The garden where I usually spend my free afternoons was my favorite place. Especially on sunny and warm spring days when the wind softly touched my face and gently ruffled my hair. On such days the maids would always find me under the shadow of a tree with a book in my hands or just sleeping, mostly sleeping, pretending to be reading. It is expected of young ladies my age to behave and polish themselves both on the outside, as well as inside. My parents, as well as my tutors, encouraged me to read, paint, or play instruments in my free time. And that is what I was trying to do here, in the garden. Although my intentions were to read a not very interesting and long book about some king who lived centuries ago, my eyes seemed to not agree with me and started to close as they usually do. Well, an afternoon nap was said to be good for your body.
Beside me, on the grass was a napkin full of crumbles from the cookies I took earlier from the kitchen when nobody was looking and munched on while reading between the rows of my book. My mind wasn't focused on the facts written there but would rather wander through the recent memories of another book which I had read some days before. That one picked my interest much more as it was about spirits and old heroes who used their magical power to form the countries that exist today. They brought peace to the never-ending battles which took place between different tribes. Two heroes, two lovers, Branka and Vidarr were the ones to found Tracia, my home country and were the first king and queen to rule here.
In the story, a powerful healing spirit came to the two and made a contract with them to heal this land full of war injuries. At that time, those who could use magic could only use one type, their affinity. The founders of the country used water and earth magic which helped to revive the plants and fields to produce food for their people. With the help of the spirit, they were the first ones to use two types of magic and healed the wounded. That happened thousands of years ago and today most mages can use at least two types of magic. Although the story of Branka and Vidarr happened such a long time ago that it almost became a myth, I still aspire to be as powerful, just, and courageous as they were then. My eyes finally closed thinking of those ancient heroes of our land.
But this time, the maids didn't have time to wake me up as I plunged up from the softness of the grass to my feet. I looked panicked around me, but the garden was the same as when I fell asleep. The dream I just had felt so real, as my body was actually there in that strange room. Eyes were looking at me, trying to decide my fate. I tried very hard to remember, but it felt as if the details were slipping through my fingers. I tried again, but a voice interrupted my concentration.
"Fredrika! Dinner is ready!" the voice of my maid Mia could be heard from across the garden. "It's not polite to let the duke and duchess wait for you." She spotted me and hurried me inside the manor, while picking leaves and grass from my dress and from my light brown hair. My body went through the house automatically, while my ears picked some reproaches from Mia about sleeping in the grass like a peasant, my mind was still trying to focus on the strange dream that I just had. It was futile so I tried to let it go while sitting down to eat with my parents, Duke and Duchess Baarthen and my aunty, Princess Raelynn.
"Fredrika, dear!" My mother greeted me. "Tomorrow, your magic tutor will finally come. You'll meet him after breakfast." My eyes gleamed with excitement at the news and my mother caught that as she slightly smiled. "I know how much you wish to begin learning magic, but you should never forget about your other lessons." I pouted a little, but I knew she only meant well, and my other lessons were actually more important from her point of view. Although, as a noble's daughter, learning magic is necessary, there are other things that are expected of me.
"I understand, mum!" I was allowed to call her mum only at home, although I might have slipped a few times in the past. Those times, my mother would only smile and slightly nod to inform me that she'll let it pass. "
"Isn't it too late to begin magical practise?" Princess Raelynn inquired, "Other parents let their children learn it much earlier."
"It is, right aunty?" I was pushing my luck as I knew it was more important for my parents to attain social and ethical skills rather than trivial things like magic. In the end, my destiny was to rule a dukedom and possibly become a counsellor of the king, not some mage saving the world.
"I'm sure you'll make up for the lost time with your burning passion for magic. You might be a natural talent!" Father teased me and I grimaced back at him while mother was busy with her plate. He almost choked on his food in an attempt to laugh and started coughing. I giggled before sensing someone disapproving beside me and promptly stopped and resumed my dinner while faking innocence.
"You'll be alright!" Mother informed me. "It's more than six months before school starts. And, about that, you received a letter from school, probably about the banquets that will come up soon." She gleamed at the thought of going to small parties for future students. Maybe she remembered the time she first went there.
