8 Fireball

Three weeks later I was enrolled in the Imperial college. I stood outside in the courtyard. It was a warm morning. The sun was shining and students were laughing as they made their way to classes. I reached the staircase and began ascending to the classroom. As I walked up, I passed the large windows overlooking the capital. The sun flooded the halls and I couldn't help but feel this was the best decision I had ever made.

I finally reached my class. The room was filled with other students chatting away. A further staircase opened up to a large lecture hall. I sat down towards the middle and waited for the class to begin. A young man sat next to me. He was short with a slender physique. He had swirling red hair and freckles. I was about to make an introduction when he called to the girl sitting in the row ahead of us. She had somewhat similar features to him but had a rounder, plump face and a friendly smile.

"Ahem..class is starting", Coughed a voice from down below us. I snapped my eyes to the front where a man had begun speaking.

"My name is Orlo. I will be teaching this introductory class to magic", Orlo explained in a loud voice. He was a sharp, tall man with spectacles. In his hand he held a large tomb which he set onto the desk in front of him.

"We'll begin with the history of magic..." Orlo began the lecture detailing the grand history of magic and religion. He explained magical affinities and suggested books we ought to read. When the lecture had ended, I peered over quickly at my neighbour to try and make an introduction but he was already descending to meet the girl in front.

I left the hall and was surprised to see Charlotte waiting for me.

"How was it?" She asked excitedly.

"It was interesting. Mostly just the history of magic, similar to what you explained before"

"Ah I think the word you mean is boring!" She laughed and we began walking towards her lab, "Don't worry it will get more intensive as you progress. Anyway, I came to meet with you because I wanted to introduce you to some friends of mine"

We reached the corridor where the labs were and I saw two women debating in the hall.

"The text can't possibly be interpreted in that way!" The taller woman exclaimed.

"Of course it can! In volume two of under..." A short, angry woman began to argue back.

Charlotte nudged me and whispered, "They've been at it all day. Two Baron's daughters turned historians. The worst combination",She called over to them, "Azella. Drew. This is who I was talking about"

They both turned abruptly towards us.

"This is Bella", Said Charlotte.

"Your Grace", The tall girl gasped. Both sisters curtsied. "My name is Azella La rue. My father is the baron of Blackfield. You've probably never heard of it", she began to ramble, "And my younger sister, Drew"

"Your Grace", Echoed Drew, "We weren't formally introduced. But we attended the debutante ball. Duchess, you and the Duchess Welton.."

"Enough Drew", The elder sister interjected.

"There's no need for formalities here, I'm just a student like you", I started to explain.

"Wait", Charlotte interjected, "I knew you must have come from money, but Lucian never said you were a Duchess. Have I been making an utter fool of myself this whole time?"

"Not at all! I...I didn't come here as the Duchess. I just came as Bella. I want to learn magic and.."

"You're studying magic, your Grace?" Drew asked, astonished.

"Yes, why is there something wrong with that?" I questioned. I turned to Charlotte. Charlotte rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses.

"There's nothing wrong with it", Charlotte sighed, "It's just that it's not really heard of, for nobility to study magic. It's considered a practical skill. Usually the noble families elect for higher studies, such as the arts, like history and politics. Whilst the 'new money', like myself - a merchant's daughter and lower nobility traditionally study the trade skills"

"But what about Lucian?"

"Lucian is Lucian. He is a rule unto himself. He does whatever he pleases. He's..."Charlotte drifted before finishing the sentence. The younger sister jumped in again.

"What is the Count like?" she asked giddily, "He's so handsome and he's friends with everyone. IS he your lover?"

"Drew!" reprimanded Azella, "I'm sorry your Grace. My sister follows those lowlife tabloids. Don't worry about what the others say. You're a Duchess. Who would dare tell you what can and cannot be done. I say magic is a fine skill", she smiled wearily.

"That's right", added Charlotte, "Don't think to much on it, your Grace"

"Please, call me Bella while I am here", I implored, "I know you recognise me from the ball. But surely, most people will not know me since this is my first time in the capital. I want to keep it that way"

The sisters glanced at each other and back to Charlotte.

"Very well", Said Charlotte at last, "But it will get around eventually and I won't be held responsible for any accusations of impropriety"

"Of course not", I reassured her.

After talking a bit more with the sisters, Charlotte and I returned to my quarters. As she turned to leave I grabbed her hand.

"I wasn't trying to hide it from you Charlotte. I didn't know that it would apply here", I tried to explain.

Charlotte chuckled, "I'm afraid, it applies everywhere Bella. That's what it means to be a Duchess. You're always going to be under scrutiny. You have to be more careful"

"I'm trying. I just keep making mistakes. I thought becoming a Duchess would be like a fairy tale. But there are all these unspoken rules and it feels like I'm back where I was, just dressed up to be this Duchess character. I thought this would be a break from it all", I felt like I couldn't stop the words spilling out of my mouth. I barely knew Charlotte but there was something so authentic about her. I wanted her to understand me. More than that, I wanted to be understood. I wanted to give these feelings words.

"I don't know you that well. But you seem to me like you're a bit lost, Bella. As though you don't know who you are yet"

I nodded.

"Being a duchess or a mage or whatever you want to call yourself won't tell you who you are. You have to decide. Don't be an onlooker in your own life"

I nodded and Charlotte left. I thought I could just walk into the shoes of the Duke's daughter and it would all make sense to me. I followed blindly what everyone else told me to do, then expected that something great would happen. I thought once I became the Duchess that people would love me but they didn't. I didn't want to accept my own disappointment. I didn't want to seem ungrateful. But the truth is I wasn't sure where I was going. I felt adrift.

The following weeks I felt likeI was going through the motions. I attended my classes but was unable to make any friends. A part of me didn't want to. I stayed away from the other side of the college where I knew I might be recognised as the Duchess. Lucian never visited as he promised and no word came from my father. However, Charlotte would come to visit me every now and then, we would eat lunch and discuss magic.

The lessons had progressed slowly, we were only beginning to learn how to draw mana. Much of the time was spent in isolation, meditating and trying to focus on mana. But no matter how long I tried, I couldn't get the divine stone to glow. Finally the day came when we would be tested on our progress. The teacher, Orlo, brought us out into the courtyard. There were a series of targets lined up and we were given fire staff.

"Now, these staff are especially designed for mages in training. Unlike a regular fire staff, the amount of fire released directly reflects your mana input", Orlo explained. He aimed the staff at one of the targets.

He spoke the incantation, "fireball".

A great ball of fire exploded out from the staff and incinerated one of the targets completely.

One my one, the students following his examples emite a blast of fire on the targets. The fire they conjured was much weaker than Orlo's. Some barely singed the targets. Others were well met. The red-haired young man who had first sat beside me in class released a flaming ball on the targets that hit perfectly. Orlo observed carefully and praised him. Eventually it came to me. I could feel the eyes on me. My hand was almost shaking as I aimed at the staff. It wouldn't work. I was about to make a fool of myself. I slowly stepped forward.

"Fireball".

The staff seemed to rattle but no fire came out. It was as I thought. More mana. Focus, I told myself. More. Just a bit more.

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my skull but I ignored it and pushed on. More mana.

All of a sudden the whole staff erupted into a blast of flame in my hand. I barely let go in time before the staff exploded completely. I was thrown to the floor. Everything went black.