Chapter 59 - Daily Forum Drama

AN: I am BACK!

There's a chance I'll slow down a bit as I get back into the swing of things. Hopefully it won't impact February's posting schedule. Maybe it will. Maybe I'll shuffle some stuff around - more Countless Joyful Dawn chapters. Either way, two weeks of "Vacation" and my brain's going "Song? Oh yeah! Let me reread it to see what was going on."

Anyway. This week's chapters are super cute, I really like them!

I'm going to start cutting the main 6 characters from the notes. You all know them by now.

Happy 2026!!

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Characters - 

Felix Sutter: Poor boy living in Sacramento, recently found out magic existed. Hard worker, knows the price of everything.

Erik Morsin: Heir to the Duchy of the Emerald Isle. Just wants to play his violin.

Sora Park: Erik’s loyal friend. Loves flying. An absolute broombrain.

Christopher Mau: The black cat. 3rd year Dragon student. Possibly has nine lives. Unusually lucky and dexterous.

Beatrix Brynwyll: 3rd year dragon student. A little uptight.

Leona Thorne: 5th year Commander of Dragon house. Long black hair, casually throws around huge amounts of magical power.

Lance Thalorien: Grandson of the headmaster. “Just wait until my grandfather hears about this!”

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 In a tavern thick with smoke and charm-wards, Bjorn met Alyssara, the Star-Witch of the East.
Eyes like midnight storms, and a tongue sharp with riddles,
They joined with Lars, the axe-brother of Bjorn, and together they made a coven of three.
She spoke truths none had known.
When silence took her, she vanished into her cabin - only to return with fire in her eyes and answers none dared question.
Some whispered she drank from wells forbidden, or that her soul walked strange paths.

The Saga of Bjorn, Verse 15

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Felix was still trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes as he stared at the morning PT.

“Uh.” He said, the very picture of intelligence and witty banter.

“It’s a pool.” Chris snarked. “You swim in it.”

“How do you know? You’re blindfolded!” Felix said, then sensed Chris rolling his eyes.

“I have other senses you know? I feel the moisture in the air, smell the seawater, and hear everyone jumping in. You know, it makes a big splash? Slightly obvious?” Chris said.

“I don’t have a bathing suit.” Felix admitted. “And I’m not that strong of a swimmer.”

Sure, he’d splashed around in the water and could doggy paddle with the best of them, but he’d never gotten lessons. He couldn’t swim in the fancy way everyone else was.

Beatrix sighed.

“Well… that’s another thing we’ll have to teach you, I guess. How bad of a swimmer are you? Like, if we stick you in, are you just going to sink and drown on us?”

“I won’t be able to spot you at all.” Chris was almost gleeful about that part. “Just… blub blub blub right down to the bottom. Hey, maybe I’ll feel the air bubbles coming up from below!”

Beatrix moved to smack Chris, but Felix beat her to it, and shoved the older boy into the pool. He went in with a shocked yell, followed by a shriek.

Beatrix offered Felix a high-five, and he took it.

“Let me chat with Leona for a minute.” She said. “Let’s see if we can get a warmer pool where we can actually touch the bottom, and see what we can do about a swimsuit.”

The two started to walk around the pool to the far lane where Leona was swimming.

Looking around again, Felix thought that even if he had brought his normal swimsuit, it wouldn’t work. The outfits here were conservative. Men and women had everything from their thighs to their biceps completely covered, and the outfits went up to the base of their neck. There wasn’t a bare chest or belly in sight.

“If you think that’s best, sure.” He said. Chris started swimming along with everyone else, and Felix tipped a toe in the pool. He hastily took it back out as quickly as possible.

Brrr! It was cold. Why, exactly, had he agreed to the whole Dragon house thing?

Felix chuckled to himself.

“Well, at least I didn’t say it out loud this time.” He said.

“What, the ‘why am I here, what was I thinking, I’m an idiot?’ speech?” Beatrix said.

“Hey! I know I kept my mouth shut this time!” Felix protested. Beatrix nodded knowingly.

“Don’t worry… the speech becomes longer and longer every year you’re here. I have mine memorized. Put it to the right beat, and you can even march to it! Take my advice though, put the reasons you are doing it into the speech as well. It helps.” Beatrix suggested, then they paused at the end of the lane where Leona was swimming. The commander swam up to them at a ferocious pace, then paused, hanging off the end of the pool.

“Sutter. Brynwyll. Issue?” She said.

“No swimsuit for Sutter, and he’s not a very good swimmer. Hoping for something to help with that.”

Leona frowned.

