Winter Ball: The Northern Academy

Chapter 2.2. The Winter Ball.

Aurora Winder was the youngest daughter of Artef and Ritala Winder.

She had never known poverty, and by Northern standards, the Winder family was considered quite wealthy. Her parents rarely spoke to young Aurora about the hardships they had faced in their youth. Only her older brother, Krastin, occasionally mentioned the less-than-privileged childhood they endured, up until the moment their father perfected his spell.

Artef Winder earned his reputation among mages and dragons thanks to his transformation spell.

Since his days as a student, the young mage had been determined to create a spell that would allow dragons to wear any clothing without the risk of ruining it during an unexpected transformation or being left without it altogether.

During the first years at the Southern Academy, young fire dragons often lost control during concentration training, inadvertently revealing all the "charms" of their naked bodies to their classmates.

The situation improved somewhat with the invention of the transformation artifact, which could be attached to uniforms. However, like any device, these artifacts sometimes failed or ran out of power, often leading to embarrassing moments, even within the imperial squad.

Whenever a malfunction occurred during a transformation, several guards found themselves in awkward situations due to the broken artifact.

By the time Aurora turned five, her father had perfected the spell.

After an imperial commission reviewed his work, the mage gained well-deserved recognition and secured a lifetime stipend for himself and his family for several centuries. Additionally, all descendants of the Winder family were guaranteed scholarships to study at the Northern Academy.

Having grown up with wealth and privilege, seventeen-year-old Aurora couldn't understand her friend, who had agreed to become the official mistress of the air dragon Skylar Eryolus.

One of the descendants of the ancient dragons, Skye had quickly taken notice of the striking brunette, a new student at the Academy. Wasting no time, he made his intentions clear from their very first meeting.

Lavish gifts and luxurious items from the dragon left Camilla with little room for refusal.

Camilla Zelder was born to a tavern maid at the foot of the Alpitz Mountains, and her father was a simple hunter. Four children, three of whom had no magic, almost completely plunged the family into poverty, putting them on the brink of survival. Only the game-rich forests of the North saved them from starving.

Aurora knew about her friend's difficult fate but sincerely believed that Camilla deserved better. After all, with her magical abilities, she could study, get a diploma, and find a job in Drakania — the capital of Arcania.

Naive Aurora believed that having magical talent was enough to achieve anything, regardless of one's background or family.

Camilla, from her own experience, knew this wasn't the case.

She would smile indulgently, listening to her roommate's dreams. She nodded quietly while Aurora dreamily spoke about how, after graduating, they would head to the capital and work as mages in the Department of Urban Development.

The Department consisted of domestic mages, witches, and artificers. It was the dream of every student at the Northern Academy to serve the Emperor.

A decent salary and housing in the capital for the Emperor's staff was the best that human mages could hope for.

The Department trained domestic mages to serve in the palace and the homes of advisors and aristocrats. Whether they were tasked with overseeing streetlights in the capital or mending clothes for the Emperor's closest dragon companions.

Working to ease the lives of aristocrats in the capital was far better than serving in the North or South — and certainly better than working in taverns or catering to the whims of local dragons.

Far from the imperial court, the dragons who managed settlements were spoiled and felt above the law. Thus, no domestic mage dreamed of serving a *Custos* (the title for a settlement's manager). The local *Virs* (a respectful term for men) and *Dons* (used for women) often behaved worse than the high-ranking advisors of the capital.

Camilla knew all too well the hardships of a commoner's life. That's why she didn't refuse the young dragon when he openly declared that he was looking for an Amatrix at the Academy.

Skye was in his sixth year, and a place among the imperial inquisitors was already awaiting the descendant of the ancient lineage.

Camilla understood that under the dragon's protection, she wouldn't have to worry about how to feed a child or where to find silver for a winter coat.

Moreover, she could help her family.

Her two younger sisters and older brother were still languishing in their crumbling shack, while Camilla enjoyed a warm room and hearty breakfasts at the Academy.