Vyrantium, 9:19 Dragon/2013TE

Lynrael POV:

I was excited. The Master informed my mother that I was to be given to Agrippus, the Liberian and that I am going to be educated by him to take over his post one day. At the same time I fear what his order implies. I was told, that I would probably not be returning to my mother for the next few months, which I have no real problem with as she is just doing what's necessary for me to survive as I am still her child, even if an unwanted one and he noticed that I was intelligent which worried me far more. No one would start the schooling of a child at the age of two, if there was no indication that it had the mindset or even the patience to sit through the lessons. Maybe I should play dumb? I can at least try...

Agrippus POV:

So the master finally noticed that I am getting to old... but a three year old? We will see if I am able to teach him anything. Hopefully he is not as dumb as the last student I had, as after one year the master was so enraged by his lack of progress, that the other slaves had to search the whole room for the pieces of the corpse and had to refurbish the room, as blood is sadly very resisted to cleaning...

In front of the entrance of the Library:

A child of three winters was standing outside of the tall, with silver dragons and veins decorated door. Hypnotising runes pulsated with living magic, protecting the door from harm and through that protecting the grand library of the Peverell Family. The whole Library was build underground, encompassing three levels and its rows of shelf stretching endlessly. Floating lanterns with seemingly self-sustaining green flames bathed the room in gloomy light. It was one of the oldest Library in Vyrantium, as well as one of the grandest. it was only extended by the one in the Circle of Magi. But it was to be expected, as the Peverell Family, while a small one, and a politicly not that important one, was an old family, one dating back its roots to the fall of Arlethan. The Library still held thousands of books, taken from the grand temples of the elvhen gods, some supposing written by the gods themselves. Quite a few of the slaves, that the family owned were direct descendent of the captured former nobles or at least the equivalent in elvhen society. under the captured slaves were even some I've'an'virelan (a dreamer mage, or Fade Walker).

Nobody had ever counted the exact number of books in the library, and it was probably impossible. The Library was maintained by 10 Slaves, the most intelligent non-magical slaves the Family possessed, their apprentices and hundreds of runic arrays, that preserved the tombs, cleaned them and repaired them if necessary.

And so Lynrael was allowed to enter these halls of Knowledge, the collected Wisdom of countless individuals, placed on endless rows of shelves, and was supposed to learn how to take care of them, to sort them and bring order into the chaos together with his fellow apprentices and Liberians. ´The master himself did not often visit the Library. If he needed something, a slave was send to fetch them, or if he did not know the title or which specific book, a Liberian would search through the lists for titles, that fitted the criteria of the requested books and bring them to the Master.

As Lynrael entered the Library, he saw Agrippus, and old elv, bend by his years of service to his master, but radiating an aura of wisdom and stern warnings. You did not want to cross this old elv, as he had the ear of the Master, and was allowed to take all steps necessary to protect the countless, priceless books, that made up the Library.

As he started to speak in a silky tone, whisper but still understandable, shivers ran down Lynraels spine. "So you are the child, Helios send me. Let us see if you are worth my time. I will not tolerate impatience nor will I repeat what I said a second time. First you will learn how to read and write, and if you are still alive and are not killed by the master for stupidity, I will teach you maths and history, let you read the books stored here. You will be expected to expand your own knowledge as soon you are able to read. Do you understand? Answerer with "Yes, master" or don't answer at all and go to the top of the mansion and throw yourself of the edge, for the death by fall will be more merciful than the on at the Masters hands."

"Yes, master, I understand" Lynrael answerer, determined to exceed the expectations of his teacher, as he did not want to leave this world before witnessing all its wonders, even if he no longer feared death, as he knew what came afterwards.

"Good, follow me" Agrippus spoke, and turned around, leading his student to a small room with a bed, a lamp, an empty shelf, a wardrobe with some working clothes in it as well as a writing desk with paper, quills and ink. On top of the desk there is a clock. It is 12.18 pm.

