The sun beat down on the courtyard as Cedric engaged in his daily training routine, his body moving with practiced ease and grace. The guards, stationed on the sidelines, exchanged impressed glances at the young mage's skill and dedication.
One guard wiped the sweat from his brow and approached Cedric with awe in his eyes. "Why are you here, my lord?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Cedric laughed heartily, twirling his training staff in his hand. "Just training. I kinda got in the habit of doing it everday. Am I bothering you?" he replied, a worried glint in his eyes.
The soldier stepped back. "No my lord."
Just as Cedric was about to resume his training, his father's voice resonated through the air. "Cedric, get cleaned and come to my study." Lord Montclair's voice carried a note of urgency.
Cedric immediately recognized the importance of his father's summons. Catching his breath, he nodded to the guard. "Well duty calls."
The guards nodded to each other now motivated by their lord. "Can't let the young lord pass us up!" Shouted one guard as he ran to the track.
"Lets do five laps before training!" another guard exclaimed.
Cedric swiftly made his way to his quarters to change into more appropriate attire for the meeting. As he buttoned up his shirt, he pondered to himself. "I wonder what father wants?"
"You still mad at him Merlin?" Megna asked curiously.
Cedric shook his head as he tied his shoes. "Not anymore. I may not understand why my father did it, but it must've been important." Cedric sighed through his nose. "I'm a little upset about them not telling me about Ara though. However, Ara asked me to be nice and I don't know, I don't want to upset her." He then looked at Megna, simply saying. "And my name is Cedric...."
Megna chuckled, ignoring his correction. "Seems like you have a soft spot for that girl."
Cedric grabbed his coat. "Maybe, I never thought about having a sibling before. I was always more concerned with making friends."
Megna flew up to Cedric's face. "Are you saying you didn't want a sister?"
Cedric shook his head as he threw on his coat. "I'm not saying that. I guess I always had you, so I never had the urge to have another sibling."
Megna blushed as she hovered over the bed. "Thank you, Merlin...." She said softly.
Emerging from his room, Cedric found himself face-to-face with his young sister, Ara, accompanied by her diligent attendant. The attendant stood silently, her long blue hair waving from side to side as she struggled to stay awake. "Good morning, my lord....."
Ara looked up at her attendant, disappointed. "It's one in the afternoon, Len..."
Len looked down at Ara, her face remaining emotionless before looking up at Cedric. "Good afternoon, my lord."
Cedric chuckled softly. "Good afternoon, Len, Ara." He looked at Len with a soft smile. "So you finally passed your attendant course, Len?"
Len nodded her head. "Fifth time was the charm..."
Ara looked at Len, confused. "How do you know big bro?"
Cedric chuckled. "Len was supposed to be my attendant, but she kept failing her training."
Ara's eyes widened. "Was she that bad?"
Cedric shook his head. "Well, you see...."
Len spoke over him. "I slept through the final exams...."
They all fell silent, and the one who broke the silence was Ara. "Bad Len..." She said as she hit Len with her tiger doll.
Unfazed, Len reminded Ara, "My lady, we must go and study. Your tutor will be here tomorrow."
Cedric tilted his head, confused. "Tutor?"
Len nodded. "Lady Ara will be studying summoning magic tomorrow. Your parents have already arranged a teacher for her." Len then picked up Ara, who was still hitting her, and walked down the hallway.
Cedric's eyes lit up with delight. "Summoning magic, huh? That's quite impressive, Ara," he remarked to himself.
Soon, Cedric arrived at his father's office, where a line of nobles awaited their audience. Nervously taking his seat next to his father, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Lord Montclair explained, "My son, these men have come seeking your advice."
Cedric let out a sigh of relief as he thought to himself. "Oh, this must be just another responsibility I have now that I am 13." Cedric steeled himself, silently resolving to impress his father and prove his worth. However, as the nobles began approaching him one by one, Cedric found himself still consumed by thoughts of his newfound sister and the mysteries surrounding her. "Now that I have a sister, what do I do?"
A nobleman approached Cedric. "Young lord, I beseech you, my lands are constantly at risk from local orcs. I do not know how to proceed. If we attack preemptively, we risk a war. However, if we wait, then we are vulnerable to being attacked. We are at a loss, young lord."
Cedric, consumed in his thoughts, only heard a few words, war being one of them. "Peace should always be the answer."
The nobleman's mouth dropped. "I have never considered that. If we seek peace with the orcs, we won't have to worry about them in our territory, and war will be off the table. Not to mention, it would ultimately strengthen our defenses to have an orc force on our side." The nobleman stood up and respectfully bowed to Cedric.
The next noble walked up to Cedric, taking a deep breath before speaking. "My lord, my house is falling into decline. We can't seem to make a profit from our produce anymore."
Cedric thought to himself, pondering the situation. "I wonder what kids her age like?" Cedric then came to a realization and blurted out, "Chocolate!"
The nobleman stood shocked. "Chocolate? I mean, we did start growing coca trees, but I didn't think it would offer much of a profit. Do you believe that is the course my family should take?"
Cedric looked at the nobleman, only hearing that he was growing coca trees. "Yes, grow them and reap the rewards. But let me have some first."
The nobleman nodded his head with vigor. "Yes, of course, my lord."
As each noble approached, eager to seek Cedric's wisdom, his mind wandered, and his attention drifted away from their questions. In a haze of distraction, Cedric responded with half-baked, simple answers, not fully comprehending the inquiries posed to him. However, to his surprise, the nobles marveled at the profound depth they believed they had uncovered within Cedric's seemingly simplistic responses.
As the session came to an end, Lady Isabela walked into the study. "Dear, the tutor has arrived."
Cedric looked up to see familiar faces—one with long fiery red hair and the other with short orange hair. Oliver and Lily of the other golden families. "Long time no see, Cedric Montclair," Oliver exclaimed, a wicked grin forming on his face as he thought, "This should be fun."