Chapter Text
The Great Hall could be an overwhelming place. With winding roads and back alleys that only those who aren’t looking for them can find. It was as if the hall itself was a being that shifted within its own boundaries beneath the sea. Tetia doesn’t have paper, but she could most definitely define each shifting door and winding pathway as if it were a maze of her own creation. She survived within those shifting bounds, knew where most adult witches only scoff at or the official apprentices sneer. Though she doubts she would want to waste ink on such a frivolous thing when she already had it perfectly mapped out in her mind.
Tetia crouches in a back alley, watching the adult witches and their apprentices scurry from one unknown point to another like a hive of ants, or bees scurrying from flower to flower. Tetia liked to imagine what they were doing in their lives, writing epics in her mind that were fantastical adventures that all took place within the Great. Maybe there was a door that led to another world filled with talking animals that needed a hero to save the day! Or, or! Maybe they were off to a magical garden filled with all kinds of flowers and trees and little bunnies that would lead you on an adventure! Oh there were so many possibilities, Tetia couldn’t possibly keep her mind on one of them!
The witches clad in their robes made a sea of fabric unto itself. Swirling robes the ocean and pointed caps with their different tassels just like the various fishes that Tetia would sometimes name when she was close enough to a window to watch. If you weren’t careful you could get lost in the unending moving sea of fabrics. Maybe there was a story there for Tetia to write within her own mind, and a what a joy that could be. Hunger makes her stomach cramp where she was crouched near the entrance to an alley. It snaps her out of the stories being spun in her own mind with all the graceful elegance of reality. Tetia huffs quietly.
Most times Tetia could pretend that the less flattering parts of her life weren’t as prevalent as they were. At night, instead of cold and harsh stone digging into her back, she’d dream of a fluffy cloud that would cradle her. The cloud was warm and soft and enveloped her in its comfort like a blanket. In her dreams, instead of the threadbare smock she had she was wearing perfectly tailored dresses that swished like the robes the adult witches would wear. Sometimes they were intricately embroidered, other times they were a cascade of rainbow fabric that would shift with her movements. Her shoes would fit, whether they be the slippers princesses would wear or boots that wouldn’t be separating at the sole with each step.
Tetia clung to these dreams the same way she clung to her pen. Her only proof that she was a witch despite not being an apprentice.
One thing she was never able to dream away was hunger. It sunk its pains into every dream, cramping her stomach and making her head vision spin when she moved too quickly. Every dream she tried to craft with a buffet filled ‘till the eye could see would make her feel sick. It made her want to cry. The desperation she clung to the childish hope that if she simply believed it didn’t affect her it wouldn’t. Despite her best efforts though, the hunger would sneak in to mock her.
Tetia teeters on the edge of the alley, peering at the stalls of food that lined the streets and welcomed those with coins to peruse. She didn’t like the idea of stealing. The guilt she felt every time the option became her only choice would kill her one day. If the hunger didn’t get to her first that is.
Tetia skittishly makes her way out of the alley, her eyes jumping from witch to witch. None of them paid her any mind, a fact that made what she was about to do both easier and ever more frustrating. There were many things that witch society saw as irredeemable, the use of forbidden magic was chief among that list and the most egregious offense. Tetia was thankful that at the bare minimum she was smart enough to not sink into that abyssal chasm.
Being deemed unfit to cast was another, whether it be from tremors that would cause uneven lines or the lack of perfect sight was up there as well. Magic had strict guidelines that must be kept, and only the best of the best have a chance at becoming something grand. Like those witches from legends, or the heroes that could slay monsters, or the kings and queens that had ever lasting rules over their lands.
The last one, which the adult witches of Grand Hall were always quick to avert their gaze from, was to be an apprentice without a master.
The last was a social faux pas that Tetia currently falls into. She had no hat that identified her as being an apprentice or belonging to a family, only her wand and the last of the ink within her well that proved that she wasn’t an Unknowing. It didn’t help much in the grand scheme of things, she had no way to prove herself a capable student and not many teachers wanted to take the gamble and have it be found she wasn’t worth the investment. So Tetia made herself believe that it was fine, would pretend that she didn’t need a master to become a great witch. She’ll make do with what she has now, which wasn’t much but the greatest of heroes always start with humble beginnings. Tetia just happens to start with extra humble beginnings!
Tetia pulls the hood of her coat over her hair, inching along the walls as she makes her way to the main street. There were many reasons why Tetia tries to stay away from the shopping districts. There weren’t as many back alley’s in the main center, most of the streets are all widely known with various knights stationed around to keep an eye on things. Not to mention, if she wasn’t surrounded by the things she wanted she’d be less likely to try to steal them. Many of the shopkeepers aren’t too kind to kids without masters. Be in the wrong place at the wrong time and wouldn’t even matter if you weren’t guilty, the knights are more inclined to listen to the accusation of an adult then listen to a child.
Her heart hammers in her chest as she nears the baker’s store, loud enough she worries that those around can hear. The cramping in her stomach increases as the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through air, teasing and tantilizing in a way Tetia couldn’t even dream of. The baker, an older man with a loud voice was busy with a customer already, seemingly not paying any mind to her loitering. Tetia’s hands shake as she grabs a loaf of bread from the bottom shelf, the heat making the tips of her fingers tingle as she tucks the loaf into the fold of her coat. She ducks past the adult witch, heart thundering guiltily in her chest as she makes her way down the street.
“Hey!” A loud voice echoes down the street, “That brat’s a thief!” Tetia chances a glace back, shoulders curling around her ears as she finds the baker pointing her out to a knight. Tetia stumbles on her next step, sprinting as quick as she can as the knights move towards her.
“You there! Stop running this instance!” A knight calls, the sound of footsteps fast approaching her causes Tetia to scramble for a way off the main road. In her panic, Tetia doesn’t pay enough mind to her boots. The soles like to detach from the bottom if she wasn’t careful. It was fine if she didn’t take too big of steps, most of her annoyance with the shoes came from the errant pebbles that wedge themselves into the bottom part and poke at her foot. Tetia didn’t have anything to mend them with, the cloth she tied around them had long since fallen apart and she wasn’t willing to tear up her coat or smock more than they already were. She pays for it now, the soles ripping themselves apart further than the precarious state they were kept in.
Tetia yelps as she loses her balance, bracing herself to meet with the hard stone underfoot. It would do her best to simply lose the bread she knows. Getting caught by the knights with stolen wares was worse than being falsely accused. But the pain in her stomach from hunger was something she’s already been dealing with for the past three days if she was keeping count correctly. And the bread was the warmest thing she’s felt since the streets became her home.
