Chapter Three: Friendship
However desperately his schoolmates prayed for his downfall, Lezard Valeth passed through the first year at the academy at the top of his class. He loathed returning home in the summer with only his inadequate family library to sustain him. The silver lining in the otherwise cloudy sky was the foreign trade during Midsummer. He could have access to knowledge from places such as Hai Lan, an island he hadn't visited since before his mother passed away.
Long ago Lezard had grown used to staying out of everyone's way. When he was a child he and his nurse would play quietly in a corner room or outside if the weather permitted, and of course later he spent his time with his tutor. It was a relief to cloister himself again; he had never quite grown used to his roommate at the academy. That was probably the one thing he looked forward to in going back home: he would be left alone.
His father grew very busy when merchants came in to trade. Even so, he noticed that Lezard never had any visitors, and the young man very rarely journeyed far from his room. The servants reported that the only change they noticed in him was his demand for paper and ink for notes he was taking to keep his mind fresh. Lord Valeth was very pleased with how determined his son was in his studies and decided to leave him be, remembering how deep into his own studies he had been at that age.
The summer passed on lazily, with only the anniversary of the mother's death to disrupt it. Lezard happily returned to the beloved academy halls with new books he received during Midsummer. He arrived as early as was allowed in order to arrange his new room as he wished. Perhaps next year he would be allowed to have a single room and be done with roommates. First years were wandering the halls as he had done; they all looked his age, and he felt a smug pride knowing he already had a year's worth of education under his belt.
The classes he had to take this term did not look like they would bring him much closer to his goal, but he learned from his tutor to appreciate all forms of knowledge. He was back in school and as long as he was learning something new he would be happy. A small part of him felt frustrated at these delays, but he had another Winternights coming up to ask his ancestors for help. He wouldn't give up however many obstacles were placed in his way.
Once again he immersed himself in his studies. Those in his year seemed to have resigned themselves over the summer to having him as the best in the class. The students fell into a routine of class and study, and daily gatherings to hear what Lezard's roommate had to report. The stories of Lezard even reached some first years, though they took it as inspiration.
As always, Lezard ignored everything around him except his studies. He found places to avoid the other students and do his work in peace. His favorite refuge was the library: it was quiet, he was surrounded by books, and any other students around couldn't speak above a whisper. One afternoon he noticed the book he wanted to read was missing from its shelf. Some person had the nerve to take it off its shelf and read it for themselves. It was the only copy the library had, which did not improve his mood.
"Who else in this school is interested in the spirit world?" he wondered aloud. The puzzle stuck with him as he went through his day. He was not interested in sharing his knowledge, but if this person had something new to offer it was a different story. He was deep in his thoughts and didn't notice the girl until he collided with her.
"Hey, watch it!" she snapped, her books tumbling to the ground. Lezard said nothing; he was staring at one of the books the girl dropped. It was the very one he wanted to read! His eyes went from the book to the girl, studying her thoughtfully. She was reasonably attractive and had long blonde hair that fell to her waist. "Well?" The girl glared at him, hands on her hips. "What are you staring at?"
"Oh, nothing." Two boys nearby were already getting on their knees to pick up the girl's books. Lezard reached for the book he was interested in. The girl watched him but he just ignored her and moved on.
"Excuse me!" she called after him. "You can't just walk away with one of my books!" He turned, regarding her as one would regard an unsightly spot on the rug.
"You are a first year," he said to her. "This book is far too advanced for you."
"How dare you!" the girl fumed. "You don't look much older than me!"
"Perhaps not, but at the very least I am more mature." The girl would've retaliated with a spell if a teacher didn't show up at that moment. Not wishing to soil his clean slate, Lezard dropped the volume and walked away.
Perhaps because of his mother, Lezard never grew to care much for females. At best he felt indifferent toward them; at worst he hated them. Of women he knew very little apart from what he read in books, and he was not eager to learn more. That a female would show any interest in things he found interesting did not sit well with him.
He began to see that girl much more often around campus. He probably passed her by three times a day before without giving her a second glace; now he actually noticed her. He buried himself even deeper in his studies to drown out the dull throb of annoyance he felt whenever he saw the girl. If indeed he killed his mother, he didn't wish the same thing to happen again before he finished his education.
Alas, the gods were against him. At the evening meal he went for the teachers' table to sit with them as he always did. For the first time, another student was already at the table. The throb of annoyance started the moment he set eyes on her. She noticed him and gave him a nasty look.
"Lezard, please sit," one of the teachers invited. "I'd like you to meet Mystina. She's a promising new student." The two had to hide their dislike for each other as they shook hands. Over the meal he learned a few things about this new girl: she had turned fourteen not too long before she was accepted at the academy, she was from an upper-class family, and she lived in the city very close by.
"If I knew you were the 'boy genius' they wanted me to meet, I would've declined their offer to sit with them," Mystina told him once the teachers were gone.
"There's no need for us to talk to one another," he said, rising to his feet. "Sit somewhere else from now on."
"You don't have to be so rude," she huffed. "What sort of gentleman are you, to say such things to a lady?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder haughtily.
"You are far from being a lady, little girl, and I do not waste my time with fake pleasantries. My only interest is learning; other people just get in the way." To his great surprise, she laughed at that.
"It's funny how much you and I have in common! I only care about knowledge too, and getting as much of it as I can." Lezard blinked, not knowing what to say. Now that he thought about it, they did have quite a few things in common… "You know, if you're really determined to read that book I checked out, I'll ask the librarian to reserve it for you once I'm finished."
"Oh…" His mind was reeling. He'd never experienced something like this and had no idea how to respond. "That's good of you," he said awkwardly.
He wasn't aware of it then, but that day Lezard Valeth made a friend.