Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*A quiet morning, nothing out of the ordinary. A blonde girl with blue eyes ran out of her room in a panic. She wore greyish shirt and brown striped yellow tie with some kind of dark pink corset, pastel pink skirt and gloves, hot pink thigh socks and dark shoes, also having heart-shaped purse with her, pink heart and red and green barrettes.*

"Mom, dad! Why didn't you wake me up? I slept through my alarm. Oh no, now I need to grab everything quickly!" *Girl was chattering.*

*Albino sickly looking man with bright blue eyes was sipping tea at the table.*

"Everything? Rose, dear, don't rush. And put wooden bricks back to fireplace."

"Ah! Sorry! I'm just so nervous! What if I have to use a lot materials? What if Joy will drag us to something dangerous? Oh, and where's mom?"

"Clara already left for work. You're lunch is on the counter."

"Really? Mom like always. Thanks, dad. I'll be leaving now, Good luck with your treatment today."

"And remember. No freaky new friends. You already have Joy and Travis."

"I'll try." *Her father gave her a little kiss on the forehead. Girl then grabbed her purse and ran out.*

"Ahh, I hope Travis hasn't gone after Joy yet..." *she muttered to herself.*

*On the street, she was met by a rather tall guy in a similar uniform, just in dark red pants, red sneakers and cardigan, having pink and green barrettes and big light red messenger bag with paint all over it. He had darkish browny red hair, and indigo eyes, little horns were seen in his hair. He looked at her with his usual annoyed expression.*

"You're almost late, Rose. And we still have to go get our sleepyhead." *he chided the blonde girl.*

"Sorry! I slept through my alarm!" *she jabbered nervously at the guy.*

"Okay, screw it. Let's go to Joy's, otherwise we'll definitely be late." *Travis shrugged.*

*Suddenly, dark black headed girl with bright green tips and brown eyes plopped on the ground beside them. She had same uniform, but with dark green shorts and boots, green thigh socks and gaiters. There's a lot of plasters on her and just old scars. She has cute frog barrette in her hair, pearl necklace and two bracelets: pink and red, her turquoise messenger bag splattered across the side walk road. Long snake wrapped around her neck.*

"Hi guys..." *she mumbled from the ground, waving her hand.*

"Speak of the devil..." *Travis sighed and lifted her up by her arms.* "Be more careful, Joy. We don't want you to turn into a frog in the middle of the street."

"Well, we are all here! Let's go already." *Rose chimed in.*

"Whatever. Let's hope we won't be turned into pumpkins." *He let go of Joy, and they started walking.*

*Soon the three of them came to the forest deep in the park. There were two really thin tree trunks crossing each other. In the myths they are often portrait as fairy traps, and, well it'll be right. But not in our case. Rose got the gold key with a little liana with thorns and plugged it in the space where keyhole should be. Magical door appeared. Light was sipping trough the gap, reaviling the portal to Magic Realm.*

"Regal Academy, here we come!" *With these words Joy dragged her friends into the portal.*

*Our trio appeared in the middle of the sky above the academy. Screaming loudly as they are falling down.*

"Joy, WTF?! Why did you dragged us?!?" *Travis yelled, falling a little faster than his friends due to his size.*

"We first needed to say the spell, and only after that open the door!!" *Rose shouts.*

*Brown haired boy rolled his eyes and used his magic, landing and destroying ground underneath him. Next one falling was Joy, who just got caught by Travis. And what about Rose? When she was almost at the ground she opened a big umbrella and gracefully landed near other two.*

"Next time wait till I open the door, Joy." *Blondie stated.*

*And here they are, standing against golden gates, students around them go through, whispering about the mess boy made. Girl with really long gold blond hair recoiled from them, hugging the book tighter to her chest. Another boy with noble appearance and dark hair is calming other princes down, as they were complaining too.*

—

*Trio stepped into the big hall class. High ceilings, dragon ornaments, columns, everything is in mute but majestic colors. It's hundreds of seats here, or something like that. In the centre of this class was scene with a big mirror. They decided to sit somewhere in the middle, as the ceremony began. Graceful old lady in blue dress and glass slippers came onto the scene.* "My greetings, first year students, and welcome to Regal Academy! You may call me Cinderella, I'm principal of this academy. Here we will help you to improve your special magic and learn much more. Let the picking ceremony begin!" *She stepped to the side and sat at one of the chairs for professors.*

*Face appeared in the mirror, speaking the names of students and dividing them into groups of six. Student standing near it, seemingly second year, said on what team the class is ending, and new one starting. She looked like a doll, visible joints and long wooden nose. It seems she is quite cold, there's a camera around her neck. Some time into the ceremony she would photograph teams or random students in their seats. Teachers and some other staff were standing nearby.*

"New team, and class, is starting with this team!" *Doll girl said.*

"Astoria Turris, please come onto the stage." *Mirror spoke. The one, who got there is a girl they saw outside. Long blonde hair, green eyes, light purple vest and dark blazer, purple long skirt, socks and dark shoes.*

"I'm honoured to be first on the team." *she said.*

"Mhm, such an intelligent young lady. Next one is Joy Bufo. Please come here." *already half asleep, Joy bolted awake and quickly hurried to the stage.*

"I'm.. honoured to be here?"

"Oh. It's you..." *Astoria mumbled.* "Is... Is that a snake?!"

"Yeah, cool, right?"
*Astoria just stepped few steps away from the girl.*

"Travis Monstrum is the next member. Come and face us." *Mirror told. Travis calmly walked to the girls on stage.*

"I'm honoured to be here. ... Sorry, about the mess with the road."

