Chapter 20
"Geni's teacher?" King Mickey repeated, looking astonished.
"Yeah! Geni has a picture of her on her nightstand at the castle!" Sora directed his attention back to the elderly woman. "You're the one who taught Geni how to sing!"
The older woman studied Sora for a moment before giving them a small smile. "The resemblance is remarkable," she murmured softly to herself as she strode up to him slowly. She paused, leaning on her cane as she studied him, especially his face. Her expression then immediately turned impassive. "I will not ask you again. Are you staying for the lecture?" she demanded of him.
"We-we were planning to," he stumbled out, surprised at the sudden change in her demeanor.
"Then come with me. All guests must be seated with the observing professors." The woman brushed by him and began to carefully walk down the stairs towards the raised stage. Students quickly moved out of her way reverently, giving her respectful greetings as she passed them.
Sora stood still for a moment, wondering at what he should do. "What are you waiting for?! Hurry up!" Sora felt someone shove him gently but forcefully from behind. He turned his head to see the teen from before looking at him nervously.
"What's the matter?" Sora asked him, seeing the boy do a sweat drop.
"What's the matter? That professor is the head of the entire music branch here at the Academia! If she tells you to do something, you do it! Now hurry up before you get into trouble!" he said as he shoved him down the stairs.
Sora decided quickly if the young man was that nervous about one little encounter, he had better do as he says. "Let's go guys," he called over his shoulder. He quickly began walking down the steps to the bottom rows in front of the stage. Sora saw the older woman standing next to a row on the left side of the podium, waiting for them. He hurried, hoping his friends were behind him.
"Hurry up – sit down here," she commanded him as she pointed to the row next to her with her cane. Sora quickly turned and walked down the row of seats until he had assumed he had gone far enough for everyone to sit down. He turned and sat down on the soft seat and looked up at the podium. He could clearly see Geni standing there with Elwen, talking. Looking around, he saw that the entire hall was almost completely filled to the brim with teenagers and some younger adults. Behind him was a small group of older men and women, probably the observing professors the elderly woman had mentioned. As for her, she sat down at the end of the row behind him, and began conversing with a woman next to her. Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had indeed come and sat down next to him. Kairi seemed just as in awe as Sora was by the sheer amount of people in the hall with them.
The hall itself was massive. It looked quite old as it was; the seats sloped down to a smaller stage, while large arched windows let in a good deal of light high above them. The ceiling had enormous wooden beams that converged into the middle, created a large point. Since the hall was oval-shaped, someone had painted the walls an extremely light shade of blue to make it seem even bigger than it actually was.
Elwen leaned over, whispering in Geni's ear as she noticed the group sitting down. Geni turned her head slightly before whipping it back away from them. "I told you they would come," she whispered to her smugly.
"But why is Lirona with them?" Geni hissed back. "Don't tell me she –"
"She probably wants to see how you act under pressure. I mean, you can talk your way inside and out in front of anyone here; your friends barely even know you had a life outside of the castle. She's probably only trying to help," Elwen suggested.
"Yeah, help me be nervous." Suddenly, a low tone was heard three times in quick succession. "There's the bell. Good luck," Elwen said, giving her arm a quick squeeze before she walked to the side of the stage and sat down on a plain wooden chair. Taking a deep breath, Geni turned towards her awaiting audience.
"Good morning," she called out. Many of the people there returned her greeting; someone in the back even gave out a piercing whistle. Everyone laughed, and Geni even chuckled a little at the inside joke before schooling her face back into an impassive expression. "Thank you. For the first years joining us today for yet another discussion in the lecture series in our music program, my name is Genevieve. I am a fourth year here at the Academia, and I am looking forward to our studies together." Polite clapping was heard throughout the hall. "Now, for a few announcements…"
Sora listened as Geni rattled off some news and updates for the program, tuning out briefly when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head around to see one of the professors staring at him. "Are you Genevieve's brother?" the older man asked him.
