The conversation with Venna and her friends was amusing even if I could feel the occasional judgmental glances of Solana and Sonatar. Thankfully the hostility from Sonatar before seemed to at least be reduced a bit. Their friendly banter did make me a bit uncomfortable and their familiarity with Venna made it worse. I'm beginning to believe I'm a bit possessive.
I think Venna might have noticed as she sent them off quickly before walking with me the remainder of the way back to our dorms. She had grabbed my hand at some point earlier and didn't let go until we arrived. How I had not noticed until we reached our dorms is a mystery to me.
I had the weekend to sort through my schedule, walk around the campus, and purchase any materials I might need. Because of that I contacted Sir Verret through a communications circle arranged for me in my room and then left to meet him at the main entrance. I not only had a few things left to purchase but Sir Verret had informed me that he needed to talk about something.
At the gates of the Academy a less garish and conspicuous carriage was waiting for myself and Rebecca. I'm glad the decision to go with something a bit more subdued was made. That didn't mean the materials or protection circles were any weaker though. I recognized all the knights and the carriage driver as well. Sir Verret had a conversation with me about keeping my awareness up when visiting unfamiliar areas so I had begun paying attention to these details more frequently.
Rebecca helped me into the carriage as Sir Verret addressed me from his horse.
"M'lady we'll be heading to the estate first to go over a few things, then we can head to the central district to retrieve your necessary items. You can stay at the estate when you're finished and we'll send your items to your dorm or you can head straight back. I'll leave that choice up to you."
"Can you send an invitation to Venna asking if she wants to stay at the estate this weekend?"
I'm a little nervous here on my own and it would be nice to have her company. That's it, no other hidden motives here. None whatsoever.
Sir Verret seemed to understand and replied while trying to hide his amusement.
"Of course m'lady. I can't guarantee her ability to come but I will definitely send a message and alert the guards for the estate."
"Thank you Sir Verret."
Maybe the tone of my voice or the quickness with which I replied made it obvious but Sir Verret couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed at that.
Rebecca was also giving me a knowing smile. Was she aware of my feelings? I know that I don't try to hide my affection for Venna in public but my expressions and voice should be controlled well enough.
With a desire to avoid my judgmental eyes Rebecca tapped the carriage wall to indicate we were ready to head out.
Our estate near the Academy was well managed despite remaining unused since my father's attendance. There were servants, a few maids, a butler, and a couple of guards assigned here at all times. The guards had been increased with my arrival and it seems a few more servants might have been hired as well. Rebecca had been reviewing paperwork when I arrived at the dorm after the assembly. I'm sure she'll have more work to do this weekend.
The gates around it are a strong iron alloy designed to be more magically conductive than even the more expensive materials like mithril. They aren't as strong though, but that can be alleviated somewhat using the right circle formations.
The estate itself is the largest in this section, with beautifully polished granite pillars and stone basalt walls. The dark wood that makes up the borders and shutters accent the blue stones wonderfully. The grounds surrounding it, while not large, are well tended with plenty of high bushes and well cared for flowers. Most of the gardens are managed personally and without any circles so the scent of nature is pleasantly soothing after passing through the gates.
I might have to stay here every weekend, at least until the garden near the dormitory is remodeled. I'll need to remember to send my father a communication about that as well.
The knights around us unloaded the few things we'd need this weekend while Sir Trevor escorted me and Rebecca to the back of the estate. There is a small training ground, a few servants' quarters, and a small guards barracks placed carefully here. The buildings are not far enough away to make travel difficult, but also not easily visible from the rear windows of the manor thanks to the well-tended greenery.
Sir Verret led us directly to the center of the training area and then addressed both Rebecca and me. His face took on a stern look as his tone became serious.
"We need to talk about the personnel that will be around you as well as what you'll be doing for self-defense during your time here. M'lady is well trained in the sword but you won't be able to carry that everywhere. There will be plenty of times where carrying your sword will be restricted and maybe even unwieldy. It would be ridiculous for a Lady of House Arkesh to look so paranoid as well."
I already understood this and had taken into consideration the fact that I'd need to learn a more concealed weapon.
"Rebecca, the same goes for you. You will have your potential as a mage tested while you are here and you are to pick a weapon and a combat skill to learn. There will be times where you will be the first person with the ability to react and it could mean the difference between life or death for both of you."
Rebecca was already wearing a serious expression and her back straightened when Sir Verret addressed her.
"Yes Sir Verret."
"I want the both of you to pick a concealable weapon to carry with you at all times. The smaller it is the easier it will be to hide but the more difficult it will be to use against an attacker. We will train with whatever you choose and you will only be given a short time to change your mind before I'll refuse. If you attempt to learn a new weapon before mastering another it could lead to problems adjusting to either of them, slowing your progress and defeating the purpose of this."
He paused to look at us and waited for our acknowledgment. We ended up replying at the same time.
"Yes, Sir Verret."
"M'lady I suggest a dagger, or maybe two since you already have some experience with a parrying dagger. Just know that there will be some differences and you'll have to train yourself to account for the differing weight of the blades.
"Rebecca you haven't had much training with anything yet so I'll have you practice with a few different weapons before you decide. You will not practice unguided, is that clear?"
Rebecca looked a little surprised at that, but immediately replied in the affirmative. Sir Verret didn't wait long before continuing.
"You should already have some endurance thanks to the work that you have to do as a maid but you'll need to exercise to increase your upper body strength and speed. Lady Marisilea has a good routine and you can follow that but you will start slower. If you try to push yourself too quickly you will be injured and set your training back further.
