Well, that definitely took a lot longer than I thought it would. I ended up moving houses at the same time I was moving into my dorm for college, so the last few weeks or so have been pretty chaotic. Trying to find time to write in between everything going on was difficult, but it got done! I apologize if this chapter seems to ramble a bit, I'm still trying to get used to writing longer stories.

I hope you enjoy, please leave reviews and let me know what you think!

Soft ribbons of light were just beginning to cast themselves across the dim room when Kyoko woke. Stretching her mouth in a wide yawn, she could feel just how much good a decent night's sleep had done for both her mind and body. She pulled her arms up over her head, stretching them out and hearing a satisfying crack pop out from between her shoulders. Wanting to stay nestled in the warm comfort of blankets and pillows a few moments longer, Kyoko slowly let herself become more alert as she cleared the last bits of morning fog from her brain.

The delicate sound of chirping birds rolled in from the window, muted by the closed glass frames. Kyoko might have laid there longer to listen to them had it not been for the dull hunger pains growing in her stomach. With a sigh that turned into another yawn, she flipped the covers over, sliding out of bed and walking to the tea set to start a morning brew.

An energizing blend might be best for today, Kyoko thought to herself, searching through the various labels. Spotting a lemon and green tea mixture, she added the leaves and water to the teapot, leaving it too steep while she finished the rest of her breakfast. Opening one of the cabinets above the sink, Kyoko fished out more of the bread from the loaf she used the night before, as well as some eggs that were tucked in the back. Grabbing a stone slate from the top shelf she activated an energy circle on it's side, making sure to add salt and oil before the surface got too hot. Kyoko cracked two eggs over the stone, enjoying the sizzling sound as she added a thick slice of bread to cook between them.

It wasn't long before the eggs were cooked and the tea was steeped. Placing the stone slate and tea pot off to the side to cool, Kyoko took her breakfast over to the window, eager to sit down and eat. The sun had almost completely risen by now, filling the room with a warm glow that matched her good mood.

Kyoko figured she still had about 30 minutes before Piers came to show her around the palace. She hoped that would include where the afternoon tests would be taking place as well. While her nerves had calmed down significantly since the night before, Kyoko couldn't help the stubborn bundle that still twisted against the insides of her stomach. Then again, how often was it that she got a chance to stay in the palace? She hadn't even seen half of it yet and was already left speechless multiple times.

Deciding that her excitement well outweighed her nerves, she put one of her eggs on top of the toasted bread, taking a generous bite. The tea was too hot to drink just yet, but Kyoko still enjoyed the aroma that escaped with the rising steam from her cup.

It didn't take long to finish her meal, sipping the now cooled tea as she placed her dishes in the sink and let the water run. Walking over to her travel bag, she set her cup down to pull out a change of clothes for the day. Her attire wasn't nearly as flashy as the layered fabrics she had seen the day before in the city, nor was it as elegant as the dresses and tunics she'd noticed the different nobles and mages wearing in the palace. She'd only bothered to bring a few modest blouses and skirts with her after leaving the southern region, but still managed to never feel too out of place during her short time living in the outskirts of the capital. Now, however, her simple clothes seemed to stick out like a sore thumb among the embroidered elegance and beauty of the capital's inner city.

She sighed, bored with her plainness. Kyoko tried not to think much more of it as she buttoned up the loops on her skirt, making sure to smooth any wrinkles before pulling a basic blouse over her head. She walked over to a long mirror that hung next to the door, tugging at her collar and making sure her student pin was in clear view. She fiddled with her reflection for a few moments more, satisfied after any stray hairs were patted down and everything was in order.

Smiling at herself, Kyoko walked back to her travel bag, pulling out a small cotton pouch with a lace drawstring tied around the rim. She lightly tugged on the lace, flipping the pouch upside down as a necklace with a rough blue stone in the center dropped into her palm.

