Winter 4986, 03 Ginmoth

The Guild bells weren't nearly as loud or insistent as those at Hamerfoss. Instead of waking her up, they seemed to merge with Lily's dream. When she finally did realize what she was hearing, she fell out of bed in surprise and horror at how much she'd slept in. 

"Shit, shit, shit..." Lily tried to disentangle herself from her blankets, cursing all the while. She'd slept to seventh bell! Meaning she'd missed breakfast and her opportunity to keep up with the daily practices she'd started with the Squires. She would just have to find time to do them in the afternoon.

Bunching up her sheets, blankets, and fallen pillow all in one tangled ball, Lily threw the bedding back onto the mattress and dropped to her belly, reaching under the bed for her box of clothes. She'd been allowed to keep the three shirts and two pants the Hengist Paladins had gifted her, but Vevi had told her that the Guild would also provide some clothes until she could purchase her own. Finding the shallow chest, Lily jerked it out from under the bed and pushed the lid off with a clatter. Inside was a folded red garment, which made her smile. Despite the overexposure, red was a lovely color... But as she started to lift it from the box, her smile faded.

It was a long robe, open in the front, and meant to be tied closed at the waist. The same as every Mage in the tower. On the right breast was a patch with the symbol for 'fire' sewn on. Presumably to mark her as a Sorcerer. As if the scarlet color wasn't enough of a giveaway.

Lily tossed the robe aside but underneath was only an orange, then yellow, set of robes,  followed by some undergarments. With a groan, she piled the new clothes back in the box and reached for the lid. Only then did she notice the note pinned to the top. 

'Inclosed are your uniforms, be sure to wear them to every lesson. They are proof of your status as a ward and will be required to utilize the facilities.'

"Seriously?" Lily whispered in disbelief as she opened the box again. They expected her to not only wear a uniform but a robe? It might as well be a dress. And she wasn't even a Mage! Lily took out the first crimson robe again and narrowed her eyes at it. It was a very pretty color at least... Her eyes strayed to the sack of simple shirts and pants she'd hastily kicked under the bed the night before. She wanted to continue wearing pants. "Why am I even making a deal out of this...?" She continued to whisper to herself, "They're just clothes... something to keep from being naked in public..." which apparently wasn't acceptable.

She looked from the robe to her bag then to her robe again before being struck by inspiration and laughing out loud at her cleverness. Still giggling to herself, Lily pulled out her bag and fished out the fresh pair of pants and a clean shirt. She put them on first, then slipped on the robe and left it hanging open like a cloak with long sleeves. "There! best of both worlds." This way, she would still have the freedom of movement offered by the pants and the flowing elegance of the red robe. All without feeling like she was back in a dress.

Freshly clothed and well-rested, Lily rushed to the dining room. Maybe she could sneak something quick before they cleaned up breakfast if she promised not to be late again. When she entered the dining room, it was to find the place practically deserted, as expected, but with the magic plates and cups still stacked in their place.

Looking around to make sure no one would stop her, Lily tried, and failed, to move with a relaxed nonchalance towards the serving table only to jump when someone spoke from the side, "A bit early for breakfast, don't you think?" Lily spun around, hiding her empty plate guiltily behind her back and finding Han smiling at her from one of the tables near the wall.

"I um... slept through the bells..." Wait... Lily narrowed her eyes at the Battlemage, "Early?"

Han laughed and gestured to the spot across from him with his cup, "Most resident Mages don't even crawl their way out of bed until at least eighth bell. I assume the Paladins get up at some ungodly hour?"

Lily couldn't help but giggle at the thought of a Paladin doing anything 'ungodly,' "They get up at FIVE!" She explained, still as flabbergasted at the idea now as she'd been the day she found out, "And that's so they can run and do drills before breakfast." she took a moment to order her plate to produce some ham and bacon before she continued, "I just thought everyone woke up that early outside my tower, but now I might just sleep in."