Tetia knows it doesn’t do well to be desperate, she didn’t even want to steal the bread in the first place! But it isn’t her fault no one wants her as an apprentice. She just wishes this was a bad dream, that she’ll wake up to the creaking of springs under her mattress and her grandmother making their favorite tea in the morning. That they would settle together in the sitting room and her grandmother would tell her grand stories while combing through her untamable curls. Tetia wants it back, wants it with the same ferocity that she clings to the bread crumbling in her hands.
Instead of meeting the harsh stone, she’s caught within the skirt of someone’s robe. The person stumbles a bit at her unexpected weight. “Oh dear, are you alright?” The man she ran into asks, his voice soft as he gently helps Tetia regain her balance.
“This child yours?” A stern voice asks before Tetia can respond to the stranger. The man’s hand lands on her shoulder, gently ushering her behind him. Tetia latches onto the skirt of his robe, peering up at the gathering of knights as the baker makes his way to them.
“Is there a problem?” The man asks, clasping his hands in front of him. The man was wearing a gray cloak that was large enough to hide her in its fabrics. It was oddly comforting Tetia thinks as she tries to stop herself from sinking into the soft fabrics. Bread crumbs cling to her fingers, but in that moment the hunger pains that have sunk its claws into her stomach don’t pester to eat. Instead it feels more like she’s about to be sick.
The baker makes his way forward, the tassel on his hat swinging behind him angrily. “That brats a thief!” He says, pointing at where she was hiding with a glare. The baker takes a moment to consider the man in the gray cloak, “Though I suppose if it’s yours the apple was bound to be rotten.”
“Surely you aren’t trying to apprehend a child?” The man asks, crossing his arms in front of him. It lets the fabric of the cloak fully hide her from view. Which Tetia was thankful for as she cowers behind the man. The tone the man took with the baker was the same kind of tone she was used to hearing when she dared to edge too close. Tetia has never heard someone use that tone with another adult though, she doesn’t want them to argue on her behalf. She considers the loaf of bread in her hands, tears stinging her eyes as she gives into leaning into the soft fabric of the man’s skirt.
“Child or not, a thief is a thief.” The knight says, Tetia has to muffle the whine that forces itself from the back of her throat. She didn’t want to be a thief, she just wanted something to eat! A hand lands on her head over her hood, a gentle gesture not meant to stifle but to comfort. A way to soothe her wayward emotions while allowing her to hide within the warmth and safety of the gray cloak like mice scurrying for shelter in brick coves. It’s been so long since someone has offered Tetia a kind gesture. The last person who offered her sanctuary would’ve been her grandmother, before…
Tetia was too tired to try and stop herself from taking the kindness that was being given to her, hugging the loaf to her chest with one arm as she reaches up to cling to the man’s wrist.
“Anything that was stolen can be made up with fair exchange, no?” The man asks, rifling through his bag resting at the small of his back with his free hand before pulling out a pouch of coins that click together. “Surely this should be enough to compensate.”
The baker grumbles while counting out the coins. “Are you satisfied with this resolution?” The knight asks, sounding bored with the interaction. “You’ll have to come back to the keep if you’re wanting to press formal charges. I doubt they would go far since compensation was already offered.”
The baker is quiet for a long moment that made Tetia fidget with the man’s hand nervously. “Fine,” the baker bites out, leading Tetia to nervously peer out of the folds of the man’s cloak. She almost cowers again at the glare the baker was giving the man. “But if you or your lot come ‘round here again you better not be expecting to get anything from my shop you hear?"
“Glad we could reach an agreement, sir!” The man says, quick to guide Tetia away from the knight and the baker with her hand clasped in his. “I wouldn’t want to buy his bread anyways.” The man mutters to himself, Tetia doesn’t think she was supposed to hear that part. The man leads the two of them to a quieter part of the street, an alley Tetia never realized was tucked between two stores. He crouches down, gray cloak fanning out around him as he meets Tetia’s anxious gaze with a kind smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand.
Outside of the pointed hat he wore with a beautiful black ribbon cascading down his back, the man really was quite different from much of the witches Tetia has seen in the Great Hall. Where most witches wore wonderfully vibrant colors the man in front of her seemed more inclined towards the simpler monochrome pallet of whites and blacks. His hair even fit the scheme, so pure of a white that Tetia couldn’t even think of a proper comparison. The closest thing she could think of was a woolpuff, and it looked just as soft as one. The thing that really made him stand out from the other adults was that he smiled at her, in the same way her grandmother would smile at her. A smile so kind that it crinkles the edge of the man’s vibrant blue eye behind his glasses. She really liked the man’s smile.
Tears blur her vision, she holds the loaf of bread out to the man. “I’m sorry!” She hiccups, fats tears spilling down her cheeks she rips her hand still held in the man’s angrily wiping away the tears that she seemingly won’t stop. “I didn’t wanna steal the bread I promise! I was just really hungry, but I don’t need to have it! I’m sorry!”
“Oh darling it’s okay, I bought the bread for you.” The man soothes, lightly pulling Tetia’s hand away from her face to offer a handkerchief. Unlike the man’s outfit the fabric of the handkerchief was a deep blue color with embroidery round the edges. Tetia refuses the handkerchief, both not wanting to ruin it and also knowing she wouldn’t want to give the pretty fabric back. The man already bought the bread after she got caught, she doesn’t want to steal from him too. He lets the hand with the handkerchief fall away after her refusal with a worried furrow of his brow.
“But I don’t have any way to pay you back.” Tetia hiccups, ignoring her own tears as she tries to push the bread into the man’s hand.
The man, and it's really dawning on Tetia how long it’s been since she properly minded her manners, only wraps his hand around Tetia’s on the bread shaking his head at her with the same kind smile that reminded her of her grandmother. “Dear thing, I don’t need or want you to pay me back. But I do need to know, where are your parents or your master?” He asks. It was a normal question, Tetia has been asked it multiple times especially when her clothes had been properly tended to. It fills her dread either way. Adults always got weird when she answers. Where their concern may have been once genuine turns into a performance, one Tetia never really liked playing along in.
Tetia has never been a good liar. Her grandmother would say she was made with nothing but sugar when she was younger. “I don’t have either,” Tetia mumbles, looking away from the man. She didn’t really want to see the smile she liked so much twisted into something less genuine. “That’s why I can’t pay you back for the bread.” She says with a sniffle.
“You really are quite insistent on paying me back, hm.” The man mumbles, fiddling with his handkerchief absently. “How about we make a deal?” Tetia peers up from under her hood watching the man clasp his hand together. “Become my apprentice, once you pass the fourth test we can consider the bread paid back in full. How does that sound?”
Tetia blinks at the man, confusion leading her to forget her guilt for a brief moment. ”Why would you want me as your apprentice?”
The man tilts his head, with his glasses it makes Tetia think of an owl cat. His smile slowly falls away, without it he looked quite sad. Tetia doesn’t want the man to be sad, it doesn’t suit him. “You are a witch are you not?” It was such a simple question that it renders Tetia speechless.
