Well, I must say I was pretty excited to write this fic and I hope you all enjoy it. This is a pretty ambitious project for me, and it's pretty hard trying to come up with a bunch of OCs, but it's been fun to write! Massive thanks to Laura Scofield for helping inspire all this and come up with some fantastic ideas for all the chapters, as well as beta-ing them for me!

Additional information ~ I know Tayend is probably younger than Dannyl, but for story purposes they're the same age and both in the first year; and "Darlend" is the older novice that Dannyl was accused of having "inappropriate" relations with. Er, I think that's all.

Anyway, don't forget to leave a review – it'll make my day! :D

CHAPTER I

Early morning sunshine filtered in through the thick windows, and Dannyl suppressed another yawn of tiredness. He'd been up late last night occupied with homework, including a particularly difficult Healing assignment which he'd later abandoned for the sake of a few hours rest. Now he was sat in the first class of the day – a chemistry lesson for alchemy taught by Lord Rothen.

Dannyl absent-mindedly glanced around the class at the other novices in his year, his gaze observing a student for a few moments before flicking to another. Sitting in front of him was Karina, a typical Kyralian girl with long dark hair and pale skin, who would be pretty except for the constant sullen expression on her face. On her right was Loreta, an Elyne girl with curly red hair who wasn't paying attention to Lord Rothen at all and was doodling on the corner of her parchment.

On Dannyl's right, just behind Loreta, was a brown-haired Kyralian boy called Kaien. Sitting beside him were two Lonmar boys called Jardon and Zarad, with a Vindo boy called Sano behind them. These four boys were nice enough, but could be very immature and bratty, especially when they were with the person sitting a few rows away.

Dannyl's nose couldn't help but wrinkle with dislike when his eyes fell on the blond-haired boy. Fergun was a snobbish, obnoxious boy who was popular among the other students for reasons unfathomable to Dannyl. To him, Fergun was conceited and cruel, and would bully anyone he deemed inferior to him. Dannyl felt a twinge of dejection – he knew all too well what that felt like.

Dannyl frowned when he noticed an empty seat on his left. Overall they were a class of ten, but someone was missing.

Just as he remembered who was absent, the door suddenly burst open and crashed against the wall, Dannyl flinching a little as the sudden noise snapped him out of his thoughts. A fair-haired novice stood in the doorway, face flushed and panting with exertion as he leaned against the doorframe. He took a deep breath and pushed his hair behind his shoulder, composing himself before stepping forward.

"Sorry I'm late, Lord Rothen," Tayend apologised, flashing a handsome, sheepish smile after he gave a quick bow.

"Take a seat, Tayend" Rothen instructed, a slight crease of annoyance between his brows at Tayend's lateness, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Tayend hovered by the door and scanned the class for a place to sit, but his usual seat was already occupied by Kaien. Dannyl realised with a flicker of alarm that the only free seat was next to him, then scolded himself for his sudden anxiety. So what if Tayend was going to sit next to him? Dannyl didn't really know the boy very well, but he was confident and charming, popular with the rest of the class and especially popular with girls. He didn't really talk to Dannyl, but he didn't seem to be a vindictive person like Fergun, even if he was a bit obnoxious. It wasn't as if Tayend was going to start insulting or annoying him just because he was sitting next to him today… or did it?

Tayend shrugged to himself and strode over to the desk, sitting down with a light sigh as he began to unpack his books and parchment. Dannyl glanced across at Tayend, but his eyes quickly returned to the front when the novice noticed his gaze.

Why do I feel so nervous? Dannyl berated himself, shaking his head. He didn't know what was wrong with him today; little things like this hardly bothered him usually. He forced himself to turn his attention to the blackboard and concentrate Lord Rothen's explanation of the diagram he'd drawn.

"As you can see," Rothen said. "When these two elements combine, they react violently and produce-"

A knock on the door cut across his explanation. Sighing, he called out "Come in" and sent a wave of magic to twist the door handle. An old Healer with greying hair stood in the doorway and took a step into the classroom. "Lord Rothen."

The alchemist gave a frown of mild surprise. "What is it, Lord Eldor?" he asked.

"Sorry to disturb your lesson," Eldor said apologetically. "But something's happened to Dorrien."

"Dorrien?" Rothen said, his eyes widening in alarm.

Lord Eldor strode into the room and up to Rothen, cupping his hand over his mouth as he whispered into the alchemist's ear. Dannyl leaned a little closer in his seat and strained his hearing, curious to know what was going on.

"Dorrien was hanging around with some of the older novices," Eldor explained. "They were practising levitation and Dorrien – rather foolishly – wanted to give it a go."

"Is he alright?"

"Just a few bruises and a fractured wrist," Lord Eldor reassured him. "He and Yilara are already in the Healer's Quarters."

