I block out the professor as he lunges into a long speech about the "greatest battle our kingdom has fought", as if it were some kind of amazing deed our knights did 30 years ago, when they killed or banished any living sorcerers in the land. It's only our first history lesson and naturally the teacher would start out with this particular piece of our past. I've heard the story countless times at home, one of the perks of having government officials as parents, and it does not get better the more you hear it. Of course, I've also heard the other side of the story, the one not found in history books...
"Am I boring you, Mr. Woodsham?" professor Cole asks and I turn to look up at him with a blank face. Apparently I was even more absent than I had thought. He looks unimpressed, his arms crossed, tapping this left bicep with his right hand fingers. He does that when he tries to not be aggressive.
"Yes, sir," I say and can hear sniggers around the class room. Professor Cole blinks in surprise and flushes pink.
"Excuse me?" he says, voice squeaking a little. I sigh in a bored and somewhat overly dramatic manner. I can see Gilbert grinning madly next to me. He knows what's coming.
"I do find this boring, sir," I say, my voice not unlike the voice used when trying to explain something to a very small child. "I know how this story goes, I've heard it several times, and I am sure all of my classmates have heard it too, considering that the last history course ended on us having to make presentations on the 'Great Battle' you so fondly speak of. So, not only is the story you're telling us a glorified version of an untrue piece of propaganda of what basically was a massacre of innocent people, it is also completely unnecessary because we already know everything about it that these books could possibly tell us."
With every word I spoke I could see Cole's face turning redder and redder, his hands clutching at his upper arms in an unsubtle effort to not punch me in the face. It's a reaction I'm very used to and, while sometimes very inconvenient, in this very occasion it fills me with a juvenile sort of glee, knowing that he can't do shit. When I finally stop talking he grits his teeth before opening his mouth.
"Excuse me, Mr. Woodsham, on what grounds do you call the Greatest Battle of our Kingdom a... a massacre of innocent people. Were you - were you perhaps there when it happened?" His voice is straining to stay level and he has a manic glint in his eyes. This could turn real ugly real quick, but I hold my ground.
"No, sir," I say and I can see his lips starting to turn upwards into a mockery of a smile. "But my aunt was."
He stops. Completely stops. His face is frozen in an expression of confusion and something akin to shock. He stutters.
"Your... aunt?" he says and I lift my chin up and stare right at him. "I don't... don't remember... there being a record of an... an aunt..." he trails off, scratching behind his ear. His eyes widen and he looks at me for a brief second before clearing his throat and stammering, "Never mind that, there is still a lot of things to discuss, so if Mr. Woodsham is finished with disturbing the class, we'll move right on." He gives me one last look, an impressive mixture of annoyance, worry and horror, and then goes back to his desk and continues with the teaching, skipping the rest of the speech on the battle of Kalehar.
I sink down on my seat and close my eyes.
~x~
"Damn, Oz, that was so brilliant," Gilbert says as we finally exit the room. He's walking backwards in front of me and I'm somewhat amazed by his ability to not trip or bump into anyone. "The way you stood up to professor Cole, I mean wow. Everyone else was thinking it too, you know, about how we already knew all that but no one had the guts to say anythin'." He glances around a bit and then leans a bit closer. "Cole has a reputation of not taking any bullshit in class, y'know."
"Yeah, Gil, I do know," I say. "I was really pressing my luck back there, huh."
"Nah, he wouldn't do anythin' to you!" Gil says with a wave of his hand and spins around to walk the right direction again. He slaps his hand on my shoulder. "I mean your parents are as influential as one can get in this country, save the royalty of course."
"Yeah, doesn't mean I like to abuse that power..." He gives me a pointed look and I roll my eyes. "Much. And they certainly don't like it when I do. They'll bust me out of trouble all right, but there will be hell to pay for me afterwards." Gil's hand on my shoulder squeezes a bit harder and then falls off.
The hall is mostly empty by now, all of our classmates already gone through the hallways into the dining hall. We've opted to wait some time before going ourselves, to avoid the biggest rush and so we're standing in the hall, in front of professor Cole's classroom. Two other students rush past us. Fourth termers, evidently, since their destination seems to be Cole's class.
"Come on, Knute, we're gonna be late!" the dark skinned girl says, pulling along a boy who looks rather out of it. No, not out of it... Preoccupied. He is concerned about something, his brow furrowed in absentminded worry.
He looks up at me suddenly and I blink. He doesn't say anything, just stares right through me with his brilliant green eyes. There is something about this boy that intrigues me, but I don't know what and things I don't know are few and far between. I swallow and he gives me a confused albeit amused look and then he looks away and ducks into the classroom behind the girl.
"Oz?" Gil is asking from somewhere next to me, but I don't pay him any mind, moving slightly to see into the class through the door that is left ajar. Cole looks at them with a stink eye, but says nothing and the two of them go to sit down. The only desks left are the ones Gil and I use, and the boy sits at mine, pulling out the book from inside it and I grin.
This ought to be interesting.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hey-ho! It's done! We're eating dinner right now and are about to leave to Sallisenmäki in like.... 15mins or something. As soon as we're done eating.
I was just about to say it's a wonder no one's complained about me writing this as we eat when mum said "since when are we allowing computers at the table?" So that's fun.
Anywayyyy.... In case you didn't realize, this is a different character than your character. Thought it would be fun to see what happens. I have nnooooo idea what's supposed to happen, but I'm guessing it's gonna be something about bringing magic back to
As Oz said, this ought to be interesting.
Pie out.
P.S. Forgot to say, your topic is "Riding".
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