We entered the large teacher's residence and Greta finally opened her eyes. She directed me to her apartment on the bottom floor and seemed reluctant to let my arm go. She did so and unlocked her door, before she turned to look at me as her face flushed a little red.

“David, I... this was...” Greta stammered, as if she was having trouble with what to say.

“Was it more than you could have expected from an ex-army conscript and ex-slave marsh rat?” I offered.

Greta's face lost the slight blush as she shook her head. “I was going to say from a student that shouldn't have this kind of knowledge and experience in dealing with a lady, since you didn't grow up in a noble household or near noble society.”

“I've been taught by some influential people.” I said. “Two members of the royal family included.”

Greta nodded, probably because she had found out a lot about my dealings in the army. “Thank you for tonight. It was a very enlightening and pleasant experience.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed being hosted at my humble temporary home.” I said and carefully took her hand, bent over it, and gave it a proper kiss to say goodbye. “I will see you next week in class.”

Greta nodded and stepped back into her apartment. She hesitated for several moments with an odd look on her face, blushed a little, and slowly closed the door.

I waited for several moments, in case she forgot to tell me something. The door didn't open again, so I turned around and walked down the hallway to leave. I stepped outside and heard a window opening above me.

“David!” A different woman's voice exclaimed and I turned to look.

“Mage Ridge.” I said and she leaned out the window to look down at me.

“I just heard back from Donna.” Mage Ridge said. “She expects you to show up tomorrow to see her.”

“I thought I wasn't allowed to leave the academy grounds while classes are in session.” I responded.

“You aren't, normally.” Mage Ridge said with a devilish smile. “I'll be escorting you.”

“Oh.” I said, then remembered the botany teacher's words about taking me next week for a field trip. It confirmed that I can leave as long as I have a teacher with me. That was good to know. “What time?”

“I want to go early, just so you can spend the whole day together with your friends.” Mage Ridge said. “You know they are both going to insist you stay and have supper.”

I nodded. “An hour after first light?”

The shocked look she gained on her face was priceless.

“I said early, not after the crack of dawn!” Mage Ridge said and then she laughed. “Dammit, you're right. They're still on army time, the crazy fools.” She crossed her arms and rested them on the window sill. “All right. Be here an hour after dawn and I'll be ready.”

I nodded and walked away. I felt her eyes on me for quite some time and I wasn't sure why. I ignored it and went back to my dorm mansion. I told Hope about going out for the day tomorrow and she was quite happy for me, knowing it was rare for a student to leave the grounds so soon. Sara had already gone home to the estate, so Hope helped me change for bed and she did as well.

Hope climbed onto the large bed and slipped under the covers. “David, thank you for not complaining about this.” She whispered as I climbed in beside her. Neither of us were surprised when she didn't pretend to go back to her own room first.

I held my arm out slightly and she took the invitation as she hugged it and relaxed.

“This has been helping me so much while I deal with being away from the rest of the family.” Hope said and blushed a little. “You've been doing so well with all of the things going on and you still try to look after me, even though it's my job to look after you.”

“You don't have to get up with me in the morning.” I said and she looked like she was going to protest. “I'll wear my best suit for the greeting, bring casual clothes for any activities they might require of me, and my best meal suit to wear for supper.”

Hope got out of bed and quickly packed a piece of luggage for me, including what I asked for and extra underwear, then she gave me a questioning look.

“No, I won't be taking anything else.” I said and she closed it, set it beside the door, and came back to bed. “I would have done that in the morning.”

“It's my job to make your life a little bit easier.” Hope said and snuggled into my arm again. “I think I'll be over this homesickness in a few days.”

“Did you send them a letter recently?” I asked.

“Yes!” Hope said a bit excitedly. “I had to tell them you entered the academy successfully.”

“You didn't tell them anything else, did you?” I asked and she shook her head.

“They don't need to know about everything going on.” Hope said. “I'm not hiding it, though. It's just... well...”

“The information doesn't help them.”

“Exactly.” Hope said and closed her eyes. “I can just imagine that some of them are as proud of you as I am.”

I didn't say anything for several minutes, since I couldn't understand why they would be proud.

“David.” Hope whispered and I turned my head to look at her and saw her staring at me. “It worked. Frank has his hand back.”

“I bet he hates me a lot more now.” I said and Hope laughed.

“He really, really does.” Hope said. “He also loves having his hand back.”

“How long did it take?” I asked, since it had been quite some time since I had given him the potion.

“He was too scared to take it right away. It wasn't until he tried to...” Hope chuckled. “It was eight days after that.”

“So, only a single missing appendage was a bit less than what I regrew.” I said and looked back up at the ceiling. “I had a lot of hidden and not so hidden damage. Did Frank have some hidden injuries?”

“He's broken his arm a few times while growing up.” Hope said. “I was sure he broke his ankle once, too.”

I thought about that. “Yes, that would explain the change in the length of healing.”

Hope waited for several minutes before she leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Thank you for doing that.”

“I had to test if it would be enough.” I said and she looked surprised for a second, then she leaned back in and kissed my cheek again.

“Thank you for picking him over the other people you've maimed.” Hope said.

I raised my eyebrows at her and she smiled.

