The Fate of Xon

Dahlia walked into her first class, Mysticism 101, at nine-thirty in the morning two weeks later. She glanced around the room and couldn\'t see any of the people she hung out with. She stood there for a moment, not noticing the dark haired girl come in behind her. When she got a clear view of the girl, she gasped, having seen her in Vision more than once.



She waited until the girl sat down and went to sit with her. She had left earlier than Daniel, though they had all the same classes. She didn\'t know why she had left, but she had the feeling that this was it. She put her book down and smiled at the young girl beside her. "Hello! I\'m Dahlia of the Outskirts."



Aurora, on the other hand, had noticed Dahlia almost immediately. Having already decided not to talk to the girl because she seemed stuck up with her fancy clothing, she was surprised that she had been approached first. She was stunned for a moment, but regained her composure quickly. "Hi. I\'m Aurora of Starlight City. I saw your caravan arrive in town."



Dahlia laughed lightly and sighed. "Let me guess. You thought that because I was dressed in the finest silks with jewels and had a host of servants with me that I was stuck up. Am I right?"



Aurora blushed, but nodded. "Well, yeah. I guess I shouldn\'t judge a book by its cover, right?"



"Don\'t worry. I get it alot. I actually hate the servants and all the attention, but they deem it necessary. I can\'t really say no since their only following the orders that my parents left them." Dahlia smiled even wider when Daniel walked through the door with Gabriel. Apparently, they all had class together. "And there would be my husband."



Aurora turned to the door, noting the tall dark haired guy that Dahlia had been in the caravan with. The only guy had been in the other caravan, but they all seemed to be friends. She remembered having someone point Dahlia\'s husband out earlier as the King of the Desertland and the Outskirts. Remembering this, she turned to Dahlia. "Wait. If he\'s your husband, aren\'t you the Queen of the Outskirts?"



Dahlia blushed slightly, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. "Actually, yes, I am, but I don\'t like to admit it to people I first meet. Most want to treat me differently, and I don\'t really like it. I am just a normal student here. Or at least, that\'s what I\'m hoping for."



Daniel walked over and kissed Dahlia quickly before sitting down. Gabriel nodded to her and sat on the other side of Daniel. Daniel leaned forward to look around Dahlia. "Hello there. I\'m Daniel, King of the Desertland and, judging from the end of your conversation, you know that I\'m also King of the Outskirts. Who might you be, little miss?"



Aurora laughed slightly at his calling her \'little miss\', but shook her head. "I\'m Aurora of Starlight City."



"It\'s a pleasure, Aurora." Daniel took in Gabriel, saying little as usual, and turned back to Aurora. "This gloomy guy over here is Gabriel of the Island of Dreams." About that time the Tigers walked in, one tall and one short. He laughed and gestured for them to come over. "Those two are Prince Brendan and Princess Sarah of the Court of the Tigers."



"You talking about me again, Daniel. Can\'t I meet girls on my own?" Brendan came onto the other side of Aurora and sat a seat over, leaving room for Sarah to sit beside the slightly older girl. "I can make my own introductions." He gave a false bow and a cheesy smile. "I am Prince Brendan of the Court of the Tiger."



Sarah shoved him playfully and turned to Aurora. "Ignore my ham of a brother. I\'m Sarah, as Daniel was nice enough to point out. Thank you, Daniel." Daniel nodded with a huge smile on his face as Sarah continued. "We all found each other on the caravan trip down here, but we would love to make new friends. Especially seeing as you\'ve chosen the part of the classroom for the shy kids." She leaned forward. "Don\'t worry. We\'re all shy kids, except Daniel and Brendan. They like to talk."



Daniel tossed a piece of parchment at her and she ducked, laughing slightly. Brendan playfully punched his sister. Aurora didn\'t know why, but she felt safe with these five. They felt almost like the orphans at the school she had went to when she was younger. They felt kind of like a great big family. It felt weird thinking that she had just met this people, but it was interesting.



As class started, the six friends were joking and talking like they had known each other for years instead of moment. The instructor came in and everyone grew quiet. He was an older, balding Priest of about sixty with a mustache and long fingernails. Priest Rahl was of the highest order of Elders, and that frightened Dahlia a little. She moved so that her face was in shadows, using Daniel and Aurora to block the instructor\'s view.



