Julia

In the end, they had to wait, as all carriages were already occupied and their group needed a total of two carriages. Fortunately, they did not have to wait long and arrived at their destination a short time later.

A lot was going on on the streets of the capital.

Food was sold at small stalls. People walked down the streets. The market square was bustling and the small shops were well-attended.

The group had split up. Julia went looking for a gift with Marie and Theo, Sophie was looking for a new coat, Marko was traveling with Finn and Leopold wanted to visit a friend who he said was in the service of a wealthy family.

Theo was a spirited boy who loved to express his opinion. So he had commented on almost every shop - it looks boring, there is certainly nothing ... - and asked Julia about life in the castle. Did she wear a crown in the castle? Did the queen wear a crown every day? Can a princess do what she wants? The answer to every question was 'no'. The queen only wore a crown on certain occasions and Julia wore a tiara from time to time on certain occasions and she definitely couldn't always do what she wanted.

Theo regretted this.

Julia noticed that he blushed slightly every time he talked to Marie. She grinned. So he actually didn't want me with them yesterday.

They went through several shops, but whenever they found something beautiful, it was too expensive for Marie until they finally found a small stuffed animal in a small, winding toy store. A white horse with a black mane. According to Theo, it was the perfect gift and since it wasn't expensive, Marie bought it.

Afterward, they strolled through the streets, as they still had some time until they wanted to meet again with Julia's servants at the carriages to drive back to the academy.

Leopold

The acquaintance of the village elder worked in a small pharmacy that belonged to his master, a magician. The magician was not around when Leopold entered the pharmacy. A happy coincidence.

Behind the counter stood an elf with dark skin and long white hair. "Can I help you?" he asked with a friendly smile as Leopold entered the pharmacy.

"I think so. A friend sends me. You have a package for me?"

"Franz sends you?" The elf looked at Leopold with interest. "He wrote me in a letter that he would send someone over. I was wondering when you would show up."

Leopold nodded. "I wanted to come earlier, but there was no opportunity."

"What you're up to is dangerous. Putting together the herbs and hiding them for you was also dangerous. Luckily, I wasn't caught. This could cost us our lives. The witches know no mercy."

"I know, but our freedom depends on it." His gaze wandered over the display. Herbs, teas, ointments...

The elf disappeared into a back room, Leopold heard the door of a closet being opened, then the older elf came back with a bundle.

"You have to soak the herbs in water. For three months, so that the herbs and the fairy dust unfold their full effect. Otherwise, the potion won't work." Fairy dust. A substance secreted by fairy wings when flying. Some pharmacies kept fairies to extract the fairy dust as it was suitable for medicine. Fairy dust, when infused with certain herbs, had a strong calming effect. But Leopold had something else in mind since fairy dust could also have a different effect.

"Three months?" he asked.

"If you pour the herbs today, the potion will be ready by the end of November. It won’t work sooner. And don't put it in the sun."

"All right, then." Leopold took the bundle. "Thank you very much."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course, you have a choice."

Leopold looked at the bundle. "The election was taken away from us a long time ago. Of power-hungry, cruel witches and wizards. I'll make sure we get our choice back."

"But at what cost? It will be high."

"I know."

                                                                                     Marko

Finn walked close to him as they walked through the marketplace. He looked nervous and was a little pale. Marko wished he could take away his nervousness.

It smelled of spices and flowers. At some stalls colorful fabric was sold, and other stalls sold sparkling jewelry.

"Can we go somewhere where it's not so crowded?", asked Finn.

"Are there too many people here for you?"

Finn nodded.

"Where do you want to go? There was that sign that said that there is a wishing well somewhere around here. Do we want to take a look?"

"If there aren't so many people there. Where is the well?"

"Behind the marketplace. In an alley. According to the sign over there." Marko pointed to a large wooden sign placed at the edge of the market.

"Good. Then let's go there," Finn agreed, clearly relieved.

They were on their way around the market square when two great gentlemen lined up in front of them. One had gray hair and a long beard, the other a bald head.

"What do we have here?" the bald man asked.

Finn turned pale and hid behind Marko. "Please don't. Please, please don't," he murmured, barely audible.

Marko growled. "Let us through, please."

"It looks like we have a polite mutt here." The man with the beard laughed loudly.

"What are two street mutts doing at our market?" The bald man spat on the sidewalk.

"We... are about to ... "Finn stammered, ducking behind Marko.

"To go?" The bald man grinned. "But you can't go. We're talking right now, aren't we? Mutts?"

Then several things happened at the same time. The bald man grabbed Finn and pulled him by the arm towards him. The other laughed. Marko growled. Finn screamed and then a big, black wolf attacked the man with the bald head. The other man ran away while Marko bit the bald man’s arm to make him let go of Finn. "Damn mutt!" he shouted, holding his injured arm. "I will report you! You will atone for that! I know your uniform! It's from the Academy!"

A tumult had broken out. People looked shocked or frightened at the black, growling wolf. Some soldiers were on their way. "He just attacked me!" the bald man shouted to them.

Finn crouched on the floor, whimpering. Marko nudged him and tried to tell him that he should climb on his back. Finn understood. He wrapped his healthy arm around Marko's neck, the injured arm protectively beneath him, and Marko ran away. He was very fast. The soldiers pursued him, but soon he left them behind.

Even as a wolf with Finn on his back, he hurried through the gate of the academy. Some students watched him in shock. He didn't care. Only in front of the apartment building did he transform back. A painful process, but he was used to it. He also healed quickly. The remnants of his clothes hung down on him in shreds. He didn't care.

"Are you okay?" he asked Finn. A bruise formed around the arm that the bald man had grasped.

Finn shook his head crying.

"Let's go in. I need something to wear and then I'll look at your arm, yes?"

Finn nodded as they heard some students whispering. They probably didn't see a naked werewolf every day.

The two walked quickly into the building and up the stairs to their hallway. Sophie had given Finn a key, which he took out of his pocket. Marko unlocked and Finn immediately disappeared into her room. Marko fetched a kitchen towel from the kitchen, which he soaked in some water and brought to Finn. "To cool your arm," he said. "Is it healing already?" He wasn't sure if Finn's self-healing powers were working normally, but usually, the bruises should be gone by now. It wasn't.

"Thank you," Finn murmured, placing the cloth over his arms sobbing. "I heal slower than other wolves. It will take a few hours... He broke my arm."

"Such a bastard!"

"Do you think he's reporting the incident?"

"Guaranteed."

"They will punish you."

"That's fine." Marko ruffled Finn's hair. "No one should be allowed to treat anyone like that."

"Thank you." Finn smiled. "Also for the branches. I haven't said thank you for them yet."

                                                                                       Julia

Marko and Finn were missing. They had been waiting at the meeting point for half an hour now, but the two had not yet appeared.

"Did they forget the time?" asked Sophie, annoyed. She carried her new brown-red cloak inside a bag. "Where are they?"

"Maybe they're already back at the academy," Leopold surmised. "Finn didn't want to come here."

"That could be the case. I handed him one of the keys." Sophie shook her head. "I really hope they're already there."

"So we're finally going back?" Marie was impatient.

"Let's wait a few more minutes." Julia didn't want to leave them behind if they were still in town. "Maybe they just forgot the time."