The Convert Queen: Prophecy Fulfilled

Chapter 3: An Ordinary Day

One Month Ago

Professor Aleyna Rianenska stood with her back to the class, as she set about writing a list of words on the blackboard. Slate, shale, limestone, marble, schist, granite, sandstone, basalt, quartzite, chalk, gneiss.

As she turned back around to face her pupils, she asked, 'Can anyone guess the purpose of this list?'

'Homework,' someone near the back called out.

'Can anyone expand on that further, given what we've just discussed?'

'We need to divide them into sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks.' The words were spoken by a quiet young woman in the front row.

'Yes, exactly. So I want you all to make a copy of this list,' she pointed over her shoulder, 'and don't lose it.' The sound of pens scratching paper filled the room. Aleyna watched her students patiently, ensuring each one of them was following her instructions.

When the writing had stopped, she added, 'That's part one.' The class groaned. She smiled broadly at them. 'Part two: pick one of the rocks from the list and do a little research on it. I'm not going to say you have to write an essay on it, but you will need to properly present it for marking. The form that takes is up to you.'

A face appeared in the glass pane in the door to her classroom, momentarily distracting her. Then a bell sounded in the courtyard below to chime the end of the college day. Returning her attention to the class, before they dashed out, she shouted above the noise of them packing away their things, 'You have one week. No excuses.'

They flooded out of the classroom leaving it silent and empty. She sighed happily. Only the library on the floor above, could compete with the love she held for that classroom. It was filled with specimen cases containing all manner of geography-related things. Rocks, minerals, soils, sands and fossils, and the wall was covered with posters, maps and diagrams, many of them she had drawn and painted herself, showing the formation of river channels and the different types of volcanoes, amongst so many other things.

'Let me guess...first year rocks and minerals.'

Aleyna hadn't heard Eyvan come in. He was still wearing the green robes of his vocation. Eyvan Valetenko was a professor of medicine and healing.

'Of course, you're right. You're always right. You know my subject almost as well as I do.'

He kissed her lightly on one cheek, then the other, before brushing his lips against hers. She sighed contentedly again. Taking her hand, he guided her over to the high window which overlooked the wide road below, beyond the confines of the prestigious Academika's walls.

'What brings Lyknisia's most prominent practitioner in the healing arts to my dusty old classroom.'

'You, of course.'

'Stop it,' she chided him gently. 'I thought you were working in the hospital this evening.'

'I am.'

'So why are you here? You'll be late.'

'Not very. Besides, I've been stuck in one boring meeting after another this afternoon, and I just had to get away and see you before I start my rounds. I miss you, you know.'

Aleyna smiled softly at him. They had been like this for years. Just plodding along together, no commitment, but fully committed to each other. Things were easy between them. They were perfect, Aleyna mused.

Noise in the road below drew her attention. A company of horsemen had stopped opposite their vantage point.

'You know, we're going to have to wed at some point,' she heard Eyvan say. Their relationship wasn't exactly frowned upon, but it was unusual, and there were those in the city who thought it time they settled down into a formal union.

'I know. It's just...'

'I know.' And he did. In this they were of one mind.

Commotion from the horsemen rose up from the street, and both Aleyna and Eyvan stood awhile, watching them. It was not strange or even noteworthy to see strangers to the island of Lyknisia. It was the greatest centre of learning in the known world. But these were different.

'The Mynythian's have arrived,' Eyvan finally commented.

As one of the horsemen, then another and another, dismounted, until they were all standing beside their horses, Aleyna's mouth fell open. 'They're almost giants,' she whispered. Although she was some distance away, she guessed that not one of them could have been shorter than six feet. They were also broad in the shoulders, and strong-looking.

As if Eyvan could read her thoughts, he said quietly, 'And made for war, some say.'

'They've answered the King's call for aid, do you think?' Aleyna turned her attention back to her lover.

'I hope so.'

Lyknisia was a self-contained island kingdom, but two centuries ago, the Duchy of Styvania, a small kingdom on the mainland a little further along the coast, had been given to Lyknisia, after a plague had very nearly wiped out its entire population. Now the king's brother, if he had one, or sister, if he didn't, resided there. As a semi-autonomous domain, it had very strong links with Lyknisia.

However, this past year, it had been attacked three times by raiders coming from the sea. As an academic nation, whose sole focus was learning, Lyknisia could do nothing to help the Duchy. They were teachers, professors, healers, architects, scientists, engineers, historians, record-keepers, and artisans. They were not soldiers. They were not warriors. And they had never needed to be before now.

Of course, by this time it was impossible to raise an army. After all, the people here were scholars. They fought with words, not weapons. So King Petor, who was distantly related to Aleyna (she was the niece of one of the king's second cousins), had sent out requests for help to all the closest kingdoms, and some further afield. Mynythia fell into the latter category. As it turned out, the king of Mynythia was a friend of Petor's. This had come as a big surprise to Aleyna, for she, like most educated people, knew that Mynythia was a secretive country, with little contact with the outside world.

'It's a long way to come if they're not going to help,' Aleyna mused.

'True. But these are problems for thinkers greater than us. We have other things to think about.'

Aleyna felt Eyvan's hands settle on her hips as he pulled her close. Then he kissed her, properly kissed her, not the gentle lip-brushing of earlier, but deeply and intensely. 'Promise me you'll wait up for me tonight,' he whispered, breathlessly. 'Promise me.'

How could she refuse.

* * * **

[Word count for chapter:1062, Word count for whole story: 3085 ]

Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider voting for it and / or leaving me a comment to let me know what you think.

Aleyna's life in this chapter contrasts greatly with what we saw in the opening chapter. She loves her work, and she has a very sweet, easy relationship going with Eyvan. But do things appear to be a little too perfect? I would love to hear your thoughts...

Have a great day!