Beldia stared at the small letters in the book, her brows tightly furrowed. In her mind, she once again went over the plan: Go to the garden right at eleven o’clock before the exams for the day would start so she could surprise her when she was doing her preparations. Get a twig, enchant it in front of her, and hand it to her as a gift. Then, she just had to say the words she had memorized without stumbling over them.
She nodded to herself but went through the confession one more time just to make sure. "A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady. I hope that it can convey my most sincere thoughts to you. If you would like to, I would be very much delighted if you would do me the honor of going out with me."
Beldia heaved a sigh of relief when she made it to the end without trouble. Anyway, it was just three sentences. How much could go wrong? She nodded, trying to reassure herself that everything was fine. "Short is best. If I make too many words around it, I’d just be setting myself up for failure." After all, every word was like a stumbling block that she needed to get over. Better not put more where these few were enough. That would be difficult enough.
She sighed again, this time with a hint of nervousness, and then patted down her clothes. Was she wearing everything? Pants? Tunic? Armguards? Belt? Shoes? Seemed like it.
She brushed over the tunic some more, making sure it wasn’t wrinkled either. Her last exam had already been yesterday so there shouldn’t have been any accidents but you could never know.
Spellcasting wasn’t like potion-making. If things went wrong, you didn’t have to worry about your face but about wherever your hands had last been. Usually, that would be somewhere around your torso so tunics were always in danger. She had gone through more than a handful of embarrassing situations early on in her studies because of that. She didn’t want to add one more right in front of Jadvyga’s eyes right before their graduation ceremony.
Having made sure that there was nothing to worry about in that regard, Beldia tucked the book under her arm. This was a guide on confessions and other matters of love that she had bought after her less than stellar results in the past. She had worked through it bit by bit, doing all the exercises contained in it, some of them multiple times to make sure she had gotten it right. By now, she felt that there couldn’t be anything left for her to know.
She took a deep breath and then left her dorm room, walking down the corridor. Anyway, how difficult could it be to confess? Millions of people had done it before. She would be able to do it as well. Anyway, this was only her fiftieth attempt or something. How much worse than the last one could it be? No, today, she would pull it off as well. Jadvyga would feel like she had been hit by an enchantment when she was done.
Beldia sighed deeply. As if. She could be happy if she even managed to get to the confession part. She tried not to think of how wrong things had gone so far but it really was difficult when there were so many disasters to choose from.
She reached the staircase and slowly took the steps down to the first floor. Not making it to the place she had designated for her confession would be the first thing that might go wrong. She’d better make sure she didn’t stumble on the steps of her own dorm because she was too nervous, broke a leg, and didn’t make it in time before Jadvyga’s exam. That would really be too pitiful.
No, even if something went wrong, she at least wanted to make it to the garden. She might not be able to confess then but at least she could wish her good luck for the exam. That would be better than nothing.
While Beldia’s own dorm was in the western part of the Arcademy, the complex that housed the potion makers was in the northeast instead so Jadvyga should be there. Chances were that she would find her in the gardens.
She knew from reliable sources that Jadvyga had her final exam today and while nobody knew exactly what the contents would be beforehand, it should require the use of some plants. So either, she would go there to gather ingredients or to review her materials. Either way, Jadvyga should be in the garden.
Yes, this time around, she surely wouldn’t make the mistake of going to the wrong place like she had on her twenty-first attempt and missing the perfect opportunity she had found. No, that was the kind of rookie mistake she had long gotten past.
Beldia tried to reassure herself once again and then rushed out of the building. Stepping onto the cobblestone path outside, she didn’t dare to run, much too afraid that her boots would get caught somewhere between the stones and she would appear in the garden with a bloody nose. What chance would there be for a romantic atmosphere to develop then?
Instead, she speed-walked toward the northeast, garnering some looks from the other students walking by. Well, she couldn’t care less. In love and war, everything was fair. Looking ridiculous in public was the smallest of sacrifices to make for a successful confession.
After a couple of minutes, the northeastern complex finally came into view. Beldia’s heart started to race and she had to stop and take a few deep breaths to calm down again. She didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Jadvyga once again.
No, this time, nothing was allowed to go wrong. Stumbling over her words like on her very first try to the point where she had clearly only been incoherently mumbling, completely forgetting what she had wanted to say like on the eighth, or stumbling over her own feet when she tried to walk up to her like on attempt forty-three absolutely couldn’t happen again. This was the last chance before both of them would graduate from the Arcademy. There just was no margin for error anymore.
She squared her shoulders, tightened her grasp around the book under her arm as if the guide could somehow give her support, and then marched into the complex, ready to change the world.
