Ch. 1 “Once upon a time…” (part 3)

In the Aelius Kingdom, if one were to dedicate their life to study and prove that they posses knowledge far greater than others, they would be given the title of an Elder. There were always ten of them, as a reflection of the Aelian pantheon. All of them were treated with utmost respect by Karians of all social statues and races.

 If one would make them, say, wait for them for over half an hour, and then if they were to stare absentmindedly outside the window like a newborn lamb, and daydream about experiencing sappy romance akin to the ones in those harlequins they love reading so much instead of listening to the lecture, their reputation would suffer greatly and they could potentially end up shunned and ostracized. Fortunately, Elder Quintus was widely known for his divine patience and kindness and so, he only sighed dejectedly and called to the Princess for the third time.

 - Your Majesty, are you listening?

 The Elder’s voice finally punched through the thick clouds of Oriana’s wild imagination.

 - Huh?
- I asked Your Majesty a question.
- Oh, yes. - The Princess cleared her throat before answering with a serious expression on her face. - The answer is thirty five.
- I actually wanted you to tell me who is in charge of the Lacus Province…

 An awkward silence filled the room.

 - Oh! I thought you asked how many provinces there were in Aelius! Haha! - Oriana did her best to seem like she knew what she was talking about.
- Then it would also be an incorrect answer, Your Majesty. The Aelius Kingdom has eight provinces.

 In his ninety six years of roaming this world, Elder Quintus had many students under his wing. Some were very gifted, some were less. None of them, however, could hold a candle to the Princess when it comes to being resistant to every teaching method he knew.

 - Can you, Your Majesty, at least tell me what important event for our kingdom happened in the year 1045?

- That one’s easy. Grandpa Lucius became the king of Aelius after he liberated the country from the cultists.

 Elder Quintus suddenly saw a ray of hope. This girl wasn’t a lost cause after all!

 - And do you know who were those cultists?
- Hmm… I remember father telling me that they wanted to kill the Gods, and that they believed that humans are the superior race. Or something like that. - The Princess tried recalling what her father told her that one time she went with him to her grandfather’s grave.

 Apparently, long before she was born, the Kingdom fell into the hands of a cult which believed that humans are the natural evolution of Fey and because of that they, not Gods, should be considered superior and worshipped. They ruled Aelius for many years, causing terrible amounts of death and destruction. They even annihilated the entire nation of Werewolves. Fortunately Lucius I, her grandfather, managed to stop them before they could achieve their ultimate goal of killing all of the Gods of Karia.

 - I think they were called something like “Artes”… “Amores”…
- Andros Kleos.
- Yes, that one!

 The Elder sighed heavily once again. He felt like he started doing this a lot more frequently ever since he accepted the King’s request to become the Princess’ teacher. Nevertheless, Oriana’s answer was far from perfect, but a small victory is still a victory.

 For the rest of the class Oriana tried her best to stay focused on what the Elder said. The results varied depending on how much politics was involved. After what felt like an eternity, Elder Quintus blessed Oriana with the sweetest words she could hear at the moment - “That’s all for today”.

 - This was our last class for now. We shall resume our meetings next month. Please, Your Majesty, at least try to revise what you’ve learned so far.
- Next month? Why so late? - Oriana looked at the teacher with puzzled expression. She wasn’t going to miss those lectures, but she was forced to attend classes nearly every day for the past year, so suddenly having a full month off felt suspicious to her.
- I will be away. I am visiting my niece in a different province, so we can celebrate Dawning together.
- You have a niece? That must mean that you have a brother or sister, too! Wow! I always thought you Elders cut your ties with your families and live as hermits at the top of some mountain or in a forest or some other place away from people. That would be so romantic! 

Elder Quintus sighed for the third time, politely said his goodbyes, and left.