Indigo checked her hair in the pocket mirror for the fifth time as she waited outside the council doors. She couldn’t help it; a nervous energy coursed through her veins as she sat before the enormous black doors, waiting as the council reviewed the letter Indigo had given them from Lady Aqua.

What is taking them so long?!

She had already been waiting for three hours without a response; completely absurd considering they already all knew her as Aqua’s assistant.

I wonder if something went wrong? What if Mother made a mistake and I’m not allowed to represent her? Maybe she misunderstood the rules? Or, or maybe the Council wants someone better than me to represent her? Or maybe they just forgot!

Indigo could not keep her leg from twitching as she sat on the bench; a nervous tick that only came out rarely these days.

That’s probably what happened! They forgot about me out here and just started the meeting without me. What do I do?! Should I ask the steward? I don’t want to bother him… I bet it’s hard dealing with the council and he’s probably too busy.

The steward in question stood guard outside the council door, an expression of absolute boredom on his face as he suppressed a yawn.

Then maybe I should ask the council myself… but if they didn’t forget about me then it would be so awkward! I can’t just walk in there! Should I sneak inside instead? Or should I-

A loud clacking sound interrupted Indigo’s thoughts as the thick latch opened and the enormous black doors swung open. Another steward stood on the other side, a diplomatic expression on her face. She offered a polite bow, and said “Junior Witch Indigo, the Council has accepted Lady Aqua’s letter. They are ready to see you now.”

A jolt of anxiety leapt into Indigo’s throat as the moment had finally come. She quickly swiped her hat off the bench and patted her head, making sure her hair properly flowed around her antlers for the final time. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and followed the steward into a circular cathedral-like room.

Colossal stone pillars in octagonal positions soared to the sky like tentacles, greeting a massive dome that exuded its weight even from fifty meters away. An exquisitely painted night sky stretched across the interior of the dome, giving the viewer a sense of infinity when they looked up. The same could be said for the floor; a perfectly polished black marble stone that reflected everything above it, including the distantly painted sky. The walls between the pillars were decorated with enormous banners, each representing one of the eight witch sects. Underneath these was a raised gallery filled with seats that stretched around the circumference of the room so that visitors could watch the council’s proceedings from almost any angle. It was made from a deep amber wood, and could seat over 400 guests; but like always, it was almost completely empty.

Most witches had better things to do than sit around watching other witches talk to each other, and the proceedings of the Council had successfully bored any other potential guest to the point where they stayed far away. There was even a rumor that some teachers at the Academy would send troublesome students to watch the council as punishment. As such, it was hardly surprising that some of the members themselves would only show up half the time. But today, it was different.

Indigo made her way to the centre of the room, unconsciously fiddling with the witch hat in her hands. There sat eight seats carefully arranged into a perfect circle at equidistant distances. All but one were occupied by the Lords and Ladies of the council; Senior witches that had each come to lead the eight different sects. As Lady Aqua’s assistant, Indigo had met all of them before but she was more familiar with some than others. Lady Rust of the Rutilus Sect was a close friend of Aqua, but for someone like Lord Lavender of the Ostrum Sect she had only spoken to once. Each of the Sect leaders had an unusually solemn expression on their face, and their eyes seemed to pierce Indigo with extreme scrutiny.

This only worsened Indigo’s nerves. Truth be told, Indigo was a little bit scared of the council members. Anyone who managed to become a sect leader was said to be an incredibly powerful witch, and amongst the greatest in the Empire. Lady Aqua claimed that this was nonsense, but for once Indigo was more inclined to believe the rumors rather than her mother.

Following the council rules, Indigo approached the centre and gave a deep bow. “My name is Junior Witch Indigo, assistant to Lady Aqua. Thank you for allowing me to represent her at this week’s council meeting.”

“Yes yes, quit your bowing and scraping. Do you plan on giving Aqua a poor name?” snapped Lady Rust. Indigo looked up to see a tall thin woman with short spiky hair coloured a reddish-brown hue, piercings on her nose and ears, and heavy eyeshadow and makeup. She looked like she had stopped by on her way to a heavy metal rock concert, but the various pentagrams and symbols that dotted her dress gave away her profession. She had her usual sour expression on, one that looked like she was about to go spank some sense into a ballistic toddler. She liked to use it to terrify new students to death.

Indigo almost gave Lady Rust another bow due to her intimidating presence, but she managed to catch herself and straighten up.

“N-no, not at all Aun- Lady Rust.”

“Good. Show us a proud face girl, and straighten your back; else you won’t last long here.”

Lord Jade of the Sucidus Sect cleared his throat. His jowls wobbled slightly as he gave Indigo a strained smile and one could see sweat rolling down from his blueish-green hairline.

“Yes, well that is all well and good. It’s good to see you again dear Indigo, though I wish it were under slightly less serious circumstances.”

