Chapter Text
She was drowning in the one place within the ocean it wasn’t possible.
The towering walls of water surrounding the Great Hall had always seemed like a grand protector to Agott; they meant safety from the Brimmed Caps and prying eyes, along with being all she had ever known. Whenever she had a free moment, she would wander through the streets until she met the misty border of the space her kind had carved into the waves. The filtered light shining down sparkled, and she loved to watch the sea creatures swim by. Lately, though, the sparkling currents had turned to spotlights on all of her many faults.
The perks of being in a magical underwater castle full of witches had quickly turned it into an echo chamber full of whispers about the fallen child of the great House of Arklaum. Her own mother wouldn’t even look at her.
She deserved it.
After everything had fallen apart, not much had changed in her day-to-day. She may categorize her life in the Before and After, but the fact remained that she still spent her days locked in her room pouring over books and falling asleep at her desk, ink-stained fingers tucked in her lap.
The difference was Before was spent trying to stay, and After was looking for a way out.
The options were limited. Studying under her mother was out. Adina Arkrome had made that very clear. Anyone else in the family would only keep her close to the rumors and look at her like the failure she was. The other first families wouldn’t take her. A random atelier in the Great Hall could be promising, maybe someone on the edges could help her blend in. But, she knew it wouldn’t work like that. Anything in the Hall was too close to home, literally. Which meant she would have to look where she had never wanted to go: outside, on the surface.
Living on the surface wasn’t too common; most witches tended to keep to themselves when they weren’t taking commissions or otherwise working with outsiders. However, there were many little settlements around Zozah where witches gathered outside the Great Hall. Agott just needed to find the best Master, someone who could help her improve. Someone who could help her get her mom to smile at her again.
A few weeks of research had brought her to an answer she didn’t fully like. An answer in the form of a witch who occasionally wove through the Hall like a ghost. A witch who had once studied under the best there is.
She didn’t know where his atelier was exactly; she just knew it was far away. Witches around her loved to talk about the former apprentice of the Wise in Teachings who had fled to the middle of nowhere: an ungrateful child who didn’t care for the witches who had saved him. However, opinions tended towards the “saving” to have been a big mistake. It was a story before Agott’s time, one she only knew from glares and taunting half-whispered remarks.
It was as good as she was going to get. It figures two black marks on the Hall would end up together.
So, the next day, Agott Arkrome set out to find the witch who could help her get her life back.
***
She had only seen him a handful of times; he didn’t come by very often. The few times she had caught a glimpse, he had been in the shops, carrying baskets of paper and ink, and more often than not, accompanied by a witch she was more familiar with. Olruggio of the Torch: the famed Witch of Light. He was also surrounded by rumors and stares, though tinted through a much friendlier gaze. Olruggio was also around the Great Hall much more often, swamped with work and witches clamoring to talk to him. Now, she would be one of them.
Amidst the block of offices stretching around the far side of the Hall, Agott found him leaving a tall building, face scrunched against the light and shoulders stooped. Racing across the uneven cobblestones, Agott called out to him.
“Master Olruggio!”
The famed witch turned towards her with a small frown etched on his haggard face.
“I’m not your master, kid,” the man sighed.
Stopping in front of him, she fought to catch her breath, her long hair blowing in the breeze from the nearby water.
“You’re friends with Master Qifrey, right?”
Immediately, his frown deepened.
“I am. Why do ya ask?” he responded, tone laced with wariness.
Agott leaned forward, practically standing on her tiptoes.
“He’s taking apprentices, right? I heard he’s got his own atelier outside the Great Hall!”
“Look, kid—”
“Master Olruggio, please!” Agott cut in. “Can you introduce me to him? I need a teacher, and I want to study under Master Qifrey! My name is Agott Arkrome, and I want to be Master Qifrey’s apprentice!”
Olruggio sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
“Look k—Agott, you’re correct about Qifrey taking on apprentices. We’ve got an atelier outside of Kalhn ready for students.”
(The usage of “we” piqued Agott’s curiosity.)
“But,” Olruggio continued, “Why do you want to apprentice under someone you’ve never met so badly? You said you’re of the House of Arklaum, wouldn’t—”
“No!” Agott burst. “Just…I…”
Olruggio stepped closer and grabbed her shoulder gently.
