Road of the Heavenly Light

5-2: The Cost of Perfection

Laura was in the middle of studying history when there was only one week left before the exams would begin. She had managed to study every subject perfectly and had entered the phase of revisions. Laura had barely left her room except for lessons and to get food and drinks. She felt exceptionally optimistic about the exams, the perfect grades she wanted were within her grasp now. Her parents would be so proud of her... She was going to become the queen Falmar deserved. The history test would be about every war in the continent's history starting with the war of Saint Divinia, as the Divinians liked to call it. In reality, she was aided by many heroes in their quest to free the continent from the grasp of powerful creatures known as dragons, which was why the war was known as the Dragon War everywhere else. But the Divinians were way too prideful to admit that their Saint couldn't have done it alone. Laura had heard the tales of this war from a young age, being a descendant of two of those heroes, the brothers Nicholas and Gerard. Nicholas had been the wielder of the fire spell Fenflame, Falmar's national treasure, during the war, while Gerard had been the group's tactician. Those two were also the cause of the second war she had to study, as Nicholas was brutally murdered shortly into his rule as Falmar's first king. He had been murdered at the command of Adelina, first empress of Magnos, though this was often disputed by the people of Magnos and Theros, including the empress herself, which had led to a war that cost Magnos the territory that became Aurion. Laura smiled, she could probably pass her history exam with her eyes closed. She made the occasional mistake with math and geography, but by the end of the week she'd no longer have to worry about that.

The other girls were also quietly studying in their rooms, each enveloped in a different subject. Anna was focusing on literature, Elizabeth was trying to wrap her head around math, and Astrid was trying to understand why her family's genes for astrology just had to skip her and go to her sister instead. In the first boys dorm, Felix and Glen were studying together in Glen's room while Levi was studying on his balcony to take advantage of the rare clear days Autumn offered, and Apollo's room was taken by him and Howard.
"You know, I'm worried about Laura..." Felix broke the silence.
"Eight," Glen responded.
"What?"
"That's the eight time you've said that. Just go to her dorm, Felix."
"She won't talk to me," Felix turned the page, "you've known her for longer than I do, what helps her in situations like this?"
"You're asking this to the guy she calls a pig... Felix, you're her boyfriend, you should know her better than me."
"I know, but I have absolutely no idea on what to do... How can I help her if she won't even open the door?"
"You know she can be a stubborn ass sometimes-"
"And now you're insulting her..."
"What I'm trying to say is, maybe you should use a bit more brute force. On the door, I mean. You've thrown a chair around before, I'm sure you can break down a door."
Felix stood up, "you're right! I'm going to the dorm, see you." And he left the room.
"That was a joke..." Glen mumbled to himself with a sigh.

Felix walked through the hallways on knocked a little too hard on the door of dorm ten. Anna opened the door.
"Felix, Laura is still in her room if yo-"
"I know." Felix walked right past the girl and stormed towards Laura's door.
"Laura, come out." Laura was mildly annoyed by the sudden disturbance from her history studies and sighed.
"No."
"Laura, you haven't left the room at all for the past weeks, this isn't healthy and we're all worried sick. I'm going to knock the door down if you don't come out." Felix didn't get a response, and so he took a few steps back and then ran into the door, knocking it down and creating a noise loud enough for Astrid and Elizabeth to leave their room as well.
"What do you think you are doing?! You've no permission to enter these chambers!" Laura screamed. Felix looked at his girlfriend and was horrified. Her hair was a mess, the circles under her eyes were darker than his hair, and the floor and bed were cluttered with books.
"Laura, when did you last sleep?" Laura still looked angry, so Felix walked up to her and put his arms around her, his right hand resting in her hair. Laura broke down into tears.
"I don't remember."
"You're going way too overboard, Laura..."
"It's the only way I'll be able to get perfect grades! How else will I be the perfect queen..."
"You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be you."
"Being a good queen doesn't come from striving for perfection, but from knowing, protecting, and guiding your people as though they were your children. Celebrate their strengths and embrace their flaws, and they will do the same to you," Elizabeth added.
"But my parents..."
"Your parents feel the same. They'll be proud of you no matter what your grades are, I'm sure of it," Astrid answered.
"Maybe we should take Lizzie's advice and just study together so we can help each other out!" Anna suggested. Everyone agreed, and they went to get the others and ask them to meet at the library. Laura and Felix stayed behind to clean things up together.
"I'm sorry, Felix. For shutting you out instead of spending time together, and for snapping at you back at history a few weeks ago."
"And I'm sorry for breaking down your door like that." They both laughed.
"I'm glad I have you and the others in my life... If this had happened back home, I might have become seriously ill..."
"And I'm glad I have you. If it hadn't been for you, I would have probably given up on this school a long time ago." Felix smiled, and let his fingers go through Laura's hair, which was now combed and tidy again. The pair drew closer as their lips pressed together for a brief kiss.
"Let's go study with the others in the library," Felix whispered after breaking off their lips.
"Hopefully without breaking down any doors," Laura giggled as the pair left the dorm walked through the halls hand-in-hand. "By the way, have you ever heard of coffee?"