Duel Lyceum

Blue Royale

Miriam searched until midnight for Murel, but she never found him.

It was a week later when posters covered the school, declaring that Murel was missing.

As a result, Edward found himself the centre of attention and ridicule. As he was the last person that duelled Murel and the first that managed to damage him over fifty duels, people began to suspect that he was responsible for his disappearance.

Those close to Edward thought differently – he was too much of an idiot to pull off something like that.

Miriam also felt down. 'He is my brother, after all, no matter how cruel he is,' she told them.

Two months later, there was a letter slid under every door of the three dormitories. It was short and to the point, reading:

Murel is safe with me.

-G

'G?' Emily said, dropping the letter in shock. 'G as in Graves?'

'Should we tell the principal about it?' Lyder said.

'Aren't only dormitory A students allowed direct audience with the principal?' Jones said. Jones had woken up from a bad dream just a moment ago. He recited the words that he had heard during it. Unleash the spirit of war when the knight loses its shine. He wanted to put it down to the ludicrousness of dreams, but found it difficult to do.

'That's just a myth,' Lyder said, 'let's go.'

'If this means a rematch with Graves, I'm definitely ready to take him on.' Emily cracked her knuckles.

'Yes, let's go to the principal right now. I'm worried about my brother.' Miriam jumped to her feet. She had turned almost silent these past two months, and Lyder felt compelled to spend more time with her. He knew that she was going through a rough time, but noticed that there was a trace of happiness on her now, because she now had reason to assume that Murel was alive.

'If the same happened to you, would your brother try and save you?' Emily said.

'Probably not, but I'm not my brother.'

----

It was the first time that Lyder had ever seen the principal's office, let alone the principal, for he had missed out on the opening ceremony. Resting at the peak of the tower, almost a hundred floors high, was the office, and it was disappointingly normal and plain. Jones expected something grand. Why work yourself to the top, he thought, if you aren't going to treat yourself to a proper office?

The door swung open just as Emily raised her hand to knock, revealing the principal with a grave look on his face. The principal was an old man nearing seventy with sleepless eyes and a thin mouth. He stepped back, alarmed.

'I can't help you right now. I apologise for this. I am going to be making an important announcement in the main hall, you should all head down there and we can talk afterwards.' He dashed off before any of them could respond.

'That's weird,' Jones said as the principal hobbled down the stairs, 'how could he ignore a king like me?'

They heard the call to meet at the great hall blare from the intercom and ten minutes later they had managed the squeeze in between a group of second years to get a good view of the principal's announcement. There was someone standing next to him. Emily and Lyder gasped when they saw him, for he was Graves.