Altair sat down at the nearest bench after getting his tray in the cafeteria. Sia had called him over as soon as he entered the hall, and she had already formed a small group from the looks of things. From what Altair could see, Class A had an unusually low amount of students. The other students at the table were Sia, two girls, three boys and Elizabeth, who had followed Altair over.
Everyone exchanged greetings as Sia's friends peered at Altair quizzically, much to his chagrin. 'Now that I think about it, everyone in Class A lost interest in me pretty quickly. And Elizabeth didn't really bring up my age when we first talked either...'
Looking back, Altair realised that his classmates had been relatively polite in their first meeting, unlike these fellows who looked like they would shake him down with their gazes alone. Eventually, Sia tapped the table loudly to draw away their attention. "Guys, stop staring at my brother already. Let him eat his food" she snapped crankily. Her friends let out an awkward chuckle and looked away abashedly as they focused on their own food.
Elizabeth looked between the two siblings curiously as she picked at her own food. "Are you two sure you're siblings?" she asked in half-jest as she twirled her fork. "I can see some resemblance, but I would peg ye as cousins rather than direct relatives."
Sia sighed as she put down her food, propping her chin up on her hand. "Altair took mainly after Mom, while I got most of my genetics from Dad. We swapped eye-colours though" she added, smiling cheekily at her brother. Altair rolled his eyes in response, but the slight tug at the edge of his lips didn't escape Elizabeth's notice.
"You have such a good relationship...I'm jealous, to be honest" she confessed. "Back in the Order, I was forced to study in isolation for long periods of time. Add to the fact I am an orphan, and I don't have many relationships."
Altair tilted his head as he picked up on what Elizabeth just said. "You were an orphan?" he asked her. She nodded and flashed a subdued smile. "My parents were both members of the Order, but intimacy is more or less shunned. It's not completely illegal, but it is definitely frowned upon. To save their own face, I guess my parents decided to hand me over anonymously. I knew my parents were part of the Order, but I could never track them down."
Her words caused silence to befall the table, with Sia and her friends looking uncomfortable at the revelation of Elizabeth's past. She picked up on this, as she laughed and waved her hands. "Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it. I don't want to burden you or anything, since we just met" she apologised.
Sia shook her head and looked at Elizabeth kindly. "It's okay, I don't mind. I'm just...sad that you went through that." Altair nodded his agreement as he tapped his fork against his plate, deep in thought.
'By the "Order" I guess Elizabeth is referring to the Illuminative Ascetic Order. From it's name, I had guessed they practised abstinence and stuff like that, so I'm not all too surprised. But I guess there were no other kids there,. since Elizabeth claimed to have been alone for most of her childhood.'
On that note, he decided to ask the girl directly. "Hey Liz, were there no other children in the Order at the time?". Elizabeth shook her head and scooped up another portion of food. Chewing softly, she responded. "No, when a child is conceived between two members, the parents usually give the child away to outsiders. But my parents were relatively important in the Order, which meant they would have been quite powerful, and I guess they didn't want their genetics going beyond their control."
Altair was slightly taken aback by the selfishness of her parents. First they conceive a child despite knowing it wouldn't have a good life, then they decided to keep said child isolated with them because they were afraid of losing an asset? That was quite cruel of them, and Altair mentally reminded himself to avoid the Illuminative Order for as long as possible. While he was thirsty for the knowledge they no doubt held, interacting with such callous people would now leave a bad taste in his mouth.
'But what else did I expect from a bunch of scholars who lock themselves up in a giant temple of knowledge and shun all human relations?'
"If your parents wanted to keep you close, how did you end up attending Sky Cross Academy?" Sia asked.
"With my parents-whoever they are-kept me under house arrest for most of my life, I had nothing to do but study and learn. Eventually, I had taken as much as I could from the Order and caught the attention of several other powerful members. They appealed to the High Deacon, and she decided my education was best continued at Sky Cross. I'm sure my parents and several other members opposed the decision to let another educational institute have me, but I think the High Deacon was sympathetic towards me, for she put he foot down and personally covered the tuition fee."
Before anyone else could speak, a shadow was cast over the table where they sat. Altair looked up to see a black-haired boy with bright golden eyes standing over them, a tray of food in hand. Alexander Legendry smiled at the table's residents as he gestured towards an empty spot.
"Do you mind if I take a seat?" he asked calmly, though his posture was assertive. While Altair became wary at his presence, Elizabeth showed a smile and gave her affirmation. "Please go ahead and sit" she said lightly.
With a nod, Alexander did just that. He sat down to Sia's left and began eating with impeccable manners. Everyone watched him for a minute, before Sia coughed and turned to Altair. "So how were your classes?" she asked, clearly trying to start up a new topic.