“I am! I promise I am.” Tetia blubbers, holding onto the bread as if it were a life line. “But-”
Tetia had two masters before the streets became her home.
Her first master had been her grandmother after Tetia had passed the first test. Tetia had been in her grandmother’s care since she was a baby according the woman. She had explained it when Tetia was curious enough to ask, a sad look in her eye as she poured them a cup of tea.
Tetia’s mother had passed when she was born. Her body had been unable to handle the strain of childbirth. A bygone conclusion her grandmother had informed Tetia distantly. They had known Tetia’s mother having a child wouldn’t do well for her more delicate frame. Didn’t even think she would be able to have a child for the longest of times. But she had, and despite the outcome there was nothing that could’ve been done. Tetia’s father had tried for a time afterwards when Tetia born, her grandmother had sighed. But grief is a heavy thing to shoulder when everyone only wanted to praise the wonder of a child. But heavy was the alcohol in his system when he decided to greet the ocean. Witches robes are quick to grow heavy under water, and no one had the wherewithal to look for him until it was far too late.
It was hard to mourn people you never knew, and despite her grandmother explaining the concept of death to her she had nothing to equate the loss to. The only grief she was familiar with was the look of it in her grandmother’s eyes. Since that conversation Tetia has done everything she could to keep such a delicate look from her grandmother’s face. She passed the Dadah Range test at the youngest age she was able to, had proudly proclaimed herself to be her grandmother’s apprentice with a grin. Tetia was attentive in her studies when her grandmother taught. Made herself available for chores or asking to follow her grandmother like a little duckling around the stores. Tetia always greeted the morning with a smile and the unspoken promise that her grandmother would never grieve her.
One day they had gone to the medical spire. A routine at the time, her grandmother had always had the middle day of the week booked around trips to the medical spire. The people at the medical spire were nice. Secretly though, Tetia always looked forward to the sweet treat her grandmother would buy for them on the way home. Tetia never was privy to the details on the reason, but that afternoon visit had been prolonged into an overnight stay. Then extended to another day, and another, and another. Somewhere along the way, when the walls of the medical spire became more normal than the walls of their little apartment, Tetia had lost count of the days that had passed. She had never been that great at counting.
The medical spire is where Tetia had met her second master. A stern woman that didn’t hold any of the warmth that seemed intrinsic to her grandmother. It was only five days after Tetia had met the stern woman that she was expected to call Master that she would be whisked away from the medical spire. She’s never seen her grandmother again after that.
She isn’t quite sure how long she spent with Master. Tetia tried to count the days that would pass, would sometimes start a tally in her mind and have it slip away from her when she studied for days on end. Master never seemed to particularly like any of the apprentices she taught. It was Tetia that she seemingly had the most gripes with though, always hovering with her and critiquing even the slightest error in her spells.
“Really child,” Her Master had said once waving the circle sheets of paper that had Tetia’s spells on them. She remembers sitting in her Master’s study then, staring at the patterned rug she had long memorized. “Do you truly think you’ll ever pass the fourth test with such drivel?” Master had looked at the spells Tetia drew with such a disdain that it made not her want to be a witch sometimes. Though more often then not, it made Tetia want her grandmother again.
Students have the right to choose their masters. That’s something her grandmother had told her before she took her first test. Tetia didn’t pay it any mind at the time. She had no reason to, it was only common sense that Tetia’s grandmother would be her master. Why wouldn’t she be? For Tetia’s whole life since then it has been her and her grandmother against the world, surely it would stay that way. Surely it could be that way again.
Tetia didn’t choose Master. With all the confidence a child never could truly hold, she decided she would go back to her grandmother. After all surely that was the plan from the beginning wasn’t it? It had to be, Tetia thought setting aside the cap that denoted her as Master’s apprentice. She made her way to medical spire then, sneaking out with her ink and wand tucked into the coat her grandmother had gotten for her.
Only, her grandmother wasn’t in her room at the medical spire. Instead it was filled with different people. People Tetia did not know. A doctor had found her then, wandering aimless through the halls looking for where her grandmother had gone. He had tried to be kind when he had figured it out, delicate in a way Tetia doubts is familiar to him. Offering her a comfortable chair to sit on and a sweet treat as he explained the reason she couldn’t find her grandmother was because she was-
Because-
…Because she was dead.
Tetia had stayed in the medical spire that night. Caught in her grief she was quiet, unable to speak and yet she found the feeling far too large for tears. It made her feel so very guilty that she couldn’t cry for her grandmother. It was then she understood the look in her grandmother’s eyes as she explained where Tetia’s parents were. The next morning Tetia had made her way to her Master, apologies on her tongue that she was never allowed to speak. “No apprentice of mine would discard my cap. Seeing as you have, you are not my apprentice.”
It was fine. She could be like the heroes she read about. The ones that forged ahead on their paths with a sword at their hip and poems as their words. She could dream herself comfort. Tetia would prove to all the adult witches that didn’t want to take the risk on her that she didn’t need them. She didn’t need a master, Tetia had thought at the time. Chin raised in a false confidence that she never allowed herself to doubt.
And she was fine. Tetia learned the unspoken rules with the other children she sometimes ran into. She didn’t need a master Tetia would claim within her own mind. Even as her ink depleted slowly and the coat that had once fit her perfectly started to tighten around her shoulders. Even when her shoes started to make blisters that didn’t really bleed anymore as they pinched her toes. It was fine! Tetia was fine. She’s been fine so far without a master hasn’t she?
But… It would be nice to be kept, to belong somewhere- to someone again.
“You don’t have to agree dear,” The man says, soft and kind in a way that Tetia would think she was dreaming if it wasn’t for the pain in her stomach. Hunger is a hard thing to dream away. The truth is, Tetia doesn’t want to be the one that has to prove the adults wrong. Tetia doesn’t know how the heroes in fables are able to do what they do. Because she thinks about her own story and all the ways it could unfold, and it scares her. The comfort of dreams can only last for so long until you have to wake up. She’s so tired of waking up.
Tetia reaches out to the man, clinging onto the warm cloak clasped around his shoulders. He startles slightly, reaching out to steady her as she the soles of her shoes catch under her foot. “Do you mean it?” She asks desperately her breathing starting to speed up as she meets the man’s wide eye. “Would you really take me as your apprentice?”
He smiles, the look of it suits him far better then the concerned frown that furrowed his brow. “I would be delighted to have you as my apprentice.”
Tetia lets the bread fall from her hand as she latches onto the man’s shoulder. Her hood getting knocked off her head as she tucks herself under the man’s chin. The man stills, his shoulder tensing for a second before he soothes a hand over her back with a quiet sigh. His chin settles on her matted hair as he hums quietly rocking them back and forth absently like tree branches swaying in the wind. Tetia feels like a warm blanket has been draped over her. But for the first time in a while, she doesn’t want to drift off into a dream. “I want to be your apprentice,” she mumbles the fabric of the man’s cloak twists within her white knuckle hold. “Please.”