Han chuckled at her and finished whatever it was he was drinking. It was dark brown and smelled intriguing, "Well, if I remember correctly, your classes start at nine, so don't sleep in too much."

"Why do I even have to take classes?" Lily asked, digging into her food and speaking around a mouth full of meat to finish, "I don't want to be a Mage." Everyone at her tower had claimed to be a Mage, and all they ever did was take samples and read reports. Sure, Brom and Ran had shown her some magic when the Archmage wasn't in the tower to catch them, but she had her own magic. Magic that didn't require her to twist her hands into knots or memorize alien languages just to light a candle.

"It's part of your Sorcerer training." Han explained with a shrug, "You don't have to advance to the higher-level classes if you don't want to, but you're expected to take classes until you pass your clearance exam."

Lily swallowed her mouthful before asking, "When can I take it? I already have control of my fire."

Han looked doubtful, and Lily rolled her eyes, but before she could further defend herself, he answered, "You can request to take it whenever you want, but you only get three chances, so keep that in mind."

"What is the test?"

But Han just shook his head, "That I can't tell you." he held up a hand to forestall her argument over his promise, "Part of the test is not knowing beforehand. Give it some time. Most Sorcerers don't even try their first time until they've trained for a few years, and yet, still almost none pass that first time."

Lily tilted her head at him, "It can't possibly be that hard..."

Han shrugged, "Well, you said you've been working with your magic for..." he cleared his throat, "...at least a few years. Sorcerers in the kingdom are brought straight to the Mages Guild when their power awakens and train with it for years before taking their test. You are a special case only because you've already been training."

Han excused himself after explaining that the dining area never closed, so she could come at any time, day or night, and get something to eat. Lily sat in silent solitude as she finished her breakfast, letting her mind run through everything she'd already learned. For the first time, she was starting to feel a bit worried about the clearance exam. If she didn't pass after three tries, they would seal her magic permanently...

"They'll try..." Lily whispered to herself, shoving the last piece of bacon into her mouth and standing with a new and stubborn resolve. She would do her best to pass, but if she didn't, well, they would see exactly how dangerous fire could be when she stopped controlling it.

The beginner's lessons were just as dull as Lily had feared they would be, but that wasn't the worst part. She was the only Sorcerer in the class of five and was called to the front to introduce herself but then quickly relegated to the very back of the class, "As a safety precaution..." the instructor had said.

The class consisted of the first-year students, so those that had reached maturity the previous Spring Equinox, all ages thirteen to fourteen. Lily stood a full head taller than all of them and tried to smile warmly. Only to have half of them stare at her in what was clearly fear and the other half glare at her in disgust after the instructor explained exactly what a Sorcerer was. He hadn't even tried to hide his own contempt. Explaining to the students that where they would have to work hard to keep up with their studies or risk being rejected from the Mages Guild, she had magic naturally and was here to learn how not to use it.

Lily would've just rolled her eyes and ignored all that, if the lessons hadn't been so damn boring... They were apparently going through each of the elements in turn, learning their properties and the most common components that possessed the element. Each element took two months to study, and now they were going through ice. Lily had started out excitedly writing everything down, hoping she would learn something interesting to convey to Shon about his element. But by the end of three hours of lecture, she was thoroughly exhausted by it all.

On top of that, they were given extra assignments to be completed on their own time before being let go for lunch. "But Why?!" Lily exclaimed loudly after the instructor explained the assignment. A five-page essay detailing the importance of proper gathering techniques for ice element plant life, due in only two days. "It's classwork. Shouldn't that mean we do the work in class?" She looked around at the other students, looking for someone to agree with her, only to find four young faces glaring at her.

"The ability to find and compile your own data is paramount for magic study." the instructor sniffed dismissively at Lily, turning his back on her to erase the board before she could argue, "I will see you all promptly back here at first bell." -for another three-hour lesson...