"Good" Altair responded as he went through everything that had happened, from the homeroom to being beaten by Nephelae in duel. Sia raised an eyebrow at the latter bit, as she scoffed and smirked cheekily at her brother. "You lost that little thing? Really, I am genuinely disappointed in you!" she proclaimed with false bravado, clearly making fun of him. But before Altair could retort, the scion of House Legendry spoke up instead.
"I wouldn't be so harsh on him, Miss Atrazark. Miss Sentorius is a lot more dangerous than her appearance lets on. No, it is because of her harmless aura that you should consider her the biggest threat in the room. Amidst the prodigies of the Churches and progeny of Great Nobles, Nephelae Sentorius earned a place. That alone should tell you of what lies beneath her exterior."
Altair turned to Alexander in surprise upon hearing his words. Sia also swivelled around to look at him, squinting as he looked him up and down. "Do I know you?" she eventually asked. "I feel like I have seen you before, but I cant remember where."
Alexander let out a slight smile at her probing, as he leaned back into his chair. "My name is Alexander Legendry, Miss Atrazark. I believe we met once or twice at a ball hosted by House Gregorio. Speaking of which, I believe Lucas is in your Class?"
Sia nodded absentmindedly "Yeah, Lucas is in my Class-Wait, did you say Legendry? Like, the Ducal House?" Alexander's words has just fully sunken in it seemed, as Sia and the rest of her friends all bristled at Alexander's declaration of who he as. The boy in question chuckled at the sight as he brushed back his hair.
"Well, there's the reaction I was expecting. Really, it all gets quite boring after a while, when everyone responds the same way. Yes, I am the scion of House Legendry, set to inherit the Family Seat after my Father passes away. And before you ask, no, we do not roast babies alive and hunt Mythical Races in twisted games of fanfare. Those are baseless rumours spread by our enemies to disparage us."
Altair blinked at Alexander's last words, confused as to what he was talking about. Then, he remembered a conversation between himself and Jace during their travel to Sky Cross Academy. It had been about who was likely to attend this year, and Jace had given a run-down of all the children from Great Houses, House Legendry included.
'House Legendry is unique amongst all the Houses in that it does not directly pay tribute to the Crown. They have less taxes than any other fiefdom and their forces are not as strictly controlled either. It wouldn't be a stretch to call House Legendry a quasi-independent principality at this point. Of course, there are also all sorts of scandals and rumours surrounding the House too.'
'People claim that the Family roast babies alive and eat them, or that they release slaves into a giant maze and hunt them down one by one. On the slavery bit, it is also rumoured that Krepin Legendry, the brother of House Head Cerulean Legendry, is one of the biggest slave traders on the Gaia Continent. The Royal Family launched multiple investigations into the House after reports of large amount of Mythical beings-Elves, Fairies and Mermaids-disappeared inside Legendry territory.'
'With so much circumstantial evidence, and the fact House Legendry refuses to give up any autonomy, most people believe these rumours to be true. Frankly, even I believe there is some truth to it. Especially surrounding the slavery deal, since such actions were well within the capability of a Great House and Krepin has indeed been seen dealing with officials from the black market. If you run into Alexander Legendry, try and avoid him without giving away that you are avoiding him.'
At the time, Altair was only half-listening, so he didn't properly recognise Alexander in the homeroom. Now that the boy had brought up the rumours surrounding his House though, it all came flooding back to Altair. He leaned forward and stared straight at Alexander, and asked a question. "Is it true that House Legendry is almost independent from the Royal Family?"
For the umpteenth time, silence fell over the table. Sia and the others looked at Altair in shock or consternation, but Alexander merely smiled at him silently. After several awkward seconds, the black-haired boy laughed and wagged his finger. "You really need to work on your tact, my friend. If Miss Augustus was here, you could have very well lost your head there and then."
Altair shrugged his warning aside. "Sky Cross prohibits the assertion of Noble authority. As long as it doesn't go to the point of bullying or verbal abuse, I can say whatever I want to her. Now, you haven't answered my question" Altair refuted calmly, awaiting his answer.
Sia grasped his arm in horror as she hissed into his ear. "Are you mad Altair?! Even with your Noble status and the Academy's neutrality, your comments can still have severe consequences!". Sia was heavily shaken by his words, causing Altair to reassure her softly. "I understand Sister, so please let go of me" he whispered.
Alexander watched this exchange with amused eyes before clasping both hands together. "Well to answer your question, my House does' indeed have a certain amount of freedom compared to other Great Houses. It all dates back to the end of the Fourth Era and the Great War that ravaged Orvonia during the time. To ensure loyalty amongst its vassals, the Royal Family of the time-House Fernandez-offered special privileges and contracts to the most powerful Nobles. Our contract enable House Legendry to operate autonomously, as long as we did not harm the Gaia Continent or Fernandez Family. While the original signers of the contract have since passed away, the conditions still stand, and House Augustus are forced to carry them on. "