The legend of the wizard

Chapter 2- nervous

"Are you sure I can do this? Why did they pick me? I can't possibly-" Arwen's mother cut her off. "Stop worrying. They obviously chose you for a reason. So get your stuff because, we're leaving," her mom said. "Already?" It had felt like years until this moment would come (though it had only been 3 days) and now that it was finally here, Arwen felt like it was happening too quickly.

So she did as she was told and gathered the last things. At last, she was going off to the wizard academy! Would she be good enough? Would the other kids be mean? Would they find out her secret-

She was interrupted from her thoughts when her dad enveloped her in a hug. "You'll do great, don't worry," he reassured her warmly. Yeah, easy for you to say, she thought, but still hugged him back hard. Then, her parents led her to the path that took her to the docks, and it was time for her to say her final goodbye. Trying not to cry, she stepped into the boat with her escort.

He was a grim faced elf, with wrinkly skin. She assumed he was old, and he didn't speak at all.

After about a half an hour, she said, "so, have you ever been to the crystal cliffs before?" He didn't answer, but she tried again, determined to make conversation. "Have you heard a lot about the wizard school? And how the wizard Gem made it? Apparently it took three months!"

Part of why Arwen was talking so much was because she was nervous. She tended to be chatty when she was nervous, and not know when to shut her mouth. "I wonder what classes they'll be. Do you-" the old man finally spoke, cutting her off.

"Look kid, I don't give two diamonds about what goes on in the crystal cliffs, or whatever you're talking about. So shut up and let me keep rowing." His voice was gravelly and deep, and his words shocked Arwen. No one had been that rude to her before. Well, no adult. The mean older kids had certainly been that rude before.

Feeling less jubilant than she had before, Arwen stoped talking. She just really hoped that the kids at school weren't like that.

They arrived at some make-shift docks at midday, and the only thing left to do was to walk the long walk to the Crystal Cliffs. They followed a somewhat worn path, with the old man in the lead. Arwen had decided to call him 'the grumpy grump.' The passed through all sorts of terrain, wowing Arwen even more every time. Sometimes in the distance, she could see silhouettes of other empires.

They finally reached a huge mountain, that had snow on the top. "Please say we're not going over that," she muttered to herself. She sighed in relief when they went around the mountain. It wasn't that wide, mostly just tall, and soon they reached the village that Arwen had heard all about.

It was the village that had famously assisted Wizard Gem in making magic. The village wasn't as grand as it was described in the books, though it was still amazing. She noticed that there were almost no kids running around. They must all be in the wizard school themselves, she thought. 

And then finally, finally, the moment that felt like it would never come: she was staring at the academy! It stretched up tall, and was very long. An intricate green house was sprawled beside the building. Through the stained glass, Arwen could spot many interesting looking plants.

But she didn't have long to dwell on it, because the Grump ushered her up the steps, and into the building. The entrance hall was decorated with plants, and other curious knickknacks. They went through a doorway, and Arwen gazed at the spiralling staircase. 

The Grump led her into a different room, where the headmistress was seated. Headmistress Dowrling was elegant and imposing, but she smiled at Arwen with kind eyes. Other kids were seated across from the headmistress, and Arwen took the last empty seat. The Grump shuffled to the headmistress, who handed him a bundle. The Grump nodded in thanks, then was off.

"Welcome, new students. We are all so excited to welcome you here. Now, we don't have much time, for classes start today. Your 'Tudor' will lead you to your shared dorms. They're not really a Tudor, but they'll help you learn magic and show you around. Your uniforms will be in the drawers. Get changed into the right ones, then let you Tudor show you to the lunch room. Good luck!"

She stood, then paused. "Oh my, I almost forgot. Please hand me your invitations." Everyone fumbled for them, then handed the out eagerly. With a swish of her hand, they all turned from ordinary invitations to purple tinted Grimoires. "These are your Grimoires, where you can write notes, ad anything else that will help you on your journey n the wizard academy. Now, you really must go."

Dowrling didn't give them any time to speak, just sent them off.

At the bottom of the staircase were students dressed in the wizard robes. A girl with auburn hair and green eyes beckoned her over, then led her up the stairs. "Hi, I'm Thyst. I'll be helping you and stuff. So, this is our dorm," she said, opening a door.

The room was beautiful, with two beds on either side. The bed without the window seemed unoccupied, so she set her stuff down there. Then, after changing into some robes, Thyst led her down to meet with all the other students. Arwen could easily make out the Crystal Cliffs students from the students from the other empires. They looked out of place, like a pear in and apple jar.

She imagined that she would look different as well, with her slightly blue hair.

The children filed into a grand room with three long tables. Plates piled high with foods adorned the tables, and Arwen almost started to drool. She sat beside Thyst, and noticed that the wizard girl wasn't talking with anyone. "This bread is really good," Arwen comments. Thyst just nodded.

Arwen had a feeling that she was going to like wizard school. Probably. Hopefully. She just hoped that Thyst would, too.