"When you shook my hand and said 'May the best Mage win', did you mean that? Or was that a lie, when what you meant to say was 'May the best Mage win unless, of course, it’s you in which case go fuck yourself!!!'" The Royal Archmage only ever selects one Apprentice, but after months of grueling magical tests and trials, your greatest rival has been appointed instead of you. But what you’re most upset about is… I'm a huge sucker for Academic Rivals to Lovers, so here's my sapphic take on that dynamic ~ with minimal SFX and under 1.6K words. Enjoy! ✨ Author: Voracious_Bard