Adolebitque {Burn}

Arya stared at the scene before her and she couldn't believe her eyes. The academy had been mostly burned to the ground. There was rubble everywhere and items from the academy had been scattered across the ground. Arya took a small step forward to explore the remains of the Narvian Academy. She manoeuvred through the stones and bricks looking for anything that would remind her of home. With a pang in her heart Arya realized that most of her belongings would have been destroyed as well.

Although Arya wasn't a sentimental person, the academy had been her home. She had grown up here and experienced and learned so much. Lifting up different bricks Arya began hunting to finding items. She found a couple of books, quills but nothings that held much value. It was at that point a shadow caught her gaze. She moved towards it and lifted the broken wall that had crumbled on the object. Once she removed it, Arya tenderly lifted up the object.

It was her ocarina.

She didn't how it ended up here, but it had survived. Millions of things had been broken and destroyed yet this ocarina had been saved. Arya knew there must have been a reason for this ocarina to survive. She picked up the instrument and gingerly made her way back to eclipse. She lay down on the trunk of one of the trees that survive before she began to play.

It was a beautifully tragic song. Beginning with a high note that spoke of all the loss that Arya had felt from the death of Harper to seeing the academy destroyed right in front of her. The music allowed Arya to depict her feelings better than actual words. The tune seemed to flow from the ocarina and it filled the void academy. Arya ended the last note before opening her eyes wishing to see if the academy would be whole again by some miracle.

It wasn't.

Arya heard footsteps behind her and she turned pulled out Anaz with lightning speed only lowering it she realized it was Lady Zelie. She wasn't dressed in her usually gowns but in battle armour. There were tears glistening in her eyes and they cascaded down her rosy cheeks.

Arya had never seen Lady Zelie cry but seeing her right now something in her heart broke. Her Lady was the strongest person she knew and to see her shattered in a million pieces... she hated it. She despised the people that made her reach this point in her life. The ever smiling Lady Zelie had been lost replaced by a broken shell of her former self.

"You always did play the most beautiful tunes on the ocarina." She commented through her tears.

Arya could see she was trying to keep her voice brave for her. Arya had played the ocarina a number of times after arriving at the academy but only for Lady Zelie. When the academy numbers had begun to increase and Lady Zelie had gotten busier, Arya had stopped playing. Every time she played it hurt too much but she would do it for Lady Zelie. She was her saviour, friend, princess, and family all combined into one.

"My Lady," Arya said softly before taking her hand in her own.

Lady Zelie looked shocked behind the curtain of tears and Arya knew why. She had shied away from physical contact but Aaron had taught it was a form of communication ones love for another and in some moments it was necessary.

"That tune was heartbreaking beautiful." Lady Zelie said before wiping away her tears. Her eyes were red and blotched but she was back to the strong woman Arya knew.

"Through this whole ordeal, I didn't shed a single tear. Everyone was sobbing over the losses but I kept my head held high because I needed to. I was required to. But that song just wove into my heart and reminded me what we all loss and I couldn't keep it in anymore." Lady Zelie explained with a sad smile.

"We all need to let it out sometimes. That is what our friends are for. We depend on them to pull us back together when we begin to fall apart."

The look that Lady Zelie gave Arya nearly broke her own heart. "My dear Arya, I do not have the luxury to fall apart. I am a leader and I must be strong for everyone else."

Arya motioned towards the scene before them. "What happened after I left?"

Lady Zelie took a deep breathe before she began. "There was a lot of fighting. The intruders made their way inside while destroying the entrances for easier access. They began attacking the knights and looking for the academy students. Luckily most of them were in the safe room so wherever they went, they found empty rooms."

Arya nodded urging Lady Zelie to continue. "They tried getting to the students but Yasmin, Silvia, and Jennica held them off from entering the room before the knights were able to join them. We were successfully able to drive out all intruders."

"How many casualties were there?"

Lady Zelie looked down on the ground before she whispered the number, "nine."

"Have you already buried them?" Arya asked.

