Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Home is Where the Heart is

The nurse, I think her name was Amy, let down her brown curly hair in preparation to clock out and go home for the day and left me alone in the room. She left me some more paperwork needed for admission into The Academy and clothes to change into before I was discharged.

The clothes were so nice, I almost didn't want to touch them. When I asked her how the hospital could ever afford such things, she said it wasn’t the hospital but the owner of the carriage that hit me who left them. That reminded her to fetch an envelope for me that had 100 pounds inside... I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even Aunt Belle, who makes rather good money from the tavern (at least, by the standards of the lower class), never made over 180 pounds in a good year.

I couldn’t help but sweat. Could the carriage owner be someone very important...? I pushed it to the back of my mind, it wasn’t like I could have offended them, and if they were truly someone important, I doubt I would ever have a chance to meet them in the future. Besides, that shouldn’t be my current concern. The most pressing matter is how to inform Aunt Belle of my departure to the Academy overmorrow1.

I sighed and looked over the paperwork I had just completed. It read:

“Name: Noel Hound
Age: 17 (estimate)
Nationality: Revelese
Socioeconomic Level as a child: Lower-middle class
Socioeconomic Level as an adult: N/A
Hometown: Lower East Revelstoke2
Current Residence: Lower East Revelstoke
Occupation: Full-time employee at Fox and Hound tavern
Income: N/A
Talents/Skills: Sweeping, cleaning, customer service, socially adept
Salary: I’m not paid in pounds, instead I get food and a place to sleep.
Siblings: N/A

Parents: N/A
Grandparents: N/A

Physical Characteristics:

Height: 175cm (about 5.74 ft)
Weight: 75kg
Race: Human
Eye Color: Hazelnut brown
Hair Color: Amber brown
Glasses? If so, state prescription: N/A
Skin colour (underline which best describes you):

1. Light: Pale white

  2. White: Fair

  3. Medium: white to olive

  4. Olive: moderate to brown

  5. Brown: dark brown

  6. Black: very dark brown to black

  7. Other, if so, elaborate: _____________________________________________

The shape of the Face: Slightly long and slim
Distinguishing features: My eye teeth have grown overtop of baby teeth, they look slightly like fangs
Health: Good
Disabilities: N/A”

Honestly, it doesn’t say much about me other than my appearance. I don’t know much about The Academy, after all, everyone who studies there is noble, an awakened blessed. It’s not every day someone of my social standing would even get to look at them. I’ve never met nobility before. But even with my limited knowledge, I know that The Academy doesn’t care about the information on the admission forms. They only wish to know what family you’re from. Unfortunately for them, asking me was a waste of their time.

Sighing again, I put on my new, expensive-looking double-breasted frock coat and came out of my room and towards the lobby. After requesting a map from the admin lady, I got an idea of where I was.

The Fox and Hound is in Lower-East Revelstoke, and right now I’m on the western side of Upper-East Revelstoke. The city was large, and it was going to take at least 2 hours to walk all the way home...

As I stepped outside, my brows furrowed while I thought about how I was going to get home. The instant I saw a public carriage, I felt stupid. I had so much money on me! I could just pay for a ride. Normally, I don’t need to go extremely far from the Tavern, so it was just a waste of money that I didn’t have to rent a carriage.

I waved down the next one coming towards me.

“Where to good sir?”

The coachmen’s gruff voice reached my ears.

Getting a closer look at him, his voice matched his face. He had a large, red nose which made it clear that at some point in his life he had a drinking problem. With round, cheery eyes and a thick brown beard going with an equally thick face, he didn’t give off a bad impression. Rather, he looked quite friendly.

Pausing to think for a split second, I realized I wanted to avoid seeing Aunt Belle for a little longer. I knew she would just see through my lies, so I had no choice but to tell her what happened as soon as I saw her.

I smiled and told the driver where I wanted to go.

“To the seaside on the East-Lower side.”

Noticing I wasn’t offering money right away, he quickly picked up on the fact that I didn’t ride public coaches often and I didn’t know the prices.

“I won’t ask what m’lord is headin’ to the Lower-East side for. It’d be about an hour's ride, so I’ll charge ya 5 pence.” He smiled widely, displaying a crooked set of teeth with a few missing.

This price is an obvious rip-off... The regular fee for an hour's ride was certainly not more than 3 pence. I hadn’t taken many carriages in my life, but I certainly wasn’t ignorant. How would those who needed to commute to work ever afford transportation if it was over 2 or 3 pence? He seemed rather fearless, as the way he phrased that sentence could almost be considered a threat. After all, if I was a young master of a noble family, I would never want rumours about me visiting the poor districts circulating. People love to talk, especially to foul mouth others, and I’m sure there would at once be rumours of me having an affair with someone or something even more outrageous. Thankfully, at most, there would be rumours of a mysterious young nobility visiting the poor district. After all, no one knew of any noble with my face.

I couldn’t blame the coachmen. I know how hard it can be to make a living, and I was dressed in the exceedingly expensive clothes and accessories that the carriage owner left for me. I certainly looked more like the young master of a prestigious family than an illiterate tavern cleaner the way I was currently dressed. I also spoke rather well, because Mr. Bruhm, Aunt Belle’s late father, greatly valued education and literacy. Unfortunately, he could only barely read. He taught Aunt Belle what he knew before he passed, but Aunt Belle has been too busy after his death to teach me much. I can only read the most basic of words.