"Good Morning, Corn," Kyoko said, unclasping the hook and fastening the stone around her neck. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring you with me yesterday, but I didn't want to risk losing you on my first day." Kyoko rolled her eyes as she said the last part of her sentence.

With my luck, that shop owner would have accused me of stealing Corn too. Kyoko frowned as she remembered the unpleasant interaction she'd endured from the day before.

A quick knock at the door brought Kyoko out of her thoughts, any negative emotions leaving with them. Crossing the room to open the door, she made sure to pick up her satchel and slip on some shoes on the way. Piers greeted her when she walked out, a cheery smile on his face.

"Good morning, Miss Mogami. I assume you're ready to leave?"

Kyoko smiled back, locking the door behind her with the key she was given the night before.

"Yup! All set." She opened her satchel and dropped the key inside. "So where exactly are you taking me today?"
Piers started to walk down the hall, motioning for Kyoko to follow.

"Well, what would you like to see first? The library or conservatory?

Kyoko's eyes lit up at the mention of both. She loved to read, but she also loved walking around the conservatories she could find back home. And if the garden in front of the palace was anything to go by, she was willing to bet that their conservatory would be far more extensive than anything she'd ever had the chance of seeing before.

"We'll be able to visit both, right?" Kyoko asked hesitantly, worried she would have to choose one over the other.

"Of course!" Piers said. "We have plenty of time for me to show you around before the tests start."

Relieved, Kyoko picked up her pace, eager to see more.

"Alright then, let's go to the conservatory first."

As Kyoko followed Piers through the halls, she couldn't help but notice how much busier the palace was during the day. Professional looking people walked by in small groups, talking amongst themselves and greeting one another as they passed. It never occurred to Kyoko just how many people actually visited the palace. Piers made a right at the end of the hallway, and Kyoko soon found herself standing in the same entryway from the day before.

"This way, Miss Mogami." Piers gestured toward a hallway across from the one they had just left.

"We're almost there. The end of this next hallway brings us to an exit right outside of the conservatory."
Growing more excited with every step, Kyoko walked as fast as she could without actually passing Piers. She noticed that there were a lot more servants in this part of the palace, rushing by to do who knows what. A few of them waved at Piers, but never stopped as they swept by.

"Are you nervous for the tests, Miss Mogami?"

Kyoko frowned.

"You know Piers, you don't have to keep calling me 'Miss Mogami." She'd been trying to get used to it, but Kyoko couldn't help the awkward feeling that it gave her every time Piers referred to her so formally. "You only seem to be a few years younger than me, just Kyoko is fine."
Piers gave her a confused look, as if what she said made no sense at all.

"But it would be rude of me if I didn't refer to you as such."

Kyoko opened her mouth to assure him it was alright, but stopped before she got any further. This was his job after all, and she wasn't familiar with all the formalities and rules that came along with working in the palace. Deciding on a compromise, Kyoko tried a different approach.

"How about Miss Kyoko then? Would that be alright?" She asked, hoping he would approve.

Piers looked as if he wanted to protest, but let out a small sigh instead before nodding and giving Kyoko another smile.

"Alright, Miss Kyoko it is then."

Feeling a little more comfortable, Kyoko smiled back.

They were almost at the end of the hallway, approaching a door that Kyoko noticed to be considerably less decorated than the rest. It also lacked a lock, as Piers easily turned the handle without the aid of a key.

"After you, Miss Kyoko."

She stepped through the door first, walking out into what she guessed to be the side of the palace gardens. Piers followed behind, closing the door as he went.

Tall hedges surrounded them, all colored a deep green and easily blocking her view of anything else.

"You have to walk through the hedges, kind of like a maze to get to the conservatory." Piers explained, walking up to what Kyoko now realized was an entrance cut into the nearest bush.

"Isn't that a little inconvenient?" Kyoko asked, following Piers into the foliage.

He gave her a quick look over his shoulder, hardly concealing what looked to be a smirk.

