Chapter Text
Chapter 1 Sethelius Morealis Loveranc
The gates to the school of Montserrat were large and foreboding with no easy entry or exit points, and a ripple of magic upon stepping through them. A hundred years ago it had been called a war college and although its attendees were still bound for the front lines, it was far too lax a place to call it that.
Sethelius stood, staring at the large overrarcing columns ahead of him and wondered how old they were. He felt someone run into him and quickly turned his head to see a frantic parent carrying a trunk of luggage. The man was hauling a massive crate of luggage after a dark haired teenager who seemed ecstatic to step through the gates, seemingly oblivious to his mother crying and the siblings who pawned after her.
The man muttered a gruff apology before continuing on his path through the arch. The blonde quickly returned his gaze to the towering archway above him and resisted the urge to press against it. He wondered with excitement how long it might have taken to build, or what kin
d of wards were woven into the structure. The huge walls were thick, and he suspected a passageway lay within running parrallel along it.
When the second family ran into him, in an even more sorrowful state than the first he mumbled an apology and stepped aside, staring longingly one last time at the gates before finally heading through. The inside was just as splendid, having a pristine gold overlay with ornate decorations carved within and torches above. The mass of families who had come for enrollment into the school only grew thicker as they reached the end of the tunnel, and Sethelius breathed a sigh of relief as they emerged into a pristine courtyard.
Noise came from every direction as wails, cheers of excitement, and prayers were being uttered. Sethelius swiveled his head to the left as he heard a voice cry out to line up and sign papers. He ducked into a shorter, faster moving line and glanced around apprehensively. The inside of Montserrat was enormous, huge grass plains separating buildings adorned with all manner of tree and shrubbery. The buildings themselves were a beautiful red brick and wooden brown, covered with ivy and flora.
The blonde trailed his gaze slowly over whatever caught his interest until his eye caught onto a small girl with ginger hair running through the crowd. Her clothes were drab greens and browns and she seemed to be carrying a plant and briefcase. Sethelius watched for a moment longer, then winced when the girl tripped and hit the ground hard, plant nearly smashing against the ground.
Sethelius grimaced as the girl started wailing, her eyes darting around for what he assumed was his family. After a moment or two and no sign of assistance Sethelius rolled his eyes and took a step forward, prepared to help the young girl when suddenly, another boy who was well built and with easy confidence, stepped from the crowd and offered her a hand. The courtyard seemed to go quiet as he did and as the her was pulled to his feet, he heard the brunette ask. “Are you alright?” In a soft voice with a friendly smile.
Sethelius rolled his eyes, already he knew that boy was going to be the top-of-the-class “I’m so amazing type” and he made a mental note to avoid him. Goody two shoes. Probably a tattletale. Yuck. Just as quickly as the brunette appeared, he watched an elven girl step out of the crowd. She was tall with pin straight black hair and unusual clothing, likely from her home country. Sethelius felt considerably more interested in her appearance and leaned closer.
“What is your name?” The tall boy asked the other, who was still on the floor and seemingly frozen still.
“Olale” she replied hesitantly, as if unsure she was the one being spoken to- although, it wasn’t like there was anyone else on the ground. ‘ “Olale Gardneth…”
The brunette gave her a solid nod, but didn’t bother to introduce himself. Strange. Sethelius thought. Perhaps he is a well known individual. It would do me well to keep his face in mind. He turned away as he noticed it was his turn to sign the paperwork and dimly heard the elf girl ask if they were both alright before praising the brunette for his ability to step up and assist. A kind girl. He mused. Later, I should seek her out.
Sethelius stepped up to the table and signed the consent forms handed to him. Skimming over the information, he noticed the woman in the chair looking at him curiously. “Is something wrong?” He said with a sweet smile. She blushed despite being much older and pointed down at his bag. “You just have so few things… will you be alright? And that guild crest of yours, I’m not sure I recognize it. Which one is it? Perhaps House Ghazagaij.”
Sethelius smiled, blue eyes crinklings as he did so. “Haha, not Ghazagaij, although their unifroms are beautiful” He mused. “I am from House Lovernac, though you probably haven’t heard of us.”