He nodded. "My name is Sora…sir," he added on at the last second.
The man smiled at him. "No reason to be nervous son – just enjoy the lecture. Your sister is a wonderful speaker. And who knows; you might just even learn something," he added with a wink.
"I will, thanks," Sora said as the man leaned back to continue watching. Sora turned around and saw Kairi giving him a confused expression. Sora shrugged at her. Kairi nodded in understanding, and the two of them turned back to the lecture. Geni was just about to begin.
"…And that's all of the announcements for today." Just then Elwen stepped up to her and handed her a sheet of paper. Geni took it from her and read it quickly before turning back to her audience. "Ahem," she said as she raised an eyebrow. "It seems that most of the stringed instruments in the practice rooms have had their strings covered in cooking oil so our instrumentalist's fingers cannot grip them and keep sliding off. If anyone has any information regarding this, please see Master Amleth about it as soon as possible." As she placed the piece of paper in a cubby inside of the podium, quiet snickering could be heard throughout the auditorium.
"So…on to the topic of today's lecture. One of the most potent assets that we as musicians have in our arsenal are words of power. You have probably heard older students and professors discussing this, and as students of music you will all one day come to harness this power into its true form. Words of power, however, and not limited to music; the written word in literature also utilizes these principles as well.
Now, some of you may ask 'What are words of power?' A word of power is a singular expression of influence over a particular aspect of reality. Grouping several of these words together can exponentially increase whatever outcome the words of power are consciously or unconsciously aiming for. In the case of literature, these combinations of words are much easier to find and use unlike when musicians use them. All of us have had fundamental training in the magical arts since the basic grades. It is because they only must be read or spoken aloud for the effect to take place. In music, on the other hand, words of power can manifest in three different ways: through played music, through sung music, or through a combination of both. As one rises through those ranks, the more powerful the words will become.
The greater question, however, is how do we know when we have discovered these words of power? Generally speaking, any one of us can speak a word or words of power in the correct combination at any time. However…that does not mean that anything will happen. For this power to be utilized, it must be done at the correct time, at the correct place, and with the correct intentions. Without these three factors in place, nothing will happen even if the words are played or sung. So now yet the next question: how do we know when we have discovered these words proper usage? Or better yet, how do we discover the words proper usage?
The answer is simple: innate will and experimentation. The words are linked, connected to us more deeply than any bond we will have with friends or family. Through this link to what we have created we have a slight inkling as to how the words will work, when, and where they will work as well. After that, with careful supervision, we can test this word or words and find to what extent their capabilities are." Geni paused, breathing deeply as the scratching of pencils and pens on paper continued throughout the hall. She waited a few more seconds before continuing.
"Now, for the actual steps. No one can teach you how in a step-by-step pattern, but we can offer insights as to how we ourselves have attained the words. To find this power is to develop a bond within you to your innermost thoughts and feelings. Words of power are brought into existence by what we feel and think, how we feel and think, and how we act on those feelings and thoughts. It may be that you are scribbling down random notes as a melody for an instrument or lyrics for a song, and you feel something. Something tugging at the back of your mind. If you pause, you may lose that thought and what was coming with it. I suggest if any of you feel this then go with the flow, as they say; allow your mind to wander and your unconscious to do the work for you. This is how many words of power come into existence.
On the other hand, the finished product of your scribbling may not make any sense to you at first. Whatever you do, do not do anything else to it. Immediately take it to an upperclassmen or professor for further study. I do not mean to belittle any of you, especially the older students here today, but it has in the past become apparent that some words of power are more destructive than others. Many of you remember the west wing practice rooms disappearing last year for no apparent reason? Yet we could still walk through them; we could even touch the objects that were supposed to be there, yet everything non-living thing there was invisible." She paused for a moment to allow the students to recollect the event, or for others to pass it on. "That was caused by one of the third year students finding their first word of power within a four note phrase of music, and humming it." Small gasps of surprise came from many of the students – some earning newfound respect for their occupation of choice. "From that one example, what could have happened if that student had tried playing it on an instrument, or singing it with different combinations of words. Who knows? The entire area could have been sent into another dimension.
