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Millie sighed as she sat at the stairs. She could hear her Master, speaking with Apus Major on the platform behind her. They had been at it for a while.
"You look bored," a soft voice said. Millie looked up, seeing Columba walking towards her. She looked like she had just come from the library, arms laden with books.
"Master is just taking a little while, that's all," Millie said, standing and taking a few of the books from her.
"He tends to yap when it come the Apus Major," Columba said with a smirk. "He's a bit like an old lady in that sense."
"That's okay," Millie said with a smile. "I can just wait here."
"How about you come help me take some of these books to the commons? A few of the others need them to teach their apprentices," Columba said, handing a few more books to Millie so they both shared the load. "I'm sure your Master won't mind," she said as they walked away from the platform.
"Millie? Where do you think you're going?" Aquila asked, looking at them from the steps.
"She was bored of waiting for you to finish your gossip, Aquila, so I decided to give her something to do," Columba said. "Come on, Millie." The blonde apprentice continued to follow Columba.
"Oh, no you don't," Aquila said, flying in front of them, forcing them to stop. "She needs to go to Yggdrasil and offer up the benevolessence that she collected today."
"First, she's helping me. Next time, you shouldn't stand around with Apus Major, cooing like pigeons." Columba said, brushing past him. Millie followed her, shooting her master an apologetic and amused look.
"I'll do it the second I'm done," she whispered as she followed the book-keeper upstairs.
"You need to stop losing your apprentice," Apus Major said as he walked slowly up to Aquila.
"Those two are the reason that I'm bald," Aquila muttered, running a hand over his head.
…
"Thanks for the help," Columba said as she set the books down on a table. Immediately, a tall, muscle bound Celestrian came and began to look through the stack of books.
"I just hope Master doesn't get too mad at me," Millie muttered.
"If that bald-head oldie gives you a problem, just tell me," the dark Celestrian said, flashing her a smile.
"Or me, if you don't want the wonderful Phoenix to murder him," Columba said, giving him a hard look. "Shouldn't you be with your student?"
"He's off doing something," Phoenix said with a shake of his head. "Probably showing off for the ladies."
"Or, you know, he could be hiding from you again," Columba mumbled. "You scare that poor boy."
"He just needs a little tough love in order for him to gain his confidence," Phoenix said. "If, by any chance, either of you happen to see him, tell me."
"Yes sir," Millie said as Phoenix took the books he needed and flew off. She looked at Columba. "I'm not going to tell him, if that's alright with you."
"Of course it is," Columba said, stacking her books. "See if you can find the poor thing when you go and offer up the benevolessence."
"Alright," Millie said, hurrying off. She flew slowly along the path to Yggdrasil instead of flying straight up, as one normally would. Phoenix's apprentice would be hiding somewhere in the trees of the Observatory. Surely enough, up a very out of place palm tree, was the apprentice.
"Hello, Ankaa!" Millie called up.
"Argh!" Ankaa shouted as he fell from the tree, hitting the ground. He was a very pale, freckly boy with flaming hair. His arms were thin, unlike his master's, and he looked like rouge wind would blow him right off the Observatory.
"Why are you up a palm tree?" she asked, fluttering around him.
"I'm hiding," he muttered into the dirt.
"Get up, silly! You have training to do!" Millie said, pulling at his clothes and hair to try and get him up.
"Oh, what's the point? Master will just yell at me," Ankaa said, waving her off.
"No he won't," Millie said. "If he does, just go to Mistress Columba."
Ankaa moaned something incoherently into the dirt.
"How about you come with me to give some benevolessence up to Yggdrasil?" Millie asked. Ankaa perked up immediately. Phoenix was a crazy master, who pushed his apprentice when it came to physical and mental training, but he had yet to allow his apprentice into the Protectorate. Because of that, Ankaa never got to give benevolessence to Yggdrasil.
"That'd be awesome!" he said, jumping up and flying around Millie, showering her with feathers and dirt.
"Calm down. You have to promise to go back to Master Phoenix and work on more stuff with him. I heard he has a new lecture about mortals for you," Millie said.
"Not another lecture," Ankaa groaned. Millie gave him a hard look. "Fine."
The two fluttered straight up, towards Yggdrasil.
"That sure took you a while," Aquila said. He was standing there, at the foot of Yggdrasil, with Apus Major...
And Phoenix.
"Oh. H-hey, Master," Ankaa said nervously. He shot Millie an angry look, and she shrugged helplessly. She had no idea that he'd be waiting up there for them.
"Ankaa decided to come with me so he could see the benevolessence being offered up," Millie said.
"That's too bad," Phoenix said, his red eyes narrowed. "Ankaa is going to come with me. We have lots of training to catch up on. And he has a lecture to listen to." Ankaa looked down with a quiet sigh.
"But-," Millie started to say, only to be silenced by a stern look from Aquila.
"That will be enough, Millie."
She gave a tiny wave to Ankaa, who was quickly shepherded off by Phoenix.
"Go on now, child," Apus Major said, nodding towards the Great World Tree. Millie approached the enormous tree with reverence, bowing before lifting the light blue crystal of energy. It floated up, as if it were above a heat vent. It stopped at the center of the trunk, where it vanished in a pulse of light.
Millie was about to turn away when the tree was enveloped in a bright light.
"Woah," she breathed.
