The First Morning

Gracia wakes with a start. She hadn’t slept well, tortured through the night by thoughts of the hectic events of the previous afternoon. She had tried to work through it: reviewing her agenda, reviewing her notes, studying even greater magic on her own. Yet none had fully put it out of her mind. The pure joy, like that of a child, on Libarius’ face seems to have been burned into her memory. And the pounding of her heart has no less a hold on her even still. And all she can do is wonder how she can become so joyful and unwavering as him.

Gracia sits up and looks out into her dark bedroom. There’s a knock at her door.

“Ah, yes, come in.” A graceful woman with dark brown hair held in a bun, wearing a maid uniform opens the door and takes a step inside.

“Good morning, Mistress Gracia.” She seems shocked to see Gracia still in bed. “My, is everything all right, Mistress Gracia? Are you coming down with something? I thought you seemed a little red when you returned yesterday…” She rushes to Gracia’s bedside.

“I… wasn’t red yesterday. And I’m not sick. I’m not a child anymore, Alo.”

“And yet, even on such an important day you’re still in bed.”

“I didn’t sleep well, is all.”

“Not a child, yet you worry in just the same way. Should I help you to prepare, Gracia.” Gracia gets out of bed.

“Please, Alo.” Alo turns on the light and sits Gracia down in front of a tall mirror. Alo begins to comb her hair.

“Have you prepared everything?”

“I have. It’s all on my desk.”

“That’s good. Would you like me to prepare an outfit for you?”

“I can dress myself, Alo. But… I would like it.” Alo finishes combing Gracia’s hair. She opens up her closet and begins to look through the clothes.

“It really does do my heart good to see the wonderful young woman you’ve grown into. Ah, actually, I just remembered something quite important.”

“Something from Master?”

“No, not something like that. Rather, all morning the maids have been reporting to me about a frightening man right outside the front gate.”

“A frightening man?”

“They said he was a man in all black. The ones who saw him in the early morning said he was like a creeping shadow. Though I haven’t seen him yet myself.”

Gracia suddenly springs into action and rushes towards her window. She pulls open the curtains to look down upon the front gate of the manor. As she expected, standing right in front of it, both hands clutching his cane, is Libarius. Gracia turns to Alo in a rush.

“A-Alo, we need to go faster! I need to get ready faster!” Caught off-guard, but just for a moment, Alo quickly decides what sort of outfit would be most suitable and begins to narrow her search.

“So that man is somebody you know, Gracia. And for him to send you into such a rush, I suppose you must be quite fond of him.”

“I am not ‘quite fond of him.’ If he has been kept waiting for so long, then it would be rude for me to dawdle.” Alo has a realization.

“Ah, might it be that gentleman accompanied by the twin maids? I could only see his back yesterday, but he fits the description. My, to think that all this trouble could have been avoided if only he had come inside.”

“I’m sure he had other matters he wanted to attend to.” Alo drapes a blouse adorned with small ribbons and a simple skirt on a chair.

“Well then, you should change quickly if you want to meet him sooner. In the meantime, perhaps I will greet him myself.”

“No! Don’t. I… wouldn’t want to trouble him.”

“Very well. I’ll leave this matter be. But I really would like to meet this gentleman some day soon.”

“Thank you, Alo.”

“Of course, Gracia.”

Soon after, Gracia is fully dressed and prepared for the day. She moves through the halls of the manor quickly. Alo awaits her, holding in her hands the remainder of the slice of cake, now held inside a small box, given to her by Opera as a parting gift. Gracia had passed it off quickly to retreat to her room the previous evening.

“Mistress Gracia, would you like to take this as a treat for your hard work?”

“Alright.” Alo hands Gracia the box. Gracia is surprised as she takes hold of it.

“The spell has changed, hasn’t it?”

“You truly have inherited the Master’s sense. Indeed, when the Master returned home last night and heard what had happened, he decided to cast a new spell over it himself.”

“I see. Then I’ll be off, Alo.”

She walks outside and meets Libarius. The corners of his mouth relax, forming a small smile on his face. Yet if he’s pleased to see her, it does not come through in his even voice.

“Gracia, my stalwart companion, you’ve come at last.”

“Libarius, why were you waiting out here for so long, and without saying a thing. If I had known I would have come sooner.”

“Lo, the endearment has already begun.”

“Pardon?” The two begin to walk to the Magic Institute.

“I was thinking of the future; when my task is complete and I can begin my research with renewed efficacy I will need reliable mages to stand beside me. I judged you to be apt to stand at my side, and so I decided that I must pull you into my camp. For this I need endearment, that is what I learned of leadership from Father.”

“So you were waiting to make me like you?”

“My research would lack a certain luster if I were to lose a partner of your caliber before it even began.”

“…so that’s all it was.” Gracia’s voice grows more stern. “Libarius, I would prefer it if you don’t wait for so long outside the gate in the future. It frightened the maids.”

“I frightened them? I can hardly see how that might be the case. I was entirely passive and had no intention of harming anyone.”

“I think it was your coat.”

“Then it seems we’re at an impasse.”

“Huh?”

“I cannot remove this coat. It is a dear comfort for me. It reminds me of my father, as though I were in his embrace once more.” Gracia doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand why he would be talking this way of a man so nearby. But she can see some deep sadness in his eyes.

“You really love your father, huh?” For the first time, his tone has changed. Even if only slightly, Libarius does sound saddened by something he has recalled.

“Indeed.” Libarius recovers quickly. “However, there is a more pressing matter of concern to address. My spell has been altered.” Gracia is in disbelief.

“How could you know that?”

“I felt it. And on that note, tell me who it is that challenges me.”

“‘Challenge?’”

“Of course. What else could describe such a thing? To vandalize my work, to make so outrageous a claim that my spell might be lacking.”

“It was my master who did it.”

“I see. Gracia, my dear partner, you must take me to your master. No challenge ought to be left unfulfilled.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough, even without my interference. And I don’t think you can win against him, honestly.”

“Don’t fall to doubt, Gracia. Disbelief is the killer of wills.”

“Well, we should just focus on what’s right in front of us first.”

Libarius and Gracia walk into the grounds of the Magic Institute.