Temple Academy Legacy
Chapter 3: The Tour
Author's Note: Digit, Kettle, Leone, and the Brisk Realm Dragons belong to me.
Kettle looked upon the main building of Temple Academy as she followed Spyro and Cynder. She moved steadily with the other young dragons, Brisk Realm refugees like her. The main building was imposing and magnificent. It was constructed of gray stone, cement, and pitch. Its front wall was marked with two towering wooden doors. Two sitting dragon designs had been etched into the wooden doors. Such a sight filled her heart with hope, excitement, and nervousness.
She was still learning how to live in the Dragon Realms. The air, the soil, the cultures, and the foods were different from the Brisk Realm. But she was learning.
As the crowd neared the front doors, she saw Spyro and Cynder pause before the doors. The purple dragon and the black dragon exchanged a knowing expression. Both dragons put their forepaws to the doors and tapped with their claws. Several minutes passed. Then, with a heavy creaking sound, the doors swung inward revealing a chamber that branched into three corridors. The chamber had a polished floor and was illuminated by a cluster of sapphire blue crystal shards.
"Wonder what they'll show us first, Ket?" a voice said to her left.
Kettle glanced at the dragon. It was a male with black pupil-less eyes, a fur-tipped tail, and bronze-colored skin. She recognized him. It was her best friend, Leone.
"Don't know," she replied. "We'll have to wait and see."
"Obviously." Leone nodded. "Can't wait to see a training room or sparring circle. I'm ready to train and fight."
No surprise there, Kettle thought with a chuckle. "You always love a good fight or workout, eh?"
"You know it, my friend. I just wish we could've fought those monsters back home. You know."
"I know."
Kettle felt sadness at the thought. Leaving behind the Brisk Realm with the other young dragons was no easy thing to do. Like her companions, she still felt homesick. The fate of that world still rested in her mind like an old dusty chest in a dungeon. She longed to know what became of her world and its people.
Leone nudged Kettle with one wing. "I miss home too, Ket. Let's keep up with the others."
"Sure thing."
Kettle smiled at Leone. I'm glad that I still have him, she mused. After a moment, she shifted her gaze to Spyro and Cynder. Both young dragons watched the crowd before Spyro gestured to Cynder.
"First, we'll show you the Feast Hall, also called the Cafeteria," the black dragon said. "Then, the Library."
"After that, we will show you all the classrooms, the Infirmary, the baths, and other areas," Spyro added.
Within minutes, Spyro and Cynder exchanged a nod before making their way to the leftmost corridor. They flicked their tails to the other young dragons. Kettle noticed this and followed after them, eager to see more of the school and its rooms and areas.
Digit found the tour interesting and nice. He admired the structure of each room, corridor, ceiling, and column. Great care had been taken to make the school and its architecture sturdy, practical, and appealing. He listened to Spyro and Cynder explain the purpose of each room and area, committing them to memory.
The Feast Hall was an enormous room. Five long redwood tables marked its center. Table cloths covered the tables. Plates, bowls, and napkins were arranged and positioned from one end to another end of each table. Four torches illuminated the room. Each torch glowed with a warm flame.
The Dormitories were roomy and inviting. They were divided into the Male and Female Dormitories. Each room had a bed, two wood chests for personal items, a desk with drawers, a mirror, and a crystal light that activated through motion and gestures. At the end of the hall of the Male and Female Dorms were Male Baths & Female Baths. The Baths had several pools of water, tables loaded with glass bottles of oils and bath salts, and towels.
The Library was even more impressive. It contained twenty bookshelves. Various books lined each shelf. Round tables dotted the room between the bookshelves. Inkwells and stationery supplies rested at the center of each table. A desk for the librarian stood at the back right corner of the Library.
Digit glanced at one of the bookshelves. He noticed a few books on engineering, architecture, and carpentry. He stared at the books, remembering back in his home world and his village how he would visit a book shop owned by a dragon and an elf. The dragon and elf were best friends and knew how to buy, sell, and repair books. They had helped him find books to read on his favorite subjects.
I miss my home, he thought with a sigh.
"Still adjusting?"
Digit turned and saw Jinx looking at him. Her green eyes shone with concern.
"Yeah…but I'll manage."
"Same here…we can still make the most of our lives and seek our dreams."
Digit smiled at her optimism and nodded. "We sure can."
The tour lasted for two and a half hours. Digit didn't mind the time. He continued to observe and note everything he saw. When the tour came to an end, Spyro and Cynder led the students back to chamber with three corridors. Spyro was the first to speak.
"That'll do for the tour," he said with a smile. "Now you have an idea of the layout of the school."
"You're free to relax and unwind," Cynder said. "But tomorrow morning, we will begin our classes."
"Lunch is between 12 noon and 2pm," Spyro added. "Dinner starts at 6pm and ends at 10pm. Breakfast starts at 7am and ends at 10am."
"Don't want to miss a meal." Cynder smirked and tapped Spyro's wing. "My friend here can eat enough food for 4 dragons."
Spyro blushed at that. Several young dragons laughed. Digit chuckled at that.
"Oh! Oh! My buddy Digit here can eat enough food for 4 or 5 dragons," Jinx said, waving her paw. "I don't know where he puts it."
Digit blushed deeply as his classmates laughed. He looked at Jinx, shaking his head. Jinx giggled and winked at him.
"Anyway…will we get a schedule with our classes on it?" Digit asked. "Like a paper?"
Spyro nodded. "Of course. That paper will have the classes, times, instructors, and class descriptions."
Digit waited until Spyro and Cynder dismissed the group before he started making his way to his room. As he walked, he noticed Jinx talking to another female dragon, one with brown skin and a beaded necklace. He smiled at how Jinx look excited and outgoing. We can start over and aim for our dreams, he thought.