Magic, Dreams and A Place To Belong

Since the age of fifteen, Daphne Fletcher’s ambition had been to attend the Arcanium. At twenty-five, that dream was finally becoming a reality.

The morning air was cool and crisp as the enchanted street lamps extinguished themselves at sunrise and Daphne followed the short cobblestone pathway from the cottage where she lived with her parents and siblings, up the hill to the manor house where she usually worked.

But today wouldn’t be washing, sweeping and mopping for her elven Magister, Lord Humphrey. If she were lucky, she’d never have to work for Lord Humphrey again.

Her auburn hair shimmered in the rays of sunlight penetrating through the clouds, and she paused for a moment to bask in the warmth.

She was used to early mornings, but even this was too early for Daphne. Her parents and younger sister still slept, and the only member of the family who’d woken earlier than her was her brother, Callum, who worked with the blacksmith.

The scent of hay and horses met her nose as Daphne approached the manor house stables, and she breathed in a deep breath.

In the first stall was a chestnut mare that had been a parting gift from Lord Humphrey, for ten years of hard service. It was the second thing he’d given her for her journey south, the first being a letter of recommendation that would, hopefully, placate any lords she encountered on the way.

She passed the familiar runes carved into the stall’s wooden beams, keeping the horses warm through winter.

Daphne approached the horse cautiously, extending her hand and gently stroking its flank. It whined in response, and she proceeded to check the bridle, tack and saddle were all secure before she loaded her meagre pack onto its left side.

She let out a long, slow breath. This was really happening.

For the last ten years, since her magical abilities first manifested, she’d dreamed of this day—of leaving behind the village where she’d been born and travelling south to the capital of Elenya, Aurelian City—but now that it was finally here, guilt gnawed at her stomach, twisting it into uncomfortable knots.

Her family barely made ends meet as it was, and now they’d be losing the income she made from cleaning at the manor house. Not just that, but for the past few years, her parents had been putting away a little of their income so that Daphne had a savings fund for when she enrolled at the Arcanium.

“This might be goodbye, but it isn’t forever,” a familiar voice said from the stable doorway, and Daphne turned to see her dad leaning against the door jam.

He crossed the room to her, his blue eyes—so like her own—shimmering with unshed tears, and opened his arms to her.

Daphne stepped into her dad’s embrace, tucking her head under his chin and inhaling the familiar scent of coal smoke. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing a tender kiss to her crown.

“Before you know it, you’ll be back here, helping your mom with the Winter Holiday Feast,” he said into her hair.

Daphne pulled back, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “You don’t think I will be accepted into the Arcanium?”

Her dad chuckled, cupping her face in his hands, and tilting her gaze up to meet his. “No you’ve studied too hard not to get into the Arcanium. What I meant was there will be breaks and holidays, won’t there? You’ll be able to visit us?”

Daphne hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Her imaginings only stretched to arriving at the Arcanium and taking the entrance examinations, not what came next.

“Yes, I suppose I will,” she said, unable to shake the earlier sense of responsibility that clawed at her insides. “You will all be okay without me, though, won’t you? If it’s easier, I can stay—”

“Daphne, sweet one, we’ve already talked about this. You’re going to the Arcanium, and you’re going to become a great mage. Me and your mom will get by. Aubrey is old enough to work now and has been offered your place at the manor.”

Hearing this eased a little of Daphne’s tension, but it still felt selfish for her to be following her dream like this, while her parents and siblings toiled… But it wasn’t just for her. She wasn’t just applying to the Arcanium for herself. If she got in, and then did well, a whole world of possibilities opened up for her. Her future career opportunities would be better than anyone of her caste—any human—could dare to hope for. And with that extra income, she could support her parents.

In her mind, Daphne envisioned a modest apothecary in a town without a strong elven presence, where she could use her skills to help others, and generate an income for her and her family. Her mom and dad would help out in the shop, and of course Callum would find work at a local blacksmith. But it meant Aubrey wouldn’t have to work like she had. She could even afford an elven tutor for her sister, increasing her prospects too.

Beside her, the horse—which Aubrey had jokingly named Horsey McHorseface, and Daphne didn’t have the heart to change—stamped the ground impatiently. The chestnut mare was almost as eager to be off as she was. Not that she could blame the horse; as far as she knew, it had never ventured further than two villages to the south. Certainly not to Aurelian City. It seemed Horsey McHorseface longed for adventure too.

Daphne embraced her dad , pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” he replied, the tears in his eyes rolling down his cheeks. “Now go show those elves what a human can do.”