Arya couldn't believe it. The guilt was eating her up. If she had stayed, maybe she could have prevented those deaths. If they had been able to figure out about the upcoming war maybe they would have been able to prevent the entire attack. But those were all maybe's and Arya didn't have any powers to turn back time and change the events so she along with everyone else was stuck with the present.

Lady Zelie dipped her head. "We buried them in the gardens of the academy so their final resting place would be somewhere serene."

"It seems absurd that so many lives were lost. If we were told these a couple of months ago, nobody would have believed us that the academy was going to be attacked." Arya spoke with a heavy voice.

Lady Zelie looked up at the sky. "We can only move forward and remember the losses and work to prevent more from occurring." She then switched the subject. "Were you able to gather any information from the King?"

Arya grimaced. She hated to be the one delivering the bad news to Lady Zelie but she needed to know about what was going to occur. "The Kingdoms of Gurvold Mavera and Haxovola and formed an alliance and they plan to wage war against us."

Lady Zelie's eye's widened before she buried her head into her hands. "This cannot be happening. Arya please tell me this is a joke!"

Arya shook her head with great difficulty. "I'm afraid my Lady it is the truth. King Rupert and the knights have already begun to prepare and the war camp is going to be set in Monique."

Lady Zelie walked to her horse that was tied to one of the trees that had not been destroyed. She saddled her horse and mounted on the stallion before motioning Arya to do the same.

Arya looked confused. "Where are we going my Lady? Don't you want to know the rest of the story?"

"We are going to Dzfrah where the rest of the girls and knights have been set up. I have been gone long enough and I'm pretty sure that the knights would have noticed my disappearance by now and I don't want them to worry. You can explain the rest of the story on horseback as we travel. It will save us some time and allow us to reach Dzfrah quicker. I am sure you will need rest as well." Lady Zelie explained.

Arya nodded and she looked at the destroyed academy before mounting on Eclipse to move forward. She and Lady Zelie had a lot to talk about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Arya arrived at the location everyone was staying at, a lot of heads perked up. The Earl of Dzfrah had set up as many rooms as he could and half of the girls had been put up in those rooms while the others were in a nearby inn. The knights had been split into two parties likewise. Lady Zelie had explained to her that she would be staying at the manor alongside Silvia, Jennica, and Yasmin amongst many others. Lady Zelie's division had been clear. People who needed less supervision had been placed in the manor while the others were staying at an inn under the scrutiny of Madame Kenna, Lady Catherine and others.

Arya had explained the entire discussion she had with the King. Lady Zelie had surprisingly taken the news with grace and had agreed with many of the strategies that King had laid out. Of course Lady Zelie had inputted her own ideas and she had explained that she would be breaking the news to the other students over dinner where everyone would be gathered at Earl's manor.

"Where have you been Lady Zelie?" Sir Gideon rushed forward to question the princess. His hair was all over the place and his face was etched with worry.

Arya hid a small smile behind her hand. Lady Zelie had scared the knights for no apparent reason. They probably had been terrified that something might have occurred to harm the Princess on their watch.

Lady Zelie calmly answered their questions with the partial truth. "I went to retrieve Arya."

There were five pair of eyes that turned to her when Lady Zelie mentioned her name and Arya meekly waved her hand. "I didn't know this was the place I was supposed to return to so Lady Zelie prevented my confusion."

Sir Gideon sighed in response. "My Lady, next time just tell us where you are going before you actually leave."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Arya took this moment to give her horse to one of the stable boys before entering the manor. She had never been in the manor before so she seemed pretty loss and had no idea where to go. Arya stopped one of the maids in the hallway asking her where the rest of the academy girls where.

"I'm not sure Miss but you might be able to find them on the third floor of the manor."

Arya thanked her before climbing the flight of stairs to the third floor. It seemed livelier on the third floor and Arya could recognize some of the girls from the academy. They didn't seem as loud as they usually were and Arya knew it was because of the recent events.

"Arya is back." Someone whispered.

Arya turned around trying to get a glimpse of the face that had spoken but she couldn't. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the mutters following her. Almost at the end of the hallway, she spotted Yasmin and Silvia leaning against the door.

