"I'm just glad I got to take a shower this morning," I muttered bitterly as I climbed off Vincent's horse.
"Having a meeting with the council is a lot more pleasing," Kelian said as a matter of fact. "Showers don't decide your fate."
I scoffed.
"Neither does the council," I said. "I decide my own fate."
"Come, come," Vincent said and pushed me towards the academy doors. "You should never be late with anything concerning the council."
"Apparently," I sighed.
I stepped quickly, letting Vincent lead me through the doors. Kelian walked quickly, the both of them ending up in front of me. I had to jog every few seconds to keep up with their pace. I guess that's what I get for not trying hard enough to get away from Zacarias when he brought me here.
When Vincent, Kelian and I arrived inside the auditorium, things seemed to be become more intense.
Inside the auditorium, the five council members were already seated behind their massive council table, staring as we walked up the length of the blue carpet.
"Thank you, Vincent," said Georgina as we approached. "Thank you, Kelian. Resume your duties."
Both Vincent and Kelian bowed their heads and turned back. As they walked back down towards the door, Kelian gave me a simple pat on the shoulder.
I stepped on, approaching the end of the carpet before the council. I paused at the end and stared at the five members seated before me. The five consisted of the same people I had seen within the room yesterday. Georgina, Maximus, the young woman with the red pixie hair, the young blond man and an older man.
Maximus was seated in the middle. Georgina was on his right and the older man was on his left. The younger two were seated on either end of the council table.
"Welcome back, Zelena," said the woman with the pixie hair. Her voice was rather husky, calm and feminine. I nodded my head at her. "Let me be the first to reintroduce myself. I'm Verona."
"I'm Skylar," said the blond man on the other end. "Welcome back to the academy."
"It's good to have one of our best starting warriors back," said the older man on Maximus' left.
"And you are, sir?" I then asked.
"Drezon," he answered.
"Pleasure," I simply said. "What do I owe for the meeting summons?"
"We need to discuss your return with you," Maximus then said. "Make decisions on what we will have to do with you now that you are back among us."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"When you left, you were only a few months into your first year within the order," Georgina said. "The years that you have missed are well acknowledged."
"Most of which was discussed among us in detail," Drezon continued.
"Yeah?" I simply said when it seemed that they were expecting a reply form me.
"It is unusual for members to be backtracked," he said. "Each initiate has to train further for three years before they are acknowledged as an expert within the order. This goes according to age and birth date. It is unusual for a twenty-three year old to be among the first years. However, since you have no memory, there's no guarantee that your training remains up to standard."
"Okay," I said. "So does that mean that I am no longer part of this order?"
"Of course not," Verona answered.
I sighed.
"So then," I said. "What's the plan?"
"Its best to continue where you left off," Georgina said. "Every order member has to have those three years behind them and so do you. You need them and it will help you get back into the system of thing here."
"Okay," I said. "And where exactly did I leave off."
"Four months in," Maximus said. "Or so."
"The years go birthday to birthday," Skylar then said. "Not January to December."
"Everyone advances with their age?" I asked.
"Yes," Maximus continued. "You'll make sense of it as you go along. You'll advance to year two in January, when you turn twenty-four. First years have smaller duties because they still have to train, but it will keep you on your feet and in the right line."
"Okay, fine. I'm not protesting," I said, sounding rather into it. "But how exactly does putting me back into the order actually benefit me in all this? I don't know the first thing about combat or being a warrior."
"The belief that your memories will return with time is widely believed among us. I have the theory that the same applies to your skills with a sword. You just need to be put back into the fray," Verona answered.
"Really?" I asked rather sarcastically. "You think I can be good with a sword?"
"You were once," she answered. "Why can't you be again?"
"They say that once you've trained, your mind stops thinking about it and your body takes over naturally," Skylar added.
"You were the most impressive initiate of your year, Zelena," Maximus said. "And I'm not saying that because you are my daughter."
I pressed my lips into a hard line and looked down at the floor. Of all things to say.
"He's right," Drezon then added. "You were most impressive and you can still be. It will come back to you."
Georgina lifted a file onto the table and then pushed it towards me. I stepped closer and reached out for it. I slipped it off the table and then stepped back into my place.
"That should help you get back into track," she said. "Your schedules and duties are all in there. It is necessary for you to readapt until we can find a solution to restore your memories. You have to take it seriously, though. You are not allowed to diverge from your duties unless your captains call you from them."
"Fair enough," I agreed.
"Then there's the ring," Verona said.
I touched the ring on finger. It suddenly felt like it weighed a ton.
"What about it?" I asked.
"When you agreed to be its protector, you took a protectors oath," she said. "We think it should still apply regardless of being out of hiding. You will need to continue to protect it on behalf of the order."
"However," Maximus continued. "You cannot wear it, Zelena. Wearing it exposes it far too much. Not to mention its dangerous."
I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows. Great. I have the duty of protecting something important and they were telling me how to do it. What good was being the protector of something if I couldn't choose the method?
"You need to put it in a secure location," Georgina agreed.
"Why can't you take the ring?" I then demanded. "If it's such a safety concern."
"You oathed," Maximus reminded me. "Protection oaths are sacred and in any case, Agamemnon would expect the council to keep it hidden upon your return. He would never expect it to be in the hands of a beginner warrior. He doesn't understand the principles of protection oaths and as far as he knows, we banished you three years ago along with the magical trinket."
"And what if he finds out I'm here?" I demanded.
"As was previously mentioned," Georgina said. "No one has heard anything from him in three years."
"Did it every occur to them that he went looking for me?" I asked.
"Of course we did, Zelena," Georgina said, furrowing her eyebrows. "We never left you unprotected. Xenophil made sure of that; as we all did to the rest in hiding. Xenophil kept tabs on you and as far as his reports went, Agamemnon was nowhere near you."
I sighed.
"So what now?" I asked.
"Get back into your old routines," Drezon said. "Until we can find Xenophil's alchemy books. We need your help with that, though."
"So I've heard," I said, crossing my arms again. Maximus and Georgina have already mentioned some of these aspects before. "What is this sudden sickness that's concerning you all?" I asked. "Why's it so bad?"
"It makes the body weak," Maximus answered. "Breaks it down until the organs fail. No modern pharmaceutical medicines or our potions can cure it. Our doctors, especially the modern ones, can't find a cure. They can't even diagnose it. However, Xenophil's potent curative tonic can cure anything."
"How sure are you?" I asked. "If it's that important, why don't you have it?
"Xenophil didn't pass the recipe down to anyone before he died. We have to find it; but more on that later. I'd rather let you settle into the kingdom before I give you anything drastic to focus on."
I nodded.
"We'll give you more information on it later," Georgina added. "We'll keep in touch. Your first thing to do is report to your captains in the first year training hall."
"Fine," I then said. "Where is the first year training hall?"
"Second floor, several entries before the mess hall," Georgina answered. "Ask anyone if you get lost."
I nodded.
"Thrive fare," they all said at once.
I wasn't sure what to say after that, so I turned and walked towards the doors.