A Routine Day

After eating breakfast and leaving my room and Olivia behind, I was now sitting in one of the palace's smaller libraries. The only things filling the room were shelves of books, the table I was sitting at, my tutors desk, and the chalkboard my tutor was currently writing basic math problems on. The tutor was for all intents and purposes a stereotypical fantasy elf named Henry. He was tall, handsome, blonde hair, and green eyes. I'm not really sure what a stereotypical fantasy elf is but that's what my brain is telling me.

I had gone through this same routine day after day and was reaching my breaking point, my discontent coalesced into a single thought in my brain. School sucks. This was the conclusion that I had reached after extensive contemplation and yet I had to sit and listen to my personal tutor drone on and on with another seemingly endless arithmetic lesson. Unable to bear another mention of addition or subtraction, my hand shot into the air. However Henry pointedly ignored my hand so I began to wave it faster and faster even leaning out of my seat to get his attention before, with an exasperated sigh he asked.

“Yes Talissa, do you have a question?”

“When do we get to the combat lessons?”

“As I have already told you many, many times, you have combat lessons one day a week which I might clarify is not today so, sit down, be quiet, and pay attention.”

“But this is so booorrriiinnnggg, Captain Kerrigan’s class is way funner than this.”

“It’s more fun Princess we’ve been over this and besides while your talent for the martial arts is certainly impressive your performance in every other academic branch leaves much to be desired.”

“But I’m not good at studying,” I whined, ”it gives me a headache. Besides, when am I gonna need that junk as an adventurer?”

Henry scoffed “Adventurer? I’ve never heard of such a job.”

“Y'know, like a guild and ranks and fighting monsters and gathering items, fun stuff like that.”

“You mean mercenary work?”

“Uh y-yeah sure merce-whatever, I’ll be one of those.”

Do adventurers not exist?

“Dead Gods give me strength, you are a princess, Talissa!” He yelled at me while pinching the bridge of his nose and letting some frustration show through, his tone becoming short and stilted “maybe, just maybe if the stars align you could pursue a career with the royal knights, but there is absolutely no world or circumstance in which you spend your life as a sellsword!"

"Then I can become a knight?"

with another sigh he said "Most likely not as I am saying yet again. you. are. a. princess. you must conform to the expectations of your position."

"Then I don't want to be a princess!" I shouted back "I want to fight things!"

"Gods! For the last time, no!" punctuating his shout by slamming his fist on the table in front of him before taking a deep breath to compose himself. "We've gotten off track, no more talk of the combat classes or fighting anything or so help me the royal family will be down a member."

"Hmph fine." I replied not wanting him to get the last word in. Just then a soft knock came from the library's door, turning to look, I saw my older brother Casius standing in the doorway with a dubious expression on his face.

"So how's the tutoring going, Henry you're not threatening any children I hope." he said with a small crooked smile.

"Children? no certainly not, bloodthirsty little animal is perhaps a more apt descriptor." Henry replied, shaking his head. "Truly the beast man propensity for combat is always tiresome, but seems to have manifested extra thick in this little vermin." I saw Casius wince at the way Henry described me but also not argue it.

"Well I guess a dumb, stupid elf like you just wouldn't get it." I replied, turning my head away from the both of them.

"Why you stuck-up, insolent little-" Casius cut Henry off before he could finish whatever he was about to call me.

"Now now let's just all calm down, Talissa, that's no way to speak to your elder much less your private tutor and one as respected as Henry here." Casius said in a soothing voice.

"Why's he even allowed to talk to me like that, he should get fired." I replied. Henry just scoffed at that.

"Well Henry has been the royal tutor for a very long time."

"Two Hundred thirty seven years, eight months, and eleven days, if we're counting." Henry interrupted.

"Right, so a very long time." Casius continued. "Henry is really smart so if you just listen and learn from him that stuff will help you later in life."

"Like when I become a knight?" I asked excitedly to which Casius chuckled softly.

"Like when you become a knight." he responded with a soft smile on his face before continuing. "And Henry, I know Tali can be a little...strong-willed at times but, it's not a great look for you to be arguing with a four year old."

"I apologize, Prince Casius but with the rate the young miss is going she'll be an embarrassment not just to herself, or the royal family, but the whole damn country!" Henry shouted.

Casius replied. "Come on, she can't possibly be that bad."

Henry laughed, but not one of amusement rather annoyance and disbelief. "Reading, Writing, Math, History, Geography, Politics, Etiquette. Talissa is behind in every subject that's not fighting, if things continue on like this she'll be nothing more than a blemish on the name of house Roa." I was more than a little upset at how I was being described, sure I got distracted easily and would rather be anywhere else than this stuffy library. I honestly did try to do well in these classes, I mean I already went through classes way tougher than this back in college. Wait, no I haven't? But before I could continue that train of thought or voice an objection Henry continued. "It's not that the princess is a fool, far from it in fact, I can tell she's quite a clever young lady it's just none of what I'm saying seems to sink in with her." Henry was starting to sound genuinely dismayed as he continued talking. After Henry was finished Casius pulled a finely wrapped leather book off one of the shelves and placed it on Henry's desk. 

"Maybe you could take a look at some of the lessons you gave me way back when, might help you help her."

"Perhaps you're right." Henry responded and idly opened the book to a random page. "For now though, Talissa I'm cutting our current lesson short, it's clear you're not interested today and I need to rethink my lesson plan." No sooner had he finished his sentence I was already up and heading for the door, a smile plastered on my face and tail wagging excitedly.

"Bye Casius, bye Henry, oooh do you think that Cap'n Kerrigan is still around? Imma go look for him, see you later." as I was passing Henry's desk however my eyes briefly glanced over the open book of old lessons. Numbers and formulas I had never seen before and were far more complex than the addition and subtraction I struggled with filled the pages, yet I was left with one thought as I left the room. How do I know how to solve those?