The lady nodded. “Ah, one of those guilds on the far side of Arretia I assume?”
The blonde nodded. “Yes, but I am still delighted to attend such a prestigous school. Oh, and please don’t worry about my clothes. My Guild Head is planning on sending me more later this month, but I am sure the uniforms here will tide me over until then.”
Perhaps it was a poor idea to wear registered guild attire on a day like today. He thought to himself with a sigh. On the off chance someone recognizes this crest and picks a fight.
It most definitely was. The voice in his head replied.
Finally, he slid over the completed papers to the registrant who examined them while chattering on about how much he would love the weather here. “So you are from Northern Arrettia? It must be cold living so close to the northern border, but then I suppose that’s why I don’t recognize your guild.” She said, still going over the papers. Her brows furrowed as she got to the third page before looking up at him sympathetically. “No legal guardians?” She said softly. He nodded. “Please don’t worry much. My mother passed away a few years ago due to illness and my father when I was little.” Sethelius placed a hand over his heart and forced himself to look soft. “The guild is my family now.”
The woman cooed at him. “Oh you poor thing! If you ever need anyone to talk to please don’t hesitate to reach out!” She said, waving as she handed him a business card. “And have a wonderful first day!”
Sethelius smiled. She seemed nice. He glanced at her nametag as he walked away, pocketing the card. “I will Mrs. Cheryl, thank you for the warm welcome!” The blonde smiled, happy the day was off to such a pleasant start and walked over to the mass of students gathered around the entrance to what seemed to be an auditorium. Sethelius descended into the open air theatre and chose a spot in the middle of the endless rows of seating. It had banners behind it with the schools name, welcome signs and other information. It wasn’t long before the announcer stepped on stage, a small man who looked to be in his mid thirties. He had a receeding hairline and a stout face with fat in his cheeks, and a pleasant suit. Sethelius thought it was funny that he was wearing a suit in a place like this, where no one ever wore a black and white suit like that.
“Welcome all, to the one and only Montesserrat!” We understand that you have travelled far and wide to get here, whether from another world or just by carriage we are all pleased to see you. As you all know, classes and introductions will start tomorrow while today you may settle in. However! We had a few special activities planned for you today.” A cheer went up in the crowd from the students. The stout man chuckled. “Alright settle down. There are a few more things to go over before you can have your fun. I am Proffessor Emilio and I teach Geography. Several of you will get to know me this year, as I will be your teacher.
“Now, onto Montesserrat. This school, as you all should know, started off as a War college, over two thousand years ago. In fact, the great Empyress Arrhenius herself attended this academy when it was only fifty years old. It has changed over time, originally meant as a place to teach the youth of tomorrow to properly wield their magic so they could join the war effort, it now serves as a place of learning for all of you to further your own education, magical or not.
“Here at Montesserrat we have seperated our learning into two different streams, which most of you all know as our warrior course for students who wish to join the armed forces or one of the regional guilds, and the peacemaking course for those of you who wish to work with the king in governing. Most of you I’m sure have already selected your course but if anyone here has not already, please feel free to speak to our guidance counselor, Mrs. Cheryl” He finished, pointing at
“Now, while at this great centre for learning, we expect the utmost best from all of you, and although I faith you all can do so, I would like to put a little more pressure on all of you by inviting three of our most promising students up to the stage.” He stated with a grin.
“If your name is called please make your way up to the stage! I would now like to welcome Prince Illin Prasothes! Lady Rehan Heartborn! and... Sethelius Lovernac to the stage.”
The crowd began to cheer as Sethelius suddenly felt his heart drop. What? He thought to himself wide eyed. What the fuck. He thought to himself, heart pounding so loud he could hear it in his skull. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He thought to himself. He made his way to the stage carefully, smiling at the cheering students until finally he found himself at the centre of the auditorium, staring up at the hundreds of students in attendance. He glanced to the side and nearly swore when he saw the two others with him were the boy and girl from earlier, both wearing steady expressions.
