I woke up in a bed I hadn't seen before. White drapes surrounded me with the morning light peaking through the blinds to my right. The window was cracked open, blowing the curtains around it slightly forward. I look to my left, still dazed, to see a note folded up on a dark brown night stand- as well as my bag, shoes, and cleaned clothes folded on the floor. I picked up the note as I rubbed my eyes awake. The note said-

Good Morning! Your clothes were a little dirty, I cleaned them up for you and folded them. I assume you’re here for school at the capital- but we’ll talk about that when you get downstairs.

-Zara :)

I got out of the comfortable white silk sheets I was laying in. I swiftly put on my clothes and shoes and headed towards the door. I put my hand on the coarse brass doorknob and twisted it. The door flew open with vigorous force.

“Weird.” I thought. 

I wasn’t sure what I had just witnessed- but I did not pay much mind to it and continued heading downstairs.

“So you are alive! You’ve been sleeping so long I thought I was giving one of my rooms to a corpse.” She smiled and tilted her head.

It was the beautiful blonde lady at the reception desk. Her talking to me was the last thing I remembered before I had fainted.

I started fiddling with my thumbs behind my back, “So wer- were you the one that helped me?”

She opened her large blue eyes, “Why of course I did! I have 2 children of my own you know- I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.”

My face turned bright red- “That- that means you saw me in my underwear…”

She paused and looked at me, slowly cracking a smile. “Oh honey, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Besides, I got my husband to do all of that!”

I sighed in relief and embarrassment. 

“Hehehaha” I thought I was hearing… giggling?

I look to my right to see two kids, about my age, looking at me from around the corner of a wall.

Zara started laughing too- “These are my kids- Ashton and Yamu.” 

Then she loudly whispered “Introduce yourself” to her kids.

“Hello my name is Yamu, and I am 12 years old!” He tucked his arms and bowed. “I Hope you will be my friend!”

He was loud, not too loud- but still loud.

“Why is someone like you here?” I guess the other kid has an attitude problem.

Zara looked at her with a frown, and I guess that was enough to make her actually introduce herself.

“ugh. My name is ashton. I’m 11.” Mean couldn’t even begin to describe the look on her face. Nonetheless I had to keep up appearances, their mom did give me a place to stay after all.

“Hi! My name is Yegu! And I’m 12!”

“Alright now that everyone has introduced themselves, me and Yegu need to talk- so you two kids need to go.”

“Alright! Nice seeing you Yegu!” Yamu was still loud, hurts my head a little.

“Bye.” and Ashton was still a jerk- maybe she’ll change… eventually.

And this brought me to a one on one conversation with a really pretty lady. I couldn’t even look her in the eyes.

“Alright Yegu, what brings you here?” 

“I was on my way to the capital for school and needed a place to stay. Just until the school year starts, because I figured there'd be housing for students. 

“Well, how much money do you have?”

“120 Vulgon”

“Do you know how much tuition is for a year?”

“More than 120 Vulgon?”

“200 Vargon for one year.”

My eyes widened, “I knew I didn’t have enough but this is- is just crazy.”

“Yeah kid. There's also the problem of housing and food, that’s a whole other expense.”

“Oh no…”

“But… there is one silver lining.”

“What is it? I’ll do anything.”

“As you know there is an entrance exam where they take your magical aptitude. They also take tests for your strength as a mage and as a sword wielder.”

“Yes I know, however I’m not very good at any of that.”

“I figured, but here's where your save and grace comes in. What you may not know is that they also take a test of intelligence, mostly focusing on knowledge of the kingdom and battle iq. If you get good enough scores on the other two tests, and ace this one- there is a chance.”

“A chance of what?”

“That you can get in for free.”

“Free?”

“Free food, free housing, free teaching, free everything. You have two weeks to study, we have books in the attic.”

For the next two weeks all I did was sit and study in the room I was graciously given. Only taking time out of my day to eat and go to the bathroom. I packed as much knowledge as I could into this tiny brain of mine- and finally, two wells had passed. Me and Yamu left the house in the morning to begin our trek to the school in the middle of the capital.

“Goodluck boys!” Zara was smiling, but I know she was the most nervous she’d been since she had taken the exam. But I also felt that some of that motherly worry was for- me…