"this will be you room, food will be brought here, and your lessons will take place here. You will wear the clothes in this wardrobe, they will be collected once a week and be cleaned, you wont see you mother for the next month, and only then, if you have managed to learn how to write down basic sentences as well as how to read easier texts. A rest room is at the end of the hallway. You will wash yourself everyday, no student of mine will be allowed to walk around like an uncivilised son of a one-penny whore. You will learn proper decorum here. When you are older you will be send to fetch books from other library or deliver messages. The second you set your foot outside the gates or are seen by an honoured guest of the Master, you represent the old and Ancient House of Peverell, one of the oldest houses of the whole Empire.

As such you will move, look and behave benefiting a privileged slave of this house, as this is what you are, and will probably be for ever. Now go and clean yourself and meet me here at the 13th hour, that means when both points are directly over the big line over the two other big lines, that represent the 2 as well as the 14th hour. "He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him...

Not wanting to wast any time, and finally be able to clean himself, hopefully with a good bath Lynrael fetched the clothes and opened the door to the hallway, sprinting to the end and opening the bathroom door, as he named it. Inside there was a mirror, a small pedestal with a hole in it and on the far end of the room a small basin continuously filled by a small stream coming out of the wall and being drained by a small hole in the wall under water level. There even was some kind of sink, well more like a larger niche in the wall with a small steady stream of water running down a groove in the middle of it. A small piece of soap was placed on a wooden bowel near the basin and a folded sheet of cloth next to it. Getting out of his run-down clothes, he stepped into the basin, took the soap and started to wash himself furiously. Half an our later, he stepped out of the bathroom, washed and clothed in his new "uniform". Going back to his room and sitting down at the writing desk, he started thinking about his situation.

'I will have to pretend to learn writing and reading. But I should not be to slow, as it seems, my teacher will not tolerate impatience and to much dumbness... Well, as I have to learn to write with a quill and ink, I don't have to pretend to much, as I technically cant "write". Sadly as well as thankfully the letters don't seem to differ much from the standard Latin letters from my past life, and the language "created" by fans don't seem to be correct.. well its a bastardized form of Latin, but still. Hopefully the same is true for the elvhen language. I will finally have a chance to learn how to use magic and yes I should posses the ability to use the power to make reality my playground. I have never heard of a Somarii without the ability to cast magic in the waking world... but I have to practice it in secret. If the Master finds out, that I can use magic I will be under constant surveillance, maybe I will even be banned from the library. And if not that he will take a far more personal interest in me, and that something I can not tolerate...'

There was a sharp knocking at the door and it opened, outside was Agrippus.

"Follow me, we will start your lessons" He turned around and started walking. Lynrael garbed a few sheets of paper from his desk as well as a quill and the ink bottle and ran after his teacher, falling back into a normal walking speed 1m behind him. What he did not saw was the small smirk on his teachers face. "so the lad thinks, and does not speak without somebody asking him something. He shows promise"

After a short walk through gloomy hallways, the pair stopped in front of a door, that led to a sparsely decorated room with two desks one with drawers, one without, a small shelf, filled with books, and a small fireplace. Agrippus pointed at the desk without drawers. It had no sheets of paper nor any writing materials.

Lynrael saw this as an "invitation" to sit down on the chair in front of it. Agrippus himself sat down in a padded chair behind the one with drawers and watched as Lynrael placed the tools he brought with him neatly on the desk in front of him. Paper stacked to the right side, a single sheet in front of him, the ink bottle in the left corner, the quill horizontal to the sheet. He then looked up and waited for instructions.

Agrippa grinned in approval. "I think, I can work with you, child."

This chapter was only corrected by an spelling programm...and i want to excuse the delay, the chapter was finished last saturday, but my beta, well, she had exams...

29.07.16: I changed the age to 3 Years, as i think, that a two year old body would simply not be able to do anything like decend writing. ..