Disclaimer: I own nowt of this amazing series by Sarah Prineas. All I can do is write fanfiction and wait impatiently for book 4.
I was sat in the Academicos library, reading a book I'd found. Even though I wasn't a student anymore, Brumbee had agreed to let me use the library. For now, at least.
"What's that you're reading, Connwaer?" Rowan's voice came from behind me, making me jump. I held up the book. "Fairy tales? I wouldn't have thought they were your sort of thing." Rowan raised her eyebrow, giving me that slant-sly look she did. I shrugged.
"It's got a dragon in it."
"Oh?"
"It reminds me of Pettivox." Pettivox was one of Wellmet's magisters. Well, he had been, until his and Crowe's machine for holding the magic captive had exploded and killed him.
"A dragon, in a fairy tale, reminds you of the former Magister Pettivox?" Rowan sounded unconvinced.
"It's keeping a princess prisoner in a tower." I explained, and Rowan made a 'mmh-hm' sound. She got out her own book and sat down opposite me.
"Why are they called fairy tales?" I asked after a while. "None of the ones I've read had any fairies in them."
"It's just the genre." I didn't know that word. When I said so, Rowan explained that it meant 'type of book'. These stories were called fairy tales even if fairies weren't mentioned.
"But why?" It didn't make any sense. Why would you call a book something if it had nothing to do with the book at all?
"I don't know, Connwaer! They just are."
"Okay." We both kept reading.
After a while, I'd finished the book. I looked at Rowan, who was still reading. She felt me looking, and glanced up.
"What?"
"I'm just trying to figure out who you'd be in a fairy tale." I said. Rowan gave a ladylike snort, which seemed to be a 'contradiction in terms', as Nevery would say.
"Have you come to a conclusion yet?"
"I think that you'd be the princess who gets captured by a dragon or an evil witch. Except that when the prince went to go rescue you, it'd turn out that you'd escaped by yourself and were on your way back already." Rowan wouldn't let anyone have to go and rescue her, even in a fairy tale. "What do you think I'd be?"
Rowan thought for a bit. "I think you would be the wizard whom everyone thinks is evil, but who would turn out to be good." It seemed like a good role. I nodded, then noticed the clock behind her.
"I'd probably better get back to Heartsease."
"And I had better get to class." I went to put the book back on its shelf when Rowan stopped me. "Wait. I think I might borrow that book myself."