I awoke in bed; the sounds of chirping birds filled my ears. My fingers traced across the familiar grooves in my bed's frame, feeling the expensive wood. Pulling the soft blanket off of me, I dragged myself to the edge of my bed.
Sighing, I reached out, searching for something, touching the desk near my bed. My fingertips found the patterns engraved in it. Moving across the pattern, I found what I was searching for. Picking it up, I slowly brought it towards my face. As the fabric brushed against my eyes, I wrapped it around and tied it tightly.
Standing up, I kept my fingertips on the bedsheet, running my fingers along it as I walked. Reaching the end of the bed, I followed the wooden post around the corner of my bed until I felt something brush against my foot. Smiling, I reached out and grasped my cane. I held it in front of me and moved it back and forth. I walked, feeling the cane vibrate as it rubbed against the hard, cold floor.
The young mistress should be awake by now... Ugh.
A foreign thought brushed against my mind.
The tip of my cane struck the wall. I stopped and reached forward, running my hand across the familiar surface until my fingers found the door. Squeezing the cool metal tightly, I pushed it open. Stepping out into the hallway, I turned my head.
"Good morning, Melisa," I said politely. "I am awake and need your assistance, if you wouldn't mind."
A voice echoed from exactly where I sensed her mind.
"Oh, my lady, yes, of course!" Hopefully she's not reading my mind. I hate this; she's so creepy.
I smiled.
"Thank you." Turning around, I walked back into my room.
I felt her mind grow closer to me before quickly entering my room. I had already carefully made my way across the room, sitting down on a comfy, warm cushion. My cane rested next to me.
"My lady, any preferences today?" Let me guess, just straight.
"Just straight today, please, Melisa," I responded.
"Of course, no problem!" Called it...
She spun me around, her warm hands resting upon my shoulders. Air brushed against my face as Melisa reached past me. A moment later, the familiar bristles of the hairbrush travelled through my hair, breaking through knots and straightening my bedhead. To my right, I listened to the wind as it blew in through my open window, smiling as I kept still.
"Did you sleep well, my lady?" I hope you did; it's my neck if you didn't.
"Yes, I feel wonderful, Melisa. Don't worry."
My fingers traced circles on the table in front of me, the brush finally leaving my hair.
"All done," perfect as always.
"Thank you, Melisa. Can you grab the clothes out of my closet for me?"
"No problem, my lady!" Ugh... your closet is larger than my entire residence.
I felt her mind move towards the closet; after a minute, she returned to me.
"Do you need help getting dressed, my lady?" Please say no.
"No, I should be fine on my own, thank you," I said while nodding slightly.
"Alright, I'll be outside; just call if you need me." Thank god.
I grabbed my cane when I felt Melisa's presence leave the room. Walking across the room, my cane hit the bathroom door, where I felt around for the handle before pushing it open. As I entered the room, hot mist surrounded me. Closing the door, I rested my cane against the wall before undressing. I took the familiar few steps toward the bath and felt for the ledge with my foot before stepping over it. Taking slow steps, I submerged my body slightly in hot water. The steam heated my body. I stood within the water, it reaching barely to my stomache.
Standing there, I washed myself without getting my hair wet. As I let the water soak me, another presence entered my awareness.
So much to do, not enough time, ahh, the lord is going to fire me!
I felt the presence move quickly through the hallway. As it neared my room, Melisa's thoughts entered my mind again.
Oh my god, Derick looks good today... Focus, Melisa. He's just walking down the hallway... That outfit though...
I shivered slightly as the thought entered me, but then I began to laugh.
After a few more minutes in the bathroom, I grabbed all my stuff and left, changing into an outfit that I had worn many times before. Stepping out of my room, I walked through the hall, my cane leading the way as Melisa walked behind me. Many thoughts entered my mind; I disregarded them all. Approaching the end of the hall, familiar minds entered my awareness.
Five more minutes and I'm telling someone to get her.
I can't believe Celestine's assessment is in a few days!
Approaching the room with the voices, I halted a few feet away from two presences that stood still in front of me.
"Good morning, young mistress!" They both yelled before the familiar sound of the large dining room door was pulled open.
Stepping forward, I continued to walk, Melisa following behind me. The sound of the door closing echoed once again as I passed the two guards. A loud "Bang" rang out behind me. Melisa ran forward and pulled a chair out for me, which scraped against the floor. Backing away, Melisa stood near where we had entered. I sat down, leaning my cane against the table.
