Taylor & Ryan {2}

2. Ryan
Around five miles from Taylor's home a boy about the age of seventeen rolled over a few times as an obnoxious alarm clock blared. The neon numbers read 8: 03. He made an unreconizable noise, flicked his wrist, and silenced the alarm clock on his nightstand. He groaned a little before running two of his perfectly manicured fingers throughout his unsightly deep red hair. His hair was always unruly so he kept it in a short crop most of the time.
Every cell in his body screamed for him to stay in bed till at least ten, but the maids would be in shortly to tidy up. He betrayed them as he threw back the luxuriously soft bedspread, revealing his clearly defined bare torso. The teen fiddled aimlessly around his room for the matching shirt to his emerald pajamas.
He loved emerald. Some childhood memory that was too small for him to remember, explained the fascination. He almost tripped over something long and slender laying across the floor. He swore under his breath as his foot rolled over it, knocking him dangerously off balence.
He grabbed the object and was quickly grateful that he hadn't broken it. They were expensive, even for his family. He placed the object on his nightstand before continuing his search for his pajamas. He spotted it neatly draped over one of his plush chairs. Linsey had been here.
He quietly buttoned the silk shirt with a yawn, before he heard a knock at his door.
" Enter." he said gruffly.
" Good morning your highness! Did you have a great night's sleep?" a woman in her late twenties sporting a maid's uniform said after entering with a teethy smile. He hated the way she could be so cheerful all the time. Then he figured that it was probably a job requirement.
" Good morning, Linsey." he answered polietly. He always tried hard to treat the maids and other help with respesct. They were people, not slaves.
" I see you are wearing the emerald again. Make sure to send them down to laundry dear." Linsey noted in her motherly voice. She quickly began stripping down the bed expertly and replacing the sheets.
" Egyptian Cotton today, Ryan." she said absentmindedly while she worked. He nodded.
" What time is breakfast today?" Ryan asked moving to one of the chairs around his bed to give her a little more room.
" Jaque' was asked to prepare dishes for you to eat here. The Banquet Hall is still closed." she answered fluffing the pillows. How could I forget. Ryan thought. Today was his father's 47th birthday. The designers weren't finished placing things in order yet for tonight's ball.
" You should get dressed. Your fencing lesson is at nine." Linsey added with a knowing glance before leaving.
***
A prince was expected to master the art of Fencing.  What he wouldn't give to pick up a football instead. Having a rude instructor never helped anything either. 'Gramps' was his well earned nickname that his first cousin,  Will, had given him on their first lesson when they were ten. He had wrinkles and liverspots blemishing his round head. He also had the sour attitude of an old man. No one really knew how old he really was. No one was dumb enough to ask either.
" Hey Ryan." another boy a few years older than him called after closing the door to the studio. He quietly placed his helmet on the bench beside his best friend.
" How's it going, Will?" Ryan asked casually glancing up from his half tied shoelaces.
" It will be going a lot better once I beat you." Will replied cockily.
" You haven't won a match against me in three years." Ryan reminded him and gave a smirk as his face fell.
" We'll see." Will said with a little less confidence this time. Every since he met Janine, his focus on fencing took a backseat.
A door slammed a few minutes later jerking them out of their conversation. A small man marched angerly into the room tapping his toe.
" I haven't got all day. Take your stances!" he yelled.
" Good morning, to you too." Will said under his breath.
This week's lesson covered blocking your opponent's sword from behind. Gramps rambled on and on as usual about how lousy their form was, but did nothing to correct it. Instead he yelled at Will everytime his thrusts were a degree off. Even though Ryan preformed flawlessly, Gramps picked at his techniqe as well. After an hour of patronizing from a distance, he finally was satisfied.
" That's enough for today. See you next week. Dissmissed!" Gramps yelled two inches from Ryan's earlobe.
" That guy really needs to lighten up sometime. Or at least learn to whisper." Ryan said heading over to the bench to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
" I know, right? Maybe ol' Gramps will croak before next week's lesson." Will suggested with a laugh.