She handed me a letter where the name of the school, Spiritus - Magic School of Tracia, was written in red ink on the back. I opened it and, as my mother foreseen, it was an invitation to the first banquet for the first years which was in less than two weeks. I sighed a little but recovered quickly so that my mother wouldn't notice. Such evfents weren't really my favourites and it wasn't because of the music or food which I adored. At the few encounters I had with people outside our family, most of them complimented everything from my dress to my hair to my ability to play the piano, which was absolutely horrible. In the beginning I felt very glad about their attention, but a few times I heard someone laughing at me or my family when they thought we weren't paying attention. When I asked my mother, she explained that not everyone can accept our position and influence in the kingdom, some might be jealous, others just mean without thinking how their words can affect others. After that I always tried to ignore such words and focus more on those who were genuine, but sometimes it was frustrating to hear them, and I wanted to burst to at least shut up and mind their own business.
"Alex might be there." Father informed me by referring to my cousin.
"He probably won't be. He will start his first senior year in September and will be attending those events instead," mother let him know.
The thought of going to the same school as Alex lighted my face. Alexander Braathen was my cousin who was three years older, the son of my uncle, my father's younger brother, and was like my big brother. We were raised together, and he always tried to look after me when I was little. We would plan different getaways into the nearby forest to search for spirits, but never found one. Instead, we would play with water from the river or compete in climbing trees. We spend a lot of time together. After entering school, he began being more serious and worked harder. He, the same as I, will take over our families and should be able to shoulder the responsibilities. But I would always tease him when he came to play during vacations, and, when we were just the two of us, he would leave his serious face aside and play with me as usual. Although Alex and I would be in different sections, senior and junior respectively, we could still be seeing each other more often than now.
"You know-" my father interrupted my thoughts "- I first met your mother during such a party. It was before she started school and I remember she looked gorgeous in that light green dress which complimented her eyes so beautifully." He smiled brilliantly while looking into my mother's dark green eyes. She, at least, had the decency to blush.
"I remember," mother said. "It was during the summer before our first year that we met, but I didn't have any interest in you at that time."
"But I swept you off of your feet shortly after." he added triumphantly.
"After just three years of trying and trying I finally decided to give you a chance." She looked for a second at my father and continued, smiling. "The worst decisions of my life."
"I remember how sickly sweet you two were," Princess Raelynn added, a sad smile on her face. She also married her high school sweetheart, Prince Raymond of Myrina. But he fell sick only five years into their marriage and died shortly after leaving my father's younger sister a young childless widow, alone I another country. Some speculated that she would remarry or at least return to her country, but she never did. She stayed in her late husband's land and helped rule it by becoming an advisor of the king.
"I think it's time for me to excuse myself and escape into the real world." I interrupted them. "You may continue recalling your youth." I teased them with a smile and left.
After dinner, I was thinking about all the upcoming event I will be exposed to for the next six months. Maybe something good will come out and tight friendships will be made during this time. Afterall, those who will be attending are students and future students, all 16 years old or above. One had to be 16 to start the first year at Spiritus, and in just a few months I will turn that age. I yearned to spend time with someone my age, although I would occasionally play with the kids of those who work here.
Suddenly, I felt tired as if I ran a marathon during my little nap in the afternoon. Mia asked me whether I needed anything before going to sleep. I just shook my head and prepared to go to bed. The instant I got in, I fell asleep and the dream from the afternoon came back. It woke me up in the middle of the night panting and looking agitated around me, but my room was silent. The wind could be heard outside, blowing strongly against the windows and making the tree branches brush against the walls. I tried to slow down my breath and remember some details from my nightmare.
I was again in that strange room and many people were glaring at me, judging me for something. Standing on the throne in front of me was the king and beside him the two princes, but they were all grown up although in reality they were around my age. The most frightening part was that they found me guilty of something. I tried to remember what, but, again, it seemed that I couldn't grab all the details. It was frustrating and the thought that I must remember the whole dream burned in my head. Maybe it was just a nightmare in middle of the night, but what if it was a premonition again.
It wouldn't be the first time I had a premonition. The first one was just a feeling and an image that flashed in my head before climbing the highest tree in our garden. But the image became true when I fell and broke my leg exactly as in that image I had. The second time was also something of a little dream when I caught the pox. Three weeks before playing with the servant's children in the barn I had a short dream of myself lying feverish in bed with hundreds of red spots on my skin. Both happened exactly as I saw them but hoped this time it was just a bad dream.
Before falling asleep again, my mind tried to push the nightmare out and, in the end, I could close my eyes and lose notion of time. The next thing I saw was the warm light coming through the windows of my room and I jumped gladly from my bed, remembering that in just a few hours I will have my first ever magic lesson.