The potion makers’ place was just as confusing as any other part of the Arcademy thanks to the fact that it had been built over time with new compounds being added every century. Sometimes, the elders of the Arcademy would even warp space a bit to make room for a new building. By then, good luck finding the one that had originally stood there because it might very well have turned up on the other side of the whole complex.
It didn’t help either that Beldia had never taken any classes in potion-making herself so she usually didn’t come here. Well, other than to try and get a glimpse at Jadvyga, of course. Anyway, she wasn’t all that familiar with this place. But thankfully, she had prepared well! After all, she couldn’t afford to get lost again.
She stopped after arriving at the first path that crossed her way and opened the book on the last page. A folded parchment was lying in there, faint lines of ink visible that had been drawn on the other side. She took it out and opened the map she had painstakingly created over the last few weeks.
Let’s see … She was right at the entrance of the whole complex. That left about thirty buildings in front of her. The garden where she suspected Jadvyga to be was even further to the northeast, almost at the edge of the complex. If she went straight past the next three buildings and then made a sharp turn to the right, she would be on the right path.
Beldia closed the book again but kept it in her hand, certain that she would have to consult the map again soon enough. Even if she managed to get to the point she had just looked at without trouble, things would get complicated after that. For now though, she knew how to walk.
She looked around and spotted the first building, hurriedly walking past it. The next two were more difficult. The second building was set back by several meters so you could easily overlook it. It didn’t help that this complex had quite a lot of greenery that made it difficult to actually see what was in front of you. Here, two large trees framed the path to the building, hiding it from view when you came up. They had been shedding leaves like crazy in the last few days, obscuring the path and almost making her miss it.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted it at the last second and then once again speed-walked past the next building, before taking a sharp turn to the right. Now, how far had she been supposed to go?
She hurriedly opened the book again, staring at the map, feeling that things really weren’t off to a good start if she couldn’t even make her way over easily. But then, this was precisely why she had made the map, wasn’t it?
Yes, there was no reason to worry. Making use of her experience from those fifty botched-up attempts, she had anticipated everything that could go wrong and made plans to counter it. How could there be anything standing in her way of confessing to Jadvyga?
Feeling reassured, Beldia counted the buildings coming up to five and nodded to herself. Right, five buildings. Just five buildings. She could do this! She definitely wouldn’t end up at the wrong place again. She continued to walk ahead, a little slower this time, so that she wouldn’t accidentally miss one.
This time, there weren’t any almost-accidents. The buildings here were all at the same distance from the road so she didn’t need to worry.
Having passed all five of them, Beldia found herself at a crossroad that ended in a small square in front of the house when going straight ahead and should lead back to the entrance of the complex toward her right. So, she could only turn to the left.
Beldia turned in the direction but stepped to the side of the path to consult her map again. Even if she was sure, she’d still rather check just to make double sure. From here on, the paths were more difficult to navigate. She remembered that there had been some twists and turns that had really made things difficult the last time she tried to come here. So it was better to be safe than sorry.
In the end, Beldia just kept the map in her hands, following the path she had marked down while constantly looking up and down to compare what was in front of her and what was on her map. Finally, she found herself at the foot of a hill. Looking up, she could see the building she had wanted to reach on top of it, the majestic structure seeming to look out over the potion makers’ complex.
This garden was one of the older parts of the Arcademy. Despite its age, the building had been well-maintained. The huge stone blocks at its base seemed untouched by time, not the slightest indentation visible at the edges.
If you didn’t contrast the building to the ones surrounding it that had been built in a completely different style, you wouldn’t be able to notice just how old it was. The only thing that really gave its age away were the steps that had slightly dented thanks to the hundreds of thousands of feet that had walked up and down over the centuries. Apparently, nobody had bothered to straighten these out again.
Beldia folded the map up and stuffed it back into her guidebook, instead opening the page that held the paper slip with her plan again. So far, everything had gone well. She had managed to reach the building and was even in time. In just a minute or two, she would make another attempt at confessing her feelings to Jadvyga. She had to make sure that she kept every little detail in mind.
Anyway, there wasn’t much left: She just need to go in and find Jadvyga, then she couldn’t forget about the spell before she said her confession. Without, it wouldn’t work.
Beldia nodded to herself, closed the book again, and tucked it back under her arm before she rushed up the stairs, taking two steps at once.
The staircase led out into a small corridor leading around the building that was framed by a row of connected arches. The main entrance was a gate in the same style directly opposite the last step. Beldia walked over, squared her shoulders again, and poked her head through the opening to peer into the garden behind.
The garden looked similar to the building: At first glance, you couldn’t tell the age. There were several rows of plants in orderly patches, each of them separated by a path made of stone slabs of the same color as the blocks used for the walls, all of them in pristine condition. The most impressive down here was the last row of them that was climbing up the walls themselves, making this place seem like it had come alive.
