The Academy: to Zesab, my teacher

She needed to escape from the boiling water of Solira. There were still lingering black marks on her skin from where the elemental Fire had burned her. Despite her stronger element she had still been burned, still remembered the smell of her own flesh burning. She tossed her head, shying sideways as the sudden smell of it caught her off guard. She galloped from the sands, dirt flying behind her and she strode for the Academy grounds. It was a place she had yet to venture and knew she must. It was her chosen path after all. She tossed her head, erasing the sights and sounds of the ruined ocean from her mind. She could not think of it now. Later, perhaps, after she had healed, but not now. Not while the smell of the fire still lingered within her nose.

She wasn't sure when she realized that the ground had shifted from loose flying sand to hard packed earth. Leaves littered the ground as summer gave way to autumn, most lingering upon their trees as the chlorophyll within dried up and they turned their natural colors. She smiled slightly, able to forget the boiling ocean and burnt sands in favor of the brightly colored leaves. She felt different, her innocence still there but tainted. But she continued to smile, ever so slightly, as she moved deeper within the Academy grounds. She stopped and stared at the ruins, amazed at their beauty and how they seemed to speak volumes to her. She understood why her father had chosen peace over war and stealth. This was a different kind of power.

She laughed softly, prancing down the small incline to linger amongst the weathered rocks and broken stones, her eyes alight with wonder. She stopped, gazed up into the half ceiling and finally turned when she realized that she was not alone. She took in the stranger curiously, wondering about who it was before she felt that pulling again, telling her to trust. So she gave herself over and managed a friendly smile, the thoughts of Solira far from her mind. "Hi. I'm Ariel. I'm supposed to be looking for my teacher. Is that you?" She said, her voice cheerful and happy, almost to the point of a calm bubbly. She turned her body around to completely face Zesab and waited to see what was said.

A R I E L

GLD. Saphira x OC. Marshall

Water III