Arthur leant upwards to push three green leather books neatly back into their place on a large oak bookshelf in the school library. Arthur disliked it when people would put them back in the wrong order, and the librarian was frazzled enough trying to keep the noise levels down for the people studying for their exams in the private study room upstairs.
Alfred couldn't tear his eyes away from the quite frankly adorable view of Arthur on tip toe. To be honest, it was making Matthew nervous. Matthew prayed that he would be able to keep his brother in check, and thankfully, Arthur hadn't noticed it yet. Matt worried that his future Master may be a little too oblivious, but for now that benefitted them. Sure, Mathew certainly agreed with his that Arthur was stunning physically, with his petite stature, golden blonde hair and wide emerald eyes. However, that wasn't what caught Matthew's attention. No, it was Arthur's personality that drew people like moths to a flame; Arthur was kind.
Matthew admired the way he went out of his way to help others from carrying heavy boxes for teachers, holding open doors to helping people with homework. Matthew knew that he didn't have much time, not with all of the familiars gathering and circling like hawks. He would have to be careful; subtle enough that Arthur wouldn't realise what he was, but without hiding his interest in courting. He had to balance his approach. Matt had been carefully considering his course of action all morning. He had a mental list of things he could try to gain Arthurs trust, and eventually his affection. He decided it was time to initiate the first step, waiting would do no good, he'd just loose his chance.
Matthew strode towards Arthur and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He had been building his courage enough for him to remain confident, at least for a little while.
"Bonjour, Arthur." Matthew purred, fluttering his eyelashes. He slumped slightly and laced his hands in front of him with a radiant smile at his Master-to -be.
"Hello Matthew, is there something that you need?" Arthur returned a smile, his head tilted in a puzzled manner. Cute. Nice habit.
"Would you mind giving me and my brother a tour of the school? We don't know anyone yet, so I thought that you would be the perfect person to ask."
Arthur paused and considered it for a moment. He extracted a small green notebook from his navy trouser pocket and flicked through it. He snapped the book shut, which startled Alfred, and returned it to his pocket.
"I don't see why not, it doesn't seem as if I have anything important to do- unless French counts." Replied Arthur with a derisive snort at the thought of Francis and his perpetual nagging.
Matthew beamed and nudged Alfred in the ribs.
"Ouch, what was that for?" Alfred yelped, the bloody fool. God, was he really staring at Arthur the entire time!? He was so hopeless!
"Shhh" hissed the Librarian.
"Sorry ma'am." Arthur apologised, taking both of the boys by the elbow and leading them out onto a landing.
/ /
The tour was short and ended at the Disciplinary Office where Arthur spent most of his time. Where Matthew would spend most of his time too if all went well. It was a nice area, with wooden desks on one side of the room and a couch, an old TV and some navy-blue beanbags on the other. There was a fan on the desk labelled Vladimir and a plant on Lilli's. Arthur's had a large and precariously balanced stack of books, which made Matt chuckle- it was just so Arthur. There was a shelf with movies- some were in Indian and others were Russian, which made him think of Ivan who Alfred had picked a fight with. He was pretty sure that Ivan was a Wolf, he could smell it.
Matthew hadn't met Arthurs friends yet, which made him nervous- though he did see that someone called Basch (Switzerland) who was arguing with a tall dark-haired boy with glasses (Austria) set Arthur off yelling. That was amusing, but Matthew hoped Arthurs other friends were quieter and easier to deal with. Matthew was rather shy by nature, and also extremely calculating.
Ah.
An Asian boy with a loose tie and some piercings skidded into the classroom. He was tall, taller than Arthur (though that didn't mean much) with jaw length choppy brown hair and
"Hey Arthur!" He chirped cheerfully, and something about him was similar to Arthur, but Matthew couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Maybe the eyebrows? No, they were large, but they were styled too…
"Oh, hey Leo*, what's up?" asked Arthur with that cute little half smile he reserved for his closest friends. Alfred had only saw it twice so far and it made his heart positively melt. Matthew was giving him a weird look and he decided now wasn't the time to daydream. This person was important.
"Can I be the Vice President? I want to show that idiot Yao that I'm better than him! I know you refused him when he applied and now I want that place!" he spoke fast but pronounced his words very carefully.
Matthew chuckled- he was trying to sound English. It was like he was imitating Arthur reverently. Witches from the Kirkland clan always inspire that sort of thing, and Leo seemed to be relatively new to magic.
He should at least be able to tell what Arthur, and even what he himself was! Honestly- this kid was bizarre. Matthew realized he had missed the entire discussion, but Leon skipped off happily, so he had obviously gotten what he wanted. He'd have to keep an eye on him. Leon was too close to his Master for comfort in Matthew's opinion. It was obvious the boy had feeling for him, but sadly, Arthur was already taken, and Matthew wouldn't share. Well, not with anyone other than Alfred that is.
/ / /
"Looks like that familiar is really going for it" mused Lukas (Denmark) as Matthew clung to Arthur's arm practically all day. Lukas was a tall violet eyed boy with blonde hair held in place by a cross hairpin. Lukas specialised in exorcism magic, he often worked as a junior member of the Magic Containment Force, which was how he had met Arthur.
