said. “We’ll stay out of your way.”
“I’m sorry boys, I don’t have time to explain, but you cannot ride right now,” Phillipa said. Without another word, she rushed to the castle.
“Let’s go see what happened,” Kaelen said.
“No,” Adrian replied, grabbing Kaelen’s sleeve. “She looked worried. We shouldn’t go in.”
Kaelen looked ready argue but Lucian interrupted, “Come on, Kaelen, we’ll come back after supper. There will still be enough light for a couple hours of work with the horses.”
Reluctantly, Kaelen turned to follow them. He watched as Tallia, and a few other fairies followed Phillipa to the barn. The others grabbed his arms and steered him into the castle. “I’m sure if it’s something that concerns us, Phillipa will tell us tomorrow.”
But the boys didn’t have to wait that long. When they went to supper, they saw an older boy hobbling through the line on crutches, Tallia carrying a tray for him. He looked absolutely miserable and Lucian had a bad feeling it wasn’t because of the injury to his leg.
After dinner, the boys went out to the stables. Phillipa was speaking with Diana in low tones. “Um, Phillipa?” Lucian said.
“Yes?”
“We, uh, we were wondering if we could practice for our final now, with our horses?” he asked. He was fairly sure she was going to tell him no.
A sad look passed over her face. “Lucian,” Phillipa paused. She looked at Diana who touched her arm gently. She then turned back to Lucian and sighed, “Yes, you may, but not in the indoor arena. There was an accident and, well, we haven’t been able to remove the body yet.” When the boys’ eyes widened she continued, “It’s not a student. It was his horse. He was practicing for his final too, but took the jump at the wrong moment. There was nothing we could do for Duchess except ease her passing.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Jacobi asked.
“Rodrick’s leg is broken and I imagine his spirit as well, but he will recover both.” Phillipa smiled gently. “Now, if you’d like to use the outdoor circle, I can have it set up while you get your horses.”
Kaelen nodded and followed his friends into the barn. He couldn’t resist the urge to look into the indoor arena. Lying against the sand was a pure white mare, an arrow sticking up from her chest. He shuddered, knowing the accident could have been much worse. They could have lost Rodrick too. But he wished that somehow they could have saved the long-legged mare. He went to Lightning’s stall and put his tack on before leading him outside to the dressage circle.
The boys were quiet as they went through the dressage movements they’d been learning that semester. As the light began to dim, Phillipa called to them, “Alright boys, it’s time to go in.”
They led their horses back inside. Lucian scrubbed Zephyr down, removing the sheen of sweat glistening on his sides and brushed him for far longer than was necessary. “I know we’re not always friends,” he said as he poured oats into Zephyr’s trough, “but I love you all the same.”
Zephyr whickered softly and nuzzled Lucian’s hair. His big brown eyes seemed to say that he loved Lucian too.
“I know boy, I know,” he said, rubbing Zephyr’s forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The finals passed quickly and the day soon came for their final meeting with the princesses for the year. Similar to winter semester, the boys had individual meetings with Calista, this time with their parents so they could discuss the changes that would be occurring the following year. While Alexandra was meeting with Melantha and Allegra, Lucian and Lysander sat in Calista’s office. “You’ve done very well this year,” Calista began, smiling at Lucian. “Next year, however, will be different. You will begin your specialty classes which will build the foundation for your quest. On Monday and Wednesday, you will have your regular classes with the rest of your classmates. Mathematics, language arts, that sort of class. Tuesday and Thursday will be your specialty classes and Friday will continue to be a day for fine arts. However, even in those classes there will be differences. You will find yourself in much smaller classes as your peers go through different training. Some of your classes may even be one-on-one instruction with your instructor. You may not have that next year, but as the years progress, your coursework will become more individualized. Don’t believe for a moment that things are going to get easier, Lucian; they are only going to become more challenging. Your class days will become longer as you must fit more courses into the day. I’m sure that you are up to the challenge. You are a very bright boy.”
“So, am I going to get my schedule now?” he asked.
She laughed. “Yes, Lucian, I’ll be giving you a copy of your schedule and your supply list for next year. I hope you have a wonderful summer. King Lysander, any questions?”
“No, I think you covered everything,” he smiled.
