Nikolai stared at the drab little brown envelope in his hand. It was addressed to him without any indication of the sender except the ornate crimson seal with the initials GQA. Of course it wouldn't be from an admirer, those were mostly pink and scented. This, he sniffed, was just paper. Cracking the seal with his thumb Nikolai skimmed over the letter's content.

Greetings Nikolai,

May the blessed moon always shine on you. You have been granted the honour of being accepted into The Golden Quill Academy where sharp minds and quills are honed, making them your greatest weapons. 

If you assent to the offer, you are to follow the instructions on the next page.

Master Weaver.

  Nikolai crumpled the letter and tossed it into the waste bin.The words made his head reel. What in the world did it mean? Quills as greatest weapons? The staffs might beg to differ. He shook his head, chuckling as he unstrapped them from his back, placing them gently on the carved oak table. When did he even apply for this? He didn't, he knew but this had somehow found its way to him. Was someone trying to hex him? He sighed in frustration and dug into the waste. 

  His fae senses picked at it  as he concentrated on what he wanted to find. A slight scent of flowers, not the dark coppery stench of dark magic he had expected. Groaning in frustration Nikolai tried to smoothen the crumpled sheet only to crumple it again a second later. 

  This quest was ridiculous! He was a fighter and healer, he hadn't written anything except official letters in the past 2 years. Not that he didn't have anything to write, with everything going on the bards could sing of his life and the Royal theater could create plays. Maybe this was the quest he needed to get away. 

  The letter called to him, like kindred spirits. With a deep breath he smoothen the letter again and flipped it over.

When you are ready find a mirror, place your left palm on its surface and say the following words : 

'Hear these words, hear these rhyme.

We send you this reflecting sign

That ourselves we will find, 

In another place and time.'

  Nikolai stifled another urge to toss it into the bin. This was the most poorly constructed spell he had seen in years. It didn't even rhyme! All good spells rhymed.

  Garments lay on his bed, neatly folded. Nikolai stuffed those into the satchel, remembering to throw in a good amount of gold coins. Taking money was a good idea, the fighting staffs? Not so much. Running a hand through his hair he internally debated, like he had done for the past 3 hours about the letter. Only that this time it was about his staffs. 

  His troubled gaze fell on the gold coins and decided that flipping a coin would be the way to go. Yes if head faces up and No if it doesn't.

 Balancing the coin on his thumb and index finger he closed his eyes. The coin went up with a thwang and thudded against wooden floor. Nikolai peeked with one eye and sighed in defeat, seems like the staffs wouldn't make it. 

 Nikolai stared at the foggy mirror wiping it down with his gloved hands to find his reflection, satchel slung across his back, hair braided at the sides, jaw set in determination, all ready to go. Placing his left palm against the cool surface, he took a last sweeping look at his chamber, lingering a tad too long on the letter at the table he had written explaining his absence and those beauties lying next to it. Tearing his gaze away from them he held up the letter from the academy and with a deep breath he begun.

  "Hear these words, hear these rhyme.
We send you this reflecting sign," Nikolai paused, his chest heaving as he crumpled the poorly battered piece once again. 

  "Hear these words, hear this rhyme. Well, Fuck me," He muttered as he walked over to table and strapped the staffs onto his back, nice and tight.

  "Alright, here we go again" he said to his reflection, 

  "Hear these words, hear this rhyme.

We send you this reflecting sign,

That ourselves we will find, 

In another place and time." 

 A second passed and then another. 

  'I knew the spell wasn't crafted well-" Nikolai felt a tug in his belly button, the force of it increasing by the very second. It travelled to his chest, his neck and his head, then it went dark.