Grinning, Daphne took the reins of Horsey McHorseface, and led her out of the stable, her dad following just behind.

As they made their way down the hill, she took one final glance back at the manor house, hoping Aubrey would be happy taking her place there until she returned home a fully qualified mage.

As they neared the cottage, her mom and Aubrey stepped out, both carrying bundles in their arms.

“We couldn’t let you go without saying a proper goodbye,” her mom said, even though they’d all said ‘goodbye’ the night before, when her mom had cooked a special meal.

Daphne smiled, secretly glad they’d come to see her off, even if it did mean they would then be in a rush to get to the manor house and start working.

“I made this for you,” her mom said, handing Daphne the dark bundle, which she unfolded to discover it was a black wool cloak, lined with fur. She’d seen her mom working on it most evenings, and had assumed she intended to sell it at the market for some extra income.

“Mom, I can’t, this is too much—” Daphne began to protest, but her mom cut her off with a smile.

“I made this for you, with love, to keep you warm as you travel to the Arcanium. Not to be sold on for profit,” she said, extending her arms and embracing Daphne just as tightly as her dad had. “You make us all so proud.”

Daphne bowed her head, wiping away the tears on the sleeve of her tunic.

“I got you this,” Aubrey said, easing the tension by thrusting a second package into Daphne’s arms.

Daphne stared down at her younger sister, who shared the same chestnut hair she’d inherited from their mom, although Aubrey had their mom’s warm, brown eyes too. She knew when she returned for the winter break, Aubrey would be almost as tall as she was.

“And what’s all this?” Daphne said, opening the bundle.

Inside were two crisp, red apples, a large piece of hard cheese, and a soft loaf of bread, still warm from the oven. Apples were an especially rare treat, usually saved for holidays and feasts.

Daphne blinked. “Are you sure we can afford this?”

“Yes, please, take it. You’ll need all your strength for the journey south,” her dad said, coming to stand beside Aubrey and her mom, and wrapping his arms around them.

“Thank you,” she said, securing the pack of food to the right side of Horsey McHorseface’s saddle, along with the cloak from her mom. “For everything. I promise I’ll make you all proud.”

“You already have, sweet one,” her dad said, gesturing Daphne to him, where she was pulled into a family embrace.

The scent of coal smoke mixed with freshly baked bread, and the woolen cloak, and caused memories of the years past to flit through Daphne’s mind. Cleaning the manor house with her mom. Little Aubrey, pink and squealing, being born when Daphne was barely ten. Family meals gathered around the big table in the cottage. Her brother, Callum, ruffling her hair and teasing her—

“Wait,” Callum called out, and Daphne pulled away from her parents and Aubrey to see her brother rushing down the hill, still in his leather apron, with soot and grease smeared on his skin.

Daphne raised a brow, her blue eyes sparkling. “What’s all this? I thought we said goodbye last night.”

Panting, Callum came to a halt beside her, a small, leather-wrapped bundle in his hand. “We did, but I couldn’t let you go without giving you this.”

She took the package from her brother, and slowly unfolded the leather to reveal a beautifully crafted silver dagger, the hilt decorated with etchings of stars and moons.

“To keep you safe as you travel south,” Callum said proudly. “I couldn’t enchant it properly—that takes a licensed artificer—but I left a channel in the steel if you ever want one added.”

Daphne laughed. “But I don’t even know how to use a knife?”

“You’re a quick learner, Daph, you’ll figure it out.” He ruffled her hair and tweaked her ear playfully.

He had the same warm brown eyes as Aubrey and their mom, though his hair was closer to their dad’s dark, rich brown than the chestnut colour the females in the family bore.

She studied the freckles on his face, beneath the dirt, committing them to memory in case it was longer than she expected before she saw her family again.

Daphne knew she should leave; the sooner she did, the more hours of daylight she’d have for her journey. But she couldn’t pull herself away from her family. When would she see them again? Would she feel different when she did?

What if she failed the Arcanium entrance exams, and returned sooner than any of them expected?

What if, while she was at the Arcanium, something terrible happened in the village and she wasn’t there to help?

All these thoughts swirled around in Daphne’s mind, and for a moment, her legs trembled.

But then she gazed up at her family. Her dad’s patient and understanding smile. The glimmer of unshed tears in her mom’s eyes. The grin of pride on Aubrey’s face. The reluctant respect Callum hardly showed to the world.

She would miss them all fiercely, but she had to follow her heart, and her dreams.

She had to go to the Arcanium.