--- The Mage girl

The banquet started in the early evening, just a few hours after everyone had come back from the tournament grounds. In a well-lit hall hundreds of people crowded tables laden with expensive dishes and wine.

That was the kind of party a king was expected to host. Its mere abundance made most of the guests forget about everything else, from the extraordinary performance of princess Elise that afternoon to that of her honour guard, the low-born boy who had beaten three nobles in front of the entire court.

Yeah, that's going to be a slap in the face they won't forget so easily. Still, I admit I'm glad. It was about time someone showed those arrogant people!

With her general dislike towards nobility, the Mage girl couldn't be happier. She had witnessed an affront to Cassidia's tradition and ruling class, and now being in that palace made her feel a little awkward.

The nobles sat at the tables placed higher than those of commoners, where she was. From her chair, the apprentice could barely see King Sebastian and his daughter, and was mainly surrounded by guests who didn't bear any title. Not that she cared, being a Mage.

In truth, the girl couldn't stop thinking about the princess' honour guard. She had made her curious, to say the least. What kind of person was he, to earn so much trust by a member of the royal family?

He didn't show up yet. The King's table is full, so princess Elise isn't going to keep him at her side. I wonder if he'll come.

After greeting her immediate neighbours, the Mage moved to picking some food from the trays. The palace's cooks had prepared real delicacies that evening, stuff that many guests couldn't eat even on festivities. She poured some spiced red wine into her cup, tasting its fragrance.

Yes... No wonder everyone is so busy gorging themselves instead of talking. Master Bravo and the others insisted that I attended, but I ended up over here all alone... It's a bit frustrating.

Her colleagues were on the other side of the room, many heads away from her. The girl bit her lip, silently cursed her decision to bring back her book to the upper quarters. Those moments made her miss the life at the tower, the small room and bed she had there, the few apprentices she could barely call friends. Working at the palace was prestigious, it was true, but it came with a lot of downsides, the most important being her constant proximity with the members of the court.

Sometimes I regret accepting this job. I can't study properly here. Why did the Archmage vouch for me in the first place? What am I going to accomplish by staying in this place?

She was so lost in her thoughts that only the growing chatter made her notice the entrance of a certain someone. Dressed with much poorer clothes than the average guest, the boy walked around the tables while holding a small piece of paper that was probably showing him the location of his seat. The way he looked for it, carefully avoiding direct contact with any of the present, told a lot about his standing.

It must be his first time at a banquet... Who am I to talk, though? It's only my third.

Apparently untroubled by the countless eyes fixed on him, the young swordsman stopped for an instant, turning in a different direction. The Mage girl was captivated enough by his search that she nearly gasped when realizing that his destination was the empty chair right in front of her, and lowered her gaze again. She heard the sound of the guest sitting, sighing and filling his plate. Nobody welcomed him.

The murmuring that had accompanied the boy's entrance faded almost instantly, replaced by small talk.

A wine this good seems made to have a conversation. Yet, for some reason, the people around him aren't asking about the tournament... They don't even praise him for what he did.

After a few minutes spent in an embarrassing silence, the young Mage raised her eyes. The princess' honour guard was still there, staring into space and mindlessly playing with a piece of venison. His black hair was a little long and messy, almost hiding his blue eyes.

He won an important tournament just a few hours ago, but if I didn't know... I would say he's just a sad, lonely guy.

The girl had never really talked with someone of her age outside of her field of study, and realized to have nothing to say. Why, most of all, did she feel the need to talk with that boy? Maybe because they were both clearly alone that evening? She thought a lot about a starting line, but in the end she just decided to have some more wine to make it easier.

Oh.

They reached for the jug, simultaneously. Their eyes connected, their arms still stretched out, and for a moment it felt like time had frozen in place. Then, the young swordsman bowed his head with an encouraging smile.

"Go ahead, My Lady," he said. "You first."

