The Daughter of the Wizard

Short story for

ID: 333655   (Rated: 13+) The Writer's Cramp  Write the best story or poem in 24 hours or less and win 10,000 GPs! by Sophy

Title Prompt:  The Daughter of the Wizard

As she put away her potions materials after the day's lesson, Anya sighed heavily and thought about the upcoming merit selections. There was so much pressure on her, being the daughter of one of the most powerful wizards in the world. What she wouldn't give to be able to escape from all the expectations. What if she didn't receive an award? She could imagine the headlines already: "Prominent progeny falls flat!" or "The apple does fall far from the tree!" Well at least she wouldn't have to worry about getting into the White Academy. She would have no hope of that, even with her father's pull. He would be so disappointed in her! And then what would she do?

"Anya!" came the voice of her friend and roommate a moment before she appeared in the doorway. "What is taking you so long, girl!" Ember's glossy raven hair was worn loose and a lock cascaded over her left shoulder, providing a striking contrast to the midnight blue of her satin robes and matching, wide eyes. Her appearance, as always, was immaculate.

"I'm coming, Ember! Just finishing up." She packed away the last glistening, orange vial of salamander oil and glanced forlornly at the vivid pink spots of dragonsnap juice dotting her ivory silk class robes. She was such a klutz! Anya passed her wand over the offending blots and muttered a cleaning cantrip under her breath. The spots faded to a putrid brownish color. 'Great, just great,' she said to herself, throwing up her hands in disgust. She grabbed her books, snagged her velvet, bottomless bag by its tassels and followed her friend outside.

Whooff! Out of nowhere came a lower classman, barreling around the corner and sending her armful of books and her bag flying across the commons.

'Quick! Move out of the way!" he whispered furiously as he ducked around her and into the now dark and deserted classroom. The young, slightly scrawny boy was quickly followed by a pair of larger, tough-looking classmates. They looked around both ways and decided to pursue their hunt out the front doors.

Anya quickly gathered up her scattered materials and packed them neatly away in the bag.
She peeked back in the classroom and called out softly, "you can come out; they're gone now."

A few moments later a small scuffling sound was heard, and the boy crawled out from under a lab table.

"Whew," said the boy. "That was a close one."

"Why on earth were they chasing you?" Anya asked him.

"Well," said the boy, "I gave them the wrong answers on their Natural Magics exams."

Anya eyed the boy curiously, and he continued, "You see they paid me to help them cheat. But I told them no! And then they wouldn't take no for an answer."
He paused. "I'm top in my class," he finished somewhat defensively.

An idea began to form in Anya's mind.

"Well in that case," she said, taking his arm and leading him forward, "You can pay me back for not ratting you out. Come with us to the canteen, and I'll explain."

After ordering lattes and making introductions, Anya discovered the boy's name was Jaymie. He was here on academic scholarship and did indeed know a thing or two about magic. Anya asked Jaymie if he would be willing to tutor her for exams, and he agreed. 

Over the next week, Anya, Jaymie and Ember became fast friends, and Anya learned some good techniques for memorization and concentration--concentration being a key component to successful magic. But she was still nervous about exams. Finally the big day arrived. Afterwards, Anya felt a moment of relief, which lasted until about the time she exited the hall and began worrying again, about how well she had performed...or hadn't. The next two days passed with excruciating slowness as she waited to know her fate.

Anya, Jaymie and Ember were standing at the bulletin board in the commons, awaiting the arrival of the Grand Mage's assistant. The assistant finally arrived and posted the exam results. They crowded around eagerly seeking Anya's name on the list.

"There!" cried Ember. "There on the last sheet." She pointed to Anya's name.

"It's an E," said Anya, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I qualified."

"I knew you would,” said Jaymie happily.

"It's all thanks to you," Anya turned to Jaymie and gave him a warm hug. "I never would have been able to do it without your help."

"What are friends for?" said Jaymie, his smile beaming brighter.

*  *  *  *  *

"And so began the friendship of the three. They who would later sit on the ruling council of mages, in the highest seats, ruling our kingdom in grace and goodness," finished Professor Fitzler, as he concluded his daily history class lecture. "And before you ask, yes, this material will be on the test." The class groaned.


Word Count:  838

Author's Note:  The story is new, but the image was created prior to the competition. It served as my inspiration, as I have always wanted to tell her story. 

Anya:  Studying Hard