"Perhaps… but not if you know where to go." Piers took a sharp turn to his left without warning. Kyoko let out a small squeak, almost running into the side of the hedge he had been standing in front of only moments before. She heard him laugh somewhere nearby, clearly amused by her fumble.

"Maybe try to warn me next time, ya?" Kyoko asked, trying to look irritated as she turned to face him.

A sneaky grin flashed across Piers' face.

"Sure thing. Just try to keep up."

Before she could react, Piers dashed off around another corner, leaving a confused Kyoko in his wake. It only took her a moment to recover before she started chasing after him, barely slowed down by her long skirt out of sheer determination. Following the sound of his laughter, she occasionally saw the end of his servant's uniform dart around giant leaves. Kyoko vaguely noticed herself laughing as well, too focused on keeping up to pay any mind to it.

Rounding another corner, Kyoko saw Piers hunched over, panting to catch his breath with a hand clutching his side. She took the opportunity to stop and take a few gulps of air herself, plopping onto the soft grass and fanning her hands to cool her flushed face. Goodness it had been a long time since she had last run like that.

Kyoko heard Piers footsteps approach as he walked over to her spot on the grass, his breath slowly becoming steady again.

"We're here by the way, Miss Kyoko."

It was then that Kyoko finally took a chance to look at her surroundings.

An elegant building made almost entirely of arching glass windows glittered in front of them, light refracting in almost every direction. Thick vines climbed up the sides of the conservatory, looping around one another and thinning out near the tops. It looked to be at least three stories tall, towering above the foliage surrounding them.

Kyoko stood up from her spot on the grass, excitement making her forget her sore muscles.

"Can we go inside?" Kyoko asked, brushing off the loose dirt that had stuck to her skirt.

"Of course!" Piers said, already walking toward the entrance. "The conservatory is open to anyone in the palace, though not many usually come here. It's normally just the physicians and mages that visit."

They approached curving glass doors that matched the rest of the walls, shimmering beneath the mid morning sun. Piers opened one of them, stepping aside to let Kyoko walk through. She was only able to take a few steps inside before she was completely surrounded by green. What Kyoko guessed to be thousands of different plants, herbs, flowers and trees enclosed around her, the strong scent of soil and earth rich in the air. She let her gaze travel upward, noticing a twisting staircase that led up to the other levels. Each level wrapped around the perimeter of the conservatory, allowing for the center of the building to be left completely open and leaving the taller trees to grow more freely.

She could hear Piers close the door behind them, his footsteps stopping as he came up next to her.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked.

Kyoko let out an excited squeal, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

"It's stunning! I can't believe how much is growing in here! And who takes care of them all?" She approached a plant nearby with dozens of white flowers growing out of each bud. Perking her nose up toward the closest one, she admired the pleasant scent they exuded.

"Most of the conservatory is self-sustaining, actually." Piers explained. "Though of course the palace gardener looks after everything and keeps up with any maintenance that might be needed."

Kyoko allowed herself to wander further into the conservatory as she listened to Piers.

"You mentioned that the palace physicians often come here. Do they grow medicinal plants here as well?" Kyoko asked. She tugged on her sleeves, the humid air already beginning to cling to her skin and making it sticky.
"Yes!" Piers replied. "Most of the second level is actually dedicated to growing medicinal properties, though you'll likely find some scattered around the first and third levels as well." He paused, as if he had just realized something. "Actually, if you pass your physician exams and decide to stay at the palace, I'm sure you'll be spending more than enough time here in the conservatory."

Kyoko reflected on that, thinking to herself as she stopped to gaze at a particularly beautiful cluster of purple flowers.

That's right, Kyoko thought. Staying at the palace is an option if I pass the clinical exams.

