The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 1: First Month, Part 1

"Have you decided yet?"

Estella looked up from her notebook. Aldros loomed over her, one bushy eyebrow arched. She raised her own eyebrow and said, "About what?"

"About who will be your Squire."

"Oh. That." She dropped her gaze to the image she was drawing for the last thirty minutes: herself, wearing the blood-red cape of the Knight General, Astra raised in victory. She sighed, and returned to tracing the outline of a horse. "Not yet. I want to wait until the first assessment exam."

With a sigh, Aldros lowered his bulk into the chair opposite her. He planted a meaty palm on the desk. "Why wait? We've lots of talented Wielders this year."

"Who did you choose?" she asked, still focused on her drawing. The horse's head was almost done.

"That kid last month during the Selection Day."

"The one with the Wind-forged bow?"

Aldros nodded. "A bit of a coward, but he's got guts."

Estella snorted. "Guts isn't enough to be a Squire. You know that."

"Says the one who charged at the Headmaster in her pajamas," he said with a chuckle, his deep voice rumbling in his broad chest.

She shot him an annoyed look. "I didn't know it was him. Besides, he wasn't supposed to be in the cafeteria in the dead of the night."

"He's the Headmaster, Ella. He had the right to be in there. You were the one who was not supposed to be wandering around at that time."

"I got hungry," she muttered. It had been her first year, so she slept in the dorms. But the communal pantry was understocked; she had to take the risk by going to the campus cafeteria.

Aldros shook his head and pressed on. "Ella, you'll need a Squire soon. It's been a month. The most talented ones have already been picked. If you wait any longer, you'll be left with few options."

She slid the pen in its holder and closed her notebook with a loud snap, then she stood up, tucking it under an armpit. She fixed Aldros with a cold gaze, which he received without batting an eye.

"I'm always left with few options."

***

She strolled along the corridor aimlessly. As a senior, her schedule had a lot of free slots, and there was nothing else she could do until the next lesson, at least two hours from now.

Estella tuned out the conversations that filled the corridor. It was almost lunch break, so there were a lot of students heading to the cafeteria. She pushed past the throng of blue and red uniforms, with the occasional black. She had already eaten her lunch, and she was not really in the mood to eat with her fellow seniors. Especially if they were going to pester her about choosing a Squire like Aldros did.

As she passed the central garden, Estella stopped. Several students had decided to eat in the open under the shade of the well-tended maple trees or across the cool grass. Most were in groups, though there were quite a few pairs in their picnic blankets.

And there was one under the boughs of the western tree, sitting alone on its roots.

She frowned, and changed direction, heading for the lonely figure. A few whispered comments directed at her flitted through the air, but she ignored them and continued.

Until at last, she stood over the enrollee who had received the highest grade during the Selection Duels—enough to be placed in the second year without going through the first.