Her Ceremony

Venna brought me to a chair to sit down under the pretense of serving me something to drink. It seems she's more attentive than I give her credit for. I'm glad she's providing me with an excuse to rest, but I can see my father eyeing my behavior more closely now. He's been doing it since before the dance, but if he's focused on me more now, then that means that showing weakness will only make things worse later.

Thankfully the majority of introductions and pleasantries were over, with only three groups of importance approaching me after the dance.

The first to do so were the Duke and Duchess of Hersfeld and their son, Felix. They were polite if detached, so their discussion was short.

The next was the King, Queen, Crown Prince, and the Princess. Their greeting was even shorter, if less polite. It was still detached, except for The Crown Prince rolling his eyes when he thought the King couldn't see. I'm fairly certain the King did see though. He'll find out later tonight, and for his sake I hope he doesn't receive too many lashings.

The most important group was Venna's parents, Vulmar-tár Ardaine and Myriani-tári Ardaine. They spent more time discussing things with me than any other person who greeted me tonight. We talked about the Gold Tree, if only briefly, life in the forest of Feyris where the capital is located, and the precociousness of Venna when she was a child. I've never seen parents show so much open affection for their child publicly. Gods, I've never seen parents show affection for their children like this ever. Maybe if I'd been into our city, or if I'd visited the houses of other nobles more frequently, I might have had an opportunity to see it, but I haven't been out enough for that apparently. Or maybe it's a difference in how children are treated between the Kingdoms.

I've been to my lessons with Lizabeth, around the gardens and lake that are located inside the castle grounds, and to a few social gatherings that were mandatory before my brother was born. I was heavily supervised during those social gatherings as well. Come to think of it, I'm certain I haven't been allowed outside the castle walls since my brother's birth.

The Ardaines speak freely with Venna, and she does so in return. She's still respectful, probably because they're in public and because of her mother, judging by the way her mother gives her a questionable look when her tone starts to shift. Even then though, she's given free reign to her own opinions and behaviors. I wonder if she has an older brother and that's why her parents are so forgiving of her actions. Will my younger brother enjoy this much freedom with our parents?

I can only hope that I won't be jealous enough to take anything out on him. It would be unfair to blame him for the circumstances of his birth.

As the sunlight starts to dim, I can feel the excitement of our guests begin to rise. The Magi Circle Ceremony is typically done at sunset, now more so because it's a good excuse to have a banquet that lasts most of the day, and less because of the traditions that are strictly adhered to. Most Magi now agree that the time of day doesn't affect the ceremony in any way.

This time it's the King who speaks, raising his wine glass and tapping on its side gently with his spoon.

"Duke Arkesh has arranged sufficient seating for everyone outside and around the Ceremony Circle. Young Lady Marisilea Arkesh will need to make her final preparations with Tower Mage Reginald, the officiator of tonight's Ceremony."

He then led the procession of people out toward our garden where the Ceremony circles were inscribed. The four intersecting circles needed for a Magic Circle Ceremony never changed, and any noble with enough status would usually have a specific area outdoors dedicated to it. The circles were usually engraved on sturdy materials like stone, marble, or even wood because of tradition and their permanence. Our family had to be ostentatious and engrave them in silver and red marble, just like everything else in this house.

Ostentatious. Wow, ever since I've spoken to Venna my attitude has been taking a turn for the worse.

Mage Reginald approached me again to ask the standard questions. I met him earlier tonight, but aside from brief pleasantries all he said was 'We'll speak more before the Ceremony'.

He was a middle-aged man with a few streaks of grey in his hair. His clothes weren't of poor quality, but I could tell they were a little out of style, and that he wasn't used to wearing them in his day-to-day life. He was clean shaven, but judging by the small splotches of red irritation on his skin I'd say he's probably not used to shaving regularly as well. Court mages whose purpose is research and development often take turns doing these ceremonies as the more powerful Magi were needed near the capital.

"Are you mentally prepared and have you practiced your meditation?"

I was unaware that I would have to practice the meditation technique prior to the Ceremony and now I'm glad I've had three years to do so. I quickly nod my head.

"Good. You don't know how many 'Young Ladies' and 'Young Masters' I've had to walk through the Gods damned meditation right before the Ceremony. If the nobles ever gave me time prior to the Ceremony to speak to their snot nosed brats I wouldn't even mind, but they 'have more important matters to attend to'."

I see I'm not the only one who's had their nerves worn down by tonight's 'festivities'. He seems to take a bit of liberty with the idea that Court Magi are given more leeway with regards to their eccentricities.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I apologize. Are you aware of what you are to do and how long you will be seated?"

"I'm to take your hand as you carefully escort me to the center of the circles and then immediately sit down on the ground with my knees crossed. I will remain seated until the light from the circles is extinguished, and I will not move before then. I need to remain seated for at least ten minutes, but it could take as long as two hours."

