Through The Storm

t w e n t y

The days flew by in a blur.

Blake was beyond content- happier than I had ever dared to dream of seeing him. He was, embarrassingly enough, far ahead of me in lessons already. Since he knew to read fluently - and I didn't - he often chose to go for a ride with Murphy on the extensive grounds while I slaved away, memorising things he'd recited in a heartbeat.

I tried not to bristle whenever Murphy came and carted him off for the day. Murphy still hadn't been able to look me in the eye since the exploding lamp incident. All I had received from him these days was pointed ignorance.

Even though I hadn't seen him since our last meeting, Caedmon had, true to his word, sent in a girl, Ida, to teach Blake and I. In all my dreams of attending Education, I had never imagined I would love learning as much as I did. I certainly preferred some subjects - like History, Politics, Foreign Relations and Languages over others like Arithmetics, Bookkeeping and Etiquettes; but each lesson was a gift to me.

As an unspoken rule, I hardly ever left my chambers. Not only was my timetable too full to accommodate Riding classes, but the sheer volume of people bustling about in the castle halls and the rarity of ever seeing the same face twice was enough to form an imaginary lock on my door. I preferred the quiet comfort of my chambers and the inviting pile of tomes stacked on my desk - something Blake never missed a chance to ridicule me for.

"You know that Education is meant to be just a part of your day, right?" he had asked me once, already donning his riding gear. "The rest of the day is for things you like to do."

"I know," I had replied, blushing a little. "I can't help it - the history of Aerlyn is unbelievably fascinating."

"How's it any different to the things the Head back in Bracken used to whisper to us villagers over the bonfire on Light Night?"

Fingering the strong spine of my current favourite tome, I had given a short laugh. "There's a world of a difference between studying history and listening to gossip mangled with fables and exaggerations. I never cared much for the latter anyway."

One particularly sweltering evening, I was perched on the sill with the windows flung wide open. A feeble draft of wind skipped across my sweaty skin, offering the slightest bit of relief from the furious heat. I tried to pretend like I wasn't staring out of the window for some sign of Murphy and Blake and their insufferable horses, but I just couldn't focus on the otherwise fascinating tome in my lap.

I bounced off the sill and huffed in annoyance. It seemed the time had come for me to leave my room and venture somewhere more peaceful - preferably without windows. Or any such distraction.

Thankfully, there was a place I'd discovered. A place nobody I knew would find me- mostly because my being there would never cross their minds. I smiled to myself as I headed there through the throng of bustling bodies.

The smell of leather-bound books tinged with the scent of wood embraced me as I entered the Royal Library. Despite coming here every so often, I still hadn't seen it in its entirety. It was, for lack of better words, immense. With cushioned and carpeted little nooks lining the walls that offered privacy free of distraction, the library had become my refuge.

Clutching my tome close to my chest, I decided to walk in deeper than I had the last time I'd visited. Finally choosing a nook, I pushed the crimson curtains apart to slip in. All the nooks I'd been in were identical - soft yellow walls, cushions in various shades of red, crimson and cherry on carpets and a floor-to-ceiling window with a view, not of the courtyard, but the thick forest eventually smoothing out into a beach and finally the churning ocean.

The first time I'd seen the view, a pang of homesickness strong as a boulder had smacked into me. I hadn't known there would be a forest this far south. It was different, more lush green with shorter trees - but still a forest. And then I'd been awestruck when my eyes settled on the ocean. It was like the lake Murphy had shown me but with greener waters and no border in sight.