"Typical behaviour for this family." *Professor, elder woman in yellow and red dress mumbled.*

"Next who will step onto this stage is Hawk Nixalba." *Hawk that was sitting near the stage graciously walked there with clapping and cheering around, all princesses were gasping in amusement and adoration.*

"I'm honoured to be in this team. I hope for productive cooperation within us." *He bowed elegantly, looking at others softly.*

"Finally someone normal..." *Astoria thought.*

"Woah, a popular guy..." *Joy stated.*

"Yup, our school lives are screwed." *Travis joined her.*

"Hmm, I see... Next member is someone I haven't expected to meet. Rose Cinis, come onto this stage." *Mirror declared with hidden confusion.*

"Yay! Rose will be with us!" *Dark girl say delighted.*

"Thank god..." *Tall boy exhaled.*

*Rose came to them, shyly waving her hand.* "I'm honoured to be here. Hope we all can be friends!" *Astoria waved her hand, and Hawk greeted her with his usual grace.*

"The last member...." *Mirror started.* "... Is not in this academy."

"... What the unfortunate team we are." *Long haired girl huffed desperately.*

"The team is over. You can go to meeting time in the garden. Just walk to the end of that corridor." *Doll girl pointed at the door with flowers on it.*

"Sorry, what's your name?" *Rose asked.* "You look soo beautiful! And all this uniform, you are like a porcelain doll."

"... Thank you, young lady. I'm Kiki Labar, one of the second year students, who are helping in this event. Okay, now, go to the garden, my friend will be waiting for you there. And... Don't do anything that can provoke her."

"Okay." "Got it." "Oh, okay..." "Of course." "No problems with that, lady Labar." *Six of them said at the same time.*

—

*This new team walked into the garden. What a beautiful place. So many flowers are in here, even rare ones. Pillars were all in vines with some magical flora. Some tables were scattered around with accurate chairs standing around them. Seems that they are meant for teams to talk and know eachother. Some students were already talking and laughing. Peaceful sight. Ogre girl with firm facial features came up to them.* "Yo, newbies. Name's Violet Palus, I'm helping in this area. You're the first team with only five members, right? Your table is under that veranda. Enjoy your time there till every team is chosen. Don't be scared to ask me anything, but it's better if you won't. I don't wanna have extra job. Byee!" *She just turned around, waved her hand and walked off.*

"What. She just told us this and.... Walked away?! Ridiculous. Is it so hard to just be more polite?" *Astoria practically yelled, but held her temper to not blow up before her team.*

"It's just how some people are. Let's go to our table and have a little talk." *Hawk chimed in with his charming smile. With that, team walked to the veranda and plopped to the seats.*

"So, you are all are professors grandchildren too?" *Astoria asked, trying to start the conversation.*

"Oh, you understood that from our last names. Yup, we are." *Travis answered.*

"Except for Joy. All her family are in their business." *Rose added.*

"Oh, I heard about Bufo's family business. New Orleans's cooking, right? My grandmother is quite fond of it." *Hawk told.*

"Yeah! Our dishes are the best!" *Proudly Joy declared.*

"It's cute and all, but I think we should talk about our magic. Team exam is soon." *Astoria chimed in the conversation, rising from her seat.* "It's bad to start first year in the academy with bad grades."

"That's right but we are here right now to ease the tension. About it: how you three" *Hawk started, settling green eyed blondie down and pointing at earth trio.* "Even fall from the sky in the first place? It caused a little panic around."

"Well, I won't be calling names - Joy - dragged us to not fully formed gates." *Travis hissed reproachfully, looking at his friend*

"Hehehe...." *Joy just giggled a little, her snake hissed in mocking tone*

"Pfft, that's kinda funny, I think. You're adventurous, aren't you?" *Hawk chuckled, wiping little tears, that curled in the corners of his eyes, with a handkerchief.*
"Ah, you have no idea. Joy always finds adventures on our heads." *Rose answered him.*

*All the time before team exam, they were talking about some nonsense, hobbies and other stuff. Even Astoria joined the conversation, though she was still a little upset about earlier.*

"-and in that book there were so many spells. It's immediately obvious that it was created by Merlin." *Astoria finished her ranting.*

"Wow! I heard he has two grandchildren that both are super talented." *Joy shared.*

"Yup. I met with little one. She was quiet child."

"That's interesting. Even Joy told something about him, unlike usual." *Travis joked.*

"Hey, new folks! Get here quickly!" *Suddenly was yelled from the side. Near the door to the academy stood tall guy with spider features. Six arms, six eyes, flashy make up.*

"What a loud one." *Rose noticed.*

*Students gathered up around that guy. Our heroes too, though they were in the back. Spider boy started again.* "Listen now. I'm Lysandros Aranea, second year student, who is helping with team exam part. Right now I'll explain rules and what you need to do to pass it. But first, here's your papers." *Magical scrolls with stamp symbols appeared in one member's of each team hands.* "Around the school we put a lot of wax seals, all of them are special for each team. Stamp the one you have on your paper and then go to the hall, where you had team forming. There my colleague will be waiting for you and writing down when did you handed over the paper. There's three wax seals on each team. And be careful, once you stamp, it will dissapear out of your hands. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" *All students said in unison, a little scared by this guy's appearance.*

"Perfect. All your wax seals are in special places just for your team. You'll see hints on where to find them right on your scrolls. Good luck, first year. I'm out." *He walked away.*

"Another rude second year." *Astoria exhaled.*
"Come on, he wasn't that awful. A little flashy, but not entirely bad." *Travis shrugged.*

"It's better, if we concentrate on our hints, what's the first one?" *Rose asked. Astoria immediately looked into the scroll.*

"Let's see. «First wax seal you need to get on your hands is somewhere between the knowledge. It stuck in wooden shelves behind the knight with wood-like courage». Well, It's obviously library. But this «knight» thing..."

