The Bodyguard at a Mystweaver's Academy! [Peregrine x Shiz]

[Aero Blue]

Be strong, always... but above all else, be cautious, be slow, be deliberative, and always be mindful of the danger around you.

The words of the father echoed in Princess Vervea Alabaster's head, as incessant as the mosquito that thirsted for soft flesh. She resented him for that, for how - almost insidiously - he had attempted to subvert the wonder of it all, turn her thirst and yearning for knowledge and the furthering of her abilities into binding, crippling fear. I'm to be a student, not some nameless predator's prey. The words she had repeated to herself again and again - 'I will not let him ruin this for me' - railed against the words of her father, who must have been the dourest of all the world's Kings.

The Academy lay beyond the gate, the grand institution that her father had passed off as the gaping maw and belly of some beast, half-digested vermin within hungering for sustenance. But it was wonderful.

It was the walls and the tall-spires of glass, the reflection of the grounds it oversaw cast upon it, divided into so many kaleidoscope fractals. It was the ivory trimmings that bound each intersection, corner and edge of glass like the spine of so many books. It was the light, particulate Myst shaped and brightened, that emanated from behind the panes even when the day was but young and the sun-and-sky needed no assistance in the matter; yet studious Mystweavers insisted upon brightening the Academy, for practise and the furthering of themselves, the most advanced among them tracing shapes from the bright Myst.

It was wonderful, and yet Princess Vervea could not enjoy it to her fullest, because she was waiting.

For a bodyguard, of all the things in the world!

 

[Peregrine]

The Princess was not left waiting alone at the entrance to the Alabaster Imperial Military Academy for more than a few minutes. At almost precisely the turn of the hour, the air in front of the gate began to distort, before ripping open into a silver rimmed portal.

The portal only remained open for a few seconds, long enough for a tall, dark haired young man to step through the misty portal, turn, and snap out a sharp hand-to-chest salute to the other side of the portal. As though in response, the portal quickly began to shrink, until a moment later nothing but air remained.

The young man turned around, his gaze immediately locking onto Vervea. He was tall and lean, but other than his piercing grey eyes, there was nothing particularly remarkable about his appearance. He approached the young woman, before saluting again. However, this time he held the position, his right hand to his left breast, head bent respectfully.

"Princess Alabaster," he said respectfully. "It's an honor to be at your service."

Despite his polite words, there was something dry about his tone. Something that hinted that he'd been forced into this particular arrangement just as much as the young princess had, and he was not entirely satisfied with the arrangement.

 

[Aero Blue]

"And it's… a pleasure… for you to be at mine."

The air of gentility was a birthright of Vervea's, what with her porcelain-light figure and dark black hair that seemed to shimmer the slightest blue neatly held in prim and proper posture. Her sense of decorum and manner were less impressive, however, and her awkwardly phrased greeting betrayed her wariness and predisposition to annoyance. This young man was just an extension of her father's will, her father's anxieties, likely presented in some perfectly adequate form. At least he seemed innocuous enough - impressive portal notwithstanding - and not likely to do anything embarrassing.

Although that tone of his. Vervea didn't like it, and also was less than aware of the hypocrisy in that.

"Isn't it strange that I should have to wait for my bodyguard." Vervea half-pouted. It was only a few minutes… why am I like this…? "And does my bodyguard have a name?"

 

[Peregrine]

"Your father didn't tell you?" There was honest surprise reflected on the face of Princess Vervea's new bodyguard at this clearly unexpected revelation. She didn't know his name? Didn't know who he was? Didn't know what battlefield he'd been called off of to come babysit her? Somehow, that knowledge was even more humiliating than the assignment.

But he wasn't a professional for no reason. The young man quickly swallowed his surprise, still holding his salute. "Asriel Mallory, my lady. I apologize for keeping you waiting. It won't happen again."

That, at least, had been his fault. There was good reason he never interacted with the more intricate forms of mystech. His very presence was often enough to destabilize them. Unfortunately, the military portal had been the only way to get him from the front lines to school in time for the opening ceremony and rankings test. He'd lost a good ten minutes waiting for the techs to recalibrate the portal after he first entered the room.