"That foolish boy," Rothen chuckled, shaking his head, his expression more annoyed than concerned now.

"Alright class," he said, turning back to face the curious novices. "Please read and make notes on chapters 5 and 6 of Basic Alchemic Solutions and Properties whilst I'm gone. I'll be back in a few moments."

No sooner had the door closed behind Rothen, Fergun uttered a loud groan of boredom, stretching exaggeratedly as he stood up and sat on the end of his desk. "These lessons are so boring!" Fergun grumbled. "I can't wait to get out of this stuffy classroom and out in the Arena – Warrior classes are far more useful than learning how to levitate objects."

The other novices agreed wholeheartedly with Fergun, instantly ignoring the work they were meant to be doing.

Dannyl resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Fergun's remarks. He looked across at Tayend again – why do I keep doing that? – and saw with surprise that Tayend wasn't joining in with the rest of the class' conversation. Instead, he looked a little tired and distracted, dark circles ringing his blue eyes. He idly flicked over his notes but his eyes weren't focused on the words.

Tayend suddenly moved his elbow and his pen slipped across the desk and clattered to the floor, rolling across a few feet before it stopped beneath Dannyl's chair. Tayend was about to get up to retrieve it, when Dannyl quickly stooped down and picked it up for him.

"Here," Dannyl said, offering the pen out.

"Thanks," Tayend replied, a smile pulling up his lips for a moment as he took then pen from him, but it faded as soon as he turned away again.

Dannyl looked back at the other novices. Even though the rest of the class were talking animatedly and laughing with each other, an awkward silence stretched out between him and Tayend. Dannyl felt a flicker of anxiety as he felt pressurised to break the tension between them. There must be something I can talk about! he thought, struggling to grasp a good conversation starter. A few moments later, he cleared his throat and glanced across at Tayend.

"So," he began. "You're from Elyne, right?"

Tayend blinked in surprise when Dannyl spoke, raising his head from his notes and facing Dannyl with a small smile. "Yes, I am," Tayend replied, nodding in reply.

"Where abouts?" Dannyl added, trying to find a way to continue the discussion.

"Capia," Tayend answered. "My father is Dem Tremmelin, so we moved there as he often needs to attend court. I live with my mother and sister there too."

"You have a sister?" Dannyl smiled, trying to imagine what Tayend's sibling would look like, though the only thing his mind could conjure up was Tayend in a dress.

"She's a lot like me," Tayend said, smirked. "Sharp, witty and absolutely wonderful, but honestly Mayrie's nothing like Kyralian girls. She's as tough as a gorrin, and very head-strong. She'd probably scare the living daylights out of the girls here."

Dannyl laughed. "She certainly sounds … interesting."

"That's one way to put it," Tayend said, his smirk broadening. "What about you – do you have any family? You're from House Tellen, right?"

"I am," Dannyl nodded. "I have a few brothers and sisters, but they're all much older than me and are busy sorting out affairs with businesses across the country and at court, so I rarely see them. I'm the only magician out of them too, so as I'm at the Guild now I'll probably see them less." He shrugged to himself, then rested his chin on top of his palm. "What's Elyne like? I've never been there."

"Oh, it's quite different from Kyralia," Tayend explained enthusiastically. "For one thing it's much warmer than here in Imadrin. And the buildings are made of gorgeous white stone – it really is a beautiful place, especially Capia. But the biggest difference is in the people."

"The people?" Dannyl enquired with curiosity.

"Yes," Tayend nodded. "Elyne society is far more open and frivolous than Kyralia's. It's all about social status, who holds the best parties, the latest fashion, the latest gossip." He smirked. "Especially the gossip. There's always some new dirt to dig up on anyone known about in the Elyne court."

Dannyl laughed. "Sounds like a dangerous place to live if you've got any secrets."

"Oh yes," Tayend agreed, then chuckled. "You can't even wear mismatching shoes without the entire country knowing!" Dannyl joined in laughing, feeling his mood lighten as he did so.

Eventually, Rothen came back and the class resumed, but Tayend and Dannyl still managed to chat to each other from across their desks, being told off twice for talking too loudly. About half an hour later, the gong rang, signalling the end of the lesson.

"Alright, I want your assignments on what we've covered today handed to me by next week," Rothen reminded the novices as they hastily packed away their things.

"So, how about you meet me in the Novice Library this afternoon?" Tayend suggested as he packed away his books. "We can research some more information to add to our assignments."

"Good idea," Dannyl nodded with a smile.

Tayend smiled back. "Alright then – I'll see you there."

Dannyl watched Tayend walk out the door, then allowed himself a small smile as he shrugged his bag over his shoulder. He was pleasantly surprised to find out his initial impression of Tayend was wrong – true, the Elyne was confident and ostentatious, but his conversation with him in class today had revealed that he was smarter and friendlier than he first expected. The Elyne was easy to talk to, and they seemed to share similar interests. Dannyl felt a stirring of excited hope inside him when he realised that Tayend might grow to be a friend one day if things carried on like this. But another side laughed it off. Tayend was nice and all, but he wouldn't want to hang around with a loner like him.