“Okay, Agott. It’s alright. It’s your decision, every apprentice has the right to choose who they want to study under. I’m just a bit worried… it’s unusual to be so adamant about suddenly leaving the Great Hall and apprenticing under someone you weren’t even totally sure was taking apprentices.”
“But—”
“So,” he added calmly, “Why don’t I go talk to Qifrey, and we can set up a meeting so we can see if you’ll be a good fit for each other, hmm?”
Agott stared down at her feet against the cobblestones.
Olruggio gave her a small smile. “Qifrey’s a wonderful teacher, and I’m sure he’d do you well. I just want to make sure that everything goes okay and you don’t rush into something so different than what you’re used to, okay?”
“Master Olruggio, I want to apprentice under him! You won’t have to worry about me! Please, I’ll be a good student!”
“I’m not saying you won’t be, but choosing a Master takes some paperwork, and there are rules to follow, hm? So, let’s introduce you so we can do it the right way, alright?”
“Please, I need to start soon! I need to—”
“Is everything okay, Agott?”
She froze.
“If something’s going on, you can tell me. I’m the Watchful Eye for Qifrey’s atelier—you can trust me. I’ll help you.”
Agott stayed silent, resolutely looking at his shoulder, avoiding his concerned stare. His cloak looked velvety, and she distantly wondered if it was warm.
After a moment, Olruggio tried again.
“If you need anything, you can find me, okay? I can help.”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Okay,” he smiled. “I’ll talk to Qifrey, and we’ll send you a message within the next few days.”
“Thank you, Master Olruggio!”
“I’m not your master!”
***
The sun was setting over the hills when Olruggio brought it up. He and Qifrey had been in the kitchen making dinner for the past hour, conversations getting in the way of making the food. Olruggio watched their pasta as the water boiled, while Qifrey took to slicing vegetables. The orange light from the end of the day lit the room with a special glow, like something out of a dream. Qifrey was humming as he added more vegetables to their salad. His robes hung around his hips, a habit he had taken to around the atelier.
“How was the assembly today, Olly?” he asked as he chopped.
Olruggio chuckled and stirred the noodles lazily, more watching his friend than what he was cooking.
“Same as always, too busy.”
“Ah, the terrible woes of poor Olruggio,” Qifrey teased.
“Actually,” Olruggio paused, taking the pot off the heated glyph. “Someone asked about you today.” He watched his friend closely for his reaction.
Qifrey froze slightly before quickly giving him a tight smile. “Oh? Who was it?”
“Her name is Agott. She wanted to know if it was true you were taking on apprentices.”
When his friend didn’t respond, Olruggio glanced up to find him looking back in shock.
“What?” he whispered.
Olruggio grinned. “She wants to study under you.”
“What?” he asked again, standing frozen against the counter.
“I told her I would tell you and set up a meeting so she could see if it’s a good fit.” Olruggio grabbed the pasta and moved it to the table, nestling it between their plates. “She’s pretty keen on the idea and didn’t even want to wait.” He kept smiling as he grabbed the sauce they had made earlier. “I could barely convince her to stay around the Hall for a few days instead of following me home.”
“Olly…”
When he looked up, Qifrey’s eyes were frosted in tears.
“Qifrey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” He rushed forward to grab his arms. “Did you cut yourself?”
Qifrey laughed wetly. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” This remark was punctuated by a sniffle that sent another bolt of panic down Olruggio’s spine. “She really said that? She wants to study under me?”
Olruggio sighed in relief. Of course, he was emotional about someone wanting him to be their teacher. The man had wanted students for so long, but certain circumstances—both related to his past and their current location—had made it so no one had sought him out yet.
“Yes, she really wants to study under you.”
Qifrey sniffled again. “Oh, I’ve got so much to do if I’m going to have a student here soon! I’ve got to get more supplies and—oh! We could do that garden like we’ve been talking about…”
Cutting him off before he went completely down that rabbit hole, Olruggio kindly cut in. “Maybe we should eat dinner first.”
Qifrey chuckled. “Alright, Olly.”
Smiling, Olruggio reached around him to grab the salad, and they settled down to eat.