"Good morning, mother, father."
"Good morning, Celestine," my father said.
Thank goodness, I was getting worried.
"Morning, dear," my mother said.
She's so beautiful; I love her so much.
"Sorry for making you wait, Father, and thank you, Mother. I bet you look amazing yourself."
"Haha, yes, it's nothing," my father responded.
I even tried to hide my thoughts; her skill is certainly amazing...
"Oh dear, stop, I can't even compare to you!"
I didn't even look that good in my youth!
"You're being too modest, mother."
"Ha! I guess so," she said, her voice slightly higher.
From another room, half a dozen presences moved around before entering the dining room. It was the cooks bringing our breakfast. The aroma flooded my nose, and the heat emitted from the plate put in front of me warmed my face.
Tea to the young mistress's right, pastries ahead... one of the cooks' thoughts echoed in my head.
From the center of the table, a presence I knew as the head chef began speaking.
"Today we have prepared an assortment of white bread made of the wheat farmed in the far south of Elarion. An assortment of berries sourced from all across the continent, a warm honey brew tea made here in the capital, and for the main, delicious elven pastries bought exclusively from the elven capital!"
The pastries arrived a little later than I'd have liked, but everything should still be fresh.
My father thanked them before I heard him pick up his silverware. I followed his lead, and so did my mother. My fork traced across the plate, feeling what was upon it. Cutting into a piece of bread I found, I brought it to my mouth. As it entered, the softness and texture flooded my taste buds; it melted as it sat in my mouth.
"So Celestine, how are you feeling?" My father asked me.
Her assessment is in three days, so she's probably nervous.
"I'm feeling alright; I'm slightly nervous for the assessment."
I'd feel nervous too; even as a child of this house, she's not guaranteed acceptance. My mother's thoughts echoed.
"I see, that's alright. Are you planning on training after breakfast?" He asked.
I already have some new adventurers to use for her training.
"Yes, I was planning on it. How many adventurers did you get today?" I asked.
"Around twelve," he responded
Some even a few levels higher than you.
"I see... then it should be a challenge," I said, my hand reaching out to find the cup of tea I knew was placed to the right of my plate, having read the mind of the cook who set my items out.
Breakfast went by quickly, with most of it spent talking about my upcoming assessment. Afterwards, I bowed to my parents and took my cane. As I walked through another door exiting the dining room, my parents' thoughts echoed in my mind once again.
That's my girl; even Crownspire won't be able to reject her.
Oh honey... don't hurt those adventurers too much.
I smiled, walking through another hallway. Walking a path that I've walked hundreds of times before, I turned exactly where I needed to before effortlessly ascending a large staircase. Reaching the top, I pushed through another door; cool air hit my face, causing my hair to sway slightly. Birds chirped around me; I walked out onto the hard-floored training grounds. Around me, twelve presences thought all at once.
Is that her...
It's the young mistress of the Arclight family!
She's prettier than even the rumours say...
Won't this be too easy?
I smiled as I walked across the familiar ground to the center of the circular training ground.
"Hello everyone, I'm Celestine Arclight, and yes, I am blind."
"What do you want with us?" A male adventurer said from behind me.
They told us we were here to help train someone, but it can't be her.
"All twelve of you, attack me at once. Use your real weapons, your skills, and don't hold back."
"Are you crazy!? If we so much as touch you, we might as well be considered dead!" A female voice rang out from my right.
She's gotta be crazy...
There's no way.
"I swear upon the Arclight family that no harm will come to you, and to keep your interest, whoever can land a blow on me gets a gold piece on top of what you're already being paid."
One gold... that's more than I can make in months.
She swore; I heard that if nobles swear on their house, that means they're serious.
"Fine, tell us when to begin," said a new man.
I smiled, lifting my cane and grabbing the end, and slowly unsheathed it, revealing the blade within. Attaching the sheath to the side of my outfit, I opened my mouth.
"Begin."
Now! She's done for!
I identified the man as an archer as his intentions sharpened.
I reacted instantly, ducking. Above me, I felt the air break, and the sound of an arrow echoed where my head had just been. My face turned towards the presence that had thought about firing the arrow.
The fuck? How did she dodge that? She has a blindfold on; there's no way she could have seen that coming!