The actual highlight was the slope in the middle of the building though. From outside, it always seemed like the top of the hill was flat and a house had been built on that plateau. But actually, calling this a 'house' might be an exaggeration. It was more of a wall surrounding the actual top of the hill. There was even just a small part that had a roof and that looked mostly like a pavilion had been built into a courtyard.
Anyway, there was a gentle slope in the middle of whatever the Arcademy had built here. A set of old stairs was leading up on the side where Beldia had entered and, once again, there was a row of arches erected at the top, framing the actual top of the hill.
Whether it was the staircase or those arches, they had been created with the same blocks as the building. Contrary to outside, they were a little worn out though. The arches were overgrown with plants the potion makers were probably using for their creations. Well, it wasn’t wrong to say that, in this place, every single inch was used to its fullest, making sure that they would have enough materials for all the students.
Beldia currently couldn’t care less about the efficacy of the Arcademy. She looked around, panic grabbing her heart when she couldn’t spot Jadvyga immediately. Had she gotten things wrong again? Was Jadvyga not here? Could it be she was currently at the other side of the complex or even the whole Arcademy? Would she miss the last chance to actually confess to her?!
Just then, a movement at the edge of the platform atop the staircase caught Beldia’s eye. Looking up, she heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that this was a person. That could only be Jadvyga, right?
She clenched her hands into fists, trying to keep calm, and then took a step forward, gingerly climbing up the stairs. Suddenly, there was no speed-walking anymore, no taking two steps at once. Now, only the fear remained that once again, she would mess things up.
She had tried to confess to Jadvyga so often over the past five years but every time, something had gone wrong. It felt like she was cursed or as if this relationship she hoped to start was that of two star-crossed lovers, simply not meant to be. Otherwise, why would it be so damned hard to simply confess her feelings?!
To be honest, by now, it was getting harder and harder to bring herself to actually even come over and appear in front of Jadvyga. She couldn’t help but feel like the other witch had to be thinking that she was a lost cause already. She might even think she was crazy. And that was the last thing she wanted Jadvyga to think about her.
When it came to the potion makers, they were clearly some of the most down-to-earth people among the students of the Arcademy. If Jadvyga thought of her as somebody who wasn’t like that at all, who knew if she would like her? Her chances at actually wooing her had probably gone down with every attempt at confessing to her.
Beldia’s steps slowed down further and further until she hardly dared to set a foot onto the next step. Really, what was she doing here? It would probably be better to just turn around before Jadvyga could spot her. At the very least, she might still leave her with a half-decent impression. If she went up now and did something wrong again, she might ruin it completely.
At the top of the staircase, Jadvyga had indeed been gathering materials for her upcoming exam. As she was collecting one of the vines growing on the arches, she couldn’t help but notice that somebody was standing on the stairs.
She looked over and raised her brows at the familiar person. "Beldia, what led you here? Did you finish your exams already?" She smiled at that and shook her head. "I hope they didn’t go that awful." With how scatterbrained Beldia usually was when they talked, she wouldn’t have been surprised if they did. But then, the spell caster had apparently made it through the first six years successfully. Surely, she would not fail at the last step.
Beldia froze where she was but at the very least, the idea of silently slinking away was off the table with that. Her gaze darted around but she walked up the rest of the stairs, stopping a few steps away from Jadvyga. "I finished the last one three days ago. I’m just packing up my things to move out next week after the graduation ceremony."
"Oh? Then I take it you did manage to pass everything. That is great!" Jadvyga smiled brightly, happy for her. potion-making was something you could learn if you just put in enough effort but spell casting was different from what she knew. You needed genuine talent. That, and you had to be hyper-focused on your task. So that Beldia had managed to pass all of her exams was indeed something to celebrate.
Beldia nodded. "I did. It wasn’t that bad actually." She scratched the back of her head, wondering how she was supposed to transition over to her confession. She had never planned for this part!
She had always thought that she would walk directly up to Jadvyga, do her spell, and then say the words she had wanted to say for so long. Who could have known that Jadvyga would spot her first and then start a conversation already? Ah, she really didn’t know what to do.
Her gaze still darted around, roving over the plant that Jadvyga had just cut and the ones around them. The plan had said to turn an ugly twig into a beautiful flower. She could still do that! Well, she might not have a twig but those vines next to them looked plain enough. If she could make them blossom, the effect should still be the same.
Beldia turned to the side, grabbed onto the nearest stem, and froze.
Jadvyga’s eyes widened in response. "What are you doing?!" She threw the plant away she was holding and switched to a clean pair of gloves before grabbing Beldia’s wrist and pulling. Unfortunately, the witch didn’t let go of the plant. "Let go of that! It’s poisonous!"