"Ahh, library itself is huge, and we need to find some knight, too!" *Joy whined.*

"Don't be a whiny ass, Joy. We'll find it like always. But it's better if we won't encounter that guardian." *Travis said. Astoria and Hawk looked at him strangely.*

"Like always?" *Hawk asked.*

"Ah. My grandfather used to play with us games like this. Giving riddles of the places where he hidden sweets."

"That's even better. We totally will pass." *Astoria stated cheerfully.*

—

*Astoria opened huge doors.* "Finally! Here's the library. It contains so many magical books and scrolls. It's like being in a dream."

*Team walked into the library. Really huge place, a little dark, but majestic. All shelves, walls and even floors are made out of wood. On some parts moss was growing. Big stained glass windows were the only light source. Books neatly stood on shelves, close to each other in alphabet order, maybe.*

"Slow down, book loving princess. Let's focus." *Travis reminded her.*

"Oh, yeah, sorry." *Coughed and started thinking.* "Behind the knight... What we call knights?..." *Astoria was mumbling.*

"Maybe statue? Or armours on display..." *Rose added. Others were looking at different places, searching.*
"Wow! What a huge wood golem!" *Joy shouted excitedly.*

*Others came to her. Golem was big, made out of wood, obviously. Its eyes are black right now, in the middle of his chest is a green gem. There's part of it that is like a green lava lamp.*

"Hmm... Looks like golem is sleeping. There's a lot of moss around him too. It might be here for a long time." *Astoria told her friends. Then Travis looked behind this thing.*

"Wait... There's a something behind the golem. It looks like a wax seal we need to find."

"Really?" *Long haired girl asked.*

"Yup. And it's stuck. Maybe I can destroy it with my magic..."

"Looks like the «knight» scroll mentioned is this golem. But if you do that, your magic will wake it up. And you'll damage private property of the academy." *Rose chimed in, looking at symbols on the shelves.*

"Then I have no Idea how to take it out."

"Maybe we have to wake golem up." *Hawk said suddenly. Astoria started shaking him by his shoulders.*

"What do you mean, Nixalba?! I mean, scroll hasn't said to «beware the knight» but it still is dangerous!"

"Just listen, lady Turris. It's clearly that it is connected to the library. We could wake it up and ask to give us the wax seal." *He explained rather calmly.*

"And it's so easy, to ask a GOLEM, that can DESTROY US with one hand, to just give us wax seal, right, mr. Popular?" *Joy made a sarcastic remark.*

"I prefer to not be called that, please. Besides, we have him on our side." *Hawk turned to Travis. Joy snorted.* "Sure you can use your magic or just your natural strength to defeat it." *He chuckled with practical smile.*

"I guess, though it would be a little hard to do, since it's enchanted wood."

"Okay. Let's assume that golem won't crash us. How do we wake it up?" *Astoria reasoned.*

"Let's punch him" *Joy suggested, but Travis hit her on the head for this proposal.*

"He will get mad, Joy, you absolutely cannot do that."

*At the same time Rose carefully came over to the golem and shook it lightly.* "Sir? May I ask you to wake up? There's something we need. It stuck behind you." *She was saying gently.*

"Lady Cinis... What are you doing?" *Hawk whispered. Rose stood up.*

"Waking it up. We can't hit it, so the perfect way to fo this is normally." *Girl answered softly.*

*They heard the grinding sound of a mashine and turned their heads. Golem started to picking itself up piece by piece. Its eyes started glowing just like its chest gem. Creature, that stood before them, was huge. The sound started, just lika an old recording of a male voice.* "My greetings, young people. What book you are searching for?"

"Hello, sir." *Hawk started, as he stepped before Rose. Others standing behind him.* "We are first year students, and the wax seal we need is stuck behind you. May we ask you to get it for us? We can't plug it out ourselves."

"Wax seal? ... Oh, wax seal! Of course, young people. You're polite first years, here you go." *It took was seal and handed it to Hawk.* "Polite people are good people, that what miss Nav said."

"Sir, why were you laying here in all that moss? Are you working in the academy?" *Rose asked, sounding concerned.*

"Sleeping, that what was happening. Nav said to wait for polite people, and you came. Be librarian is what miss Cinderella assigned to me. Peter is what others call me, young people."

"Oh, thank you for the wax seal, sir Peter. Sorry for interrupting your sleep."

"No problem, polite young lady. Peter will go to sleep now, goodnight..." *Golem's eyes went out and he collapsed, his part now splattered around the floor.*

"Well, now we got first wax seal." *Travis said.* "Let's stamp it and go for the next one."

*Hawk nodded and put the seal on the paper. Symbol on the scroll became red, like the seal, and wax seal shattered in his hands.*

"What's next hint?" *Joy asked, looking above Hawk's shoulder.*

"Let's see. «Where balls take their place, where chandeliers are bright as day, your seal is hiding between candles and display». Nice hint."

"Ballroom. That's our next destination." *Astoria stated.*

"Wow, another long stroll around the academy to find it... Great." *Joy yawned.*

"Already want to sleep? Haa... Let me carry you." *Travis suggested.*

"Okay..." *Then Travis lifted her onto his back, her snake climed into massanger bag.*
"Joy just like always." *Rose added. They laughed a little and team got to finding the ballroom.*

—

"This castle is huge!" *Rose whined after 30 minutes of searching.* "I think we'll be dead faster than we get there."

"Oh, lady Cinis, you can lean against me, if you want. It might help to ease the tension in your legs." *Hawk suggested.*

"Thank you, you're life saviour."

"No problems. Tell me, does lady Bufo often gets so sleepy? We only got the one seal, and she already fell asleep."

"Yeah, kinda. Well, she usually sleeps until afternoon but with academy now, she needs to wake up quite early for her routine."

"That explains a lot." *Astoria said. They came to the doors with glass slippers ornaments on it.* "I think that's the ballroom."

