A longer chapter this time around. Don't expect that every chapter will be around the 6K point, though. My notes suggest that chapters will average around 4K unless I add in extra scenes that weren't there in the original. On the other hand, that's looking more likely considering that I've added in an entire two scenes to add on the worldbuilding and broke this chapter off from being just a tacked-on extra to the prologue.
Enjoy the story.
The debutante's ball was a well-known event for nobility and royalty. Tradition dictated it was held on the debutante's eighteenth birthday, as a celebration of adulthood and entrance into the political arena. Depending on the importance of the debutante in the social hierarchy, the bigger the celebration was expected to be.
On occasion, some events necessitated a delay or pushback in the organisation of the debutante's ball. It wasn't often that it was seen, of course — appearances were everything, and it reflected somewhat badly on the organiser to delay the ball.
Outside of introducing a new debutante to the political scene, though, a highly publicised ball was also a major media centrepiece. Fashion lines could be built up or broken down depending on the attendee's clothing of choice, political networks were constructed through carefully worded interactions, and in some cases, future nuptial agreements were also made.
Solaria was one of the planets with a history of memorable debutante's balls, with the former Queen Consort Duchess Luna Lindana's ball being one of the most elaborate and most involved. More recently, the current Queen, Stella Celine Solaria's debutante's ball, delayed by a year due to going-ons in the Magix Dimension, had been a spectacle for the ages due to the evil wizard Valtor's resurgence soon after.
The twentieth of August of the current year, though, brought about the much-awaited Princess Ball hosted in Solaria Hall, celebrating Crown Princess Maho Celeste Solaria's eighteenth birthday.
"Maho, honey, are you ready to go?" Queen Stella Celine Solaria pushed open the doors to her daughter's chambers, poking her head in to see her oldest child.
The room was tall, with an arched ceiling that was carved from intricate marble and metalwork. A crystal chandelier hung from overhead, lit up with a silver glow that washed the room. Maho's furniture was dark, polished wood, with deep navy sheets and cushions to accent it.
The princess was seated at her vanity with a couple of maids helping her to settle her dress, hair and makeup. Ivory fabric pooled on the floor from the excess of her skirt, glittery tulle layered over the silk and jewels dripping from the extravagant ball gown. It was opulent, but the debutante's ball was meant to display the wealth and strength of the hosting party anyway.
"Almost," Maho responded, her back ramrod straight as the maids put her hair up into a delicate updo. Strands of silver hair, inherited from her mother's side of the family, were artfully teased out, braids weaved into the board straight hair, and blue stars and moons were carefully pinned in. A pale blue tiara was pressed into her hair, the same crown that Stella herself had worn as Princess of Solaria.
Stella walked into the room, letting the maids finish up on Maho's hair before she dismissed them. The queen smoothed down the soft orange of her full skirt and walked up behind her daughter, placing both hands on her shoulders, bared by the strapless bodice. "You look beautiful, Maho," she cooed with a smile. Her own sunshine blonde hair was pulled back into an elegant ponytail, and her golden crown sat on her head. "My sweet baby is already eighteen, my word."
"Mother," Maho said with a little sigh, but a small smile pulled on her lips regardless of the slightly exasperated tone. Pastel blue covered her eyelids, and a soft pink painted her lips. Maho needed little else to bring out her natural, ethereal beauty, and the Crown Princess was almost completely ready for her ball.
The Fairy of the Shining Sun just hummed softly as she looked at her daughter in the mirror of her vanity. The resemblance was greater as Maho got older — they would never quite have the exact same facial structure or be mistaken for each other, no, but Maho had the Lindana face structure and nose, as did Stella, and despite her recessive hair and eye colours, there was no doubt she was Stella's daughter.
"Before we headed out," Stella said, taking a seat on a bench next to Maho's vanity, "I wanted to talk a bit to you, my sweet moonbeam." Her gown pooled on the cool tiled floor, a warm, glowing orange next to the shining silver and ivory of her daughter's dress.
