Author's Note:
Hurray, third chapter of the rewrite! Sorry it took so horrendously long to finish this chapter, I was busy working on some of my other fanfics…
Chapter III
As Arthur Pendragon successfully slipped away from the jousting team's clutches, the first thing he heard when he stepped out into the stonewalled hallway was laughter. Loud, juvenile laughter...
Nervously, the sandy-blonde-haired student looked down the hallway to see Ashir Merlin and her companion Jake laughing aloud. Artie raised an eyebrow in curiosity and then silently walked towards the two teenagers.
Ashir cleared away the tears formed in her hazel-brown eyes from laughing so hard and looked up to meet Artie's pale green eyes.
"Oh, hey…" She smiled. "So you're Arthur Pendragon?" The sorceress enquired.
"Um…"
Artie was slightly surprised at Ashir's friendliness, usually people's greeting to him were more along the hostile lines of 'Oh… it's you'.
"Yeah… But call me Artie."
Ashir nodded. "No problem." She held out a hand. "I'm Ashir Merlin." Artie nervously shook it.
The tall boy, named Jake, smiled widely. "Name's Jacob Pearson, but everyone calls me Jake." He took his turn at shaking Arthur's hand in greeting.
Artie cleared his throat. "So, uh, I just wanted to thank you two for saving my butt back there."
Ashir chuckled warmly and smiled brilliantly. "Think nothing of it, Artie." She stated. "Had I know earlier of the whole human target thing, I would've handled it then."
"No, I've got to thank you." Artie stated. "It's how I was brought up." He insisted.
"Well." Ashir blushed slightly from embarrassment. "Then… you're welcome." She cleared her throat uneasily. "Anyways, it's almost lunchtime. Would you like to join us, Artie?"
Artie looked blankly at the two teenagers. "Are you two for real, or did I hit my head really hard when I landed?" He poked them both in the arm curiously.
Ashir giggled. "If that's a yes then come on." She beckoned kindly.
The two saviours headed for the academy's cafeteria while Artie paused a half-beat. His luck couldn't get any better that entire day.
Well… obviously if Guineviere accepted an offering to go out, assuming he could muster enough courage to ask her, then that would put the icing on the cake.
It was surprisingly cool in the cafeteria, compared to the slightly warm outdoors. The three teenagers filed into the lengthy line up at the cafeteria's buffet.
"Hey, Ashir." Artie started a conversation. "How come we haven't met before?" He enquired. "I mean with those robes on, you…"
"Stand out from the crowd?" Ashir finished Artie's statement.
"Yeah…"
Ashir picked up a wooden lunch tray and scooted down the line. "I usually only wear them when I'm practising magic and then take them off for my other classes. But now…" The sorceress sighed and forced a smile. "Well, I might as well stand out in the crowd now." She shrugged nonchalantly.
Artie smirked. "You're doing a pretty good job of it." He chuckled.
Ashir nudged Artie playfully in the shoulder as they approached the food the cafeteria ladies had cooked up. There was an assortment of disgusting foods in the buffet, from roasted mutton to a slimy slug lurking in a cast iron pot.
The most edible food presented was a small roasted fowl sliced into small sections accompanied by some fried potatoes. The three teenagers each ordered one of these lunches, as well as a bottle of the peasant brew –which was basically really watered down ale mixed with some nice-tasting herbs- due to the fact that fresh, drinkable water was scarce in these parts of Worcestershire. The total was three shillings -the ale taking most of the cost- and the teenagers left the lunch line.
Arthur enjoyed the first lunch he had ever had in all of the years of attending Worcestershire Academy with someone other than himself.
Nearing the end of the school day, after their last class, the three friends met in the central courtyard where the communal carriages were loading up their passengers.
Most of the academy's students lived just outside of the school's limits and once class was over, they took the communal carriages home for the night. Others, who lived further from the academy, only left the school on holidays, and lived in the school's dormitories.
Jake, Ashir and Artie stood out in the main courtyard, they were lying on the green grass surround in the courtyard and each waited for the academy to calm down.
"Do either of you take the carriage?" Artie enquired.
Jake sighed. "Well… I used to, my parents live in the Town of Worcestershire, just North of here." He shrugged. "But in freshmen year, I got tired of waking up really early and coming home late for dinner everyday, so I worked the entire summer between freshmen and sophomore year doing odd jobs around town to get enough cash for the dormitories here…"
"What about you, Ashir?" Artie asked, folding his hands behind his head as he leaned back into the grass.
"Well…" Ashir fiddled with a piece of grass between her fingers. "I was already working my way into dormitory costs for this academy -before my granduncle was offered the position as Magic teacher- because the closest place that I can call home is actually pretty far away." She pushed some of her loose light brunette bangs behind her ears and sighed. "I usually stay at the school most of the time, and go to Jake's house for the summer holidays." Ashir looked over Artie inquisitively. "What about you Artie?"
Artie sighed, turning over onto his back and looking up into the darkening evening sky. "I don't really have a home to go to…" He stated. "So I usually spend the summer holidays in some orphanage or somewhere with my cousin, Morgan."
"Oh." Ashir bit her bottom lip and looked over the young man. "Well… maybe you could stay with me and Jake over the holidays." She offered with a smile and then glanced at her taller friend. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind, Jake."
"No, they'd be more than happy to have an extra hand around the forge." Jake stated. "We should visit them sometime, maybe this Christmas, to see if they'll agree."
"Yeah…" Ashir agreed with a warm smile.
"Listen." Artie looked over the two other teenagers. "I'm really glad you're offering this. It's really generous of you, but…" He sighed. "I can't accept your offer." Artie rubbed her back of his neck nervously and he looked up. "When I graduate from this place, I plan on striking out on my own and finding a new home for myself."
"Oh." Ashir looked away, crest-fallen. "But you could still probably come over the Christmas holidays."
"Um…" Artie bit his bottom lip. "I guess so…" He shrugged.
"It'll be great." Ashir reassured warmly.
The evening's darkness began to cast shadows across the academy's courtyard.
"Well…" The young woman sighed and stood from the ground. "I'll see you two tomorrow." She brushed off the front of her robes, smiled and waved. "Good night."
"Good night, Ashir." Artie and Jake simultaneously called out to her.
The young sorceress then left the courtyard for the girls' dormitories.
The two teenage boys stood up and shouldered their rucksacks. They began walking towards the boys' dormitories.
"So…" Artie folded his arms over his chest casually. "Are you and Ashir an item?"
"What?" Jake exclaimed.
"You know…" Artie chuckled. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Jake chuckled uneasily. "Not really…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Ashir's kind of like a little sister to me." He cleared his throat. "And anyways, I've got my eyes on someone else."
"Really…" Artie raised an eyebrow. "And who would that be?"
"You know Doctor Percival?" Jake started.
"Yeah…" Artie shrugged. "His office is right by our dormitories…"
"Well, I like his daughter, Mary…" Jake stated.
"Oh." Artie smirked. "Does she know?"
"Not yet…" Jake shrugged. "Maybe someday I'll get enough courage to ask her out to a dance or something." He shuddered. "I'm more concerned about her father… you know."
"Yeah." Artie shuddered equally. "He's kind of, scary…"
Jake nodded. "And he's really protective of Mary, so I'm kind of stuck."
Artie shrugged. "Maybe you'll get a chance, someday."
Jake chuckled, casually stretching his hands out in front of him. "I sure hope so, Artie-man…"
Author's Note:
Again, sorry for the wait… and I leave you with this chapter for now; that is, until I can manage my life and get some inspiration to continue the rewrite.
MG#6
