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Chapter 3- Invited

By the time I fell asleep that night, I'd enrolled in the school, been accepted, placed in classes, and settled into my new dormitory, where I'd live for the next few years. I kept assuring myself that I'd grow to enjoy it here; it was my dream, after all. Despite that, it still felt off. Something was missing in my life, and it wasn't something small; I knew what it was, and it left a gaping hole. It was her, of course; what else could it be? Eventually, I fell asleep, which I thought would help, but it did anything but. I didn't have coherent dreams often, but that night, I had the same nightmare over and over again: Eadlyn banishing me, and thinking it was what I wanted. When I finally woke up, my face and the back of my neck were damp with sweat. I tried to get the nightmare out of my head, but it was stuck there, and I knew it'd haunt my sleep as long as I was away from her. However, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. I had made it to Fennley, and that was enough for me; it had to be.

I threw the covers off of me with a sigh, and got out of bed. I put on some clothes the school had given me, and made myself look as presentable as possible. It felt weird to be getting ready in normal clothes, rather than the suits we always wore during the Selection, but it was fine by me. I ate actual food for breakfast, meat, eggs, and strawberry tarts, and made my way to my first class, design. I was nervous about it, since I was joining the class late, but I was also incredibly excited. I hoped after a couple years at the school, I'd be ready to put my blueprints into action. I wanted to build houses for people in the poorer provinces, and hopefully, the courses I was taking would assist me in that. As I walked, I tried to collect myself, calling up my days of being on The Report. If I wanted any chance of making friends here, I had to be confident in myself, and leave the sadness behind. I'd still be upset, of course, but I had to keep it together. When I reached my classroom, I found a seat near the back; sure, I wanted to make friends, but I wanted to get used to this new environment first.

As more students came in, the volume in the room began to rise, and I was reminded of parties back home. I shook my head, reminding myself to stay here; I needed to focus on the present, the past was in the past.

As more students poured in, most of the seats filled, and I wondered if anyone was going to strike up a conversation with me. No one did, though, because the professor walked in; the dull roar was quieted immediately, and I clutched the sketches I already had closer to me.

"Today, we will continue the sketches we've worked on over the past week. For those new to the class," he paused, and glanced in my direction, "We are drawing the inside of the castle as we envision it. Proceed."

I gulped. I already knew what the castle looked like, and it seemed like such an ordinary and unhelpful thing to learn to build, so I approached the professor, questions burning in my mouth like acid.

The professor glanced up at me, spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, actually. Um, I already know what the castle looks like. Well, I grew up there, so I know the architecture like the back of my hand. Would you still like me to draw it, or is there something else I should do?"

"You've certainly got a unique situation, Mr. Woodwork."

I nodded.

"Go ahead and draw it, I'd like to find out what the castle actually looks like."

I nodded once again, then returned to my seat. I spent the rest of the hour drawing the parts of the castle I liked best: the staircases with their intricate railings, the high-ceilinged ballroom, the great hall, and my own- well, my old- messy bedroom. By the time class was over, I had a very rough sketch of my favourite places. As I gathered my things and prepared to leave, I realised it was a little odd they were drawing a castle, since the class was supposed to cover blueprints of the different types of homes in the different provinces, so I brought it up with the professor on my way out.

"Professor?" I asked tentatively.

"Mr. Woodwork; how can I help you?"

"I don't mean this as any offence to your teaching, but, erm, why are we drawing the castle? It doesn't really fit into the lesson guide they gave me, and I was just wondering if there was a reason for the assignment."

"You didn't hear? I assumed you would've already heard, seeing as you came from the castle."

What's happened? What did I miss? I thought.

"I haven't really had a chance to catch up on the news since I left."

"Well, Princess Eadlyn is engaged!"

"Oh?"

"And it wasn't even one of the Selected!"

"Wait, what?"

"She's getting married to someone named..." The professor rummaged in the papers on his desk, before triumphantly pulling one out and peering at it. "Eye-koh Cash-kin-hen." he said, horribly mispronouncing someone's name.

Whoever it is is likely foreign, but if it isn't Henri, then- oh. Erik.

"That's certainly an occasion. Thank you!" I bid my professor farewell, then left the classroom, keeping my rage, sadness, and confusion in until I got to my dormitory.

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A/N- Publishing this at like three in the morning because I just woke up and remembered I forgot to update. Whoops? Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, we certainly enjoyed writing it!

{ xx // britain_is_better }