The stout man continued speaking before Sethelius could even think of the idea of asking him what was going on.
Shit. Sethelius thought suddenly. What the fuck is this for. He swore under his breath but forced himself to stay still. After a pause, he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped his head to the side to see the headmistress standing by his side. She was a tall thin woman with a dignified expression whom he had met once before with his guild head.
“A pleasure to see you again Lovernac. Please see me later for your schedule. and don’t worry about this next part. Akidejah simply wants to get people more accustomed to the idea of a Lovernac attending Montesserrat, so that perhaps your guildmates will join us this year” She whispered into his ear before stepping back. He relaxed then, content at hearing the name of his guildmaster. He shook his head and forced his body to relax, enjoying the fresh breeze and blue sky above him, finally tuning in to whatever speech Professor Emilio was currently giving. “So with that, let us please welcome your first competition of this year, Prince Luke Prasothes, son of his royal majesty! Our next contendor is Lady Rehan Heartborn and although she is not the first elf to attend Montesserrat, she is the first of royal blood, and is next in line for the royal throne!”
Applause shook out from within the auditorium but Sethelius noticed it was less than typical. A few students in the crowd had looks of disdain upon their faces, the humans in the audience. Once the crowd had gone quiet again the announcer continued. “Now these two are in the warrior course, but our last student is a little different. Sethelius here is both one of only six students to ever take on both the warrior course and the peacemaking course at the same time. He is also...” The announcer paused for dramatic effect. Sethelius braced for what he knew would come next. “Our first student from the Guild, House Lovernac.”
The auditorium was quiet for a moment when suddenly noise erupted throughout the amphitheatre. The majority of the students cheered, unkowning to what that meant but quite a few of the students began to boo quite loudly. Sethelius only gave a kind smile to the audience and ignored the cheers as he made his back to his seat with the others.
Professor Emeilio continued his speech. “I would now like to introduce you to Headmistress Ruthvan. Originally a powerful weilder within the kings army, she took over as our headmistress 6 years ago following the passing of lord Fron.” The Headmistress waved poitely from where she stood on the stage. “Now for the part you have all been waiting for! I will now hand things over to the organizers of todays activity!”
He stepped off the platform as two other, seemingly older but still students stepped up and began speaking. It seemed that in order to receive your accomdations and class schedules, there would be a mock scavenger hunt to encourage students to get to know the campus and teachers before retiring to their quarters.
“Oh! One last thing we forgot to mention!” The female student said, into a small magical object that obviously amplified the sound travelling over the hundreds in attendance. “Welcome to Montesserrat!”
As the mass of students began seperating into groups and beginning the search up and out of the amphitheatre, Sethelius found his way down to the bottom where the headmistress stood next to the stage. He dipped his head formally upon seeing her.
“Lady Ruthvan.” He said. “That was quite the surprise up there.” Sethelius said with humour, obviously referencing the incidnt on stage earlier. The headmistress simply gave him a small smile while handing over his schedule for the week. “Blame your Guild master not me. It was her request.”
Sethelius snorted. “Lady Akidejah probably just wants me to soften the blow of being an outcast before my younger siblings get here.” He said. “I’m sure it will be worth it.”
The headmistress nodded. “You are free to go straight to your quarters, unless you would like to play that game of theirs that is.” The blonde dipped his head respectfully. “Thank you my lady. Until next time.” He turned and began making his way out along with a few remaining students. Once at the top, a volunteer attempted to hand him a map of the academy but he denied it with a small smile.
I’m sure it cannot changed that much since the last time I was here. He thought wistfully. Although I admit I don’t particularly want to go to my room right now. Perhaps I really should explore.
The study. The voice in his head growled. It is half of the reason we have returned to this wretched place.
Sethelius smiled at that. That was right. Despite all of Montesserrat’s classes and training programs, the blonde knew the real value was in it’s library. He picked up his bag and the blonde took his time walking through the school grounds and saying hello to other students. He marveled at the fawna and how little had changed since he had originally gone to the school. Large hanging trees dwarfed the path with bushes adorning the sides of the walkway. The shade was lovely and provided a cool airy cover for Sethelius to walk around in.
