The following day was bliss. It wasn't long after sunrise that they'd both gone outside. Mia was playing by the creek with water magic, while trying not to get mud on her clothes.

Making little arches in a concentric pattern.

Ryan was under a tree nearby, booting it before working his blades in a flurry of motion to cut the leaves that fell.

Or so he tried. The short steel swords he practised with were chipped, a little rusted, and not quite sharp enough to slice cleanly through. Unless he got them right near the tip.

"Six!", Ryan exclaimed.

"No it wasn't, you missed the one behind. "

"Damn it. What's your record?"

"Four arches..." , she sounded sad.

"Hey that's not bad. "

"Abby can do more"

"Abby's older than you, and she's a human. Princess human. She's got a tutor for each element. You've just got a creek and that book she sent you. "

The creek didn't amount to much. Last summer, it had become a series of lagoons before several big storms passed. This was one of the deeper spots, not fifty meters from the back of the manor.

"Nine", Mia insisted "Her record is nine."

"Oh"

"Hey, if you don't come up with some better consolation, I'll tell her you called her 'princess human'."

"Will pancakes do?"

"Maybe"

* * *

Meanwhile, away in the capital, princess human was doing her own training. She was seated opposite a fountain. A small ball of water shimmered over her hand. Her eyes were closed. The smell of apricots wafted in the air.

Her tutor, Mr Hemsley, was standing to the side with a solemn look on on his face.

The ball formed into a featureless humanoid shape.

He sighed. “Excellent mana manipulation, your highness. Now for your next lesson...”, his voice droned. The princess nodded along. She reasoned his explanation must be reaching its conclusion as the terms became more esoteric. “Let the mana resonate as it embodies the image in your mind.”

She stifled a snicker.

He was still going at it. “Slow your breathing as you infuse mana. Draw it gently from the cycle at the crux of your being. ”

She started paying attention again. This was the way she wished to master. If she reached his level, perhaps that Von'Reim snot would lose his interest.

And that was the end of his instruction.

“At your ready. I want to see as many details as possible.”, he encouraged.

She formed a projection again, morphing it into a rough depiction of the chief cook. It was notably wider at the waist and longer of the nose than the man himself.

“Your Highness, please. Projection is a delicate art. This crude display is beneath you. Observe closely. ”

And watch she did. Mr Hemsley's projection was of the chief cook. Unlike hers, it was detailed to the fingernail. A bench, pot and ladle appeared. The projection hunched down and slowly lifted the ladle up to its mouth before dropping it back in the pot.

The princess was stunned. This was the first time she'd seen such fine control. She watched as the water began to emit a bright light. Then it dimmed, the light changing into many colours giving the appearance of real, solid object.

Mr Hemsley smirked.

Three tentacles reached from the pot, snaking up the ladle. The little man yanked the ladle away and slammed a lid down. The tentacles pushed back, up as two more emerged. The cook jumped up on the table in one smooth leap. He then slammed his foot down on the lid, stomping repeatedly. Ripples appeared about the pot in perfect timing with each stomp. The end of a tentacle dropped to the bench, quivering.

A moment passed.

The cook climbed down.

Then he poked the severed end of the tentacle with one finger, and put his finger in its his mouth. He nodded.

And then, the whole display burst.

A drop of water struck the princess's cheek.

“That will be all for today. ”

It was time for lunch.