I'm thankful for the few hours of alone time in my room, but after a shower, half of a book, and a short nap I run out of things to do. Sighing for the hundredth time, I roll over from my position on the bed and reach for my phone that I placed on the nightstand. We arrived a little before noon and the current time is 6:30. According to the schedule that Lyle gave me on the plane I had a public speech for my kingdom's students planned for 8:00, there was a gala planned for tomorrow, and classes started the day after.
My stomach grumbles and I'm quickly reminded that I haven't eaten since the plane. It releases another low noise as I get up and search my luggage for a pair of shoes. When I find a pair of Converse, I slip them on, grab my room key, and head to the door. The lamps hanging on the wall greet me as I open the door and step into the hallway. I close the door and twist my key in the keyhole securing the room.
After a final twist of the nob to confirm that it's locked, I stride down the hall to Clarke and Willow's shared dorm. I knock twice and pause, waiting for the shuffling of feet. Instead, I hear a loud, sudden bang followed by an angry 'fuck'. I laugh as Clarke yanks the door open. She's in a gray t-shirt and cotton black shorts that end mid-thigh. Her dark hair is in a messy bundle surrounding her flustered face.
She lets out a frustrated huff before giving me a simple head-nod as a greeting and walking back into her room, leaving the door open. I take that as an invitation and stride into the dorm, closing the door behind me. I notice that their dorm is smaller in size compared to mine, but with a similar layout. My gaze immediately draws to Willow on her vanity stool twirling water through her graceful hands.
Every licensed user in our kingdom chooses and masters a subcategory of elemental magic. Water, air, earth, or fire. Although most people only choose one, some users decide to master 2, or in extreme cases, 3 to 4. The only people I've ever seen master 3 elements are high-ranked nobles, most of my mother's advisors, and the royal family. A single person mastering 4 elements is extremely rare and nearly unheard of.
Due to my mother's harsh standards, I've nearly mastered 3 elements similar to my royal ancestors- air, earth, and fire. Earth and air were required by my parents, but I got to choose between fire or water as my final element. Mastering an element takes years and everyone starts at a young age. As amateur users pursue higher education, they have the opportunity to learn, practice, train, and even compete to expand their skills and upgrade their rank.
I continue to watch in fascination as Willow glides the smooth water bubbles around her fingers. Every elemental user had a personal, distinctive touch to their magic that was strictly their own. Her magic was sharp with a graceful edge that functioned as a wonderful, synchronized orchestra. "You have one of the most beautiful magic forms that I have ever seen Will," I compliment while I plop down on what I assume is Clarke's bed- it's the messier one.
"Training with my mentor has been extremely challenging lately, so I really appreciate the compliment," she grins, "I'm glad to see all of the long nights and early mornings are paying off."
"You're mentoring with Yelena Steward, right?" Clarke questions while peeking her head around the bathroom door with a brush in her hand.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Willow asks still focused on the smooth liquid moving through her fingers.
"Everyone knows, Will," Clarke says with a duh tone. "You're mentoring with the one and only Yelena Steward. The first person in generations to ever master all 4 elements." I'd definitely heard of Yelena Steward, I gave the speech at the ball thrown in her name, but I wasn't aware that she chose someone to mentor. My mother had been pushing me to ask her for the opportunity.
I had procrastinated for weeks because I didn't want to do it, and eventually, my mother stopped asking if I completed the task. Honestly, I'm glad that she chose Willow. She's a better fit for the role and I wasn't ready for mentorship. "That's amazing, Willow!" I exclaim from across the room, genuinely excited for her. She replies with a wide grin and a simple thank you. Clarke returns to the bathroom to finish brushing her hair, and we all fall into a comfortable silence.
Willow eventually gets up to take a shower, so she and Clarke switch places at the vanity. I've cleared a small corner of Clarke's bed so I can lie down comfortably without laying on her clothes. As I settle into my spot, I check my phone for the current time and notice I have a little under 45 minutes to prepare for my speech. I groan and raise from my cozy position on Clarke's bed.
"Hey, Clarke I gotta go," I say heading for the door. She looks up from her phone to give me a small wave before I exit her dorm and start heading back to my room. When I get back to my dorm, I have no idea what to wear. I obviously can't wear anything too casual like jeans or sweatpants, but at the same time, I don't want to wear anything that's going to make me feel uncomfortable. For now, I'll focus on my face and hair.
I take my dark, loose curls and brush them out making my hair easier to style. From there I pull my hair into a high ponytail and wrap the remaining length into a bun. Next, I move on to my face, which is probably the fastest part. A couple of quick swipes of mascara and a tinted lip gloss and I'm done.
With very little time left to get ready, I decide on a white dress that ends right below my knees and tightens around my waist. Its sleeves stop at my elbows while the neckline dips in a v-shape just above the start of my cleavage. I add a thin black belt to my waist, put in a pair of simple, silver and diamond studs in my ears, and end the outfit with black heels. I stand in front of a floor-length mirror and admire how well I got dressed in such a short amount of time.
I rush to check the time on my phone, and I still have 15 minutes left before I'm technically considered late. I grab my essentials, spray a couple of spritzes of my favorite perfume and hurry out of my room. To my surprise, Lyle is standing right beside my door facing away from me. When he hears my door open, he whips his head around and I suddenly feel nervous. His face holds something more than his usual stoic expression. It's a look I don't see often.
"What's wrong?" I ask checking my dress, "do I look okay?" His unfamiliar expression drops nearly as fast as it came.
"Of course, you always do," He replies without hesitation. Usually, it takes way more than a simple compliment to make me flustered, but the genuine smile on his face almost makes me grin in return.
"Are you getting cheesy on me Lyle?" I question while turning and walking towards the staircase at the end of the hall. He lets out a hearty laugh but doesn't say anything back. Quite soon his steps match mine and we're walking next to each other. On our way down the hall, we pass by several students all in casual clothes. For normal students, you could wear whatever you want after school hours. However, during school hours, the Caeleste uniform is mandatory.
Eventually, we reach two large oak wood doors and Lyle stops walking, so I follow suit. He turns to look at me, "If you go to these doors you'll see another set of doors. Go through those and you'll find Diane in a conference room," Lyle says looking at me.
I nod as Lyle opens the grand doors that reveal a small room with a layout similar to an office foyer. I push my feet forward into the room but stop in front of the second set of doors and turn to face Lyle. He's staring right back at me with his usual stoic expression. "Nope, no backing out Your Highness," he says most likely reading my face. I let out a long groan and turn back towards the doors.
"Are you sure?" I ask fidgeting with the hem of my gown.
"Remember Ms. Storm, you were born for this."