 

[Aero Blue]

She accepted the apology with a quick nod, as she inwardly wondered why, in fact, her father had failed to share the name of her protector-to-be. Perhaps he had decided that the bodyguard's name was of no real concern, not in comparison to his primary objective of scaring Vervea into frightened vigilance. Or, perhaps he had decided, likely correctly, that Vervea would have been in no mood at all to care. In truth, she hardly cared now.

Vervea forgot herself, beckoning crudely at the young man to drop his salute, "Apology accepted then. Let's be off, Asriel; I can hardly wait."

Some terrible blend of contempt, apathy and sarcasm informed her tone, but she meant those word. She was excited, and her first few steps toward the Academy were more like galloping. Past the gates, the expanse to the left and right of them revealing gardens with flowers of prismatic hues, and fountains powered by Myst that stopped and started, spouts of water producing a new shape - a steed, a star, a Mystweaver - each iteration. Aspiring Mystweavers, new students and otherwise, gazed at them from the in-between paths, some of them quick to recognize the scion of royalty.

"Could you find us a place to wait, Asriel? Without much fanfare, maybe."

 

[Peregrine]

Asriel set off at a quick jog, easily matching his stride to Vervea's quick steps. He followed along about a foot behind her left shoulder, maintaining a respectable distance, but not getting so far away that he couldn't suddenly step in front of her if some emergency happened.

Asriel might not be happy with his assignment, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to take his duty seriously. All the same, his thoughts as he watched the students gather around the fountain were unexpectedly in line with Vervea's, though he had no way of knowing it.

Wasn't the king being far too paranoid? This was the first military academy, managed directly by the Alabaster Empire. The students here were the children of loyal soldiers and generals, people prepared to devote their lives to fighting for this country's benefit. Who here would attack the beloved youngest daughter of their emperor?

Asriel did his best to ignore the gazes that were trained on him as he walked behind the Princess. He'd expected this, he reminded himself. He was always under the scrutiny of countless eyes on the front lines, gazes filled with respect and curiosity. Well, these students certainly didn't look at him with respect, but the curiosity was still there.

Were any of these people really a threat to anyone?

Vervea's words caused him to pause, and his head dipped once in response, somewhere between a nod and a bow. "I'll go find us seats," he agreed, before turning away to make his way towards the auditorium. However, before he fully left the princess' side, he lifted one hand to rub at the center of his forehead. The faintest trickle of light slipped out from between his fingers, as myst gathered in his other hand. In a second it gathered itself into an intricate pattern, more reminiscent of a knot than a rune.

The light vanished an instant later, and Asriel casually dropped his hand. The other hand flicked towards Vervea, sending the intricate rune through the air. It flew gently, before lightly attaching itself to the back of her clothes. A second later, and it sunk into the fabric of her uniform, vanishing from sight.

If Asriel was going to be leaving her side, something he guessed was going to happen frequently if the princess had her way, he was going to be leaving behind some form of insurance to make sure she wouldn't be in any risk should something unexpected happen.

Nodding once to himself, Asriel continued towards the auditorium.

Even if he hadn't been briefed on the layout of Alabaster Imperial Military Academy before taking the assignment, it wouldn't have taken Asriel much work to guess where the auditorium was. There was a steady stream of students making their way towards the building, gathering into groups outside the front doors to exchange introductions with their new classmates or greet friends from last year, and percolating into the mass of seats that filled the auditorium.

Asriel walked up towards the front of the auditorium without hesitation, laying claim to two seats on the edge of the front row for them.

 

[Aero Blue]

And so Vervea waited as her protector trailed the throng of students snaking their way through the garden paths and the stony expanse that lay before the auditorium doors. She looked around and, careful to avoid any undue prolonged eye contact, scanned the grounds. Stragglers lounged about without any particular sense of urgency, some of them still casting sideward glances, if not outright stares, towards her. Which she was used to, which she expected, and which - certainly - lent no credence to anything her father said about danger or anything along those lines.

Damn him.

One of them approached, a tall lanky fellow with wild - and not in the scandalously attractive sense - burgundy hair, messy and frazzled from static and friction. There was something wholesome about his features - his wide brown eyes, the layer of baby-fat about his cheeks, the nervous, sheepish grin he wore upon his face as he waved towards her. Vervea offered a slight wave back. One was just fine, and infinitely better than some preening horde.