“Of course, darling.” The man wraps his arms around her in a proper hug, and really it wasn’t helping Tetia’s fight against drifting off to sleep. “Could I pick you up? I rather you not have to walk with those shoes.” Tetia nods, stubbornly still clinging to the man as he tries to get up. She doesn’t feel too bad about it as the man chuckles quietly at her impersonation of a leech.
“I dropped the bread,” Tetia mumbles arms tightening around the man’s neck as she peers down at the bread. Guilt eats at her, after all the trouble the man went through to make sure she could keep it she went and let it fall.
“That’s alright,” The man says, moving toward the opening of the little alley they had found themselves in. Tetia tenses as they reach the busy street, trying to hide her face. The man fixes the hood of her coat in a smooth movement as he turns his head around, much like an owl cat would Tetia thinks to herself. “Truthfully, I’m about to be quite late to a lunch appointment soon. I’m sure there will be more than enough to feed an eldroxen, or ten. Now if only these streets made actual sense.”
Tetia giggles to herself as the man grouches under his breath about the layout of the Great Hall. Maybe she could make a map for him? She doesn’t have paper or ink to spare though. Tetia lifts her head up to peer around the street as the man walks, peering around the shopping district to maybe help with where the man is needing to go. Tetia would feel double guilty if she made the man late to wherever he was needing to be after dropping the bread he had bought for her.
The offer to guide the man gets swept away with the ever moving sea of fabrics around them as Tetia finally takes in the street. It was the same cobblestone street it’s always been, with the vendors selling their wares and witches of all ages moving to a destination only known to them. Yet from her new height, it transformed as if she stepped through a door of her own fairytale. Tetia could see the pyre lamps carefully strung between buildings. The swirling dance of figures made of magic capturing the attention of kids just like it does hers. There was the baker, pointedly not paying any mind to her and the man holding her. Tetia doesn’t pay the baker much mind as her attention drifts to a shop selling candy. And just across the street were the stationaires with garland made of paper strung above the door. And there was a store with its door opened just a sliver with books seemingly spilling out from the inside. And with it the savory smell of the food carts mixed with the perfume of flowers blooming within their vases. Interwoven within it all were the recognizable figures of the knights keeping their careful eye on the various shops.
It was still overwhelming with how lively it was. But whether it was because of the height she was being held at, or the simple fact that she was being held at all made the street so much less daunting than she always thought it to be. People weren’t faceless figures draped in their robes from her new height. Tetia could make out the different way they styled their hair and the way their smiles stretched across their cheeks as they laughed.
“There’s Master Qifrey,” Tetia hears a monotone voice say. A little girl points to the man holding Tetia, tugging on the cloak of a dark haired witch with disinterest. It makes Tetia wonder how often the man gets lost within the Great Hall.
“Oi, Qifrey!” The dark haired witch calls. The man’s step pauses as he turns with the same attentiveness of a flower reaching towards the sun. “Bloody hell, I look away for one tick and you up and vanish.”
“Olly! There you and Agott are, wonderful!” The man, Master Qifrey, greets Mister Olly with such delight that Tetia can’t help but perk up herself. Tetia peers at Mister Olly from beneath her hood. The man wore robes that were an inky black and a blue that reminded Tetia of the sea that sheltered the Great Hall, all lined with a pretty golden trim and tassels. Trailing behind him like a duckling was a girl that at first glance seemed remarkably alike to him, her long black hair falling down her back in a tamed main of curls. But instead of dark robes she was wearing a turquoise over coat with a golden tassel swinging from the top of her pointed cap. “I was just trying to find you! Say, would you happen to know the time?”
“Half past one,” The girl, Agott says rocking back on her heels as she looks up at Tetia. She tilts her head as Tetia waves at her shyly. Shrugging Agott turns her attention back to Master Qifrey. “Did you get lost again Master Qifrey?”
“Ah,” Master Qifrey wilts slightly under the girls unimpressed stare. “Perhaps just a bit. Were you able to find the book you were looking for dear?”
“No,” Agott says with a sigh stepping forward to grab hold onto the end of Master Qifrey’s cloak with a wary look to the witches passing around them. “Shopkeeper said I came in just after she sold it.”
“Shame, I’m sure if you were to ask Beldaruit he might have a spare.” Master Qifrey muses readjusting his hold on Tetia.
Agott’s eyes light up at the idea, “Do you think he’ll let me look through his library?” She asks, excitement lightening her stern features. She was quite cute like an owlcat kitten finding a toy to show off, Tetia thinks, with the small smile making the rounds of cheeks more pronounced.
“Oh heavens above, the book can be put on hold for a moment. Lord Beldaruit is sure to be pissy if we don’t hurry.” Mister Olly says shaking his head in exasperation. His eyes flick to Tetia before raising a brow at Master Qifrey, “The real question is whose child did you steal?”
Master Qifrey makes a silly noise at the question. Similar to the offended noise an owl cat would make if you were to interrupt its sleep. “Bah, I hope you wouldn’t think me the type to steal a child. This is…” Master Qifrey trails off before tilting his towards Tetia with another silly noise. “Dear me, I never did get your name did I?” he asks in a whisper. Mister Olly sighs across from them, a smile fighting at the corner of his lips as he rolls his eyes.
Tetia can’t help but giggle at the silliness of the situation. “My name is Tetia,” she says to the man, in the same whisper as if the two of them were on a secret mission. What the secret mission would entail she doesn’t quite know, but she likes the little fantasy that starts to unravel in her mind.
“A beautiful name darling,” Master Qifrey says with a nod. The compliment makes Tetia’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “This, my dearest Olly, is Tetia. A new apprentice.”
“Am I going to have to share my workroom?” Agott asks with a slight pout.
“Not unless you girls wish to.” Master Qifrey says, “Though I do hope you won’t mind having shared lessons dear girl.”
Agott hums, looking back at Tetia with a furrow in her brow that Tetia isn’t sure was meant to come off as disinterested or mean. If it was meant to be mean Tetia has to admit it wasn’t all that convincing. She’s met much meaner kids that pull of the look far better. “Would you want to share?” Agott asks it out of pure politeness Tetia thinks. It amuses her slightly that the girl was trying to be courteous despite obviously not wanting to be. It also makes Tetia feel better as she shakes her head, it’s nothing against the dark haired girl, she seems nice despite being a touch prickly like a grumpy owlcat kitten. Tetia bites her lip not to laugh as Agott visibly relaxes in relief at not having to share her space.