I focused, separating the eleven remaining minds and mapping their positions around me.
Take this! She's blind; this is a piece of cake!
A presence closed in behind me. Turning swiftly, I parried the person's sword swing, knocking him off balance before hitting them in the head with the hilt of my sword.
Wha...
Their presence disappeared along with their thoughts as they lost consciousness from the attack.
"One," I said.
Turning quickly, I stood in between the eleven remaining adventurers. From what I've picked out, two are behind me, both wielding swords, one to my right, four in front of me: one axe, one spear, one bow, and one sword. And the final four to my left: two swords, a spear and a bow.
Their thoughts have given me more than enough clues to determine what they are wielding.
They did not charge in, wary after dodging the arrow and taking out one of them already.
What's her deal?
Is she actually blind?
Turning towards the two swordsmen, I waved my hand, gesturing for them to come forward.
Fuck it!
She's dead!
I smiled as I sensed them approaching.
"Go left, I'll go right!" One yelled
I'll say that, but then I'll attack on the left as well!
Reading his intentions, I skillfully avoided the two of their attacks, spinning out of the way elegantly. Even when they weren't consciously thinking through their attacks, their intentions still surfaced. A swing from above, a strike from the side, a feint, a retreat—I sensed the decision almost as soon as they made it.
I drove my sword forward and stopped the point just short of his face. He was frozen in fear. Quickly turning the blade, I hit him in the head with the hilt, causing him to topple over.
"That's two," I said aloud.
Dashing towards the other swordsman, I changed course, rolling out of the way of an arrow that was shot at me. Stepping backwards and avoiding another arrow that raced by, I found myself in the middle of the training ground once again.
Shit, it's like she knows what we are going to do before we do... It must be her skill!
The group of adventurers' thoughts echoed through my mind, all coming to the same conclusion.
"Overwhelm her! She can't stop all of us at once!" The swordsman who escaped shouted.
"Yeah, get her!" A woman yelled.
Standing in the middle, I brought my sword forward and prepared.
Sword forward.
I dodged.
Spear behind.
I sidestepped.
Arrow left.
I ducked.
I parried a sword strike, causing its wielder to stumble back. Suddenly my eyes burned slightly, and a voice rang in my head.
Dodge.
Moving quickly, I dashed away from the spot I was in, an arrow zipping by where I just stood.
I missed that one...
"Thank you, Caelestis."
Striking forward, I got within a spearman's range and struck her in the head with my hilt, causing her to crumble to the ground.
"Three."
I found the archer who had been shooting at me, his presence near the back of the training grounds. Running forward, I slid under the axe-wielder's swing, leaving him to tumble forward. Approaching the archer, I elegantly avoided his arrows, spinning past the first and then jumping over the second. My hair brushed my skin as I landed in front of him, while he was already midway through drawing another arrow.
Shit, I'm fucked.
My sword cut his bowstring, causing the arrow to fall to the ground. My hilt then delivered a strike to his head. He toppled over, falling face-first into the ground.
"Four."
Behind me, I sensed the axe-wielder's attack coming; turning, I placed my hands against the ground and drove my foot at his weapon, quickly knocking his axe out of his hands. Using the momentum of the kick, I landed on my feet, and thrusted my sword forward, stopping it right before reaching his throat.
"Five, you're out."
The seven remaining people stood in front of me.
She's good, but she reacted more slowly to an arrow earlier. Why?
Shit, we haven't even touched her yet!
I want that gold piece...
Their thoughts brushed against my mind. Dashing forward, two swordsmen yelled out.
"Mix up your attacks! Change them at the last second!" One yelled.
I smiled as I read one of their attacks. I blocked it, my free hand beginning to warm up. I drew mana in and formed a small Divine Flame in the palm of my hand. Reducing its power, I struck it forward, hitting the swordsman in the stomache; the attack sent him flying backwards, crashing into the last remaining spearman.
Focusing my attention on the remaining swordsman, I sensed her change her attack at the last moment in an attempt to confuse me, but the sudden adjustment left an opening in her stance. Taking advantage of this, I kicked her waist, causing her to fall to her knees, where I chopped her neck with my hand coated in warmth. She crumpled to the ground.
"Six... Seven...Eight," I said before continuing. "You can try to confuse me, but you're just leaving yourself wide open."