"Princess!" He spoke with the tone of an every-person, sounding distinctly unlearned, "It's such an honor, miss, to meetcha! I just had to, you know, make my presence known; my father always spoke highly of your father, and so I wanted to just…"

Vervea stood stockstill in silence as the boy grasped at her hands like some proper gentleman, and then proceeded to assault them with a veritable hail of peckish kisses.

Bodyguard? Bodyguard...?

 

[Peregrine]

Everyone around the fountain quickly noticed Princess Vervea's predicament, and a faint buzz began to fill the air. Some of the students had their gazed turned towards the young man, eyes full of ridicule. Even a glance was enough for them to tell that this young man came from an entirely mediocre family, and he was likely only admitted to the academy because one of his family members had some meritorious achievement on the battlefield.

Others were focused on Vervea, watchign the faint traces of discomfort that flashed across her face. To them, this was an opportunity, although whether they were hoping to get into the princess' good graces, or follow after the trend set by the burgundy-haired young man to take advantage of the princess, there was no telling.

Fortunately, before either of these people could act, someone stepped in.

A handsome young man with purple-black hair suddenly appeared by Vervea's side, and with a quick movement he reached out, somehow detaching the other boy from Vervea without ever actually touching her. Although there was a smile on his face, his green eyes were firm and unforgiving as he studied the other boy.

"I'm sure you meant no harm," he said firmly, voice a melodic tenor. "But you are being rude to the Princess. Please apologize and be on your way. The opening ceremony is starting soon."

 

[Aero Blue]

Vervea blinked, and suddenly she was free of the boy and his disregard for personal space. She felt the shadow of another person emerge in her periphery, and the boy transported; some feat of time and space performed in what seemed a mere instance that she could not have possibly understood. A calming lilt emerged from beside her, immediately followed by the nervous stammering of burgundy-hair.

"Oh… oh yeah, a thousand apologies! I'm… I'm stupid!" Strands of the boy's unruly hair brushed against the grounds as he kowtowed and repeatedly lifted and lowered his head in an attempt at atonement, "I'm sorry Princess Vervea, it won't happen again!"

The Princess had regained composure enough to find humor in the boy running hurriedly away, arms flapping like wings in the wind, and tripping over his own feet, lanky legs knotting together as he fell face-first into the ground. Turning away from the comedic horror of the sight, she faced her savior, noting his good looks and the strength of presence he held about him.

"Thank you for that." She looked back towards the auditorium, for any sign of her bodyguard, before deciding on a better alternative, "Could you help escort me to the ceremony…?"

She trailed off, waiting for a name.

 

[Peregrine]

"It would be my pleasure," he replied, offering a military salute which was softened slightly by the smile that danced across his lips. He relaxed a moment later, and continued to speak, stepping up next to Vervea to lead them towards the auditorium. "I'm Filan Kastrid, second year in the Strategic Leadership class, and also the Student Council President."

"I hope you won't make too much of a judgement of the school based on that particular interaction." Filan gestured vaguely over his shoulder towards the fountain. "Most of the students here are part of noble families and have had some training in noble etiquette, so people like... that... are quite rare. I'm certain I'm not the only one who wants your time here to be safe and comfortable, princess."

 

[Aero Blue]

"No judgment at all, Filan." Vervea sounded entirely unconvinced, even as she resolved herself to believe those words - some part of her felt that finding any part of what surrounded her disagreeable would be conceding defeat to her father. "He was just stupid, according to him. I'm sure some people find that charming - maybe even me."

Strategic Leadership. Student Council President. Even amongst nobles, this one was groomed - well, for the record - to lead. She walked in silence, nearing the auditorium.

"Anything exciting I should expect for the opening festivities?"

 

[Peregrine]

Filan smiled, but the motion didn't quite reach his eyes. "Charming? Doubtful. It was simple ignorance, but still not a mistake he should have ever made in the first place. Not at this school."

Shaking his head slightly, Filan surveyed the crowd of people that were slowly filing into the entrance of the auditorium. It was almost painfully obvious what he was looking at. All of the students had a faint air of nobility around them. They walked with near-perfect posture, their clothes neatly pressed, shoes polished and hair carefully groomed. There was a strict admittance policy to the Alabaster Imperial Military Academy, which only the best of the best got through.