Silver brows furrowed together slightly, and Maho ran her hands down the voluminous skirt of her ball gown. "Is something wrong, mother?"
"Oh, oh no, sweetie," Stella reassured, gently reaching out to touch her daughter's cheek. "Everything's alright. I just wanted to say how proud I am of you. You've been doing so well in Alfea, and this year you're going to be graduating and entering the court network full time. I know, honey, that you really want to push yourself this year, but I don't want you to work yourself to the bone, okay?"
"I know, mother," Maho replied softly. She reached out, her slender hand wreathed with a crystal bracelet, and she clasped Stella's hand, with two signet rings on her middle and index fingers that bore a moon and a sun crest respectively. "I won't let you down."
"That's my girl." Stella leaned in and pressed a kiss to her daughter's brow, her heart swelling with pride. "We have one more surprise for you, but that's for the main event itself, and that can't start until you arrive. Shall we, my moon drop?"
The Crown Princess rose to her feet and smoothed out her skirt, glittery tulle and silk shining under the light of her crystal chandelier. Crystals gleamed in her hair, and she smiled warmly, the picture of a perfect princess.
"Let's."
Naida stopped herself from nervously fidgeting with the sea lily pin that held her hair into a tousled braided bun, foam green matching her eyeshadow, and resisted the urge once more to smooth down the skirt of her formal sea green dress. The full A-line skirt brushed the floor, draping aquamarine tulle wrapping around her skirt and up her bodice until it finished at her halter neckline, the pale colour of the tulle complementing her dark skin. The crest of House Andros was embroidered over her heart, depicting a wave that curled in a perfect circle.
Her parents were somewhere in the crowd already, seeking out friends to speak with, but she was content to stay by the refreshment table for a little while longer until the rest of the girls arrived.
Well, except Maho, of course, the girl of the hour.
Solaria Hall was a grand ballroom in the Solarian Capital, constructed specifically to house major events that were unsuited for the Palace itself. For an event such as the biggest debutante's ball of the year, it was just about the only place imaginable. Constructed by High King Radius to host Queen Stella and King Brandon's wedding, it featured high, golden arches across walkways, gilded walls, and intricate sun patterns that were worked into the structure itself. The floor was constructed of stained tiles in golds and browns and silvers, forming an image of the twin suns of Solaria as they circled each other. It had two grand staircases leading to the second floor, meeting in a landing at the middle that led down to the floor, drawing attention to anyone who stepped onto it.
White-covered tables lined the sides of Solaria Hall, loaded with refreshments that ranged from every imaginable pastry and treat from the Magix Dimension to dishes worthy of a hearty meal, and to match, circular dining tables had been set up around the room for attendees to enjoy their meal. To go with the mood, a stage had been set up in one corner, and the best musicians of Solaria, all graduates of the Golden Auditorium, were playing a soft classical tune.
Before long, though, she heard the clicking of heels on the smooth tiles, and she looked up to see Lilliana and Harmony approach. Lilliana's hair was pinned up into a half bun, falling over her shoulder in a cascade of dark blue, and fresh flowers were woven into a beautiful hairband that held back her pastel fringe, complementing the pale pink eyeshadow on her lids and pink lipstick. Her floor-length pink dress was layered and flowing, embroidered with lacy lily patterns that hemmed each layer and crept up towards her waist. A green sash wrapped around her narrow waist and cinched into a bow at her hip.
Harmony, on the other hand, wore her hair in a bun at the very nape of her neck, secured in place with white hair sticks that stood out starkly against her magenta hair. Her dress was a brilliant crimson, embroidered with a golden fan, with capped sleeves and a high collar designed to resemble petals. The dress featured a knee-high slit on either side, and white thread hemmed both her neckline and highlighted the buttons down her side. Harmony wore no makeup at all.
