Rose didn't have any morning classes on Friday. Her kingdom class wouldn't start until after lunch. It was the first time Rose had some proper downtime since coming to Gardenia, and she wanted to use this time to figure out how to get around the castle, and to find where everything was. While she appreciated Professor Nigel's gift, she wanted to be able to do things on her own.
What if she had to run away again?
Rose grabbed a very light breakfast early in the morning—only a handful of other students were in the cafeteria—and devoured it before heading out. She wandered around the hallways for several minutes, trying her best to memorize where she was going. There were plenty of beautiful multi-colored murals and stained-glass windows down the hallways she used as landmarks. For instance, the skylights of the hallway that lead to the cafeteria had pictures of winged horses and unicorns running through flowery fields.
Rose turned another corner, intent on trying to find the library on her own but stopped when she saw Lanna and a strikingly pretty blonde girl sitting on a stone bench and snuggling. It reminded Rose a lot of birds being affectionate.
Rose cocked her head at the display, and the blonde pushed Lanna away upon noticing Rose. Her cheeks turned redder than tomatoes.
"U-um!"
Lanna looked over at Rose and grinned, entirely unabashed. She cheerily waved her hand "Hey, Rose. C'mere and meet Aella. She's the knight in Heroes."
Rose hesitantly approached, reflexively brushing her skirt to get rid of nonexistent dirt and wrinkles. She tried out a shy smile, a little nervous to be meeting someone else. She hadn't expected to run into anyone who would talk to her that morning.
"Uhum, hello. I'm Rose."
Aella smiled kindly at Rose. Rose thought she looked a bit like one of those angels Mother Mara told her about. Her hair was a soft golden, and everything about her seemed warm and kind. She was awfully pretty, too. She must have been the prettiest girl Rose had ever seen.
"It's very nice to meet you, Rose. S-sorry you had to see that. I hope Lanna has been treating you well?"
"Lanna is very nice to me," Rose responded honestly, fiddling with her fingers.
Lanna reached over and ruffled up Rose's hair, her electric blue eyes shining. "Rose is our resident dragon."
Aella's eyes widened, her mouth forming a small o. "A dragon? Oh wow, whatever is that like?"
"I don't know. Okay, I guess."
Aella smiled again, her face bright. "That's good, then. If anyone gives you trouble you can come to me, okay?"
"Ah—um—thank you."
Rose shifted her posture to the back of her heels, uncertain how else to accept such an offer. Everyone acted incredibly kind to her, and the young dragon found it disconcerting. While people in her hometown hadn't been cruel to her, they weren't nearly as openly nice as these people.
Mother Mara had always said the people outside of Sherry were mean and vicious, and that Sherry was the only place in the whole world that was safe. Maybe she was wrong, though? Or were they only pretending to be nice?
Rose didn't know, and it made her nervous.
Lanna swung an arm around Rose's shoulders and leaned down to ask, "So where you off to, little kingmate? Did you get lost?"
"Not lost, yet," Rose responded, resisting the urge to remove Lanna's arm.
Would it be considered odd if she did? Would she be offended? Do the students here take offence easily? What if there was some unspoken social cue that Rose didn't know about and she broke it and offended everyone? "I was going to find the library and try to—try to memorize the castle, I suppose."
Aella made a hmm sound. "Why don't we escort you, then? We'll show you all the important places."
"Oh, you don't have to—"
"Nah, don't be silly. If you get lost, someone might sweep you away," Lanna said with a grin.
Aella flushed. "I don't think anyone is as devious as you, Lanna."
Lanna's grin stretched wider. "You still haven't thanked me for rescuing you from the big bad hallway. Poor little harpy, so alone and vulnerable—"
Aella smacked Lanna on the shoulder, causing the knight of Warriors to burst into laughter. Aella herself seemed to be trying to smother her blush and change the subject. She asked Rose, "How do you like the school so far?"
"Everyone's really nice. Except Mortem, he's kind of a jerk," Rose answered.
Mortem's at least is acting like a normal person, though. Are magical people simply nicer than humans, or—?
