She grew up in the clutches of poverty; He was raised in the lap of luxury.
She hated nobles; He couldn't be bothered with commoners.
Her heart hidden deep in thorny vines; His one burning in his sleeves.
She was the recently orphaned flower seller;...
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Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
- EMILY DICKINSON
ISOLDE'S POV
I stood at the door for a few minutes after the mage had left with his parting words. I close the door as soon as I saw the villagers approaching, probably to get a hang of this bizarre event.
I walked back to my room and fell face-first into my bed. I laid like that a few minutes, contemplating how to say No to the Mage until one of mama's many bits of advice came to me,
"Hope, dear Issy, is that thing with feathers that perches in our soul. It sings a tune without words, never to stop."
That night my mind was on a battlefield where my burning curiosity and hope for something new fought against my plans for a normal life.
You see, I had it all planned out. I was going to open mama's shop again, earn some money, then marry one of the boys around my age from the village and have two kids, a boy ,and a girl. Just like my mother and grandmother before me. It was normal for a village girl.
That's just how it's supposed to be. How it will always be!!!
And finally, finally people will acknowledge me.
Little peasant girls aren't supposed to step outside their homes. Surely not step into the world of untouchable nobles.
But all my plans seem to go down the drain with the arrival of that damned Mage with his fancy robes and shiny carriage.
And his oddly luscious hair.
It gave me hope, hope for something new and exciting beyond this small village and its mundane life.
And it scared me. It scared me to think that to grasp that hope, I had to leave this cocoon of safety that I have known all my life.
To say Yes would be defying everything I know and forsaking everything I have.
And the Academy? Will I be able to fit in its grandeur with my worn-out clothes, calloused feet, and muddy hands? What if they laugh at me?
What if, what if I miss mama?
All my knowledge about the Court comes from the handful of books I have read. From what I gathered about them was, it was a place of knowledge, of legends, and power.
Where do I fit in?
I was neither great nor powerful.
I was...well, just me.
The sole child of parents who for some reason, refused to register their union under the temple of Sol.
"But you could be", someone whispered in mind, sounding strangely like mama. My heart skipped a beat thinking about all the stuff I could lose if I go. But it also fluttered in excitement for all the things I could gain.
I could have the knowledge I had always thirsted for. I could learn the magic I always read about. I could make a name for myself. I could finally see the world outside this village.
The thing was, I do want to see the world outside. I know the world outside was full of wolves waiting at every corner to pounce on the naïve girl who dared to leave the safety of her home but maybe, just maybe I could be the first little girl from this village who finally braves them all.
Because on the other side remains not grandma's little cottage but Azura, the holy city of temples.
That's when I made up my mind. I can and will become a Mage.
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