It was raining on the day of her departure.

While she was pleased that it was raining, Colbini needed it badly, it made her last sight of home rather bleak. She had hoped that the sun would be shining, a last blessing as she left her home for the great unknown. Still, she knew that the rain would help nourish the land, so maybe she should consider it a blessing as well.

Still, the air was crisp and she was grateful for her new wardrobe and thicker cape to keep the chill and rain off. She lingered in the entrance hall, trying to drag out her farewell as long as possible. Although her parents couldn't travel with her, Alrik would be going with her as far as the border before returning to the castle, so it wasn't like she was saying goodbye to her entire family.

However, it would be months before she saw her parents again and she suddenly felt very small standing there. As if sensing her unease, her father scooped her up into a tight hug, nuzzling their noses together. "It's going to be okay, flower bud. I know that it's scary now but you'll make friends in no time and forget to be lonely. Not only that, but we'll all write you lots and lots, so you have to write back to us at least once a week, okay?"

She nodded earnestly. "I will! I'll probably write every single day, that's how much I'll miss all of you."

Her mother's laugh was warm, wrapping around her like a tight hug. "I suppose we need to invest in a paper company then, if you plan to write us so much. Your father will probably write you just as much in return as well."

Aleydis looked at her family seriously, "I expect all of you to write me at least once a week, or I shall be too lonely to stay there."

Alrik stretched out his hand, his pinky extended. "I will if you will."

She hooked her pinky through his, smiling widely, "It's a promise."

She turned her attention to their parents and repeated the gesture with each of them as well. After they'd all promised the entire family broke down into giggles, just happy to be with each other.

After the laughter died away, her father sighed heavily, his arms tightening around her for a brief moment before he reluctantly lowered her back to the ground. "As much as I don't wish this to happen, it's time for you to leave or you'll never make it to the inn before dark. Just remember this, no matter what happens, Colbini will always be your home and you can always return here, no matter what has happened. Understand?"

She offered him a crooked smile, "I understand, Papa."

He gently tugged on one of her braids. "All right, time for you to go before I start to cry."

Not wanting to make him cry, she hugged both of her parents quickly and waited while Alrik did the same before turning and hurrying from the castle. If she lingered any longer, she might be the one to cry!

Alrik was just handing her up into the carriage, their knight escort holding an umbrella over them so they wouldn't get wet, when a voice called out, "Your Highness! Princess! Wait!"

Aleydis paused, using Alrik's hand to steady her as she turned to look for who was calling for them. To her surprise, it was Kadin, the normally stoic boy practically sprinting across the courtyard. She watched, wide-eyed as he hurried, hoping that he wouldn't trip on the slick stones. However, he made it to the carriage without any issue, smiling up at her.

"Oh good, I made it. I was worried that I'd missed you, Princess."

The rain had plastered his dark hair down, pushing it into his eyes, and he brushed it away impatiently, causing her to giggle. "You're all wet."

He shrugged, "I'll dry. It was more important to catch you before you left."

Her curiosity flaring to life, she turned to face him fully, "Why? Or did you need to talk to Alrik?"

He rolled his eyes. "Alrik will be back in a few days, I wanted to see you." 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch, gesturing for her to hold out her hand. She did so slowly and he carefully plopped the pouch into it. "Just something for you during your travels. Safe journeys and have fun at the academy. If you have any questions or anything, I would be honored to receive a letter from you and will answer you to the best of my abilities."

Without waiting for a reply, he bowed to both of them and dashed off again. Puzzled, she turned to Alrik, "Did I upset him? I didn't mean that I wasn't happy to see him."

Alrik laughed, handing her the rest of the way up into the carriage before climbing up and joining her. "Nah, he isn't upset. He just has to get to training, he's already running a bit behind, will probably have to do a couple of laps." When she started to apologize, he waved it away. "He knew what he was doing and he decided that it was important enough to see you off to do the laps. What did he give you?"

She braced herself as the carriage lurched into motion, ignoring the pouch for a moment to get one last look at the castle. Alrik didn't prod, just sitting in silence as she stared out the window. It was only when she couldn't see the castle through the grey rain any longer that she finally turned away from the window.

Alrik offered her a sympathetic smile but didn't speak, something she was grateful for. If he'd said anything at that moment, she would've changed her mind for sure, insisting that they turn the carriage around. Searching for something to distract her from her burning eyes, her eyes fell on the pouch in her hand.

It was a simple pouch made from a plain, dark blue fabric that was soft against her hand. Untying the ribbon, she opened it enough that she could peek inside. A sweet smell tickled her nose and she smiled when she saw the checkerboard cookies carefully placed inside the pouch. They were still warm, so he must've brought them straight from the oven to the carriage to give to her.

Pulling out a cookie and passing it over to Alrik, she felt her heart lifting a little. Although she was sad to be leaving home, it was reassuring to know that there were good people here in Colbini who would support her family while she was gone. 

It was nice to know that Kadin would watch over Alrik until she could come back and help out as well.

X

It was raining when she arrived at Constellations Academy in a bleak mirror of her departure from home. Other than two guards and a single maid, no one else had come with her. Alrik had gone with her as far as the border but that was as far as he could go, unable to leave Colbini with winter fast encroaching.

It had been hard to part but she'd reminded herself that she was doing this for both of their futures, so she'd smiled warmly and hugged him before climbing into the carriage and waving goodbye merrily. It was only when he was out of sight that she'd let the tears that had burning at the back of her eyes since she'd left home finally fall.

However, nothing, including tears, lasted forever.

After a few hours, her tears dried up and she set her focus on the journey ahead instead of regretting everything she had left behind. They had opted not to use the magic gates for her journey, since they left her dizzy and disoriented for hours afterward, instead taking the slower land route by carriage. She'd felt bad for making her attendants take the long route and keeping them from their families but they had reassured her that they were enjoying the trip and pleased to be escorting her.

It had taken a week to reach where the academy was located, in a small neutral territory right on the border of the Oshen Empire. One of the benefits of the Constellation Academy was that it answered to no nation but was self-governing. However, since many heirs from different kingdoms attended it, the entire world knew that to attack the academy was to invite annihilation from the rest of the known world. Remaining neutral gave them the strongest position and guaranteed their continued existence.

Although there was always the chance that they could be wiped from existence in a bold move to bring down the entire continent, the odds were so slim as to be nearly nonexistent. Also, the academy had a small unit of elite guards stationed there to protect all of those attending the academy, so any threat of attack would be negated as soon as it arose unless it was a large army. And if it were a large army, it would be spotted long before it ever reached the academy, so it really was a non-issue.

Staring up at the huge steel gates that looked distinctly unwelcoming in the dismal grey gloom of a rainy day, Aleydis reminded herself that there was no safer place outside of Colbini for her. That this was the place that would help her achieve her dream.

However, as the giant gates opened, moving with an eerie silence, she couldn't help the hint of fear and regret that filled her.

What had she gotten herself into?