7
Once Isla and Alexander returned from their bond to reality, Isla noticed that not much time had passed at all. Madam Tremaine greeted them with a smile, as did everyone else, who had all been out of their bonds for almost 30 minutes when they returned. It had only been an hour in reality since they had entered their realms.
"Welcome back, Sir Alexander and Isla! How did you two go?" Madam Tremaine asked, curiosity in everyone's eyes as she did.
Isla stared at the ground before looking at her teacher, she didn't know how they went. On one hand, she did feel closer to Alexander, on the other, she hadn't felt such pain in a very long time. "I think we did well." Was all her tiny voice managed before she leaned on her beloved dragon.
"Yes, we did." His words reassured her and those around them.
"Very well! That will be all for me today. We will meet here next week for our next lesson." Madam Tremaine announced as the pairs transformed into significantly smaller versions of themselves. Augustus quickly caught up to Isla and gave her a nudge.
"What is it Auggy?" She asked.
"You seem tired." He stated, making her feel a bit cross.
"Do I? Maybe it's the idiot chattering beside me." She replied sharply making him laugh.
"Well, how about we have a small gathering at mine tonight? To help everyone de-stress with my lovely maids." He suggested; a glimmer of something unknown in his eyes.
"I do love talking to Maria and Veronica. That sounds quite lovely, I also want to know how everyone is faring with their studies, I haven't talked to you or Theo properly in a while." She turned to him with a grin before calling out to Penny and Theo. "Guys, we're having a gathering to de-stress at Auggy's tonight." She shouted and they replied with their thumbs turned up.
As they entered their dorms, three blonde heads interrupted their paths. Princess Genevieve, Princess Margaretta and Prince Henry stood tall in front of them. Prince Henry bumped fists with Augustus, ignoring the girls. "How did your lesson go?" He asked, his leopard not far behind him. Unlike him, Princess Margaretta shyly sauntered to the girls, she had tight ringlets and hair so blonde it looked white. Her siblings had straighter hair that tended to be more golden, in fact, she probably looked the most different from them. Her eyes were also an almost transparent blue, and although she was a Royal, she was treated the most differently. Since Henry was a boy, he was most likely to become the next king, however, Genevieve's overwhelming power and skills meant she was also in the battle for the throne. Margaretta was an immediate afterthought and ignored by most people since there was less to gain if they affiliated with her. Her shy demeanour meant she had a hard time finding friends, especially within Nobility, however, she found comfort around the commoners.
"Our lesson went very well, Prince Henry," Augustus replied politely, "you should look forward to your own soon." Henry and Genevieve occupied Augustus while Margaretta focused on the other three people present.
"I love spending time with Friedrich. It's nice to have someone who knows me completely and accepts everything I am." She expressed to them shyly and they all grinned at her knowingly. "I know the three of you have grown up together, which must be nice." She glanced at her siblings who paid her no mind. "I guess it's different for me to some degree, weirdly."
"Well, I know how you feel, Princess. These two have been thicker than thieves for years now, I feel left out." Theo teased with a pout as his sisters whacked him. "Look at them, abusing their brother even now." He laughed. Princess Margaretta laughed too but found herself staring for a second at her siblings, sadness in her eyes before turning back to the trio in front of her.
"Um, Princess Margaretta, between us, we're going to have tea with Auggy later in his room if you'd like to join?" Isla asked, noticing her movements. Theo and Penny nodded, as the fragile-looking Princess had some excitement spread on her face. She had never been invited to have tea with friends, she only heard as others made plans with her siblings. She nodded furiously.
"I won't tell a soul!" She promised as a giggle escaped her throat. She then turned to the tiny animals as her leopard circled her. "Friedrich, can you grow that small?"
Friedrich nuzzled her arm as, he too, looked at the smaller animals. "Dragons are about 50 times larger than other pairs, so this size is already impressive. Only the oldest and most powerful dragons can size down more than this." He responded as he stared at Alexander. "I'm not there yet, but I will be one day."
Isla found herself adoring the young girl, she looked just like a doll. They didn't have many toys, and there were never any dolls, so she and Penny would stare at windowsills and young girls with envy when they would help Louisa shop for food. It wasn't just dolls, it was also the extravagant sweet treats they would see being sold, the beautiful clothes, everything. Even now, although everyone wore the same uniforms, Nobles had perfect hair and jewellery, their shoes were polished and they smelled like roses. They knew that only the most powerful commoners would gain any type of title, others would simply be given a work position or be enlisted to the military. Those granted a title would be on the outskirts of Nobility, however, inside the school they were still treated the same.
Suddenly, they heard Prince Henry call Margaretta's name. "Mediocre Marge, are you really resorting to talking to commoners?" The insult stung all four of them, but Isla sent a warning glare to Penny and Theo.
She saw Margaretta turn red with what she thought was embarrassment until the Princess responded. "I'd rather talk to people with brains than you." She sent an angry look towards her brother before turning back to them. However, this infuriated the spoiled Prince even more.
"Is that really how you want to talk to your future king?" He demanded, splotches of red appearing on his pale face.
Margaretta turned around, her face devoid of emotion, "Can you seriously say that in front of her?" Her expression pointed to her prodigal sister who smirked at her triplets. Henry stared at his sisters, each bored by his arrogance, and huffed out of the room. Genevieve's melodious laughter spilled through the room before everyone laughed.
Augustus turned to Princess Margaretta, an ashamed expression on his face. "You're nothing close to mediocre, Princess."
She grinned at him graciously, but Theo spoke up before she could. "What about us, buttface?" He humoured as his arm went around Augustus and messed up his hair.
Princess Genevieve's eyes seemed to gasp as she saw Augustus laugh and accept the torturous noogy until it ended. "You're all very close." She commented, her eyebrows raised. The room unanimously turned to her, confusion in their eyes.
"Yes, Princess Genevieve, the commoners beneath your feet are good friends with a Noble, the next Duke of Windeburg, no less. How unfathomable!" Penny responded dramatically, ending with a sharp expression as she linked arms with Princess Margaretta.
Genevieve's temple began to show signs of crimson but her stoic expression remained unchanged. "Don't you think fraternising with commoners is inappropriate?" She asked Augustus before glancing at Margaretta, ignoring the commoners.
"Not at all, Princess Genevieve." Augustus replied; a darkness Isla had never seen before in his eyes. They all began walking to their rooms after that, largely because the mood was ruined and they were tired.
As Penny and Isla linked together, Isla stopped and turned behind to Princess Genevieve who was still flustered. "Good night, Princess Genevieve." She stated as the Princess looked at her for the first time ever, seeing the clear, unwavering eyes Isla held. She suddenly felt shaken by the enormous power in her aura, like a baby deer about to be eaten by a tiger. "We'll see you later, Princess Margaretta and Auggy."
Genevieve immediately shot a look at Augustus who simply waved at them and walked away. They call him Auggy, she thought restlessly.