The day my life took a change, for the worse in my opinion, started no different from the ones before it. I wake up in the morning at an ungodly hour, as always, just to attend weekly morning classes.
Snoozing the alarm clock, I enter the bathroom to initiate my basic morning routine. Sighing at the empty toothbrush holder, I give myself a mental reminder to ask Esmerelda where my 3rd toothbrush this week had gone. I then proceed to open the leftmost drawer on my sink and grab the first toothbrush I can find.
After finishing up in the bathroom, I put on my school uniform, which consists of a pair of black cargo pants with the school emblem on them and a long sleeve shirt. This is usually what students wear for combat training and field tests. I pair the look with my favorite pair of combat boots and tossed a grey hoodie over my head. Glancing in the mirror at my dark brown, curly hair I attempt to figure out what I wanted to do with it. Finally, after about a minute, I decided to put my hair into two French braids which takes a bit longer than I anticipated. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I grab my phone and earbuds heading for my bedroom door.
Opening the door, I enter the vast castle hallway. Although it was just after dawn, most of the maids and other servants were already bustling around, starting their daily tasks within the castle grounds. The maids are always friendly, but sometimes the noise and chatter are too much for me. So to remedy this, I put on my headphones scrolling through the music on my phone, looking for the perfect song to begin my day. I come across one of my favorites; Girl from Ipanema by an artist named Astrud Gilberto. I honestly don't have a particular taste in music. Especially human music. I enjoy a variety of different genres including pop, jazz, R&B, and a little indie. If there's only one thing I commemorate humans for, it's their music.
Making my way around the multiple twists, turns, and stairs of the castle, I finally make it to the main dining room where I already see my mother and siblings enjoying the beginnings of breakfast. Before entering the room, I remove my earbuds and hand them to a guard stationed outside the door. My mother hates when I wear them during meals.
I walk past a couple of servants, taking my seat in front of my younger brother, Ulysses. My mother sent me acknowledging glance from one end of the table, to which I return with a simple nod. "Hey kiddo," I greet my brother, aware that he disfavors the nickname.
"Ugh Kat, you know I loath when you call me that," Ulysses replies under his breath not looking up from his bowl of fruit. I chuckle at his response as a maid brought me my go-to meal for breakfast: French toast topped with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Thanking the ancestors, I finally dug in. I'm only able to get halfway before I'm interrupted by my mother clearing her throat, signaling her want of my attention.
I put down my fork and knife, wipe my sugar-covered mouth and turn my attention toward my mother. "Is there something wrong mom?" I ask trying to calm the anxiety stirring inside my stomach. My mother is a tough woman with strict guidelines for my siblings and me. One is the limited chatter, or noise as she likes to call it, in the morning hours. Of course, there are hundreds of more rules, and her only reasoning behind them is that we are always being watched. Both by our citizens and enemies wanting to destroy our lineage. If she broke her own rule and interrupted breakfast I knew it had to be something dire.
Keeping it short and simple, my mother looks at me with her signature get-to-business look and says, "Katarina we have urgent matters to discuss in my office immediately after breakfast. Don't worry about morning training, it's been canceled." The shock must've been apparent on my face because my usually stiff younger sister, Esmerelda, raises her eyebrow peering directly at me. After mom's final words, she stood and left the lengthy, mahogany table. Still frozen from shock, I look at both Esmerelda and Ulysses who too, have similar emotions displayed on their faces.
Losing my appetite, I left my half-eaten French toast on the table as I stand and mentally prepare myself to meet my mother in her office. "Wish me, luck buckaroos," I jest trying to ease the tension in the room. Surprisingly, no one laughs. With a tight-lipped smile, I exit the dining room and head for the large doors at the end of the long hall that open to reveal my mother's annoyingly organized personal office. When I eventually reach the intimidating double doors, I knock lightly, alerting her of my presence, before opening the door.
With a heavy stare she broke the fleeting second of silence, "Please sit down Katarina, we have quite a bit to converse about." I nod and follow her request. "You are aware that the United Peace Treaty has expired for a couple of months now. After much discussion and plenty of voting, the council has agreed to keep peace among the kingdoms."
"That's fantastic!" I exclaim forgetting I was sitting in front of my mother. I'd been consumed for months by preparation training if a treaty didn't take place. It was no different from the training I'd already been through, yet with such a heavy reason behind it, it became twice as exhausting. I quietly calm myself and reply, "I mean, wow. That's amazing. Here I was, preparing for the proclamation of war from one the kingdoms."
"Well, it turns out it won't have to come to that."
"So what has the Grand Council come up with?" I ask.
"A coexisting program between children in all of the kingdoms." my mother says as if it wasn't the oddest thing I'd ever heard from her mouth.
"What does that mean?" I reply, impatient for more information.
"It means, Kat, that each kingdom will send 200 students to attend a school meant to train students on whatever the council sees as essential. Of course, each kingdom has a say in what is taught about their specific subjects. For example, we have control over anything about elemental magic. It's our specialty."
Still processing the information, I begin to consider what the benefit of an agreement would have for each kingdom. For starters, there would be no more threat of war that was obvious. The real reason for my confusion was my mother's compliancy. Breaking myself out of thought, I respond with the heaviest question on my mind, "Who will WE be sending?"
"Well, 100 3rd years and 100 4th years from the Academy that you attend." We sat in silence for a few minutes, just to let me soak up the information that was just shared with me.
"What is my part in all of this?" I ask, suddenly coming to a realization. For a moment my mother and I simply stare at each other. It nearly feels like she doesn't want to tell me.
Finally, she begins to speak, "It seems the council also included another mandatory condition in the program. Despite protest from a few kingdoms, they have required everyone to send the next in line to their throne. So, yes daughter, I'd advise you to start packing."