That is an example of how using words of power may be dangerous. To move to a lighter note, good things come of them as well. This work was just finished recently after being tested for the past three years: a song of power which is sung that can completely heal a person of all physical injuries within its time span of less than one minute. The Healers were very happy to hear this, I've heard," she said with a small smile. Several good-natured laughs came from the audience.
"Alright. Now that we've discussed the theory and basics, it's time for the practical theory – which means questions by you and answers from me, if I can," she said, giving a quick glance to the adults sitting behind her friends. "The rest of the lecture is up to all of you, and how much effort on your part that you would like to put into the worth of your education here. Now, does anyone have any questions?"
Immediately, hands all over the auditorium shot up into the air. Geni smiled at this, a large full one unlike the ones she had given earlier. "It looks like we're going to be here for a while," she said with a laugh. "Alright. We'll start with the first years and head from there. Would all first years please raise their hands only?" About one third of the people put their hands down. "Good. All right – first question. You in the blue please," Geni said as she pointed to a young girl towards the front, making everyone laugh.
The girl stood up, obviously nervous. "Umm…have you written anything with words of power yet?" she asked in a loud and slightly shaky voice.
Geni nodded. "Yes, I have."
"What was it like?" the girl quickly said, ducking her head down.
"It was…" Geni paused for a moment, closing her eyes. "My first song was like having an out-of-body experience. I was doing some work for a theory class, when my fingers started flying across the page. I watched, but I couldn't control what my hand was doing. After I finished, I had realized that I had filled at least a dozen sheets of staff paper with notes and figures I hadn't even learned yet. Of course, as I said before, not all experiences will be the same. Thank you very much for your question," Geni said to her with a smile. The girl smiled back and sat back down, before urgent whispers took over between her friends and herself. "Next question. You please, over on the left?" she called out as she pointed to a teenage boy.
He quickly stood up. "Is there a type of song or instrument that words of power are invoked upon more often than others?" he called out.
Geni again nodded. "Yes. The majority of the discovered words of power are sung by a single voice. There is no particular genre to them. On the other hand, most songs of power – which is many words of power combined – have their power multiplied by however many people are singing it. So if it is a duet, it has twice the power; if it is a trio, three times the power; and so on and so on." The boy thanked her and sat down. Many hands were already lowered from the first two questions asked. "Alright – up in the center section," Geni said as she pointed to another young girl.
The girl stood up. "Can words of power or songs of power be used outside of the Realm?"
"Excellent question!" Geni exclaimed. "And the answer to your question is: yes, they can. As long as force of will and magic exist, words and songs of power will be able to influence the world around you. However, there is a down side: using it outside of the Realm lessens the power. Here, magic is used everyday and much of the world around us is made up of it. On the other hand, many worlds do not have magic. That is an important fact right there. Can anyone tell me why magic use is lessened on worlds that do not have magic?"
It was mainly the older students who raised their hands this time. "Yes – up in the back," Geni called, pointing to an older teen.
He stood up quickly. "It is because those worlds do not believe that magic exists. Hence, because of the lack of belief, the power it has is dwindled to almost nothing. So even if one were to use magic, their normal power would be a tenth or less of what it would be normally," he concluded.
"Exactly!" Geni said. "Any other questions?" she called out. She looked around, and saw one teen waving his hand around frantically towards her right. "I see your question must be quite important," she called out to them. "Please, go ahead."
Another young man stood up. "Could you, ah, could you show us an example of a word or song of power?" he said loudly. Many of the students nodded or agreed quietly.