"Hey girls," Naida greeted with a smile, moving over to give each of the girls a hug. "Your parents already off looking for each other?"
Harmony just nodded with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "Yeah. Mom's looking for Aunt Aisha and Aunt Tecna right now, and I think Dad's looking for Uncle Sky."
"It's a shame that Tiara and Raven can't be here," Lilliana voiced softly. "Tiara's birthday is just in two weeks more, and Raven turns sixteen in October."
"Yeah, but those are the rules," Naida pointed out with a 'what can you do' shrug. "Their parents aren't allowed to let them attend, even if we all know Maho would love to have them here."
Harmony just frowned. "At least we'll all be able to attend Lils' debutante's ball next year," she said, seemingly trying her best to not scuff her polished red flats on the tiles.
Naida gently patted her shoulder in consolation. She saw someone move on the grand staircase, and she directed the other two girls' attention. The room had gone silent because the debutante's ball was about to begin in earnest.
The first thing they saw was the King and Queen, arm in arm as they walked down the left side of the stairs. King Brandon Solaria-Perez wore his deep forest green suit jacket well, golden epaulettes decorating his shoulders, and the crest of the Solarian royal family, House Radiance, embroidered over his heart. The dark green ensemble was accented with a touch of golden orange on the hem, which only brought out his partner's gown more.
Queen Stella Solaria's A-line gown was as glowing golden as her suns, trailing behind her in a slight train while long, full sleeves draped over her arms. Her shoulders were bared, and her golden hair was pulled back into a high, sleek ponytail. Dark green lined the inside of her sleeves, matching her partner to a T.
The royal couple descended to the landing where the two staircases met, and the queen took centre stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Solaria, Your Majesties, Lords and Ladies of Magix," Stella began, her voice magically amplified to reach everyone in the hall, "we welcome you tonight to Solaria Hall to partake in our daughter's debutante ball. A debutante's ball is their first taste of adulthood in our world, and tonight, our daughter will join us as a fully-fledged member of our courts."
Brandon smiled at his wife, taking over to direct the attendee's attention to the other staircase. "Ladies and gentlemen, Your Majesties, Lords and Ladies of Magix," he announced, his voice similarly amplified, "we present to you, our daughter, Crown Princess Maho Celeste Solaria!"
"Wow," Harmony breathed, watching their oldest friend walk down the stairs, carrying herself with ethereal grace.
The silver gown was exquisitely made, and it only highlighted Maho's naturally pale skin and platinum silver hair. The glittery tulle and the crown on her head shone under the light of the golden lamps, and it completely grasped the crowd's attention.
Maho walked down to the landing to stand with her parents, then pulled out her skirts in a polite, deep curtsey, and the crowd burst out in applause.
What followed was a blur of people walking up, politely swarming their friend with greetings and discussion. Naida and the other two girls kept right away from the Solarian princess, allowing her to do as she needed to, and instead, they began to watch the people that had arrived.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Harmony said as she nibbled at a strawberry-glazed eclair, "but aren't they High King Erendor and High Queen Samara of Eraklyon?" She pointed her partially-eaten pastry in the direction she was looking in, and it directed Naida and Lilliana's gazes over to see an older couple, the man a greying brunette with a thick beard and square jaw, the woman a pretty redhead who was similarly beginning to grey, her hair pulled back into a dignified ponytail.
Lilliana bit down gently on her lower lip before she replaced it with a soft, spongy slice of cake, slathered in vanilla cream. "It looks like them alright. I guess they would be invited — they're still important movers and shakers in the interdimensional political scene, even if most of their formal power has been handed down to Uncle Sky."
"Maho's going to speak to them right now," Naida told the other two, seeing Maho's dazzling silver gown move through the crowd. "Or, well, they look like they have something to say to her. Let's see what it is. We'll get to talk to Maho later, anyway."
