The Past:

A very long time ago…

The Ambassadors ward was a quiet lass of about seven. Her long dark hair already reached her waist when let down and her eyes were a startling green. Those eyes had the uncanny ability to pierce right into a man's soul, even on one so young. She held herself with grace and purpose. The wee one was an heir of some sort, or so the Captain of the barge ship was told. A noble girl but not Royal; whatever "Royal" was in her homeland across the vast ocean. It was also rumored that she as destined for the Temple of Carlebor after they docked at Gerdawn. If that was true, the girl would be going to learn magic.

Captain Oldoran shuddered. He'd rather not meddle in the affairs of magic and wizards; they were unnerving as it was.

When the Ambassador stepped on deck, the Captain straightened and gave him a respectful nod. "Making good time today, M'Lord, even with the current against us. We already have Polhaven behind us." He reported. He, himself was impressed with their progress; more so of how long the journey already was for his clients. Just the other day, the Lady Danugan was telling him how the great sea ship she voyaged on before the barge had gone passed the northern coast, and passed in viewing distance of the great mountainous Shmargonrock which has been home to a terrible dragon that has yet to be defeated by any man. For surly, anyone brave enough to pass into Balgonrawg lands to reach the dragon could just perish on the way. She told him how fascinated she was of this lands stories and lands. Which she proved when she listened raptly while the Captain regaled her on the history of the city of Vilanthril. The conversation had eased some of his discomfort of the girl; though perhaps not all.

"Thank you, Captain." The man replied before making his way to his ward who was standing at the rail, watching this strange land along the river pass them by. "My Lady Tuwana…" he waited until the young girl turned. Her cheeks were rose against her ivory skin, almost matching the shade of her lips. Ever since her audience with the High Priestess of the Temple of Morisanore, she'd been melancholy; but then, who could blame her, considering. "Are you sure the High Priestess told you to learn at Temple of Carlebor in Honeyvale? It seems unprecedented to entrust your training to these… these people." He continued, trying to be tactful.

Lady Tuwana leveled that piercing stare at her countryman. "It is my destiny, Ambassador Dirga. No more do you need to know." She squared her shoulders. It felt like she'd grown up many more years than her actual seven, and it was evident that it showed by the way people around her acted. "Besides, it's only until I pass my Apprenticeship, then my real training can begin with her." Tuwana stepped away from the rail, her steps sure after many weeks travelling over water. "And you get to be wined and dined in the Gerdawn Embassy; you need not step foot in the Temple of the Grand Wizard."

Dirga let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. "Well… yes. I suppose. But your parents entrusted me to-"

"To get me to the Capital. From there, the Headmaster will have people ready to escort me the rest of the way. As is… customary." She'd been getting tutored on the local culture and customs of this part of Azerim to pass the time. Tuwana preferred to distract herself with such things rather than dwell on her home sickness and loneliness. "Do we have anything further we need to discuss?" She asked, though the words were clearly a dismissal.

"No, my Lady." He inclined his head in acknowledgment and promptly left to go back into the cramped cabin.

Tuwana sighed. Growing up as a child of privilege, the High Priestess had warned Tuwana that her noble authority would end the moment she entered the temple. If she hoped to do well… she would have to adjust to being equal to mere peasants and tradesmen's offspring. For all who showed magical talent was sent to the Temples to learn. She turned back towards the scenery, already fearing that she would be the outcast student among a people she did not know.

. . .

Watching her escorts travel back to Gerdawn, Tuwana suddenly felt an odd mixture of freedom and fear. There was a fleeting impulse to just run from here and travel and explore with this new found freedom. The stories told about how dangerous it could be for a girl in this country stayed her feet. Alone, she turned to the large looming doors of the Temple and crossed to the big metal knocker on one side. The problem was she couldn't reach the stupid thing! Try as she might to make herself taller, or jump, all she could do was touch it with the tip of her finger.

It just wasn't fair! Why must she come alone as instructed only to be stopped by something as simple as a knocker? Tuwana huffed like only a young girl-child could. In anger, she pounded on the door, hoping someone would hear the sound of small fists beat the thick varnished wood. She even tried kicking the door. Until finally, tired, bruised and frustrated, Tuwana sat down on the grandiose steps with her head in her arms.

Tuwana thought about home, where she could barely open her mouth without some servant asking her what she wanted. She was never alone, even when she wanted to be. No door was closed to her at home. Tuwana could not yet count high enough to number the times she made her handlers follow her in cramped forgotten crevices and catacombs. She'd gone through many a maid before one was hired who was willing to follow her anywhere. The young Grithel never disappointed!

Unfortunately, like everything else familiar, Grithel was back at home; along with her parents, siblings and friends. Not that her family cared much what happened to her.

