A Different Palace~3

The car ride to the airport felt a lot shorter than expected. I spent most of it listening to music and the rest was Clarke filling me in on her vacation. Clarke's almost my complete opposite, but that's what I love about her. We met at Academy when we were 16 and she was assigned as my sparring partner for the school year. I of course was wary, but she was always friendly and something about her felt different. Genuine.

I feel the car come to a halt as Lyle's walkie-talkie beeps. I remove my earbuds and look to my right to see that Clarke dozed off with her head leaning against the car window. I'm tempted to take a picture, but instead, I reach over and poke her side until she slaps my hand away. I laugh while Clarke groans before releasing a pent-up yawn.

Soon we're being ushered out of the car and onto the runway of the airport. We decided to travel by plane instead of teleporting because of a welcome party that the Council planned to host. I honestly didn't care how we got there or what we did when we arrived. I just wanted the whole thing to be over.

There's a slight breeze in the air, so I'm glad I decided to wear a simple long sleeve shirt and jeans despite Clarke's protest that we should dress alike. I flat-out denied her request when she brought it up in the car. She was dressed in a high-waisted black skirt, a red mock neck top, and knee-high leather boots- not exactly my style. Yet as always, she looked stunning.

"Clarke don't you think that's too much for a plane ride," says a feminine voice behind us. I whip my head around only to see Penelope Thyme, one of my mother's closest advisors and Clarke's mother. I hear Clarke physically groan as she turns around to face her.

"There's no such thing as too much when it comes to clothes mom," Clarke replies slightly annoyed. Penelope says nothing and continues to walk in our direction. From here I can see the many similarities between Clarke and Penelope. Their green eyes and brown hair are the most obvious, but if you look closer you can see that some of their mannerisms are the same as well.

"Good afternoon, your highness," Penelope starts with a curt bow. I greet her back with a smile and turn to find Clarke dusting the lint off of her clothes and straightening her skirt. Although Clarke disliked most parts of her mother, she is still under her authority. Everything Clarke did was overseen and managed by her mother. (Well everything Penelope knew about.) This means that her mother still can prevent her from attending the academy.

"What are you doing here?" Clarke asks her mother, stepping closer.

"Just here to see her highness off," Penelope replies with light humor in her voice. I definitely missed something. Ignoring the mother-daughter dispute, I turn my attention towards Lyle.

"Is everything ready for our departure?" I ask him.

"Yes, all of the luggage has been loaded," Lyle says. I nod and look back over to Clarke who is surprisingly hugging her mother. A few seconds longer they pull apart and exchange odd glances. Then Clarke rushes back over to me ready to escape her mother's invading gaze.

"Sorry if I took too long. Are you ready to go Rina?" she questions.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

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The next 16 hours of the plane trip fly by. Clarke and I had a private cabin near the rear end of the plane that we shared. It was equipped with a bed, that I spent most of the journey in, a small bathroom, and a flat-screen tv mounted on the wall.

Needless to say, we were very comfortable.

Now we were preparing to land at the school's private airport. Lyle filled me in on the procedures and our itinerary for landing. Nothing too strenuous for our first day other than the small welcome speech that I was required to give. All of the students that were chosen to attend had already arrived and were probably settled in. The last ones were royals and highborn nobles.

"Kat we're ready to exit," Willow announces not long after our debrief meeting. I say okay, gather my things, take a deep breath and join the group at the door. Lyle pulls it open and we all step out onto the staircase leading to the runway. From our position, I see a crowd gathered at the bottom. I can easily identify a few ambassadors from my mother's political meetings, but there are also a lot of faces that aren't familiar.

The first unfamiliar face to greet me is a young woman who looks to be in her early 20s. Extending her hand she greets me as the headmaster's personal secretary, Diane, and my personal guide. I thank her for her introduction and move on to the next person, and the next until I'm somewhat familiar with the entire group.

"Gods that was so fucking boring," I whisper to Clarke as we enter the car. She nods in agreement as Lyle begins to drive. I sit back and peer out of my window at the passing scenery. The school's located directly in the middle of a forest surrounded by nothing but trees. Willow asks Clarke what she's excited about the most.

To which she responds- "The only things I'm looking forward to are the boys from the other kingdoms, male spellcasters are such prudes." We both laugh at her comment as I continue to gaze out the window at the approaching metal gates. As Lyle pulls up to the guard post and rolls down the window. They exchange a few words before the guard bows in my direction and begins to open the gate.