Or, at least, which only the best of the best were supposed to get through.

The Student Council President's thoughts were disrupted by the sound of Vervea's voice, and he turned to look at her again, the gentle smile back on his lips. "Nothing unexpected. After the assembly, everyone will need to go to the testing grounds, to complete this year's first ranking test. Make sure you don't miss it. It would be quite catastrophic to receive an evaluation of zero at the start of the year."

The two came to a halt at the edge of the crowd around the assembly hall's doors. Filan studied, brow lifted slightly. "I need to head through a different entrance, for the address. However, I have time to help you find a seat first, if you would like..."

A voice suddenly spoke up from the side of the two, as a dark-haired man seemed to appear in front of them. "That shouldn't be necessary, unless the Princess wishes for the pleasure of your company."

---

Shortly after Asriel chose two seats for himself and the princess, he realized a small problem. To ensure they were able to use these seats, he needed to remain here. As a bodyguard, he should not stray from the princess' side in a crowd like this. With a small sigh of frustration, Asriel sunk into the chair.

This bodyguard business was already proving obnoxious, and he had barely been on it for 10 minutes. He had just about reached a decision to remain here until she got closer, and then escort her through the crowd, when he suddenly felt the spell he'd left on Vervea reacting to someone touching her. He was on his feet a second later, making his way towards the door against the flow of people, when he suddenly felt the contact vanish as quickly as it had come.

Asriel paused, a frown marring his brow.

Eventually, his gaze turned back to the seats. Follow orders.

However, when he felt Vervea getting close, he moved away from the seats, once again lifting a hand to casually rub a palm across the spot between his eyes. A trace of myst sunk into the seats as Asriel moved away, slipping through gaps in the crowd towards the front door.

He quickly emerged from the crowd, his eyes immediately turning towards the princess. However, he tensed when he saw someone by her side. He didn't relax even after he moved closer, eyes narrowed to study this would-be escort, before casually interrupting their conversation.

His gaze turned to Vervea a second later. "I've saved us seats, Princess."

 

[Aero Blue]

"Thank you, Filan." Vervea offered her sweetest smile, and there was a genuine humor that reached her eyes, for her bodyguard's narrow-eyed intensity truly tickled her given the circumstances, "I shouldn't keep you. I'm looking forward to the address, good luck."

For Asriel, a wordless nod, as she allowed herself to be led into the auditorium. Tricks of light in the shape of sprites danced across plains of glass window, shining gracefully down upon the students. Some spoke amongst one another, some remained stockstill to stare at the empty stage with a paralytic anxiety, while others turned to take the measure of the newcomers still trickling in. Princess Vervea drew more than one set of a lingering eyes - amongst them was Burgundy-Hair from earlier, who blushed crimson in shame as her eyes met his in return.

By the time she had reached her seat, inspiration struck.

"Asriel, I should probably tell you - my honor was assaulted earlier during your absence." She motioned towards Burgundy, enough that he felt compelled to offer a meek little wave in response, "That one. That's the scoundrel responsible. Perhaps afterwards you could… restore my lost honor?"

Inwardly, she giggled, which made up for some of the more negative thoughts of the day. Why not leverage her father's dogs for some measure of amusement?

 

[Peregrine]

Asriel guarded, such as it was, Vervea's back as they walked through the crowd to the two unclaimed seats at the edge of the front row. He couldn't imagine what threats could really be waiting in this school to make Vervea's father anxious enough to send him here. Asriel was already starting to miss the battlefield.

Asriel's eyes continued to roam restlessly as he and Vervea seated themselves, keeping an eye out for anything unexpected. As much as he doubted anything was going to happen, he knew how to maintain his vigilance over long hours. It was an essential skill on the battlefield.

However, as Vervea started to speak, his grey eyes turned to her, seeming to almost scrutinize her face. "Is that so, princess?" he asked, voice sounding worried, almost affronted. However, as he continued to speak, a smirk spread across his face and his tone began to drift closer to amusement than concern. "I never thought a few misplaced kisses to the hand would have caused such a stain to your honor. I don't know what you're going to do when you get onto the battlefield and people start trying to kill you. How shall I make this offender pay for his grievous insult to your person?"

