It began on a Friday in my final class of the week at The Scholar's Crown. 

The school itself was prestigious, intended to teach the basics of physics, language, art, and swordplay. Far from dedicated to any, its main intention was to teach its people to rule. It overlooked the castle of Redhelm, as if a shadow of its potential.

I was a noble, as many of my friends were. The King relied on noble families to oversee parts of the Kingdom, as he could not do it all himself, and as a result, created a dedicated school for the upper class of his people.

I watched the teacher go on about the order of words, trying to pay attention to his droning tone. Neither ink nor paper was needed here, just a mind capable of making use of the lesson. The thump of a book closing jolted me fully awake. We exited, some of us much faster than others.

Someone tapped me on my walk out. I slowed down, careful not to hit anyone, and heard her quiet, breathy voice. It was Alinda, a quiet student who paid great amounts of attention in language.

"Did you get all that?" she asked, a supportive tone in her voice.

I laughed slightly. "Most of it. I'll do adequately when we need it."

"Really?" Alinda sounded confused. "Come to my house tomorrow if you change your mind."

I bowed my head slightly, both a yes and a goodbye. I descended the stone stairs to the area around the school where the students with more passion than commitment practiced with their swords. Under the castle's shadow, I drew my own blade, pointed to the sky, and charged. "Vienna of Tareris has joined the battle!" 

This was standard practice. We were given blunt rapiers and educated for showing off, not for a real fight. 

My charge was intercepted. "Tristian of Brimstone has accepted your challenge!"

He expertly blocked with the top of his sword, bending it around and striking my upper arm. I barely recovered, making a weak thrust at his flank. We slashed at once, our swords striking each other in a mirrored X shape. I broke through, bashing him with the grip of my sword. This left a perfect opening, and I tackled into my opponent, sword pointed over his chest. 

"And the win goes to Vienna of Tareris!" I got up upon hearing the voice of a judge.

These training fights normally had people to watch over them, declaring a win before someone got injured for real. "Kamon?" I asked, seeing a friend from physics overseeing my match. I sheathed my rapier, tilting my head "What are you doing here?"

Kamon adjusted her bow from her back. "There's a vast hunt tomorrow. I decided to stay here until I'm needed."

I have no idea how Kamon was in this school. She was not a noble, nor was she a friend of nobility, but she was a hunter for the kingdom. Hunters, the kingdom's most powerful source of food, especially in the winter. She was absent for language and swordplay, but ever-attentive during art and physics, bringing bones in from her own kills and taking lessons from physics for those really long distance arrow shots.

"May I accompany you?" I asked as Kamon considered it.

Kamon looked thoughtful. "You'll have to come to the Hunter's Lodge first. I hope I can get you in." 

"My parents will be attending an event in Brightleaf and I have little to do this weekend. I accept," I responded. We began walking, something I was used to doing, as many of the noble houses were close to The Scholar's Crown. I was not, however, used to walking for this long. When we came to the Hunter's Lodge, the shadows were long, enhancing the size of a log building in front of us, windows cut into the sides. A doorway made of a single slab of wood that might as well be a shield, adorned its front, complete with a green design of a knife and bow. 

"Why would you cut logs like that? They would easily fall on their own," I asked, looking up to the holes cut in the wall to act as windows.

"Part of the hunters' philosophy." Kamon's sight travelled up to the same windows. "A group can do a job a lot better than a single unit; something about covering for weaknesses."

She opened the door, not bothering to knock. Inside was as I expected, but expectation made the building no less impressive. Wooden eating tables lined the center, wall-mounted beds with ladders, on the sides. Hunters, clad in leather armor, either sat or lay. Dedicated hunting dogs and a few flat-out wolves accompanied many of the hunters, equal parts hunting tool, companion, and sign of status.

"This place looks impressive. I can see why the King respects you." As I spoke, an important looking hunter approached us. His leather armor was dyed greenish-black for stealth, his bow larger than some of my friends from school, and his wolf looking attentive. 

"Kamon? Who's this blueblood at your side?" Despite his tough appearance, his voice sounded friendly and inviting. 

"This is Vienna. She's from my school." Kamon sounded unsure of her decision, despite the hunter's tone.

"You're correct, I was enlightened of your practices and requested to see them in action."

The hunter restrained a laugh, of either mirth or mocking. "Kamon must have told you about tomorrow. We'll be heading out earlier than you wake up!" His words felt like the verbal equivalent of a thrust with a spear. Mine felt like a cold riposte.

"I'll rest here then. Awaken me when the hunt begins." The hunter was caught off guard. 

"A noble willing to wake up as early as her people? That's respectable in its own right. Come then, I'll show you to a spare bed."

I followed the Elite hunter along the rows of beds as Kamon split off to socialize with the other hunters. Not long after, I sat down, dropped off my rapier beside me, and began reading one of the books I was carrying. A side door opened and entire animals, cooked on spits, were carried through: boars mostly, though I saw a deer in there too, and even a large fish, filled with arrow wounds and meat.

Dinner until the time to sleep was uneventful. I read up to the part where the protagonist combines his curved sword with the soul of a spider mage, marked my page, then lay down.