4th Vhalar, 719
There had been a time when Faith had not been allowed here, as a slave. She had been barred from ever learning in this place, no matter how much she wanted to. Now, she was working as the Chancellor of the new Rharne University, which she had set up in conjunction with the Viden academy. It had taken a lot of time and a lot of effort to arrange it and now, it was coming to fruition. There had been delays, but Faith had expected that and, in a way, it was no bad thing. Because her time had been taken over the last few cycles with the War. Famula's general as was, Faith was beyond relieved to get back to the role she was used to. Working in the University, the Order, making sure that the world was a little bit better each trial.
She spent her days pretending that nothing had changed.
Of course, it had changed. It had more than changed - she had. At a fundamental, basic level, Faith had changed. There was a part of her that would never be the same; she had experienced betrayal and pain the like of which she had not been able to comprehend before it had happened - and Faith Augustin could comprehend pain. It was time, now, though to put it behind her - to push it into her hands and to enter the Academy. Here, she had a job to do. Today, she was giving a lecture. She'd given a few already and now she was doing a few "guest lecture" sessions.
Of course, the people here - the students, the lecturers, all the staff - they knew. They knew her - Famula's Champion, the woman who had led a war against the undead, who had cured the Rynmere plague. Faith saw the way they looked at her, they saw her and there was staring. She'd been well-known before, Faith knew that. But now? Now it was different. She was the ghost-whisperer, the woman who had led the army of ghosts against the army of the dead. For some, this was a marvellous thing. But for others? It was a quirky, interesting, unusual thing. It was an oddity which they wanted to find out about.
She made her way to the lecture room where she was due to start in ten bits and, as she opened it, Faith's eyebrows raised as she looked at the room. It was a lecture theatre that she knew, she'd given lectures here before. But she had never seen the room this busy. It was more than full, it was packed to the edges. Faith stopped dead in her tracks for a moment and she looked around with surprise on her pale face. She breathed in and walked into the room.
They weren't here for the learning, a lot of them. They were here for the showcase, the spectacle.
Well that was what they were here for. But her? Faith was here for the teaching.
And in Famula's name, this lot were going to learn something.