As he passed a larger building he recognized as one with many classrooms within, he noticed a new attachment of glass and dark green colours. He stared curiously and made a mental note to go back later. Brimming with excitement, he finally walked up the steps of the library, a large building partly covered in plant life. He opened the door and breathed deeply, the scent of the old books greeting him kindly as he stepped inside. The ceilings were huge and Sethelius suspected that this building may have at one point been a church with all it’s splendor. Above him were balconies and several tiered floors, all surrounding the beautiful glass stained windows and casting rays of light across intricate flooring.
Sethelius glanced at the front desk and upon seeing it vacant, simply invited himself farther in. He could see a few other students and what seemed like teachers milling about, but ignored it in favour of finding the shelf he wanted. He picked an aisle and began examining the shelves, and upon finding a few he liked, lugged them over to his favourite corner of the library. He smiled seeing the old chair, although likely refurbished and he sat in it and began reading.
Hours drifted and when the lights eventually began to dim Sethelius reluctantly dragged himself out of his chair. He signed out the books he wanted with a seething librarian, who looked as though he hated everything, then went to grab his things. “Library card.” The man snarled. Sethelius glanced sideways at him, almost concerned. “I’m sorry I don’t have one. I’m a new student.” He said hesitantly. The librarian quickly made him one before practically shoving the boy out of the library.
The walk through campus to where his room was was beautiful. The dim lights as older students walked through the yard, and the cool air and darkening sky. He noticed two figures walking on a path a little distance away, and he swore the girl was the elf from earlier. The blonde instead continued to the edge of what was considered the school grounds, and into a space called the residential area.
It was new, he noted to himself, having no memory of the place. It was beautiful, small but older buildings lined the streets several stories high. Cobblestone roads and small shops along the edges. It seemed that students lived there in smaller rooms amongst the residency to foster a sense of community and purpose. Small lights hung along the street and Sethelius marveled at the shops.
“Anatomy books for fae, dragonkind and everything in between.”
“Milkweed coffee from the far provinces for only 2.30 a piece!”
He nearly wandered into a few bookshops before refocusing, and eventually stepped into a larger apartment complex. The blonde entered a small door with a bell on it, and was met with a low desk and a large Gnome sitting at it. Or perhaps a small dwarf. Sethelius stared but only for a moment, he had never seen one before but didn’t want to be rude. “Hello.” He said. “I’m one of the new students. Sethelius.”
The small man raised a brow. “Odd name. Never heard it before.” He frowned as though that was particularly concerning. Sethelius tilted his head in mild confusion.
“I’m sure it’s not the first new name you’ve come across today, what’s with all these new students.” The blonde helpfully supplied. The short man shook his head.
“I’m 200 years old boy. I’ve heard a thing or two. Anyway, you’re room 318, here’s your key, go crazy.” Sethelius took the key with a thank you before moving past the man and towards the small staircase. As he passed the man stared.
“Issat all the bag you’ve got boy?” He muttered. Sethelius nodded, knowing very well he carried fewer items than the other students. He intended to buy more in the next week.
The hallways were dimly lit with old fashioned wallpaper and lights on the walls. When Sethelius finally opened his room he was pleasantly surprised to find it well furnished. Something he hadn’t been anticipating. To his right was a small door, to what he assumed was a washroom. Ahead of him was a couch and a low rise table, on the right was a small kitchenette. He set his things down on the couch and scowled at the bare floor, he was going to have to find a rug for it. On the left was a bed, and gorgeous old wooden windows above it. They peeked out onto the cobblestown square below. To his right was an ornate desk and chair. In the corner, Sethelius noted a large globe of the world with something on it. Two somethings. He picked up the first sticky note.
“I bought you a globe cousin! Enjoy your time here,
Best wishes, Garrick. “
He smiled tenderly before picking up the second one.
“Your cousin bought it, I picked it.
Garrett. “
His smile grew. Garrick had money and would have wanted to pick something lavish, but he must have gone to Garrett for advice on what would make the best housewarming gift. The two had never gotten along, Garrick being from a well off family and Sethelius only meeting him in his teenage years.