“I’ll make the room have a training pool for next time. Outfits are over there if you want to try and practice. Otherwise, spend PT practicing your marching and drills, I’d like you to get up to everyone else’s standard.” She said. “Can’t do full house formations if you’re unable to wield a staff properly.”

“Understood.” Felix said, snapping to attention. He was learning. Slowly.

“Sutter, take a lap around the pool, I’ve got one more thing to talk with Commander Thorne about.” Beatrix said. “Practice your marching.”

Felix snapped off a salute, then slowly marched around the pool. He came back, and Beatrix gestured him through the door, back to the common room.

“Come on, time to learn how to use a staff.” She said, throwing him a stick.

There was only one thing Felix could say to that.

“Aye aye.”

Felix hadn’t thought he’d be getting a rest, but assumed that marching wasn’t going to be as punishing as swimming. Beatrix managed to prove him utterly wrong.

After an hour of swimming, the rest of the house got out of the pool, dried off, changed, then formed up. Two of the sixth years had a cauldron brewing, and everyone was lining up. Chris crashed into Felix.

“Whoops, sorry!” He said.

“What’s going on?” Felix asked, shuffling forward in line.

“What, the Dragon’s Draught?” Chris asked.

“Yeah.” Felix said.

“Super neat potion that got invented, like, 20 years ago by an alumni. Takes a week or so to get started, but it’s a continuous potion. Like, they can keep adding ingredients to it and replenishing it. Gal who invented it got her mastery for it, literally created a whole new subfield of potions. One of us, and we get the very first potion, passed down from Dragon to Dragon.” Chris was clearly proud of it, and Felix could feel himself standing a little straighter. That was a cool legacy, but…

“None of that explains what it does.” Felix complained. Also, clearly, they needed to restart the potion after every break. Hence the first week where there was no potion.

“Eh… think of it like a weak conditioning potion with an all-around pick-me-up in it. One quarter exercise stuff, one quarter sleep, one quarter mental sharpening.”

Felix waited, but Chris wasn’t saying anything more, just grinning behind his tattered and soaked blindfold. Fine, Chris was clearly baiting a question.

“That’s only three quarters.” He said, being a good sport.

“And one quarter utterly gross!” Chris crowed.

“Of course.” Felix muttered. “Do I need to pay for it or anything?” He asked, trying to figure out a way to slip out of line.

“Nah. I mean, if you can, sure, pitch in a few denarii for supplies, but just like you’re doing door duty and we're tutoring, they’re doing potions. Some Dragons are responsible for supplies. We all help out, and if they’re doing this, they’re not tutoring.”

“Wait, who would they tutor?” Felix asked.

“The fourth years, of course.” Chris said. “What, did you think you were done with us after this year?”

“I’d done a significant amount of praying on the topic, yes.” Felix sarcastically answered. Chris slung an arm over his shoulder.

“Nope! Just remember. You’re here… forever.”

“I’m not stuck here with you. You’re stuck here with me.” Felix retorted.

Chris paused a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Good stuff, Sutter, good stuff. Right, potion time?” He said, feeling the air in front of him, and managing to burn his hand on the cauldron.

“Mau. I doubt I’m the first to say it, but you’re an idiot.” One of the sixth years said.

“Oh, like you didn’t do weird things for your soulbind.” Chris retorted, holding his hand out. The other sixth year took pity on him and handed him a cup.

“Not that stupid.” The sixth year said, handing Felix his own cup.

The potion tasted fine, Chris had clearly been exaggerating. The potion went down hot, and it sent tingles of electricity, warmth, and magic from his chest to all his extremities.

“Whoa, that’s good!” He said.

“Thanks! Now move along, you’re blocking the line.”

Felix moved along, and got ready for the morning marching and drills.

Leona pulled him aside at the start.

“Sutter. Brynwyll mentioned you had some trouble with upper years yesterday?” She asked. Felix struggled, but managed to meet her icy-blue eyes that promised death.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” He said. “Just a normal scuffle.”

Leona crossed her arms.

“Really?” She said. “Tell me about it.”

“I don’t want to be a snitch.” Felix said.

Leona snorted.

“No, none of that shit. Sutter, Dragon house doesn’t have wards. A harmless prank on any other student can literally kill one of us. People forget that, and it’s dangerous. I need to know who’s dumb enough to forget that hitting Dragon house members, or fighting near one, can actually kill us by mistake. It’s not a ‘try to get them in trouble’ issue, it’s a pressing safety concern. Who was it?”

“Err, some second years.” Felix said. 

Leona called over the second year Dragon students.

“Describe them.” Leona said. 

