"Why is it so hard to sleep? Why do I feel so stressed and agitated? Every month I go to the capital to pay the village taxes, so why would I feel this way now? I have to calm down and go to sleep! I have a lot of work to do tomorrow!" thought the village elder to himself.
Oliver's birthday was two days away, so tomorrow he was supposed to go to the capital and enroll him at The Royal Academy of Susa. He was prepared to go, pay the entry fee and then come back with the admission papers. As for the place Oliver will stay at during his studies, he would send a letter to the Cardinal of Susa (the capital) to ask him to provide shelter and, if possible, food.
Worries and worries came to the elder's mind until he fell asleep. He didn't sleep too well, but at least he slept a little.
At 4 in the morning he was up, so he went and took another 2 men to go with him. At 6 a.m. they arrived at the gate. For about 10 minutes the guards checked them and their belongings and asked what was the purpose of their visit. When the villagers said that they were here to enroll a student at The Academy, the guards chuckled, but they wished them good luck and let them enter.
"Elder, do you think the guards were laughing at us?" asked one of the men.
"Don't be surprised... I somewhat expected this... I mean, have you ever heard of a kid from a village to go to The Royal Academy of Susa?" responded the elder wisely. "However, they don't know what we have in the bag. Once the school year starts, I am sure that he will blow everyone away!" he finished confidently.
"Well... if you say so..."
After walking for a few minutes they realized that they didn't know where The Academy was, so they tried to get some directions from the citizens, but it felt like they couldn't even see them, because the people would pass them without responding. After what felt like an eternity, a woman that looked like a housemaid walked past them and saw what was happening.
"Good morning! I see you are having some problems... Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked.
"Good morning, wonderful lady! For a moment we thought we were invisible or that people here spoke a different language... Do you happen to know where The Royal Academy of Susa is?" asked the elder.
"Well, you have to walk on the main street until you reach the the main plaza. There you will see three roads on the other end of the plaza. Take the first one to the right and at the end of that road you will find The Academy." she responded nicely. "Also, be careful because there have been numerous reports of slave traders that come from the Kingdom of Tatras and kidnap people and then sell them in their home country. To be honest, I was a little afraid to talk to you too, but I work for a police officer and I heard that they attack only at night. So, if you have business in the capital then take care of it fast and leave before sunset, or, if you have to stay longer get a place to sleep before the sun sets."
"Thank you very much! We appreciate your advice and most importantly, we thank you for giving us the directions we needed!" said the elder.
"You are very welcome! I hope you succeed in what you are trying to do here and I wish you a safe trip!" the maid said and left.
Provided with the information they needed, the three villagers headed for The Academy, but only after some time of walking they realized what the maid had said: the capital was not safe lately. This wouldn't have affected them normally but now they cared because they where about to enroll Oliver here so they were worried. Could they leave him on his own in an unsafe place?
Well, he was going to stay at a church, they thought, so he will be safe. With that thought they pushed their worries away and marched to their destination. It was already noon, and by now they were hoping they would be on their way back.
Everything was exactly as the nice maid said and they arrived easily to the school. At first, the guards didn't want to let them in, but after hearing their reason for coming, they let the villagers pass with an arrogant grin on their faces.
"Good morning!" said the receptionist. "How may I help you?"
"We want to enroll a student here. Where do we pay for his admission and this year's fees?" said one of the man that came with the elder.
"Excuse me, I'm afraid you got something wrong... you can pay only the entry fee for the exam. If your student passes the exam, only then you can confirm his place at The Academy and pay the fee." said the receptionist awkwardly...
...
"I-I am sorry for the misunderstanding! It seems like we didn't understand correctly some things... C-could you explain the process to us and tell us if there is anything else we need to know?" asked the elder a little bit ashamed...
"Well, each student that wants to enroll here has to pay 2000£ to take the entry test. This test consists of 2 parts: a theoretical examination where we check if the student has the level of studies needed to be eligible to learn here, and a practical exam where the student's physical capabilities will be measured. On the day the results are announced, if he/she succeeded on passing the test, he/she will have to come and confirm that they want to be enrolled by paying the annual fee of 30.000£, or you can choose to pay it in installments, thus having to pay only 1/3 of the whole sum. After the fee/first installment is paid, the student will move in our campus and here he will be provided with everything he needs. Also, the cost of the school uniform is included in the annual fee. Measurements for the uniforms will be taken sometime during the first 3 days after they move in, but they will be announced exactly when after they move in the dorms. The uniforms will be received in 7 days at most. Penalties will not be given during that time for not wearing the uniform, but after those days it will be mandatory and there will be consequences for not wearing the uniform on school grounds. I think that pretty much covers everything."
"30.000£? How do you expect us to pay that much? Isn't there anything cheaper?" asked furiously one of the men.
The receptionist grabbed onto her desk, afraid that she might get a beating for what she just said, so she tried to calm him down: "I am very sorry, but I do not know of such thing. The fees were not decided by me!"
"Calm down" said the elder towards the angry villager. "I am sorry madam for his reaction. However, isn't there a way that our student could get a chance to study first and pay afterwards? I am sure that he will be a great student and he will surely pay everything afterwards, when he will have enough money to afford it, and we will also help him! We can surely pay the whole fee in 10 or 15 years, if you let us..."
Calming down, the receptionist said: "I am sorry, but there is no such thing... However... if you think he is that good... there might be a chance to..."
"A chance to what?" asked the previously angry man.
"A-a chance to get a scholarship. The first 3 candidates are offered a scholarship, but they can maintain it throughout the 4 years only if they have top grades." said the poor receptionist shrinking into her chair.
"A scholarship? That would be wonderful! Thank you very much! For sure, he will get it!" responded the elder excitedly. "But... when is this entry exam?"
"He can come anytime in the next two weeks to take it, however he only has one chance. If he fails at either exam, he will have to wait until next year..." responded the receptionist.
"Don't worry! He will do great! So, about the exam fee, where do we pay for it?" asked a villager.
"You will have to pay only when you come with him and he is examined." said the receptionist.
"If you say so, then we will have to return another day..." murmured the elder to himself. "Anyway, thank you for your time and for the information provided!"
"No problem! I hope everything will go well with the examinations, but don't get your hopes too high... The exam is really hard and a lot of children pass it only the second or third time..." said the receptionist encouragingly, but as she looked up, she saw that the villagers had already left. This has been a terrible afternoon for her.
Meanwhile, the villagers were walking happily back home. They didn't get what they went for, but at least they got the information they needed.
After a two hours trip, they arrived back at the village and called for sister Mary. They told her everything and although she was sad at first thinking that they couldn't afford it, she gained much courage after hearing that Oliver could get a scholarship and still attend. Tomorrow was his birthday and she was eager to give him the good news! *He will be so happy!* she thought to herself.