She'd been so focused on getting her license, that she hadn't had a chance to think about what she wanted to do after she was certified. It wasn't required to stay and work at the palace after the tests, but now that she thought about it, that would make the most sense. She loved the couple she was staying with, but they were exchanging housing for her work in the shop. If she started working as a physician somewhere else, surely that would be intruding upon their kindness? Caught up in her thoughts, Kyoko startled when she heard Piers call out to her.

"Miss Kyoko, are you alright?" He asked, clearly confused as to why she had suddenly gone quiet.
"Oh, yes! I'm fine. I just forgot I could stay here if I passed the exams. I guess I didn't really consider it an option..."

Piers' face turned into a small frown.

"You'll stay won't you? That's what most people do after they pass the exams anyway. Besides, I'm sure they could use your help. That's why they hosted the exams early this year after all."
That last bit of info caught Kyoko's attention.

"Why's that?" she asked.

Piers frown deepened, his eyebrows scrunching together as he continued.

"From what I've heard, there's an unresolved issue in the western region, and they've already sent off a good amount of the more experienced physicians to study it. A few of the servants have been gossiping as well, saying that King Kuu wanted to bring more physicians into the palace since we've needed to send so many away." Piers paused, then shrugged before adding, "That's all just palace rumors though, so who really knows."

Kyoko thought about that for a moment. She had lived in the southern region before coming to the capitol, but most of their water supply and trading goods came directly from the western region up in the north. She figured the problem must have been fairly recent considering she'd heard nothing of it before leaving the south.

"How serious of an issue is it?" Kyoko asked, feeling concerned as various situations flashed through her mind.

"That I'm not sure of. Some rumors say the whole thing is a conspiracy, others say hundreds have already died from some kind of disease. I even heard one that said a curse has been placed on the region by an angry spirit, forcing anyone that lives there to leave or perish."

Kyoko could feel her face getting pale, each possibility Piers listed even more horrible than the last. Piers seemed to notice, stopping his speech and quickly shaking his head back and forth.

"But I wouldn't worry about it too much! I would say the truth lies somewhere in the middle of all the crazy exaggerations, so try not to get too worked up about it!" He sounded panicked as he tried to assure Kyoko of the situation. "They're just rumors after all! I'm sure King Kuu has it all under control, no need to worry."

Kyoko calmed down a little at that. People did love to exaggerate, so of course such awful rumors would come about. She had to keep herself from gagging as she thought about her own awful experiences with rumors, well aware of just how far they could stray from the truth.

Piers brought her out of her thoughts once again, sounding a bit too cheery as he tried to lift her spirits.

"Would you want to take a look at the research rooms? There's a few on the third level used for plant studies that you might like to see."
Kyoko smiled, glad to have something to take her mind off of the rumors and the western region.

"Of course, lead the way."

Kyoko and Piers were talking quite animatedly together as they approached the testing center. Kyoko was glad that he had warmed up to her a bit more, laughing and talking excitedly about various things. Kyoko felt more comfortable as well. She certainly hadn't had the most welcoming experiences her first day in the city. Having a friend made everything much less intimidating.

They'd spent about half the morning walking through each level of the conservatory, only leaving when a small group of physicians wearing laboratory robes and writing on clipboards came in. Not wanting to get in the way of their work, Piers had shown her to the library next. Kyoko was stunned yet again as she looked over the thousands of leather bound books that lined darkened wood, tall bookshelves towering over the two of them. She noticed several ladders scattered around numerous isles, no doubt there to help readers reach the higher shelves.

They'd spent some time browsing around all the different books before Piers mentioned they should probably get going if Kyoko wanted to see anything else before her test started. In the end, they ended up walking past the kitchens, multiple ballrooms, and even the servants quarters before finally reaching the testing center.

Kyoko was surprised she didn't feel more anxious as she followed behind Piers. Spending her morning exploring the castle seemed to of done a great deal to help ease any remaining nerves, leaving her relaxed and focused instead. She could see the hall where the tests would be held now; a smaller building attached to the side of the physician's wing. As they got closer, an intimidating looking door greeted them, complicated patterns carved deep into the pale stone. It seemed to be considerably heavy, and Kyoko was grateful that it had been left open.