"Oh ho!" Apus Major hooted, watching as the glow faded. "She's closer than she's ever been! Almost ready for the fyggbloom!"
"Yes, indeed," Aquila said before turning to Millie. "Well met, Millie."
"Thank you, Master," Millie said with a tiny bow. She seemed a little jumpy with excitement.
"If you wouldn't mind, Aquila, I'd like to speak with Millie in private," Apus Major said.
"Of course, Master," Aquila said, giving Millie a meaningful look, as if he expected her to do something embarrassing. She shrugged and waved as he left. She looked at Apus Major expectantly, but he was staring at the Great Tree, deep in thought.
"What do you think of that?" Apus Major asked eventually.
"I believe that it is an important sign, promising the fyggbloom," Millie said automatically.
"Yes, yes indeed," Apus Major said, still musing while gazing at the Tree. "How do you feel about it, though?"
"I feel proud that the benevolessence that I gathered helped move the Great Tree onward to this momentous moment," Millie said.
"I have a feeling that it will be you, and your efforts, that hail the salvation for us Celestrains," he said, finally looking. Droopy black eyes met sharp yellow ones.
"Really?" Millie asked, slightly taken by the sudden turn in the conversation. "But I'm practically the youngest one here."
"It is just a feeling of mine, Millie," Apus Major said. "I may just be getting senile," he said with a laugh.
"If you are getting senile, then Master Aquila won't be that far behind you," Millie smiled.
"I wouldn't tell him that," Apus Major chuckled. "He's still struggling with the fact that I have more hair than him." Millie gave him a wide smile.
"Is there anything else you needed?" she asked.
"No, that was all," Apus Major said. He glanced around, and then leaned in and whispered, "I think Ankaa is waiting for you somewhere. He probably slipped away from Master Phoenix again. Perhaps you could go spend a little time with him to help bolster his confidence."
"Of course, Master," she whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"
"Because that is what one does when telling secrets," Apus Major whispered back. He straightened up. "You can go now."
"Thank you, Master," she said, bowing quickly before running down the steps and taking to the air, heading right back to the spot where Ankaa had hidden earlier.
He felt himself smile, watching Millie fly away. When Celestrians are young, they are placed under Apus Major's care. He trains and teaches them all the basics, like how to read and fly. Then, once they had all the basic skills down, the had an apprenticeship ceremony, where a conference would be held and a Master would speak if they wanted to take that particular child under their wing, both literally and figuratively.
Apus Major smiled again when he remember the ceremony for Millie. She was so quiet and small at the time that no one seemed to believe that she was really ready for an apprenticeship. She certainly didn't look like much. Even Ankaa had looked stronger at that age. Apus Major knew what Millie could do. What he didn't know, though, was that Aquila had noticed, too. He remembered the massive ripple of surprise when Aquila spoke for Millie. Even Columba, his best friend, was caught off guard. But they became a wonderful pair, and Millie simply blossomed.
And Apus Major couldn't have been happier.
...
"Hello again, Ankaa! May I join you?" Millie called up. She had just left Apus Major, and easily found her red-headed friend, hiding up the same palm tree.
"Are you going to bring Master Phoenix down on me again?" Ankaa asked dejectedly from the tree.
"I didn't know he was going to be up there!" Millie said. She heard him sigh.
"You can come up," Ankaa said. Millie smiled and flew up, settling next to him on the massive leaves.
"How is it going?" she asked.
"Fine," Ankaa said, not really looking at her.
"Wanna hear something cool that happened?" Millie asked. Ankaa nodded sullenly. She quickly recounted her tale of Yggdrasil being lit up like a Christmas tree. Ankaa's eyes slowly grew wider and wider as the story went on.
"That's incredible!" he said once it was finished. "Want to hear some good news that I got today?"
"Ooooh! Yes!" Millie said excitedly. Ankaa looked happy to share, which was a rare event.
"Master Phoenix is temporarily taking over for Master Vultur in this place called Gleeba!" Ankaa said. "And do you want to know what the best part is?"
"What? Tell me?"
"He said that, since Gleeba isn't as dangerous, I can go with him!" Ankaa said.
"That is amazing! You'll finally get to go to the Protectorate!" Millie said, grinning at him. She jumped slightly, and began to plunge into story after story, telling Ankaa about her own village, and how she helped people, and returned lost belongings. She talked about all the fights that she and Aquila won to protect their flock. Ankaa kept interjecting excitedly, saying what he hoped that he and Master Phoenix could be able to do while watching over Gleeba.
Hours ran past, and before they knew it, the sun was sinking below the cloud line.
"Ankaa! Millie!" a voice shouted from down below. It was Olivia, Columba's apprentice. She was a short girl with light blue pig-tails.
"Hey Olivia!" Millie greeted as she and Ankaa came down from the tree.
"Your masters are looking for you," Olivia said. "Master Phoenix is at the foot of Yggdrasil and Master Aquila is on the bottom floor. I suggest you hurry." Ankaa and Millie shared a look and shot down the side of the Observatory, shouting their thanks over their shoulders.
"See you later, Millie!" Ankaa shouted as he turned clumsily and flew to Yggdrasil.
"Bye!" Millie yelled back as she sped into the bottom floor of the Observatory, landing in front of Aquila.
"Ah. There you are, Millie."
Chapter done!
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