Lily let out a slow breath to calm her frustration, reminding herself that she only needed to take these lessons until she passed her clearance exam. She tried to focus on the positive... The Mages Guild had given her a room and food whenever she wanted, AND was paying her five silver a week!

Though that was only if she agreed to help with their research...

Which meant giving samples.

She didn't want to think about that right now and instead shoved the entire train of thought and worry to the back of her mind, joining her fellow students for lunch.

Or tried to... Her class got a table together, with no room left for her to sit with them. Lily closed her eyes and imagined the Squires all sitting together, scooting over to make room for her, joking and laughing with all the years intermixed before going off to their own, abet shorter, lessons. She smiled to herself, as even in her mind's eye, Shon sat at the end, mostly alone and perfectly content in his solitude. If he could find comfort in eating without company, then she could too.

Lily moved towards an empty table, still thinking of Shon, when someone new shouted, waving her down, "Hey, you! New Sorcerer!" The boy was a few years older than her with pale blond hair cut so short Lily thought he was bald until she moved close enough to see the contrast with his smooth face. He wore a green robe and had an owl perched on his shoulder, its face hidden in its wing. On his right breast was a patch like hers but with the symbol for 'Air' embroidered on it.

The boy held his hand out to her, and Lily looked down at it, then back up without taking it, "My name's Lily, and I don't think you actually want to shake my hand."

The boy looked confused down at his palm and actually asked, "Why not?" so Lily took his proffered shake and was not at all surprised when he pulled sharply away after only brief contact. "Oh shit... I should've seen that coming." he blushed, rubbing his hand, "I expected you to be warm but not that warm." Lily could only shrug, taking the seat across from him.

She'd managed to feel the effect of his power before he pulled away, like the air between their palms was moving until just before they touched. His skin had been cool but not cold like Shon's. "I've never met an air Sorcerer before," Lily said to try and ease any awkwardness.

"Neither have I," he laughed and his owl let out a weary hoot, nipping his ear before returning its face to its wing, "Oh yeah, my name's Enrik, and I've never met another Sorcerer at all."

"Really? How long have you been here?" Lily asked. He'd obviously been here for over a year if he wasn't in the beginner's class with her.

Enrik sighed, staring at his plate, "Three years... I've already failed my exam once. And father says he might not let me try a third time if I fail again..."

Lily had started ordering when she stuttered over the words and her plate suddenly filled with crispy-looking insects, "What do you mean he 'won't let you?' You get three tries!"

The air Sorcerer curled his nose at her plate of bugs and chose to address that instead of her indignant exclamation on his behalf, "I'm going to assume you don't actually want roast bees?" he picked up his sandwich with one hand and pushed his now empty plate towards her with the other before finally addressing the shock still evident on her face, "My family's already spent my inheritance to pay for my training. We can't afford another full year."

Lily tilted her head at him, "The Mages are making you pay for training?"

"Well, yeah..." Enrik furrowed his brow at her, "They have to cover room and board as well as all the miscellaneous fees and insurance for any damage my power might cause while I'm here." he reached up to pet his owl, who ruffled its feathers at the contact, "You're family didn't tell you they had to pay for this? You some noble or something?"

Lily could only shake her head, momentarily lost for words. Other Sorcerers had to pay for the training that the kingdom required them to have to avoid being tattooed? What happened if someone couldn't afford it? Why didn't she have to pay for it? It didn't make any sense... weren't they paying her? She lost her appetite.

She swallowed but still didn't know what to say when a familiar voice called her name from the door, "Lily?" Mage Vevi was scanning the crowd of students and found her at the same time that Lily looked her way, "Could we have a word?" she called, gesturing out the door.

Lily pushed Enrik's offered plate back towards him with a muttered, "Thanks..." and took her own, still full of cooked bugs, to the trash and pile of dirty dishes. She took a moment for a calming breath before turning for Vevi and the door. It seemed she'd been doing that a lot today.

Vevi waited until the door to the dining room was closed before she asked, "What's wrong? I know things can be a little overwhelming at first, but you'll catch up, you have plenty of time and-"

Lily shook her head. "It's not that."

