My hand went reflexively to cover my gasp as I looked around at the sight before us. It was amazing... As I stepped into the field of flowers behind the mirage, my eyes widened in wonder. All around us were apple trees and berry bushes, green and lush and practically sparkling with beauty; and not a hundred yards away, there was a huge town, straw-thatched roofs, flower boxes in the windows. It was like a fairy tale. Dazzling and bright despite the late hour. I stared at it all with amazement. "It's- It's..." I had no words to describe it.

Xic seemed pleased with my reaction and stepped through the mirage as well, letting it melt back into place behind us. "It's Ivoria," he said. Then he began leading me towards the town.

As we drew closer, I could see the lights were in fact torches, hung and mounted throughout the buildings, illuminating the streets with a warm, amber glow. There weren't many people about at this hour, but I saw some men leaving a building together, laughing boisterously and slapping each other on the back. Xic steered me away from them when we began smelling the beer on them even from ten feet away. That was probably for the best. 

I was wondering where we were going when Xic lead me through some gates. "This way," he said, and when I looked up, I gasped again. There was a large, stone stairway leading up. Up to a large, beautiful castle. My body sway and I grabbed Xic's arm to steady myself. "Is this... where the king lives?" I asked, though it was probably obvious.

Xic frowned, confused by my wonder. "This is where he leads his kingdom with the wisdom that was passed down to him from his father." The way he said it made me think that this person may really be someone great. But if that were true, what did he want with me? I wasn't even a part of his kingdom. I was just a farm girl. It made me feel uneasy.

When we reach the top of the stairs, we didn't go in the front doors. Xic said it was because most of the servants would be sleeping and we shouldn't wake them. Instead, we went around to a side door which lead us into a large kitchen. Empty, save for the many pots and pans hanging and sitting about the room. I followed Xic slowly, feeling as though I might be intruding. This place seemed somehow too royal for me, like this was a place for people of a higher standing, something I certainly was not. 

Still frowning, I trailed slowly after Xic as he brought me into a grand hall, lit with candles and torches. He started up another set of stairs, but I paused. "Where are we going? Am I supposed the meet the king now?"

Xic glanced back at me, frowning. "In those rags?" He made an expression of disgust at my clothes and I shifted uncomfortably. "That would be considered disrespectful," he said.

I gave him a sour look. "Well, it's not like I have anything else to wear," I snapped, my voice echoing in the large expanse of room around us. "You kind of threw me in a pond and then dragged me over fifty miles through the woods."

He rolled his eyes. "Girls are such work," he grumbled, coming back to grab my wrist and pull me up the stairs. There were many hallways, leading to dozens upon dozens of rooms, but he took me down a smaller one, to a door at the end. He knocked just loud enough not to wake the neighboring rooms. "Lady Charlotte," he called.

There was a rustling from the other side of the door before the handle turned and the door swung open to reveal a elderly, disheveled, sleepy looking woman, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a frown. "You return too late, boy. It is quite a hindrance to be awoken at this hour," she grunted. When she saw me, however, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. Then she smiled and grabbed Xic's hand. "Oh, goodness, is this her?" she asked excitedly. "My, she's a beauty!" Then she frowned. "But awful dirty. What did you do to the poor girl?"

I blushed as she pulled me closer and began wiping at my face with a cloth that she'd grabbed off a nearby table. When she realized that the cloth was actually doing more bad than good, she frowned and shot Xic a harsh look. "I knew his highness shouldn't have given you such responsibility. I'll show her to her room. You hurry off to bed now." She shook her head at him before she linked arms with me and began leading me down the hall, chatting happily with me as we walked. "Forgive him. He can be such reckless boy," she said, though she smiled like a proud mother. 

I glanced back, but it seemed he'd already disappeared around another corner. "Is he always so quiet?" I asked before I could stop myself.

The lady, Charlotte, laughed brightly and patted my hand. "He's a special child, that's for sure. Xic has always been like that, but then again, he has his reasons." She shrugged as she brought me down the hall. "We try not to pry too much."

I wished I could've asked more, but just then we came to a new door, finished with a delicate gold design. Then the lady opened the door and my breath caught in my throat. The room was huge, with a king sized bed in one corner, and an enormous ornate dresser in the other. The walls were decorated with a beautiful floral pattern, gold shine laced into the wallpaper to make it glitter from the light of the candles. As I stepped onto soft carpeting, I turned to her, too speechless for words.

She went over and lit the torch near the bed, brightening the room further. "This is your room, dear. It's a bit under used, but I assure you I shall have the maids come and tidy it for you in the morning," she said, smiling.

I shook my head. "This is... This is too much. I can't possibly-"

"Oh, don't you worry about that kind of thing. You'll understand everything in the morning," she told me, pulling the covers down and ushering me over. "Come now, you must be exhausted. You should get some sleep."

Slowly, because I was honestly beginning to wonder if I was dreaming, I walked towards her, slipping under the fluffy comforters as she pulled them up and tucked me in. She smiled at me one last time and gave my hair a gentle pat. "Sleep well. I shall wake you when it is morning," she said. With that, she left the room and I was alone.

For a moment, I lay silently. Then, when I was sure she was gone, I kicked the blankets back and ran to the window nearby. The ground was a dizzying way down and I stepped back warily. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Turning, I hurried over to the door. This place was crazy and I was going home no matter what. However, as I grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open, I found Xic standing on the other side. He frowned at me, obviously having been about to knock. I stepped back. "What do you want?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

He shifted his eyes away. "I was just coming to return this." He held his hand out, palm up. I looked down at it and found he had one of my hair ties. "I forgot I still had it from when you braided my mane for me," he said.

Tentatively, I reached out and took it, holding it close to my chest as if to protect myself. "Oh... Thank you," I said. Keeping my head down, I peeked at him. He was frowning at me again and I cleared my throat. "Did- Did you need anything else?"

He straightened and turned away. "That was all." Just as I tried to close the door though, he stopped me by placing a hand on the doorframe. "But you should be careful. Don't go wandering around at night," he said.

Then he turned and left, vanishing into the shadows further down the hallway. I closed the door slowly and leaned on it, looking down at my hair tie. I glanced out the window again before I sighed. I guess I'd have to wait. With disappointment, I crawled back under the covers and curled up on my side. I'd go home tomorrow. I'd tell the king that I appreciated his kindness, but I had to go home. Yeah... Auntie, Uncle, I'm coming home soon. I promise.

*******

Hey everyone! So I honestly can't believe I finished this today. I thought I wouldn't get it done on time, but as it turns out, everything went smoothly.This is an IMPORTANT message so PLEASE READ! So I posted a message on my board a few days ago letting you guys know that chapter one of Academy Supernatural is open to the public. You do not need to be a patron to read it. In other news, I'm planning to start keeping updates on my Tumblr account. If you'd like to follow me on there to see regular messages and keep up to date with my works, you can do that as well. I'll leave my name at the end of this message. One last thing, I will be changing my schedule one more time. I was updating one book a week and that seemed really slow, so now I'll be updating once a week in every open book, including my Patreon books. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday will be my new schedule. Wednesday is my Patreon update and all others are my Wattpad. That's it for now! Please go check out chapter one of Academy Supernatural and tell me what you think in the comment section! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! AS ALWAYS, VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, AND STAY AWESOME!

-Nekoco
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