“Apprentice?” Mister Olly asks. Tetia looks up to see the two men exchange a look between themselves. It was as if they had a whole conversation within a breath and no words. Tetia doesn’t know how exactly they did it, but she wonders if adults had the ability to read each other’s minds.
She’s seen it before, some time ago when a group of witches had realized that Tetia was a masterless apprentice. None of them seemed particularly enthused by the knowledge. Each one had made silly faces and gestures as if they meant anything outside of being slightly exaggerated movements. Tetia had taken the opportunity to slip away when the adults had been preoccupied doing their wordless conversation. It had confused her then and still does sometimes, how do you interpret the raise of a brow or a tilt of the head? Surely it must be some form of magic that allows them to speak words with their mind.
“Aye,” Mister Olly sighs, scratching at the scruffy hair that frames his mouth. “We should be on our way then. I rather not have Lord Beldaruit deciding it best to find us here.” Master Qifrey exaggeratedly shudders at the idea, responding to Mister Olly in a way that causes the dark haired man to laugh. Mister Olly steps forward, pressing a hand to Master Qifrey’s back and offering Agott his free hand for the girl to grab onto as he guides them through the street. Tetia’s attention is once again caught by the way the streets of the Great Hall seem much less nerve wracking.
Tetia’s head finds rest on Master Qifrey’s shoulder as her eyelids grow heavy. She listens to the men’s conversation that was sometimes interrupted by Agott’s monotone words with one ear, trying her best to fight off the suggestion of sleep that causes her to yawn. The two men must be having a silly conversation, Tetia thinks. The sound of Mister Olly’s laughter in time with the rise and fall of Master Qifrey’s chest as he breathes lulls her into a doze.
No dreams greet Tetia as she rests within the space between wakefulness and sleep. It was similar to the way Tetia thinks being cradled within a warm fluffy cloud would be like. Her worries slip away from her, no longer commanding her attention. Instead, her focus can drift between the way Master Qifrey’s voice rumbles like a gentle purr within his throat, to the guiding presence of Mister Olly as they make their way through the crowds and the distinct sound of the heels of Agott’s shoes clicking against the stone streets.
Wakefulness beckons Tetia as the usual murmur of the Great Hall lessens. Tetia blinks away the haze as she peers from beneath her hood as they reach a part of the Great Hall she’s never been to before. There were no densely packed buildings and back alleys that Tetia has grown to know, instead it was as if she stepped into her own fairytale garden. A large silverwood tree took up majority the space within the garden, with a winding stream of water making its way between the roots and around the garden. It was a delightful sight, one that had Tetia twisting around in Master Qifrey’s hold as she tries to take in the entirety of the underwater garden.
“Pretty, ain’t it lassie?” Mister Olly asks. Tetia nods enthusiastically, her hood slipping off her head as she cranes her head to try and see the top of the big tree. She didn’t even know trees could grow to be so big.
“This is the Silver Garden,” Master Qifrey explains as he slows down by a root of the massive silverwood. “It’s home to the Great Hall’s own silverwood grove, but it also doubles as a nature reserve for some specialized species of animals. " Master Qifrey steps onto the root with ease as he points to a spot on the large tree. Tetia isn’t quite sure what the man was trying to show her as it looks like normal bark. Tetia gasps as the spot moves, one golden eye opens to peer at her as the owlhawk churrs quietly before tucking its head back into its feathers.
“Ah Foon-foon, he hasn’t changed has he?” Mister Olly says with a laugh. The owlhawk lets out a noise from under its feathers as if responding to the man.
“You named him?” Tetia asks, able to make the subtle movements as the owlhawk breathes.
“Foon-foon was raised within the Great Hall.” Agott says as she climbs up the roots, holding onto Mister Olly’s hand for balance. “He isn’t able to be released as he was raised by humans since he was a baby.”
“That’s right,” Master Qifrey says. Tetia smiles as Agott tries to hide the way she preens at Master Qifrey’s approval. “Not many people come here so it’s usually peaceful, and a perfect place for him to be cared for.”
“I do remember a time where it wasn’t quite as peaceful as it tends to be now.” A lilting voice sing songs, startling Tetia away from watching Foon-foon preen his feathers unbothered by the audience. Tetia whips her head around not having heard anyone else enter the garden. Her hands twists into the fabric of Master Qifrey’s cloak around his shoulders. The new arrival was a willowy man sitting in a sealchair with fur pelt draped across his lap and long silver hair spilling down the back.
“Lord Beldaruit,” Mister Olly greets, Agott startles at the new arrival almost losing her balance if it weren’t for the hold she had on Mister Olly’s hand.
“Bah,” Lord Beldaruit vocalizes, waving a hand at Mister Olly. Tetia can’t help but think about how silly it looked, despite the scolding tone Lord Beldaruit takes. “How long have I known you now, dear boy? And yet you still insist on such a formal manner of address. I should be offended.”
“Aye, offended you’ll have to stay, Lord Beldaruit.” Mister Olly shrugs, scratching a hand absently through the scruffy hair framing his mouth. “Ain’t a little lad anymore, can’t really be excused for mouthing off.”
“So you weren’t the one who called Mister Darragh and I quote, ‘nothing but an old washed up wanker who couldn’t even think up a pyre lamp if it bit him in the arse’?” Lord Beldaruit asks with a pleasant smile.
Mister Olly hides a snort with a cough. “Now, would I do that?”
“It does sound like something you would say,” Agott says, crouching down to slowly sit on the root. She wasn’t tall enough for her legs to reach the ground so instead she swings her feet back and forth as she smiles at Mister Olly unrepentant.
“I guess it does quite sound like something I would say, eh? I can forgive the confusion.” Mister Olly says pressing a hand at the nape of his neck with a wry grin.
Tetia tilts her head “What does wanker mean?” She asks, unfamiliar with the term. Master Qifrey makes a silly noise again, as if a laugh got caught in his throat.
“I can tell you later, I read it in a book once.” Agott tells Tetia with a smug a smile. Lord Beldaruit and Mister Olly turn to look at the two girls with wide eyes, both a touch mortified.
“Pray tell what book was that? And no, its a word neither of you should be repeating, dear.” Master Qifrey says his shoulders shaking as he laughs. Agott shrugs her shoulders, giving Tetia a wink and making a shushing gesture. Tetia giggles as she returns the shushing gesture. “Do cut the man some slack now Beldaruit, he is only being polite.”
“Polite?” Lord Beldaruit squawks with a raised brow. “Polite would be not making me wait a decade for your arrival, my dear child.”
“Now that’s a touch dramatic even for you.” Master Qifrey says with a sniff as he readjusts his hold on Tetia, hopping down from the roots of the tree with a quiet oof. Master Qifrey holds a hand out to Agott, lowering the girl to the ground with little effort.
