The pile of scrolls wasn't getting any smaller. And with every care-fully sealed roll added to that dreaded pile was another thing to do. Yet another dull, dreary thing to do.

Nick yawned, leaning on his desk with head on fist as he stared at the offending pile. It just sat there, oh-so-smugly, almost as if daring him to simply ignore it. But no, he couldn't possibly do that. The High Mage had responsibilities, after all.

Oh, and what responsibilities they were, too! The top couple scrolls were an exhaustive report on the use of magic by farmers in their fields. Fascinating. That was followed by the annual review of the magic courses at Medarius University. It seemed they thought something was different from last year. And after that came the account of a dispute between two mages, resulting in one being magically stuck to his chair and neither one being able to get him loose. Someone would certainly have to do something about that...

On and on it went. Nothing of any particular importance, and some of it never should have even made it to the High Mage's desk. Tossing that last report aside, Nick groaned and ran his hands back through his thick, dark hair. It was days like this that made him regret ever leaving the small-town simplicity of Razeerah...

"I gotta get outta here," he muttered to no one in particular, fingers still intertwined in his hair. The dark hardwood of his desk stared back at him. A moment later, and he was on his feet and headed for the door, the pile of responsibilities abandoned for now.

Almost immediately, it was as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Taking a deep, refreshing breath, he tucked his hands in his pockets and headed down the hall. He knew exactly what he needed to clear his head. All he needed now was to get there without running into -

"Well, you can't really expect too much of him right away," a frighteningly familiar female voice said from just around the corner. Nick froze. It couldn't be her... not now!

"But he has so much potential!" yet another familiar voice, this one male, argued. "And if he's to make anything of himself, he must be pushed. And that means immediate admission to the university!"

"Damn!" Nick hissed under his breath, glancing around almost frantically for a place to hide. It had been bad enough when he thought it was just her, but both of them? Those two combined were the worst taskmasters he'd ever had... and if they caught him wandering around again, they would not be happy! "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

"But Podo, dear, it's the middle of the semester! The poor boy would be hopelessly lost," the voice easily identified as Kodo replied, pleading on the boy in question's behalf. Nick dashed for the nearest door.

"Poor boy?!" Great, sounded like Podo was set to go into rant mode. And, even better, the door was locked. Cursing, Nick backtracked to the next nearest door, Podo's voice getting all the nearer. "That boy has enough magical power to destroy Castle Hemlock in the blink of an eye! He needs to develop his control and hone his skills!"

Success! Nick slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind him, pressing his back against it while gingerly holding his breath. He could hear Kodo's voice as the pair of wyverns passed by. "He spent 10 years in the Enchanted Forest, under strict tutelage. I should think he has control by now, and his skills seemed honed enough to me!"

The voices were growing fainter now. They were walking away. Nick still caught Podo's airy reply of, "Skills are never honed enough, my dear Kodo! One should never rest on their laurels. I still say he go to Medarius!"

Cautious and quiet as a mouse, Nick turned and inched the door open a crack, praying it didn't squeak. Peering out, he managed to catch sight of the receding backs of his two mentors as they proceeded down the hall. Nick breathed a sigh of relief and, moving as stealthily as he could, dashed out the door and down the hall.

A short time later, Nick snuck in the back of the royal stables, eyes darting back and forth on the look-out for anyone that might give him away. Remy, his faithful Pegasine, cocked his head at his master with a snort. Still glancing around like a thief, Nick gave the big black horse a good rub on the nose.

"Hey there, buddy! Whaddaya say we take a ride, huh?" Nick whispered.

Instantly, Remy replied with a head toss and an enthusiastic trill loud enough for Nick to cringe. So much for being quiet! On the bright side, though, it seemed Remy hated being cooped up as much as his High Mage friend.

"All right, all right! You agree, but keep it down, okay?" Nick hissed with a laugh, saddling the winged horse with ease. "I'm supposed to be working, ya know! I can't go riding if ya get me caught!"

Mere moments later, Remy was soaring over the countryside while Nick savored the feeling of wind whipping past his face. All the cares of the world, all the responsibilities of title - gone, washed away with the midday breeze… and the High Mage couldn't think of a better way to relax.