"Finally." *Rose exhaled.*

*As doors were open, team stepped into room with high ceilings and big chandelier in the centre, all decorated with crystal gems. There were a lot of candles, on the walls too.*

"Would be funny, if it come crashing on us." *Travis joked.*

"It's not funny!" *Astoria yelled at the boy.* "Ugh, okay... Seal needs to be somewhere between candles."

"Don't worry. We'll handle it." *Rose explained.* "Travis, make Joy wake up. Her magic will be perfect for this job."

"I know, I know." *He dropped Joy on bench nearby.* "Wakey wakey, we need your help."

"Five more minutes, mom...." *Girl yawned and dropped to the floor.* "Ouch! Wait... I'm not home? Oh, yeah, academy."

"Good morning, you need to turn into a bird." *Rose told her.*

"Why would I?" *But then Rose pointed to the chandelier.* "Ah. Understood, Rosie. One second." *Joy stood up and got the snake out of her bag.* "Come on, let's do our magic." *Snake turned into magic staff.*

"So that's why she carries this snake around." *Astoria hit herself on the head.*

*Joy touched her staff and turned into a sparrow.* "Chirp chirp." *Little sparrow float to the ceiling, searching for wax seal. Some time later bird returned, settling herself on Rose's finger and dropping seal in her hand.*

"Here's the wax seal. Lady Astoria (may I call you by your name?), here you go."

"Thank you, lady Rose (yes, you may)." *Astoria put seal on their scroll, symbol turned red and wax shattered.*

"We only need to get the last one." *Travis noted.*

"Yup." *Blonde girl cheered and then gave sparrow a little smooch on the head. Joy turned back to herself.*

"Yay! The last one and we are done!" *Joy joined her.*

"Let's see what scroll say. «In the field, where dragons trained you'll find the last seal that remained». That's pretty straightforward for a hint, I must say." *Rose read.*

"Looks like we might meet with your grandpa, Travis." *Joy chimed.*

*On that tall boy rolled his eyes.* "What a pleasure."

"Training field is outside on the second island. I saw it, when arrived." *Hawk told.*
"That means we won't be searching for it all day. Lead the way."

—

"Dragon field..." *Rose started as they were walking to another island.* "Now that I think of it, In this academy we will train those creatures. Aren't they wild and dangerous? And will we get any armour or something like that? And-" *Travis cut his friend off.*

"Grandfather will talk about it in tomorrow's class."

"Oh, don't worry, I am able yo answer lady Cinis's questions." *Hawk said.* "They are special dragons, they were trained to not harm their humans, and we'll get armour. Professor Monstrum told me, that I'll be one of the students, who will show you how to tame one yourself."

"That's good. I was already ready to go ranting about law to mr. Adam." *Rose answered.* "Though, do you know, who will be helping you?'

"Yes, We don't quite have good relationship with each other."

"Woah, someone don't like you? That's what I would've not expected, seeing all those fangirls and fanboys on selecting ceremony." *Astoria gasped.*

"We have... long story of rivalry."

"Interesting to meet that person." *Joy added.* "Is it girl or boy?"

"Girl. She is not... very fond of me."

—

*Dragon field was a huge stadion. Tribunes were made of some magical steel, that won't melt or anything. Dragon ornaments were everywhere, running roads were laying on the ground. Looks like it's a place for sport events too.*

"Another big place. And where wax seal could be?" *Joy said irritated.*

"All those dragon statues have red eyes, garnet gems, to be correct. I could use my magic to summon all of them to us, and the one eye, that will remain, is our wax seal." *Hawk suggested.*

"That would be helpfuuul, I don't want to check every statue..."

*Dark haired boy got his sword and summoned all gems to himself. Only red thing, that hasn't came, rested in main statue's right eye.*

"And how will we get it?" *Joy asked anxiously.*

"We could use some instruments to get it out. Or you can turn into bird again! Or... Or..." *Astoria was ranting.*

"Me and Travis will do this, don't heat your head up." *Rose stopped green eyed girl.*

"Let the show begin." *Travis came up to the statue and hitted it hard with his summoned mechanic glove. Cracks appeared and wax seal fell into his hands but he got injured, cause part of that statue fell and landed on his knee, scratching him much.* "Ta...da, ouch. Rose?"

"Oh, yes. Sir Nixalba, give me gems, please." *As Hawk dod what she asked, Rose got white wand out of her glove and some materials out of her bag. With that she remade all statues to their perfect view.*

"You can restore things?" *Astoria asked curiously.*
"Not quite that. My magic create stuff I need, if I have basic materials for that. But repair also could work, though I can't heal people." *looked at Travis with worry, settling him down on the ground.*

"I can, so allow me to help. Just don't be scared by my method." *Astoria came up to the tall boy, pulled a gun out of her bag and create a patron in there with her magic.* "My magic is healing."

"Why gun?" *Joy asked dumbfounded, looking at the gun in girls hands.*

"It's a good weapon." *fired at boy's knee and it healed magically.*

"Thanks.... But it looked a little scary."

"I know, deal with it."

"Well, I'm healthy, so..." *Travis stood up.* "We are done?"

"Almost." *Astoria took the wax seal, symbol on the scroll turned red, and seal shattered in girl's hand.* "That's all of the seals. We can go to the hall and submit our exam!"
"Hooray!" *They all cheered.*

—

*In the hall stood bird guy, visibly a swan. His glasses jumped up as he saw six students.* "Oh! H-hello, I'm Gerard Repugnare. I'm second year student, who is helping with submitting the exam. Are you done?"

"Yup!" *Rose gave him the scroll.*

"That's quite impressive. Students this year are fast... You're the second team, who managed to do this today."

"Second? Then who are first?" *Astoria exclaimed.*

"Behind you..."

