Look Beyond What You See

“I simply cannot believe you actually enjoy this riffraff,” Dmitri grumbles in reference to his history lesson, from which we have been excused for a spot of tea.

“History has always interested me,” I explain calmly, sipping my green tea with an impassive expression and enjoying its jasmine essence. Tea-time is more or less the only culinary experience that has improved from my change of location. I think I shall recommend that the Berkeleys find a new chef, someone French or Italian. Their British chef simply is not up to par with Delilah.

“I find history interesting, but Signore Cappitte makes everything sound so dreadfully dull.”

“Why would a loving fiancé subject his beloved to something he finds so atrocious? Would it not have been more noble to spare her this fate?” Naturally, I am jesting, but his look turns roguish and I immediately regret my decision to be playful with him.

“I wanted to make it more bearable for myself, naturally. I wouldn’t say you’ve quite earned the title of beloved yet, though, dear.”

“Then you ought not to call me dear either, Dmitri.”

“I suppose you have a point. But then what shall I call you?”

“You could use my name. It hasn’t bothered you before.”

“Of course I can call you Aerys, but everyone here calls you that. I feel like between us, we should have our own names for each other.”

“I am not opposed, but I sincerely hope that you can come up with something more creative than dear.”

“Of course, but it may take some time. We still do not know each other overly well,” he points out, his eyes boring into me as if to search my soul here and now.

“I have only been here a few days. We must not rush things. And it seems that we have the rest of our lives to get to know each other overly well,” I reply placidly. He chuckles at the latter statement. I cannot tell if he appreciates my sardonic humour or if he thinks I am ridiculous. More than likely it is a combination of both. No one in my family understood my jokes.

“Indeed we do, according to the agreement between our families. But I would be lying if I told you that the contract was the only reason I want to get to know you.”

“And what might your other reasons be?”

“We have not had a new person stay in the mansion for so long before, for one thing. And I find you intriguing in a number of ways. But we must stop wasting time and return to my lessons now, lest my mother be proven right in her fears that you will distract me and you be banished from such delightful endeavors.”

“Delightful? Has your opinion of history lessons so suddenly changed?”

“No. History is over for today and we will be spending the remainder of our time before luncheon on literature, which I believe both of us will find more enjoyable than our previous pursuits.”

“Entirely possible.” And so we return to the library for his literature lessons. It seems he is currently in a study of Russian fiction, no doubt at the suggestion of his mother. I learn during this lesson that Dmitri is relatively fluent in Russian as well as English and French. His multilingualism certainly makes him more attractive in my eyes. I am fluent in English, French, and Italian, but he has no reason to know that yet. I have also been studying Russian since I came here, by myself early in the morning when I am awake before anyone else. It is difficult but I hope it will be worthwhile, given his mother’s ancestry and his own linguistic background. Mayhap I will ask him to help me learn it. I truly would prefer to surprise him with it, though I know not why.

My lack of familiarity with Russian does not stop me from excelling in his lessons. I’ve read all the books he’s currently working on and remember a surprising amount. I’m fairly relieved, honestly. Literature is a tricky thing. So much of it is available, and so much of it is good, that being sure you will have read the same things that another person is studying is actually impossible. Unless, of course, my parents and his have been communicating about such matters. However, they analyze prose in a way different from that to which I am accustomed, and so I still learn things. Absolutely perfect, in my opinion, because Dmitri’s tutor seems flabbergasted by my intelligence, while Dmitri’s expression betrays pleasant surprise and a hint of admiration. It seems to be no time before a servant knocks on the door of the study where we have been working to announce that luncheon is ready.

“I didn’t know you studied all that before,” Dmitri remarks casually as we walk down the corridor in the general direction of the dining room.

“Really? I thought you received reports of all those things,” I reply apathetically. He frowns.

“We did... Perhaps it simply slipped my memory.”

“I hardly expect you memorized them. They must have kept you quite busy. My family certainly did their best to keep me busy.”

“Your family and mine are not much alike.”

“True, true. So, have we any plans for after luncheon?”

“Yes, I have an inkling of an idea that you might find pleasing. But it will be a surprise.” A flame flashes in his hand for a moment and I know exactly what he’s referring to—and why he will not speak plainly about it.

“As you wish, then.”

“And perhaps, after dinner, we might stargaze on the roof for a bit before bed.”

“I would find that most enjoyable.” Interesting. We’re allowed to be on the roof together, but I’m not to know anything about his abilities, those his family possesses, or even my own.

I do so love the intrigue our families have woven together. At least it gives me something with which to occupy my time.

“Did you enjoy the lessons, at least?” His tone is hopeful, but I can also tell that he is trying to keep the conversation going, for whatever reason. I’m in more of a mood for quiet contemplation, but I won’t be rude.

“Yes. Certainly more so than sitting around by myself all morning,” I assure him.

“I would hope so. That would be dreadfully boring. I wouldn’t stand for it, you know.”