Where was she then? Stuck in a strange land with strange people. Sent to a strange place to learn her magic.

Magic.

She was about to curse the moment she let slip her powers when Tuwana had a thought. This was where she was to learn how to control her magic, so perhaps the way in was with magic.

Her young mind grappled with the realization a moment before she sprang up to her feet. Facing the door, Tuwana raised her small arms and closed her eyes. She tried to remember how to find the place her chaotic powers had come from. When she'd been hurt in a dark hole and couldn't find her way, a light appeared that lead her out. The High Priestess said she'd conjured it. She conveniently forgot to say from where.

Tuwana turned her thoughts on the door knocker, imagining it lifting all the way up. Using the desire she felt for a light to lead her way to safety, she used her desire to get inside the Temple to lift the knocker. Feeling suddenly tired, she let go of the thought and opened her eyes.

The knocker fell and hit the door with a resounding thud! A moment after, the doors swung inwards, revealing a grand atrium with marble flooring and columns, beyond which climbed on large elaborate spiral staircase.

A man stood in the middle of the front room. He was adorned in dark robes with sigils of Carlabor and Honeyvale. He was old by her standards with a long brown beard just beginning to speckle white. The man gave her a welcoming smile as she walked inside the Temple. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever open the door."

Tuwana's cheeks burned with embarrassment. The answer to the door seemed so simple, even childish. She gave him a short curtsy, not knowing what else to do. "I'm sorry." Was all she seemed to be able to say.

The man chuckled. "Don't fret, child. Many youngsters before you have spent hours trying to open the door. One young one took a full day. You can imagine their relief when they didn't need to spend another night on cold stone." He chuckled again, before straightening to his very tall height. "Forgive my manners. I am Headmaster Silavyn, one of many wizards and sorcerers who walk these halls. I will be overseeing your tutelage throughout your time here. Along with the other students of course." He nodded to another man who seemed to just appear. "Please take Miss Tuwana's bags to her appointed room for her, while I introduce her to her fellow students."

The servant nodded, passed Tuwana to get her bags and the moment he had them in hand, disappeared.

Seeing the startled look on the young girls face, Silavyn chuckled again. "Come, child. The others have just finished breaking their fast." He assured, turning and going down a hallway to the side.

From outside, the complex looked like a very large tower, but the inside felt much larger than what Tuwana had seen. She smiled as she was lead down to a common area. The whole tower must be magic! They entered a circular room with a thick circular rug in the middle. On the rug were children of various types and ages. They all looked up and their gazes zeroed in on the newcomer. Feeling suddenly shy with so many eyes on her, Tuwana took a step behind the Headmaster.

The Headmaster, however, would have none of that and maneuvered her back in front of him. "Children… and teacher," he began, giving a nod to the elderly looking woman leading the morning class, "this is Tuwana Danugan from Deckon Province in the newly discovered continent of Westland. She has been sent to learn magic here until old enough to go back and take up whatever backwards magic they have." He introduced nonchalantly.

Amongst the twitters and smirks, Tuwana wasn't sure how she liked how her people were described. If the magic of this place was better than Westland, they would have to prove it. With that in mind, she squared her shoulders and met the curious gazes head on.

"Please show her hospitality as she learns here." Headmaster Silavyn gave her shoulders a pat before doing a sweeping one eighty out of the room, closing the door behind him.

This departure was followed by awkward silence; even the teacher wasn't sure how to continue from there.

The tension was cut when a pre-pubescent boy got up and walked over to her. "Names Baradun." He said and stuck out his hand. When she took it, he shook it firmly. "Welcome to Carlabor. Just stick with me, kid, and you'll fit right in!" As if to prove this point, Baradun lead her by the hand to the carpet where there was now space to sit side by side.

Once seated, she felt a tap on her hand; when Tuwana turned to see who it was, she saw a small boy –no… gnome. He gave her his own cheeky grin. "I am Terrance."

"Hello, nice to meet you." Tuwana replied with a timid grin.

Baradun got her attention again. "Are you an elf?"

"No." Tuwana answered, taken aback; a deep blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Then what's with the ears?" he asked, pushing the issue bluntly.

Tuwana brushed her hair forward to try to hide her slightly pointed ears. "They've just always been that way." She hedged.

"Oh. Okay." Baradun shrugged.

By then the teacher was drawing everyone's attention back to her, saving Tuwana from answering any more embarrassing questions.

. . .

Taking a running start, Tuwana jumped and was able to finally clamber over the wall of rock and dirt only to sprint to try to catch up to the others. "Guys! Wait up!" She shouted between breaths. After Terrance, she was the shortest one but always seemed to be the last one following. Her class had been allowed to take the day off to explore the mountains and forest near the temple. Apparently something special had been found.