*As they turned around they saw three students sitting on chair. A girl with ginger hair and dark eyes, wearing hot pinkish red sweater on top of her shirt, dark pinkish pants and beret, wearing brown shoes. Beside her was a boy with dark red hair with ginger tips and light indigo eyes, strange looking dark suit vest with brown inserts, dark pants, where one of the trouser leg were in brown and red striped and similar boots, he wore glasses. And the last of those, seemingly a girl with pale sick looking skin, bright yellow green eyes and dull blonde hair, she is in the uniform, wearing dark pants and boots and three layered shirt skirt: red, green and dark purple – on top of them, she had horns with purple tips, the same tips were on her hands. They all wore bright yellow chokers.*

"Weren't there five of you?" *Bird guy asked confused.*

"Other two had to go due to some emergency." *Ginger girl explained, fixing her make up.*

"Oh?" *Rose saw the girl, confusion gone.* "Cousin Ruby! You're here too!" *She came up to the girl and they hugged.* "I'm so happy to see you."

"Aw, it's so unexpected to see you here, cousin Rose. Aunt Clara gave your sweet cheeks a permission to attend academy?"

"Yup."

"That's good." *She looked up to Rose's team.* "Well, I see your friends there, some princess and ..." *Her eyes landed on Hawk.* ".... Nixalba. What a coincidence."

"Hello, Lady Sorormala." *Hawk greeted, his face reaviling the slight tension.*

"Oh boy, It's cute and all, but let's keep your rivalry on some other day." *Red haired boy stepped between them.* "Hey, birdie or whatever your name is, can we go already? I'm dying sitting in here."

"Oh, yes. You can go."

"Ruby, let's go. I know you're happy but It's really unpleasant to see how you and this... prince butt heads." *Yellow eyed girl tugged at her friend's sleeve.*

"Cyrus, Vicky.... You're no fun." *Ruby whined.* "Okay, let's go. See you tomorrow, Rosie!" *And those three were gone.*

"Bye bye!"

—

*They stepped out of the academy. It's already evening, sun is going down slowly.*

"Lady Cinis, you know lady Sorormala?" *Hawk asked girl gently.*

"She's my cousin."

"Of course... Cinderella took under her wing granddaughter of one of evil stepsisters." *Astoria understood.*

"Kinda."

"Hey, can we can eachother just by names?" *Joy chimed in, asking exhausted.* "All those «sir» and «lady» stuff are pissing me off!"

"That's etiquette. But, I think we could make an exception." *Astoria told.*

"Yay!"

"Cool. Astoria, Hawk, see you guys tomorrow." *Travis said goodbye.*

"Byee!" *Joy went after him.*

"Goodbye." *Rose waved her hand and hurried after other two. Hawk and Astoria waved their hands, said goodbye to each other and went their ways.*

**Who knows, maybe it's a start for a good story.**

Chapter Text

*Rose hummed to herself as she packed her lunch. This morning, surprisingly, both her parents were home. Mom was cooking, and Dad was reading the newspaper.*

"So, Rose, how was your first day? I was home late yesterday and missed you." *Clara started the conversation while deftly flipping pancakes in the frying pan.*

"Just wonderful. I'm on a team with Joy and Travis, so our year is off to an interesting start." *Girl turned to her mother.* "Two more of our team are a real prince and princess, who live in the Magic Realm. They are so elegant."

"Well, at least not two more Joys, with her usual behavior." *Dad emphasized, putting down the newspaper.*

"Dad, Joy is just a cutie!"

"Maybe, but she reminds me too much of Clara in her youth... It's not very reassuring."

"Enough already, David. I wasn't that wild." *Mother averted her eyes.*

*Rose giggled and put the last item in her bag: the shield.* "So what do you need that for?" *Dad asked.*

"Oh, you know, we have our first dragon riding lesson today. Although it is considered an official sport in the Magic Realm, like car racing. But it's still important for us to learn how to fly these creatures, because many people want to become heroes. But today is just the first time. I don't think we'll fly right away, that would be very stupid. Mr. Adam is not that kind of person." *The girl said, shrugging her shoulders.*

"Well, how should I say that, dear..." *Clara started.* "Let's hope he's improved since my years at the academy."

"Ha-ha! You know better, Mom. Okay, I'm off to academy." *Rose picked up her bag and ran out into the street, where her friends were already waiting for her.*

                                     —

*The entire class is already standing on the training field. There are stands all around, and a huge door can be seen in the distance. A tall man with dull red hair and visible gray hair approaches the center of the field.*

"Greetings, class. I am Adam Monstrum, your Dragon riding class professor. This class is designed to train your physical abilities and dragon control skills. Since this is your first lesson, we will only be searching for suitable dragons for you. Ahem, Adeline, Brad?"

"Yes, sir." *Two people appeared in front of the professor: a girl with evenly colored hair and a boy with a torn pair of fairy wings.*

"I'm Adeline Cygnus, a second-year student. I'll be helping you deal with the dragons."

"My name is Brad Charming, I'm a second-year student. I'll also help to tame these creatures if necessary."

"Also, as far as I know, there are already some of you who have been able to obtain a dragon at an young age. They are masters of this craft." *The professor continued his speech.* "The first one is Hawk Nixalba. Come to me." *Hawk appeared in light armor with blue accents and a blue stone on his chest, as well as an apple-shaped stone on the part of his armor around his neck.* "As always, you are ready. Excellent. The second person is Ruby Sorormala, come here." *Red-haired girl appeared in black armor with warm pink accents and a bright pink butterfly-shaped stone, she was looking into her mirror.* "Okay. Ruby and Hawk will be helping you choose your dragons. Before I explain how to approach a dragon, you'll need to receive your armor. Initially, a special dragon will create it for you, but you'll be taught the summoning spell later. Ahem, let's get started."

