The Path of an Elite

The first day of school was fast approaching. Arlet Corzalinn was going to have to move from the only home she knew of to enroll in Saint Darius’s Knight Academy to earn her sword and shield. Saint Knights was the best of the best and teens from all over the country came after their eighteen years of mandatory schooling.

Arlet packed the last of her clothes and tossed her knapsack over her shoulder and headed down stairs. Her mother and father sat at the dinner table ready to bid her farewell and wish her luck in all her endeavors. Her mother kissed her lightly on the forehead before embracing her in a hug only a mother could give. Her father did much the same but his kiss was on the cheek.

“We’re only phone call away Arlet please don’t ever forget that.” Her mother said.

“And your mother and I have decided to give Jester to you as well. He’s all ready for you out at the stalls. You’re going to need a good horse for training.” He wrapped his arm around his wife and proud smile on his lips.

It ran in the Corzalinn blood to become knights, both of Arlet’s older brothers were, as well as her father (who is now retired) and her grandfather and so on. Arlet was not going to let them down. She saddled up and headed out on her week-long trip to the academy. She lived on the outskirts of the country on a well-known farm, her family was richer than most but not to the extent of being ‘rich’. They bought and sold horses and other livestock as well as a forge. Most tasks’ were just repairing farm tools but the occasional knight would stop by for repairs. Her mother also worked leather, so they made boots and clothes. It was a fair business but Arlet had no intention of continuing it, she wanted adventure.

Knighthood was the only way to get it. She would go up against trolls, and giants, golems, werewolves, vampires, and even maybe find the rare forest of unicorns. It was migrational.
Arlet arrived at the academy quicker than she had expected even for getting lost twice. She swung herself off of Jester. Her foot caught itself in the stirrups causing her to fall over. All of her clothes spilled out from her bags. She quickly freed her foot and scooped them up, hiding her bras and underwear first and foremost. She shoved it all back in her soft buckskin sack and grabbed Jester’s reigns.

She found the new student director and asked for the stalls and woman’s dorms.

“You are going to head straight all the way to the end of the grounds to find the stalls, you can leave your horse there as we have student workers who feed and water them daily, and they are let out to run all day. Overall they are very well taken care of. Once you become a fourth year though it is your responsibility to care for them. After you are finished there head to the east side and you’ll find the woman’s dorm nested in between the east training hall and Maeve Library.” Arlet nodded unsure of where east was from the noon sun but it couldn’t be too hard.

After a week on the road she only wanted to soak in a tub of hot water and relax her aching butt. She found the stalls with ease and had passed the dorms on the way there. She headed back up the road and turned onto the gravel path that lead up a ways to the dorms, across the way was the males dorms and Amaris Hall where mathematics classes were held. Facing away from the dorms was Magini Hall where science and health were, and back up the path towards the entrance was the dining hall and the other training hall. The battle grounds took up the entire North West grounds and to the east, even further than the girls’ dorms was the battle tactics building, Eris Hall. The teachers lived off grounds but each dorm had a supervisor and curfew, except on a few nights where festivals would be held or dance parties and balls. Just in the first week there was going to be a festival along the main road leading from the entrance to the stalls for students to meet and have fun before cracking down on their studies for the next nine months.

Arlet found the woman in charge and was given her room key, each room housed four girls with two bunk beds. Arlet’s room key read #223. She was on the second floor. The building was in a U shape with one hundred rooms on each floor. Not all got filled up but fourth years had rooms to their selves or opted to share with one other girl. When Arlet made her way to hers there was only one other girl in.

Crouched over her suitcase was a stocky built girl with thick arms and legs and short brownish black hair. “Oh, hello! My name is Bren.” She and Arlet shook hands as another girl wondered in.

This new girl had yellow straw-like hair and amber eyes just like Arlet. “Hello there, what’s your name? I’m Arlet Corzalinn.” She said with a bright smile.

“Everleigh Clementine.” She tossed her bags on the floor and shook heads with her two new roommates. “So have we called beds yet?” She pointed to the top bunk of the far one and smiled.

“Have at it.” Bren and Arlet smiled.

“Sweet.” Everleigh threw he bags up top and plopped to the ground. “I heard we had four to a room, is the other girl gonna show?”

Arlet put her bag on the bed under Everleigh, she grinned at her in a friendly way. Arlet was already friends with this confident new girl. They gave self-introductions and background stories galore before the church bell rang for dinner. The large bronze bell hung above the dining hall which the motif for was a church. It had white walls trimmed in colorful red and yellow along the top. Large arches covered the entrance before you met the smaller oaken doors that swung fully open to either side gracing you welcome. The first night held a speech given by the top third year male and female students who after the day was over would be moving on to fourth years. Afterword’s a banquet was set out consisting of fried chicken breast season with lemon and parsley and black pepper, mash potatoes, garlic bread, carrot cake cupcakes, baked beans, and steamed broccoli. Arlet left the hall with her stomach full and her sweet tooth satisfied.

Bren and Everleigh walked back to the dorms with her, catching her every time she stumbled over the rocks.

“You’re a klutzy one aren’t you?” Everleigh asked.

Arlet smiled a bit, “Yeah but I’m hoping training will help me learn how to control my body.”

“That it will sweetie.” said Bren.

Arlet soaked herself in the tub after they got back, Bren had already hopped in before the others had arrived and Everleigh said she would wait. Arlet washed all her aches away and fell fast asleep that first night. She had old dreams of her parents and the ranch back home but her new adventure was just starting.