"Hm, I very much doubt that Arthur would allow someone so petty to have him. Arthur has higher standards than that Lu" scolded Vladimir (Romania), a boy with slicked back strawberry blonde hair and dark sunglasses that hid his ruby coloured eyes. He was a vampire, and he had grown up with Arthur. Historically, the vampire race had avoided witches for safety reasons, but the friendship of Vlad's parents and Arthurs had created an uneasy peace between the two races. Arthur was Vlad's favourite human, so Lukas knew that he would overlook Arthurs fatal flaw.
"Arthur is oblivious to the boy's intentions" said Lukas flatly with a frown.
"True but no way am I letting that familiar take MY place! I have enough trouble with Jao (Portugal), already, you know how easily people get sucked into Arthur's orbit." Vlad was clearly displeased by the situation.
"You're being childish."
"And you are far too self-assured! No matter what YOU do Arthur will always smile and say no harm done. Things are getting out of hand- if things continue this way then we will be knocked from our places. We need to spend more time together as a group."
"You practically live with him half the time anyways!" grumbled Lukas.
"Not recently. And I'm going to have to run soon, the hunters are getting suspicious. You will have to step up and get those twins to lose interest." Vlad's expression was grim, his eyebrows furrowed, and he was worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. Lukas sighed heavily, he knew that Vlad was just being paranoid due to a lack of blood, and that when he had fed again he would be much more cheerful- but he did have a point.
"I think that Leo will be able to do it. He worships Arthur the poor bastard."
"Arthur is incredible."
"Yeah, but he's also completely oblivious. If we didn't want him, I'd definitely say that Leo was the second-best candidate."
"Even so, Kiku could suit him well too, the sly fox is Arthurs type. I definitely think that Ivan isn't suitable though, he's far too aggressive for someone with light magic."
"Ah, but Arthur may need an edge when the Championships begins."
"We could be that edge." Replied Vlad quiet and bitter. Lukas snorted.
"Yeah, if the old bastards on the council finally agree to change the rules. Alana was barely able to join, they'd never let Vamps in, or exorcists for that matter. They'd remove familiars and women too if it wasn't for people like Arthurs sister and Yao's grandmother."
"The council is corrupt; the hunters still have too much influence. Hopefully after our efforts, things will change."
"It could take years" replied Lukas gently, removing Vlad's sunglasses.
"Or…" Vlad said quietly "it could take months. Weeks. Even days." His voice went hoarse. He was getting desperate. He'd been planning this for years, and he could practically taste it.
"Be careful." Murmured Lukas, pressing their foreheads together.
"I will." Was the breathless reply, though Vlad's lack of the need to breathe was something Lukas had eventually gotten used to.
"For Arthur." Rubies sparkled with moisture.
"Yes, for Arthur."
Vladimir kissed him briefly and disappeared into the fading blue of the sky. Lukas quietly returned to his classroom, to his brothers, to a normal life.
/ / / /
A tall alabaster alter shimmered in the fading sunlight. There was a low hum, the air was almost static, completely charged with ancient magic. It practically vibrated. You could taste it in the air, a hair raising level of power. It was wonderful.
"Are the preparations complete?" Asked Alana, who was dressed in her traditional emerald green cloak and robe, with her family crest firmly set into a white pillar.
"Yes, my lady, everything is in order." Was the quiet reply of a shorter woman with black leather gear, dark hair and the gleaming yellow eyes of a predatory cat.
"Then let the competition begin! It's already clear who the winner will be though…" she chuckled. "Come along now Alice, we have to get dinner ready! Registration is complete, so Arthur is all set to compete."
"Yes, my lady" purred Alice and the two of them returned through the portal and left the Altar empty to wait for the next contenders guardian. Officially, the application wouldn't start for a few weeks, and acceptance wouldn't come for months. But, as usual, the Noble House of Kirkland had special privileges, different rules. This competition would decide everything for them after all. For a Kirkland, the competition wasn't a game. It was life or death.
/ / /
Character List-
Arthur Kirkland- The youngest member of the Kirkland Clan, his older sister is his parental Gaurdian. Witches must attend high school as an ordinary human before they can attend a Magical Higher Education Institute.
Alana Kirkland- Arthurs older sister, 526 years old, has an older twin brother. She is the middle child of the family, and took Arthur in. She is a Druidic Mage, and uses nature magic. She enjoys experimenting.
Francis Bonnefois- His older sister is his family heir. He is Arthur's best friend, their mothers grew up together.
Antonio Carriedo- The heir of his family, a werewolf.
Lovino Vargas- A witch from the Vargas family. His grandfather unreasonably declared Feliciano the heir just because he already had a familiar. Feliciano is a healer, he does not have any talent in offensive magic, and his familiar is the
Kiku Honda- Half witch, half fox Yokai. Possesses control over fire magic. He does not qualify for the Competition as he has no familiar for himself, he could also apply if he had a master. Mild mannered and not competitive, unlike his older brother figure Yao. He met Yao when he was very young due to their family alliance. Kiku comes from the Ancient House of Honda and is an active member of the Honda Clan.
Yao Wang- China- Fire magic and possesses a phoenix familiar. He is the only one from the Wang Coven who is eligible to participate in the tournament- the others are too old, or do not have a familiar. He holds a grudge against the Kirklands because he was defeated by the twins Alana and Brandon in the Doubles Tournament of the International Magic Competition IMC. He was also crushed by Alistair in a duel.
Wang Jia Long, goes by Leo Long- (Hong Kong)