"It will be a pleasure to work with you, Lady Sorormala." *Hawk extended his hand to Ruby.*

"I'm not going to touch you, Snow White." *Girl slammed the pocket mirror shut right in front of the prince's eyes.* "You'd better not come near me or my crew."

*With that, Ruby walked in the opposite direction from Hawk. Guy stood there for a couple of seconds and then walked towards his friends with a kind smile back on his face.* "Greetings. It's a pleasure to see you again. Let's go to the dragon for the armor." *They all greeted each other and followed him.*

"Dragons are like giant lizards with wings." *Joy said excitedly.*

"They would be angry if they heard your comment." *Astoria muttered.*

"Nah, animals really like Joy. Every time we go for a walk in the woods, all the animals come running to her. I think it'll be the same with the dragons." *Rose told her new friends.*

"Only thing you're forgetting to mention is that we always end up running away from the bears who want to sit with us." *Travis emphasized, putting his hands behind his head.*

*Not far away lay a white dragon with a golden belly and horns, its wings covered with numerous plates. It seemed to be the one creating the armors. Nearby stood the familiar trio and two other people. A tall girl with snow-white, even slightly bluish, skin that looked cracked, with ice particles on her cheek, dark blue eyes, and white hair. Her uniform consisted of a light gray turtleneck, a dull blue jacket, and boots and dark trousers, and her tie was tied in an interesting way around her neck. Boy next to her had pink skin, yellow eyes, and dark red hair with cat ears, and a red tail. He wore an acid-blue suit vest over his shirt, dark trousers, and boots, and a tie with an unusual shape that resembled a zipper. There were light yellow chokers around their necks.*

"Greetings, Sir Adalric. Could you create armors for us?" *The icy girl spoke.*

"Ah, yes, of course, young lady." *The dragon stood up to greet them. The team was engulfed in flames from the dragon's mouth, which slowly dissipated into a dark mist. They emerged in dark armor similar to Ruby's, with different colors and shapes. Vicky - dark purple accents with an acid green lightning bolt stone; Cyrus - dull red with a playing card stone; the white-haired girl had a dark blue with a snow globe stone, and the cat-eared guy had bright cyan accents with a smile stone.*

"Ooh, cute." *The guy was pleased.* "Too bad my goggles are gone."

You're fine without them, Shire." *Cyrus interrupted his friend's whining.*

"As long as they provide some protection." *The white-haired girl responded.*

"You just don't care about the rest, Kira. It's all about practicality." *Vicky said.* "And besides, why do I need an armor? I'm free from this shit and all..."

"You'll still need it, Vicky. I don't think you can avoid choosing a dragon." *Ruby remarked as she approached them.*

"Fuck it. Let's go or whatever."
*With that, Vicky's team left for the dragons.*

                                      —

"He's finally free. That team has been hanging around him for a long time." *Rose sighed with relief.*

"That's the team we met yesterday, isn't it?" *Joy mused.* "But we didn't meet the tall girl and the cat boy."

"Well, dear friends, it's your turn to receive your armors. Sir Adalric is in a good mood today, and he hasn't burned anyone yet." *Hawk said cheerfully, leading the others towards the dragon.*

"Sir Adalric?"

"That's the name of the dragon that gives out armors." *Astoria suggested.* "I read that this type of dragons are rare, so we should be polite to him."

"That means we have to keep Joy away from him, or we'll be in trouble." *Tired Travis said.* "Grandpa won't let us off the hook if she does anything."

"You're strict with Joy, Travis, and that's a good thing. Keep it up. I don't want her to ruin our team's performance."

"Why is there even a team discipline? Wouldn't it be easier to evaluate each person individually?" *Pouting Joy asked Astoria.*

"You don't understand anything at all? ... In our world of fairy tales and myths, a team of heroes is very important to save the day. Heroes help in creating and finding legends and stories. Heroes always work in teams, so was decided to practice this back at the academy so that the heroes would get used to each other and form good relationships."

"Although this doesn't apply to all subjects, fortunately. And it doesn't have much effect on the core disciplines." *Hawk added.*

"Long explanation... I didn't understand anything." *At Joy's words, Astoria's hand connected with her face in obvious exhaustion.*

*They approached the dragon, who was already looking at the team, specifically at Hawk.* "Snow White, is this your team?"

"Yes, sir. Are you okay? Not tired from creating so many armors?"

"Haha, no way. I'm actually kind of excited. They're teaching you this newfangled spel nowadays." *The dragon just laughed like he'd seen an old friend.* "Well, it's time for your friends to get their armors, Hawk. Move out of the way before you get hit." *Adalric stood up, towering over the others.*

"We're not gonna get fried, are we?" *Travis inquired.*

"I can't promise that." *And then the flames engulfed the team, dissolving into a thick fog. They emerged wearing light armor. Rose had pink accents and a heart-shaped stone; Joy had green accents and a cute frog-shaped stone; Travis had red accents and a rose-shaped stone; and Astoria had purple accents and a flower-shaped stone.*

A-a-a! How stylish this armor looks! They even changed our hairstyles. It's so beautiful. You're the perfect stylist, Sir Adalric!" *Rose exclaimed with her usual admiration for clothing.* "And this material... It's a special metal that doesn't melt! You can buy it, right? I need to text my mom right away! Excuse me for a moment!" *The girl ran off towards the bags they had left near the stadium.*

"Rose is..." *Hawk started to say, only to be interrupted by Joy and Travis speaking in unison.*

"Always like that when it comes to new materials."

"It's literally directly related to their family magic, isn't it?" *Long-haired girl realized.* "The more different materials she knows and has used, the more items she can create."

