Queen of the purple flame(Revised)

IV. A New Home

The first week of Lucille's semester at Wizitch she struggled, the other students despised her all because she was a French peasant girl from a serene quaint village of Villamorte, if only they knew the real Lucille. The girls in her dormitory had bullied her because she was different even for a mage, she dare not go to the Archmage Thornatar or the White Queen about her being bullied, she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of their torment.

Then there was Brody, who she discovered is non-other than the Crown Prince of Wizitch, but he had led her to believe otherwise. Prince or no prince he was no more virtuous than the girls that bullied her, he made her feel worthless, ridiculed her for being homesick and not being able to cast a spell because of her lack of concentration.

She couldn't stop thinking of her parents and her bestest friend. She wasn't allowed to write to them either, as it was prohibited to communicate with the outside world, the Queen told her it was for their safety, that the mortals would discover their location if they did otherwise.

One day the White Queen surprised Lucille with a magical means of communicating with her parents without risking their safety. She gifted her with a handheld mirror with sparkling diamonds embedded around the frame, "This is a magic mirror," she explained to her "With this you will be able to see what's occurring in the outside world, communicate with people, we call it mirror messaging. It's also able to recall past memories," The Queen explained. Lucille expressed her gratitude, looking a lot delighted for it. From that time on she got better at spellcasting.

As well as practical magic classes she took Latin, Theory of Magic, Herbalism, potions and the Art of Divination. The Classes took a toll on Lucille, but thanks to the Queen's gift she was able to get a control of her magic by the end of the first week. Then something extraordinary happened when she attended her Elemental class that Friday afternoon, they were in dome shaped room with stall seating around much like an amphitheatre, which they used for their spellcasting classes. Professor Talthus asked Lucille to give them a demonstration on how to cast a fireball. She was a stout sorceress in violet satin robes with a matching cowl, "Come don't be timid, I know you've been making progress in your other classes, come show us," she smiled encouragingly.

The other mages taunted Lucille particularly the girls in her dormitory, but she ignored them and she plucked up her courage got up to cast a spell, she uttered the words but they failed her, all she could conjure up were sparks. The Prince and the mean girls laughed at her callously, "Concentrate Lucille, feel the flame as if it was in your palm, feel it tingle at your touch, feel the warmth fuel your body to heat the flameball, now picture it in your mind, what it looks like, what it feels like now do it." Professor Talthus encouraged her.

Lucille did, but as she did so she was fuelled with fiery, rage at the bullies and the prince, the heat of her spell fuelling that rage, she uttered the spell "Impello Incendium Sphera!" and in the palm of her hand she held a fireball of orange flames. She was congratulated; but then the fireball started to flicker and turned into a shade of purple.

The professor and mages screamed with fright, they began backing away from Lucille afraid, "What is this sorcery!" screamed professor Talthus, "I-I," began Lucille, words failed her, as she was just as stunned as them, she had no idea how she altered the colour of the flame. The Professor spoke to the other mages about calling upon the Archmage, when the White Queen materialized, "No need to bother him, I am here!" smiled the Queen without the slightest hint of being afraid, "Oh Y-Yes, you see all in your halls of Mirrors." The mages never curtsied to the Queen as the Queen believed she should be treated equally.

The Queen nodded, smiled at her son then turned to Lucille, intrigued, by her new found magic. "This is Fascinating, It looks like you have formed your own flame, let's see umm, maybe try conjuring another form of flame," Lucille did as she was bidden, "Sonitus ut Incendium!" she conjured a purple ring of fire around herself, the mages back away further, only the Queen and the Prince stayed to watch captivated.