From a distance, the exchange was short and sweet, and distinctly polite. Maho gave a polite curtsey, reciprocated by a bow and a curtsey from the High Monarchs. They spoke, though because it was too far away, it was impossible to tell what they were talking about. Then, Maho inclined her head, visibly upset to the trio of girls but not to the others milling about in Solaria Hall, and she excused herself from the conversation.
"Maho doesn't look too pleased," Lilliana murmured. "What did they talk about?"
"Beats me," Harmony muttered. "But I bet Maho's going to tell us all about it when she comes over. Here she comes as we speak."
True enough, the Solarian princess seemed to have completed her obligatory meets and greets. Aside from polite smiles and nods in greeting towards other attendees of her ball as she passed, the girl of the hour swept in front of her trio of friends. She accepted a flute of sparkling cider from a waiter that passed, giving a polite smile, only for the expression to drop once she was only facing her friends and the wall.
Naida could see the darker blue of her eyes and her tense jaw, the rigid way she held her back straight and her shoulders back. "How about we step outside a little and get a breath of fresh air?" she suggested, innocuous enough that it wouldn't be taken as an explicit request to be allowed to leave the party entirely.
"There's a balcony just over there," Harmony said, the petite Melodese girl catching on quickly. "Let's head outside — it's getting a bit stuffy in here with so many people, anyway." The girl would have reached over to grab Maho's hand by the wrist, but the older girl's dress was voluminous and flowing, and Harmony seemed wary of getting too close lest she step on the pristine gown.
Still, the quartet made their way out onto the balcony, and Lilliana twirled a finger in the air to magic the doors temporarily shut. The heavy golden and red doors shut softly on themselves, and the pink and green sparkles of magic faded into the air.
Meanwhile, the silver-haired Solarian just placed down her flute on the balcony railing before scrubbing frustratedly at her face. Magic kept her makeup from smearing all over her pale skin, thankfully, but Maho was clearly annoyed even after she was done rubbing at her temples. "Great Dragons," she said with a groan.
Naida glanced over at Harmony, then Lilliana.
"Frustrating talk?"
"Slanderous," Maho grumbled, sighing. She turned to face them and grabbed her glass again, sipping at the cider. "It was nothing short of thunderous slander directed at Raven, I'll tell you. For all their benevolence, they certainly aren't too nice towards her."
The youngest of the quartet whistled, leaning against the railing. "What did they say? Or am I better off not knowing so I can't gossip to Blackbird?"
Maho just scowled, the expression marring her pretty features as her brow pinched into a glower. "They don't like her very much. A lot of snide comments about the way she dresses and acts, like 'if only she could stop dressing like a peasant witch', 'she'll be begging to transfer to Alfea before one semester is done', that sort of thing." Pursing pink lips together, the silver princess just took another sip from her cider — likely alcoholic, since she was now old enough to legally drink in Solaria — and she contemplated the golden hue of the liquid.
"You know, girls… things have really gone off the rails," Maho admitted. "Even if I never wanted to be just like my mother, I thought that maybe, we could be them, but better, faster, stronger, more powerful. When we all transformed after meeting our Dragons that day, when I was put into a mixed-year dorm, when Lilliana and Naida were placed in my dorm… I thought that, for a moment, we were going to be following in their footsteps."
She sipped from her cider again and looked up at the girls, giving them a small little smile. "But I guess we were always destined to be more than what our mothers were. Harmony is set to attend Red Fountain, Raven will become the first witch of her lineage, and Naida will be following in her father's footsteps. Our mothers might have been the best and brightest of the fairies in their day, but we aren't meant to be our mothers. We're meant to be more. To be greater, to step out of their shadows. I just know it."
Lilliana nodded slightly at her proclamation. "It seems like such a tall order," she said, tucking a strand of her pastel bangs behind her ear, "but I know what Maho's saying is right. I can just feel it, too. It'll be a long journey, but we're meant for something big. The Dragons with us promise it." Her hand came to rest over her heart, and she closed her eyes.