"That's true... But this time, it's just because this metal can be used for Mrs. Clara's new collection." *Joy said, adjusting the armor on her arms.*

*Kids headed back to the teacher. Four dragons were already standing behind him. Rose waved to her friends and they reunited. The professor clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.* "I see you're all wearing armor, which is a good sign. We can continue. Now, dragons can be quite hostile towards humans by nature. That's why it's important to know how to tame them. The first step is to approach the dragon and bow, which is a sign of surrender and a request for assistance. If the dragon bows to you, you must touch it with your magical object. Questions?" *Everyone were silent, apparently afraid to ask a question. Then Adeline raised her hand.*

"Professor, what should we do if the dragon doesn't bow to us back?"

"That's a good question, Adeline. It's simple: run away from the dragon as far as you can. Or wait a little, as many dragons are slow. Since there are no other questions, Brad, show us how to tame a dragon."

*Guy walked up to a silver dragon with a white stone on its chest and four wings. Its tail ended in a blue flame. Fey bowed to it, and after about five seconds, the dragon tilted its head as if to greet him. Brad pulled out a long spear and lightly poked the dragon. Immediately, the creature appeared to have armor similar to his.*

"That's a great example. Now, you'll choose your dragons, first-years. If you need help, I've already told you who to ask. Later, I will record you and your dragons. You can enter the barn now.*

*A huge door in the mountain around the field was covered in golden ornaments and dragon designs. The class entered, marveling at the grandeur of the interior. It was much larger than it appeared from the outside. In separate enclosures, there were enormous creatures of various colors and sizes.*

"Wow... I've never seen so many dragons in my life." *Rose was surprised, looking around.*

"Well, you haven't encountered them often in your life on Earth. But you're right, the Royal Academy is famous for its large number of tamed dragons." *Astoria explained, also examining the creatures.* "I would choose a larger dragon to make it easier to fly with books. What about you, Rose?"

"Hm... I don't know. I'm not very familiar with their species, so I can't say. Let fate decide?"

"I would still recommend considering it. Dragons should complement our powers and help us."

"Astoria is right." *Hawk approached them.* "For example, my dragon can create shields and mirrors."

"Ah, yes. I heard you were the youngest champion in the last tournament."

"Wow! Hawk, you had already participated in dragon races? Isn't it a dangerous sport?" *Rose asked excitedly.*

"I've been trained since childhood, as well as in many other disciplines."

"We're lucky to have Hawk on our team. He's literally seen the prince. We're definitely not in danger of getting bad grades in team subjects." *Others just smiled at Astoria's statement, and Joy chuckled.*

                                     —

"Creatures like dragons are very powerful. In many stories, they are considered the guardians of the towers, the silent monsters. That was how it was before, until the dragonborn decided to have a bloody battle. Their leader was the most terrifying and cruel villainess, the Thorn Fairy." *He stopped in front of the stalls.* "...Although this story will be repeated to you in history class. Let's focus on the dragons. They are strong and dangerous, but they are well tamed. Most often, their powers are the four basic elements: fire, which is the majority of dragons, water, which is most often found near bodies of water or in the sea, wind, which is mostly found in the east, and the last are earth dragons, which live under mountains and are good at digging tunnels. These are the main types of dragons, and they were also the first. As new generations of dragons came, so did more types of magic. Ice, rocks, disappearance, crystals, and many others, I can't remember them all. Khm, I think you should start choosing, we've already walked around the entire barn." *Professor finished explaining and told everyone to split into four groups, each following one of the experienced students.*

"Well, follow me. I'll ensure your safety." *Hawk confidently led the group towards the dragons.* "Take a good look at them and choose the one you like. Don't be afraid to call for help if anything happens."

*The group dispersed. Joy immediately found a dragon that looked like a mantis. It was light and fast. Its black eyes and dull green color made it look stealthy in the grass. A dark green gem was visible on its chest.*

"Oh, it's so cute! What did Mr. Adam say? ... A bow, I think..." *The snake on her neck hissed, urging her to act.*

*Joy appeared in front of the dragon and bowed. The creature looked at her impassively, but bowed elegantly in return. The snake slid off Joy's neck into her hand and transformed into a staff. Joy stood up and touched the dragon with the staff, and the armor appeared. *

"OH, THIS IS SO COOL! SUCH A COOL DRAGON!" *Joy was jumping with joy.*

"Don't shout, girl. Shouting might give away our position."

"How serious." *Pouting.*

*At this time, Astoria approached the pen with the black dragon, which had blue veins scattered across its body. Its tail was covered in spikes. Its horns and mane were white, and a bright blue gem shone on its chest.*

"How interesting... The spikes look sharp. If I feed them with magic..." *Astoria mused as she approached the dragon.* "Well, let's get started." *She patted her cheeks. The girl bowed elegantly and waited for the creature to act. The dragon looked at her, waited a moment, and then bowed as well, as much as it could with its size.*

"...Phew. Now all I have to do is touch it with my gun. At least I don't have to shoot." *As the gun touched the dragon's chest, it appeared in armor and started nuzzling girl's hair.* "Hahaha! It tickles..."

*Travis walked around, looking at the stables again.* "Yeah... I'm not sure if any of them can support my weight..." *The guy sighed in defeat. Suddenly, he was grabbed by a mouth and placed on the back of a dragon.*

*It was a huge stone dragon with a round body, resembling a boulder with legs. At the ends of its wings, there were permanent growths like fangs. There's a black stone on his chest, and a red handkerchief with the emblem of the beast family is tied on his front paw.*

"... Hello, buddy." *He stroked the dragon's head.* "It looks like your grandfather trained you... Old man just decided to choose a partner for me, how lucky I am." *Travis rolled his eyes.* "Although you're a cutie pie." *He gently tapped the creature's head with his mechanical glove, and the armor appeared. The dragon jumped up in excitement.*

*Rose approached a snow-white dragon with pink legs and a pink tail. Its horns and the stone on its chest were golden, as were the patterns on its body. The dragon had an extra pink horn on its head. It looked like a unicorn.*

"What a diligent dragon... Can I make you my partner?" *The girl reached out to the creature.*

*The dragon leaned towards her.* "Asking a dragon for a partnership? That's unusual, young lady...You can touch me with your magic object."

