"Oh, the Order pays. Usually. You do have to pick an Order in advance, although you can in theory swap if one Order is interested enough to reimburse another for your tuition costs.

"Alternatively, you could formally enlist with the Imperial army and study for a while at a provincial military school. Those mainly exist to prepare passable magi for the Order of Wrath. Destruction and dispelling magic, mostly, crude but viciously effective. They don't teach much else, though. 

"There's laws that govern apprenticeship and enlistment agreements, enforceable by everything from corporal punishment to compulsion spells, but I didn't pay nearly enough attention in lectures to know how they'd apply to a time loop. The loyal and correct thing to say, of course, is that if one makes a commitment to Empire and Order then one ought to keep it regardless of surrounding circumstances, and regardless of whether Empire or Order are capable of actually remembering said commitment. And if anyone asks, you may tell them that's what I advised. 

"Oh, there are also a few interesting independent schools around the Empire as well. They've sadly declined over time, as the Avernian tradition became more popular, and they tend to have peculiar conditions for entry, but they do exist and they can be quite enlightening." 

"With that in mind do you have any suggestions? I'm a little unsure how much the choice of order restricts what I'm likely to learn or how much independence I'll be able to have."

"Well, if I were advising a normal Gifted, I'd say it depends a great deal on what kind of magus you want to be. If you apprentice with an Order, you'll spend most of your time doing grunt work for a senior magus and the rest learning whatever Arts they specialize in. Assuming you are not presently sitting on a small fortune, that's the standard way to become an accomplished magus in a decade or three. This commits you to at least one season a year of Order-assigned duties, and often more. 

"Independence is hard to come by, I'm afraid, but if you'd rather not commit to an Order, there are a few covenants that still occupy legally-protected niches.* The monastery at Viginti traditionally makes a study of Yan Tei philosophies and magical traditions, for example, and they are mostly autonomous but obliged to share any findings with the Orders. Also, their cook makes an exquisite roast duck. 

"The Order of Wrath is the other extreme; they commit you to full-time military service, but also focus almost exclusively on training combat magic. If you urgently want to be able to personally win a fight against a powerful magus, that's the place to start. I believe there's a small academy in Isvos,** you could inquire there.

"If you want generalist experience before you pick an Order, Grawtosh is still a good choice. I can put in a good word with the Order of Dreams; they'll happily sponsor you to get a basic education on my recommendation, and I expect they'll also be willing to trade you to another Order if you so choose. 

"You could get special treatment by admitting you're on the path to being Named, perhaps demonstrating that pocket-dimension trick, but then absolutely everyone is going to want to sink their claws into you one way or another. If you're like most Named, you won't be able to hide your nature forever, but you should treat notoriety as a resource and spend it wisely. Otherwise, unless you are quite extraordinarily good at intrigue, you're liable to end up on someone's leash, if not their laboratory table.

"As to how all of this interacts with the possibility of repeating the same year more than once, I must admit I can't confidently say much more than I have. It would certainly make you the envy of many a magus, if it proved true. You could afford to take some quite impressive risks in pursuit of knowledge, and take them repeatedly. Go forth and try things, I suppose."

*The practice of magic is tolerated outside the Orders, but it's (mostly) illegal to teach magic in Miezia without being part of a Petronian Order. 
**Capital city of Umbrica province, in which Eriksmont is located. Named for the Aspiring Commander who conquered much of the region. 

"That seems like a reasonable plan then. I'll happily accept your recommendation. I'd prefer to at least not start out operating under false pretenses so planning to go to Grawtosh with your recommendation. If I'm wrong it doesn't sound like too bad a life and illusions have a lot of potential utility even if they won't carry a battle alone. I get the impression Aeschivus is formidable so I don't really expect personal direct combat magics to be what carries the day if the two of you don't suffice."