"Well then," Harmony murmured. "School starts in just a week or two more. If we're to surpass our parents, then we'll have to get to work."
"We'll figure it out. All six of us," Naida promised. "Not just against big bad villains trying to take over or destroy our world, but against everyone who'd try to put us down either. We're a team and we'll make it work, because we're the Magix Club, and we won't be beaten down."
Just a few weeks later, the school term officially began.
The Four Schools of Magix opened their doors to the new cohort of students as they moved into the dormitories, and a new batch of aspiring young fairies, witches, sorcerers and Specialists began their journey to become the best of the best, the crème de la crème of their generation.
Alfea College for Aspiring Guardian Fairies was the most prestigious school for fairies across the Magix realm. The school accepted mostly royalty and nobility for their natural duty of learning to protect their realms and homes but also promising young commoners as well who'd either come on high recommendations and sponsorship from their royals or in the odd case, after passing a difficult entrance exam. Alfea produced the highest number and highest quality of Enchantix fairies upon completion of their three-year programme, and though it wasn't compulsory, it was certainly an easier graduation requirement to fill compared to the challenging academic requirements to graduate otherwise.
Cloud Tower Institute for Young Witches, on the other hand, was perhaps one of the best known educational institutes for aspiring witches. Most did not become guardians of any sort, preferring to go into research and educational branches, but Cloud Tower's extensive list of previous alumni provided the best chances for any witch to attain her dreams. Unlike Alfea, Cloud Tower's admission was mostly sponsorship-based, with students either being recommended based on previous achievements at magical preparatory schools or displaying a remarkable achievement in dark magic. However, they also reserved spaces for students to come in based on academics alone. Still, the cohorts tended towards the small size, which suited the dark counterpart to Alfea just fine, and their graduating witches were the finest in their chosen craft, with no competition.
Red Fountain School for Specialists, the premier training academy for the pseudo-police force that focuses first and foremost on non-magical education, was as prestigious as its two sister schools, considering they were all founded at the same time. Even if all beings had magic coursing through their beings, a not insubstantial portion of the populace often chose to not pursue magical education. A large majority of them were either male noble heirs or students who had gotten in through athletic scholarships. Unlike Alfea or Cloud Tower, though, Red Fountain was not a single-sex school, even if they hadn't had a female student in almost a century.
Finally, Zaltora Academy of Sorcery was the newest of the Four Schools of Magix, only being recently established years ago after the main school gained enough notoriety that they could open up a large branch in Magix itself. The Academy, like Red Fountain, accommodated both sorcerers and sorceresses, and while it had no prestigious history like its three sister schools, it was one of the few schools of sorcery in the realm. Of course, it certainly helped that King Nabu Andros-Kasper was an alumnus, he who took on the infamous Wizards of the Black Circle years prior.
This was the year that the last trio of the Magix Club would be finally beginning to attend their school of choice, and though some might have expected them all to be at Alfea as their mothers before them had, few would have guessed that they would have ended up scattered across all of the Four Schools.
Raven hiked her backpack over her shoulder as she walked up to the entrance of Cloud Tower, with several other aspiring witches heading up the winding path to the ominous-looking entryway as well. Her dark clothes fit right in with the other witches on the way up, and though the school was dark and intimidating, she felt nothing but intrigue, even as a pair of girls behind her whispered in fear of what might await them.
At the grand, imposing entranceway stood the Headmistress herself. Head Witch Griffin, like her two peers in Alfea and Red Fountain, did not have a well-documented past outside of her recorded involvement with the Company of Light, but despite being well over a hundred years old at this point, she did not look her age in the slightest. While Faragonda and Saladin's hair had already lightened to a silvery-white, Griffin's dark purple hair was only slightly streaked with a pale lavender — she'd aged well.