“I assumed that was why you were so insistent that I join you for lessons in the first place. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

“It was merely a matter of course, my dear. I would not be a gentleman if I had acted any differently.” Because we have reached the dining room, I do not have a chance to berate him for calling me ‘my dear.’ I most decidedly dislike the pet name and will not tolerate it from him in the future. But at the moment I have greater worries on my mind, like how to make it through yet another luncheon with Dmitri’s parents.

I really haven’t the foggiest idea how I’m going to survive the rest of their lives doing this. With any luck Dmitri and I will get a place of our own after we are married and I will not have to deal with them. Or maybe they will just be more congenial after we are married and there is no longer as much reason for them to keep secrets from me.

If they ever stop trying to keep secrets from me.

I suppose I should be grateful that I learned a long time ago how to figure things out for myself, else I would be blissfully ignorant here. Sometimes I wonder if that would be better. It would certainly be less stressful. But less fulfilling. Kind of like the meals they feed me here. I wonder if the chefs are aware that most women prefer to eat a more varied diet than different kinds of salad every day. The conversation is similarly lackluster and I must force myself to disguise my relief when Dmitri excuses us from the meal. Once in the hallway he blindfolds me again. We’re going back to the secret room where he helped me practise with my ability. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited.

“Calm down, Aerys. I don’t want my mother picking up on your aura. She’s good at that, because of her control of air,” Dmitri murmurs to me once we’re in the secret passage.

“I thought that was it,” I answer as I try to acquiesce to his request. “And what element does your father control?”

“Electricity. Thanks to him we have an electrical lighting and temperature control system well advanced beyond the technology of our time. He also has a gift for mechanical devices.”

“I wondered about that, too. I’ve never seen anything like the lighting system here. Does he power it himself?”

“No, though it started that way. It took too much energy for him so he developed some sort of generating device. He tried to explain it to me. I think Ben Franklin did something similar, a century or two ago. Electrical lighting systems are not unheard of these days, you know. They simply are not all-pervasive yet. I expect they will be, once national governments develop power grids.”

“I had no idea. My grandparents are terribly old-fashioned, and my family inhabits their summer chateau. They never let me study much in the way of the sciences, either.”

“That does not surprise me at all.” The door opens. The spiral stairs are next. Will he let me climb them without trying to trip me into his arms? “They seem a very interesting and manipulative pair, your grandparents.”

“Why have they been arranging marriages for my sisters and me?” The atmosphere is at once thick and oppressive. He closes the door without comment.

“The stairs again. This way. Step up. That’s right.”

“Dmitri, answer my question.”

“I don’t know the answer for all of them, only for their dealings with my family.”

“Then tell me that much.”

“I can’t.”

“You are fully capable. Why won’t you?”

“Because I think it’s better if you don’t know. The answers are in the house. If you’re that bent on finding out, I know you’re capable. But now is not the time to worry about it. There’s the top step, careful. Just let me put on the lights and then I’ll take off your blindfold.”

“I can do it myself, you know. Light the torches and I’ll take care of the blindfold.”

“I suppose that will suffice.” Within moments I have the blindfold off and the torches are lit, revealing the same training room as before. It looks slightly different; some of the equipment has been rearranged. His parents really do train here.

“Why do you have a training room like this? What are you training for?”

“I’ll tell you another time, else you’ll get impatient and read it for yourself in the library. We only have a limited time here, and I believe it would be best spent discovering exactly what your magic allows you to do with water.”

“Perhaps. But you owe me answers tonight on the roof, or I won’t come.” The ultimatum seems to surprise him, and he is silent for a long moment.

“Impress me here, and you will get answers tonight,” he replies. Challenge for challenge. I like that.

“Agreed.” I don’t think he knows what he’s just suggested. I immediately apply all of my concentration and mental faculties to my magic and finding the hidden water in the room. It comes more easily than it did yesterday. This time I manage to split the energy into two separate collection points, one in front of me and one behind me. As before, however, I can only maintain control for about a minute before all of the water explodes, this time out of midair and going in all directions. Because I’m directly between them I manage not to be knocked over. The same cannot be said for Dmitri, who hits the ground hard as the majority of his torches are doused.

“Well. That was odd,” he remarks, sounding as British as his father. “But you’re making progress. Being able to split the energy is a huge step.”

“Thank you.”

“Ready to try again?”

“Might as well.” And so I do, this time initially placing the collection point for the energy in the ceiling, just to see what will happen. As more energy gathers, I spread it out across as much of the ceiling as I can. It is more difficult than I expected and goes slowly, but this time I manage to keep control of it for a longer period of time, perhaps a minute and a half. Then it becomes too much and a rainstorm bursts from the ceiling, thoroughly drenching me and a meter radius around me.

“Interesting. Are you moving the collection point on purpose?”

“Yes. I thought I’d try different things, or at least attempt to try different things. Are you impressed yet? Or should I keep experimenting?”

“You might as well continue. I’m not that easy to impress.” You’re a liar. But I might as well humor you and see what else I’m capable of.

***~O~***