"Quite. And if for some reason I don't survive this, do please contact the Order of Dreams anyway and tell them what happened. Although I imagine the province governor should be your first stop; we don't know what happens if the entirety of Eriksmont is slaughtered tonight, but I'd wager it doesn't stop there. We have a fast horse and a couple of scouts posted just out of sight along the east road. If all else fails, they will accompany you to Isvos." 

"My grandmother already left to head that way so that works. Is there somewhere I should wait? Should I just start walking that way now?"

"Perhaps close enough to see whether this Clarisse emerges from the east gate again, but far enough to flee unnoticed if she does? The edge of the green could work, but you know this town better than I."

"I think I might be able to find somewhere in the hills that I can see the gate from. A woman accompanied by a number of guards is distinct enough to see from a distance and so would everyone on the green falling over."

"Then go, and the gods be with you."

And the "old woman" and her escort set off towards town.

Alex ventures off to the hills and settles in to watch once he finds a good spot.

If the magi and their entourage double back to enter Eriksmont, they do a good enough job of disguising themselves that Alex can't tell them apart from festival-goers.

For about an hour, everything is quiet, if one ignores the raucous partying of several thousand townsfolk.

A bit after nine in the evening, a woman and a group of guards do indeed emerge from the eastern gate...

...but it's a considerably different group than last time, if the dark evening dress and bright orange coat are any indication. 

Aeschivus walks stiffly at the head of the group, with his own guards in tow. Behind them, a woman in a black and silver dress is thoroughly bound, gagged, blindfolded, and draped across a horse, with the horse and its passenger being led by one guard and diligently watched by three more from beyond arm's reach with spears at the ready. 

(One does not take chances with magi of unknown origin and powers.) 

A small horde of townsfolk and Eriksmont garrison troops follow after, craning their necks for better view. At the pointed looks (and more pointed weaponry) from the rest of the entourage, they keep to a distance that might be called barely respectful. 

By saving the town of Eriksmont from mass slaughter, albeit in a thoroughly undramatic manner, you have gained 2 Might XP! 

You are now Might 1! 

You have unlocked an Aspect! 

At first Alex is apprehensive but when the woman doesn't go towards the stage and especially once Aeschivus appears it's clear they've succeeded. The system notification is just confirmation. He'll start making his way back down aiming to come from a low profile angle.

In the meantime, "Info Aspect."

Info/Aspects

Just as a Name is a way in which your story reflects the stories of others, an Aspect is a way in which your story reflects your own aspirations and accomplishments.

Aspects unlocked: 1 of 3

Grow 0 (0/5) 
Gain additional XP from long-term study or practice, scaling with the level of this Aspect. You ignore penalties to experience gain from having scores in multiple Supernatural Abilities, including magical Arts. You may gain unique abilities from books, training, or defeated foes, even if you would not normally be capable of using them. You may gain Might XP by consuming vis, up to a limit of this Aspect's level in pawns of vis each season. 
Apply Might XP to advance this Aspect. 

???
Defeat a difficult enemy or obtain a rare skill to unlock your next Aspect. 

That is an excellent ability.

Alex won't approach the mages given that he doesn't think Aeschivus knows about him and also he doesn't want the woman to know to try to get revenge on him.

Aeschivus and his larger group peel away to continue east, prisoner in tow. 

Well he can do as he likes, but it sounds like her work here is done. Therefore: 

DANCING!!!

The Festival of Asteron officially ends at midnight, although festival-goers trickle back to bed in various states of exhaustion and inebriation for some time afterwards. 

In the morning, Ser Peckingsworth greets the actual dawn as enthusiastically as usual. Jen's still away, and the green is still somewhat trampled from the prior night's partying. 

Alex will celebrate with everyone else. He won't drink too heavily but he'll definitely have some. When morning comes he'll eat an early breakfast and then go to Lilian's inn to try to meet with her again.

This works! She's still staying at the Vorkenfalx.

She looks completely different again and is only a little bit hungover. 

"Good morning Lilian. Come to think of it, you never did explain how you have quite so many outfits. Are you using magic for that?"