Whisper to the Wind

(6) Droplet

Droplet sighed in satisfaction as she looked around her new room. She had placed a dark ocean blue quilt her father had bought her on top of her bed. Looking at it made her remember the ocean's of Dinhoff, the small fishing town where she grew up. 

The empty bookshelf had welcomed Droplet when she entered the room and she had quickly gotten to work placing her many books on it's shelves. The desk on her side of the room was already covered in scrolls she had brought with her from home. Other than that, the room held little objects that were her own. She didn't have a lot of objects that were her own and the ones she did, she had brought with her. Her father was a poor fisherman and they had always had enough money to pay for food. 

The newness of Alanex had settled in already. Droplet sat down on the bed and thought to herself saddly. She didn't have any friends here. Well, she didn't have any friends back in Dinhoff. She had hoped that coming to Alanex would give her a new start, a new life, but it came as no surprise to Droplet when she arrived and became the girl with the blue hair and books again. Her books were her only true friends. She could only hope that her roomate would be nice.

A loud knock at the door pulled Droplet out of her thoughts. She squeaked as she jumped and glanced at the door. The person knocked again and she stood up. When she opened the door, a small boy, a few inches shorter than her. He was very skinny, but, despite the hollowness around his eyes, he had a lively spark in his dark brown iris'. 

"V'yn wants to see you, miss," said the boy. He skipped off down the hallway before Droplet was able to ask who V'yn was and why he wanted to see her. Raising an eyebrow and sighing to herself, Droplet stepped outside of her room and walked down the hallway in the direction the boy had scampered off in. 

The dormitories of Alanex were the most confusing building's Droplet had ever been in, and the architecture in Dinhoff wasn't exactly simple. The stairs wound down in a spiral motion and there were long hallways that went off in both directions on each level. From those levels, there was another set of stairs leading down. On her way to her room, Droplet had gotten lost more than once. And these were the first through third years dormitories. She could only imagine what the fourth through seventh year's dormitories looked like.

"This way, miss," came the boys voice from her right as she stepped outside. Droplet jumped again and turned to look at him. He was running off towards the central building of the school. 

Alanex had four buildings on it's campus; the two dormitories, the stables, and the actual school. Even though Alanex was in the middle of the Riverwood, and it's campus was very large, it was very hard to find. Surrounding the school were various areas for students to linger. There were the beautiful Light Gardens that were tended by the sixth and seventh year students, located in front of the dormitories. The pathways weaving in and out of the gardens were paved with white limestone. The roses, flowers, and other such bushes planted by the Life Ways were lush and green, but slowly turning golden with the coming fall. During the night, the Lightning Ways had planted small bulbs of light that illuminated the entire garden at night.

The outside training grounds were located around the stables. There was the dueling arena; a large circle filled with sand to soften the fall. The arena was used for hand to hand combat as well as the different melee training that Alanex offered. There was also a target range located behind the stables. The contraption ranged from motionless dummies for the beginnning ranged fighters to dummies that actually moved towards the shooter for the more experience fighters. Leading out from the stables was a trail that ran into the forest. This trail was used for riding. Many students took evening or morning rides with their horses. Some of the mounted fighters would use this trail for training. 

The central building of Alanex itself was the largest building Droplet had ever seen. There were many, many training rooms for students to use if the weather didn't allow them outside. The library and archives of Alanex had everything to satisfy a student hungry for knowledge. Many of the masters had rooms inside the building and then the classrooms for the various teachers. Connected to the lower level of the school was a large green house that many of the Life Ways used in their free time. Alanex was the most beautiful place Droplet had ever seen. 

The boy had lead Droplet to the highest tower of Alanex before scurrying back downstairs. The room he brought her into was fairly small, but large enough for one person. There was an empty fireplace in the corner of the room. Many bookshelves lined the walls. In front of the large balcony off the far wall was a desk. At this desk sat a small, frail old man. His white eyes started Droplet at first, but they held much wisdom; something she respected. 

"Ah, Droplet," the white haired man pushed his chair back and stood to shake her hand. His smile was soft and gentle, "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please," he extended his hand, gesturing for her to take a seat in the plush chairs. Droplet nodded back at him before settling herself into a chair. 

"So, I took a look at your records and noticed that you are a very smart young woman." Droplet blushed at his comment and tipped her head down. Her blue-black hair fell down across her eyes as she stared at her hands. "It is a great honor to have someone of your intelligence at our school." Again, Droplet hide her blush. A silence fell over the room as the old man studied her. Droplet slowly raised her eyes and stared at him. 

"Pardon me, sir," she said in a small, quiet voice, "Who are you?" The old man pulled from his trance and chuckled to himself. 

"I apologize, dear girl. I have been forgetting my manners a lot lately." Extending his hand, the man said, "My name is Master V'yndarr. I am the head of this academy. Many of the students call me V'yn though." Droplet smiled and shook his hand again. 

"So, what did you call me here for," she asked him as she pulled her hand back into her lap. She felt a little more comfortable now that she knew who this man was. No wonder his eyes held such knowledge. 

"After looking at your achievements at your past schools, I wanted to ask you if you would like to take more advanced classes this year," Droplet's eyes widened at the thought of advanced classes. "Perhaps, second year classes would do better for you?" Her voice was stuck in her throat. The only thing she could get out was a small squeak and a nod. Master V'yndarr chuckled and looked down, scratching something down on a paper with a white feather quill. 

"Have you ever had any experience with weapons of any sort, or any sign of your Way," Master V'yndarr asked her. Even though Droplet's name signaled she would find her Way in Water, she still wasn't quite sure yet and with her father being a poor fisherman, her mother dead, and her brother away from home, she had never had any ecounter with weapons except a carving knife for dinner. She shook her head at him. He nodded.

"I thought so. You don't mind taking first year classes then when it comes to your weapons and Way?" Droplet shook her head. He looked back down and wrote on his paper.

"I thought so." They sat there for a few minutes as he wrote on his paper. Droplet picked nervously at her fingernails, listening to the silent scratch of his quill on the parchment. "You are free to go, child." Master V'yndarr looked up and smiled at her, but quickly looked back down at his paper. Droplet nodded, but he didn't see. Politely, she pushed up from her chair and silently left the room.