38 Her Wait

My birthday would be a week after my test for the Academy. I would officially be an adult and a personal knight would need to be assigned to me. This was how I found myself standing in front of my father's desk.

The decision is typically left to the head of the house as having one's child choose the knight that would be entrusted with their safety would normally be considered foolish. These aren't normal circumstances, however.

"I would like Sir Verret to be assigned as my primary knight. I will accept more knights as I recognize there are places Sir Verret will not be able to follow me, but I would like the choice of any others to be verified and approved by him."

"It's not unheard of for a Lady to have a male knight and Sir Verret's capabilities are above reproach. I would suggest you have him pick out three more knights, two women and one man, to balance out your entourage. I will not make any suggestions as to whom and leave the judgements to him."

"Thank you father."

A Gods blessedly short meeting with my father later and I'm back in my room making preparations for tomorrow. Dinner was quiet as mother mostly just glared at my father and then he summoned me immediately after. Noah was apparently taking a nap as he had been having trouble sleeping since I left so he finally crashed when he heard I'd come home. I wonder how he'll handle it when I leave for the Academy.

I'm certain I'll be able to pass their tests with flying colors since I've already gotten a 'glowing recommendation' regarding my results from the Tower. There are some key differences though.

The Academy, unlike the Tower, will cover all the subjects that any noble or official within the court would need to know to be successful. History, mathematics, sciences, language, etiquette, etc. They also teach swordsmanship and have social events throughout the year.

Venna wanted to invite me to a ball last year but you need to be at least sixteen years old or declared an independent adult by your family to attend. I can think of no noble house that has ever allowed their child to attend before sixteen though, and of course my father wouldn't be one to break tradition.

Venna also prepared me a bit for what to expect. Thanks to that I know that there will be a written test covering all of the necessary subjects including magic circles and runes, a combat qualifications section that could help determine your eligibility to enter the knights' courses, and a practical test for magic circles.

The previous nervousness that I experienced before the Tower exam is nowhere to be felt. I'm confident in my abilities and I'm not worried about failing. The one thing that bothers me is that this is my only choice now.

I take a deep breath. I will make the best of this. I will find people I can talk to on equal ground, I will work to discover new talents, and I will better myself. I've lost this first opportunity to enter the Tower but that doesn't mean my life is over.

With my resolution set I summon Rebecca and prepare myself for bed. I'll need to be up early tomorrow morning.

_________________________

I had to wake up before sunrise because registration for the exam would take place promptly at the first bell and end before the second bell so I only had three hours to finish. This might sound like a lot but there would be plenty of people lining up to attempt the exams. Last year it was estimated to be in the thousands.

The difficulty in gaining entry was high even if it wasn't as bad as the Tower's, so nowhere near that many passed the initial screenings. On top of that there were always a lot of commoners that tried their hand at it and failed. Many of them wouldn't receive the proper education necessary to pass the written exams with some of them even being illiterate. The practical portions of course would account for that but it still made the process harder for them.

The Academy's motto may be 'equality of education' but that doesn't mean they haven't figured out ways to discriminate against commoners. There are plenty of nobles who don't look favorably on them influencing court opinions and so they placed people within the Academy that could affect certain aspects. There weren't a lot, but they were still there. The written portion of the exam was the biggest part of that.

There's been efforts in recent years to change the written portion into a verbal one but the logistics of it would be difficult and there's too much opposition. My father is of the highest position and one of the most vocal that calls for the verbal component to be added.

Shaking myself from my thoughts I waited patiently in the still chilly air of early spring for the carriage. My father and mother stood beside me with my little brother being carried by his nursemaid a short distance behind them. Noah was insistent that he come because he was worried he wouldn't be able to see me before I left for the Academy.

Everyone here seems to be expecting that I'll pass. I guess that includes myself.

"Marisilea we will immediately head to the exam center upon arrival and you may have to wait in line. I could use the name of Arkesh to allow you to register early but it isn't good to rely on that kind of preferential treatment to succeed."

"I don't have a problem waiting, father."

"Good. The tests are divided into two days. Day one will be your written exam in the morning after the second bell, and your practical magic test after the third bell. Day two will be combat testing after the first bell and, if you so choose, a placement test for the class assignments after the third bell."

That will give me three hours to complete the written portion. The practical magic portion won't take that long for anyone as you're not attempting to complete any challenges, just showing how many simple circles you can cast simultaneously and the most complex circle you can attempt. You don't even have to be able to cast the complex circle you just receive a few more points if you do.

"Why a placement test? Can't they just use your results from the other portions?"

"They do but the nobles have an unfair advantage with regards to the written exam so this part was just added this year. The higher classes have been dominated by nobles with very few commoners gaining access. With a placement practical people may challenge anyone who scored well in the first three components for a chance at entering a higher class."

"Then I suppose the scores will be calculated for the first three before the third bell on the second day?"

"It will be a simple matter as most of the professors and some of the senior students from the Academy will be present as judges and to score the written exams. I don't expect you to challenge anyone during the class assignment portion unless you rank incredibly low. You only need to defend your position."