With the Headmistress at the entrance was a tall, slender professor, with black and white hair and long, maroon dress robes. Professor Ediltrude, one of the longest-time professors at the school, held a clipboard in her spindly hands. She ticked off names with a pen fashioned to look like an eagle feather quill as students passed by, but some of them were stopped on occasion by the two professors.
As Raven approached, she learnt why, as Ediltrude flagged her down.
"State your registered name and planet, girl," the salt-and-pepper-haired professor requested in a stern, no-nonsense voice.
"Raven Quinn-Peters, from Domino, Professor."
Ediltrude looked up from her clipboard, checking off her name. A folder of papers floated over into the aspiring witch's hands. "Step over to the Head Witch, Miss Raven. She will explain the rest of the orientation process to you."
Raven obliged, seeing another witch, one with platinum blonde hair, step up after her. The bearer of the Dragon's Flame weaved around a few returning students and walked over to the purple-haired witch. As soon as she was within three paces of the woman, she caught sight of Griffin's fingers drumming against her thigh, and a faint, almost imperceptible barrier sprung up around them in a cylinder.
"Is the secrecy normal, Headmistress?" she inquired politely.
"If your mother had chosen our school, it would have been," Griffin responded, her voice equally as pleasant in tone. "Cloud Tower has never seen a Witch of the Dragon's Flame before, I must say."
Raven pursed pale lips together. "You sent me an additional letter in my mail with my acceptance," she said. "I'm not very sure of what you meant by it, Professor."
"Exactly what was said, Raven. Witches are by far more dangerous than our light counterparts, but never before have we had a student with such raw power in our hallways before. One spell, one spiked temper, and something could go very, very wrong. You must be very cautious until you've got a tighter hold over your powers." The Headmistress indicated a hand at her folder, dispelling the soundproof barrier. Papers and diagrams slid out of the plastic. "Now, your orientation material."
A flick of the fingers brought up a map. "This map changes with Cloud Tower's current configuration. With enough practice, you won't need it anymore, but on short notice, it will be helpful." A scheduling slip. "This is your timetable for Orientation Day tomorrow. Check your map for the relevant locations. And this," the witch summoned out an arcane-looking scroll, though it was clearly designed to look that way rather than being as old as it looked to be, "contains all the information of relevant course teachers and educators."
All the materials slid back into the folder and Griffin summoned out a diamond-shaped token. "This will take you to your coven dorm and serve as your entrance key. Your student ID is to be worn on your person at all times starting dinner tonight. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Headmistress. Thank you." Raven collected her folder back, closing her palm around the diamond that fell into her hand. With a short and polite bow of the head, she closed her hand around the handle of her luggage once more and continued into the school. The last words of the Headmistress lingered after her as she walked on.
"I look forward to our first class, Miss Raven."
Harmony's luggage was all tucked neatly into a heavy camping backpack, which almost seemed oversized for her small frame, and in a hand-pulled luggage bag that contained some of the heavier items as well.
Unlike Alfea or Cloud Tower, several long tables were laid out in front of the entrance, where senior Specialists, garbed in their uniforms, sat in front of clipboards. Two more stood near the entrance, where a large hologram projected a list of names. Seeing the freshmen congregate around it, Harmony too shouldered her way to the front, trying not to listen to the whispers about her she could hear.
She found her name shortly, being one of the only two female students and thus near the bottom of the list, with 'SSG' labelled beside it, and quickly made her escape from the crowd of tall, muscular boys who were trying to find their names among the list.
Taking another look at the tables, in front of each specialist was a label, ranging from 'DSA' to 'SuSO', which she could only assume were shorthands or acronyms for divisions. The table labelled with 'SSG' was manned by two seniors, one of them a tanned brunette with curly, messy hair, and the other a surly-looking, if not conventionally attractive, platinum blond, and she headed over with her things.
The blond took notice first. "You Harmony Song?" he asked gruffly, receiving a nod in return. "Good. You need to sign your name here to show that you've been by, and take the PDA."
