Lynn shook her head, raining glitter on the sandy ground. The sun had beat a steady and relentless tempo for days and continued to do so as Lynn consulted her map.

“This kingdom is supposed to be on the coast. I should be getting close to the sea by now.” She traced a finger along the line but it was impossible to tell where exactly she was. Her compass had stopped working ages ago.

She could already hear the voice of her mentor telling her she wasn’t ready and she shouldn’t have tried this on her own. Well, she was ready. She had been studying for ten years and at some point enough was enough. She would either sink or swim. Today it appeared she would die of heatstroke.

She glanced at the whistle hanging from her neck before marching determinedly on. At times like this, it was best to keep one’s spirits up, so she began singing one of the silly little songs she and Ogden had made up to keep themselves from dying of boredom.

“I too am a rabbit, not a bunny, oh noooooo,” she trilled. She wondered if Ogden had ever cleaned up his room and if he was getting enough sleep. He had a tendency to stay up too late, running around the grounds of the Academy.

His test would come later, she supposed. She had jumped ahead of schedule and insisted on being given her exam a year ahead of time. But then, her exam was much more complicated than his.

“Ho there! Young lady!” She turned at the voice to see an older man lumbering towards her, carrying a heavy pack on his back. She watched him heave it to the ground and take several gulping sips of water from a flask. He was sweating profusely, and it occurred to her that his might be her first opportunity for good marks.

“Good sir,” Lynn began, “you appear to be suffering in this dreadful heat. Might I assist you in some way?”

The man stopped drinking and seemed to actually look at her for the first time. “I say, miss, you’re very…shiny.”

Lynn inwardly grimaced but kept her smile fixed in place. “Allow me to help you.” She snapped her fingers. A parasol appeared. Lynn grabbed it and presented it to the man with a flourish.

He seemed unable to come up with a reply for at least a minute. Lynn knew because she counted. She liked counting. It helped her concentrate.

Slowly, as if he thought it would bite him, the man took the parasol from her hands, examining the ribbons adorning the handle—a nice touch, Lynn thought.

“Thank…you?”

“You are most welcome. Is there anything else you might require?”

“Who are you? A witch?” He said the last word on a breath, as if he was afraid to speak it too loudly.

Lynn smiled. “I’m a fairy godmother.”

***

The man’s name was Odis and he was very happy with his gift although not extremely enthusiastic about the flowers that decorated it. Lynn quickly came to the conclusion that some people just couldn’t appreciate pretty things.

He was a traveling merchant coming from the capital of the coastal kingdom. According to his map—and compass, Lynn had been going in the wrong direction.

“Here, take this.” He held out a small bronze compass that more closely resembled a pocket watch.

She opened the lid to see a depiction of the moon and stars painted in great detail. “I couldn’t possibly take this.”

He shook his head and closed her hand around it. “You’ve done me a great kindness. It’s only proper I return the favor.”

They said their goodbyes as Lynn strode off in the correct direction this time. She would reach the capital in the next day, according to Odis.

She sighed at the view in front of her. Just miles of open plains. She missed Ogden. He would have made it into a game by now and the time would fly like it always did when they were together.

But Ogden wasn’t there, so the time passed slowly and by the time the castle spires came into view on the horizon, she was ready to scream. Even the salty smell of the ocean wasn’t enough to excite her. She just wanted to get there.

“Walking is the worst way to travel.” She skipped a few steps but then gave up as it jostled everything she carried.

She pulled out one of the carrots Ogden had given her and started gnawing on it. Ogden had said it would help to focus her nervous energy. He thought carrots were the answer to everything.

She needed to come up with a plan for when she reached the capital. It was possible the royal family needed assistance and they would doubtless welcome a fairy godmother into their midst happily. She wouldn’t be surprised if the Academy had already informed them of her arrival. They preferred to have all their cards on the table.

It was typical that a royal family had a prince or princess in need of assistance, and Lynn thought it wouldn’t hurt her marks. Helping royalty was something only the very best of fairy godmothers managed to do.

She would show everyone at the Academy that she belonged.