10. An insightful conversation in the park

We arrived just in time at sunset in the dining hall. All the pages were already seated at the table, chatting animatedly. When they saw me, the conversations fell silent. I felt like an outsider, and only Sereina gave me an encouraging smile. Apparently, Cal had already created a sense of unease towards me. Last night, I had the impression that Amir and Trisha were curious, but today they seemed a bit colder.

I sat down on my chair and Socks jumped onto my lap. Cal noticed this with a disapproving sigh but said nothing. Elara appeared, and I ordered chicken again for Socks and asked for bread and cheese for myself.

It had been a long day, and I thought I would be hungrier, but the chilly atmosphere at the table weighed on my stomach more than I had expected.

Slowly, the conversations picked up again, and the pages talked about their day, which had been filled with sword-fighting training and studies. How was I supposed to catch up on all that knowledge? I didn’t even have the slightest clue about Tarcania, hardly any understanding of Tarot, and who knows what else I still needed to learn. Yes, Leonora had mentioned something about training once my equipment was complete, and then there was the announced journey through Tarcania. I felt overwhelmed and drained, lost in my thoughts, and chewed my bread rather listlessly.

As exciting as I had found Tarcania upon my arrival, now I felt a leaden heaviness. I really just wanted to go home, but that was impossible at the moment. I had to accept my situation and fulfil my task here, whatever that was supposed to be. I wouldn’t be going home before that—Leonora had made that perfectly clear. And somehow, I would have to get along with the other pages. I wondered which challenge would be greater.

When I finally finished, everyone but Sereina had already gone.

“Come on, let’s find a quiet place, and I’ll tell you a bit about the kingdoms and the pages, so you understand us a little better.” Sereina stood up and pulled me along. I really didn’t feel like talking, but she was always kind to me, and I didn’t want to make her feel bad. So I went with her.

We walked silently through winding corridors and arcades until we reached a pavilion in a park. It was round, covered in ivy, and looked very enchanting. I was about to head towards it, but Sereina laughed and pulled me away. “No, we definitely wouldn’t find peace there, as it’s a popular meeting spot for couples—even from the town—if they’re brave enough to venture onto the guild’s railing.”

A few minutes later, we came to a small fountain. The water tinkled happily into the stone basin, and next to it was a stone bench. “Here we have some peace, and with the sound of the water, it’s hard to hear what I’m going to tell you. Don’t worry, I’m not going to reveal any secrets, but not everyone needs to know you don’t know much about us yet.” Sereina sat down, and I took a seat beside her. It couldn’t hurt…

“As you’ve probably gathered by now, Tarcania consists of the city of Tarcania, where we are right now, and the four kingdoms. Tarcania technically has a city government, but the real power lies with the Guild and therefore with Leonora as Guild Mistress, along with the Archons and Archonesses. They are the heads of the respective faculties. You’ll surely meet some of them during your training, depending on what Leonora deems necessary. She herself, as Guild Master, is the Archoness of Tarot.

I think you’ll probably also get to know Enar, the Archon of Elements, Meridis, the Archon of Numerology, and Thaela, the Archoness of the History of the Tarocciari.

Then there’s Lysar, the Archon of Astrology, Isera, the Archoness of Nature Magic, Tharon, the Archon of Ceremonial Magic, Myrella, the Archoness of Herbalism, and a few other side areas like Symbolism, Mysticism and so on. But these are fields that aren’t even open to the knights yet—only to the queens and kings of the kingdoms.

By the way, Lysar acts as Leonora’s representative when she is travelling or takes time away for several weeks for her studies. Tarot isn’t knowledge you just acquire overnight. It takes a lot of time to master the cards, to feel them, to experience them and to internalise them. You’ll learn the basic principles quickly, just like the foundations of the other areas, but it requires a long study to truly understand them.”

I sighed — me and my memory for names, and these names were anything but easy to remember. Sereina grinned. “You’ll manage it. Depending on which kingdom we come from, these names can be unusual for us too.”

But before we go to bed, I want to tell you a bit more about the four kingdoms and the pages.

We pages stand at the very bottom of the court hierarchy. Above us are the knights, then the queens and kings. Even though we all have royal blood, we have hardly any privileges in the Guild. The only ones are that we have our own table, are taught directly by the Archons, and after our training, travel through all the kingdoms. As you’ve seen, other talented young women and men are also taught in the Guild. After their basic training, they specialise. We, on the other hand, have to learn much more.

“Aha, I see,” I interrupted, “that’s why Cal is annoyed. I’m just an ordinary young woman, not from any royal house but from the outside world, and I’m supposed to be the chosen one as well. Leonora seats me at your table and he feels somehow threatened or challenged.” Sereina nodded. “Exactly. Some pages put a lot of stock in their origins and see themselves as better than others. But that’s not the spirit of Tarcania. I’m sure Cal will respect you in time, and the other two, Amir and Trisha, are new here too. They’re still easily influenced and stick to what’s familiar. Don’t blame them.” I shook my head.

“Let me tell you a little about the kingdoms so you can get a small overview,” she continued. “To the east lies Sapiaria with its capital Vindgard. What’s special is that some places are on flying islands. But most of the country is quite mountainous and a cool wind blows constantly. Some peaks are covered with snow and ice all year round. That naturally affects the people. They are very clear-headed, very direct, very honest, very logical, and sometimes a bit arrogant. They are the thinkers of Tarcania, and if you start debating with them, you really need to be well prepared, or else they’ll take you down like a scorpion that strikes fast and precise. It’s not easy to win them over, but you’ve probably noticed that already.”

I grinned but thought to myself that Sapiaria probably wouldn’t be my preferred kingdom. I didn’t like mountains or snow. That was one of the few things about my beloved Falkenstein I didn’t really like, either.

To the south lies Salahara, with the capital Saffirah. It’s hot, dusty, and much of the land is desert or steppe. The people there are very passionate but also quick to anger. They love their freedom and adventure. Sometimes they act faster than they think and get easily excited. But just as quickly, their enthusiasm often fades, and they move on to something new that challenges them and captures their attention for the moment. Many warriors come from Salahara, but also many smiths, metalworker and toolmakers, because fire is their element. You’ve already met Hephon, the blacksmith. He comes from a small village near the capital.

To the west lies Reviria, with the capital Neralis. It’s beautiful there, and most places are by lagoons or rivers. Many of our poets, painters, singers, musicians, and other artists call it home. You can lose track of time in Reviria when you sit by the sea watching the sunset or bathe in one of the spring pools. The people are very friendly, very empathetic, and sometimes that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I always have the feeling they look into my soul and know more than I want to show. But if you want to find yourself and don’t prefer the rugged mountains of Sapiaria, then Reviria is a perfect place.

I come from the kingdom in the north, Crescendoria, and our capital is named  Dunvara.” Sereina’s eyes began to shine as she spoke of her homeland. “It’s a green land with many forests and small villages surrounded by fertile fields. We are the granary of Tarcania and supply it to a large extent. Some see us only as simple farmers, but they love our breads, the meat of our cattle, and the beautiful flowers that decorate their halls. We are reserved and get to know you first before we open up. But once you have won our hearts, you have the most loyal friends you can imagine. We take our time for what really matters but also let things take their time, because everything has its time.

I think that’s enough for now, Bobbie. If you have questions, you can always come to me. I’m here for you.” Sereina hugged me warmly, and I was sure I had truly found a friend in her.

By now it was dark and cool. We returned quickly to the main building where our paths parted as we went to our bedrooms.

What a day it’s been! I washed quickly before sinking tiredly into bed and felt Socks curl up against my back as I fell asleep.