Introductio {An introduction} 

The sun's golden rays spread out through the land sending the world is a beautiful golden hue. Any human would die to see the sight. Everything upon which the sun's rays touched seemed to be magnified in its beauty. The girl who stood on the rocky cliff was no exception.

Her midnight-blue hair seemed darker and shimmered in the basking light. Her Aztec eyes were wide and seemed to be dancing with concentration. She extracted her sword, Anaz out of the brown leather sheath. She took a deep breath and practiced a few moves.

Her actions varied. Sometimes they were sharp as a shark splitting the water. Other times they were as soft as the water lilies in a pond. She moved at the speed of lightning and it seemed that a mystical aura had surrounded her. Her footsteps were quick and light as a feather; not remaining in the same place for more than a mere minute. High above the ground, Arya looked every bit like the fearsome warrior she was.

After a good amount of time, when the sun had settled itself well into the sky, she sheathed her sword. Beads of sweat lined her face, and her breathe was short and panting. Feeling satisfied for the day, Arya climbed down the cliff with ease and headed towards the Narvian Academy.

The path to the academy was pretty long but Arya was used to it. After years of climbing the rugged cliff, following the stony twig path, it had become well engraved in her memory. The cliffs over looked the Academy, acting as the sole protector of any forces approaching from the Eastern Bay.

When she arrived at the mahogany gates, the two women who stood there greeted her. "Good morning Arya." They both said in unison while giving Arya a timid smile.

Arya merely nodded in reply. She found it useless to speak unless it was the Princess giving her command or if it was needed. The tongue was like a snake, waiting to be let out and spread its poison everywhere. To prevent that, the teeth acted like guards grasping it down. An intelligent soul spoke less, and observed more.

Arya stepped into the brightly light Narvian Academy. Red carpets had been placed on the cool marble floors. The walls were decorated with candles and paintings of the Royal Kalvarian family. Massive archways with intricate designs were spread throughout the place. It was a miniature version of King Rupert's Palace.

The Narvian Academy had been divided into two parts, three levels: on the first floor were the classrooms, dining hall, and the massive library. The second floor contained the dorms for all the students. The third floor was occupied by the headmistress, Princess Zelie, and the rest of the teachers. Outside the academy were lush green gardens with breathtaking roses and sparkling fountains spraying cool, mystical water. It was a dream Academy, the best in the land. It was also unique in the sense that anyone could attend. Princesses, commoners, ladies in waiting-there was a place for all of them. Under the roof of the academy, they were all just students.

As Arya strode through the halls, the chatting girls from before had become oddly silent. This was nothing new for Arya. It was the same cycle over and over again. She wondered when they would stop.

If they would stop.

It was partially her fault too. She had an unapproachable vibe around her and didn't trust anyone besides Princess Zelie.

Arya reached her chamber and pulled the door open. She was the only one, out of all the students, to get a separate room. It was probably due to the fact she was the academy's first student. Thank God for that. She didn't know if she could stand sharing a room with the loud, cheery girls.

Arya slipped off her armor and replaced it with the school uniform. A simple white blouse, navy blue skirt and comfortable shoes for training. She placed Anaz carefully in the brown wooden box and slid it under her bed. She wouldn't need it until later on. With a final sweep of a glance across the room she closed the door behind her and headed towards the dining hall.

Long wooden tables had been placed with shinning crystal chandeliers. Since it was morning time, the red silk curtains had been opened up to let in the sunlight. Grabbing her breakfast, Arya sat on the closest table. She munched quietly and listened to the buzzing girls around her. A few moments later, the entire hall seemed to be in pin drop silence.

Lady Zelie strode through the hall wearing a pale white garment with pink fringes. Her seafoam eyes glanced around the room. Immediately, everyone curtsied in respect. She took her seat in the middle of the hall as a maid scurried to bring her breakfast. She was quite for a few moments eating her breakfast before she stood up.

"Good Morning," she uttered her voice soft as velvet. There were mutters of 'mornings' in reply.

"I'm assuming you all are doing well?" she questioned.

A chorus of 'yes' followed.

"There's going to be a surprise for the best of you here." Her eyes twinkled with a knowing look. "It's going to be announced in couple of days, so keep up the work ethic and study hard for the exams approaching in a few months."

She sat back down and gave a wave of her hand indicating everyone was dismissed. There was a feel of energy igniting around the girls now. Everyone was puzzled and trying to figure of the surprise.

"Maybe it's a dragon!" A girl squealed.

"No you numskull, it can't be!" Her friend replied.

Arya snorted. Their ideas were despicable. If the Princess wanted to tell them, she would. Meanwhile, people need to learn to keep their noses in their own business. The old clock bonged eight times indicating that it was time for the girls to head to their classes. Arya walk leisurely until she arrived at her first class, Kalvarian History.

She sat down at her seat just as Madame Mina stood at the front of the class. She performed the roll call and like the past year, not a single soul was absent. Madame Mina did not take absences or tardiness lightly. In fact, her methods of punishment seem to elevate each time.

She put down her quill and spoke in her sharp, bold voice. "Today, we will continue learning about the war that surrounded the lands near Kalvaria and made it the kingdom it is today."