"Why... Why don't you pour it for both of us?" replied the Mage. "By the way, I'm not a lady. There's no need for such formalities, fellow."

She blushed violently.

No... No! No! Of everything I could say, that was so weird of me!

The boy however didn't seem to have found it strange.

"Sure, I don't mind," he went on. "But... I'll probably need the jug for that."

In awe, the girl noticed only then her fingers were still tightened around the metal of the container, and gave it to him averting her gaze. He accepted it without replying and filled their cups.

This is so strange. So strange...

After drinking, their eyes crossed once again and the Mage gulped. She had to take that chance to start talking.

"So... You are the one who fought for the princess today."

The words came out a little forced, but captured the attention of the other person anyway.

With a gentle smile, he simply replied, "Yes, you are correct. It's me."

"You were... Very brave. And proficient," she continued right away, trying to show more confidence. "From where I was, I saw Princess Elise cheering for you. She was on the edge of her seat!"

For an instant, a shadow covered the boy's eyes.

Did I... Did I say something wrong?

"I... Thank you, I guess, but it's an overstatement. I didn't do anything special. Most nobles don't really know how to fight. They are good at hiding behind their names... And end up believing to be untouchable. That's why I won."

"Why did she choose you? Are you her friend?" she pressured him.

"I arrived in Cassidia with her. We met before she discovered who she was and..." the young swordsman stopped, a second shadow darkening his face. "And I'm still not used to the role she plays."

The answer left the girl even more curious about their relationship, but she didn't pry deeper into that subject.

"Again, I didn't do anything special. I just fulfilled her request," concluded the boy, going back at playing with his fork.

Giggling, the Mage asked, "Do you think so? You made those nobles the laughingstock of the entire city! I think they'll learn a lesson or two after today!"

"After punching down Sir Wilfred I thought the same," he sighed. "Now I hope they all forget about it. Look at them. They are talking."

He nodded towards the nobles' table. Wilfred and some of his followers, sitting far away from the King, were actually targeting him with glances that were anything but friendly. Witnessing that scene, the girl understood how serious the situation was and failed to keep the conversation alive, getting lost in the depths of her crimson wine. Then, endless minutes later, it was the boy who resumed speaking.

"You... You aren't a noblewoman and you are here alone," he observed. "If I may... Who are you exactly?"

He... He wants to know about me?

She cleared her throat, stretching out her hand in an overly solemn way.

"My name is Marianne. Marianne Wilmore. Apprentice Mage, and one of the representatives of the Circle here at the palace."

The young swordsman smiled, returning her gesture. "I'm Roric. I'm from a small village in the North. There's not much to say apart from that."

His shake was firm and powerful, it didn't hurt her but wrapped her fingers like a steel glove. After seeing him fighting in the afternoon, the girl wasn't surprised by the strength of his hand, but the gentleness of that touch was more than enough to make her blush again.

"You seem very proud of your position, miss Wilmore."

With a shy laugh, she lowered her voice and replied, "No... That was just my official introduction. You can just call me Mary, if you want. I left behind the name of my family long ago, when I became an initiate."

Roric nodded and drank another sip of wine. "Are you from a noble family?"

No. Merchants. They are way worse than nobles. He wouldn't want to hear this kind of stuff.

"No, no, no," answered Mary, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "They are just traders. They wanted me to be useful in the family business, but then the Arcane manifested in me and the rules of the Circle state that..."

***

--- Roric

The atmosphere lightened, mainly thanks to the wine.

The girl had to be his age, more or less. She wore what the young warrior had immediately identified as a Mage attire, a loose and heavy robe that seemed a bit cumbersome for a body that small. Long, wavy brown hair and a certain air of maturity gave her an appealing look, nonetheless.

Despite her initial stiffness, Mary became more relaxed with each passing minute. She told Roric about her job at the palace, a position that was deemed very prestigious for someone so young. Apparently, she and her colleagues were tasked with cooperating with the King on many matters, including the dispatch of emissaries to secure new members.