“What? You didn't think I would hear about people having their hands cut off with a magical blade?” Hope asked and snuggled down on my arm again. “I wasn't doubtful at all when hearing about it in the village.” She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “I'm glad that no one has come after you to get the arm you took from the first princess.”

“You're not angry over that?” I asked.

“No, because you did it so you wouldn't have to kill her. Everyone would have been very upset if you had taken her head.” Hope said. “Now go to sleep. You have a really early day tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” I said and closed my eyes.

The night passed by instantly and I was up at dawn. I dressed in my new meeting suit, one that I had to buy to replace the damaged one, and I picked up my bandoleer from the vault and the luggage bag from beside the bedroom door. I looked back at the bed and Hope had my pillow clutched tightly in her arms. I had had to make the substitution to escape with my arm intact, because her grip was surprisingly strong. I left the room silently and went downstairs.

The place was dark and quiet and none of my steps made any noise as I crept down to the front doors. I opened one of them and the night guards nodded to me. I nodded back and closed the door behind me, then walked at a normal pace across the campus to meet Mage Ridge. I glanced up at her apartment and the lights weren't on.

I thought about using magic to get her attention, like I did to get the kitchen helper's attention, then decided that I needed to not treat her like the help. Nothing good would come of her thinking I was doing so, even if all I was trying to do was get her attention.

I went to the door of the building and went inside, surprised that it wasn't locked, and went up the stairs. I used Sense Magic near Mage Ridge's apartment and her door glowed. I thought about reaching out to touch it and changed my mind. I also didn't use Dispel on it. I examined the glow and it was almost the same as the glow my lock spell had on my door at home.

She would definitely feel it if I broke the spell this close to her. I thought and reached out to knock on the wall beside the door. There was no sound or movement inside that I could detect with my vigilance technique, so I knocked a little harder. There was a cracking sound and my knuckles had left dents in the thick wood.

I sighed silently and used my knife to quickly cut out the piece of wood, cleaned off the splinters, then used several drops of number ten potion to fill in the dents. I could see into the apartment through the hole and it was very nice. I couldn't tell if it was a standard apartment and was the same as the others, or if she had it decorated on her own.

I reached in through the hole and knocked normally on the back of the door. I heard a woman groan, so I put the wood piece back into place with number ten potion and sealed it in. It took several minutes before the glow around the door faded and it opened to reveal a very dishevelled and barely dressed Mage Ridge. In fact, all she had on was a pair of panties and an undershirt.

“What time... is it?” Mage Ridge asked with a yawn and still looked half asleep.

“Half an hour after the crack of dawn.” I said and she let out another yawn and groaned again.

“Ugghhhh. Come in.” Mage Ridge said and walked away from the open door.

I stepped inside and closed the door, then followed her over to her bedroom.

“I hope you're not getting any ideas about trying to seduce me.” Mage Ridge said as she went to her closet. “I'm happily married and we're meeting him at the gate.”

“Mage Ridge, you could strip off naked and...” I stopped talking when she pulled off her top and revealed her breasts. They were tear drop shaped and hung far apart, with very dark nipples that contrasted heavily with her light skin.

Mage Ridge put on a bra and it magically pushed her breasts together to give her quite a lot of cleavage.

I stared at the thing, the glow stronger than the lock on the door, and she caught me looking.

“Haven't you seen breasts before?” Mage Ridge asked as she pulled off her panties to reveal a very large bush of hair.

“I have seen several sets of breasts besides the women I've slept with.” I said and motioned to her top. “What spell or enchantment is on the bra?”

“Hmm?” Mage Ridge looked down at her cleavage and back at me. “How can you tell?”

“Sense Magic.” I said and she smiled.

“So, it wasn't my breasts you're staring at. Good.” Mage Ridge said and chanted something as she held a hand over her belly. She seemed to glow for a second and nodded, then she pulled on a new pair of panties. They matched the bra and they glowed as well. A few seconds later, her backside seemed to firm up and looked more appealing.

“What was that?” I asked and motioned to her underwear.

“They are vanity enchantments.” Mage Ridge said and picked out a very stylish dress. It was red and had frills in strategic areas, as well as two slits up the bottom. She slipped the dress on and tapped the neck collar. It glowed and snapped closed, as did the back, and it seemed to suck in and form-fitted over her body.

“Do all women's clothes do that?” I asked and she laughed.

“No, this is...” Mage Ridge paused and walked over to me. “When a woman gets to a certain age, she sometimes needs reassurance that she is still beautiful.”

“Is that what the clothes are for? Reassurance?” I asked.

“They might ensure it.”

I had to think about that while she gathered up what she wanted to take.

“Before you say anything, I'm wearing this for my husband and not for you.” Mage Ridge said and brushed her hair in front of a mirror. She added some make-up to highlight her eyes and lips, then she grabbed her bag and came over to me. “I'm ready. Let's go.”

I held the door for her and closed it behind us. She chanted something and the glow around the door was back. Her arm was in the proper pose for me to escort her, so I assumed my role and led her down the stairs and out of the building. We went over to the academy's gates and the night guard opened the smaller one for us.

No one was there, so we stood there in silence and waited for our ride.