“Very well, Lucian here’s your schedule. Again, have a great summer. Oh, and before I forget,” she stood and pinned a small badge to Lucian’s chest. “For successful completion of two years at Charming Academy.” She smiled as he beamed up at her. “Now, please send Jacobi and his parents in.”
When Lucian got to the hall, Adrian was waiting impatiently. “Okay, I want to see if we have any of the same classes. I keep hoping someone will commiserate with me.”
Lucian opened his schedule.
Class Schedule
Day Time Class Teacher
Monday,Wednesday
8:00-9:00 History Clio Stormcloud
9:00-10:00 Physical Education Achilles Stardust
10:00-11:00 Mathematics Marius Hawkeye
11:00-12:00 Lunch
12:00-1:30 Language Arts Airlia Willowlimb
1:30-3:00 Etiquette Gelasia Stardust
3:00-4:00 Foreign Language Lorelei
4:00-5:00 Orientation Honoria Peregrine
Tuesday, Thursday
8:00-9:30 Spell Breaking Althea
9:30-11:00 Horsemanship Phillipa Rosepetal
11:00-12:00 Lunch
12:00-2:00 Double Fencing Raphael Peregrine
2:00-4:00 Double Botany Russett Snapdragon
4:00-5:30 Dragon Fighting Vulcan Firebrand
Friday
8:00-9:30 Inter. Alchemy Aurelia Sundance
9:30-11:00 Music Amadeus Comettail
11:00-12:00 Lunch
12:00-1:30 Art Stefanos Stormcloud
1:30-3:00 Hunting Diana Foxglove
3:00-4:00 Language Arts Airlia Willowlimb
4:00-5:00 Foreign Language Lorelei
On Monday evenings, Astronomy will be taught from 8:00-9:30 by Uralia Moonbeam
“Dang, I was hoping you’d have physical education with me Friday afternoon. Ugh! I can’t believe I have that on Friday. That’s just not fair,” Adrian complained.
“It could be worse; I’ve got foreign language Friday afternoon.”
Lysander put a comforting hand on each boy’s shoulder. “This is to help you with your quest. You may not see it now, but I’m sure as you’re on your quest, it’ll make sense to you.”
“Explain amphibian studies to me,” Adrian muttered.
Laughing, Lysander led the boys downstairs. “Come on, your princesses are waiting on you.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Allegra and Moira were chatting while Alexandra and Lavinia were discussing something else. As the gentlemen joined them, Alexandra asked, “What do you think dear?”
“If I knew what you were talking about, I could give a very good thought,” Lysander teased.
“Lavinia was telling me that she grew up by the ocean and hasn’t been to the beach in years. I proposed inviting her and her children to spend a few days with us at the castle on the beach. You and the boys could go camping. We could go shopping,” she explained. “What do you think?”
“Sounds like you’ve got everything planned beautifully, my love,” he said. “You arrange the details and I’ll say yes.”
They walked together into the dining hall which was filled with people.
The boys watched Rodrick hop across on his crutches to receive his quest, looking somewhat better than he had before. It would be some time before he would be able to begin his quest. His leg was still healing from the breaks. Calista announced, “Normally, a prince is given only five years to complete his quest. During an unfortunate accident, Rodrick broke his leg and it will be months before it is healed. In consideration of this, the fairy council has granted Rodrick an extra year in which to complete his quest in order to allow him the time to heal physically and revitalize his strength. Use that year wisely, Rodrick.”
When the ceremony was over, the two families slowly walked out to their carriages. Moira had been very quiet and Lucian decided to try once more to engage her in a normal conversation. “So, you and your family will be visiting this summer. Do you like the beach?”
“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “I’ve never been to the beach. What’s it like?”
“Maltisten is beautiful in summer. The ocean surf is aqua blue and the sands are warm and inviting,” he said. “What’s Lictthane like?”
Moira faltered for a moment. “It’s really pretty,” she said at length.
He asked, “Do you know when you’ll be coming out?”
“No, Mother never tells me the details. She always saves it for a surprise.” She smiled. “It’s like she thinks of everything as a present.”
As they arrived at the stables, Adrian said, “I can’t wait to see you this summer!”
“Me neither,” Lucian smiled. Just before he got in the carriage, Moira’s voice made him turn.
She ran up next to him. “Please write to me this summer.” Then as though afraid she’d sounded too