When she didn't elaborate further, Vevi hummed but led the way to the attendant with the levitate spells and requested two for the very top. They floated up six stories and clambered over the railing before leaving the living quarters for a new part of the tower -the offices and labs.

Lily followed Vevi up another flight of stairs to the second floor, into a room full of Mages. They sat around a huge circular table, and though Lily recognized a few from the day before, she could only put a name to Antony.

"Ah, here she is! Thank you, Vevi." A man with a sharply receding hairline smiled at her from the other side of the table. "No need to be nervous, Miss. We just want to talk to you about your time with the Warlocks."

A plump woman with blond hair streaked with silver cleared her throat, adding in a monotone, "If you start to feel overwhelmed or overly emotional, please don't hesitate to let us know."

Vevi pulled out a seat for Lily and whispered, "We just want to make sure everyone is on the same page, Lily. Any information you might have, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, will be helpful."

The first man cleared his throat and continued to smile. Lily wondered if it was supposed to be comforting. To her, it looked forced, "Lily... a lovely name for a lovely flower, do you know if there is significance to it?"

Lily shrugged, "I just thought it was the prettiest flower of the ones Shon gave me to choose from." A second man with boney hands but thick dark hair started scribbling in a book the moment she started talking. 

The first man continued, "Shon? Was that the name of one of the Warlocks?"

Lily couldn't help but giggle at that, "Shon's a Squire at Hamerfoss." she explained, imagining clearly the look of horror and then disgust Shon might have at being assumed a Warlock.

"Oh..." the first man looked disappointed, and the second crossed something out in his book.

The writing man never looked up from his book but said, "Mage Vevi reported that she claimed not to have a name when she woke after the incident."

Lily nodded, though the writing Mage wouldn't see it, "They always said I would 'know my own name' but never let me make up my own. Shon said I could choose my own name, so I chose Lily after the flower."

"And what did the Warlocks call you if you didn't have a name?" the first man asked. The second held his pen at the ready.

With an exacerbated sigh, Lily tried to get as much info on the subject out at once, "The two that took care of me the most gave me nicknames, Red, and Goldy, for my scales and hair, but only when the Archmages weren't around. They always called me 'Firewyrm-" she was going to tell them that Ran called her Red and Brom Goldy but was silenced by a collective intake of breath from the surrounding Mages.

The writing man finally looked up; his eyes were a dark blue, not unlike her own, "Fire-Wyrm?" he asked. Lily nodded. "And do you know what a wyrm is?" She shook her head, and the Mages started whispering amongst each other.

Lily opened her mouth and tried to catch someone's eye, but even Vevi was arguing with the Mage next to her, "Warlocks are insane, it doesn't necessarily mean..."

"Well?" Lily asked loudly but failed to grab anyone's attention. "Excuse me!" she tried a little louder, but it sounded as if the Mages only raised their own volume to match. Finally, she stood, slamming her hands down on the table and sending out a ripple of fire over its surface, "Hey! Is anyone going to tell ME what a wyrm is?"

The ripple of flame died at the opposite edge of the table, but all the Mages exchanged nervous glances anyway. Lily rolled her eyes extra dramatically, circling her entire head in exasperation, "Well?"

"A wyrm," answered the writing man, turning back to his book and starting to scribble again, "is another name for a dragon, usually reserved for particularly ancient and powerful specimens." 

The whispering started up again -though more subdued- and Lily resumed her seat, crossing her arms and legs and bouncing her foot in the air, "Well, I suppose that makes sense..." she mused out loud.

"How," monotone woman started, "does that make any kind of sense? Dragons have been extinct for thousands of years-"

"Four-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-six." writing man muttered.

Monotone woman rolled her eyes almost as dramatically as Lily, "Yes, Ranito, thank you... Anyway, Lily, please explain."