Geni looked to the professors to her right. She also happened to see the curious faces on her friends and family, and one face that looked completely disinterested. Her heart fell at this sight, but she kept her face even. Looking back up at the professors, all five of them were nodding slightly – she had full approval. "Alright then. Elwen? Could you come and stand up here? And please bring my flute," she asked.
Elwen stood up from her chair and strolled to the center of the stage after grabbing a long, silver, cylindrical object from a stand next to her chair. "Here you go," she said as she handed it to her.
"Thanks. Please stand in the center of the stage so everyone can see you," she asked her politely. Elwen stood next to the podium in full view of all of the spectators. "Okay. This is a simple melody that changes a person's physical appearance to how the player wills it. Playing it forward will change it, while playing it backwards will undo it. Watch carefully." Geni stood in front of the podium, lifting the flute up to her lips, all the while keeping her eyes on Elwen. Gently, she took a deep breath and blew.
All of a sudden, everyone could feel a change in the atmosphere of the room. It was as if electricity were building in the air all around them, causing a large amount of pressure upon them. Geni played a slow, sad melody, her eyes trained on Elwen at all times. Elwen, on the other hand, was slowly being wrapped in a cocoon of wind, blurring her shape as Geni played on. Everyone watched so intently, seeing colors inside of the cocoon rapidly changing throughout a rainbow until Geni began to play one long note, signaling the end of the song. As she finished, the cocoon dissipated and the pressure inside of the room collapsed, allowing everyone to breathe deeply once more.
Intense giggling and laughing soon broke out as all beheld Elwen's new appearance. "So, how do I look?" she asked everyone as she posed with a large grin. Some could not help themselves anymore and began to laugh so hard their sides ached. Sora was in with the latter group. Elwen had a large complicated hairdo with loops all around her head, each in a different color of the rainbow. Her eyes were also purple with feline slits, and she had whiskers coming out from her cheeks to match. Her clothes were also covered with leopard print fabric, but still allowing the original design to come through. And last of all, to complete the ensemble, she had a large furry tail that whisked back and forth as she stood there. Geni stood there, giving her a small smile as she tried not to laugh. She hadn't meant to go full blown with extra appendages, but the look was priceless.
"Alright, you've had your fun. Now turn me back before the time is up," Elwen demanded lightly.
"Of course," Geni said, bringing her flute back up by her mouth.
"And I had better not crave catnip after this," she scolded her.
Geni was about to blow into the flute as Elwen said this, but what came out was more of a honk than a toot as she tried not to laugh into it. Trying to compose herself, many in the audience were still laughing behind her. "Quiet this time – otherwise the whiskers stay," Geni warned her softly.
Elwen shrugged, smiling. Geni brought the flute up to her lips and began to play the song backwards this time. It sounded strange as the pressure built up once more, causing several ears to pop. The wind cocoon covered Elwen once more, but within a minute it disappeared and Elwen was back to her old self once more. Just to make sure, she patted her cheeks and checked behind her.
The students, professors, and guests began clapping in unanimous applause once Elwen was back to normal. Geni handed her the flute and resumed her place back at the podium. She held up a hand for silence, and almost immediately the hall quieted. "That was just a small demonstration of what words of power can accomplish. Now, small classes will be issued to you starting soon to teach the already known combinations of words of power that involve music – beginning with the basics, such as the one I demonstrated to you today. This is our contribution to the Academia as a whole – not just playing on musical instruments or singing for the entertainment of the general populace, but discovering new and innovative ways to help or defend those near and dear to us." Suddenly, the three-note tone was heard all around them. "That is all for today's lecture it seems." Many students suddenly began to put away notes and collect papers, making a medium level of noise. "I also wish to remind everyone that the Midsummer Festival is coming up in a few weeks, and application sheets for all performers can be obtained from your counseling professor. Dismissed."
En masse the student body rose and began to trickle out of the hall. Geni collected her notes that she had written the night before, closing them gently so she could keep them for future reference. "That was great!" Elwen said giddily, bounding over to stand next to her. "I think that was your best one yet!"
