Aarna looked up at the Princess in shock. She just couldn't seem to be able to process what the Princess had said.
"Why..m..me? Your Hig..Highness there are othe...others who can do wha...what you want better?" Her voice stuttered through the whole thing. She just couldn't believe or understand what the Princess had said.
The Princess just carried on watching her, her smile not once flattering.
"I want you. Not others. So will you or not?"
The scribe got off her seat and then bowed low to the Princess.
Her confidence returning once more, "I would be honoured to do so your highness."
The Princess's smile only grew larger hearing those words. "That is great, could you come here tomorrow so that you can accompany me on my journey tomorrow."
Aarna nodded hurriedly, not wanting to annoy the Princess.
This instead led the Princess to giggle a little,
"Oh, and when no one is around. Call me Pavitra."
Aarna carried on nodded, "Ok your Hig...I mean Pavitra."
Then she let to carry out the duties in which she had been given. The Princess was smiling as she left. Happy with the fact that she had met Aarna. She was humming throughout her evening meal and right up to when she went to bed. The loneliness which normally annoyed her now didn't seem as bad.
*****
(A/N we have changed places. No longer with the Princess for now.)
The small village was dark as the sunset. Across the vast fields, a bell could be heard ringing calling all of the workers out of the fields and back into the village itself.
The last person to come off the field was a man. He was well toned from the days working in the fields, as he walked into the village. One of the sentries yelled at him.
"Oi, Shourya. Why are you always the last one back into the village? Ever since you arrived here five years ago, it has always been the same. Please don't tell me you were trying to get a glimpse of the capital again."
Shourya smiled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly saying nothing.
The sentry sighed. "You should stop. None of us knows where you came from, just that you hid here from some royal guards. Whatever is there that you want? Forget it. You will never be able to get it. Now go. Food is nearly done."
Shourya carried on walking into the village, his smile only leaving his face once he was well past the sentry.
He mumbled to himself, "Pavitra. I will find you. We will be together again."
Then he headed into what appeared to be the village hall, to get his well-deserved food.
*****
(Back to the Princess)
The next morning, the Princess was awoken by a banging on her door.
"Your Highness, we should get going if you wish, to get round everywhere today."
She groaned to herself, as she nearly fell out of bed.
The bang, which resulted from this, alerted the guard outside who tried to rush in but was stopped by the Princess's yell.
Then nearly half an hour later, the Princess walked out of her room, fully dressed. She looked around briefly before asking, "Where is my scribe?"
Then everyone heard someone running down the hallways and looked over. They all say Aarna racing down the hallway, the dress which she had on was flapping all other the place as was her hair. By the time she stopped in front of the Princess, she was panting. Her hair was fully messed up, that way if I had even been made at all.
While panting she did a quick bow. "Your Highness, I am here as you requested." She said that nearly as quickly, as she was running just before. Then she gasped loudly as her body greedily absorbed the air around her.
Everyone looked on, with varying amounts of annoyance shown on their faces. Little did Aarna know but she had just given all the guards a terrible impression of her. Though the Princess was smiling and giggling quietly to herself.
Finally once Aarna had caught her breath. The group walked off out of the palace. Once they stepped outside, the sea air hit the group. Its fresh and salty smell was all that could be smelt. The Princess from this vantage point looked out over the city. Well, at least the part she could see the three walls that protected the city and palace. The capital was massive, and yet to her, it always had seemed so small.
Then the carriage for her arrived, the Princess had a dissatisfied look on her face. She looked over at the guard. "I have told you, I prefer to ride a horse."
The guard looked back apologetically. "I am sorry your Highness. These are the orders of…"
He was cut off by the Princess's cold stare.
He gulped quietly and was almost shaking a little. The royal guards unlike everyone else in the palace had seen the Princess while she was fighting in the army. Not one of them could forget the battle of the whispering wood. The battle ended with her, burning down most of the forest where the remaining enemy forces had been hiding. She was ruthless in the field. Not one of them wanting to provoke her in the palace where she was tame and extremely quiet most of the time.
Once she was in the carriage, the group headed off first to the mage academy. No one except the Princess knew why she was going there though. Some had thought it was to maybe recruit some mages or get some books about something.
The journey didn't take too long, as it was within the inner part of the city which only really housed the academy of magic and the military academy. The inner part also housed the administration for the kingdom as well as mansions for the higher nobility.
As the carriage came to a stop within the academy. A few mages walked down the steps of what could be called one the grandest buildings within the capital. It was made of pure white marble and was almost a massive pavilion with many pillars surrounding the outside looking like they held it up. Though inside it was even grander, holding the biggest library on the continent as well as holding the offices of the most powerful mages as well.
It was not these mages that met the Princess though. Instead, it was the ten resident Magnus that greeted her. In truth, it was these ten that taught the lessons and ran the academy. None looked happy to see the Princess though.
Their spokesperson came to the front.
"Master Pavitra, what can we do for such a talented mage as yourself?"
She looked at them for a moment. Her gaze filtering through every one of them before finally stopping on the spokesperson that had come forth to her.
She inclined her head slightly as a show of respect.
"Council of the Academy. I wish to recruit some mages for my expedition and colonization of new lands. I would like to kindly ask if you would announce it to your students. I will pay well and also ensure their safety."
The spokesperson looked at her angrily. It was clear to the guards and Aarna who had now gotten out the carriage, that they did not like the Princess at all.
Aarna whispered to one of the guards why this was so?
Though instead of the guard answering an old man, in a long white robe. Who was now walking down the steps answered instead?
"They do not like her young one as instead of following their decree in magic. The Princess uses hers for combat and shedding blood. Most mages are peaceful and follow a decree and vow to keep peaceful. It was why there are very few mages in the military. Those that there are, are all nowhere near as good as the Princess. In truth, very few nobles reach her skill as well. Only the royal family have talented mages like her."
Everyone including the Princess bowed at his approach. All of the Magnus's said at the same time.
"Grand Magnus."
The one they addressed as Grand Magnus ignored them though and walked up to the Princess hugging her.
Aarna's mouth dropped open.
The Grand Magnus smiled cheekily at seeing that.
"So how are you? You are my only disciple and yet you never come to see me! You are always so lonely in that palace! You should come to see me, sometimes. These people get so boring! Always talking about theories of magic like there is nothing better to do! Aish. I miss you, you know?"
Aarna's face was twitching a little. The Grand Magus, someone who had reached the peak was acting like this? Even the guards were surprised at the eccentric behaviour of the old man.
The Princess just smiled though.
"Shall we go inside Master?"