"Mortem?" Aella repeated. "He's Deo's new kingmate, isn't he?"
"And to think Deo was worried he'd be king over an empty house," Lanna chuckled.
Rose scratched her cheek. "The school seems so big for having so few students."
Lanna shrugged, folding her hands behind the back of her head. Her lips twisted into a small frown. "Most of the space here is for clubs."
"Clubs?"
"Oh, yes. To prepare us for adulthood," Aella said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "I'm in the blacksmithing club."
"Blacksmithing?"
"Yes. Rangers, explorers, adventurers, and hunters need proper equipment to go into Dungeons," Aella chirped.
"Dungeons?"
Lanna shot Aella a warning look, and Aella flushed. Lanna looked over at Rose and mumbled, "There are some beings that make pocket dimensions. These pocket dimensions are dangerous, and they pull in humans and sometimes even Neheburs. A ranger is someone—although they usually work in groups for a Guild—who goes into these Dungeons to rescue people. Hunters are the ones who destroy the Ill Creations who make the Dungeons."
"So they're like policemen?"
"The equivalent of our police force are observers and enforcers. Observers monitor and investigate, and enforcers are the powerhouses. There are clubs for those, too."
"How many clubs are there?"
"There's a club for just about every job."
"And there's enough students for all of them?"
"Well, no," Aella admitted. "But the Community always has a volunteer to help guide each club member, so if there's only one kingmate in a club, then it turns more into a mentorship. There are plenty of others in the blacksmithing club, and Forgemaster Orm is our mentor. He sends us tasks and homework, and sometimes he'll even send us some enchanted ore to practice with! He's really great."
Rose wondered what kind of club she should join. She didn't know much about the Community, and she had never put much thought into her future outside of maybe wanting to go to college in a big city. When she was younger she wanted to be an explorer like Irene from those Holmes series, or a mad scientist like Doctor Frankenstein. Mother Mara was quick to make sure Rose understood those weren't real jobs, though.
Lanna seemed to guess what Rose was thinking because she said, "You can join a club next year. Why not focus on getting comfortable here first?"
Aella nodded. "That's a good plan. Most Neheburs don't know what they want to do right away, anyway. It's rare for them to come here already decided."
"What club are you in, Lanna?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm in the dungeon club for explorers."
"Explorers?"
Lanna's grin returned. "Yeah. So, while there are Dungeons that Ill Creations make, there are some Dungeons that are seemingly randomly created. They aren't malicious, but they're dangerous and they tend to create a whole bunch of precious things. Like enchanted ores, raw magic crystals, runic stones, and so on. An explorer is someone who goes into those kinds of Dungeons and—well—explores. They make sure it's safe before the workers and miners go in.
"My old man was an explorer. He would go on these decade-long expeditions—because those Dungeons are huge and twisty—and then come back with some amazing stories. Ma always hated it, but I loved it. He's retired now, though, and annoys the heck outta Ma. She says she wishes he would go back, but I think she's really happy to have him home."
"So, you want to be like your father?"
"Yep! I'll drive Aella crazy with my decade-long expeditions," Lanna said cheerfully.
Aella giggled. "I'll make you the finest armor, so you'll be able to clear it within the first year!"
"I can't wait!"
The two girls high-fived one another before each placed a hand on Rose's back and started to push her along the hallway. They led her into the first room of the castle and began their tour. As they went about, they chatted amicably and answered Rose's many questions about the clubs. They didn't stop until they reached two tall, ceiling-high double doors and the girls pushed them open.
A pristine, cool room greeted Rose. The tiles were a shiny white that reflected the skylight above them, and the entire left wall was nothing but a window to the castle courtyard, stained-glass artwork above it. There were several beds lined up on the right side with curtains pushed back, and there was an impressively tall bookcase filled with potted plants at the far back wall.
Pressed against the window was a large desk, and at that desk sat Mortem and a handsome young man. Rose immediately felt their gazes upon her, along with that irritating zing shooting through her body. Rose glared at Mortem.
Mortem stood up from his desk. "It appears we'll have to discuss this later… old man."