"Really? Thank you!" *The girl quickly bowed and touched the dragon with her magic wand.* "I'll take good care of you, I promise!"

                                    —

*Everyone went back to the field. The dragons took up all the space, there were so many of them.*

"Everyone was able to choose their dragons..." *Rose gasped.*

"It was just a long time for us to choose. Everyone else mostly took the first beautiful dragons they saw." *Astoria chuckled.*

"You don't have to say that, Astoria. They probably had their own reasons."

"Everyone chose their dragons. That's a good thing. I think our lesson is over. In the next lesson, we will learn how to mount dragons correctly, as well as take off." *Ruby raised her hand.* "Yes, Sorormala?"

"Sir, can Hawk and I show how to fly dragons? There's still a lot of time before the end, and we'll have a workout." *The girl chirped.*

"Hmm, I admire your zeal. Nixalba, don't you agree?"

*Hawk had his usual calm smile, although there was hostility in his voice.* "Of course, Sir Monstrum."

*Two dragons came forward. A white dragon with blue limbs and a blue mane stood next to the boy; the creature's wings were covered in shields and crystals, and its tail was also made of them. Next to Ruby, a black dragon appeared, with cracks all over its body like lava; its massive mane and tail seemed to drip from the creature and melt everything around it. They mounted their saddles and took to the air.*

"Go around the entire academy grounds. Whoever gets back first wins!" *Teacher shouted at them.*

POV: Hawk

*Mmm... Instead of just relaxing, since all those oafs chose their dragons, she decided to compete... My luck is just amazing.*

*I turn around another pillar. Why are there so many of them? Who designed this building? It's just stupid.*

"Snow White! What are you getting distracted about? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble? Oh, right, you're the "perfect prince" and all." *Ruby is mocking me as usual. Annoying. I want to stab crystal right through her heart. I want her blood all over the place!*

End of POV

*And then a ball of lava flew at Hawk, but the guy managed to block it with the help of crystals that flew from his sword.*

"What the fuck, Sorormala?!" *The guy shouted, his face was shocked.*

"Ahah! I wanted to see your face! It was just like I imagined it to be." *Ruby started laughing loudly. Her claymore was pointing at Hawk. Guy gave her the finger in response and flew faster.* "You! Argh, go fuck yourself, Nixalba!" *Girl shouted, also giving him the finger.*

*So they flew as fast as they could, attacking each other from time to time. It was either Hawk or Ruby who was leading. It was as if their dragons had something against each other. They were already approaching the stadium.*

*Vicky's team was standing in the shadows. They watched the flight with unkind interest.*
"Hmm, I think we should give the handsome prince a little trouble." *Vicky turned to her team with a sly smile.*

"Uhuhu, make him fall. At least we'll have some fun." *Shire suggested.*

"As long as Ruby wins, I don't care. Do whatever you want with that prince." *Kira replied coldly.*

"Remembering yesterday's problems and Vicky's solutions, she's a marksman. She won't miss. Unless he flies away in time or dodges the spell." *Cyrus added.*

"Oh, come on. I'll start." *Vicky turned and summoned her staff. The orb on it began to glow and emit magic.* "Curse: a poisonous vine that immobilizes him."

*A small piece of magic, almost imperceptible, headed towards the guy on the dragon. Just as it was about to touch the creature, a protective field of crystals formed around it and destroyed the curse.*

"Damn, he figured out how to create a protective field." *Cyrus hissed.*

"Who would have thought that this prince was actually good for something?" *Shire chuckled.*

*The competition continued in the sky. As they approached the finish line, they constantly overtook each other. And only at the finish line was Hawk faster by just a couple of seconds.*

"Phew... That was intense. Who the hell thought to shoot magic at me? The barrier couldn't just activate..." *Came through Hawk's thoughts.*

"Hawk, it was fucking awesome!" *Suddenly, Joy jumped on him.* "I thought you were going to lose."

"J-Joy, don't jump on me from behind like that." *His face became peaceful and kind again, although he was a little concerned about her actions.*

"I'm sorry, Prince. But that was really cool." *She let go of Hawk.*

"Hawk, I agree with Joy. That was amazing." *Astoria responded.*

"Yeah. So we'll be counting on you." *Travis patted the guy on the shoulder.*

"You've been doing this sport for a long time, haven't you?" *Rose asked as she approached.*

"Yeah, that's true. My parents always taught me to be a hero, so I've been training."

"Well, you're almost a real hero! All you need is a license at the end of your training. I heard the exam is difficult." *Astoria encouraged the guy, even though she later started talking about exams.*

"Tsk, that Snow White just pisses me off!" *Ruby hit the nearest bench.*

"He's not so simple. Who knew he'd set up that damn protective field." *Vicky responded.*

"There's no need to react like that. We'll have plenty of chances to get around it." *Kira approached them, her arms crossed over her chest.*

"I'm just upset that I couldn't get even a drop of his magic into my staff. Eh, that would have been a great start."

"You still have time to do that. It's better if we start with the low-level villains." *Cyrus advised, adjusting his glasses.*

"Let's go now. I don't have the energy or desire to stay here for long." *Shir said.* "It's a good thing that the first week is just about getting us into the basics, and the day is shortened."

"We've been stuck in this field all day. I couldn't even throw anything at that prince!" *He hissed at Ruby in annoyance, and they left together.*

"Are there any cafes nearby? Maybe we can go to one in honor of our victory?" *Travis suggested.*

"I agree, I'm really hungry." *Joy's stomach rumbled.*

"There's a nice eatery nearby." *Astoria said, and they all headed there together, first approaching Adalric to remove their armor.*