Elementals

"Humans are quite strange." The tiny girl on the floor looked up at her tutor. The silver-haired man wasn't looking at her. He was flipping through his notes, probably wondering what to teach her today. The eight-year-old observed her teacher, waiting for him to start the lesson. He had been training her for a year now, but she hadn't learned much about her life or why everyone was tip-toeing around her future. "How old are you now, Princess Bria?" The tutor asked. "I'm eight." The princess answered. "You should know that. You were at my birthday celebration last week after all, Eugene." Eugene laughed. "You are right, Princess. Ten years from now, you will begin your journey towards marriage." The princess wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I don't want to get married." The tutor chuckled. "Maybe not now, but you will. You will meet a nice, young man who will capture your heart. Then, and only then, should you marry." Bria thought on this for a moment. A nice, young man? She thought about the boys she currently knew, all of which were servant boys. They were gross and smelly and weren't nice at all. She scrunched her nose up even more. Eugene laughed again. "Relax, little one." The old man said. "Boys are gross now, but they will get better. Do you know what happens in ten years?" The girl shook her head. "Your eighteenth birthday is in ten years. That's when you become an adult and can make your own decisions." "Does that mean I can choose who I want to marry?" The little princess asked. Eugene smiled. "It does. That is normally not the case, but you are quite special." "Why?" Bria asked. He sighed. "That is what I'll be teaching you about today. Our lessons from now on will be about Elementals and how their societies work. You'll be joining their world on your wedding day." The princess's eyes widened. "Really? Why's that? I'm human, aren't I?" The tutor picked up his notes again. "Remember how I said humans are strange? You don't want to be one of us. Let me tell you about what you truly are."