Arya tried her best to look interested, key word being tried. She had read about the history of Kalvaria many times in the library. The princess herself had told Arya about the history too. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a mandatory subject, Arya wouldn't be seating here. So when Madame Mina picked on her to recite what had been said, she merely nodded, not an ounce of panic on her face. Any other girl would have been terrified to say the least.

"Kalvaria was always a very beautiful place. Everyone lived in peace and harmony for hundreds of years. While war raged on in the neighboring kingdoms, Kalvaria was known to be a safe place for refugees to live in." she paused as she imagined the scene before her.

"Naturally, the neighboring kingdoms were jealous and they wanted to flourish as Kalvaria had. So they plotted and planned and decided to wage war on this Kingdom. Kalvaria never really had a trained army because of the peace that had been maintained for years. So when the neighboring kingdoms attacked, Kalvaria was nearly destroyed. The King and his family were killed and the greenery that once surrounded Kalvaria was now filled with blood and corpses."

Madame Mina motioned for Arya to continue. Arya looked around and saw that the girls were interested in the tale. Zelie had once told her that her voice was mesmerizing, and it was easy to get lost in the words that she spoke. After that, Arya had become even more worried about speaking in fear of letting the wrong things slip out. But this time was different as confidence surged into her words as she spoke the tale of her nation.

"The neighbouring kingdoms were overjoyed. They had come together to defeat the might kingdom of Kalvaria. They became overly confident during that time to the point in which they blandly ignored that which was clearly in front of them. At this moment a single man stood for the injustice that was being done to his people. His name was Sir Lancelot."

Arya smiled at the memory of the knight who turned Kalvrian back on its feet. He had been honoured through the generation and praises of his name in the forms of poetry and bards were still sung all around the kingdom till this day.

"Sir Lancelot gathered and trained the remaining Kalverian men and women and the hope that had once withered away came back with a stronger flame that would never be quenched. He became the spark to the fire as he led the Kalverian folks to victory. The people wanted Sir Lancelot to become the king, but he alleged himself as unworthy. Instead, he passed the crown to his best-friend, Edward the I. Sir Lancelot's and King Edward's family forged a bond with the likes that had never been seen before in history."

"Sir Lancelot's descendants became military leaders as well as protectors of the royal family. King Edward's family became the future rulers of Kalvaria. Although Sir Lancelot's family lineage became scarce, there still live a few who have his blood running through their veins."

The current military leader of Kalvaria was supposed to have the blood of Sir Lancelot but it wasn't confirmed. Although many claimed to be from his blood line, it was not certain if they actually were as they supposedly didn't possess power equal to Sir Lancelot.

"That is the story of Kalvaria's history." Arya concluded.

Arya noticed that the girls woke up as if they had been under a daze. Even Madame Mina blinked as if a spell had been lifted.

"Well, that certainly summarizes the History extremely well." She smiled at Arya. It was a smile that she rarely showed, "That was wonderful dear."

Arya muttered thanks but managed to keep her face neutral.

"Now, ladies I want to test your hearing skill." Madam Mina started. "I want you all to-" her voice was cut off by the long bong of the clock indicating the class was over.

The girls stood put but Madame Mina held out a hand. "Hold on, I mustn't forget about your homework; I want you all to write a three parchment essay about the history of Kalveria. It's due tomorrow, and you won't be allowed to enter my class without it."

The girls groaned in unison. Arya stood up to exit the class but was held back by Madame Mina. "Arya, a moment please," she pointed to her desk.

Arya followed her, speculating as to why she had been called back. Her question was to be answered moments later.

She pushed the glasses on the bridge of her nose higher. "Arya, I am well aware that you are well revised in the History of Kalvaria. Simply put, giving you a three parchment essay on the history will not suffice."

Arya mentally agreed with her. She would have been able to complete the task within mere minutes without having to research at all.

"I will not have an exceptionally intellectual pupil's time wasted. Instead, I want you to research something that will have an impact on the future; especially the near future." Her eyes twinkled with knowledge.

For a moment, Arya wondered what it could be. Shaking of her curiosity she looked a Madame Mina questioningly. "What is it?"

"The subject of your essay will be Heres Gladii." She motioned her hands towards the door. "Go on, you'll be late for your class. The only hint I will give you is that it's a Latin word."

As Arya exited the class she pondered upon the name.

Heres Gladii.

It definitely sounded Latin, only she wasn't sure of the meaning. Her Latin was rusty, as they simply spoke in Kalverish. Only when a delegate would come to the country were the moments in which the prehistoric language, Latin, was used. To ensure this fair communication, nobles were taught the language; although no one else was forbidden from learning it, others simply did not require it therefore didn't think to waste their time on such a tedious task.

Nobles.

That was it; Princess Zelie was a noble. Surely his Majesty had ensured that his own daughter knew the ancient language. Form the various tutors that Zelie had, she was sure she knew at least a few words. Arya thought about going to ask her but decided against it. There would be no effort required but that was to easy and the way of the weak. Arya was anything but weak, so she would search in the Antediluvian library. It was a beautiful library containing historical books and scrolls centuries old. It most certainly would be there. Or so she hoped.

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And so Arya's story begins! I am super excited to be starting this. It's something that I have never done before and I hope you guys like it. Please remember to vote or comment below if you do. Btw how are you guys liking Arya's character? She's a mystery, ain't she? Very intriguing character to write about. The chapter titles are all going to be in Latin if you all were wondering. Love you all and see you next week! -Kyra