Geni sighed heavily. "Not really. Next time, don't make me laugh as I'm about to play – you know how the professors get about being silly. It's bad enough that I went so far on your transformation as it is."
"I don't believe so," an older voice said. Geni and Elwen both spun around, immediately dipping into a bow with their right hands laid over their left fists.
"Madame Lirona," Geni said humbly from her bent over position. She could see the older woman's clothed feet and the bottom of her tan and dark blue robes. Her wooden cane rested easily next to her, her left hand resting upon it. The cane was beautiful; the dark mahogany wood was carved into spirals down to the bottom, but the wood twisted in such a way at the top it created a smooth ball for her hand to rest on.
"That transformation included not just clothes, but physical attributes as well: her hair and eyes, as well as the extra appendages of the whiskers and tail. It showed everyone, especially the first years, of how far one can actually go with that particular song of power. Well done."
Geni could feel her ears burning as she continued. "Thank you very much," she said quietly, still bent over.
"Now, I believe it is time for lunch. Why don't you take your brother and your friends to the refectory. I will see both of you this afternoon?" she added, more of a command than a question.
"Yes Madame Lirona," both girls intoned.
"Good." She turned, and as quickly as she could, walked back down the stairs at the side of the stage to join her colleagues.
"Geni!" Geni groaned softly, making Elwen giggle as they stood back up, hearing pounding feet darting across the stage. "That was so cool!" Sora exclaimed.
"Thanks," she replied quietly.
"How did you even know about all of that? Is that the kind of stuff you can learn here at the Academia? Can you show us around? I mean, we still have to go to the archives, but –"
"Sora, enough!" Geni said finally, a small vein beginning to pop out on her temple. She found it hard to believe at times that Sora was the same age she was - at least when he decided to sound like a hyperactive five year old. "Yes, I will show you around, but later. Right now it is time for lunch, so we need to head to the refectory."
"Okay, sorry," he said, backing off a little and looking slightly hurt.
Geni noticed his reaction and immediately felt bad for reprimanding him. "I heard they're serving mud pie for dessert," she told him quickly.
Sora immediately perked up at the word 'dessert.' "What's mud pie?" he asked her.
"It is chocolate pudding with chocolate cookies crumbled inside of it with whipped cream. Sometimes green frosting is added on top to look like grass. Overall, it's just a large sugar rush."
"Sounds like my kind of dessert!" he told her excitedly. As they were conversing, the rest of the group waited patiently below the stage.
"That was...interesting," Kairi said vaguely. "I guess I didn't really understand a lot of what she was talking about, but everyone else seemed really interested in it."
"I agree," King Mickey said. "More unanswered questions," he added with a sigh.
Kairi looked at him sadly, before turning around to watch the quietest member of their group. Riku was standing just behind them, looking at everything in the hall except for the stage. He had his head turned down slightly, so his long silver hair could hide his eyes and facial expressions better. He was clearly saying with his body language that he did not want to be there. "What did you think, Riku?" she asked him hesitantly.
Riku turned to look at her. "It was fine," he replied with a shrug. He turned away from her to watch as the last of the students were walking out of the large doors they had entered through.
"So let's go already!" Kairi turned around to see Sora pulling Geni by her arm towards the group. "Besides, Izumi already gave us food for lunch."
"She did?" Geni said, surprised.
"Yeah. It's all in my backpack," Sora said, pointing to the lone bag as it sat atop an otherwise empty chair.
"Well, I suppose we wouldn't have to eat in the refectory then," she said slowly as she and Sora walked down the steps, closely followed by Elwen.
"Then let's eat outside! It's too pretty a day to stay inside anyways," Elwen said. "We'll grab our food and we'll all sit in the commons."
By this time the three of them had rejoined the group. "That was a wonderful presentation," King Mickey said, walking up to Geni. "Very informative too. Your teachers must be very proud of you."
