Xilanada - Unforsakable Birthright/Part 9

"What can you tell me about the First Age? Anyone? Just tell me what you know, off the top of your head."

Xilanada looked over the sea of faces and smiled. It wasn't really a sea, there were only about twenty students in this class, but it certainly felt like it sometimes. Despite that, she was having fun.

Many students who came to the School didn't come willingly. Some were from wealthy families, with the money to see to their children getting a true education. Some thought the only thing better than raising rich heirs to take over their family businesses was raising rich heirs who could bargain with Spirits, protect their caravans from the dead, and even bless the weather. Magic was common enough, most peasants knew a few hedge rituals. But those with the skills honed by an organized program of instruction would have an unmatched business edge.

A few of the other children here were what amounted to scholarship students. Children who, one way or another, had been found to have unusually high aptitudes for magic, or perhaps descendents of great wizards. Though Xilanada had yet to meet Tepet Ajalat Malias, the Master of the School and the Headmistress' father, she understood that he subsidized this school in part through his own great wealth, making it possible for many to receive an education who would not otherwise. Besides, those that went on to become great Thaumaturges would no doubt bring the school additional prestige. There was more than one way to pay your way here, in that sense.

Although magic was a terrifying thing to many children, she was lucky enough to be assigned to the advanced classes. The prior instructor on First Age Lore had died and, though the other professors had been filling in as best as they could, all had their own course load to balance and most had only a passing education on such history some years ago.

Thankfully for them, and for herself, Xilanada was uniquely qualified to take on the burden.

"Professor," spoke up one of the teenagers.

"Go ahead," Xilanada replied. "What comes to mind?"

"The First Age was not too different from our Age today. The Realm ruled it then, even as the Realm today is the largest political power in the world. Chief differences were that the First Realm was ruled by the Anathema and the Realm spanned the whole world."

"Good, what else?"

"The Princes of the Earth were slaves, weren't they?" asked another student.

"No, they weren't slaves, they were servants," said a third, correcting.

"Neither is entirely accurate," Xilanada said. "They were not servants, but they were not the rulers either. They were the soldiers and lieutenants of the Anathema. And there were many more of them in those days than there are now. Who can tell me how many Dragon-Blooded exist today?"

"About 10,000?" said a student nervously.

"Yes, about 10,000 in the Realm on the books," Xilanada grinned. "What that number doesn't account for is the number of Dragon-Blooded Outcastes in the Realm. To say nothing of those who live outside of it. An actual estimate today would be around 25,000, give or take a few thousand, with perhaps a number close to that scattered throughout Creation. Now, just imagine a 100 times that number. Over 2 million Dragon-Blooded served the First Realm. They were the armies of the Ananthema. They fought back the Fair Folk when they tried to breech Creation's borders. They struck down demons when they escaped from Malfaes. And they administrated the Realm, making it run smoothly."

"If they did all that, what were the Anathema doing?" asked an older boy, perhaps near to her body's age.

"A very good question. What do you think?"

"Enslaving the world," spoke a different student.

"Living a life of wicked excess!" giggled another and shy laughter broke out among the class. Xilanada simply smiled and waited for the clamor to die down. With a class this old and well behaved, discipline would be more counterproductive than useful.

"Do you think that's what they were doing?" she asked, looking at the boy who had asked the question.

"I think they were ruling. Just because the Dragon-Blooded administrated the Realm doesn't mean they made policy, just enforced it, right?" At a nod from her, he continued. "So, I think they made policies. Decreed law."

"Yes, very good. That is indeed something the Anathema did in the First Age. How just or fair those laws were, and what we know about them today...that will be the subject for this next week. I'm still working out how we will handle reading so instead of giving you all the same book, go to the library and you'll find a list of books that I've written down, ranging from the Articles of Principled Righteousness to Deyeas Gold's Treatise on Principalities with a little rhetoric like Fear the Sun and Keep His Commandments. I want each of you to pick one book off that list and read it for this week. By the end of this week, I'll expect presentations from each of you. And next week will open with a discussion of last week's material, what each of you really thought about it, as a way of linking into next week's topic."

Groans were heard throughout the class, but they were good-natured groans. Xilanada was more than pleased. As she continued the class, it was obvious her students were interested.

That was a relief. She had worried that some might have a problem with a woman who had been a servant teaching their class. That morning, when she had looked in the mirror while vainly struggling to straighten her curls, she had realized how truly young she looked. That every student in her class except two were taller than her didn't help either. It was frustrating, being used to the advantage of height and now finding the only people shorter than you were pre-teens.

But her class was learning. And that's what really mattered.

Xilanada breathed a sigh of pleased fatigue as the class filtered out at the end. It was harder than she thought to teach, and she had been expecting it to be hard. Yet it was strangely satisfying seeing them, one by one, be drawn up into the tales of what had come before.

"Your first class went well," spoke a woman's voice from the doorway. Xilanada looked and smiled warmly.

"Well enough, Headmistress. It helps that they're of an age to be interested in such things. I suppose it also helps that the legends of the First Age sound so exciting to children growing up. It no doubt helps to hold their attention when they delve into the truth behind the tales."

"Yes, I enjoyed listening to your class," Tepet Seya said. Standing there in the doorway, dark hair and dark skin, the Dragon-Blooded Headmistress seemed a force of nature, a pillar of stability and strength.

Xilanada hadn't noticed it before, but she suspected now that Tepet Seya was an Earth-Aspect. It wasn't always possible to tell, though in rare cases the Exaltation was powerful enough that it couldn't be concealed, such as in Ava's case.

"I hope it wasn't too boring then," Xilanada apologized. "I'm still feeling out how much they know."

"No, the pace you choose to set is your own. So long as I am satisfied with their proficiency exams at the end of the year." The Headmistress looked at her intently and seemed to soften, seemed warmer than Xilanada had ever seen her. "I can tell you know the subject matter well enough to teach these classes. I make no apology for checking up on you. But I am pleased that I made the right choice in giving you a chance."

"Thank you, Headmistress." Xilanada smiled and bowed respectfully.

"Xilanada, in private, between professors...I would prefer you call me Seya."

"Oh. Of course." Actually, Xilanada was quite surprised. The Headmistress seemed a stern and remote woman, the kind that encouraged excellence but discouraged familiarity. In that sense, very much the model of the proper administrator.

Was that it? Dragon-Blooded always tended to reflect their element. Ava was a surprising exception, seeming to be so calm despite the obvious elemental signs of her Exaltation's strength. Perhaps Tepet Seya was more personable than she seemed. Earth-Aspects tended to be very calm and in control, favoring tradition over innovation, peace over conflict. It could be that she just took teaching and the School that seriously, enough so to make herself over into being the ideal instructor and administrator.

"Thank you, Seya," Xilanada said. "If it's easier, I would like it if you called me...Lana." It took a second to think of a workable nickname. Xilanada hadn't chosen her name casually, but she also hadn't picked it because it was easy to say or remember. And Lana was nice.

"Lana. Very good," Seya said. "I will let you prepare for your next classes. We can look forward to seeing you at dinner tonight, I trust? Ava informed you of our usual arrangements?"

"Yes, she did. Thank you."

"Then, the Dragons willing, may it be a good day."

"Thank you. Seya."