This ceremony is one of the few times where a male escort is acceptable due to the importance and scarcity of trained Magi. Usually only the most professional of Magi are chosen to officiate. Lizabeth told me there are times where that's not always the case, but Mage Reginald appears focused on the task and not much else.

"Two hours is typically the longest it will take. In my experience I've never had a Ceremony last longer than an hour, but I've heard of some lasting four hours or more. Those are exceptionally rare, and only happen when the person's potential is exceedingly high."

I've not heard of that, but if it's rare enough that it isn't always mentioned then it's probably so low of a chance that it's not worth worrying over. Given that it's me, I'm certain it's not something I'll need to be concerned about. I haven't exactly been an 'exceedingly high potential' individual for most of my life.

"Do you have any questions, worries, or rude words you wish to direct my way?"

I think I'm starting to like Mage Reginald. He's like an older, more jaded, and male version of Venna. Maybe he's doing this to deliberately put me at ease? If so, he's an excellent choice for an officiator for me. Not sure how his behavior would go over with other nobles, but maybe he's good at reading the situation and adapting.

"No Mage Reginald, I believe I'm prepared."

"You will need to change your clothes and remove all your jewelry. I trust there is a room before we go outside where you can do so. The ceremonial robes should be present there if the Duke did not forget."

I nod to him again, and then I make my way toward the indoor waiting area to the right of the exit that leads to the gardens.

The ceremonial robe is a simple white gown with long sleeves that covers up to the neck. The bottom reaches to just above my ankles, providing plenty of cover for my body as well as being thick enough to not be seen through, even if it rains. There were plenty of incidents in the past where the gowns were too sheer, rain began to pour down, and the person having their ceremony was deeply embarrassed. Since the ceremony can't be stopped once it's started, I'm sure that would be humiliating.

Quickly changing my clothes, removing my shoes, and depositing my jewelry into the jewelry box that my family provided, I stepped out to meet Mage Reginald and begin the ceremony.

He held out his hand in a gesture of escort, this time with the palm facing down. I laid my hand on the top, barely laying my forearm across his own. He then began guiding me in the same way as Venna. Judging by his poise and confidence, I'm now thinking that he's good at reading the situation and wasn't just venting his frustrations earlier.

Stepping outside, we're greeted with the familiar circles that I've seen in the garden multiple times and read about in some of my books while studying. This time there's a crowd seated around the area, situated at least 3 meters away.

The intersecting circles are done in a very specific way, which has been designated 'The Reason for the Existence of Magic'. The explanations don't matter, and the titles of the circles don't affect the ceremony in any way. Each circle has nearly identical runes engraved on them, with only two runes from each circle being different at the center where they intersect. The titles of the circles are simple, and the circles themselves are arranged in a diamond formation from the position of the person seated in the center.

The circle to the officiant's back, and usually positioned closest to the person's home, is called 'Love'. Its position represents the love that a person first experiences, familial, and the support that family provides from behind. Not one I'm feeling right now. Hopefully in the future.

The circle to the officiant's front is called 'Potential', and it represents what a Mage can be capable of. It's always facing the sunset, symbolizing the Magic setting like the sun into the soul of the Mage before awakening. Unlike the implied meaning, this circle and its structure doesn't affect a Mage's potential. It's just what tradition dictates it's called.

The circle to the officiant's left is called Needs, and it's supposed to represent the needs of the World from the Mage. Or the needs of Magic from the Mage. It depends on who you ask to interpret it really. Most people can't explain the significance of the naming of this rune beyond 'A greater purpose' or some other philosophical idea.

The circle to the officiant's right is called Affinity, and it represents the Mage's affinity. Shocking, I know. Again, the circle itself isn't structured specifically to measure a Mage's affinity. It does have a more realistic reason for being called that though, as a Mage will demonstrate their affinity during the ceremony through the release of Magic in their right hand. Affinity is a strange subject that even the Magi who've studied it still don't fully grasp.

I might have been pondering over the circles a bit too long, as Mage Reginald leaned toward me to whisper.

"Are you okay? I understand if you're nervous, but there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm okay Mage Reginald. Let's continue." I could feel my father's eyes boring holes into me. It's best not to upset him any further and risk putting Lizabeth in an awkward position.

I'm carefully led to the center of the circle, stepping over each rune in our path so as not to upset the circles. In ceremonies where the person doesn't have the circles permanently formed it's possible to disturb them and cause the ceremony to fail. Because all the circles in the early days were made using chalk or other materials to write, it became tradition to avoid stepping on them. And of course, there are still people who have the ceremony done that way, so it makes sense to teach everyone this method.

Finally at the center, I carefully lower myself to the marble, crossing my legs as I'm seated. I take a deep breath and begin my meditation, turning to Mage Reginald and nodding to begin the ceremony.

He returns my nod, focuses his attention on the circles, and the soft white glow of magic envelops his body and begins to feed into them. Suddenly I can see another thread of magic, this one golden, working it's way around the outside of the formation.