Fatebreaker

76

In this world, Tommy has had three regular classrooms. There have been times when he would take trips to other locations, but his usual schedule brought him to three different places every day when he was receiving his education. The first room is one Tommy hardly remembers. He knows he learned music there, but he can barely remember the room or the teacher. Thinking too hard about it makes Tommy's head hurt, so he decided a long time ago not to think about it anymore. The second classroom was the one in the gardens where Sam would practice with his spear and later teach Tommy the same craft. The lack of walls did very little to make it feel less like a classroom, particularly because Sam was a strict teacher, though not without his kindnesses.

The chronological first classroom was, however, the one Tommy is sitting in right now. This was where Kara taught him all about the world and the nobility. In those days, there were two desks in the room with more than a few shelves of books. Kara later brought in a chalkboard as a teaching aid for Tommy, visually drawing what she was talking about for his benefit. That chalkboard is no longer there, and neither are the two desks that once sat in this room. Kara's desk was put in her new office as the tsaritsa's vassal. Tommy's desk was replaced every year to account for his growing size, so the one he sits in right now isn't the one he sat in on the first day with Kara. This desk isn't even the same one he was sitting in when he first left to deal with the rogue fire elemental Sally. This desk was made specifically for the prince as a birthday gift, and now it provides Tommy a seat in the room where the future grand duke conducts his business.

There is surprisingly a lot of business Tommy has to deal with. Apparently, Tommy's former way of life is not acceptable. He needs an entire knight's order dedicated to him, and he needs to have more than a few maids to take care of the uptake of his chambers and his appearance. Tommy was content without such commodities, but he was soon to be cut off from the commodities of the imperial family. Tommy can no longer rely on the imperial maids and the members of the Imperial Guard to take care of him. Tommy didn't mind until he was given a stack of papers and told to sort out the applicants immediately rejected from those that would be allowed interviews.

Tommy is not alone in this endeavor. Deo is most graciously assisting and, more accurately, annoying Tommy as they flip through the papers. The only reason Tommy is putting up with Deo is that the mercenary has worldly experience that Tommy does not possess. While Deo has never been a knight, he has worked with them several times before. He knows how they work in several different nations, and this has allowed him to know the baseline requirements that everyone should be looking for in their knights. Without Deo's critical eye, the list of people Tommy has to interview would have been a lot thicker. Or, probably, it would be just as thin but made up of arbitrarily chosen individuals.

As they get through another resume, a knock resounds on the door. Tommy glances up slowly. Deo pushes off the edge of the desk. A throwing knife made from hard light appears between his fingertips. He prepares to throw it, and Tommy opens his mouth to allow the person entrance. Before the words can come, the door slams open with a lot more force than necessary. The doorknob hits the wall, creating a startling loud noise. The throwing knife is almost out of Deo's hands when Tommy raises a hand to stop his guard. Deo freezes, and Tommy raises an eyebrow at his new guest as they spin into the room. Tommy gives them a half-smile, almost amused as he says, "I am most surprised that you have not lost your head in the weeks I have been gone."

"I'm equally surprised you haven't lost your head, but that must mean my remedy has been effective," Orion speaks as if he's singing, each syllable drifting close to musical notes. He dresses twice as atrociously with bright colors that clash together, every color save for the blue of his empire. His brown eyes are burning with energy, and his dirty blonde hair sticks up at odd angles.