"Thanks," Geni replied, turning a slight shade of pink. "We should get going," she said, gesturing towards the doors. "I just have to put my flute in instrumental storage – it shouldn't take me more than a few minutes. Elwen, could you show them to the commons for me? I'll meet you in the refectory after I'm done." She looked at the group to see all of them looking at her, save one. She immediately turned and began to walk back towards the stage before she could hear Elwen's answer - even though she already knew she would do it.
"Sure," she said with a smile. "Follow me please!" she called to the group as she headed up the stairs. One by one Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed Elwen up and out of the doors. Sora turned around once to wave to Geni, and she waved back from the stage as she disassembled her flute. She was careful to gently pull apart the silver tubing, rubbing it down with a soft cloth inside and out before placing it in the velvet lined case. She forced herself to breath slowly and deeply; cleaning and taking care of her instruments calmed her like a form of meditation. She was so completely focused on her task that she didn't even hear anyone walk up behind her.
"Are they going to be problematic as well?" a male voice suddenly said behind her.
Geni stiffened slightly, but congratulated herself for not giving him the satisfaction of jumping up in surprise. "Keldar," she said coldly, continuing to finish without turning around to acknowledge him further. She could just imagine him standing there – his onyx black hair, short and spiky at the top but pulled into a small ponytail at the back; his dark russet eyes flecked with green; his uniform crisp and immaculate as usual with the red embroidery and sash across his chest; and the only personal item he wore – the choker around his neck that matched her own, except with a black band.
"Her majesty wants to meet with your foster father and brother sometime this afternoon," he continued. Geni worked in silence. "You can't protect them in ignorance forever," he said, a tiny bit of impatience working its way into his normally calm voice.
Well, it's not like I had a choice in the matter, she thought bitterly to herself. She placed the last tube in its spot and closed the case gently, snapping the clasps shut.
"Genevieve," he said, a warning tone in his voice.
She stood up, turned around, and walked right past him, ignoring him.
"Geni," Keldar almost growled, grabbing her bare arm as she past him. She immediately whipped her head around to stare him in the eyes, her own narrowing at him. Their bodies were only a foot apart as they stared into each others eyes, daring the other. "Don't – ignore – me," he said to her in a low voice.
Geni barked a laugh at him. "I will if I want to. You can't force me," she said to him cynically as she tried to yank her arm out of his grip.
Keldar squeezed her arm tighter, pulling her closer. He locked eyes with her for a moment, before letting her arm go. Geni immediately took a step away from him, refraining from but wanting to rub her now probably bruising arm. They watched each other, before Keldar spoke again, the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice. "Why do you hate me?" he asked her quietly.
Geni sighed, looking out into the auditorium. "I don't hate you Keldar," she answered softly after a moment. "But...maybe if you hadn't helped me back then, none of this would be happening now. Maybe both of us could be living the lives we want to, and not the lives we're forced to." She turned around and gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry; I am sure I'll see you later at the palace when classes are over for the day. There are still a few things I still need to...explain to King Mickey and Sora before we go there."
"I understand," Keldar said, resuming his original attitude of aloofness, hiding his momentary lapse into humanity. "I look forward to...meeting them under better circumstances."
Geni nodded before she turned and walked down the steps leading into the seated area of the auditorium. Keldar watched her as she quickly walked up the steps and out the doors, leaving him alone in the enormous room.
"You know," a voice called out from behind him, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar – as the saying goes."
"And curiosity killed the cat," Keldar retorted quickly, turning around to see Itsuki and Kyon standing near the back door to the stage. "What are you two doing here?"
"Eavesdropping, of course," Kyon said with a smirk. "After talking to Sora this morning, I wanted to see their reactions. On the other hand, what are you doing here? I thought you said the arts were for the weak – or that's what you told her last time, I believe."
"They are. She should be spending more time within the Assembly than tooting her flute for some commoners. I do not doubt she would have more support from the Council if she were to prove herself within the arena more often."