"Get off my lawn, whippersnapper," the man returned with a smile. There was a glint in his eyes when he said that, though, like he was enjoying an inside joke with the student.
Mortem let out a raspy laugh and headed to the door. "See you later, Miss Rose."
"Jerk-butt," Rose greeted with another glare.
She felt another shock go through her and her glare grew even more heated, which only seemed to make Mortem laugh. Lanna and Aella watched the exchange with knowing smiles before turning towards the young man. Lanna waved happily.
"Hey, Doctor Basileus! This here is my little kingmate, Rose."
Doctor Basileus stood up from his desk, bright gold eyes resting on Rose. He reached up and ran his fingers through his thick, dark brown hair and said, "I'm glad you came to visit. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"
"She does," Aella answered, placing a hand on top of Rose's head. "We were giving her a tour of the castle, and we thought we'd see if you could get her exam out of the way."
Rose shifted nervously, suddenly feeling her stomach drop and her palms start to sweat. She tried to hide her anxiety through a wobbly smile. "Exam? Like… shots?"
Doctor Basileus shook his head. "Certainly not. Merely a magical examination, you won't feel a thing."
"Oh, um, okay."
Doctor Basileus gestured for Rose to take a seat at his desk. Rose did so, sitting where Mortem had sat previously. Doctor Basileus held his hand over her forehead, his eyes glowing bright before a burst of magic flowed forth from the palms of his hands. It glowed a soft gold, coming out of his hands like mist that swirled around Rose.
Then silver and red poured out of Rose, intermingling with the golden mist before entirely overpowering it. Then the red began to dissolve away and silver mist started to fill the room.
Doctor Basileus withdrew his hand, and the mist evaporated.
"Wow," Lanna said, and Rose turned to find both her and Aella were looking at her with wide eyes. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Dragons have always had large magical cores. Don't overthink it," Doctor Basileus responded with a smile.
"What happened? What does that mean?" Rose asked, looking between her fellow students and the doctor with wide eyes.
"Doctor Basileus drew out your magic with his," Aella explained to Rose. "It's like—when he drew out mine, only a tiny ball of brown mist came out."
"I got tufts of blue," Lanna added.
"But you completely blew his away," Aella said. "That's amazing! Dragons sure are strong."
"O-oh." Rose shifted.
Was that a good thing, then? Or would it make people uncomfortable? Rose wasn't certain how she felt about it, but Aella and Lanna didn't seem concerned, and Doctor Basileus was smiling at her, so maybe it was a good thing?
"That's good?"
"It certainly confirms who you are," Doctor Basileus said. "Come see me if you ever feel ill, Miss Rose."
"Or even if you just want some good snacks. Doctor Basileus is a mean baker," Lanna added. "For being an old fart, at least."
Doctor Basileus snorted. "Old fart gets you no cookies, Miss Lanna."
"Old fart who we all adore and admire," Lanna corrected.
"One cookie."
"The great king of old farts who is adored and admired by everyone who ever meets him."
"Okay, you can have two," Doctor Basileus allowed, gesturing towards a ceramic jar with a picture of a faerie imprinted on it. Lanna and Aella exchanged excited looks and both hurried over to the jar and pulled out rainbow colored cookies.
Aella handed one to Rose, who hesitantly took a bite out of it. It tasted…
It tasted like home, if such a taste existed. It tasted like warmth, familiarity, and safety. Rose looked up at Doctor Basileus. "What kind of cookies are these?"
"They're called springlets," Doctor Basileus answered. "Elder Sylvania invented them for her queen."
"Elder—those are one of the really strong people?"
"Yes. The Elders formed the Community many millennia ago and ended the Dark War," Doctor Basileus answered, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Rose. "Elder Sylvania was my teacher."
"What?" Rose blurted out. She thought for sure he couldn't have been more than twenty.
"Why do you think we call him an old fart?" Lanna asked her, munching on another cookie. "He's one of the oldest Neheburs still around."
"And hopefully he'll stay that way for many more centuries," Aella added quickly.
