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It takes Phillip a moment to process the scene in front of him. Serinepth and her team just won their duel against the second years. Serinepth’s family herald appeared seconds after. And then, the announcement, the secondhand declaration of love. Serinepth is betrothed.
Down on the field, Phillip sees her goes stiff. The arena falls silent, and all he can hear is his own breathing inside his jackal mask. Serinepth is getting married. To the crown prince of Ashuan. Phillip’s ears start ringing, his face burns, probably bright red. He digs his fingernails into his palms. Did she know? Did she know the first time he kissed her cheek after class? During all the study sessions in her dorm?
Phillip shakes his head. The ringing subsides as he sees Serinepth exchange a look with Mira. He can’t see her face, but can read her body language easily. Of course she didn’t know. On the field, Integrity moves her hands just slightly, and the crowd starts clapping, even louder than before. Phillip claps again, his chest tight. He glances behind him and finds his mom looking at him, concern visible through her ornate mask.
“Phillip…” She starts, barely audible above the crowd.
Phillip swallows hard. “I—I have to go.”
He skirts around his parent’s seats and past the Lindemans to the stairs. Halfway down, he breaks into a run. He has to get to the prep rooms. He has to find Serinepth, tell her how he feels. In all these years—hiding from responsibilities together, being each other’s best company at all those fancy, stiff events, and for nearly a year here at Wildcliff—he hasn’t told her. He hasn’t told her that the way she cares for others is the most beautiful thing he knows. He hasn’t told her how lovely she looks when she doesn’t hide her scales and blemishes. He hasn’t told her that when he was blinded, he kept her face in his mind to stay grounded. Her voice kept him going.
He races up the breezeway, turning the corner in time to see Mira, Integrity, and Serinepth walk inside their prep room. A small crowd had gathered around them, asking questions and chattering like standing next to future royalty makes them noble. Integrity slams the door shut. The crowd murmurs disappointedly, dissipating as they realize they’re not getting an audience with the future princess.
Phillip takes off his mask and swallows hard. Maybe he should give Serinepth some space, let her talk with her friends. But maybe he should let her know he’s here for her. But there’s so many people already bothering her. But she—
Someone rushes by him in a blur. A blond high elf with a surprising amount of facial hair strides up to the prep room and knocks. Phillip recognizes him as a professor, but he doesn’t remember the elf’s name.
The door cracks open. Phillip scrambles back up the breezeway. Now is not the time.
No longer in any kind of mood to watch another duel, he wanders away from the abjuration department. His parents will likely stay in the tower, obligated to rub elbows with the other nobles. He’ll find them later, probably
meet up for lunch.
For now, he heads towards his favorite courtyard, one with a small duck pond. There’s a stone bench there, where he once had tea with Serinepth. It’s away from the festival activities, and when Phillip arrives, it’s deserted.
He sits down on the bench. Now that he’s not moving, he feels how cold it is outside. His throat burns, his cheeks are flushed. He puts his face in his hands and tries to steady his breathing.
“Hey, Phillip,” a familiar voice says.
Phillip jumps. Standing beside the bench looking down at him is Corrina Lindeman. Her arms are crossed like she’s cold. “Mind if I sit?” She asks.
Phillip nods. As Corrina takes a seat, she keeps her gaze fixed on the pond.
“I saw you run off,” she says. “I mean, I saw everything on the field, and then you looked like you were going to throw up, and then you ran.” She sighs. “I thought I should check on you. Didn’t want to watch the duel anyway.”
“Oh, um. Thanks.” Phillip forces a smile. “That’s very kind of you, Corrina.”
Corrina pushes a rock into the pond with her foot. “I know you and Serinepth are really close. I mean, anyone with eyes can see the way she looks at you.”
Phillip puts a hand on his cheek, just underneath one yellow eye.
“Oh, shoot, sorry.” Corrina cringes. “I just mean that everyone knows you two like each other.”
“Well, I mean…” Phillip‘s face grows hot again. It’s not like he tries to hide how he feels, but the idea that everyone knows? “I didn’t realize…”
“Relax.” Corrina puts a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not the point. I came here to say that I’m sorry that whole betrothal scene just happened, and that you had to watch it. And that it’s happening at all.”
“Thanks,” Phillip says halfheartedly. “I knew it was going to happen eventually. But I guess I didn’t think it would be right now.”
Corrina looks at the pond and sighs. “It still isn’t fair. Most of how we’ve grown up hasn’t been fair. I don’t think I truly realized that before the two weeks I spent in Isathil.” She clenches her fists. “We've been treated like property our whole lives, touted around to events and ceremonies, knowing that one wrong move, one bad test score, could mean losing everything.”
Phillip bites his lip. “Angelika didn’t deserve that.” He clasps his hands together. “None of us do.”
“We deserve to be happy,” Corrina says, her voice growing louder. “Angelika deserves our parents’ love. Serinepth deserves to marry someone she loves.” She looks at Phillip. “So do you.”
His heart pounds. He runs his fingers through his hair, which has grown long in the weeks and weeks of being at Wildcliff. After spending his whole life around nobility, after traveling all over Agyia, he’s felt the most free at this little school in a mountain. He thinks about the bright green in Serinepth’s hair, about the way she smiles and laughs freely when she’s with her friends. The way he does, too.
He wrings his hands. “If your parents heard you say that…”
“Screw my parents.” Corrina snaps. “I’m sick of living in fear of what they think.”
Silence falls between the two of them. Corrina takes a few shuddering breaths like she’s trying not to cry.
“Corrina, I…What changed? What happened in Isathil?”
She wipes her eyes. “You have to swear not to tell, okay? Not even Seri knows.”
“I promise.”
“You know Aira Allaro? My teammate?”
Phillip nods.
“When we were in Isathil, I realized—we both realized—that we have feelings for each other.” Corrina bites her lip. “And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
He looks at her for a moment. The Corrina he grew up with would never admit to falling for someone of Aira’s station. But a lot can change in a year, he supposes.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t…”
“The thing is,” Corrina continues. “I wouldn’t change anything about those two weeks, anything about how I feel about Aira. I would rather have a few weeks of being with someone than a lifetime of never knowing what it’s like.”
Phillip swallows. “What are you saying?”
“Talk to Seri. Take every moment you have together.” She looks down for a moment, and then puts an arm around his shoulders. After a second, she takes him into a full hug.
Phillip is stunned. A lot has changed in a year. Hesitantly, he hugs her back.
When she lets go, there are a couple of tears running down her face. “I’ll see you later, Phillip,” she says, wiping her cheeks. “Good luck.”
As she stands up and walks away, Phillip hears the ringing in his ears again. Sounds of the festival, of the duels’ crowd, of the cold wind outside the mountain are all swamped by the high pitched tone.
He’s going to talk to Serinepth. And he knows exactly where to find her.
The little tree that she brought back from Isathil is bigger every time Phillip sees it. When she told him what it was and how she got it, it sounded bizarre. But he’s heard much worse from her this year, and this is something she seems to love. He heads towards the greenhouses, to the little yard off to the side. As he comes into view of the tall Isathil tree, he spots several figures heading in the same direction. He recognizes Mira Marchand, Winsler Wallaby, and Integrity Idleberry. There’s a fourth person, a female elf with blonde hair and sharp features—Adelyne Raethran, attendant to the Lady of the Woods. The four of them walk up in a single file line, like they’re on a very specific mission. Phillip steps back and watches. Adelyne says something, and he sees Serinepth stand up, the tallest in the group.
The four teammates and Adelyne head off towards the Alchemy building, leaving Phillip with no chance to talk to his friend. His best friend—who maybe, in a different life, would’ve been more.