She ran around a bend, expecting the others to be right there, but when she saw no one, Tuwana stopped and looked around. Did they abandon her? She took a deep breath and looked for any sign of their passage. "Guys?" Tuwana called again.

After a heart racing pause, there was the sound of rocks falling from a small cliff to her right. She looked up to see Baradun looking down at her. "Come on Tuwa! We're almost there!"

"Okay!" Tuwana looked over the rocks to find the way up and scrambled up one crevice to the next. Each time she looked up, Baradun was there waiting. When she was nearly to the top, Tuwana saw his outstretched hand and took it gratefully. "Thank you, Baradun." She said when she was on the top at last.

He gave her a sly grin. "You'll get faster." He told her with the assuredness of a young boy. Baradun took her hand and lead her down a hidden path and soon enough they soon heard the sound of a small waterfall. It was why they'd come; one of the others had found it some time ago and now everyone was hoping to have a place they could call their spot.

When the pool and waterfall was revealed, Tuwana could only gape at it. It was like something out of a bards tale! The pool was not overly large, but big enough for a half dozen children to enjoy its cool waters. The waterfall fell from three tiers before plunging into the pool, but there didn't seem to be any stream leaving it. There were already a few kids at the tiers, seeing who was daring enough to go higher than the rest.

Baradun was still grinning and hurried to join the fun.

Instead of joining them, Tuwana found a grassy spot to sit and watch; content just to watch the water fall from its high perches. The waters looked deep, almost bottomless and there didn't look like there were any shallower waters she would enjoy better. The pools in her parent's estate and within the city in fact, were all shallow and manmade. Tuwana had never been to a natural pool until she'd some to this land. She wondered if the Temple of the High Priestess had natural pools or if they were all made of marble and stone like the ones at home. She was lost in thought while the others around her played, swam and jumped in and out of the pool. Thoughts of home dominated her thoughts, so she wasn't prepared when a pair of hands grabbed her and she was being dragged to the water. "What! No! I don't want to go in, just leave me be!" Tuwana struggled and tried to escape, but the boys only laughed, along with all the other children, who thought it was a bit of fun to watch. Unceremoniously, she was heaved off the ground and thrown into the water.

The surface world suddenly disappeared to be replaced by the muted and dark realm of the water. She tried to kick like she saw the others do, but to no avail. Tuwana was panicking too much to reason her way into learning how to swim to save her. If anything, she was dropping deeper within the pool and her breath was bursting to escape her lungs.

The sound of a plunging body washed over her and an explosion of bubbles beside her. Her grip of consciousness started to fade as a shadow came at her and grabbed her from the darkening waters and pulled her up to the surface.

Tuwana gasped for breath as they breached the surface. She couldn't see who had come to her rescue as they were behind her and her face was covered in wet hair. Not until she was helped out of the pool and allowed to crawl as far away as her suddenly exhausted body would allow her to get. She sat, shivering, but not from the cold, and wiped the hair from her face. The scene in front of her would have been funny if she hadn't been so pissed off.

They were all staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. All silent, as if unsure what to say or do; as if they weren't all laughing just a moment ago as she was forced into a pool when she couldn't swim.

Suddenly there was a crackle in the air and the other children seemed almost to become locked in their positions; unable to move. As if they'd become statues. The air around them seemed to vibrate as Tuwana's anger and embarrassment took hold. She slowly stood up, her cloths still dripping wet and took a step forward. Did these puny, backwards people not know how close they'd come to ruining everything?

Before she could take another step, he was suddenly there, in her way and blocking her view.

"Step away, Baradun." She ordered through clenched teeth.

For a moment it looked like he was about to step away, but Baradun shook his head, ran an absent hand through his wealth of wet hair and gripped her by the shoulders. "Take a breath, Tuwa." He instructed in a voice that was at once calm, and extremely angry. There was worry written on his soaked face, but his words held none of that.

Tuwana found herself taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

It wasn't what she was expecting him to say next, much less ask. In the mere months she'd known the haughty boy, never had he expressed concern for another student. She looked into his eyes, wondering if he was sincere, or just hoping to avoid a demonstration of how wild her magic could be. When she did, she suddenly felt grounded; calm. She took another breath. "No… but I will be." Her voice couldn't hide the hurt their rash actions had caused; but she wouldn't let her magic escape while she was angry enough to hurt someone.

The vibrations evaporated, and there was an audible gasp from most of the kids behind him. Baradun grinned. "Let's go. There are too many brats here anyway." He said, leading her back through the path back to the Tower.

Before the magic had fully disappeared, however, Tuwana couldn't help but hope it erased her embarrassing weakness of not being able to swim from everyone else's mind.