"Finally there will be one member of the fourth knight order posted at the main entrance of the Academy at all times. You will never be asked to exit through any other area, and any communication regarding your movements will be relayed through the communications circle. We will have a code phrase that will only be known by us and the fourth order knights even if we're not using the circle. Never move until the code phrase is used in a sentence, is that understood?"
"Yes Sir Verret."
We responded together again. His aura seems to exude obedience and discipline so I find it difficult to not respond promptly.
He took a deep breath in and then let himself relax a bit after we did. I could tell he was worried about our safety and a bit upset with himself for something. Maybe I should just ask what's on my mind.
"Sir Verret, why did you wait until now to address this?"
He bowed deeply in an apologetic manner before speaking.
"I made an err in judgment while you were preparing for your entrance exams. I considered that you would be too busy studying and that it would only prove to be a distraction but now is a bit late to start. I put things off too long."
"It's okay Sir Verret, please raise your head. You can't be prepared for everything and sometimes there are mistakes made. I won't hold that against you."
"Thank you m'lady."
Sir Verret had Rebecca go through a few weapons before telling her that she was to accompany me during my morning training. They would be assigning a second maid picked out by Rebecca to assist with her daily tasks as well.
It didn't take long for them to finish discussing things, allowing us to quickly head out to complete what shopping we'd need done.
The shopping was done in quick order as well and I had a welcome surprise when we returned as Venna was waiting for us.
"Mari, it's nice to have a place to escape the dorms! Will you be letting me stay here every weekend that I'm not busy?"
I'm not going to say no to that.
"I can have Sir Verret relay a standing order to allow you to come and go as you please. I'll have Rebecca prepare a more permanent room for you as well."
Maybe I was a bit quick to respond as she smiled at me before grabbing my hand. I had Rebecca prepare some seating and tea for us in the garden so we could relax more easily.
The rest of the weekend was spent training or enjoying my time with Venna. We even sometimes went out for cakes.
_________________________
Actual classes wouldn't begin until the week after this, as the majority of the first year students' time was dedicated to familiarizing themselves with their schedules and the layout of the campus.
Schedules for first year students were standardized, with everyone being able to pick their focus only at the second year. For me everything was incredibly boring and there was no way to skip any of it. History, mathematics, the sciences of magic, etc. were all repeated materials. The syllabus for each course clearly outlined the areas covered and I saw very little possibility that I'd learn anything new.
When I asked if it was possible to test out of any course I was sadly told that everyone had to show not only their knowledge of the materials, but also their patience and cooperation in classes. Based on that information alone I could tell that there would be problems with some professors. I guess I'll have to deal with some more 'Professor' Henry types while I'm here.
They'll find out the hard way that I won't be easily suppressed.
I did have one welcome surprise during the introductory week though. As all the students assigned to class one filed into the Academy training grounds for the basics of combat course, Sir Verret stood at the center, patiently waiting for everyone to crowd around.
I heard some whispers among the class when they saw him standing at attention. Not knowing why the crowd would have this reaction to Sir Verret I decided to ask a student near me about it.
"What is everyone talking about?"
The boy next to me was trying to get a good look at Sir Verret and didn't turn his attention to me when he responded.
"That's Sir Verret, a renowned knight from the Arkesh Dukedom and a decorated hero. He, along with a battalion of men led by the Duke himself, stopped a wave of the corrupted and helped prevent the Marquise of Falden's castle from being overrun twenty years ago."
I was aware that the Duke's forces were involved in that battle but I hadn't realized Sir Verret had participated. Or that my father had led the charge himself. My best guess is that my father probably insisted that any inclusion of the Duke's direct participation in an engagement be removed from the materials I was required to study. He preferred that any accolades earned by the people should not be diminished simply because nobles were involved.
A few people were trying to get the boy I had questioned to turn around and look at me; this only served to annoy him, however.
"Will you people knock it off. It's important that I pay attention to everything Sir Verret has to say as this is a once in a lifetime chance to learn from someone so amazing."
"I guess it would be pretty impressive to learn from someone who's a swordmaster of three blades."
The boy turned towards me with obvious delight in his eyes, happy to find someone who understood him.
"Right, he's amazing! There's usually only one way to learn from him and that's to join one of the knight's orders of Arkesh. I'd rather not risk being assigned to a firstborn daughter and I've heard the Duke treats her too well."
At this point everyone trying to get the boy's attention had given up and backed off. I'm guessing they realized that he had dug his own grave and they didn't want to be buried with him.
"Well, you might think they treat her well now but what do you know of her treatment before this? Do you even know anything about her other than she's a firstborn daughter?"
"Sure, everyone knows about her. She has the deep burgundy hair from the Marquis of Brighton's family and the violet irises with flecks of silver from her father…"
His voice trailed off as he was finally taking in my features, his face paling as realization of his mistake seemed to dawn on him.
"I'm happy to know you're aware of what I look like. That doesn't mean you understand who I am or what I've gone through. Superficial knowledge and rumors aren't what one should base their opinions on."
I decided to push him forward and raise my voice for Sir Verret to hear me over the crowds.
"I believe you have a volunteer for demonstrating anything you need during the classes Sir Verret."
Sir Verret immediately glanced my way and nodded, understanding my meaning.
"Very nice, now may I have your name?"
"It's… uh… Gabrial, Sir Verret."
"Gabrial is it? For the entirety of this year you will be my assistant. I'll be calling out exercises and then you will perform them while I correct your posture, is that understood?"
Gabrial looked at Sir Verret with reverence, not seeming to understand the fate he had committed himself to. I spent a lot of hours correcting my form while repeating his exercises until I could finish a set without needing guidance.
"Yes Sir Verret!"
Ah, to be naïve again.