Lord Beldaruit hums with a tilt of his head, his silver hair spilling around his shoulders. “I suppose such grievances can be set aside for a moment.” He says with a smile, “Seeing as you two have finally decided to give me another grand apprentice!”
Mister Olly’s cheeks flush an alarming shade of red as he seems to choke on air. “Didya have to word it like that?” He asks, crouching down as he coughs. Agott pats him on the shoulder, looking more disgruntled at the act of comfort then Tetia thinks is warranted.
“Like what? Please let me know so I can avoid offending you.” Lord Beldaruit says, clasping his hands in his lap with a smile. Lord Beldaruit reminds Tetia of Master Qifrey a bit, despite being more silly with his words. His smile was the same as Master Qifrey’s, it suited him in a way that Tetia can’t really imagine him without one. “Now this is no place for proper introductions! Hurry along now you have kept me waiting long enough!” Lord Beldaruit says, guiding his sealchair across the roots to leap across the water stream before disappearing into a cloud of dust and sparkles.
Tetia startles at the display, learning forward to try and find where Lord Beldaruit went. “He just dissolved?” She asks looking back to Master Qifrey who didn’t seem all that concerned.
“He does that sometime.” Agott says, following after Master Qifrey as he makes his way through the garden. The dark haired girl makes a game of hopping from the roots buried more into the ground. Behind her Mister Olly hovers a hand at her back in case she falls.
“Beldaruit is a master of illusion magic,” Master Qifrey explains to Tetia. He uses a hand to dig around the bag at his back, pulling out an ornate looking door knob. “Light and dust can make quite convincing doubles, especially to the untrained eye.”
“So that was a dust sculpture,” Tetia realizes, watching as Master Qifrey holds the door knob to a seemingly random spot on the brick wall of the garden for a long moment before a door materializes. “How can you tell the difference?”
“If it weren’t Lord Beldaruit you might have a better go at finding discrepancies, lassie.” Mister Olly says as Master Qifrey opens the door. They step into a large foyer that had a comfortable looking rug spread out across the tile flooring. Centered to the room was a table with a vase of flowers spilling from the top of it, along with a bust of someone Tetia didn’t know and a stack of books that seemed to be haphazardly stacked.
“It’s not too hard once you know what to look for. Though I suppose if you don’t know the person being replicated well enough it can be quite tricky to tell the difference.” Master Qifrey says with a hum, leading them through the foyer deeper into the house. “Sound cues will be the most obvious tell usually, even for witches with Beldaruit’s level of mastery.”
Tetia looks around the house as they make their way through. It was expensively decorated, with colorful vases set and intricate tapestries hanging along the walls. Another thick woven rug was spread along the stone floor of the halls. Whether it was for reprieve from cold stone or for mere personal comfort Tetia wasn’t sure. She was thankful then, that Master Qifrey was carrying her so she wouldn’t dirty the rug. Despite the luxury, there was an underlying inviting warmth woven throughout. It reminded her distantly of her grandmother’s apartment.
“Now this is much better suited for conversation, wouldn’t you say?” Lord Beldaruit beckons them to the table as they enter a dining room. What Master Qifrey said about the amount being enough to feed a herd of eldroxen wasn’t that much of an exaggeration. Tetia’s stomach grumbles at the sight of such a lavish spread, the smells taunting her as her eyes dance between each dish. The table was set for four, Tetia notices with another guilty pang in her chest.
“I see you still have yet to practice restraint.” Master Qifrey says, pulling out a chair with a plate set out and settling Tetia in it. Agott climbs into a chair on the other side of the table, leaving the spot closest to Lord Beldaruit empty for Mister Olly. Master Qifrey disappears behind her for a brief second before reappearing closer Lord Beldaruit. Master Qifrey leans down to press his cheek against the older man’s for a brief second before stepping back towards his chair. “This much food is better suited for a celebration feast no?” Tetia looks up at him with wide eyes as he takes the seat next to her without a plate.
“Such cruel words, my dear child.” Lord Beldaruit says, clapping his hands together in front of him. “Do cut this poor old man some slack would you? It’s not often that I get to host your company. I’d say that getting a new grand apprentice is an occasion worth celebrating!”
“Yes, yes of course. I’d say Olly taking a break from a commission is worth celebrating as well no?” Master Qifrey says with a smile as he settles into his chair. Porcelain clinks as Mister Olly tends to the tea cart pushed to the side of the table.
“I take breaks I’ll have you know. Now the real miracle is getting you to agree to come to the Great Hall for longer than a clockmark.” Mister Olly says as he pours out the tea into an array of cups set on the tray.
“I thought you spending time on the couch during lessons was just you resting your eyes.” Agott says innocently. Lord Beldaruit hides a chuckle behind a hand, the corner of his eyes wrinkle as he smiles.
“Oi,” Mister Olly flusters as he starts to hand out the tea cups. “I don’t remember asking for your input, lil lass.” Beside her Master Qifrey laughs under his breath. Tetia’s cheeks are starting to hurt from how much she’s smiling from the silly exchange around the table. She hasn’t had much reason to smile or laugh like this the past couple of years. It reminds her of having supper with her grandmother, the way their meals would always be shared with laughter and warm conversation. Tetia sniffles as the longing for her grandmother intertwines with the hunger laying dormant in her stomach.
Tetia is the first one to be handed a cup, filled with a sweet smelling tea with pretty blue liquid. Tetia gasps as she finds that curled within the liquid is a small dragon no bigger than the palm of her hand. She lifts the tea cup from the handle, blinking as the curled form of the dragon dissipates. “It disappeared,” Tetia mumbles with a slight pout.
“It’s because you lifted the cup from the saucer.” Agott says across from her. The dark haired girl tilts her cup enough for Tetia to see a similar dragon nestled within the bottom. When she lifts her cup from the saucer, the dragon dissipates just like it did for Tetia. The porcelain clinks as Agott sets her cup against the saucer, and within the blue colored liquid the dragon reappears.
“Oh!” Tetia exhales, doing as Agott demonstrated and setting her cup against the saucer eagerly. Like it did for Agott, the dragon within Tetia’s cup reemerges once again.
“Delightful isn’t it?” Lord Beldaruit says from over the rim of his tea. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deepen, it softens his narrow features in a way that would be contradictory if it didn’t seem so natural for the man. Her grandmother had told her once that only people with reasons to smile have the wrinkles around their eyes when Tetia had asked about the same ones around hers. Tetia had quite liked the thought of it, having proof of so many smiles they make home for everyone to see. “Between you and me it’s one of my favorites.”
“With how often you insist on showing it off, someone might think it was your own spell.” Master Qifrey says with a hum as he takes a sip of his tea.
“Is this not your spell?” Tetia asks Lord Beldaruit as she studies the little dragon. She takes a hesitant sip of the tea, her feet kicking happily where they hang from the chair.