 

[Aero Blue]

Vervea's inward giggles turned to barely repressed seething, the tinge of red brought to her pale cheeks from the bodyguard's reaction. Some part of her wanted to commence a scene, bringing the full voice of her nobility to bear for the sole purpose of chastising Asriel, her father's smug… POODLE. But then, she was well-versed enough in the ways of decorum to know that, although more than a few would jump to her defense in the moment, that such behavior reflected poorly on her. Her bloodline. Her father.

That didn't stop her from rather weakly mumbling her retort, "The battlefield… Asriel… is an entirely different matter. This, this is a place of nobility and good behavior. I want you to… humiliate him as he's humiliated me…"

She trailed off, the prospect of her petty manipulations having lost their luster entirely, "Nevermind, Asriel. Just, nevermind. How do you even know what happened?"

 

[Peregrine]

"Humiliate him as he humiliated you?" Asriel repeated, brows flying up in amusement. "You want me to repeatedly kiss his hand until someone pulls me off?" As he finished his question, Asriel couldn't help the faint burst of laughter that came from his lips, but he stifled it a moment later as Vervea seemed to give up on her plot altogether.

"I wouldn't be much of a bodyguard if I couldn't make sure you were safe, even if you sent me away," Asriel replied, smiling slightly. "Now would I?"

However, a moment later his gaze turned up towards the stage. "However, it appears we're out of time for idle conversation, unless you plan to talk through the speeches."

As though his words were some sort of trigger, the lights in the auditorium flashed, before directing towards the stage at the front of the room. A moment later, and a swirl of purple light appeared on the stage. When it dropped away, it revealed a middle aged man with close-cut grey hair, dressed in the formal military outfit of the Alabaster Empire, the mystcore in the center of his forehead still glowing faintly from his use of magic. A moment later, and a burst of applause sounded throughout the auditorium.

And, with that flashy entrance, the welcome assembly for the new school year began. Asriel sat in his chair, straight backed and glassy-eyed, through the speeches of the school president, General Garias, the heads of the major military and technological classes, the student council president Asriel and Vervea met earlier, and finally the president again, to wrap everything up.

Even the bursts of magic that scattered the speeches, awing most of the rest of the audience, couldn't really capture his attention. All of the speeches focused on duty and honor, responsibility to the country, courage and glory on the battlefields to come.

All he could think was how pretty the words were, to paint over a never ending bloody battle for survival.

 

[Aero Blue]

Vervea had not, as it happened, planned on speaking through the speeches -- her sense of royal entitlement had never quite extended that far. On the contrary, she found herself mostly enraptured by the oratory flare that a faculty as established as the Imperial Academy could bring to bear. Flash and lights that gave way to some of the finest - Filan, for instance - amongst the institution, words of duty and nation and loyalty punctuated by Mystwoven showmanship.

She was familiar with speeches. Her father had given plenty, as had other nobles who - whether espousing or protesting - inevitably based their rhetoric around the whims and decisions of the King. This was different, something she felt she could become truly a part of. It made her even forget her petty tension with Asriel.

"That was... so inspiring. Beautiful, wasn't it? " She looked pointedly at her bodyguard, doubtlessly expecting eager concurrence.

 

[Peregrine]

Shortly after the speeches were over, the student body began to move, streaming back out the doors in a slow-moving crowd. The upperclassmen led the way, heading away from the assembly hall towards one of the many fields around the academy, where various testing blocks had been set up. The freshmen moved somewhat slower, uncertainty written across their expressions, but the steady movement of the crowd at least made it easier to follow.

Asriel wasn't in any hurry to stand up. While the front-row seats had been the best location to view the speeches, something Vervea had doubtless appreciated, and one of the more defensible ones since they were further from the door, it did mean that there was a massive crowd now between them and the exits. Unless Vervea insisted on moving, Asriel would wait until a majority of the people had cleared out before heading for the doors as well.

"Inspiring..." Asriel repeated, his words sounding more like ridicule than agreement. "Pretty words designed to cover up a filthy reality."

He wasn't angry at the deception. The country romanticized war, it had to. The country's very survival depended upon powerful, willing soldiers stepping up to fight whenever the previous one fell. But he didn't have to like it, either. Perhaps that's why his words came out so dry.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, though."

As much as he meant the words as a peace offering, it wouldn't be hard for Vervea to interpret them as further mocking.