"Well look whose back." Silvia said casually.

"Good to see you alive." Arya replied.

"We have trained harder than to be defeated by some intruders who decide it was okay to attack our home." Yasmin said firmly.

Arya smiled at them proudly. "I heard about your bravery from Lady Zelie herself. It looks like you both held down the fort very well," then in a softer tone she added, "thank you for doing that."

Silvia and Yasmin both placed a hand on their chest military style. "It was an honour."

"Could either of you lead me to my room?"

Silvia let a small smile. "Ah, this time you don't get to have your own room. Instead you have the honour of sharing with Jennica."

Arya couldn't believe her ears. "Who on earth made these pairings?"

"We did." Yasmin also had a smug smile on her face. "Since you were gone and Jennica didn't have anyone to pair up with, the two of you were put into one room. You don't need to be too sour though. She got one of the best rooms in the castle due to her connection with Walter."

Arya sighed. It seemed as though her stay in Dzfrah was going to be a long one due to the time she would be forced to spend it with Jennica. "Just point me to the room."

Silvia and Yasmin led her to the room, "Here it is."

Arya gingerly opened the door and was considerably in a brighter mood once she saw that Jennica was not in the room as well. She placed her leather satchel and Anaz by the empty bed and sat down on the mattress.

"How has everyone been holding up?" Arya asked Silvia and Yasmin softly.

Silvia took a deep breath, "it's been difficult and we had more people leave the academy. We probably only have a quarter of the academy's population remaining."

"What did you hear from the King?"

Yasmin and Silvia's faces looked hopefully for some news but Arya knew she couldn't tell them. Although Lady Zelie hadn't explicitly told her that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone about the events that had transpired in Kathoria, Arya knew she was bound by an invisible contract to make sure that nobody knew the events until Lady Zelie deemed it necessary.

"I'm not allowed to share the news but I'm sure Lady Zelie will address everyone at dinner."

Silvia groaned. "Fine, since you aren't allowed to talk just single if the news is good or bad. Raise your right hand if it's good and you're left if it's bad."

Arya sighed. She owed the two of them and the least she could do was keep them in the loop. Slowly Arya raised her left hand.

"I had a feeling," Yasmin said softly.

Silvia opened her mouth to speak but a loud bong issued making Arya jump in surprise. "What was that?"

It was Silvia who answered her question. "It's the bell that signals dinner time."

Arya rose from the bed and unclasped her travelling cloak before nimbly braiding her midnight blue hair. She knew the rules of the royals and although the Earl of Dzfrah wasn't true royalty she knew the manor had certain edicts that needed to be followed in order to maintain peace.

"Would one of you like to lead the way to the dining room?"

Silvia and Yasmin also rose and the three of them made their way to the dining room. Arya took the time to take in her surroundings. There were paintings lining the walls of the manor much like the palace but these weren't portraits. Instead they were paintings displaying the beautiful scenery of Kalvaria.

Arya couldn't help but stop in front of one of the paintings that took her breath away. She was sure the artist had been close the Narvian Academy since it seemed as though the artist was airborne. The beautiful golds, pinks, and blues had been caught alongside the birds that were usually present at sunrise. If Arya close her eyes she could match her own memories with the painting. It was an exact replica. Inspecting it closer, Arya looked for the artist's signature but couldn't find it.

"Do any of you know who drew this?"

Silvia and Yasmin both shrugged their shoulder.

"Come on we will be late for dinner if we don't leave right now."

Arya was pulled away from the paintings but she vowed to come back and take a closer look after dinner. When they arrived at the dining room, most of the students had already been seated. Extra tables and chairs had been set up in the ends of the main table to accommodate the extra guest.

The three of them took a seat and then waited for dinner to be served. The food was laid out on the table and everyone began eating once Lady Zelie gestured her hand for them to do so. There was little chatter during the meal as everyone seemed to be focused on their food. Arya was quick to finish her meal and took the extra time to glance around the room.

