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Song: "The Letter" from The Dragon Prince Season 2 OST

You were never one for jealousy, Mother, and you had an uncanny ability to not care what others thought while still being kind to them. You lifted your veil in public to kiss me until I received mine at the age of ten, you sang and danced and laughed in the street, and you would always ask passersby what books they were reading so you could read them too. How could you not crave love the way I do? Or were you always hiding your pain over the fact everyone saw you as odd? As people often say about me, you were a box of mysteries.

❂❂❂

After class the next day, Micah turned to leave, his shoulders slumped and his expression wilted. Light Spinner cleared her throat. Gentle tone, now. He's likely still upset from detention. "Micah, come here."

Micah paused, then shuffled over timidly. She gestured to a chair behind her desk, and he stiffened. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not today." He took his seat, and she offered her hand, just as Norwyn always did to her. After hesitation, he took it, and she sighed. "I grew up in a wealthy home in Bel Delvala, and I went to school every day until I was eighteen. Tell me - what was your upbringing in Tropicilas like?"

Micah's almond-shaped eyes snapped to hers. "You really want to know?"

She stroked his hand with her thumb. "Tell me everything."

"Well..." Micah swallowed. "I never went to school when I was little. My mom taught me Etherian Standard and some Meyan, but I'm not that good at it."

That explains why he has trouble understanding my directions sometimes. "And why is that?" Light Spinner almost whispered, hungry for information.

"I grew up in the pauperum," he answered, red coming to his cheeks. "We barely had enough money for clothes. The rest of our things we kind of foraged from nature. Housing materials, food from the ocean - stuff like that."

"I see. And how did you spend your days?"

Micah smiled a bit. "I played with the felinettas and other people like me in the village. I didn't...really have anything to do but hang out on the beach till I came to Mystacor." A pause. "I really miss doing that sometimes."

His voice was tentative, as though he was worried she would yell at him. Light Spinner inhaled, lowering her eyes. "I understand. But you've been at school for a month at this point; why haven't you learned how classroom interactions work yet?"

Micah winced. "I'm not sure. I...sometimes think sorcery isn't for me."

Light Spinner raised an eyebrow, jealous irritation rising in her chest. "But what about 'teach me shapeshifting' and 'I want to be in Light Spinner's class'? Why would you toss away the chance at such power? You have potential, Micah."

Micah lowered his eyes. "I do want that power. I just didn't expect it to be this hard - classroom stuff, I mean." He blushed. "I feel stupid. I've...kind of given up on being a good student."

Light Spinner laid her other hand over his. "Then I can't help you," she murmured. "Not if you don't want to improve."

Micah sighed. "A reason to keep figuring out how to be something different than I am, so I can be what you want me to be. Why did you become a sorceress?"

I understand, Micah. I do. I'm such a fraud - I had to pretend to succeed in class. "That's a story for another time," she said quietly. "Please go to your next class. I will...think on this."

✧✧✧

She sighed as Micah left class. Whatever am I to do with the boy? He is so talented - far more than I was when I first came to Mystacor - yet he just doesn't want to work.

Her Guild badge glowed, and Light Spinner's eyes widened. Moons above, I'm going to be late. She gathered her bags and files, then cast a transportation spell to the Lunarium, praying she wasn't tardy for her first meeting. 

She took a deep breath and smiled following her arrival, trying to disguise the stress from wrangling Micah. "I'm here."

The rest of the Guild yielded somber stares, and Norwyn looked nervous from where he stood. A redhead with a septum ring and reptilian eyes gazed at her from across the room as she nonchalantly leaned against a pillar. Already Light Spinner disliked her, though she hadn't uttered a word.

"Let us begin," Norwyn called from the cauldron. "This Guild meeting is under grave circumstances, because a strange occurrence has taken place in Tropicilas. A ship has been found near the border of Tropicilas and the Crimson Waste."

A merman- Muriel, Light Spinner recalled - spoke. "You mean to tell us that a ship crashed into a landlocked area?"

The other Guild members passed each other confused stares. "Can you bring up an image?" she asked Norwyn. He obliged, and a projection of what was clearly some sort of still spacecraft appeared onscreen.

Light Spinner wasn't what one would call an expert on the First Ones, but her childhood days were filled with looking through artifacts they had left behind in Bel Delvala's historum. "It's not a skiff," she said. "It's a spacecraft."

"A First Ones' shuttle?" the redhead asked. "Kid, you're not making sense."

"No," Light Spinner replied. "This one is at least five times larger. And it has that strange symbol on the side." She enlarged the image, and a symbol that one could only describe as bat wings appeared onscreen. The base of her skull tingled. "It just...crashed here?" she asked.

Norwyn nodded. "We are unsure if it crashed, or was simply dug up, but it was spewing smoke when it was found. Clerbélia sent out intelligence to get a reading on what it could be, but I am afraid they disappeared."

Light Spinner furrowed her brow. "Then shouldn't we go out and investigate? We do have our own magic, after all. And the princesses have not moved to help."

Norwyn shook his head. "It's too risky, Light Spinner."

"Not for me," she said, pressing her fingertips together. "If you sent me, I would be able to defend myself if I got into the wrong situation. And -"

"No," the redhead said firmly. "I know you want an outlet for your crazy powers, but that doesn't mean we have to give it to you. You're a Fulminate. Stop pretending you can be honest over anything." Light Spinner groaned. Seraphites. Those religious idiots don't understand anything. 

A sigh from Ahelia. "Festinia, please."

Light Spinner didn't want the eccentric older woman to defend her; she could do just fine herself. She crossed her arms. "If you may recall, I don't believe in your ghost tales about a cosmic mother, and Mystacor is not governed based on such principles."

Arvina sighed. "Light Spinner, regardless of religion, you have no idea whether anyone was even onboard the craft."

At least she's reasonable. Somewhat. "The explorers likely would have returned if it was some old empty starship. And where does a starship even come from, anyway?"

The Guild was silent. Light Spinner groaned. "Nobody knows? Beyond Etheria!"

A pause, then chuckling laughter from everyone except Norwyn and Ahelia. Light Spinner crossed her arms. "Why is this unheard of? Don't you know that the First Ones came from beyond Etheria? It was a thousand years ago; surely there was more then. Our telescopes have found evidence that stars once existed."

Festinia sighed. "Uh, yeah. A thousand years ago. There's no way something could just pop in from beyond Etheria. Something's changed. We're alone. This starship was probably some old First Ones' craft that a sandstorm dug up - it's nothing to get so riled up about."

Light Spinner scowled. "Very well," she said softly. "But if I end up being right -"

"We know. We'll eat our words. Good thing that's not going to happen."

❂❂❂

Did you know...

• The First Ones were the original settlers of Etheria. They disappeared mysteriously a thousand years ago, and the mystery surrounding why is a major plot thread in the show.

• I decided to make Micah poor because in the show, he comes across as very informal and chill, especially given who he later became. (😉)