Piers stopped just before the entrance, turning toward Kyoko as he did so.

"Only those taking or administering the tests can step into the hall, so I'll have to leave you here. All you have to do is find a seat, and they should guide you through the rest." He smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "You got this. I'll meet you right here after the tests are done to escort you back to your room."

Kyoko nodded, giving Piers a thumbs up in return.

"Thank you. I'll see you then."

With a quick bow, Kyoko left Piers and walked into the hall.

A handful of people, all wearing the same pin that Kyoko had on her own collar, were already seated. At a glance, Kyoko guessed there were about 50 tables and chairs arranged throughout the hall, all fairly distanced from one another and only allowing for one person at each. A small pot of ink and a quill rested at the end of each table, as well as a replacement in case the tip of the first shattered. A few students had already been seated, keeping to themselves and sitting in silence.

Choosing a seat toward the back, Kyoko sat down, placing her satchel underneath her chair and patiently waiting for any further instruction.

Looking toward the front of the room, Kyoko noticed two men in professional robes sitting at a long wooden table. They were speaking quietly to one another, none of their conversation reaching Kyoko's ears. Assuming they were most likely the ones in charge of administering the test, she decided to watch the door instead, faintly noting each person that came in to take a seat.

The room had filled up considerably when Kyoko heard a door open and close rather forcefully near the front of the hall. Turning towards the noise, Kyoko's stomach dropped into her knees as she realized who exactly had wandered in.

A third man was now at the front of the hall, sitting down next to the first two Kyoko observed from earlier. He was speaking with each of them, blessedly unaware of the girl having a crisis in the back of the room. That was until he looked up from his conversation, sweeping the room with his eyes. Kyoko prayed to anything that might listen that he wouldn't recognize her. She tried her best to keep herself from staring, but her anxiety denied her any ability to look away as his attention inevitably landed on her.

She refused to breathe as horribly familiar green eyes glared into her own. Just how unlucky could she be? For the man that she had yelled at and called a bastard not even twenty-four hours ago to be involved in something that could easily determine her future? Who exactly was he anyway? Any calm Kyoko might have felt previously was now completely out the window, thrown aside and instead replaced with a sour taste that was growing stronger in her mouth.

Her panic was interrupted by one of the other men standing and calling attention to the room, dragging her eyes away from the blonde man's stare. He looked to be about forty, his face faintly lined with marks of age and streaks of dark hair lightening to a soft gray.

He raised his hand up to a wrapped stone on his collar, activating a spell before speaking in an amplified voice.

"Good afternoon, students. I am Takenori Sawara, head of the physician department here at the palace. Today marks the first of three tests that you will be participating in, as I'm sure you are already well aware." He paused, picking up a thick stack of papers from the table in front of him.

"We will be administering the written portion of the tests today. You will be required to pass in order to move on to the second and third exams. There will be no retakes, resubmissions, or extra time given. Those who pass will be contacted by the end of the day, and provided the information needed in order to attend the next exams."

He raised the stack of papers in one hand, flicking the other as he cast another spell. The fluttering sound of rustling papers filled the hall, the stack he had been holding moments before now distributing itself neatly across each table. A thin packet dropped itself in front of Kyoko, sealed with an energy circle near the top right.

"You will have two hours to complete the written exam. If you finish early, you must remain seated with your book closed until everyone can be dismissed. Please answer each question to the fullest of your ability, and leave nothing blank." He took a glance around the room, making sure each test had been delivered. Satisfied, he took his seat once again.

"You may now begin."

Kyoko tried her best to forget about the blonde man seated at the head of the room and turned her attention towards the booklet resting in front of her instead. Pouring some of her energy into the carved circle, the seal dissolved. Letting out a steady breath, she picked up the quill she had been provided, hoping her chances hadn't already been ruined.