Lady Papaya of the Aurantiaco Sect, a willowy sort of woman with a dreamy expression on her face smiled and nodded, though her attention seemed to be directed at something 5 inches to the right of Indigo’s head.

Indigo tried to take Lady Rust’s advice, but her body did not seem to want to cooperate. It was all she could do to keep her hands from trembling as she asked, “Is my position as Lady Aqua’s representative that serious?”

Lord Jade gave her a frown as Lord Goldenrod of the Flavus Sect leaned forward. He rested his enormous dark hands on his chair, while trying to give Indigo a comforting smile. “Miss Indigo, have you read the contents of the documents you delivered to us?” he asked in a rich, deep voice.

“N-No? Should I have?”

“Definitely not,” laughed a tinkling voice, and Indigo turned to see Lady Snow of the Albus Sect giving her her classic smile. “And I’m still not sure we should tell him.”

“Her,” snapped Lady Rust in a particularly harsh tone. “And it involves the damn girl herself, why shouldn’t we tell her?”

“Peace, Lady Rust,” answered Lord Goldenrod. “Because of the severity of this matter, we must take our time. Miss Indigo, would it be acceptable to you if we asked you some questions about your history?”

“Yes?” answered Indigo, still confused about the fuss the council was making about this matter. It was not like having a representative go in a leader’s place was unprecedented.

“Very well. I will begin. How old are you and how long have you been with the Royal Academy and Lady Aqua?”

“I-I’m 23, and I’ve been here s-since I was six, so about seventeen years now sir… is this really necessary?”

A quiet murmur ran around the room as some of the sect leaders shook their heads.

“It is. Please explain how you came here.”

“Yes…” Indigo now had no idea what was going on; clearly Aqua had put something in those documents other than her proof of representation.

“I don’t know where I was born, but I grew up in an orphanage here in Becheim. Lady Aqua… Lady Aqua found me when I tried to stick my hand in her pocket when she wasn’t looking,” Indigo gave a small smile of recollection as Lady Rust snickered into her hand. “I thought I was done for; no one would be stupid enough to steal from a witch, right? But she forgave me. She gave me hell for it, certainly, but then she offered to let me come back home with her.”

“Ha, that sounds just like Aqua,” laughed Lady Ebony of the Carbo Sect. “She goes shopping for a day and comes back with a kid.”

“She recognized my talent for witchcraft,” continued Indigo, warming up to the story of her childhood. “Perhaps because she saw me as her new mother, or perhaps she was worried I would be bullied; I don’t know why but she didn’t let me enter into the Royal Academy as a regular student. She made me her direct apprentice, even though witches don’t do that anymore.”

At this the oldest members of the council straightened up in their seats and exchanged glances. The remaining members, Lady Snow, Lord Lavender and Lord Jade merely frowned. The tradition of taking an apprentice was once common in the ancient days of witching, but ever since witchcraft was introduced to the Royal Academy and senior witches became teachers, it was frowned upon as favouritism. Lady Aqua had caused quite a stir when she suddenly introduced an eight year old as her first apprentice in 500 years.

“Regardless, it’s what she decided. She personally taught me everything I know. Though I was a bit isolated from the other students, I was glad of the attention she gave me.”

“As I understand it, you were still, ah, male at this point?” asked Lord Jade in a cautious tone.

“Yes sir. I transitioned at the age of fifteen, after a great deal of struggle. Lady Aqua fully supported me in this matter and helped me fix my body.”

“How does that work for anweirans? Do you people have the same genitals as humans?” asked Lord Lavender curiously.

“Lavender!” snapped Lady Rust. “Keep your filthy curiosity out of this!”

“I am inclined to agree with Lady Rust. Please keep your questions pertinent to the topic.” added Lord Goldenrod.

“Alright, alright, no need to get so touchy,” muttered Lord Lavender into his light purple beard. It was still nowhere near as long as he desperately wanted it to be.

Indigo touched one of her antlers in embarrassment, suddenly wishing she could cover them back up with her gigantic hat.

“But his- I’m sorry, her race is indeed pertinent to the topic my Lord Goldenrod,” continued Lady Snow cheerfully. “If I may ask a question?”

Lord Goldenrod nodded and Indigo nervously turned to face the white witch.

“My dear little Indigo, I am curious; don’t you think your species has had an impact on your studies? Inconvenienced you in some way, hmm?” asked Lady Snow with a gentle expression.

Now she really wanted to put her hat back on.

“No… I don’t think so. I didn’t grow up in an anweiran cavalcade, and Lady Aqua never brought it up. Some of the students made fun of me for it, but most… most people ignored me. I was able to study under Lady Aqua in peace.”

Lady Snow didn’t seem totally satisfied with her answer but she smiled anyways.

“Indigo - Ian; may I call you Ian? You can call me Nancy in return. Listen Ian, did you ever feel overwhelmed with being Lady Aqua’s apprentice? It must’ve been a lot of pressure for a young boy.” She quickly waved a hand at Lady Rust who was about to leap out of her seat. “Yes, yes, he turned into a girl, I get it. You should have a bit more patience Lady Rust.”

