The Untouchable Queen (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2: Befriending the Queen

That evening…
Lily opened her eyes slowly to see Mark put a wet towel on her head. She was healed by the school nurse but healing magic always induced a fever so it couldn’t be used in excess. With the serious cut she got, she had gotten a really high fever. Mark seemed to be looking after her. The dimly lit clock on the wall indicated midnight. Mark seemed relieved to see her awaken. For a second a big smile appeared on his face then he suddenly broke down crying.
"It's all my fault, I am always causing trouble for you.", he said. "Now you are like this because I couldn’t do anything."
Lily's heart seemed to be pounding. She didn’t know what she felt. Looking at Mark brought weird emotions, the like of which she had never felt. But she seemed to be happy around him. Her heart felt lighter and faster. She didn’t even feel afraid when he touched her. When he had hugged her, when he had pushed her down at the canteen or when he had stopped her from falling and then when his soft hands put a wet towel on his head or touched her hands lightly. She felt rather happy. Like she wanted him to touch her more.
"None of it is your fault. I did it all myself. You don’t have to blame yourself.", she said. "Besides, the moment since I took the burger from your hand, I put your life at risk. Nothing good can come from being with me."
"So we can be friends then. People will start targeting me anyway, then if I am with you, they will stay away.", he said innocently.
"I have never had a friend before.", she said quietly, as if talking to herself.
"Really!?", he asked, surprised. "Then I will be your first friend."
For the first time in years. She smiled.
When she woke up, Mark was just about to switch the towel on her head with a fresh one.
"You stayed up all night!?", she asked, surprised. The nurse looked at her and came up closer to her bed.
"He's been here the whole night. He kept pestering me saying it was his fault so I had to let him.", she said. She was known to be a really strong healer and had been on the battlefield for several years before retiring to a more casual life at the school.
"Well, I didn’t feel really sleepy though. I don’t really sleep much.", he said.
"That's no excuse. You should go get some sleep now.", she said.
"It's not that. I… can’t sleep.", he said. The nurse looked at him carefully. She put her hand on his temple and a faint yellow glow emanated.
"Ah! As I thought. You are partly insomniac, right?"
"Kind of. I only sleep if I am really tired or peaceful.", he said.
"Your sister was like that too, right?", the nurse asked.
"Yeah…", he replied.
"You knew his sister?", Lily asked the nurse.
"She was the famous hero, Vanessa Ridgestone, the Blue Angel.", the nurse replied. Mark bit his tongue. He couldn’t afford to cling to his sister's memories so badly anymore.

She was discharged that evening. It was a holiday at school so the students could do anything they wanted on the campus. Immediately after being discharged, she was summoned to the Headmaster's office. The Snow Princess was there too. She still seemed weak and was using a wheelchair and one of her lieges was behind her. "So, you two were involved in a fight.", the headmaster said in his deep authoritative voice. He used to be the prominent magician, Julius Fletcher, one of the few male magicians.
"Well, sir, it's all my fault really!", Mark said. The Snow Princess glared at him threateningly. The headmaster turned to look at him.
"I did not permit you to speak. Mr. Ridgestone, please seat yourself over there and do not interject in this conversation.", the Headmaster said pointing to a sofa in the middle of the hall. "As for you young women. Ms. Hollywood, this is your first rogue battle so you shall be let off with a warning. However, Ms. Darnings, or should I call you the Snow Princess? You are suspended from using your powers for the whole next week unless an emergency comes up.", he said as he took a paint brush from his desk and painted a small sign on her palm. "Ms. Darnings, you may leave now."

When the Snow Princess and her liege left, the old man suddenly let out a bellow of laughter. Lily seemed taken aback completely.
"Oh God! Thank you, girl. Lily, wasn't it? I have always despised that brat and her stupid old man. Anyway, what you have done is completely understood. The Student Council President had seen you and witnessed the event so I know that you were just saving the kid there.", he said, as he went and sat opposite Mark. Mark seemed to be a little scared, more because of the sudden change of mood than the person himself. Lily was just flustered.
"Now, Mark, wasn't it? I have heard a lot about you. You are a lot like your sister, you know?", the headmaster said, keenly observing him. "Have you any idea what you did back there? That shield that you summoned and that ridiculously strong freezing field? And you are still standing on those two little feet of yours!"
"No, I don’t really understand what you mean.", Mark replied.
"That display of power is beyond a normal magician. Even if paired with several lieges, bringing up such a strong and large freezing field that even I could feel about a mile away from your fight, is not something ordinary. And from what I hear, what is more special is that shield you materialised. It takes years of experience to create a field so fast in a pinpointed location that is far from your location. What I am saying is that you are good.", the Headmaster said.
Lily seemed amazed. The headmaster rarely commended anyone. Even the strongest people in the school weren't often commended by him. And when the Headmaster said they were good, they usually turned out to become powerful people like Julie Grave, Hyfeya Leimar and Vanessa Ridgestone.
"Be careful. I have had my eye on you for quite some time now. Times are getting worse now, I won't always be there. Mark, you should train harder and learn more magic skills. Become strong. And Lily, it might be a little too much to ask of you but, take care of the boy.", the Headmaster said. " You can leave now. If you have any problem, feel free to come here."
Lily's face was now completely pink. She couldn’t think clearly.
"Thanks", Mark said as he shook the Headmaster's hand. Lily didn't move. Mark took her hand and shook it. Lily came back to her senses. The old man smiled.
Mark led her out of the room and they walked towards the dorm. Lily didn't talk much but held his hand firmly. Nobody saw them on their way back because most people had their dorms on the other side of the school. There was only one dorm building on this side and only a few people lived in them. Most were teachers and some were students. They had used to be the old quarters back when the school was very elitist. Mark had been given his sister's room and Lily had got the room because she was the top first year. The rooms were bigger and way more comfortable than the normal dorm rooms. About half the way there, Mark suddenly felt something burning near his neck and collapsed immediately.