"She did the last time she was there. And as far as I remember, you did lose to a commoner. Or did you lose to no one?" Itsuki casually mentioned. Keldar remained quiet. "Considering you two are betrothed, you really should try and come to terms with each other. You know, you two are the most stubborn people I have ever known. If you would at least try to be more civil with each other –"
"I thank you for your advice, but I have to get going," Keldar suddenly said, interrupting him. "I have an important meeting soon with several members of the Imperial Council. Goodbye." He strode past them stiffly and out the back door.
"Man, is he ever going to lighten up?!" Kyon said with a huff.
"Only when he finally realizes that the two of them are more alike than they think," Itsuki replied with a smile. "Come on – let's go get some lunch."
"Hey, this stuff is really good!" Sora exclaimed. The six of them were sitting under one of several large trees with bluish-green leaves in an enclosed area in the center of the Academia. The sun was shining brightly, and it wasn't too hot; a cool breeze blew through the branches, and the grass was still fresh and cool to sit upon. Many other people in all colors of the Academia were sitting there that day, enjoying the pleasant weather. The six of them were eating a lunch Izumi had prepared for them; foods they had eaten on the islands and foods they had never seen before. Everyone was enjoying themselves...even Riku (to a certain extent). "I wonder what's taking Elwen and Geni so long?" he said as hit bit into a soft pastry.
"The line is probably just really long," Kairi assumed. "They should be here any minute."
"I hope they hurry – I wanted to ask Geni some questions before we headed to the archives this afternoon," he said. He turned and looked at Riku who was quietly eating a sandwich. He had barely said an entire paragraph since he had gotten up that morning. And he had never mentioned nor spoke to Geni yet either. Sighing, Sora took another bite of his pastry. If only they could talk about it, just maybe...
"Hey! We're here!" Sora looked up to see Elwen waving as she and Geni walked near them. They each had a small bag in hand. Elwen came over and plopped down right next to Sora, while Geni slightly more dignified settled herself on Elwen's other side. "Oh! Is that Izumi's dango? I love that stuff!" Elwen exclaimed pointing to Sora's pastry.
"Is that what it's called?" Sora said to her. "It's really good." Looking over, he asked her, "What did you guys get for lunch?"
"Well, I got Swedish meatballs and pasta, and Geni took a hot bento."
"What's a bento?" Kairi asked her, looking over at the small box Geni was in the process of unwrapping.
"It's a Japanese style sushi lunch," Geni explained, showing it to them. "It has rice, vegetables, and in this one, shrimp. I like to mix it all up at eat it like a stir-fry."
"Looks tasty," Sora replied, before returning to his dango. Geni watched him for a moment, reminiscing, before smiling and turning to her own lunch. She had of course noticed that Riku was sitting a ways a way; she was still hurt from his words the night before, and so didn't even make eye contact with him. Instead, it was King Mickey who was the first to distract her.
"Geni," he said to her. She looked over at him. "I wanted to ask you a few questions about this morning, if I may."
"Of course King Mickey. What did you want to know?" she said to him, turning to give him her full attention as she ate her lunch.
"You said you were a fourth year here at the Academia. Did you begin classes here when you were eleven then?"
"Not...exactly. You see, the years mentioned in the rank aren't really chronological years. There are a certain amount of classes you must pass, knowledge to learn and demonstrate, before you can advance to the next 'year.' Some people have been in the same year class for four or five years. Others progress very quickly through them, like Elwen and I. You see, to pass into the next year class, you must have found a song of power on your own."
"I see. I've also heard that you passed ahead of your own class before you entered the Academia. How long was that, exactly?" he said.
"Well, I finished that course about one year early, and I've been here at the Academia ever since. Of course, with the faster time rate here, that means before I spent that year within the Organization I had been here for two years our time, fourteen years this time. I progressed through to the fourth year class for a little less than three years within each – which it quite fast considering how long it would normally take others."