"You're a magic user too!?" The remaining archer yelled out.
This isn't fair...
"Yes, I am, but my magic abilities are much worse. I can only use Divine Flame and Divine Barrier right now, and even then my proficiency isn't the greatest."
"Not the greatest..." The archer mumbled.
She just took out three people with it; what does she mean, not the greatest! Fuck!
A mage too? Divine Flame... Don't tell me her affinity is Divine!?
My body instinctively turned towards the mage.
"Father really did find a mage," I mumbled quietly.
Shit, how does she know!?
I took a step forward, but the mage instantly took action.
"Gather, compress, pierce!"
I dodged to the side as wind bullets blew past my head. Moving forward, the wind kept flying towards me, making me dodge quickly. In between the wind, arrows zipped by me, one almost hitting me. The two remaining swordsmen charged at me, changing the direction of their attacks at the last moment. I grunted, parrying the first while dodging the second. Striking out, I paused.
Dodge.
Dashing to the side, I avoided another shot of air. My body was still off balance as an arrow came at me; falling back, I managed to dodge it barely. On the ground, the two swordsmen attacked; I blocked but was pushed against the floor.
"Gather, twist, revolve!" The mage shouted.
"Shit!" I yelled out.
Rolling to the side, the swordsman's blades struck the ground where I had just been. Quickly, I cartwheeled backwards as a whirlwind appeared where I just was. I breathed heavily; the sound of laboured grunts echoing from everyone on the training ground filled my ears. Sighing, I dashed forward once again.
"Gather, swell, burst!"
A large gale blasted towards me, its wind knocking me back. I couldn't avoid it; the scale was too large. The closest swordsman took advantage of my imbalance and struck at me. Steadying myself, I countered, twisting my sword just enough to knock the lead swordsman's blade out of their hand. Kicking out, I knocked them into their teammate, causing both to stumble back.
Dashing forward, I formed a divine flame in my palm.
"Circle them, winds, deflect!"
The air between us suddenly churned violently, pushing against my hand and clothing. The wind circled the two swordsmen, forming a barrier I couldn't force myself through. The mage grunted as he held the barrier. I pushed into it, increasing the power of my Divine Flame. I screamed out, and so did the mage.
Block.
Intuitively, I put up a barrier around me; I felt as if an arrow struck the Divine Barrier. The barrier trembled slightly before the arrow clattered to the ground. I pushed forward with all my might as another arrow hit the same spot, causing the barrier to creak and vibrate even more. Yelling, I broke through the wind wall, and the Divine Flame struck the two swordsmen. They were both sent flying to the ground, unconscious.
Deactivating the barrier, I dodged to the side as another arrow came towards me.
I gasped slightly as the magic wore me out.
"Nine... Ten..." I said aloud.
"How!?" The mage yelled while coughing, stumbling back and falling to his knees.
Shit, I'm all out of mana!
I smiled.
Walking towards the mage, the archer continued to shoot at me, but with him being the only one remaining, his intentions were simple to read, allowing me to reach the fallen wind mage efficiently. I put my sword in front of his face.
"Eleven."
The mage punched the floor.
Damnit! She's too strong!
Moving over to the archer, they put their hands up. "I surrender. You win," they said.
Shit, I wanted that gold too!
Moving to the center, I smiled.
"Well, that was fun," I said while sheathing my sword.
Placing it on the ground and using it as my cane, I walked towards Melisa.
"Good job, my lady!" Melisa exclaimed.
She certainly is amazing...
"Thank you, Melisa."
She opened the door for me, allowing me to descend the stairs. Walking through the hall, I turned and went out onto a large balcony. I rested my cane against the wall before leaning against the railing. The wind rushed through my hair, and the sun heated my face. The birds chirped; a loud ruckus echoed from below me, down on the main street of Valerion.
"It seems like many of the other candidates are arriving in Valerion now, my lady. That seems to be a merchant caravan... Behind it is noble house Vaelmont, then the northern noble house Wintermere, and then..."
Melisa's voice and thoughts faded away as I took in the thoughts of all the people below. I filtered through the countless passing thoughts until one caught my attention. A single thought stood out above the rest.
I will be accepted into Crownspire Academy no matter what.
I smiled.
"I will too."
Turning around, I walked past Melisa.
"Melisa, I think it's time we go to Crownspire Academy."