The Raven changes.

Chapter 1) Learning Magic

In a large classroom, tables scattered evenly with their respective ingredients for each pupil there was a group of peers. The class was for a special kind of curriculum, the kingdoms young mages and magicians were learning how to hone their skills. Alyssum was in the middle of the class, but she was sure that she was always the top. Her parents had taught her since an early age to do small tricks and such. Now she prides herself in being one of the only mage who can heal using her powers, normally that would have taken her ages to learn but she has been practicing since she was able to.

Since she was always focused on her studies, she never really cared much of her appearance. She has natural long almost-black hair, Green eyes (the eye color of most magicians) and a very slender fragile build. She knew she would never be a warrior who used magic, she had resigned herself to healing and stayed on that path ever since. She wanted to be as close as she could to adventure so being a healer meant she was able to be in contact with the people who did the exploring and fighting for the kingdom. Alyssum was narrow-minded though. She never thought much of what was outside her path of becoming a healer, such as the state and news of the kingdom's royalty, her peers and friends, and outer lands. To almost the entire population other than her, the royalty was the major talk at the table. Most of the time talk was of the eldest prince as there was a younger princess but she was only two years older.

Being narrow-minded as she was also made her naive to what others said and asked her to do. She was believing in what anyone said to her, after all there was no reason to not believe anyone yet.

"Aly! Wake up!" Said a round dark skinned girl, Agnes. They were seated together according to their names.
"The professor is talking to you!" She said in a hushed voice, looking concerned.
Alyssum broke out of her trance to focus on the class again, as the old man teaching stared down at her over his small glasses too low on his nose to be comfortable.
"What is the formal name for the kingdoms team of mages? Alyssum Ceating?" He asked her with a frown even in his voice.
"The royal clerics?" She took a second to answer, facts and names were not her strong suit, she preferred hands on teaching and actually doing magic. Not just talking about it.
"That is still an informal name, but I suppose I'll let that pass. The name is, The Crows. Each division of the government is named after a regal bird, for the king and his immediate family are the Ravens. The brute division is The Eagles, and so on." He lectured at the class who was half sleeping.

He went on lecturing and not practicing magic for the rest of the class that seemed to go in for hours. When in actuality it was only about three quarters of an hour remaining.

After class when all the students piled into the halls, her group of acquaintances stood all together all whispering about different people's problems and rumors they had heard about through second hand people. She gave not one minute of her full attention to any of them, for she couldn't call any one of them true friends. She knew if she ever truly needed any help none of them would likely to be one to help her. Her thoughts lingered about. Straying from her studies to the eldest princess. She longed since she was little to even befriend her. They seemed to have much on common, they both practiced magic, used musical instruments, and preferred plants and caring for them over other's company. Perhaps that's why the princess never showed often at ceremonies or festivals.

There was an upcoming festival for the spring equinox to celebrate the revival of greens and end of hibernation. The entire royal family was rumored to be going. Alyssum was anticipating it too, she was to be leading one of the largest booths to be selling planted flowers and varied fruit plants. Alyssum devoted her time at home to gardening, she had an expansive yard dedicated to growing. When she was a child and her parents had learned of her magic, they helped her tune her magic towards helping plants grow. Through years of experience she has learned to heal plants who were burdened with blights or were damaged by animals. Once she even had taken in an injured fawn that was abandoned by the mother, it often came back and feasted on her garden. She didn't mind anymore, most of the outer plants were specifically for the said fawn, now a full grown doe.

"I hear at the festival they are looking for special mages to fill the Crows, you heard about the massacre last year of over half of them right?" One of the group said excitedly.
"I did hear, why did that happen again?" Alyssum asked sadly. She desperately wanted to be a Crow, but after hearing about the murders she was unsure now.
"I don't know why, but I do know that they haven't caught the murder or murderers though. I'm sorry Aly..." Agnes answered then soon realized the effect it had on Alyssum.
"I have a theory that it most likely had to do with the corrupt mages who doubled in black magic, or maybe there's a conspiracy with the king and those who were killed were against him!" A boy said to the group excitedly not observing anyone's reactions the the other half of the conversation.
"Maybe it had to do with the mother and father?" A girl next to the oblivious boy asked.
Mother and father were the two key gods of the kingdoms religion. The mother was ruling if night, dark magic and all things mysterious and seemingly dark. Whilst Father ruled over the sun, healing magic and all things lively. All black magicians worshiped Mother and devoted much time to praying and sacrificing to her.
"Aly, as long as you don't turn evil you should be fine!" Agnes joked hoping it would bring light into the her. Alyssum forced a weak smile for Agnes.
"I suppose so, I'm going to head home, I'm rather tired after today's lesson. I'll see you all tomorrow at class!" Alyssum called out to her group, excusing herself for the day.
She walked home alone, hoping her companion doe would be waiting for her in her garden.