An icy cold jolt of panic shot up Indigo’s spine, but she quickly spoke out before Lady Rust exploded.

“No! No, Lady Snow. I never felt any pressure. And my name is Indigo; that was the name I received at my witching ceremony, and that is my identity as a witch and a person. As I am sure it is the same for everyone else here.”

With her back facing towards them, Indigo missed the slight nod that was exchanged between Lord Goldenrod and Lady Ebony. But Lady Snow did not. Her hand clenched slightly before she gave a wide smile.

“Of course; I did not mean to insult the sacred ritual of graduating to a witch. Nonetheless, I understand you took the witching ceremony quite early; most do it at eighteen. Please tell us, what happened to you next?”

Indigo turned back to face the other members of the council. “At that point I was sixteen, and I still had two more years before I could graduate from the Academy. In that time Lady Aqua had me spend more time in the Royal Academy. I attended some senior level classes, and made a few friends. I also spent some time interning with some of the other fields of study at the Academy, namely the Mages, Wizards, Artificers and the Rangers.”

“You must have been quite busy,” asked Lady Ebony, her ebony hair swaying across snow white skin as she leaned forward. “Did these internships not affect your studies?”

“No, rather Lady Aqua saw them as a part of it. I learned a great deal in those two years, and the diversity of knowledge really helped my witchcraft.”

“And then you graduated,” stated Lord Jade.

“And then I graduated. I could go anywhere in the world, but I decided to stay at the Academy and became Lady Aqua’s assistant. It was my home, and I wanted to give back to my adopted mother. That was five years ago.”

“What are your duties as Lady Aqua’s assistant?”

“Ah, well they’ve slowly expanded over the years. At first I was just following her around, taking notes and such. Nowadays I help teach some of her classes, look after budget reports, organize research projects and assist her with any requests for help that come from the general public.”

“Good grief girl, she’s made you do her job for her!” said Lady Rust in a rough tone. “I outta teach her how to take care of her bloody children properly.”

“Not at all!” answered Indigo, shocked. “She’s always so busy, it’s only right that I do what I can! Besides, it’s not that much anyways; the work she does is much more advanced than that!”

Some of the council members coughed and looked away awkwardly. They didn’t want to admit that the work Indigo did was more than what they themselves bothered to take on.

“Ah, yes, well. Um, as Lady Aqua’s position as chairman of the council, naturally she would have a heavier workload,” said Lord Lavender.

“Hmm, indeed,” and “Yes yes, that makes sense” was heard around the room as the council refused to admit they weren’t doing their jobs properly.

“Regardless of that, would you care to expand on your work as a teacher?” asked Lord Goldenrod, eager to change the topic.

“Yes sir. I taught most of Lady Aqua’s junior classes, from grades 1 to 5. I also taught the introductory courses for noble children who enroll late, usually at the age of 14. Lady Aqua handled the upper year students. She looked after the few students who sought to graduate as actual witches, while I looked after the seniors who only wanted the degree.”

“That is a lot of responsibility. Do you think Lady Aqua was wise to put you in that position?” asked Lord Goldenrod gravely.

“I-” Indigo paused. It was a loaded question, one that she honestly could not answer with a confident yes. Lady Aqua always seemed to think Indigo could do anything.

“I honestly am not sure,” answered Indigo with a slight quiver. “But my mother has always believed in me. She had no doubt that I could do it, and I have spent my life working to make sure she is not disappointed. Letting her down is the one thing I could never forgive myself for.”

Lord Goldenrod gave a sigh and looked around at the other council members.

“I am finished. Are there any other questions?”

“Hmm… I still think she’s far too young,” answered Lord Jade.

“Save it for the vote, toady,” snapped back Lady Rust.

“No more questions…? Very well.” Lord Goldenrod stood. “As the now acting-chairman of the Witching Council, I call this vote to order. All in favour of the motion proposed by former chairman Lady Aqua?”

Lady Rust, Lady Ebony, Lord Lavender and Lord Goldenrod raised their hands.

“I see a count of four. All those opposed?”

Lord Jade, Lady Papaya and Lady Snow raised their hands as the other lowered theirs.

“I see a count of three. Dispute?”

No one spoke.

“I hear no dispute. The motion proposed by former chairwoman Lady Aqua is passed. We accept her retirement from the council.”

Lord Goldenrod turned to a stunned Indigo and smiled.

“According to the ancient laws of witching and by majority approval of this council, we recognize Dame Aqua’s chosen replacement, Lady Indigo, Leader of the Caeruleus Sect. She is now a recognized senior witch, and is afforded all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it.”

Indigo stared at him, her brain short-circuiting as she tried to process his words. Unfortunately, her body found its own solution before she could and her eyes rolled back as she fainted.