Garrett was a childhood friend but he was surprised the prickly boy had cooperated. Garrick must have somehow known Sethelius was enrolling in the school, and taken it upon himself to seek out the younger boy and hound him for ideas.
The blonde boy busied himself with placing the books he had brought onto his desk before settling onto the bed. The decorative quilts on them seemed cheap and old, most likely having been there for years but Sethelius found them comfortable. A nostalgic sort of thing, like being back in his mothers house. He fell asleep instantly, exhuasted and awoke the next morning to the sound of yelling in the square down below.
He blearily dressed and made himself some tea using the kitchenette. He had slept with the window open, and suddenly found it chilly. The shower in the washroom was small, much like the rest of it but he relished in the warm water before drying himself off. In the back of his mind he recalled something about cold showers being better for performance, and blissfully ignored it.
He dressed in the tunic and pants they had left for him in the gift box all students had received. It was also where he had gotten the tea from. They were rather drab, brown pants and a white tunic, with a thick brown padding laid overtop for extra warmth. He picked up his class schedule, and meandered to the streets below. The same Gnome? Dwarf? From the previous night bid him farewell and Sethelius wondered if the little man had slept in that chair.
As he walked down the street he found himself suddenly grateful he had put on the extra layer. The summer heat was obviously leaving and Sethelius wondered if the winters here were as unpleasant as the ones at home.
He made it to his first class, a specialized map making and geography class. It was smaller, with few students wanting to suffer through something so boring. It was also one of the classes specialized for the peacemaking course, rather than the warrior course. He could hear Professor Emilio down the hallway teaching the same class and chuckled. The little man sounded animated.
For the most part, Sethelius thought it was stupid, seperating the soldiers from the diplomats, but he also accepted the fact that the warrior course students smelled, really quite bad, and had to excercise far more, and that he was quite happy to have most classes without them. He made friends with a few of his classmates, dissapointingly all human however. His next class was an optional class, a battle briefing that any student could attend that would update them on any front line battles that Arrettia was currently fighting. He skipped it upon seeing how many students were inside, mainly from the warrior course but almost went inside when he saw the elf girl was there.
His third class was on animals, and was taught by a bewildering looking man that looked homeless. He noticed with disapointment that there was no one he recognized from his cartography class, until he noticed a girl in the back who seemed familiar. Her name was Mira and she was also in the peacemaking course. They spoke while their crazy teacher laid out an intro to the class, by using twigs and branches to convey his words.
Sethelius turned to Mira. “I don’t know about this class, I might have to drop it...” He said feigning dismay at their teacher. Mira turned to him, clearly having caught on. “You want to leave me here with the warrior course students?” She pointed towards on of their new classmates, a boy Sethelius thought was named Tom. “I think he just picked his nose for godsakes!” They laughed and Sethelius was almost sad to leave her when lunch came, yet he had already mentally made plans to grab another book from the study while he could, just in case his other classes turned boring.
His first class after lunch was nothing interesting, Arithmatic, but his second was history. One of the few classes the warrior course students and peacemaking students were required to take. As he walked in, he noticed a large gaggle of students, particularly the warrior course boys huddled around something.
The blonde quickly took a seat far away from it, yet stared in anticipation. A boy stepped aside and clarity shot through Sethelius’ mind. Ah, the young prince. Short brown hair and a pleasant expression, he seemed to be listening to everything the other boys said, nodding along and speaking with them. As the blonde stared, he didn’t notice the chair next to him sliding out. Not until a feminine voice pulled his eyes away from the young prince.
“Excuse me boy, do you have no manners? I’ve been trying to speak to you.” A clearcut voice said. Sethelius turned in surprise to see the Elven girl from before and his eyes shot open.
“Lady Heartborn- ” He said, at a loss for words. She laughed.
“I suppose I will have to get used to hearing my mother’s title when I am in this place. Although most of the boys around here have simply stared, stuttered then ran off. That or proffessed their love.” Sethelius could see why. Dark, pin straight hair and a smile that looked like she could eat you alive. Her eyes, in addition to her smile seemed almost carnivorus, as beautiful as they were.