"Gawrsh, you must have had to work really hard to get through it so fast," Goofy said with wonder.
"Yeah," Geni replied quietly.
"So...how long have you known that young man named Keldar?" King Mickey finally said after a moment of silence, broaching the unspoken topic since the night before. Elwen immediately looked over at Geni, searching her face for something. Geni looked at her, and some kind of silent message went between them, for Elwen looked away after a moment.
"Since I was six," Geni finally said.
"That long?!" Donald quacked in astonishment.
"He was several years ahead of me in school when we first met," Geni said softly.
"How did you meet?" Sora asked her. Geni was silent for the moment, choosing to take a bit of her lunch with the pair of chopsticks that had come with it.
"Oh, come on Geni – you can tell them," Elwen finally said, sounding exasperated. "It's not like you're total strangers."
"Fine. I was getting picked on by some of the older students for being an outsider, and Keldar stopped them," Geni said quietly. "Happy now?" she said to Elwen with a raised eyebrow.
"Picked on?" Elwen said, annoyed. "That's putting it mildly."
"Leave it alone Elwen," Geni murmured warningly.
"I can't – and they have a right to know since you won't ever tell them," Elwen said defiantly, eying Riku with a sideways glance. "Geni was getting beat up by a group of upperclassmen in the general school for being an outsider. You see, back then many people didn't want anything to do with anything or anyone outside of the Realm. And when Geni and Queen Minnie accidentally arrived here one day, and the Queen insisted she start her schooling here, parents forced their views on their children. So the children made fun of her, teased her, played tricks on her, got her into trouble, and hurt her every once in a while. And you took it all without saying a word, miss self-sacrifice," she said while poking Geni in the side. "Anyway, that day Keldar – who's was three years ahead of us – saw them beating Geni up. He didn't know who she was at the time, and went and pummeled them all so hard they went crying to their mothers. He even took Geni to the Healer's Pavilion afterwards and –"
"Alright, that's enough," Geni finally said, her face pink. Everyone was already looking at her like she had sprouted another head as it was. "Can we just finish eating? You and I have to meet with –" Suddenly a floating ball of light shot past them, making them almost drop their lunches due to the wind that went with it.
"What was that?" Kairi cried out.
"A message; probably from –" Elwen began to say to Geni quietly so as to make sure the others did not hear her.
"I know – wait for it," she replied back softly. Geni was right – in a moment the ball of light had circled back (slower this time) and came down to rest right in front of her.
"What is that?" Sora asked her.
"A message from someone," Geni said. She touched the ball gingerly. As soon as she had, it turned a rusty red color and Geni instantly scowled. She set her lunch down and stood up immediately, looking around.
"What is it?" Elwen said, standing up. Just then, the sound of uniformly stomping feet reached their ears. People all around them jumped to their feet in respect. The two girls immediately looked towards the path from the palace. Geni's heart immediately jumped up into her throat, constricting her breath as she began to panic.
"Not now! Not now!" she whispered urgently, but it was too late. An entourage of armed guards was escorting her majesty, Dowager Queen Hisako, directly towards them. She could see Keldar as well as several other Council members walking directly behind her. As they came closer, all of her friends and family had stood up as well.
"Why is the Queen here?" Sora said to Geni as he turned to face her, but as he did he saw that her face was as pale as a sheet. "Geni? What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly.
Just then, the armed escort reached them. One of the guards came forward, bowing with his right hand over his left fist before he stood up again. He reached for an open rectangular cloth bag at his waist, and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. He quickly unrolled it, and cleared his throat. "Dowager Queen Hisako extends an invitation to Sora Akeno, Riku Tamohara, Kairi Ruka, King Mickey, Court Magician Donald Duck, and Captain of the Guard Goofy to converse and discuss with her in a royal audience regarding the betrothal of Crown Prince Keldar and...Crown Princess Genevieve."