Doctor Basileus shrugged. Then he swatted at Lanna's hand when she tried to grab a third cookie. Lanna looked appropriately offended and stuck her nose up in the air in clear distaste.
"C'mon, little chicky. Let's continue with the tour."
Rose could do little to stop Lanna and Aella herding her out of the doctor's office.
The next stop was the library, which was the biggest room Rose had ever seen. There were seven floors, each with many beautiful sculptures scattered about. A few of them turned their heads to watch the students study, and one girl even approached a bird statue while holding up a book. The statue pointed upwards, and the girl headed off with a bright "thank you".
"So, here's the library," Lanna said with a grand gesture.
Rose could see many scattered students about it. She recognized Chester and Keinan sitting together at one of the tables and gave them a small wave. Both boys waved back at her.
"Friends of yours?" Aella asked.
"Uh-huh."
"Let's go say hi, then," Lanna declared, steering Rose towards the boys. "Hi, boys. I'm Lanna, Rose's knight."
"Hello, I'm Chester and this is my friend Keinan," Chester introduced the two.
"What are you working on?" Rose asked.
"A project for our parents," Chester explained. "My mother is old kingmates with Keinan's dad, and sometimes they'll assign us projects to work on."
"If we finish them before they're due, we get a treat," Keinan explained. "Right now, we're working on cryptology."
"Cryptology?"
"Codes. You wanna join?"
"Um," Rose began, not sure how to admit she probably wouldn't be of much help.
She fancied herself smart, but that was only when it came to reading about things. She never had to read one thing more than three times to remember it, but she didn't always understand what she read.
Lanna answered for her instead, "Sorry kingmates, but we're giving Rose a tour of the school. I'm sure she'll be happy to join you on your next project."
Keinan nodded. "She'll be very useful for that one."
Chester glanced at his childhood friend. "Oh, really? That's good, then."
"Um—"
Aella started to steer Rose away. "Sorry to cut this short, but we've got a lot of places to hit before lunch!"
"A-ah, okay."
Although Aella and Lanna gave Rose quite the tour of the castle, Rose felt like she could only remember about half of where things were. The classrooms, library, cafeteria, and doctor's office were some of the things she made sure she knew how to get to, but if anyone asked her where any of the other kingdom dorm rooms or clubs were, Rose would be at a loss to answer them.
The two girls were perpetually cheerful during the tour, with Lanna continuing to tease Aella about things Rose didn't understand. The harpy took it in good spirits, though, laughing along and being a genuinely merry person. After a while, Rose felt like she wasn't so uncomfortable being around such nice people, and by the time their first kingdom class rolled around, Rose was in a pretty good mood.
Lanna and Rose said their goodbyes to Aella, and Lanna took Rose to one of the courtyards where Professor Nigel had told everyone to meet. Rose was happy she recognized quite a few landmarks and hallways on the way and promised herself to explore again when she had the chance.
The duo was the last to arrive, the rest of their kingmates already chatting amongst one another beside one of the trees. Professor Nigel stood a little distance away, hands folded neatly behind him as he waited patiently.
Galio waved at them. "Hey you guys!"
Rose noticed he was wearing a paper crown. She couldn't keep from blurting out, "Do all kings wear crowns?"
"Galio's a special little boy," Havi cooed and the king snorted.
"This is my crown," Galio said, patting his paper crown. "His name is Georgie."
"Hello, Georgie," Rose politely greeted.
Galio chuckled, clapping his hands together. "Alright, now that we're all here, let's shed our human skins."
Everyone started to nod along, except Rose. Rose admitted, "I don't know how to do that. I don't even know where to begin."
Galio gave a hum. "Well, you can draw on your magic, right? Try doing that, but all over your body."
"I can't make my magic do anything," Rose responded, her brow furrowed. "It does stuff on its own."
"She may not even be able to do a full transformation," Havi pointed out. "Whatever made her stuck in her human skin for a decade was powerful. It had to have been a form of Yellow Magic, and stuff like that doesn't go away instantaneously. She may have released a good bit of her magic, but part of it could still be blocked."