"Dannyl!" someone called out.

Dannyl snapped out of his thoughts, and recognising the voice Dannyl felt his heart begin to pound violently against his ribs.

Darlend was standing a few feet down the corridor, waving at Dannyl with a smile on his handsome face.

"Hello, Darlend," Dannyl greeted, walking over to meet him. He cast around to see if anyone else was in the corridor, but was relieved to find that it was empty.

Darlend was an older novice who Dannyl had befriended a few weeks ago. It was not unheard of for younger students to get help from older ones, so Dannyl had approached Darlend on the basis that he appeared to be a lot friendlier than some of the other final year novices. Dannyl was ecstatic to discover that Darlend was clever, kind and willing to help him out, and so it wasn't long before they'd established a strong friendship.

"Is there anything you need help with?" Darlend asked.
"Well, I'm working with someone else on an Alchemy assignment, but, I guess I could use some help for my Healing homework. Are you free later this afternoon?"

"How about tonight instead?" Darlend suggested. "Meet me outside my room after the evening meal."

"Alright then," Dannyl said, trying and failing to suppress an excited grin from creeping up his face.

"I'll see you there" Darlend said, his voice strangely soft and his eyes lingering on Dannyl for a long moment before he strode back down the corridor. Dannyl watched him go until he'd turned the corner, then released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He leaned his back against the wall and smiled, his heart thudding with gleeful anticipation. He placed a hand to his chest, his eyes widening with astonishment at how hard it was beating against his chest, and forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

It had been a long time since he'd seen Darlend – the older novice's exams had taken up most of his free time – but now that they had a chance to see each other again, Dannyl didn't realise how much he'd missed his friend's company. But still, he didn't know why he felt almost sick and giddy with exhilaration at the mere thought of meeting an acquaintance.

"You seem rather friendly with that older novice Dannyl."

Dannyl went rigid with alarm, stifling a gasp of surprise and dread. He slowly turned round to see Fergun walking towards him with a dark gleam in his eyes, flanked by his friends Jardon and Zarad.

"What's it to you?" Dannyl replied coolly, pretending to be unperturbed by the implied meaning behind Fergun's words.

"So you're meeting him tonight?" Fergun continued, his smirk broadening. "In his room? Well, isn't that…cosy?"

"Shut up" Dannyl said, trying not to roll his eyes at Fergun's taunts, but his heart hammering a little faster just because of his irritation.

"You're not going to do him any favours, are you Dannyl?" Fergun laughed, his friends joining in.

"I said, shut up!" Dannyl growled. He felt his face grow hot with anger and embarrassment, his hands curling into fists, shaking with the effort of trying not to lash out and punch that self-righteous smirk right off his face. The more reasonable part of his mind cautioned him not to get in a fight, as it was childish and he'd probably end up in trouble, but he felt too angry to pay any attention to it.

"Ooh, you're getting angry, are you?" Fergun teased. "You're not going to cry, are you?"

"Oh, leave him alone, Fergun."

Dannyl jolted in surprise at the voice. Fergun wheeled round and saw Tayend standing a few feet from him, a frown furrowing his brow. "If he does cry, I don't blame him – you're wearing so much grease in your hair that it makes me queasy just looking at it."

Fergun blinked in alarm before he sneered at him, eyes narrowing into slits and looking him and up and down. He opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and uttered a "Tch!" of contempt before stalking back down the corridor, his friends trailing after him.

"You-you stood up for me?" Dannyl murmured with surprise, staring at Tayend with disbelieving eyes.

"Well, yes," Tayend shrugged, smiling faintly. "I couldn't help but notice that Fergun is always insulting you, and for no good reason too. Plus he's an arrogant bastard, he completely deserved it. Although I'd better not say that to his face; I don't want to get on the wrong side of him."

A grin spread across Dannyl's face, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Tayend smiled. "So, I'll see you later then."

"Yes," Dannyl said. "Bye."

Dannyl felt a little glow of happiness as he walked down the corridor, still amazed that Tayend had actually stood up for him! No one had done something like that for him before. But his sense of cheerfulness vanished as he remembered Fergun's words. He didn't know why Fergun's taunts had affected him so much – he was used to the novice insulting him on a daily basis, and this topic was nothing new. However, as Fergun's voice echoed in his head, Dannyl could not shake away a feeling nauseating feeling of dread.

Maybe I feel so shaken by what he said because it's true, said a quiet little voice in the back of his head. Alarmed at this thought, he fiercely pushed it away. Darlend was a friend, and nothing more. Wasn't he?