His hair is short and blond, his skin pale. His body is well built and muscular hidden beneath his dark green tunic. He blinks. His eyes, dazzling reflecting the early sunset, are different colours the left emerald green flecked with gold, the right deep blue splashed with silver. The boy next to him nudges him with his elbow. He is shorter with long shoulder-length dark hair, tanned with brown eyes.
“What is it Leo?” Prince Whyte asked his best friend.
“Just wanted to be the first to wish you happy birthday”. The dark boy answered.
“Whyte we have to go down to the entrance hall and met the Duke and his family”, his mother the Queen said pointing towards a train of carriages making its way up the road. His mother turned resplendent in a flowing dress of dark satin. His father the King tall and broad shouldered turned inwards followed by his personal attendants. Whyte and Leo followed along behind them.
The entrance hall was a buzz of activity the entire school of mage-craft had filled the hall for the occasion and as the royal family entered the grand doors swung open and a man dressed in finery. Laughing the King welcomed his brother with open arms and led him into the dinning hall. Everyone had arrived for the evening’s dinner. It was a Whyte birthday. He was going to be sixteen the day after tomorrow and the King had announced a three day public holiday to celebrate his son’s coming of age. Tonight there would be a banquet, tomorrow a fair with competitions, and entertainers from all over the country and on the final night Whyte’s actual birthday there would be a grand ball. Every one sat down. Whyte gazed dully across the table. He usually enjoyed such occasions except that today he had felt a strange sensation of loss. He knew that this would be his last chance to enter the school that he shared a home with. A school that fascinated him, he was the only person in his entire family not to have developed a power, and if he hadn’t by his sixteenth birthday he never would. Whyte had already given up hope, and to top it all he had a cold. The evening passed with out Whyte’s conscious thought and he asleep in bed before he knew it.
He woke the next morning sneezing. A knock came on the door. Whyte grabbed a tunic and a pair of trousers from the wardrobe in the corner and called,
“Come in”. The door opened and his mother entered followed by a man Whyte had only ever seen before at meals and had never spoken to.
“Whyte this is Archmagus Tolwin, I told him about you’re cold and he has consented in making you a remedy”.
The man placed a cup full to the brim with a bright blue liquid on the table, bowed and left the room.
“Mum, where Nurse Iris,” Whyte asked confused.
“In her quarters, the archmagus thought I best to make his own remedy to make sure that your definitely feeling better for your birthday celebrations, Now drink up and I will see you later”, she answered leaving the room. Whyte crossed the room and gulped down the tonic, pulled on some shoes and walked out the door.
