The Dark One

Part One: ONE: TISSAIA

I sat at the desk with a pipe in my right hand and a quill in the other, noting down the lessons I'd teach to any new officiates. The Brotherhood disproved of me teaching girls to be mages, and they disproved of my methods and type of magic. Chaos can't engulf a student they have to tame it. The Brotherhood had placed guards at the entrance to Aretuza, much to my displeasure; due to my newfound position within teaching. The guards walked into my office as if they owned it, with no knock or polite exchange to state they were there, "An intruder is coming over the bridge. A girl."
"Alright. Bring her in here." I sighed, frustrated over the lack of politeness. The room was a large one, measuring about 60 x 40 ft. As you walked in, you could smell flowers and perfume. Lit by the glow of a few candles dotted around and a large window in front of which was an oak writing desk. The room was simple wood, mahogany by the look of it, the ceiling of the room was adorned with gold-leafed edges and a gold mirror hung on the far wall by a large four-poster bed.
There was a small recliner often used for reading or simply a change of position. Over the recliner was draped a decorative fleece throw, a bright crimson with gold embroidery. Even though it seemed to have been folded neatly as if not used since its last wash, there were obvious wrinkles in the fabric that told of recent use. The floor was covered in a dull red carpet, almost copper. Next to the recliner sat a table and on it sat a book, a piece of paper protruding from the pages as a bookmark.
Although most of the room was organized with precision, the bed area was quite unkept. The duvet was messy, discarded at the bottom of the bed with a pillow half on the bed and half off. The sheets on the mattress were scrunched in a ball, made only from a restless night.
The door had been closed for a while though I hadn't noticed it until it opened again followed by a thump and chains rattling. I looked up from the paper on which I had scrawled my spells and noticed a small girl bound in chains on the floor; writhing on the floor like a snake, trying to free herself. "Is there an explanation behind this?" I asked, standing up and moving towards the girl. Her dress was dirty, mud-covered her shoes and her brown hair was bedraggled and wet. "Get her off the carpet and unbind her."
"But..."
"Do as I say else you'll become a stone," I growled, glaring over the girl's head as she trembled; either from fear or she was cold. One of the guards knelt behind her and undid her bonds, before stepping back and dragging her to her feet. "You could be gentler with her. She's a child."
"She's a mage. Specifically, one that almost killed us."
"Well if you hadn't approached me with swords drawn and acted like I was a human maybe I wouldn't have done that." the girl replied, moving to stand by my side like a small animal does to hide from a threat.
"Out." I commanded as the guards nodded and turned on their heels and left. "Sit anywhere child. But not the bed."
The girl chuckled and moved to the recliner, "Who are you?" She asked, looking at me as I smoked my pipe.
"Tissaia de Vries. I'm the Rectress of Aretuza. Who are you is more the question." I replied, watching the child as she moved behind me and clambered up the brickwork to sit on the window reveal.
"Father used to call me girl. Ma called me Sara."
I hummed softly as she jumped down and landed next to me, making me jump. "Please don't hurt yourself before lessons. I'll show you to your room, you can have a bath and then we'll have dinner. Hmm?"
"Okay. I haven't had a bath in a while. I think I've gotten used to the smell of the horses."
"Horses?" I inquired as I opened the door to the corridor.
"Mmm. I didn't like the house so I slept with the animals on the farm. Mostly the horses. The pigs were too fat, the chickens were too small and the dogs ate bones all night. Horses were big, warm, and quiet." She stated, walking behind me slightly. "Am I the only one here?"
"For the time being yes. I haven't taught anyone magic before."
"How long will I be here?"
"Until you're ready and fully prepared for the world."
"Alright." She sighed, almost giving up on asking questions.
"Here is your room. I'm just down the hall, first on the left. Your bath is in there and there should be new clothes on the side. I'll collect you for dinner."
"Thank you, Rectress." She muttered, looking at the floor.
"Before you go, I'd like to change your name. Sara doesn't sound like a mages name." I started as she paused with her hand on the handle of the door.
"Hmmm?"
"Jade. Your eyes are green and it's a jewel, a precious one at that. Much like you." I whispered as she smiled. When she said nothing, I turned and started to walk back to my room.
"Wait!" I stopped and turned around, to see that Jade was dashing towards me. She caught up to me and threw her arms around me. You're being hugged. Hug back.
It was strange to be hugged by a child. First of all, I almost fell over from the impact; my arms were pinned tightly to my sides and I felt like my ribs were about to snap. I was so surprised that all I could say was, "Ow."
She let go and put her hands on my shoulders. Then she just looked at me for a second, her green eyes shifting back and forth, "Thank you for taking me."
"It will be an honor to teach you." I muttered as she got off me and helped me to my feet, "Go bath. Else I'll chase you." I joked, moving forwards quickly as she darted away from me and into her room, slamming the door to prevent me from entering.
I chuckled as I walked back to my room, my mind wandering about how old she must be. She looked barely eight, she's too young I thought. Then the thought of her ascending followed, my heart broke at the thought of her leaving; when would she be ready? Surely not in a few years. Maybe more than four, the usual, maybe ten. I'll see how strong she is tomorrow. But now I need to get dressed for dinner with her.