Enchanted Fauna

It was time for the class "Enchanted Fauna" on magical creatures, a class that Crystal was personally very interested in, mainly because of the creature that had warned her in her dreams.

As soon as all the students had settled into their seats, a door on the ground opened, and in walked someone who barely cleared four feet. It was Professor Marcus Tetricus, a goblin who looked like he had just rolled out of bed and thrown on the first thing he could find - a ragged, hooded cloak in a muted shade of blue. His beady green eyes darted around the room, taking in the students with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

Crystal tried to stifle a giggle as she watched him take minuscule steps up to the podium, like he was afraid he might trip over his own feet. But she managed to keep a straight face, knowing that goblins had a reputation for being touchy. Who knows what might set him off?

"Greetings, dear students," greeted Professor Tetricus. Despite his small stature, his voice was very deep and soothing.

"You have your books under your tables. First of all, we will go through the classification for today." Professor Tetricus was a very straightforward personality, just like any other goblin usually would be. He cleared his throat and began his lecture.

And like that, the class kept going as Professor Tetricus gave the whole classification of magical creatures of all six kingdoms along with Plutus. He kept showing holograms coming out of the books to the students with his magic to aid the explanation, which really amazed Crystal. She couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the holographic images of unicorns and centaurs.

The class was coming to an end, and Professor Tetricus asked if anyone had any queries. Crystal's hand shot up like a rocket. She had been waiting for this moment throughout the entire class. Professor Tetricus allowed her to speak, and she blurted out, “What about dragons?”

Her question caused complete silence in the lecture hall, and she felt a bit awkward as everyone stared at her.

She wondered if dragons were a touchy subject and tried to make up for it by saying, “Actually, I’m from Earth, and I have always been curious about dragons and unicorns. But since you did not mention dragons at all, I just got curious.”

Crystal hoped everyone would stop looking at her as if she had performed some clownery along with Professor Tetricus.

“Since you are from Earthly Re and do not know much about the situation, let me explain that dragons are strictly forbidden to discuss. They caused great trouble for the fae kingdom, and other kingdoms suffered as well. Eventually, they went extinct on their own. It's in everyone's best interest to forget about them and leave them in the past. I hope this satisfies your curiosity, and you will not ask any other questions as such.”

“Yes, Professor,” Crystal bit her lips, feeling embarrassed, and settled down in her seat, feeling a bit dejected.

How was she supposed to know about the creature from her dream now? It looked so different from her dream. For sure the dragon was trapped and agonizing with pain, but the Professor's words made her wonder what had actually happened to those creatures.

…

Crystal had written a note to Aurelius, telling in that she wanted to ask him something and they had decided to meet at the same tea-pavilion behind the woods once again and now Crystal was on her way to the west garden.

But maybe the fortune was not on her side, she saw Ambrose the crown prince coming to her direction and their eyes met. And of course, she panicked and started looking here and there, having no intention of getting in the bad books of the crown prince and maybe getting the punishment for treason. She did not know the royal rules for fae Kingdom but that was much more likely possible from her brain.

Her panicked increased as Ambrose kept walking in her direction and she had mentally told herself that she should just say sorry once again and maybe bow to him to close of the matter but to her surprise, Ambrose just went passed her, not even giving her the second glance.

Crystal was shocked. “Did he just ignore me?” She asked herself, unsure and then shook her head. “Maybe Aurelius was right, he might not want to get into troublesome situation.” she nodded her head, trying to make sense out of the situation. “Then did I really do something to irk him last time? I don’t particularly remember doing anything like that?” she again asked herself, losing into wonderland.

Suddenly, a note appeared in front of her, and it said, “Where are you? I hope everything is alright and you haven't encountered any trouble on your way." Crystal scoffed at the words and rolled her eyes.

…

As Crystal stepped into the tea pavilion, she posed a question to Aurelius with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "Do you think I always get myself in trouble, or what?" she asked, eyebrows raised. Aurelius couldn't help but chuckle at her playful tone.

"I apologize if my previous message seemed lacking and misguided. I was merely concerned for your well-being," replied Aurelius, his teasing smile still present. Despite his reassurance, Crystal let out a sigh and shook her head.

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Crystal began to speak slowly and cautiously. "I asked you to meet because I wanted to ask you about something," she explained. Aurelius nodded, his curiosity piqued. "Promise me that you will not think I am some kind of weird clown who goes around asking about forbidden things," Crystal added, her words laced with a touch of vulnerability.

Aurelius sensed her hesitation and knew that whatever she was about to ask was important to her. "I give you my word," he replied, his voice full of sincerity.

Crystal took a shallow breath and gathered her courage before continuing. "Do you perhaps know something about dragons?" she asked, her eyes searching Aurelius's face for any sign of judgment and let out a relieved breath, grateful that Aurelius was not put off by her unusual question.