First Meeting

[Palladium]

Palladium suppressed his urge to grin at Cora's obvious enthusiasm. Pretending to be nonchalant, he teased, "Well, okay - if you insist." Hearing the sound of his voice, Palladium started in surprise; it wasn't like him to act like this; where were his nerves? Briefly looking Cora, he shook his head; something about the girl's personality was infectious. Not that he minded; it was nice to have a friend for once, even if this friend was a girl who was probably no more than ten - about four years his junior. But he wasn't going to complain.

[Cora]

"I do insist," Cora replied. Grabbing Palladium's hand, she tugged him toward a large rock a few paces away, "Come along, we have lots of work to get done."

Reaching the rock, she gestured for him to put the book down on it. Curling up beside the book, Cora reverently flipped through the first few pages, her mouth forming into an "o" shape as she stared at the words and illustrations in awe.

[Palladium]

"It's interesting, isn't it?" Palladium said eagerly, happy to have found someone who clearly took as much pleasure in the book as he did. "You know, I had the same reaction as you when I first started reading it. There is just so much contained in it - so much history and so many stories are told through the spells and pictures - that one can't help but be awed by it. Look here at this one - it's a spell for healing wounds caused by dragons. It's a very specific spell, and I can't help but wonder who first wrote it and what made them write it -"

[Cora]

"And do you know what? Someday I'm going to master all of the spells in that book - my father will be so proud of me. I'll be a respected member of society; I'll teach in the royal palace like my father did. And I'll be strong, and powerful and magical and I'll become a sage like the elves who wrote those spells. But I won't stop there - I won't just learn how to use the spells; I'm going to learn everything there is to know about why the spells work and why they were written and then I'm going to keep learning. I won't stop." Cora grinned broadly, feeling a bit lightheaded from the thought of all of her lofty goals.

[Palladium]

"Is that your life's goal? To learn?" Palladium asked curiously. "That's quite strange . . . in today's society, excessive education for girls isn't a priority. In fact, most girls of your age are more concerned with preparing themselves for marriage than with learning about ancient spells. It is a shame though that that is the way Athryell is these days - in the ancient past many of the wisest elves were Athryellan females."

[Cora]

"Well, I'm not like other girls!" Cora exclaimed in contempt. "I'm just as good and smart as any boy and if I want to spend my life learning, I will." Crossing her arms in a display of a tough exterior, Cora added, "Besides, you said it yourself, many of the ancient sages were females - so the way I see it, I can become like them if I want to."

[Palladium]

Flustered by her temper, Palladium hurriedly replied, "No, no - you, you don't understand - you misunderstood. You see, I think learning is wonderful - and not just learning for boys, but for everyone." Shyly, Palladium added, "I want to become a teacher someday. I think it would be a rewarding experience and it is a respected profession." Pausing, he smiled faintly, "My father says becoming a teacher would bring much honor to the Palladium name."

[Cora]

Tipping her head to the side, Cora peered at Palladium through narrowed eyes, as though she didn't quite trust him, "You want to be a teacher too?" After a moment more, her scowl dissolved and her face lit up into a grin, "So I guess we're more alike than I thought. Two peas in a pod, that's what we are." Nodding her head decisively, Cora added, "I like you, Lenwë." Tucking her arm into the crook of his, she smiled up at him, "I think this is the start of a what's going to be a long, long, long friendship. Don't you agree?"