“Oh if only it was,” Lord Beldaruit says with a wave of his hand. “But no, this joy is by your master.”
“Aye,” Mister Olly says with a smug grin. “Not that he’ll ever admit but your master is by far the best when it comes to water magic.” Beside Mister Olly, Agott nods along in agreement, she was smiling too but she did her best to hide it under a curtain of her dark curls.
“High praise coming from you, Mister Olruggio of the Torch.” Master Qifrey sniffs, his cheeks a gentle pink that he had no chance of hiding with his pure white hair.
“Now, now,” Lord Beldaruit interjects with a clap of his hands. “It would be such a shame for all of this food to grow cold hm?”
Mister Olly wastes no time in reaching for the dishes. First helping Agott with her plate before filling his own. He and Lord Beldaruit fall into a discussion that Tetia couldn’t follow even if she tried, something about the Assembly and off hand mentions of witches she doesn’t recognize. Agott doesn’t seem to have the same trouble as follows along with a vague interest.
“Bit overwhelming innit?” Master Qifrey asks her quietly, drawing Tetia’s attention to him.
“Are you sure I’m allowed to eat this?” She asks in a timid whisper. Tetia wants to, it all looks so good that it makes her mouth water and stomach cramp with a vengeance. But, there were so many dishes here that she wouldn’t even know which one she would want to try first. Ironically enough, despite the amount of times she dreamed of a buffet just like this, being presented with it makes her feel a bit queasy.
“Of course darling,” Master Qifrey assures her with a kind smile. “How about you try and find something you’re familiar with first? There’s no need to force yourself to eat everything presented right this very moment.”
“I’d recommend the tarts,” Agott says, holding up a small tart with a yellow jam. She had crumbs around her mouth and some of the jam filling on her top lip.
“A wonderful suggestion dear,” Master Qifrey says, handing the dark haired girl a napkin with a fond laugh. “Would you like to try some Tetia?”
Tetia nods, accepting a couple tarts with different jam fillings. She nibbles on them as her gaze darts around the rest of the food set out before spotting a short pot with a light brown soup that had a white spot swirled in the center. A mix of green leaves and dark brown nuts decorate the soup. It was presented in a much fancier way then Tetia remembers her grandmother making it. Despite that she could still recognize the soup her grandmother loved. “Is that chasenut soup?” She asks, pointing to the pot.
“Yes it is, anything else you would like?” Master Qifrey asks her.
“Uhm, a slice of bread too if it’s okay.” Tetia says in a mumble, kicking her legs from where they hang off the dining chair. Tetia nudges the tart with the yellow jam to the edge of her plate as she bites into the tart with a light red filling.
“It would be more than okay.” Master Qifrey says as he pushes himself up from his chair to spoon out a portion of the soup in a bowl that was stacked near the pot. He hands her the bowl, which she settles onto the empty area of her plate first before grabbing the slice of bread Master Qifrey holds for her. He grabs a slice of bread for himself, smearing butter on one side before sitting back down in his chair with a hum. Mister Olly says something that catches Master Qifrey’s attention, drawing the white haired man into a conversation in between bites of food.
Tetia’s feet kick idly as the familiar scent of the soup dances under her nose. Guilt had followed Tetia around since the night she had spent in the medical spire. The fact she couldn’t bring herself to cry for the woman who raised and adored her always nagged at the back of Tetia’s mind. How could she think herself to be her grandmother’s child when she could cry over stolen bread but not her grandmother’s death? Tetia had so many opportunities to cry. Yet here, sitting at a table with a man who shared the same wrinkles around his eyes that her grandmother had, the scent of once familiar soup dancing in the air was enough to make a pang of grief strike through her heart. Tetia sniffles, breaking off some of her bread to spoon out a portion of the soup.
It didn’t taste the same.
Tetia isn’t sure how she remembers what her grandmother’s chasenut soup tasted like even after such a long time. However as the flavors and the warmth of this soup dance along her tongue she just knows. But it was the second closest thing she had to remember her grandmother by since she was taken into Master’s care. Maybe she could just pretend it was the same recipe. She could imagine it like a painting. There was her grandmother’s cooking pot with the chipped handle and faded design painted along the rim that Tetia always tried to match with the lid. There was the loaf of bread her grandmother would buy from a baker, a loaf that would scatter crumbs around the wooden cutting board as she cut into the crust. Here, Tetia thought as she stared down at the serving of soup and tarts in front of her eating it mechanically because she was taught not to waste food, she is sat at their creaking circle table draped in the white and blue checkered table cloth with loose threads around the hems. The one embroidered with dancing flowers.
The soup really was good. Tetia couldn’t finish all of it, whether it was from her stomach quickly turning on her as she ate more than she was used to or the childish want to not impose on the whisper soft memory of her grandmother’s soup. Tetia takes to nibbling on the last bit of crust left of her slice of bread. “Lord Beldadruit?” Agott asks, her voice drawing Tetia from her dreams. The dark haired girl’s fingers nervously fidget with the handle of her tea cup.
Lord Beldaruit perks up at the call of his name “Yes dear girl?”
Agott hides her face with her bangs as her eyes jump to Master Qifrey, who nods at her with an encouraging smile. She takes a deep breath, tucking her bangs behind her ears as her skittish gaze meets Lord Beldaruit's patient one. “Uhm, could I by chance look through your library for a book?”
Lord Beldaruit claps his hands as he nods enthusiastically. “Oh why of course you can! Do you know how to get to it from here?”
Agott blinks, seemingly caught off guard by the easy agreement. “I’m sure I can figure it out.” She mumbles to herself eyeing the door to the dining room as if it were a puzzle to complete. Mister Olly reaches out to ruffle her hair with an amused chuckle.
“C’mon lass I’ll help you,” Mister Olly says pushing his chair back with a huff. Agott becomes probably the most energetic Tetia has seen from her, quickly climbing down from her chair as she tugs insistently at Mister Olly’s hand.
Master Qifrey laughs into his tea at the display. “And he says he isn’t fond of the girl.” He quips, there was a look in his eye that was so very close to grief that it startles Tetia. But within a blink it was gone, replaced with a fond amusement that makes Tetia wonder if she was just projecting her own grief onto the man. “Good thing he isn’t bothered to take the fifth test, then. I think he’d steal her from me.”
Lord Beldaruit chuckles in the dining room falling into a companionable quiet for a second. “Might I keep you two for a moment longer? I wish to discuss something important.” While Lord Beldaruit was smiling there was a look in his eyes as he directed the question to Master Qifrey.
Tetia glances between the two, folding her hands in her lap nervously as Master Qifrey exhales quietly. He turns in his seat to face Tetia with a comforting smile. “Yes I do believe proper introductions are in order. Tetia, this is my Master Beldaruit or as everyone has referred to him, Lord Beldaruit. He is one of the Three Wises who have sworn to protect the pact, the Sage of Teachings.”