Lily shrugged, "Well, they were trying to bring back the dragons." silence greeted her explanation. Lily tilted her head at the lot of them, narrowing her eyes at each one. When none said anything, she uncrossed and recrossed her legs to the other side, "My treasures, the animals they were experimenting on, they said that their bodies couldn't handle the dragon magic they had, and that's why they died so young..." her voice caught in her throat. She took a moment to clear it, blinking rapidly and looking to the ceiling to banish the tears that had swollen at the memories, "I remember hearing the Archmage talk about the usurper gods and that because of them, the world was ending and the only way to save it was to bring back the dragons."

"Insane..." the first man wasn't smiling anymore, "All Warlocks are insane."

Lily just nodded, "They said that too," she shrugged.

"Most likely," the writing man, Ranito, finally closed his book, "they gave you the title due to your scales, and speaking of which, I would like to request a few samples."

Lily deflated at the reminder, but Vevi spoke up angrily, "Really, Ranito? She's only just got here. You can wait-"

"Okay." Lily interrupted, and Vevi gaped at her, "That's why I'm allowed to be here, isn't it?" Lily asked the room at large, "You want samples, and that's why I don't have to pay for my clearance." she wasn't going to call the mandatory lessons 'training'. The Mages all exchanged glances again, but no one denied it, so Lily just sighed and stood, "Can we get this over with? Taking scales really hurts."

"Lily, you don't..." Vevi started, but Ranito cleared his throat,

"We will only take what we need of each, Miss Lily. If you will follow me?" Ranito led the way to the door, and the Mages around the table began speaking animatedly again. None of them tried to stop either of them, though Vevi watched them go with concern in her eyes.

Once they were out, Ranito held a hand out to stop her, chanting something under his breath, then whispering, "To the lab gentlemen, we need a basin and some shampoo as well as some antiseptic and a pain-relieving bracelet." then he started around the walkway towards the stairs.

Lily looked around the balcony, but they were alone. Rushing to catch up, she asked, "What was that?"

"That was a whisper spell," Ranito explained, "I sent a message to my journeymen to meet me in the lab,"

As they walked, Lily sighed again, reaching up to bring her hair over her shoulder and stroke it. It had never been so long, but she should've known it was too good to last. At least the Mages couldn't take her name.

They climbed the tower the slow way, up two more flights of stairs until they reached one of many inconspicuous doors with only a plack reading "Lab C5 - Mage Ranito" to differentiate it from all the others. Ranito opened it for her, and Lily entered to find two other Mages already there and waiting. One was maneuvering a wooden chair into the middle of the room in front of a large bucket of water, while the other held a fluffy towel and unmarked bottle at the ready.

"You're going to wash my hair first?" Lily asked as the first gestured to the chair and the second let the towel fall open.

"Samples need to be kept as uncontaminated as possible, Miss Lily." Ranito walked past her with his nose back in his book and took a second chair, spinning it around, so it faced hers as she sat. The second journeyman draped the towel over her shoulders, and Ranito crossed his legs and put pen to paper, "The Warlocks didn't wash your hair before taking their samples?" he glanced up with just his eyes to see her shake her head in answer and wrote something in his book, muttering, "Amateurs..." which made Lily giggle.

Towel journeyman very carefully gathered her hair over the edge of the chair, it was nearly long enough to reach her lower back, and urged her to tilt her head back, so it draped even lower, "Would you like to warm the water first?" he whispered to her.

She could hear the water splashing behind her and thought he must be scooping some of it up to soak her hair. Not wanting to move her head and make it hard for him, Lily said, "No, thank you, the cool is refreshing."

"I can imagine... Her hair is also warm to the touch, Mage Ranito." he poured the cool water over her head and Lily purred as he started kneading her scalp. But then he pulled away sharply with a muttered curse.