Actually, this warning came a little too late. Beldia’s hand had already turned red and was only a few seconds away from swelling up. Jadvyga didn’t know what to do with her. She didn’t have a potion here to dispel the poison and somehow, the other witch didn’t seem to want to let go. At the very least, she was still holding onto the vine with a death grip.
Beldia was staring blankly but panicking inside. Not only had she missed the opportunity to start the conversation, she had also picked a poisonous plant to turn into a pretty flower and was now turning red in front of Jadvyga. In short, she was showing off just what kind of idiot she was. That was to say, there would be no confession happening today.
Jadvyga finally managed to pry Beldia’s fingers off the plant, looking her hand over with worry. "This looks nasty. You shouldn’t have touched that without gloves." She let go of her hand and took off her gloves, rubbing her forehead. "I don’t have a potion here to deal with that but it should be tended to as soon as possible. My final exam starts in a couple of minutes so I’m afraid I won’t be able to take care of it. Do you know the way to the infirmary?"
Beldia immediately nodded, not wanting to seem like more of an idiot even though she had no idea where it was.
"Are you sure?" Jadvyga’s gaze was a little doubtful. She glanced toward the sky, wondering if she would be able to bring Beldia over, get back here to gather the last ingredients, and then make it in time for her exam. Unfortunately, she didn’t think so.
Beldia nodded again, putting even more fervor into the gesture. She wasn’t an idiot! She’d swear that on her mother’s name! It was just that … she always got nervous around Jadvyga, especially when she thought of confessing, and even more so after the first attempts had failed so spectacularly. That was why … things tended to get out of hand.
Jadvyga felt relieved when Beldia seemed so sure. "Alright, then you should go over immediately. Don’t leave this for too long or it will only get worse."
Beldia nodded for the third time and then mechanically turned back to the staircase.
"Ah, wait! Your book!" Jadvyga crouched down to pick up the book, her gaze brushing over the title before she handed it over.
"Oh. Thank … you." Beldia hurriedly pressed it up against her chest, inclined her head, and then walked down the staircase one step at a time, her head lowered. The book had probably fallen down when Jadvyga was trying to pull her back. She hadn’t even noticed. Thankfully, it hadn’t opened up or who knows what she would have seen? Well, not that it would matter. Things had gone wrong already anyway.
Ah, she had prepared for so long, mapping out the territory, writing several confessions, finally memorizing the one that she had figured expressed her feelings while not being overly wordy so that she could mess things up. And then, she had almost managed to carry out her plan until she got cold feet and everything derailed from there. If Jadvyga hadn’t thought she was an idiot already, then she would do so now. She had really lost her last chance.
Reaching the foot of the staircase, Beldia stopped in her steps and reached up, rubbing her face. Great, just great! Now, it really was over. She shouldn’t even have tried anymore when she realized that things had gone off track again. Now, the worst scenario had happened.
Well, she couldn’t change it anymore. It was already over and done. She could only decide how to go forward. Which, well, there wasn’t that much to decide either. The graduation ceremony would be next week and she didn’t think she’d have the courage to try again until then. So that chapter was closed now. Actually, she wanted to go back to her dorm room, grab her luggage, and then leave without waiting for the ceremony.
She sighed, and then left the garden at least, making her way back to her dorm. Ah, today had been supposed to be such a beautiful day, and now this! She’d need some time to get over this disaster.
While Beldia left, Jadvyga hurriedly gathered the last ingredients she would need for her exam, storing them away in her material bag before she turned to leave as well. Just when she wanted to take the first step, she noticed something on the ground and bent down to pick it up.
It was only a small piece of paper, like the kind that some of the first-year students would use to try and cheat on their exams before they found out that there was always a spell on the room whenever they were writing one.
She almost wanted to laugh that somebody had even managed to lose theirs when she realized that the words written on it were definitely not some kind of recipe for a potion or even a spell in case somebody from another branch of the Arcademy had come here to study.
"A beautiful flower of a beautiful lady? What’s this? Some kind of love confession?" Unfortunately, there was no name mentioned so she had no idea who this was about. Or, well, she couldn’t be completely sure but she did have a hot guess.
Jadvyga looked to the entrance and then folded the piece of paper up, putting it into the pocket of her dress. When it came to confessions that never made it to the final stage, there was only one person she could think of.
Unfortunately, it was time for her exam now so she couldn’t go and ask about it but Beldia had said that she intended to leave next week when everything else was over so she didn’t need to hurry. There would still be enough time after her exam.
Thinking of that, Jadvyga left the garden, going over to the hall where her exam was going to be held. Anyway, she wasn’t worried about this. When it came to potion-making, she had never had a problem with it. The exam wouldn’t be that much more difficult than whatever she had been doing in the last few years at the Arcademy.
