Under the Oak Tree Book 2 "Conquering hearts" ( Fan fiction)

Chapter 12 - Maxi

Nalimi wasted no time and started tugging me down the corridor. I shot a quick glance behind me and watched the rest of the group hurry to catch up. It did not take long to reach the dining hall, and the smell of freshly baked pastries and sausages filled my nose. I was almost drooling by the time we made it to our table.

Sweyn, who was going to great lengths to avoid eye contact with me offered to make me a plate. I sat at the table waiting on breakfast and took a moment to take in the rest of the dining hall. It was packed with mages wearing different colored robes. For the most part those wearing the same-colored robes sat together, with the exception of a few select groups such as ours. I found it entertaining watching the groups interact with each other and watching the mages who tried to sleep in, scramble into the dining hall.

It reminded me of the Remdragon knights, back when Ruth had me practicing healing magic. They would stumble in, one by one, some with remnants of their breakfast on their faces or their shirts. I always felt a little guilty for them, especially if Hebaron or Riftan were in a bad mood for the day. I could usually help when it came to Riftan, however they were on their own with Hebaron.

I forced a slight smile has Sweyn returned with a small plate of food. There were 2 slices of sausage and a bit of egg, followed by a pastry covered in white icing. I eyed my plate, trying to decide where to start. After a few moments of careful consideration, I decided to start with the pastry. 

"This ... is ...delicious! "

 A burst of strawberry and lemon coated my tongue followed by the sweet and flakey pastry. I hummed to myself, pleasantly surprised. To be honest anything was preferred to the food we had on the boat. While I slowly enjoyed my breakfast, I could still feel a set of eyes on me. I looked to my right and smiled. Sweyn, who had been hovering by my side, turned a crimson red and rushed back to the buffet to fix his own breakfast. Ever since last night's shower episode, he has been acting rather odd around me. I raised an eyebrow at his reaction and then went back to my breakfast. Raven, who had taken a seat across from me smirked. 

"Now aren't you a tease! I have been trying to get a reaction out of Sweyn for months! Although I have almost succeeded; I have never come close to that!" Raven eyed me for another moment and then smirked. "You must tell me your secret!" I could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice. 

Nalimi, who had been silent during the majority of this exchange scoffed. " Well, it isn't much of a secret now is it." Nalimi turned to me and winked. "I would almost say that everything is out in the open." There was a long pause, and I watched Raven struggle to control her laughter. "Well, if you can't feed em, tease em!" 

I all but chocked on my food. As I was struggling to swallow, Sweyn came bounding over and took a seat next to his sister. Confused by the sudden outburst of laughter, he cocked an eyebrow up and looked at Nalimi questioningly. "What's so funny?" 

Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. I shot him a look of pity and then picked at the remaining food on my plate. Raven, not missing a beat, turned to Sweyn and in as innocent of a voice as she could muster, stated "YOU!" Before Sweyn could respond, Koa and Bellona had made their way over to the table to join us. Bellona sent a shy smile my way has Koa plopped down on the bench. 

"Good morning, Lady Calypse! Did you sleep well?"

Not wanting to be rude, I nodded. "It was a long night, but first nights in a new place typically are." I was still struggling to keep Riftan off of my mind. He snuck into my dreams, just has he used to sneak up on me in our garden back home. Bellona gave a quick nod of understanding and Koa perched his elbows on the table and rested his head on his interloped hands. "You miss him, don't you?"