"There's a fire protection ring in the desk Bruce," Ranito said without looking up, "and gloves in the cupboard, Jemy, next to the pliers." he continued to write in his notebook as he gave the instructions, "She says that removing scales is painful, so if you could save that for last and be sure to place the bracelet on her..." he finally looked up narrowing his eyes at her stripes on her right cheek, then letting his gaze trail down to her hands in her lap, finishing, "left arm,"

The journeymen bustled around doing his bidding. Lily was immediately reminded of Ran and Brom and tried to smile but couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the shampooing once it started again.

While Bruce washed her hair, Jemy gently lifted her left hand and wrapped something cold around her wrist. Lily tried to look down without lifting her head and caught a glimpse of silver as Jemy started to twist her arm. She helped him, straightening the limb and exposing the crook of her elbow -with its pockmarks of scars- to make things easier before closing her eyes again. She tried to relax, anticipating the familiar prick of a needle, but pulled sharply away when it didn't come on her arm but instead on her finger.

"Sorry!" Jemy exclaimed, holding the finger tightly, "I should've given the bracelet a little more time." Lily did pull her head up then, looking down to see the journeyman squeezing her finger until a single drop of blood pooled on the tip. He collected the drop on a square bit of clear glass then quickly rubbed her pricked finger with a wet swab that smelled of antiseptic.

"That's it?" Lily asked, looking to Ranito for the answer.

"I said we would only take what we need," the Mage answered, standing, "I will handle the scale."

Ranito took the slide from his Journeyman and set it down beneath a massive diamond suspended over the desk, while Jemy removed his protective gloves to pass to Ranito, who knelt beside Lily while Bruce moved on to combing her now clean and quickly drying hair.

Ranito brought her left arm right up to his face, studying each scale closely and humming, "They lay more like armor than a common snake or lizard..." he held his free hand out, and Jemy placed a small pair of pliers in his palm. The Mage didn't use them right away. Instead, he wiggled a few of the scarlet scales until he found one close to the silver bracelet that was already slightly loose.

Lily braced herself as he got a grip on the scale with the pliers and flinched violently when he pulled sharply, taking the scale with him, "Sorry..." she muttered.

Ranito just hummed curiously, passing the scale, still in the pliers, to Jemy and taking a new swab of antiseptic to clean the empty spot, "So it still hurt? Even with the bracelet?"

"Not as bad," Lily whispered, "You only need one?" Ranito nodded, removing the bracelet, and Lily closed her eyes. That meant just her hair now.

"Done Mage Ranito," Bruce informed his superior, and Lily whimpered. It had finally grown long...

She could feel Ranito stand beside her -brushing off his robes- and was wondering if he would be the one to cut it himself when he said, "That's it, Miss Lily, I can write a note for why you were late to your afternoon lessons if necessary."

Lily's eyes flew open, and she grabbed her hair, already dry from her heat, shocked to find it just as long as before. "But... I thought..." she searched the room for Bruce and found him using a second comb to remove the loose hair from the first into a jar. "You're not going to cut it?"

Ranito actually snorted, "What would be the point in that?" Lily's mouth fell open in slack-jawed confusion while Ranito moved to his desk to scrawl a hasty note and hand it to her. "Now, hurry on to your lessons, Sorcerer."

Lily took the note, still in shock, and even returned to the classroom, though her mind was far from the lesson. She couldn't remember a time she'd had so few samples taken. Was that really enough to pay for her place here? The class ended at fourth bell, and her fellow students filed out straight to the library, presumably to work on their extra assignments. Lily returned to her room, rubbing at her wrist.

The letter to Shon and the other Squires was still on her desk, and Lily sat down to continue it where she left off...

'Day 2. I get to keep my hair!'

Lily could feel herself finally start to grin uncontrollably. It wasn't the same, but in at least a small way, it was almost like she was talking to Shon again. The paper was almost as quiet, and she could easily picture his face and expressions as she wrote what she wanted to say out loud. 

'They only took a drop of blood, one scale, and the hair from a comb. They didn't even trim it! I'm so happy. Though the lessons they're making me take are sooooo boring, even worse than relearning history I've already read about...'