Harmony awkwardly hiked her bag straps and signed her name before she took the digital device, which powered on with a short, jaunty 8-bit melody.
"That's your schedule, map, comms and planner," the brunette told her. "Upon first log-in, there'll be a tutorial on how it works, so remember it well. Your username is on the back of the comm, written on the sticker, and a temporary password, so change that once you've completed the tutorial. For most of the rest of orientation, the basic programme will walk you through everything. Any questions?"
Harmony just shook her head. "No, thank you though."
"Good. You're going to want to head up those stairs to your left when you enter and head straight up to the top," he said. "You'll be able to find your way to any place in the school from there. We'll see you during Orientation, newbie."
Harmony grimaced at the nickname; at least it wasn't a comment about her height, she consoled herself. Still, she muttered a word of thanks and stepped inside the school. It was wide and expansive, and just a little bit away, she could hear the thunderous roars of the dragons, which sent a shiver of delight down her back, an image of herself riding one of the great beasts forming in her mind.
Her goal formalised, she nodded to herself and headed for the stairs.
This would be a year of potential for her, for her to become something great. She'd make sure of that.
Naida approached Zaltora with a trepidation that she'd only used when she'd first entered Alfea. Zaltora had never been the biggest school, what with the concept of neutral magic being a fairly recent discovery from a few centuries back, but since it had been her father's alma mater, it had grown in popularity and prestige, allowing them to open up a new, bigger school building in Magix.
The new building was a single, towering spire with several offshoots from the main stem near the top of the central tower that made it almost resemble an intricate staff. A professor waited at the entrance, along with a couple of older-year students, if their uniform jackets were any indication.
As she approached the entrance, the professor waved her over with a small, polite smile. The woman was curvy, standing only at an average height, with long, free-flowing robes that clung tightly to her figure. Her grey hair — a greenish grey, still plenty dark and not from age — was pulled into a long, sleek ponytail at the nape of her neck. "You must be our transfer, Naida Andros?" she inquired politely, adjusting the pince-nez on her nose.
"That's me," Naida confirmed.
"Excellent. I'm Professor Gabriella, a second-year teacher. We'll become acquainted during the rest of the school year." Gabriella handed her a scroll alongside a little digital pamphlet in the form of a disc. "That's your map and an enchanted schedule. It will update automatically each time you leave a class or assembly, so don't worry too much about that. The map is three-dimensional, but the rooms are all arranged by year and there is a map at the entrance to each level. I know transferring can be a little disorienting, but don't worry too much; I've read through your transcript and you shouldn't have much trouble catching up theory-wise."
"Thank you, professor," the Androsi princess said, resisting the urge to duck her head in embarrassment.
Gabriella lightly patted Naida's head, on top of her mass of dark curls. "Chin up, Miss Naida. We sorceresses have to stand up proud. Your father was a proud alumnus of our school, and I have no doubts that you will join his legacy as one of our greatest."
Naida smiled a bit weakly at that.
Just when she had been reassuring herself that at least she wouldn't have to live up to her mother's legacy of saving the universe, now she was being reminded that her father was a badass on a whole other level altogether. One didn't just go toe to toe with the infamous Black Circle and not attract attention.
"I will. Thank you, Professor."
"I'll see you in class, Miss Naida. Hurry along now."
Tiara wanted to glare at Alfea's obnoxiously cheerful pink and blue as she walked past the gates. The new fairies-in-training were already forming a line before Ms Griselda so she just joined the line, still silently fuming at the college for fairies.
This was all Alfea's fault, she complained internally. Why couldn't it also give dark arts lessons so Raven didn't have to go to Cloud Tower? Why couldn't it have sorcerer teachers to help Naida so she didn't have to go all the way to Zaltora? Why didn't it have a training course so Harmony didn't have to attend Red Fountain?
A rational part of her knew that Tiara was asking too much of Alfea. It was a school for fairies — the singular best one in Magix, and the other schools were their own best of the best, and it wasn't fair to stunt her friends' interests just so they could stay together. Still, the large majority was angry and upset and not a little resentful.
