Chapter Text
The morning after her Harrowing, she woke up before first bell, though she’d been too excited to sleep much. The new robes of a full mage lay next to her bed, and she felt a surge of pride as she slipped them over her head. She still had to be careful, she cautioned herself; she was new yet, and every other mage in the Circle outranked her.
But , she thought, I’ll be studying with him. I’ll work hard, I’ll be good, and then maybe someday I can leave.
She skipped the dining hall and went straight to his workshop; she was far too excited to eat. Her heart hammered in her chest as she raised her hand and knocked. She remembered herself a moment later. “Senior Enchanter? It’s Aylin.”
She could hear the smile in his voice as he called, “Come in, child.”
She slipped inside, taking in the neat shelves of books and scrolls clearly labeled in a dark, slashing hand. A glass cabinet of potions gleamed next to the desk where he sat, reading a thick, leather-bound tome. She was almost too excited to remember to bow her head and not fidget as she spoke. “I’m here, and ready to start studying.”
“So you are.” His smile widened, and she watched his fingers form the shape of a spell, directed at her. It was force magic. Her mind recoiled - she’d been wrong, he wasn’t any better than the rest of the enchanters, what had she done -
She saw the spell release, and she couldn’t stop herself from flinching. A heavy wooden thud sounded from behind her. It took her a moment to realize that she felt no pain - or any effect at all. It slowly registered that he had simply been closing the door. She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face.
“Aylin? Is everything all right?”
The words tripped over one another trying to get out. “Yes, yes, Senior Enchanter, everything is fine, I just thought, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, I won’t-”
He held up a hand to silence her, but he looked far more concerned than angry. “Did you think I was going to hurt you?”
Abruptly, all her words were gone. She snapped her mouth shut and nodded, ashamed.
“Oh, child.” A gentle hand lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “Aylin. I swear to you, by the Chant, that I will never spill a drop of your blood. You are far too valuable for that. Do you understand?”
Her vision shimmered a little bit through the tears welling in her eyes. “Y-yes, Senior Enchanter.” On a wild impulse, she added, “Thank you.”
Another tender smile, and a fond pat on her shoulder. “No need to thank me. I can already see I’ve chosen well. Now, shall we get to work?”