The blonde laughed. “Sorry, first day jitters. I’m just happy to be here.” He stared at her curiously. “Your name is Rehan, correct? Mine is Sethelius.” He stuck out a hand, expecting a handshake. He nearly startled when she grabbed it, and raised it to her mouth to bestow a gentle kiss. He raised his eyes.
“Is this some sort of elven custom I’m not accustomed to yet?” He asked. It was her turn now to look confused. “The person who initiates conversation is always the one to grant a kiss as a thank you. Isn’t that obvious?” Sethelius shook his head and explained what a handshake was, and that sometimes gentlemen did that to women. After hearing this, Rehan burst into a lengthy explanation of how wrong human culture was, and how men and women were always destined to be equals. Otherwise how else could romantic relationships work if one was supposedly better than the other. Sethelius grinned and pressed her for more information, never having met an elf before. He laughed after telling her that the majority of the boys in the warrior course were going to try and impress her, and her face fell into one of dispair.
The teacher called for class to start and Sethelius resolved to whisper and giggle with Rehan, hoping to learn more about her culture. He tuned out the class, already having studied this portion of history before.
After the class finished, and Rehan had to go to a class she called “Weapons class” Sethelius attended a class on magical litanies - a verbal form of magic meant to amplify the abilities a user was born with- ,before his botany class. It was in that strange glass building he had seen from the night before with a kind woman as the teacher. This class again was devoid of students, only eight of them total, with only one being from the warrior course.
Sethelius stared, and suddenly realized that the other boy had also been in his cartogropher class. He has short red hair and despite his muscled frame and hard face, he listened intently to the instructor and took great care while working with the plants. After classes ended, Sethelius went to the study, did his schoolwork, then read another book he had pilfered from a nearby shelf. The grumpy librarian still stared at him like he was the scum of the earth, but Sethelius ignored him for a book on all species on the Faerie continent, from the world Firsha, where Rehan was from.
Their world had been introduced approximately 200 odd years ago. A faerie on Firsh had opened a portal by pure accident to the country Arettia. Usually not a big deal, but she had opened it right onto one of the royal palaces high teas.
After some 40 years of arguing, and officially alliegance was made between the worlds, although apparently the Fae had trouble believing other worlds other than their own existed. It was the elves who eventually made the first step towards Arettia, opening a portal. Despite that, no fae had yet to come to Arettia. Dwarves and Gnomes had, however, and Sethelius realized with a start that the little man at his door was most likely from Firsh, same as Rehan.
As the sky grew dim, Sethelius waited anxiously for someone to kick him out of the library. At what he assumed was ten, he crept towards the librarians desk who was writing something with a quill on parchment. He watched, waiting for the man to look up before he suddenly snapped the quill, and stared directly at Sethelius.
“What is it boy?” The old man snapped. “Uhh.” Sethelius responded with, slightly frightened. “Shut your mouth boy, you’re going to attract flies. Now speak.”
Sethelius balked at the way the man spoke, certain he was violating some kind of student-educator contract. “When do you close?” He said dumbly.
“Stupid question.” The librarion retorted with a huff. “We never close.”
Sethelius failed to think of a response, or a legitimate reason why asking when a library would close was a stupid question, or even why a library would stay open 24/7. Instead, he simply nodded, and shuffled out the large double doors and back onto the cobblestone path, before returning to his room.
The next few days were similar. Classes, the study, exploring and socializing was how Sethelius was enjoying his time. He knew almost all of his classmates names and occasionally studied with them. He found out Mira was a dwarf, and was actually trying to grow a beard. From that he surmised the smaller man at his door was a gnome, then slowly began trying to gain his trust so he could ask, likely offensive, questions about his life.
On the third night of bringing the Gnome pastries and meats, the man finally fixed Sethelius with the biggest stink eye he could muster. “Whassit you want boy? Gonna make me fat at this rate.” He glowered. Sethelius laughed. The man had such a funny accent. He explained his plight and they spent the night talking, the old man telling Sethelius about his life and the young boy listening eagerly.