Rose scratched her cheek, her curiosity piqued. Havi had said the words 'Yellow Magic' with great disdain, her nose even wrinkling up at it as if she had smelled something disgusting. Her other kingmates shared similar reactions, which only served to make the young dragon more curious.
"Yellow Magic? I didn't see a class about that."
"It's illegal to use," said Philip, folding his arms across his chest and furrowing his brow. "It's ritualistic magic, involving extreme sacrifices."
Havi nodded, grimacing as if she tasted something particularly bitter. "It's unstable, to boot. Half the time someone stupid enough tries it, they end up getting eaten alive by the magic because they can't control it."
"It is certainly dangerous," Professor Nigel said slowly, "but it has served good purposes before. The Elder Ones used Yellow Magic to create the Curtain."
Lanna rolled her eyes at that, cocking her hip and folding her arms over her chest. "They're the Elders, though. They're strong enough, so they only had to provide self-sacrifice of their own strength to fuel those rituals, but for most people, Yellow Magic takes lives."
Rose felt a little sick at that. "That sounds awful."
"It's why it's illegal," Havi responded simply.
"And you think that's what made me human?"
"It would make the most sense," Havi confirmed, her face relaxing. She brushed back some of her long dark hair over her shoulders. "The power it takes to completely suppress someone's magic for a decade is incredible. I suppose an Elder would be able to do it, but no one has seen an Elder since Carrow banished Elder Fryst—"
"Ugh," Galio said, wrinkling his nose. "I'd rather not think about that hot mess."
There was a consensus of agreement from the other classmates, followed by thick silence. Rose didn't want to be the first one to break the silence, her fellow kingmates seemed so uncomfortable that their unease was palpable. She hoped someone would change the subject soon, Rose had never been good at making people comfortable—not up until recently, anyway. The thought was instantly paired with one of her hometown, returning with a stab in her gut.
"Well if you can only partially transform…" Galio trailed off for a moment, deciding to change the subject. He was quiet for another minute before his face lit up.
"Let's have this whole session in partial transformations!"
"That seems like a good idea," Havi agreed, smiling. Her smile seemed to cause a shift in the mood, and the thick silence slipped away. "Professor Nigel?"
"A sound plan. It will go along well with what I have planned for today to welcome our newest kingmate," Professor Nigel said.
Galio grinned widely. "Besides, if Lanna fully transformed, her chunky butt would take up the whole courtyard."
Lanna promptly smacked Galio on the shoulder. "Don't make me sit on you."
"Stop hitting me," Galio whined—although it was hard to take him seriously when he had a big smile on. "I may be made of stone, but I have feelings, too."
"Stop acting like an idiot and I won't hit you," Lanna settled, sticking out her tongue.
Galio mock-sniffled. "As your king, I order you to be nicer to me."
"I acknowledge your order and choose to ignore it."
"Havi, make her be nice to me!"
"Lanna, be nice to our idiot king," Havi said.
Galio beamed. "Thanks, Ha—wait a minute."
Professor Nigel clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "How about a game of hide-and-seek to start things off? It's a beautiful day outside, it'd be a shame to waste it on only classwork."
Galio let out a whoop, throwing his fist into the air. "Yes! That sounds perfect. Let's get right to it, but Philip can't be the seeker."
"Definitely," Lanna agreed.
"Hey," Philip protested.
"You brought it on yourself," Havi told him, soothingly patting his arm.
"Win one hunting competition…" Philip muttered under his breath.
Professor Nigel cleared his throat politely. "Returning to the original discussion of Rose's transformation… Miss Rose, why don't you give it a go now?"
Rose wasn't entirely sure how to begin. When she initially transformed, it wasn't by choice. The magic she released was hotter than any fire, and the only thing she could remember feeling in that moment was the pain from the heat's intensity. She wasn't confident she would be able to call upon her magic in the first place, let alone tell it what to do. The only time she had some semblance of control over her magic was during Red and Black class, but no other classes had been nearly as successful.
