Lessaenes And Beyond

Thanksgiving Tale- Queen Saralee

A/N: In honor of Thanksgiving, I will be posting a series of Thanksgiving Tales about important Books of Lessaenes characters. The first one, as you might've guessed, is Queen Saralee's. Enjoy!

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For the first time in over three hundred years, the Ice Queen of Lessaenes walked up the wide, stone steps to the University of Glaisse's School of Aurology. She wore a lacy, blue blouse and tight slacks- the attire of a typical, wealthy UG student- and had disguised her face with Aural illusions. 

The building evoked a strange feeling in her, almost like time was no longer relevant. As she passed through the lofty gate, which proudly sported a sign that read "546-Time Interplanetary Aurology Bowl Champions," she felt like she was a student once again,a part of the Empire's finest Aurology program. 

Clumps of Aurologists-to-be, laden with Aurascreens and speaking to each other in low, excited whispers, paid Saralee no mind as she entered the building, headed straight for a particular classroom. In all her years away from the University, she had never forgotten its exact location. It was a little room, for UG's standards, tucked away under a stairwell. It was so small and insignificant that it wasn't even included on the campus map. Yet, to the Queen, it meant everything. 

She felt a slight hint of apprehension as she turned the worn, metal doorknob, gently pushing the door open. She nearly walked in, but decided against it. Instead, she grinned, taking in a deep breath. Just seconds later, she stood in the center of the room. 

The quiet old man who was, at the moment, the sole occupant of the classroom yelped in surprise at the sight of the woman who had suddenly appeared before him. 

"Can I help you?" he finally asked, leaning forward in his chair to get a better look at her. 

"As a professor of subatomic Aurology, you ought to be able to identify a simple Illusion, Mr. Laemox," the Queen smiled, drawing back her Aura to reveal her true form. 

"Your Highness..." Kearan Laemox blinked twice to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. When he realized that it was indeed his most eminent former student standing in front of him, a broad smile broke out across his face. "And as the one and only Saralee Arystenn, you ought to know that no mortal being can get through something made from your Aura." 

Saralee smiled at this. He hadn't changed one bit. 

"So, what brings you here today?" 

"Well, since it's almost Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fitting to thank you for what you have done for me, and what you have indirectly done for my Empire through me," she said. 

Kearan seemed surprised by this, and after a long, quiet look, began to laugh. "There's a million people out there you could choose to thank on this day...and you chose a lousy, bankrupt, old Aurologist? Seeing the impeccable success of your Warmatch Picks, one would think you would be better at decision making."

"I don't think you ever fully understood the extent of the power you had, teaching me as a young Queen," Saralee pursed her lips. "I was a sixteen-year-old girl sheltered from the harsh realities of the world by a royal upbringing. I would've believed anything you put in my head, yet you chose to let me make my own decisions. You gave me freedom, when anyone else would've taken advantage of the situation. And, most importantly, you were a constant. Everyone knows that you can't solve for an Aural force in any equation without a constant, and my life has often been compared to an Aural equation." 

"What are you trying to say?" Kearan set his pen down on his desk, listening intently to the Queen's words. 

"When I was a princess, I had a semblance of a normal life," the Ice Queen explained. "This is the University of Glaisse- plenty of students were heirs to moons, cities, or even Chiefdoms. If I attracted any attention at all, it was due to the fact that I was two years younger than the other students, and not connected to my royal status. But, when I was so unexpectedly crowned Queen on that fateful night up on the terrace of Icicle Hall, all of that instantly fell apart. Everywhere I went, I was gawked at, respected. I was no longer hidden in the shadow my older sister, Keilee. Everyone- students, professors, random passers by- treated me differently. It was a world of change that I was expected to handle overnight. Yet, you stayed the same," she beamed. 

"I walked into your classroom the day after my coronation, fearing how you would react to my new position. Yet, when I approached your desk to ask you what I had missed the previous day, you simply handed me an Auradrive and told me, 'study these Aural blueprints, Saralee, and don't forget about the test next Monday.'" 

Kearan laughed. "I didn't realize that my abominably difficult assignments meant so much to you."

"They did," Saralee nodded. "I loved every moment I spent working those problems, because in the middle of all the craziness that ruling the Empire had become, Aurology was normal. It was natural. It was what I did. I don't know how emotionally stable I would've been during that difficult transition, if I hadn't had it." 

Kearan gave her a measured nod, before smiling softly. "In that case, it would be only right for me to extend my gratitude to you, My Queen. As you know, any good educator's greatest gift is to see his students surpass him. You gave me that gift on the very first day that you entered my classroom, when you pointed out the error in the Aurological calculations that I had scrawled on the edge of my desk, and you have given it to me countless times since. Every time I read about your incredible Aurological achievements in the news, or see your insuperable Aura in action on Auraview...I think about how lucky I was to teach someone like you, and how truly great the Aura can be. So, thank you, Saralee, and have a happy Thanksgiving." 

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Mr. Laemox."

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Which character would you like to see next? Comment their name below! The most commented character will appear in tomorrow's Thanksgiving Tale!