" Let's hope so. His voice gives me a headache." Ryan answered taking a swig of his water bottle.
" I gotta go. See ya Ryan." Will said after taking a glance at the clock face on the wall.
" Janine?" Ryan asked shaking his head slightly.
" Yup. See you at the party." he called before racing out the door.
Janine was one of the head maids at the palace. Will had fell for her while she was assigned to clean his  quarters. After they started dating, she was quickly reassigned to the kitchens. Since Will is a member of the Royal Family, he has access to the kitchens as long as they are open. So usually, he just sits near one of the counters while they make googley eyes at each other all day. She was okay, but a little too prissy for his type. Then again, he had never had a girlfriend so how could he possibly have a type?
He gave a sigh before packing up his things and heading back over to his common room. Might as well practice a few spells before the party.
His room was surprisingly empty. At most times, at least one of the maids was at his beck and call. I guess they were running way behind schedule with the party plans. Glancing over at his alarm clock, there were only three more hours till it started. He took a shower, got dressed in one of his uncomfortable royal ensembles, and then picked up the long slender object that had nearly killed him this morning. He crossed the room to his massive bookshelf and pulled out one of the thicker volumes titled: Basic Spells for the Young Wizard: Level D. He flipped a few pages before spotting his bookmark.
Spell number 345: Movealus Totalus
Movealus Totalus is a common household spell used to move objects around. This spell usually works on any object twenty-five pounds and under. Movalus Totalus is very similar to the common summoning spell Sumorlia.
Using Movealus Totalus: First, point your wand firmly at the object you wish to move. Then, simply say the incantation 'movelaus totalus'. Make sure you have a confident voice and proper wrist motion as dicussed on page 26.
" Sounds easy enough." Ryan said after placing the book on his desktop. He scanned his room for a while trying to find a suitable chair. He paused for a moment, waiting for the familar warmth to course through his fingertips. Once he was satisfied, he pointed the wand at the chair.
"Movealus Totalus!" he said confidently. A red light issued from his wand and beamed at the chair. Within seconds, the light connected his wand to the chair, giving him complete control of where it went. He wasn't surprised that he was able to do it on the first try.
Once a wizard had completed the first three levels of training, Level D was a breeze. He had finished levels A and B within two years, a new record. No one is allowed to help a wizard-in-training while they are on the first two levels. It was challenging and all, but he was a suprisingly fast learner. Now that he was a Level D, Will sometimes would help him with the more complex charms. He flipped the page to the next spell.
Spell number 346: Operato
Operato is a spell used to turn any device on or off on demand. This spell works from up to nine meters away from the said device.If the object is on it will turn off and vice versa. Wrist motion number 3 is required to perform Operato properly as discussed on page 23.
Using Operato: First, focus on the object that you wish to turn on or off. While using wrist motion number 3,  simply say 'Operato'.
Ryan pointed his wand at his television screen. If it broke, then it wouldn't matter much to him, he hated all the television shows anyway and almost never used it. He gave a funny flick of his wrist.
" Operato."
A slender beam of light hit the television set, then Ryan saw the boring local news anchor on the large screen. This local news station always had the most minor stories.
" At around 3:50 am this morning, a young girl at the age of seventeen was brought up on assault charges after slapping her stepmother in the face several times. St. Halen Hospital has not released the name of the girl or her family's last name for confidentiality reasons. They have however, released this video from one of the waiting rooms." The television then cut to a poorly lit room where a girl with long ebony hair was being held back by a man in a orange shirt. She was kicking and struggling against the man yelling and screaming at a woman who looked really scared.
Ryan couldn't help that he noticed the beauty in her features. She was very petite and had a muscularly devoloped body like she did sports or something. As the zoom kicked in on the camara, he saw her deep emerald eyes. Ryan chuckeled once he heard the girl scream that someone should kick the woman's ass. He wondered what the woman did to get on the girl's bad side. The television cut back to the anchor.
" More on this story at nine." Ryan didn't waste any time and quickly turned off the television. She was really beautiful he thought, with the most radiant eyes. Emerald eyes.