Felix did, and after a short discussion, and a few more questions, they’d pinned down exactly who had attacked Felix. Nevermind that he’d only seen them a short time - between everyone’s known affiliations and other arcane social things, they’d worked out exactly who’d done it.

Felix supposed that if someone else had mentioned a ‘green haired person in his year being a dumbass’ he would immediately point out Kevin Moon. Or ‘blue haired broom brain’, or even ‘bare footed girl’. Yeah, alright, he could see how even a bad description could find the people he wanted, and that was after a week, not a year.

He probably wouldn’t know everyone after a year, but being able to recognize the groups? Sure. Add in that there were 4 second year Dragons…

“Excellent. We’ll handle this.” Leona said. “The college needs a reminder every year or two not to fuck with Dragon house. Fall in, we’re burning valuable time.”

Felix hurriedly snapped off a salute before falling into formation with the rest of Dragon house, and they spent the time practicing drills, dropping, and ‘firing’ in formation. Nobody was actually throwing around any spells, thank goodness.

At the end, they all went to breakfast, then Felix headed over to the forum and read his textbook while everyone filed in. He was forced to move his notes to his lap when someone sat down next to him, said a vague hi to Sora once he recognized her, and finally put everything away when the bell rang. Both Erik and Leona were standing in line to make announcements, and he wondered what Erik could possibly say.

There was a brief pause, but the headmaster didn’t stride in to interrupt the day. Felix mostly ignored all the club and other related announcements, but paid attention when it was Erik’s turn.

“I name Lance Thalorien a coward.” He said, and the room became dead silent. “He is willing to shout untrue and poisonous words, boasting of unearned achievements, but the moment he is called to account for his words, he flees. He denies what is said, and refuses satisfaction. For this, I name him a coward, and the tainted brush extends to those he breaks bread with. Do you deny my words?” He said, staring directly at the boy.

Lance looked around, and realizing the entire school was staring at him, slowly stood up.

“I’m not a barbarian that needs to resort to violence where words fail. Just because you’re a thug, doesn’t make my words any less true.”

He sat down heavily.

“A coward.” Erik repeated, and stepped aside.

“What was that all about?” Felix whispered to Sora.

“That was so cool!” She said. “But I’ll explain later. Or let Erik explain. He knows all the mind bendy twisty stuff involved. I would’ve just punched him in the face.”

That sounded about right, and Felix paid attention to Leona stepping up.

“Students of Camelot! Members of the seven houses! I come before you with a message from Dragon house, and a reminder. Six houses of Camelot have shields and wards. Six houses of Camelot go through their years of education, protected from serious harm. Curses and pranks fly freely through the hallways and common rooms, and we’re all used to hexing each other in combat class. But Dragon house is not protected. We do not have the same safety in magic that the rest of you enjoy, and we have to find our own way of being safe.”

Felix could see a lot of the students… not quite ignoring Leona, but furiously whispering with each other. Quite a few of the upper years were grouping up together, then scooting away from the lower years - or each other.

“Yesterday, one of the Dragons was nearly killed. A spell, fired in anger and malice, narrowly missed him, and instead struck one of his friends. Said spell caused said friend to tumble down six flights of stairs, break half the bones in his body, snapped his neck, and forced him to flame to the infirmary.

Right! Whoops! Felix had completely forgotten about Odric, and should’ve visited him in the hospital wing.

“If that had been the Dragon student, he would’ve died. Now, the upper years can already see where this is going, but some people need a reminder why Dragons walk the hallways without concern for their safety. Now, would the following people please stand up.”

Leona listed off a few names. Three of the four people stood up, and Leona called out the last name again, but this time with a stirring of power behind her. Green light started to emit from behind her like a halo, and her waist-long raven-black hair stirred like a breeze was blowing through it. The last student stood up, and everyone started scooting away from them.

“What do you want?” He snarled. Leona didn’t answer him.

“Dragon house! Burn.” She ordered.

Felix didn’t quite know that order yet, but dutifully stood up with the rest of his house.

Then they unleashed hell.

Blasts from Dragons hit every one of the four students, causing four bursts of flames as they were transported away to the infirmary. One of the professors leaning against the wall sighed.

“Fifteen points from every Dragon student for attacking fellow students.” He said tiredly and by rote.

“Five points to every Dragon for standing up for their members and excellent teamwork.” Another professor called out.

Leona sat back down, and the morning forum meeting went on like nothing happened.

“That was sweet!” Sora said, pumping her fist. Felix couldn’t stop grinning like a loon.

“Yeah, that was pretty cool wasn’t it?”