadly. Eira explained. “A few of those with the beast marks left the royal guard since they considered themselves ‘above’ guarding an unmarked king. Some of them joined the southern wardens, while others turned to mercenary work or joined other armies.”

      Frey, done combing, hugged her friend from behind. “I’d stay with you, even if I had the mark and you didn’t.”

      Eira grabbed her friends arm and smiled. “I know. That’s why you’re here too. At least one of us should get a beast mark, and it’ll probably be you.” Eira turned to the puzzled Alex “This school is filled with nobles, most from other lands, so my position means nothing. Frey actually has a better chance of passing the warden exam, since she knows much more about fighting than me. She actually trained me, secretly. My father didn’t want his ‘precious little princess’ learning how to fight.”

      Alex looked at her puzzled, but the handmaiden just nodded. Alex couldn’t imagine not knowing how to fight, but it did explain why Eira took so long to beat her opponent. “I’m practically the opposite.” He explained “Everyone I know taught me to fight. My father, my mother, Uncle Bor, Uncle Erald, Aunt Lo, Uncle Winchester. My dad’s actually a southern Warden, and he trained me to be one, so I might be able to help you guys.”

      Eira’s eyes lit up. “Really!” Erald and Lo had refused to teach her, but Alex had just volunteered.

      “Of course. I don’t know what I can help you with, but I’ll do what I can.”

      Before anything else could be said, Jack appeared around the corner and walked towards the storage shed. His uninterested face lit up slightly when he noticed them. “Oh, you’re still here. You do realize the entrance ceremony starts in a few minutes.”

      “Oh! Thank you!” Eira panicked. The group stood up and looked around.

      Jack sighed, and pointed down a path. “It’s that way.” He shook his head as they ran past. “Freshmen.”