The capital was nothing like he had imagined.
Rook had expected it to be big, but this was something else entirely. The streets were wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side, the buildings stretched up higher than the church tower back home, and everywhere he looked there were people, more people than he had ever seen in his entire life.
'How does anyone live like this?'
He walked through the crowds, sticking close to the edges where there was more room to breathe. Merchants shouted from their stalls, nobles strolled past with servants trailing behind them, and guards in polished armor stood at every corner, watching everything with bored expressions.
Nobody looked at him. He was just another face in the crowd, another body taking up space. It was strange, being so completely invisible in a place so full of people.
He followed the signs toward Greymount Academy. It was not hard to find, because every sign in the area seemed to point toward it. The closer he got, the more things changed. The shops got nicer, the streets got cleaner, and the people started giving him looks, not hostile exactly, more like they were trying to figure out what someone like him was doing in this part of the city.
The academy gates were massive. Iron bars as thick as his arm, twisted into patterns he did not recognize. Beyond them, he could see the courtyard, wide and open, with clusters of students already gathered inside.
He approached the entrance, and a guard stepped forward to stop him.
"Name and documentation."
He handed over his papers. The guard looked at them, looked at him, then looked at the papers again.
"...Go on."
He stepped through the gates.
The courtyard was even bigger up close. Stone tiles stretched in every direction, and in the center stood a fountain with water flowing from the mouth of some kind of stone creature. Prospective students were gathered in groups, talking amongst themselves, some laughing, some nervous.
Rook found a spot near the edge and waited.
The students were easy to sort into two categories. The nobles wore uniforms that were clearly tailored to fit, with gold stitching and polished buttons. They stood with confidence, like they already belonged here.
The commoners stood apart. Their uniforms were clean but simple, their posture was uncertain, and most of them were trying very hard not to be noticed.
'So those are nobles huh, they sure do live up to their title.'
He leaned against a pillar and watched. A group of noble students caught his attention, not because they were doing anything interesting, but because one of them was looking directly at him.
"Hey, look at this one."
The noble pointed at him, and his friends turned to look. There were four of them total, all wearing matching uniforms with some kind of family crest on the chest.
Rook did not move.
One of them walked over, a tall boy with slicked-back hair and a face that looked like it had never been punched. He stopped in front of Rook and looked him up and down.
"Where did you get that uniform?"
"The same place everyone else did."
"Really?" The noble tilted his head. "Because it looks like you pulled it out of a trash pile."
His friends laughed, but Rook did not react.
"What's your name, commoner?"
"Rook."
"Just Rook? No family name?"
"No."
"Of course not." The noble stepped closer, close enough that Rook could smell the perfume on him. "Listen, I don't know how you managed to get this far, but you should probably turn around and go home. This place is not for people like you."
Rook met his eyes and did not blink.
For a moment, the noble stared back. Then something in his expression shifted, just a flicker of uncertainty, like he had expected Rook to flinch and was confused when he did not.
"Tch." He stepped back. "Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you."
The noble turned and walked back to his friends. They whispered something to each other and laughed again, but they did not come back.
'That's one problem dealt with.'
An hour passed, and more students arrived as the sun climbed higher in the sky. Rook stayed where he was and waited.
Finally, a man in academy robes stepped up to a raised platform at the center of the courtyard. He was older, with gray hair and a stern face that looked like it had never smiled.
"Attention, prospective students."
The crowd went quiet.
"When your name is called, step forward and present your documentation. You will be processed and directed to the next stage of the entrance examination. If you are not called, you may leave."
He began reading names.
Students stepped forward one by one. Most of them were nobles, and most of them were processed quickly. The administrator would check their papers, nod, and wave them through.
The commoners took longer, with extra questions and extra scrutiny at every step. Some were turned away, and one girl started crying when they told her she could not enter.
Rook waited, but his name was not being called yet.
"Rook."
He pushed off from the pillar and walked toward the platform. The crowd parted for him, though he was not sure if that was intentional or not.
The administrator looked up as he approached. His eyes flicked over Rook's uniform, his face, then down to his papers.
"Rook. No family name."
"Correct."
"Origin: Lowfields."
"Yes."
The administrator frowned. He turned the papers over, checked the back, then returned to the front.
"Who verified this documentation?"
"Father Brennan. He's a priest in my village."
"I see." The administrator set the papers down. "Unfortunately, a village priest is not a recognized authority for verification purposes. We require documentation from a registered official, a lord, a magistrate, or a comparable figure."
Rook stared at him.
"The documentation is real. I can read and write, and I meet all the requirements."
"I am not questioning your abilities." The administrator's voice was flat, like he had said these words a hundred times before. "I am telling you that without proper verification, we cannot process your application."
"Is there any other way to verify?"
"Not at this time. You may reapply next year with proper documentation."
Behind him, Rook heard laughter. He did not need to turn around to know it was the nobles from earlier.
'...Is this really how it ends?'
He reached out and took his papers back. The administrator had already moved on to the next name.
"Elias Thornwood."
Rook walked away from the platform, and the crowd watched him go. Some of them looked sympathetic, but most of them did not care.
The noble with the slicked-back hair was smiling.
"Told you. This place is not for people like you."
Rook walked past him without a word.
He crossed the courtyard, passed through the iron gates, and stepped back onto the street outside. The guards did not even look at him.
'What now?'
He had no money to stay in the capital. He had no connections, no backup plan, no other options. He had spent everything he had just to get here, and now he was standing on the street with nothing to show for it.
Going home was not an option. If he went home now, Tess would be dead before the end of the month.
'Think. There has to be something. There has to be a way.'
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not come up with anything.
He started walking, no destination in mind, just movement. It was better than standing still.
The capital swallowed him up again. The crowds flowed around him like water, and once again, nobody noticed he was there.
'What am I supposed to do now?'