George and Rachel didn’t know who should sit down first and where. James, who could no longer wait for his food, sat down first closest to the waterspout. Next to James sat George followed by Rachel. The food was passed out and they consumed it as fast as they could unwrap it. Rachel, who was unfamiliar with the foods offered in the town, found that they were still just as delicious as what she had at home. She wondered how their foods held so much flavor, despite being very simple. Despite enjoying the foods, she ordered, Rachel was full and there was still half of the pie and the loaf of bread with meat and cheese. James was eyeing her leftovers, so Rachel offered them to him. He looked at George for approval. George let him have the leftovers, he wanted to talk to Rachel about who she was and where she comes from.
“Rachel, why are you at the academy? Where do you come from?” George questioned with a serious tone of voice.
“My parents sent me here to study. I come from Tetrades,” She replied.
George was even more confused about Rachel. The people of Tetrades rarely traveled to Gerais. The two countries were allies separated by a desert, but one was significantly wealthier than the other. It was so wealthy that in-person communication between the two countries’ leaders was always conducted in Tetrades. Gerais on the other hand was wealthy from its mines, but small and plagued with wars from the nations that want their mines.
“What about you, George. Why are you at the academy?” Rachel asked.
“My father is the duke here. He funds the academy as a part of his territory and secures spots for his children with his money and power,” George replied. “My job at the academy is to hone my fighting skills and learn how to protect my country.”
“Tetrades is very different from Gerais,” Rachel admitted to George. “But I’ve enjoyed my time here so far.”
“This country is nice when it's peaceful.” George sighed.
Rachel understood what George was talking about. Serra, the town that held the academy was nice. It had charming shops and if there was a performance or festival the Performance Arts students would be a sight to see. There was plenty worth protecting here in this town.
“Why are the wars still going on? There should have been a winner declared in a past war, right?” Rachel asked George.
“We don’t have as many fairies in this country. Not like Tetrades does. We can’t record winners and move on.” George explained. “The other countries capture fairies and hide them far away during wars to prevent the recording of the outcome.”
That explanation was not something Rachel had expected. She now knew what Reginald meant when he said, “Fairies are to be protected.” It was a good thing she learned that she could hide her identity, but now having talked to George, she felt less anxious about conducting ceremonies in Gerais.
“Well, it’s about time that James and I get back to our practice. You can come and watch if you want. If you don’t have anything else to do today,” George suggested to Rachel, suddenly not wanting to leave her company. No one had ever asked for his opinion on something so complicated before. It was a wonder why he was so wary of Rachel before.
“I don’t have anything else to do today. My goal was accomplished! If you don’t think I’ll be a bother, I’ll watch you practice.” Rachel responded enthusiastically. She was almost smiling ear to ear. Finally, she had made some friends, George, and James.
The trio cleaned up after themselves, returned the cloths to the bakery, and set off returning to Canastra Academy. George and James dropped Rachel off at the benches in the viewing area, before entering the academy from the door nearest that area. Rachel sat down and brought her purse close to her and once again checked for the cloak. She wondered if she was going to see Reginald again. There were a few questions that developed in her mind while she was talking to George that she could ask Reginald if she were to see him, but maybe another day. It would probably be rude of her to not give George and James her full attention while watching them practice. Even though she had been to this field two times already, she hadn’t seen the maneuvers that the students of the Military Arts practiced and felt both excited and scared about seeing them.
George noticed James, staring at him as they walked to their lockers to change into their armor. Smiling James blatantly said, “You like her. Don’t you?”
“She’s just different. And that’s refreshing, you know?” George replied while pulling his casual clothes off.
When George moved to put on his under-clothes James threw a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. “You should be careful not to fall for her. It will only cause you both trouble,” James warned.
George didn’t reply. He knew that he and Rachel lived in different worlds. But he didn’t think he was in love with her. She was just interesting and a good listener. He decided to just be a good friend to her. Under-clothes and armor on George and James returned to the field with all the other military students. Rachel noticed all the students returning and saw George and James, she wanted to wave to them but felt that the action would be inappropriate. After the students arrived on the field Reginald arrived. He saw Rachel sitting on one of the benches and acknowledged her with a nod and then walked on to the field.
Reginald called all the students to attention. The students clanked their leg armor together and silence fell across the field. All the students were waiting for Reginald to issue commands. He waited a few seconds before tasking them with running around the campus twice. When the students ran off Reginald turned and walked towards Rachel sitting on the benches. He took a seat on a bench next to Rachel and looked at her. She greeted him.
“Hello, Reginald.”
“So, we meet again, Rachel,” Reginald said with a hint of concern.
“Yes, well if you must know I did purchase a cloak,” she said while patting her purse with her hand.
“That’s good, I’m glad you are already prepared to act,” Reginald replied brushing off his concern.
“I actually am here to see George and James practice. We just returned from lunch together,” she said proudly.
“Oh. I see. You aren’t dating one of them, are you?” He asked with more concern in his voice.
“No. Reginald. How could you think that? We are friends, I hope. I bought them lunch. It was mostly for George because he returned my book and led me to you the other day,” Rachel exclaimed.
“Oh. I see. Sorry for my misunderstanding,” He said while clearing his throat.
“By the way, Reginald. They don’t know I am a fairy. Only you and Elanor know. After talking to George about Gerais’ wars, I learned that there aren’t that many fairies here and in the nearby countries and that those countries capture and hide fairies. I understand why you were so protective of Elanor,” Rachel confessed.
“Well, yes, it is true. Our wars continue because we can’t record their results. After all, Gerais won’t risk fairies being taken from the field since there aren’t that many. Fairies can still help Gerais by recording its history and growth within the country. But that doesn’t mean our enemies won’t infiltrate us and attack or abduct our fairies,” Reginald explained.
“I understand. I know that hiding means I won’t be protected, but I will do my best to not be found out. If I am ever found out, what do you think would happen?” Rachel asked while sighing.
“Well, the duke would want to put you to work and, also assign people to protect you. Elanor travels all around the dukedom to officiate ceremonies. I don’t believe he would keep you here against your will since you are from Tetrades. Doing so would be dangerous for Gerais,” Reginald admitted.
“That’s a relief. I am glad my mother sent me to Gerais. I really like it here,” Rachel admitted.
The military students had finished their laps around the campus by the time their conversation had ended. Reginald stood up after acknowledging Rachel’s last statement and walked over to the students who immediately stood at attention even though they were out of breath. Rachel noticed George and James were able to catch their breath quickly.
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