Is it worth it?

Beth hugged Aria and said, "I see that you have made your decision. We will miss you."

Julia also joined in and Aria was almost crushed under their weight when their father came into the room.

His eyes warmed up seeing his three beautiful treasures and he said, "Come on now. It's time for dinner."

The three then realised that their mother had been shouting the entire afternoon and it was already nighttime.

As they went down to the dining room, it was the quietest meal the girls had ever had. Nobody spoke as the maids served the food and withdrew. After dinner, the girls played for some time and they were sent to bed.

As Aria was helped to change and was tucked in by Penny, her personal maid, her father came in to say goodnight like every night. But what was wierd was that her mother was not there. Aria asked, "Dad, is mom angry at me?"

Joseph kissed her forehead, "No Aria. She just needs some time to process things."

Aria nodded and said goodnight. After her father left, Aria closed her eyes. "Maybe she had really hurt her mother by saying yes. Was it worth it, to hurt mom? But she really wanted to explore things outside the castle. But what would be the price?"

Aria's train of thought broke by the sound of her bedroom door opening. She opened her eyes a slit and saw her mother coming into the room. Aria wanted to open her eyes, but something told her that if she did, her mother would go back. Natalia came towards Aria and sat on the edge of her bed. She brushed her hand against Aria's hair and kissed her forehead lightly. Natalia spoke, almost in a whisper, "I will miss you, my dear. Get strong. Strong enough to protect your sisters and everything you love."

As she stood up to leave, Natalia noticed Aria's small hand clutching the hem of her dress. She smiled and got into Aria's bed, which was a little too big for a five year old kid. The mother and daughter hugged each other and slept that night.

The next day, the main teacher of the academy came to decide whether to take Aria or not. As Aria predicted, he was astonished to see a five year old child surpassing even many adults, and agreed to teach Aria on the spot. He said, "Christopher, the child is really amazing. I can give her two days to say goodbye to the family. But I would prefer to take her as soon as possible."

Before her grandfather could reply, Aria came, "Teacher, I'm ready to go now. I already said my goodbyes when grandpa told me that I would be going."

The teacher was pleasantly surprised, "Very well. Bring your luggage and we can go."

Just like that, Aria left for training. She would come back after one month for one week. As she grew, Aria became more and more presice in bending the elements. It was like she was born only for this.