When he woke up, he was in the nurse's room. Lily was a few feet away playing with a small ball of blue fire that kept pouncing on her hand. She seemed strangely detached and worried. The nurse was at the other end of the room enchanting a small glass bottle with some cyan-tinted liquid.
"Oh my God! You're awake! Are you fine?", Lily shouted all of a sudden. The nurse looked back and stared in surprise. "I am so sorry, I shouldn’t shout. Do you feel fine? Are you hungry?"
He got a little confused. Why was she so worried?
"Mark, you have been sleeping for the past week.", the nurse said as she came closer.
"6 days, 14 hours, 35 minutes.", Lily murmured instinctively.
"What? Is it because of what the Headmaster said?", he asked. Lily nodded.
"You spent much more magic than you should be capable of handling.", the nurse said.
She gave him the glass bottle she had been enchanting.
"This is a magic restoring drink. It decreases hunger and thirst while also refilling the magic potential. You have been getting this pumped into your blood for almost a week. Of course, it was very dilute but it was just enough to revitalise you. But it will take time getting used to. Since this magic is not originally yours, you will not be able to control it completely for some time. Don't go off performing crazy stunts again.", she said smiling. "I'll give you a slightly larger dose of this now and you may feel a little overwhelmed but it will be fine soon. I hope I can count on you to not participate in any other fights for quite a while. Also, get something solid to eat."
She handed it to him and he drank the whole bottle in one shot. His senses suddenly dulled and his vision turned blue-black. Then the blue got brighter and brighter and his vision became more visible but it was much more blurred and his senses suddenly heightened and he could hear his own heartbeat like a loud metronome and even his breathing sounded like a storm. He could feel every inch of his skin and the feel of a soft hand on his. He could tell his body was beating around badly but couldn’t control it. A splitting headache began and he felt like his brain was being torn apart. Then he saw a face. It was his sister's. There was no mistaking it. Her long black hair was flowing down her shoulders and she had worn the same white dress she did the day she left him forever. He grabbed at her but his hand passed straight through. Even though she was right in front of him, it seemed like she was far away. He could hear a lot of noises. Amidst the chaos, he heard another voice, his sister's. "Mark! Mark!", it shouted. He felt himself drowning and his breath running short. His chest felt like it was being pressed down by an anvil. But the face of his sister was still clear. He struggled but nothing happened.
"Wake up!", it shouted again. Mark was entranced. All other noises became silent. His vision blurred a bit and then seemed to become clear again. His sister's face merged into the face of another girl. She was wearing a light blue dress now. Her hair was still the same but seemed slightly shorter.
"Mark! Are you okay?", it said. He suddenly felt his body going limp and his hand being held tightly. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back. Lily was standing right beside him and her hand had tightly gripped his hand. Her hair had fallen on his shoulder and the nurse looked at him surprised. "That was short. Even elite magicians take at least 10 minutes to recover. You recovered in under a minute. But you seem to have been much more affected than normal.", the nurse said.
"My sister… She was here….", he murmured. Lily's eyes lit up and she pressed his hand a little harder. He winced and looked at his hand. She quickly removed her hand and blushed.
"You mean Vanessa Ridgestone? She wouldn't be here. The potion can give you mild hallucinations.", the nurse said, as if referring to some legend. She might have been a hero to others, but to him she was his sister.
"I… must have imagined it.", he said.
"Anyway, since you missed the whole week and almost two months of school term because you joined late, you will be having some lessons tomorrow. It's a holiday, but you will have to sacrifice it. And Lily, I received a letter from the Headmaster for you about an hour ago. It says you have failed most of your subjects. You will be having the classes with Mark too.", the nurse said.
Mark was a little surprised. He hadn't thought Lily was someone who could have flunked. She seemed uncomfortable and avoided his gaze and nodded. "You can go now.", the nurse said as she helped him sit up on the bed.
"Uh… Thanks, ma'am.", he replied.
"No need to be formal, just call me Amanda.", she said.