The Windeburg Duchy was considered second to only the Crown of Molova, some even believed them to be better. The country was divided by magical power, and the descendants of both, the Royal family and Windeburg Duchy were blessed with an abundance of power, however, the Royals always proved to be stronger.
Until the birth of Augustus Windeburg. His mother was a powerful magician born to a commoner family with control over fire, his father was a powerful ice controller, and he was gifted with both. The current Prince and Princesses could only control light and didn't have his prodigal control over their powers. However, no one knew of this until Augustus turned 5 and entered the Academy.
Everyone was immediately drawn to young Augustus, with his white hair and black eyes, his chubby cheeks and pearly smile. At the beginning of every year, everyone would be appraised and ranked based on various tests. The children in their first years at the Academy were pricked by a magical device that creates a reaction of their powers and there was no way to trick or escape this test. Augustus stood in front of the priest with his hand out, the device, which looked like a small key with a sharp end, pricked into his finger and out of the wound came a giant blast of fire and ice, bigger than they had ever seen before. The Prince and Princesses who had gone before he gasped with everyone else. Triplets who had emitted a beautiful light from their fingers, Princess Genevieve having the strongest light of the three.
Isla and Penny were the last two children to be tested. By the time their turns came, all the noble children left, disinterested in the commoners. Penny went before Isla, as she was a few months older, and a blast of wind flew from her fingers, and gasps spread through the commoner students who had stayed around them. Isla went after her, and as the key went into her finger, the building began to shake and objects and children floated in the sky and light poured from her finger as darkness spilled out. The adults shared a look as the world returned to normal, fear struck their eyes. They thanked the Gods that the noble children had left, all but young Augustus, who had been ignored once the Prince and Princesses commanded the attention of the wealthy children.
The matron had educated Penny and Isla well, so they excelled in all of the studious tests, arithmetics, language, history and art, they both scored exceptionally, beating most students. However, a special request by Alma meant that they both didn't place first overall, they came fifth and sixth. Augustus came 1st, who had also excelled in his studies, however not as much as Penny or Isla, but they weren't going to fight him for the place. The Prince and Princesses came 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and everyone ignored the high-scoring commoners and focused on the Nobility.
Once the exams were done, everyone was led to their rooms. They would have these rooms for the next 12 years. The nobles didn't have to share rooms, unlike commoners, however, Penny and Isla were more than pleased to be roommates. They considered each other sisters and the room they had was bigger than the house they had grown in. They had a beautiful balcony and a bathroom bigger than anything they had seen before. Their beds were big enough to fit two adults on each one, and there were curtains set up to separate the area. They each had a desk where they could study and were given a series of textbooks that they poured into immediately.
Everyone, regardless of status, had access to every facility within the school. However, more things were accessible as the students grew older, the 5-year-olds weren't allowed to ride dragons or pegasi.
After settling into their rooms, they quickly went to the library. They stood outside the giant doors, waiting when a pair of hands wrapped around them. Theo pulled his sisters into a giant hug, unwilling to let go as they spun around. "Welcome to the Academy!" He squealed happily before they all separated.
They had both heard unendingly about the Academy from Theo in the last year, and his grin told them everything they needed to know. He took them on a more personalised tour than the one they had been on earlier, as he detailed the best places to nap, the best tarts, and finally the best place to lay on the grass and think. As they lay on the grass, a shadow interrupted the sun on Isla's face as a small Augustus stared at her.
"Um, can I help you?" She questioned as politely as she could as she rose.
"You're Isla, right?" She nodded, knowing who stood in front of her. She had taken note of who everyone was in order to ensure she would never offend them.
"You're Augustus Windeburg." She stated as she knelt into a small curtsy.
"I saw your powers." He commented fiercely.
"Yeah, it was a pretty public display." She answered, confused by his interest.
"They were super cool! The whole building shook! And you had light and darkness, I've never seen that." He began rambling.
Theo's ears pricked upon hearing what Augustus said. "So that's what the shake was. I was curious about who caused that. Good for you Isla, you'll surely become nobility with that much power." Isla shrugged at his comment before turning back to Augustus.
"You had fire and ice, that's super cool too." She asserted.
"Thanks." Augustus stated before finally sitting down next to Theo, Isla followed suit. "I know they mean something because my parents never forget to tell me how important they are. It's a bit annoying." She stared at the young Duke.
"Well, Augustus, you can only do what you can and no more than that. You're not your parents and they aren't you, just be you." She didn't know why she said it. She thought she'd keep to herself but there was a sadness in the boy, something similar to hers. Augustus grinned at her, revealing two missing teeth, before slopping to the ground.
"Call me Auggy."
"Call me Theo, Auggy." Theo cut in, a smile on his face which was turned to Augustus who shook Theo's hand.
"You're the prodigy, aren't you Theo?" Augustus inquired.
"Prodigy? I've just been educated by a terrifying Matron called Alma. Wait till you see what Penny and Isla can do, I'll be just another boy in front of those two." His answer made the girls roll their eyes.
"Call me Penn." Penny cut in before continuing. "And Theo, you run circles around us but you never care for theory. If you actually learned the theory behind your magic you'd be far better than either of us."
"Oh, you're the three kids who were granted a last name by the King." Augustus suddenly stated, making their eyes widen in shock. "Theo Derrik, Penny and Isla Ronin. I remember now."
"Remember what?" Penny asked sharply.
"My dad told me about you three, said you were the most powerful children to be born from commoners in more than twenty years. The last one to be born is the current Head of the Magic Tower. He told me to stay away from you all." He said it all with a tone of boredom. He didn't move even after many seconds of silence passed.
"Well, will you stay away?" Isla questioned.
"Why would I listen to my father?" Augustus chortled with ridicule.
"I'd rather have a father than these powers. Call me Isla and nothing else." Isla finally responded, a light sadness in her voice. Penny held her hand and they shared a glum look.
"You don't want my father, believe me. Anyways, now that we're all best friends, you should all come to my room so we can have tea." He stood quickly and ushered them to his chambers.
His maids were surprised to see him bring commoners, the reason they knew was a key difference in the uniforms. Nobility had their crests embroidered with gold onto their ties whilst commoners couldn't even dream of affording gold. Tea was served efficiently to the children, and they talked for hours on various topics. They were children so the focus tended to be games and make-belief, but their laughter was infectious for even the maids who all smiled warmly.
Alma had instructed them, rather strictly, to stay under the radar and to study hard. However, they couldn't help but love the young Duke, with his silly jokes and abrupt ability to change topics. The four of them grew only closer as the year passed, but they weren't allowed to be friends until after their lessons were completed. During their breaks, they weren't allowed to eat with Nobility, however, they would all play football and various other games together. The Nobility were confused by the actions of the Duke, but eventually, the young boys would also join in on the games. Augustus and his maids had a deal to keep their friendship a secret from his father, and they all continued to enjoy their time.
As the year passed, Penny and Isla maintained their scores, coming 5th and 6th every time. Between each term, they would go back to Alma who would ensure they were up to par. All three children hid their friendship with Augustus, they finally had a secret that was completely their own.
Three years passed quickly, with little to no trouble for any of them. Until it was time to meet the mystical animals they would pair with.