“Such a formal introduction from you feels uncanny.” Lord Beldaruit says a hand covering the lift of his smile.
“And it shall be the last time I do such a thing,” Master Qifrey mumbles wrinkling his nose.
“I’m so sorry!” Tetia squeaks out, flailing her arms as a flush overtakes her face. “I didn’t even realize! Please forgive my rudeness Lord Beldaruit!” Tetia says in a rush ducking her head hastily, her forehead would’ve smacked the table if it wasn’t for Master Qifrey cushioning the collision with his hand.
“Oh dear, truly there’s no need for such formalities! You can call Grandy-Bel if it so suits you!” Lord Beldaruit says waving a hand around with a grin.
“You don’t have to do that.” Master Qifrey is quick to interject, giving his master a scolding look. Like a dejected puppy Lord Beldaruit wilts into his chair. Tetia can’t help her giggle at the theatrics, earning herself a fond smile from Lord Beldaruit as he fixes his posture from his over dramatic pout. His expression while no less kind stiffens into a more serious look as he leans forward.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t wish to, dear thing.” Lord Beldaruit say, “While I do not know the events that lead to your current circumstances. I do want you to know that you have the right to choose what you wish to do from here.”
Tetia blinks at the older man, turning to look back at Master Qifrey in confusion. “Students have the right to choose their own masters,” The white haired man says, parroting what her grandmother had told her after she had passed her first test. “It is imperative for you to know that my atelier is quite far from the Great Hall. Located in a place called the Naakiwan Downs. Olruggio, the man who is helping Agott in the library currently, is my Watchful Eye. Do you follow so far?”
Tetia nods slowly, absorbing the information that’s being given to her. “I already said I wanted to be your apprentice though.” She says meekly. Her mind spins a story of its own, a cruel one where the white haired man offered her empty comfort. Tetia doesn’t want to believe that story, has no reason to think of Master Qifrey as a cruel being in the short time she’s spent with him.
“Yes,” Master Qifrey nods, reaching a hand out to her with his palm open. “And I would be more than happy to take you as my own. However if you’ve changed your mind, or do not wish to leave the Great Hall, you are allowed to.”
“You could stay with me,” Lord Beldaruit offers kindly, twisting one of his rings around his finger as he meets Tetia’s eyes. “Or I could help you choose a master to learn under within the Great Hall.”
Tetia reaches for Master Qifrey’s offered palm, holding onto it as her mind tries to pick through all the choices she’s seemingly been given for free. “But, what about the bread? I have to pay you back.”
“Darling, you’re a child.” Master Qifrey tells her. He doesn’t do it in a mocking way, or the way Master had where she seemed to have been aggrieved by the fact. Master Qifrey says it as if it’s a good thing. As if Tetia being a child isn’t something to feel ashamed of or to try and grow out of as quickly as possible. “You wouldn’t have to pay me back for anything even if you were able to.” He says curling his fingers around her hand in a loose hold. Tetia stares down at their hands, takes in the coolness of the man’s skin against hers and the comfort it was to have someone to reach for.
“Even- even if I didn’t have anything to pay you back for you’d still want me?” Tetia asks, her voice wobbling as she sniffles. “Really?”
“Yes,” Master Qifrey answers her as if he had never thought to question it. “Really.”
The Great Hall was not a kind place. Though it does beg the question, can something be kind if it does not breathe? Was the Great Hall built with unforgiving stone and cold creeping into every crack of its foundation unforgiving because inattentiveness would lead the water it was sheltered under to rush in and consume it? Were the winding streets and alleys that only the lost seem to know of cruel for offering shelter to children who had been thrown into its maw? Stone did not have a heartbeat. It could not be kind in the same way it could not be cruel. Tetia held very little fondness for the Great Hall she had come to know since Master had refused her. She could not see herself missing the streets she was made to make home among. If she had been younger, still within the cocoon of safety her grandmother had woven around her within their apartment maybe she would’ve had been more hesitant with the knowledge of distance. Yet as she was now, with the memory of stone digging into her back and the way most adults could never quite bring themselves to acknowledge her she thinks she would rather drown if she has to stay here.
Tetia clings to Master Qifrey’s hand and wonders if she ever was like the heroes in those fantastical epics. She didn’t really feel like one, heroes make worlds for themselves with their swords. All Tetia ever made for herself were dreams she could never hold onto.
Tetia takes in a deep breath, feeling the way her lungs expand within her ribs. “I want to stay with Master Qifrey.” She says, holding her breath as Lord Beldaruit and Master Qifrey share a look. One that holds a conversation without words.
Lord Beldaruit claps with the finality a judges gavel and he smiles at her. A genuine one that crinkles the edges of his eyes, “Oh how wonderful!” He says with excitement.
Master Qifrey squeezes her hand, “Thank you for choosing me darling.” He says quietly returning Tetia’s grin with a smile of his own. “We should probably go check on the other two, eh?” Master Qifrey asks, as he pushes back his chair. “They have been suspiciously quiet.”
Tetia lets herself be lifted from her chair, wrapping her arms around Master Qifrey’s shoulder. “You give them far too little credit my dear child,” Lord Beldaruit says as his sealchair comes to life. Its hooves click against the ground as he rounds table taking the lead out of the dining room. Tetia pays little mind to her surroundings as she settles against her master’s shoulder, feeling pleasantly full for the first time in a long while. The halls they walk through blur together in Tetia’s peripheral as she finds herself slipping into another doze as Master Qifrey and Lord Beldaruit talk between themselves.
“Oh, dear.” Lord Beldaruit says as the come to a stop, drawing Tetia from her doze as she looks around a room filled with books from roof to ceiling. In the center of the room was quite a large pile stacked into a messy circle. In the middle of the book fort was Agott fully enraptured in a book. “Were you able to find what you were looking for dear girl?” Lord Beldaruit asks as he makes his way to the dark haired girl with careful booksteps. Agott nods, her rapt attention being fixed on Lord Beldaruit as she shows him the book she was reading with eagerness.
“Are you alive, Olly?” Master Qifrey asks making his way to the lump of fabric sprawled out a step away from the stack of books. Tetia giggles as Master Qifrey pokes the limp form of Mister Olly with his foot causing the dark haired man swat at him.
“Just peachy,” Mister Olly groans out. “Give me a moment, or five.”
Master Qifrey snorts, settling on the ground beside the man letting Tetia stay comfortably nestled on his shoulder. “I’m sure Beldaruit is looking for a new carpet in here.” Master Qifrey picks a book from the stack humming to himself as he flips through the pages. Mister Olly grumbles something that Tetia isn’t able to make out, having drifted off into a dream where hunger doesn’t follow her.