The Magix girls had spent two years getting to know each other and looking forward to being in the same dorm, for them to be learning things and growing more powerful together, and then fate decided that Naida would have problems with her magic and that Harmony and Raven would want to pursue other avenues. It sucked.
"Name and planet, young lady."
"Tiara Zenith, from Zenith, Ms Griselda," the ginger said, her voice coming out more defeated than the outraged injustice of her thoughts. Her shoulders were barely suppressed from slumping.
She could feel Griselda's eyes on her, and the assistant headmistress raised a fine brow at the young fairy. "A bad day, Miss Tiara?"
"You could say that," Tiara mumbled, seeing the brunette sigh and tick her name off the clipboard she was holding. A crook of the finger sent several loose papers and a map into her hands.
"Well then, chin up, Tiara," Griselda told her sternly. "You're a student of Alfea College now, and you represent our student body, like it or not. You can sulk in your room a little later — right now, I would much appreciate it if you listened to the orientation explanation."
Tiara obediently listened as Griselda explained her map and schedule, and soon enough, she was ushered off in the direction of her dorm block. Alfea was as large and sprawling as she remembered, even if the pink and blue hallways seemed unusually bright that day. Or maybe that was just her upset mood.
She tugged along her hand luggage as she headed in the direction of her dorm, but her dour mood slowly began to dissipate as she saw the two familiar faces at the entrance to the dorm building. "Maho? Lilliana?"
The silver-haired senior flipped her board-straight hair, a hand on her hip. "Who else, Tiara?" Maho asked, raising her dark sunglasses to smile at her. "We did promise that we'd be here to walk you to your dorm, after all."
"Where were you assigned?" Lilliana asked, clapping a hand and pointing a graceful finger at Tiara's luggage. Pink sparkles left her fingers and wrapped around the bag, before with a 'pop', the item shrunk to the size of her palm and hovered in the air before Tiara grabbed it.
Tiara pocketed her luggage and murmured a word of thanks to Lilliana as she fumbled with her orientation materials. "Um… Nymph Block, first floor, fire dorm."
Lilliana's warm smile was almost as blinding as Maho's mother's sun. "That's our dorm too, Tiara. I guess I should have known, considering we were put into the mix-and-match dorm suite."
"The three of us, Mae, and another freshie and sophie," Maho concluded. "Right, Lilliana?"
The pastel-haired girl nodded. "A transfer, actually. She'll be rooming with me, I think, and the freshman will be staying with Tiara. Though if we can't get along, we can always ask for a transfer with Lily."
"Lily?" Tiara asked, confused, but as her two older friends led into the building, explaining about their dorm mentor and sharing a few friendly tips about Alfea, she found her melancholy begin to fade just a little bit more.
Maybe… just maybe, Alfea wouldn't be that bad without her three other friends too?
Chin up, Tia. It gets better for you. (Well actually no, it gets worse first, but it gets better after that.) Ahem... where was I?
I'd pay attention to some of the characters in the last part of the chapter. The OCs in particular will be recurring characters, even if some weren't named in this one. When things are eventually revealed, though, I think you guys will like some of the small links these OCs may have to canons. Out of curiosity... can anyone remember which of these OCs mentioned have already appeared in the Magixverse before? Cookie goes to anyone who can.
I'm honestly really excited to bring magic lessons into the story. I have a variety of things in mind, from theory lessons to practical ones, but if you're worried it'll be just boring exposition dumps... well, don't be. I have... plans. And, of course, interspersed through all of this will be more worldbuilding lore like the debutante's ball we experienced briefly in this chapter. Believe it or not, that's been in my cards as an event for years, but I only recently decided to give the story more of a worldbuilding spin rather than just leave it as mostly being school shennanigans.
As always, remember to read, review, and give constructive criticism.