One night, as Sethelius bid the man goodnight - Daulsaug was his name -he suddenly turned to the blonde. “Boy.” was all he said.
Sethelius turned. “Yes?” He said in anticipation. The old man looked away. “Perhaps one of these nights you should tell me what you are. I’ve never met someone like you. Someone who can so clearly imitate a human so proficiently.”
Sethelius felt his skin crawl and avoided the man for the next day. What an odd thing to say, he thought to himself. He stared down at his hands as he walked out of the study through the darkened paths. He turned them over, looking intently.
Do I... not seem human? He thought with a chuckle. I wonder what he was talking about...
The blonde had been kicked out of the study sooner than usual. Apparently the librarian, who Rehan had seen during one of their study sessions and identified as a very old, very sad, male elf named Bellow, was fuming the library that day, in order to rid it off pests. Sethelius had bit his tongue to avoid making a snide remark about the library never closing and stupid questions, but restrained himself. He did not want to lose book priveleges.
He debated finding and bothering Rehan, but recalled what she had said about being busy with the warrior course. Despite it only being the second week of classes, their teachers were pushing them extra hard to get the basics down. They were stressing about something called the “Selection.” Sethelius had made a face at the name, it sounded far too ominous.
Rehan had laughed and explained that during the selection, something that the peacemaing course students would do to, all the students at Montesserat would compete in a series of challenges, then be accepted into a guild. Sethelius had forgotten about guilds, and Rehan explained that while for the warrior course students, getting into a good guild was the only way to stay out of the infantry and succeed in a military career, the peacemaking cadets had nothing to worry about, as the king was their main employer rather than the guilds.
Sethelius instead settled in a common room in one of the student dorms near him, and made a mental note to read up on the guilds and selection when he had the chance. After a few minutes of reading, he was startled out of his reading by someone calling his name.
“Sethelius.”
The blonde turned to the right, glancing around in surprise until he saw the person who had called his name. “Garrett!” He exclaimed with excitement. The other boy was a skinny scrap of a person with dark eyes and a permanent scowl. He looked around nervously as though waiting for something and frowned harder when Sethelius looked at him.
“Don’t look so happy idiot.” He paused for a moment as though debating on speaking further. “I meant to see you earlier... just school and uhm, work.” He slid into the booth across from Sethelius and the blonde nodded in understanding. Garrett was a second year student whose parents had a position in the kings court. Sethelius had not seen him in a long time. He assumed he had been here instead, living in Prasothes and assisting his parents.
Sethelius made small talk, asking Garrett how he was and his parents while telliing him mundane facts about his classes. Finally, Garrett grew agitated.
“Enough. Why are you here.” Garrett said, glaring at him. “What?” Sethelius responded, dumbly. He seemed to be doing that alot lately, and he absentmindedly compared the way Garrett glared at him to the way Bellow glared at him.
Garrett’s scowl deepened. “I asked why you were here, at this school. At Montesserat. “ He paused for a moment. “ Did Garrick bring you here?”
Sethelius scoffed. “Garrick, had nothing to do with this. But speaking of, have you seen him? I have no idea where he is and I already checked MOST of the second year classes. Oh, I also got your gift, thanks.”
Garrett just sighed. “Then why are you here?” Before Sethelius could respond, he heard a voice call Garrett’s name. He turned to see Rehan, who was waving happily at him, and by her side the glowering prince.
Prince Luke stepped towards Garrett but stopped upon seeing Sethelius, sending him a strange look. Sethelius frowned, he couldn’t think of any reason the prince would have to know who he was, never mind be mad at him.
Rehan ignored the sudden tension and happily slid into the booth next to Sethelius, who moved over and said a quick hello. This only seemed to displease the prince further and he slid in next to Garrett, almost begrudgingly.
Rehan began talking and as Sethelius responded, he could tell by Garrett’s glare that this wasn’t over. Sethelius just turned away from his gloomy friend and instead struck up a pointless conversation with Rehan about elven politics, and their superiority to human ones.