I didn’t comment on his obvious scamming and took 5 pence from my wallet. I could afford it right now after all. Handing him the money, I silently climbed into the open-topped carriage and sat down.

As the horse trotted down the busy afternoon street, the salty smell of the ocean grew stronger.

“Home sweet home. This is the place to find happiness. If one doesn’t find it here, one doesn’t find it anywhere.”3

One of many famous quotes from King Revelstoke IV(4th), the current ruler of the Revel Kingdom.

The smell of rotting seaweed and salt water may not be comforting for everyone, but it certainly is for me. The sea runs along the east, west and north borders of Revel Kingdom. Since the Revel Kingdom is the largest and northernmost nation on the central continent, we naturally have over 1000 kilometres (about 621.37 mi) worth of coastline.

Grasping the ring made from a seashell that was on a thin chain around my neck, I sighed in pleasure. How I loved the sea.

Playing with the ring hanging from my neck, the carriage was fast approaching a small public beach. As the horse pulled up, I secured my half-top hat on my head so the ocean breeze wouldn’t blow it away and thanked the coachmen.

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Getting off, I strolled along the beach for several minutes before finding a large, comfortable looking bolder to sit on.

‘What a day...’

I love the sea. I always have, and I think I always will. I’m rather excited at the prospect of attending The Academy. Unlike in the city, everyone in The Academy will be noble. So, there’s no room for class discrimination or looking down on others. I think the divide between the lower class and the upper class in this kingdom is too strong. Why must everyone hate each other?

Even if my time studying at The Academy will only be 4 years, I can’t wait to escape this suffocating reality for a while. No one likes being looked down on by others, and I’m no exception. I like to think I have a good soul, but I do have to admit that at times I can become rather petty...

Pondering the class divide and why the nobles must hate the poor so much brought me to think about politics. I wasn’t strongly invested in politics, and I couldn’t be even if I wished to. After all, I can’t read. How can I ever keep up with the papers? I only know the basics about what is going on in the kingdom, and hearsay is not always reliable. King Revelstoke IV, the current king is the most pretentious of pretentious nobles, and while he is of royal blood; I think he ought to treat his citizens better. Even those of lower status...

Thankfully, the king cannot make all the important decisions on his own, and he seems to think below himself to make the small decisions personally. The people who keep the king in check are a group called “The People’s Council” consisting of 10 different members from all different social standings and backgrounds. For very important matters to be settled, they cast a vote. To pass a new law or go ahead with the decisions at least 5/10 of the council members must vote yes.

The council changes members every five years. The council consists of two representatives from each district (North Revel, East Revel, South Revel, West Revel, and Central Revel), and the king. I’m not sure how the council members are chosen, but I’m not very interested.

'I wonder what friends I can make in The Academy?'

I can count the number of friends I have on one hand. I’ve been too busy filling out paperwork, and I've also been slightly in shock, but the fact that I’ll be leaving here the day after tomorrow is starting to set in... Although I only have a few friends, I'll certainly miss them.

I sighed and realized the sun was starting to go down. It was getting rather cold. As I stood back up and checked my new pocket watch, I realized it truly was becoming evening already. I started walking and thought to myself about how I should make my way back to the tavern, or Belle would get worried about me.

‘Actually, she probably already is...’

I smiled bitterly. I was surely getting an earful once I got home. She has always been the type to nag...

As I turned around to leave, I suddenly spotted someone sitting not far behind me. They looked rather suspicious... A black cloak, with a large hood, pulled low over their face made their features discernible.

“Mr. Hound”

I froze. A cold sweat plastered my back at once. Who is this weirdo? Since when was I important enough for suspicious-looking people to know my name?

I directed my best glare toward the hidden face under the cloak.

“And you are?

“I don’t wish you harm... Well, that should be something you already realize. We can speak in further detail in the future. But heed my words, there is no such thing as a coincidence.”

‘That should be something I already realize? Is he referring to my blessing? How does he know?’

Multiple thoughts poured in at once, but just as I was about to ask him what he meant, I heard a voice calling me from down the beach.

I couldn’t help but steal a glance at the direction the voice was coming from.

‘Jamie!?’

To my surprise, it was one of my few close friends jogging towards me and waving.

Since he was still a way down the beach, I turned my attention back towards the hooded figure... Only to see no one there.

‘What the fuck?’

Just how many weird events are going to happen today?

I was certainly concerned and confused about what the man had said. At least, I think they were a man. The cloak made it hard to tell, and their voice was rather androgynous.

“Noel! Noelllll!”

Hearing Jamie calling me I turned back around, and he finally caught up with me.

“Huff, huff, haa... Hang on-” I stood silently in remnant confusion over what just happened while Jamie caught his breath.

“Jeez, what the hell! You’re dressed to the nines today; I can barely recognize you!” Jamie grinned, put an arm around my shoulder and started walking.

“Yeah well... A lot happened Jamie. Honestly, I’m still in shock. Did you see where that weird guy went?” I had missed when the cloaked figure had left, but Jamie was facing me the entire time so he should have seen it.

Instead of the answer I was expecting, I got a weird look. “What weird guy? Was someone harassing you earlier?” Jamie’s confused expression turned to concern. In this part of town, it wasn’t odd to be harassed for money, or... Other things.

I shook my head and explained. “No. No one like that. You didn’t see that person in the black cloak?”

Things were just becoming more confusing.

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