As the boy already knew, the Mages had ways to detect new Arcane users in a wide range, from Cassidia to the entirety of the Free Kingdoms. Wherever there was civilization, said the apprentice, the Circle had the responsibility of keeping gifted individuals safe. From others, but first of all from themselves.

Judging from that time my powers awakened, Arcane magic might be at least that dangerous. So the Mages aren't really kidnapping people like in the rumours. It seems more like a national service, I guess.

"A... A service?" wondered the girl. "Yes, you could see it that way."

"Are new users forced to join?" asked Roric. "I've always heard you were given two choices and both were very radical."

"Newfound Arcane users must be kept from interacting with the rest of the world until their instruction reaches an acceptable level," explained Mary. "They... They might do something terrible with all that power, even unconsciously, if we left them unchecked."

"Someone in the past told me about a prison. For those who refuse to join the Circle."

The young Mage gave him a surprised look. "Where did you hear about it? Huh... I suppose that's what the Vault looks like, for an outsider."

"So... What's this Vault? You aren't locking people up?"

"Well... We can say we aren't jailers. But you realize we can't let untrained Mages wander around. That place has powerful countermeasures against the Arcane inside, it's perfect for holding its guests for their whole lives. Don't worry, they are provided everything they would need."

It doesn't seem a very fulfilling existence. Yet, if we take into account the people they might hurt otherwise, it's an acceptable alternative to simply killing them.

"How dangerous is someone like that, outside the Vault?" said Roric. "I was told your magic requires study, but I never thought you could unleash it only by instinct."

Mary's expression, for some reason, became even more interested.

"That's not something my master would like me to talk with a stranger," she replied, smiling cheekily. "But tell me, how do you happen to know this much?"

Ugh. She got me. I'd better be careful about what words I use.

"You see... Before meeting the princess I was a mercenary. Our priest had some knowledge about your kind, and taught me a couple of things."

The boy hoped she wouldn't pry, but for the moment the curiosity of his new friend seemed satisfied. She made a funny face, because she probably expected something more mysterious than that.

"Do you know the princess well?"

Sighing internally, Roric answered, "Yes, I would say."

Well enough to be sad that she's up there, away from me.

"Oh, how I envy you!" moaned Mary. "To tell the truth, I've been looking forward to meeting her since she arrived. What kind of person is she?"

More questions on a topic I'd rather not touch.

"She is... Amazing. For starters, she is a fast learner. So fast it becomes frightening at times. She's also stubborn but has strong ideals, back in her village she went through a lot and ended up almost dying in order to protect her people-"

Roric realized only at that point that the young Mage was hanging by his lips to a point that it was getting embarrassing. He blushed and tried to hide it.

"And? And?" she encouraged him.

Can I really tell her how precious Elise is for me? No, not in this place. I've already done enough numbers for today.

"Come on, you'll meet her one day. See for yourself, Mary."

"That's unfair..." complained the girl. "It's not like I've brought up something uncomfortable? It's a bad habit of mine... People usually avoid me due to my sincerity."

"No," lied Roric. "Don't worry. I'm enjoying your company."

Those words seemed to hearten her a bit. She smiled brightly.

"Thank you for that, Roric."

***

--- Mary

Mary was exhausted when she finally closed the door of her room and let her body sink on the bed. She had ended up talking with that boy for the entire banquet, eventually losing the sense of time. It was something that never happened to her.

This evening... I can say I had fun. No, today as a whole was different. I can't tell what it is, but I can definitely feel it.

So much had happened in so little time. The girl was used to taking things one at a time, in a strict order, and didn't like big changes. Even so, the previous hours had ended up stimulating her curiosity in a way that didn't happen since years before, when she was just at the beginning of her studies.

Her eyes closed before she could even change into something more comfortable. Mary didn't know if it was right or wrong, but Roric and the princess had piqued her unquestionable interest.