Chapter two: Jack

Chapter Two: Jack

Dear Journal,

I’m Jack Crystal; I’m pretty tall, I have short, dark brown hair, and gray eyes as well as a nicely toned body—my father wouldn’t have it any other way. I had aspirations to maybe join the army and bring honor to the family name. I was all set to join, in fact earlier this week—six days ago to be exact—I had received a letter informing me of the day I needed to report in. But three days ago Hantro, considered as one of the most powerful mages of all time, visited my home. He said that I had a powerful aura, and wanted me to come to his home and be apprenticed to him, to learn magic.

My parents tried to tell him that I was human, through and through, but he kept saying that I had one of the strongest auras he had ever seen, and it would be a shame to not put it to good use. Also it could cause problems later if I didn’t learn how to properly control it. My parents and I both agreed that there was nothing else to do. Hantro said that he would take care of the human army, and that everything would be settled. Hantro said that there would be a few other students there. I am to leave tomorrow before dawn, getting at his house late into the night. I’ve been packing anxiously. Everything’s ready, I’ve just got to say farewell to the only person I will miss in this city—aside from my parents that is.
Jack{/}

* * *

“Ah, Lord Crystal, welcome to my home, I regret to inform you that Mistress Simone is not home, but we expect her at any moment,” Duchess Simone said, with a barely hidden agitation.

“Is it all right if I wait for her?” Jack asked.

“Of course,” Duchess Simone responded, showing Jack into her expansive white marble entrance hall to the plush parlor to the right. Jack sat on the blue overstuffed couch uncomfortably, which is unusual as he had never been uncomfortable in that house before. Duchess Simone moved to sit across from him in her cushioned rocking chair, but she jumped immediately as she heard the door open from the entrance hall. “Excuse me.” She quickly exited the room, leaving the door a crack open.

“Kita!” Jack heard Duchess Simone cry.

“Hello mother,” Jack heard Kita’s timid voice respond.

“Is that her?” That deep bass was Kita’s father, and this was the angriest Jack had ever heard him. “Kita what’s this I hear of you intervening between Mistress Justic and the orphan she was having whipped?”

“She would’ve died!” Kita’s voice was raised in injury.

“So? That is no concern of yours. The orphan deserved it.”

“How do you know? What if Mistress Justic was simply lashing out at whatever was convenient?”

“Kita, why does it matter?” Duchess Simone implored.

“She’s my friend.” This statement was very quiet.

“Yes Mistress Justic is one of our friends, that’s why you should not offend her so!” Duke Simone thundered.

“No father, Mistress Justic is no friend of mine, the girl she was having whipped, the girl she nearly had killed, is my friend.”

There was a silence after this bold statement, a silence that had more effect than any shout.

“Jack Crystal is in the evening parlor, and requests an audience with you,” Duchess Simone said in a barely audible voice.

Jack relaxed against the couch once more, pretending that he hadn’t heard the conversation, but when Kita arrived and their eyes met, she knew that he had heard. She sat down in the rocking chair.

“Oh Jack, what am I to do?” she sobbed.

“Ah, why must you do something?” Jack inquired as delicately as possible.

“Jack, please, do not insult your own intelligence by saying stupid things. I must obviously do something because my parents aren’t just going to take that my best friend is an orphan!”

“Well this is the first that I’ve heard of this,” Jack said, hoping to lead her away from tears.

Kita shrugged, pulling out her handkerchief. “Well I kept it a secret from everyone because I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Instead of pointing out that she was insulting her own intelligence with such a statement, Jack instead attempted to get the story from her. “Why are you ashamed of her?”

“I’m not ashamed of her! She is one of the most resourceful, respectable, proudest, and best people that I know.”

“So why don’t you want anyone to know that she is your friend?”

“Jack, have you suddenly gone dense or something? She’s an orphan! Mother and father wouldn’t approve.”

“No, I haven’t gone dense. Kita, listen to yourself. ‘Mother and father wouldn’t approve.’ You are seventeen years old; in three years you will be legally considered an adult. It’s time you started acting like one. Your parents don’t choose your friends for you Kita.”

“I’m not an adult yet. So I still have to abide by what they say.”

“Not necessarily. Kita, you could get an apprenticeship somewhere.”

Kita blinked, and looked at Jack in surprise. “An apprenticeship?”

“Sure! Why not? Go to the Market Square tomorrow and see if you can find a place that will take you in. Then you won’t have to abide by your parent’s rule anymore. If you choose right, then your master won’t mind that you’re friends with an orphan, and anyway, it will be a way for you to learn how to do something useful, which you’ve always said that you wanted to do.”

“I know, I know, I see the obvious benefits from this, but my parents . . .”

“Kita, are you going to live under the thumb of your parents the rest of your life? You know what’s going to happen don’t you? They’ll marry you off to some aristocrat who will only talk to you because of your money and title, and you’ll be the next Duchess. Or you could go to Market Square tomorrow and request an apprenticeship, learn a craft, become independent, and move far away from Ith.”

Kita’s lit up at the suggestion. “Do you really think it’s possible, that all that could happen?”

“Are your parent’s wrong about your friend?” Jack inquired, knowing what the answer would be.

“Yes! Jade is worth ten times of them, and I will not sever my relationship with her just on their say-so.” For the first time in the years that Jack had known her, he saw a determination in her green eyes.

“Just keep that in mind then. Tonight when your parents talk to you about it, just nod, and pretend to go along with whatever they’re saying, then tomorrow go to Market Square and arrange your apprenticeship, try to get it started soon, like in a few days, then move out without even telling your parents. Leave them a note or something. Once you decide something Kita, stick to it.”

Kita nodded with resolution. “Thank you Jack.”

“Now, I’m afraid that I did not come for a lengthy visit this evening, I came to tell you that I have an apprenticeship.”

“What? I thought you were going off to join the army?”

“I was going to, until Hantro paid us a visit.”

“Hantro?”

“Indeed, Hantro. He says that I have a strong aura, and he would like to teach me magic.”

“But you’re not a mage.”

“Yes I know, but he is the master, I figure that he knows what he’s talking about. So I am leaving tomorrow at midday.”

“Well then, I guess this is goodbye.”

“I’ll write to you, you will have to tell me everything.” They stood up, and Jack gave her warm hug.

“You will also have to tell me everything,” Kita said, returning the hug. “Jack I’m scared, everything’s happening so quickly.”

“We’re growing up, we knew it was bound to happen someday.”

Suddenly Kita laughed. Upon seeing Jack’s confused expression she said, “You realize that our parents intended us for each other, and now we’re going to be in two separate countries!”

Jack laughed with her. “I guess that dashes their hopes and dreams for our future.”

“I’m not too upset.”

“Neither am I.” I am young and do not need to be thinking of a wife right now. Kita will make a good wife someday, but to someone other than me. I don’t know much about love. I love my parents, and I esteem Kita very highly as a friend, but somehow I think that when I find the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with it will feel quite a bit different.