He began to call roll, memorizing every face. He went in alphabetical order by the part of Xon that everyone was from. Of the six friends, Brendan was called first, then Sarah, then Daniel, then Gabriel, and finally, he came to the Outskirts. There were three others in the class from her area, and they all had A names, so she was the fourth called. He called her name, and she made her presence known, but didn\'t move into the light. "Dahlia, is it? Could you move so that I may know your face?"



Dahlia looked at Daniel then sighed, moving out of his shadow. She wasn\'t in the least shocked when the Priest fell to his knees, praying to the Goddess in the ancient tongue of the Mystics. She sighed and just sat there, waiting for the inevitable. When he finally gained his composure and stood, she held her breath as he spoke. "Most High One, I did not know that you would be gracing my classroom with your presence. I am unworthy."



Daniel was the one that spoke up for Dahlia. "Priest Rahl, I hate to tell you this, but you just disobeyed a direct order from the High Seer herself in making it known that she was here. I do not think that Dahlia appreciates this announcement to the largest class in Flagcord College."



Rahl seemed completely shocked at this announcement. "I ... I .... Oh mighty High Seer, forgive me! I didn\'t know what I did." He was on his knees again.



Dahlia sighed, laying her hand lightly on Daniel\'s to quiet him. He may supposed to be her Lord in the Desertland, but Xon law said that the High Seer\'s word was what commanded the nation. She stood, showing her regal nature in an instant, and looked down at Rahl. "You have disobeyed my direct commands, but, seeing as there\'s no way to correct this mistake, just get up and teach. I am in no mood to deal with this right now. If the Goddess wills you to be punished, she will inform me, or bring her wrath down on you herself."



Rahl nodded rapidly and moved, kind of nervously, toward the blackboard. He began to teach the lesson, glancing at Dahlia as she sat down. Every once in a while he would glance up at her, but she ignored him, reading ahead in her book. By the end of the three hour lecture, he had looked at Dahlia four hundred and sixteen times, as Sarah informed her, and Dahlia had memorized the entire book. She could recite the book from cover to cover.



After class, Dahlia turned to her friends, sighing slightly as everyone around them began to talk about her. "Please, guys, I need to get away from all of this. I do not have afternoon classes, but I know that Brendan and Sarah do. How about we all meet at mine and Daniel\'s apartment at seven tonight and go out for some drinks?"



Brendan and Sarah were automatically in. Gabriel took a moment to decide that he was going to come too. Aurora didn\'t say anything. She looked as if she were out of place. Dahlia realized what was wrong and smiled at her. "What about you, Aurora? You\'re coming too, right?"



Aurora looked a little shocked, shaking her head. "I didn\'t think that I was invited."



Daniel laughed and shook his head. "Don\'t be silly, Aurora. You\'ve been adopted into the group. If you want, I can meet you outside the dorms at six-thirty and escort you to our apartment."



Brendan shook his head. "Don\'t even bother, Daniel. It would be out of your way. Sarah is in the same dorm as Aurora, and I\'ll be there picking her up, so we can all walk together. What do you say, Aurora? Come with us."



Aurora looked at all the expectant faces around her, even the gloomy Gabriel, and sighed, nodding slightly. "I would love to. Which floor are you on, Sarah? I\'ll meet you in your room a little early."



Sarah and Aurora walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, chatting about the dorm. Gabriel and Brendan walked behind them, talking about their own dorms and the fact that it was pointless for Gabriel to walk off by himself. Dahlia and Daniel stayed in front of the classroom, about to head back to their apartment.



When they were far enough away from the other four, Daniel spoke. "Is she the one you were talking about, Dahlia? The girl in your visions?"



Dahlia nodded, looking back at her. "I find that there\'s something ... special about her. She\'s important to my life, but I don\'t know how. The Goddess is not giving me anything at all. It\'s ... weird."



Daniel sighed, knowing that it would bother Dahlia until she figured it out. He pulled her into his arms and leaned into her, whispering into her ear. "How about we head to the apartment and use the next six hours to relieve some of your tension?" Dahlia smiled wide and nodded, glad that they would have some private time.