Growing Wings - 5 - The first meeting

Raleene had all trouble to hide her excitement. Here she was, standing between hundreds of other students, waiting to be assigned to a dorm, before they would head back to the aula for the great initiation speech. Looking through the young men and women around her, she saw all kinds of different people, but for Raleene all looked eager and willing to join the academy. While looking around, Sylvia came back to her, who had been looking for some information on how the students get assigned to the dorms.

“Prin-“, Sylvia started, but stopped herself from saying it completely. “Emilia, I found it out. As long as we stick together, it should be no problem to get assigned to the same dorm. Also, a dorm varies from four to five beds, so we will have to deal with at least two other people.”

Raleene nodded as a sign of understanding and picked up her suitcase. Just when she was about to say that they both should move onward, she heard the falling of what sounded like several suitcases. Turning around, she saw a female student lying on the ground. Instantly, Raleene gave her suitcase to Sylvia and went down on her knees, in order to help the young woman up. After offering a hand, the young woman looked up. Silky, black hair covered parts of her face, but Raleene was clearly able to see cold and calculating eyes under them. She thanked Raleene and took her up on her offer. After dusting off her white coat, which was a strong contrast to her black hair and the black academy uniform, she nodded and introduced herself.
“Thank you very much for the help. My name is Michelle de Seulnuit, daughter of the merchant baroness. Who are you?”, she asked.
From what Raleene could remember by seeing the so called ‘merchant baroness’ once, Michelle was a spitting image of her. Long, black hair, forming a stark contrast to the light grey eyes, which fit very well to her thin, almost fragile appearance, went down her body and ended above her tailbone. Raleene bowed humbly and introduce herself, along with Sylvia. “My name is Emilia Sidahar and this is Sylvia Marchellin. We were given the opportunity to join the academy. We’re pleased to make your acquaintance.”, Raleene said and she could instantly see a change in Michelle’s eyes.
From the cold, calculating expression, it changed to a warm, more welcoming appearance. It was known that the Seulnuit family was loyal to the royal family. Seemingly glad to make this encounter, Michelle said “I am pleased well. It’s good to see that her highness isn’t attending this academy alone. After hearing that the great princess Raleene the eighth was enlisting on this academy, I enlisted as well, hoping to show that the Seulnuit family hasn’t forgotten the favor, her mother did for us.”.
Michelle looked over to Sylvia and focused on her mostly. Knowing that she was the first servant of the princess, Michelle wanted to get on good terms with her mostly. She made a step closer to Sylvia and bowed, before she said “Miss Marchellin, I hope her highness is well.”.

Sylvia looked shortly over to Raleene, who shook her head in response. With a short nod, Sylvia signaled to have understood it and explained “I’m sure that her highness is well. However, I can’t go into detail, for I was ordered to attend the academy on myself as student, not as servant.”. Apparently slightly disappointed, Michelle sighed, while putting the last strands of her hair back into order.

“I see… Well, it can’t be helped. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind if we end up in the same dorm, okay? I would really appreciate it, if you would tell her highness that I will try my best to become a reliable soldier for her cause.”
Hearing that Raleene made a step forward and interfered.
“Excuse me, Miss Seulnuit, but why are you so fixated on becoming a soldier for her highness? I mean, pardon me for being blunt, but I couldn’t really imagine you as one, more as advisor… something along those lines.”

Michelle’s response came as suddenly as the change of her expression from friendly to cold and calculating. “You’re awfully curious for a servant, but if you want to know, fine… While I consider knowledge as my strongest aspect, it’s not enough to outsmart my mother, who’s already in service of the royal family. Since I want to show my gratitude to her highness personally, I have no other choice left than to join the military and earn my ranks, so that I earn the right to meet and thank her. I assume that you know and understand it as servant of the Willston family, that her highness saved our family from bankruptcy and helped us to re-establish our position on the market. She saved our lives AND our names and therefore, I want to thank her personally with my own words, by putting myself into her service. Now then how about we put this topic aside and focus on-“

“WATCH OUT!”, Raleene yelled, before she pulled Michelle aside and saved her from getting hit by a smaller suit case, which would have hit her otherwise. Looking after the suitcase hitting the ground, opening and revealing its contents, Raleene saw several tinkering tools falling out of it, all of them in good shape and high quality. While Michelle thanked her for saving her, Raleene let go of Michelle and was about to pick up the tools, planning to hand it back to the owner, if not a small woman would have beaten her to it.
Considering the size, she was about one head smaller than Michelle, who already was, like Sylvia, half a head smaller than Raleene. Still planning to help her, Raleene started to pick up the tools and hand her over to the owner one after another. While avoiding Raleene’s eyes, she said “Thank you for the help. Some other people had fun in using teasing me by throwing around my toolbox.”.

Michelle on the other hand had looked in the direction from where the box flew. Seeing how three students were about to come closer, while pointing towards the toolbox, she began to angrily stare at them. While they were still coming closer, pointing at the small woman and laughing about her, one of them realized that Michelle focused them. Calmly, she began to list some names, her voice filled with suppressed anger. “Mitchels… Robenin… and Winchester…”
Hearing their family names, the three students froze instantly and looked at Michelle, who gave them a hate-filled, cold stare. Simultaneously, the three of them began to stutter Michelle’s family name, while Michelle made threateningly one step after another towards them.

“Do you want me to consider this as assault against the Seulnuit family? I’m pretty sure, your parents wouldn’t like to hear that they lost all of their fortune at the first day, when their sons went to the academy… Turn around and leave this girl and her belongings alone. Otherwise, I might remember this event and tell it the merchant baroness.
IS. THAT. CLEAR?”

The faces of all three of them instantly went pale in fear, causing them to hastily bow, asking for forgiveness and getting as far away as possible. Michelle sighed deeply, before she turned around and looked into the faces of Raleene and Sylvia, who looked at her with respect. Her eyes softened and she couldn’t suppress a giggle, before she awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

“I apologize that you had to witness that. All three of their families are working for my mother’s trading company. I normally don’t like to act this way, but I won’t allow such behavior on the ground of the academy, while her highness is attending the academy. By the way, where did the other one go?”, she asked. Raleene could only shrug, before she explained “Once she got all of her tools back into the box, she ran away. It was almost as if she was afraid of us. Anyway, for now, let’s head to the registration, so we get one of the dorms. Who knows, maybe we’ll find her there?”.

Sylvia and Michelle nodding in agreement, they picked up their belongings and shortly moved forward, while having a discussion. Raleene was right behind them and thankfully, right now alone in her thoughts. She admitted to herself that she liked Michelle, because in her, she saw something what she treasured the most and hoped to see in all of her people: Willpower and the strength in appearance.
Making a mental note of eventually revealing the truth to Michelle, she shouldered her suitcase and stepped up to Sylvia and Michelle. After all, they wanted to make sure that they can get a dorm together.