I'm not expecting to score low but I also don't want to unfairly deny someone a position in the higher ranks. If I score low I'm willing to accept that and move on, my father be damned.

"Of course father."

I can't just go showing open defiance though.

Our carriage arrived shortly after our conversation and we quickly boarded. The first bell is still two hours from now but it will take time to travel to the transportation circle and then to the assembly hall.

With the trip being incredibly short, and uneventful, I find myself staring at a growing crowd lining up outside of what looks to be the largest single roomed building I've ever seen. I may not have been out much but this room has to be four times the size of the largest in our manor and those rooms had been larger than any others I'd seen yet.

The might of the Academy could be seen in the small yet careful details of each part of the hall. Pillars made of strong but not gaudy materials, floors polished and shining, and chairs with comfortable cushions sewn meticulously into them arranged in an orderly fashion.

I am impressed by the care that went into organizing this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it's still awe inspiring.

Finding one of the shorter lines I took my place behind a few people of similar age. Most of them are dressed in outfits that were simple and inexpensive with a few wearing things of such poor quality that they could barely be considered clothes. I've seen some beggars when I toured the town around the Tower but I've not had much experience outside the comfort of the Duchy; this is one of my very few brushes with the poverty that afflicts commoners. I might not be able to call my entire time in the Duchy 'comfortable' but I understood that there were many that had it worse than me.

A few people looked at my clothes and sent a scornful glare my way but most just ignored me. Taking a more careful glance around I noticed that not only were the people wearing clothing of more expensive materials rarer than I initially thought, but no one was dressed as well or as extravagantly as myself. My father isn't one to flaunt our wealth too much but being a Duke means that he can't be too frugal either.

I can only assume that I'm the only higher noble lining up here to register for the exam so far. Is the arrogance of nobles so high that they can't even be seen mingling with people of differing status?

As the crowds grew larger and the lines began to lengthen, the gaps between the lines also began to shrink. This inevitably resulted in the curiosity of the people closest to me reaching a peak and a girl from another line asked me a question.

"You look like you could have just registered separately using your name so why choose to stand in line?"

I couldn't sense any ill intent from her question even if it was a little… on the nose. Even if she was upset with my presence there's no reason for me to be rude yet.

"I don't think it's admirable to abuse my privilege to gain any advantages and I don't see a reason not to stand in line with everyone. It also gives me a chance to speak with more people that I might become classmates with."

Even though I tried to imply that the nobles' circle is too small and narrow minded the way I speak is lost on the people around me. It's not the fault of their judgement but just a representation of the way nobles talk in circles instead of being honest.

"Why did you say you might become classmates with some of us? Do you think we won't pass?"

"Well, that's possible but there's also the possibility that I won't pass."

There was a sharp intake of breath from somewhere behind me. I turned to look along with a few others to find a girl dressed in a gaudy fashion. I think she's the daughter of a baron's house somewhere in the Hersfeld Duchy. She must have showed up after I had glanced around the room. Did she not recognize me though?

"Someone of noble status shouldn't be saying they might not pass. If you're so scared of your abilities maybe you shouldn't be a noble at all. I don't recognize you and you're dressed too commonly to be of any significance but you shouldn't demean nobles by insinuating that any of them could fail."

I'm not sure if she thinks that flashier jewelry means that you're more noble but she's clearly not paying attention to the quality and state of the materials that I'm wearing.

"I'm not stating anything false; some nobles fail the exams every year. Sure a larger percentage of us pass but that doesn't mean we're better than all commoners, just that we have better educations and materials provided to us."

"Shouldn't you still be upholding a noble's dignity by not mentioning it though? Won't it tarnish the reputation of the noble households by saying it so openly?"

"Stating a simple fact about nobles failing the exams won't tarnish their names any more than the action of them failing to begin with. Admitting it openly that you might fail might be even more dignified than refusing to acknowledge your own shortcomings."

A look of surprise flitted across the girl's face before she became more contemplative. She was silent for a few moments before she spoke up again.

"May I ask what house you belong to?"

"I am Marisilea Arkesh of the Arkesh Dukedom."

A circle of silence suddenly spread out centered around my location. Everyone who was only paying cursory attention to our conversation suddenly focused sharply on what I said.

The young lady who I was speaking to hastily performed a deep curtsy.

"My apologies to the Princess of the House of Arkesh. This humble lady of the Barony of Obern greets you, my name is Patrice Obern."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Patrice. There's no need for those formalities during the exam, you may speak to me without reservations. You're from the lands of Duke Hersfeld correct?"

"Yes Princess Arkesh."

She seemed to become timid now and I don't think I'll be able to keep our conversation going any longer.

I internally sighed a little. I don't like using my title like this. Luckily it seems that Patrice is only doing this because of formalities and not because she wants to ingratiate herself with my family. She seems a little worried that our earlier conversation might have offended me though.

The announcement of who I was also seemed to silence a few of the other curious people around me and stopped most other conversations.

This was going to be a long wait.