She could feel the second heartbeat inside her—the odd bit of warmth she had felt since her birthday—but she could only feel it, like one could feel their own blood. She couldn't control it any more than she could her other heartbeat.
This was—also—generously assuming the second heartbeat she felt was her magic.
Rose anxiously shifted on the spot. "I-I really don't know how to start."
"That's alright. This is all very new to you," Professor Nigel soothed. "Why don't you start with taking a deep breath and closing your eyes? It is easier to feel your magic when you don't have so many distractions."
Rose closed her eyes and did as suggested. She tried to focus on her second heartbeat, wondering if it would suddenly become tangible for her to work with if she focused hard enough. She could feel her fellow kingmates step back to give her some room, each politely quiet and patiently waiting for Rose.
In between one heartbeat and the next, Rose felt something stir within her gut.
It was not a sensation she felt in any of her classes. It simultaneously felt completely alien, yet comfortingly familiar—like greeting a long-lost friend that has changed drastically since last meeting them. Rose immediately focused on that feeling, trying to mentally grab it, but the moment her attention zeroed in on it, she felt the hot rush of fire erupt from inside of her.
In the next breath the fire was gone, and Rose's eyes snapped open to marvel at her sudden transformation. Her nails—which had permanently turned black since her birthday—had sharpened into claws. She could feel horns protruding from the top of her head, and her wings and tail stretched out around her.
Galio let out a whoop. "Congrats, Rose! Good job!"
The other members of her kingdom all clapped as the wind blew across the courtyard, carrying the delightful smells of the nearby gardens.
Havi added, "What a pretty transformation! You used fire magic to do so, so you must be a fire dragon, right?"
Rose shrugged. "I guess?"
Galio adjusted the paper crown on the top of his head. "Alright, guys, let's do partial transformations too and get started. I'll be it first!"
There was the sound of concrete cracking, followed by bat-like stone wings that erupted from Galio's back, along with a long tail seemingly made of dense gray rock. Everything about him changed, his hands turning to massive, jagged claws, and his teeth enlarging into fangs that protruded from his lips. The gargoyle had finished his partial transformation and immediately flapped his massive wings, taking to the sky.
Lanna snorted, jet-black, feathery wings jutting from her back with sparks of peacock blue electricity shooting off them. Bits of feathers grew on her skin and in her hair, but the thunderbird had already taken to the sky as soon as her wings stretched out fully.
Havi pulled her hair up into a ponytail, her pupils expanding out, turning her eyes entirely obsidian. Two massive fangs poked out of her mouth, and her nose flattened out to look more reminiscent of a bat. She squatted down once before leaping high into the air and starting to climb to the rooftop of the castle.
In the same instant, Wei and Shō had transformed, their skins turning a stony shade, lips spreading into what looked like perpetual smiles up to their ears, and teeth growing into monstrous fangs. Their faces flattened, and their hair lightened to an ash gray, growing to frame their whole head like a lion's mane. The feng shui fu dogs both started sprinting in opposite directions. Philip scratched his cheek, glancing over at the amazed Rose.
"You know how to fly, little dragon?"
"Maybe?" Rose guessed.
"Don't worry if you fall, Miss Rose, I will be sure to catch you," Professor Nigel said softly.
"I'm gonna start counting," Galio shouted, still flying in circles up above. "Thirty… twenty-nine…"
Philip shook his head, thick, curly hair growing out of most of his body and a pair of horns emerged from his forehead. The minotaur gave Rose a jovial wave. "Good luck, kingmate."
Before Rose could respond, he had already leapt up onto the castle and took off. Rose hesitated only briefly before randomly selecting a direction and starting to run. She tentatively stretched out her wings and leapt up into the air, her wings beating down hard.
To her utter delight, she immediately shot up into the air, and the little girl couldn't resist letting out a peal of giggles at the sensation. She flapped her wings, shooting off into the sky and circling around the tallest tower at the school. She gracelessly landed on the roof, crawling up against one of the windows and curling into the corner as tightly as she could.
She thought it was a decent hiding spot. Unfortunately for her, Galio thought otherwise.