At the head of the table, Lady Zelie was immersed in conversation with Earl of Dzfrah and someone who looked to be very familiar. Arya looked to the right of the table and she saw the resemblance clearly. It seemed as though Marquess Esmond had also come to Dzfrah. Jennica seemed to be avoiding her father during the meal as she made sure not to make eye contact with the Marquess.

Once everyone was done their meal, Lady Zelie took this time to address the group in front of her. Her blond hair had been tied back into a simply braid and she had opted to switch out of her knights uniform into a lilac dress that had a black belt tied around her waist.

She cleared her throat before beginning, "As all of you know, the Narvian Academy was attacked a week ago. What many of you might not know is that the Narvanian Academy was also attacked."

There were gasp and chatter aroused from the guest but Lady Zelie held a hand to hush them. "We have learned that these attacks were not some accident but planned very carefully. Through our knights we have gathered intelligence that the countries of Haxovola, Gurvold, and Mavera have formed a coalition to wage war against Kalvaria."

Though most of the guest looked surprise, Arya saw the calm look on Lord Esmond's face. He looked collected as if war was not a big deal. Arya knew it was the exact opposite. The teachers and nobles were trying to make it seem less than it was in order to avoid fear.

"We have asked the King to allow the Narvian and the Narvanian students to help with the war efforts. After much consideration he has agreed." Lady Zelie's seafoam eyes made sure to peer into every student carefully. "Going to war is not something to be taken lightly. If you would like to participate, we will leave in the morning towards Monique where the main camp will be set up. You are free to make you own decision and I suggest you take time to ponder the consequences as well. As for those of you who decided not to go to war, you will be evacuated to Caydeh which is much closer to the palace and a greater distance from the Eastern port."

Lady Zelie waved her hand. "You are all dismissed now. Take this time to decide your faith."

There was a clatter of noise as the students rose from their seats. Arya looked at Yasmin and Silvia to see what they were thinking.

"Have you made a decision?" She asked the two of them.

There was steel determination in both Yasmin and Silvia's eyes and Arya knew the answer even before they spoke. "Yes."

Arya held up her glass and Silvia and Yasmin followed in suit. "To war we go for our country." She toasted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arya was having trouble sleeping. She had been tossing and turning in her bed ever since she had settled down. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could picture the destroyed academy and the image haunted her.

Sighing she got up from bed and glanced around the room. The second bed remained empty has Jennica had not returned to the room ever since Arya had settled in. Glancing briefly at the door, Arya made her decision. She strapped Anaz to her side and slipped out the door. The manor was not lit as well as the academy and it seemed that almost everyone was asleep.

Arya glanced at the paintings but the faint sounds of conversation made her ears perk up. Wondering who was awake at such an ungodly hour, Arya followed the noise. She tiptoed her way and stood behind a pillar to get a good look through the glass doors. Arya saw Jennica's familiar brown hair standing beside Marquess Esmond.

"I do not want you to take part in the war." The Marquess spoke calmly.

"You know as well as I do that I will be on the front lines fighting for my academy." Jennica spoke in a bitter tone.

The Marquess' voice rose, "I am your father and you will obey my orders. I will have the servants chain you to your room if I have to."

Jennica just smiled sardonically. "I'd love to see you try father. Lady Zelie said that it was our choice to make and guess what? You don't have any say in it. On a brighter note this is the first time in almost three months you have contacted me. What a great father you are." Jennica threw the term father mockingly.

Arya wasn't prepared to face Jennica and so when she stormed outside Arya was shocked and surprise. Jennica looked at her with distain. "Did you have a pleasant time eavesdropping on my conversation?"

Arya opened her mouth to defend herself. "I was just walking around the manor and came here by accident. I'm sorry about your fight." She added the last bit after quickly thinking it over.

Jennica shook her head and almost spat at Arya. "I don't need your pity. Good night."

She stormed down the hallway leaving Arya to glance at her retreating figure once again wondering where she had gone wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Song Arya played is the video above. (one of the saddest pieces ever) Looks like Jennica is back to normal once again. So what did you guys think of the chapter? Please remember to vote and comment also share the story with all your friends! It would mean a lot to me since the book has also been entered in the Watty's. :)