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“That’s quite the pep talk, Narticia,” laughed an aqua blue haired lady who joined the group.

She too wore the same black tunic and brown pants.

“Timons here is a bit pissy that she had to escort you first years. Usually that’s a duty carried by third years, not by seniors like us.

” The group climbed up several flights of a stone staircase.

The steps had worn divots from centuries of use.

Arched glass windows overlooked the courtyard and allowed the warm sun to light their way.

As they got higher the cold and damp set in.

Lilith peered out of the foggy window and spotted tiny specks of carriages in the distance, making their way back home.

She felt sad at the thought of her father travelling home by himself .

At the end of the staircase was a narrow stone archway.

They passed through and entered a small lounge.

The room was nothing special. Much like the rest of the castle, the walls were made from the same thick stone.

Small growths of moss crept in through cracks in the mortar.

Bright yellow orbs that sat atop iron sconces were mounted on each wall and brought a nice warmth into the barren space.

A small wooden table with mismatched wooden chairs sat off to a corner.

Beneath it was a large, tatty ornate rug that covered most of the floor.

There were no pictures, no tapestries, no plush velvet couches.

The room was bare and minimal. On the far side was an old wooden staircase that spiralled to the next floor.

“You will find our dorm tower is divided into our respective years. First years start at the very top. Fifth years are at the lowest floor of the dorm. We have one large bathroom on the third floor and this is the women's common room. As you can see, it is small but does the job. On each of your beds, your standard uniform will be waiting for you,” Timons gestured to her outfit, “as well as any belongings that you came with. Oh, and it gets cold at night and the blankets are scratchy. Well, off you go. Go inspect your rooms. I’ll come to collect you later.” Narticia gave the ladies a pressed smile and made for the wooden staircase with her blue haired friend trailing behind, trying to suppress her laughter.

“Timons, that has to be the worst tour ever given.” She laughed as they disappeared to their dorm room.

The remaining women nervously went up to their level. They opened a rather rickety wooden door and stepped into their bedroom .

“Are you serious?” laughed a slender, black haired woman.

The room was much less impressive than the lounge.

Seven small iron framed beds were arranged in a row.

Each bed was neatly made with cream-coloured sheets, a threadbare, light grey, woollen blanket and a single flat pillow.

Two cracked circular windows let in the only sunlight and they were framed by torn steel grey curtains.

A single orb of light dangled from the ceiling.

Four mahogany wardrobes made up the wall nearest to the entrance.

“I mean it could be worse,” said another woman that looked almost identical to the slender black haired woman.

“We could be sleeping on floor pallets or beds of hay.” She introduced herself.

“I am Meridith and this is my twin sister Meria.

" She clasped hands with her sister. "And you are?” She waved her hand towards Felicia.

“I am Felicia,” the golden haired woman said awkwardly. "I come from a long line of people that graduated from Skilheim.” She waved to the others.

Lilith introduced herself next, but kept it brief.

Next to her a petite woman with long, white hair and almost translucent, shimmering skin introduced herself as Juniper, a woodland nymph.

Beside her stood a stunning blonde, with full, cherry red lips and dark violet eyes.

Her skin was light, but had a lavender hue to it. “I am Verrona,” she said shyly.

“You’re a siren!” exclaimed Meridith with excitement. “It is an honour to meet you.”

Verrona blushed, accentuating her high cheekbones.

“I am Tamara,” waved an awkward but sturdily built brown-haired woman .

The ladies stood around a moment, unsure of what they should do.

Their belongings were waiting for them on their beds with their uniforms. Felicia went to her trunk and pulled out a thick, yellow blanket.

Lilith looked over to see what else was in her trunk.

Along with the short list of supplies they were asked to bring, Felicia had packed away various vials of liquids.

She noticed some of the other women watching her.

“It’s for muscle fatigue,” Felica said as she picked up a small pouch, “and some herbal medicine. My father helped me pack.” I guess that’s the advantage of having family members who have attended before, Lilith thought to herself.

She wondered what her own brothers would be doing right now.

No doubt surrounded by their friends, enjoying the welcoming feast and festivities.

A stark difference to how she was currently being welcomed to school.

The women fell silent as they went through their simple belongings, sorting them into the four wardrobes.

When she was done, Meira sat on Felicia's bed. “Seeing as you probably know your way around here, do you think you could give us a proper tour of the grounds?” Meira suggested.

“I could. But you could make copies of these.” Felicia pulled out a folded parchment and laid it on her bed. They gathered around her.

“You have the courtyard. From what I’ve been told, we are to do morning training out there.

My brother never explained details as to what the training entails, but I can imagine it will be tough.

” She drew her finger towards the main keep.

“Through the entrance, you have the main hall and kitchen. They serve food twice a day and I believe once we’re in second year, we will be in charge of some morning kitchen duties. ”

“We eat just twice a day!” Tamara exclaimed. Lilith smirked. Her father was often away or fully absorbed into whatever tasks he was completing. They were on their own to get food. Sometimes they would forget and just scrounge something from what they could find.

Meridith rolled her eyes. “Keep going,” she urged Felicia.

Felicia pointed down the right hallway off of the main hall.

“Here are the main classrooms. Down the left wing we have the infirmary and armoury." She traced the tallest tower on the left. “This is where we are. The men’s dorm is in the opposite tower across the courtyard. Teachers reside in the upper floors of the main castle and Lord Helmer lives and works out of the top floor of the main keep. There’s also the greenhouse and gardens, and down here,” she pointed below the main hall, “is what could be considered a library. It doesn’t get much use. ”

“In comparison to other schools, this place is not that big, ” Juniper added.

“It makes sense though. There’s seventeen of us in first year and we're currently the largest group to come through. I doubt there’s more than seventy students in total here. Maybe five or six faculty,” Felicia replied, and told the ladies to get some parchment and copy the map if they wanted.

“There’s not much to copy,” Meira replied, with a couple of the ladies murmuring their agreement. “Thank you for showing us this, Felicia.”