~~~
"Star!"
I turn to see Myst running up to me. A smile etches itself onto my face as she jumps into my arms, "Myst! I am so glad to see you!"
Myst nods, giggles and looks up at me. "I heard you were back from your father! He asked us to come meet at the castle with the rest of the kingdom,"
I laugh and nod to her. "That's right!" Myst laughs at me again with a sassy look in her eye, "And don't worry, my brother is here too!"
I laugh again. "Good girl,"
I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to see my mother. "Hello, Mama Angelica!" Myst calls out. My mother looks down at her and smiles. She kneels down to embrace her. "Oh! Myst! My darling, there you are!"
I wonder why Myst never has told me about her parents. Only about her brother.
Mother stands back up to face me. "Come, my child, we must greet the kingdom with your father,"
I nod and follow her back to the front of our castle and what is left of the garden and fountain. Myst grabs my hand and follows beside me while her brother is close behind. I turn to see my friends chatting over where my father is standing waiting for us. I smile when I see them as we approach.
I can feel Myst's brother's eyes on me from behind me. It is really weird. I know him but I do not. It is also weird that Eli's son, I used to play with him when I was younger, I also know him but I do not. How strange that I made friends with alternate beings of the same ones who I grew up with here in my kingdom.
Ike finds my eyes as I approach him and he smiles when he sees Myst by my side. Then I see his gaze fall to my left, he must have found her brother, who is following us.
I look up to see Eli walking up next to father and they both have turned to face my mother and me. I release Myst's hand, "Stay with your brother," I turn to follow my mother up there to stand with my father and King Eli. Eli's son has walked up there next to him as well. I pass by my friends on my way up there and they each give me a smile and encouraging gestures.
Once I get up there, my mother positions me in front of her next to my father who then places his hand onto my right shoulder. I turn to look out over everyone and see many familiar faces from both kingdoms as they all gaze upon me. I nod my head in greetings when I look to see Eli and his son on the other side of my father.
The crowd applauds once my mother and I get positioned properly in the front. Then my father begins to speak, "Please let us give a warm welcome to our guests and ally to our kingdom, Lycia," My father motions his hand to his right and King Eli steps forwards, shaking my father's hand firmly.
"Thank you, brother. We are gathered here today, my people, to assist our ally. They have come to me today asking for assistance in rebuilding their lovely castle. Please welcome back the lovely Queen Angelica and her beautiful daughter Princess Star,"
Eli gestures towards us, steps back next to father and applauds with the crowd before me. My stomach churns as my mother drops her hood and touches my arm for me to follow. I raise my hands up to the brim of my hood and pull it down to my shoulders.
My dark red hair falls out, lands onto my shoulders and back while curling around my face. My mother takes my hand, has us step forwards and we take a small curtsey bow together as the crowd cheers and throws welcomes out to us.
We step back next to my father once the crowd quiets down. My father steps back forward. "Thank you, my friend. Without further ado, please join us in the celebration and the tasks at hand to rebuild our lovely castle of Ylisse!" The crowd cheers once more and we each take a small bow of our own. The crowd breaks up to begin getting assignments from the kings.
My mother motions for my friends to come forward. "Star, you help me with the first section here in the front with your friends,"
I smile and nod. "Yes, mother," I turn to my friends and they all smile at me as I smile back.
"You were great Star!" Lucina says to me. "Such a lovely Princess,"
I laugh with a sassy grin on my face. "Oh yeah? What about you?"
She laughs back. "Oh, you know, a lovelier Princess," She looks to me with a sassy grin back to me.
I hear Ike and Roy chuckle next to her. My mother chuckles as well and motions for us to follow her.
I notice the new materials sitting around in boxes and crates brought to us from Lycia's people. Many types of wood and marble slabs are ready to be matted together to support the castle structure. My mother brings out her dark magic orbs around her hands and lifts one of the pieces of marble up to the front wall of the castle. I follow and do the same, pushing myself up to hover over to the upper section of the castle where mother is holding the slab of marble.
"Here Star, hold this marble here, and I will show you how to use your magic to weld this piece to the others," My mouth falls open slightly and I turn to my friends. They have the same expression I have.
"I can weld marble together?" I say as I turn back and lift my left hand, pushing my emotion through the arm and concentrate on the marble slab.
My mother laughs, "Yes. Like this,"
She hovers over to the slab and lifts both of her hands next to the top edge of the slab. She concentrates for a moment and the slab does nothing. After a short moment, my mother shoots out a small beam of black light towards the edge of the marble. Once the beam hits it, the edges melt together and attaches themselves to the wall of the castle as mother aims her hands around the edges. Then all of the slab is welded to the opening in the castle wall.
"Whoa," I hear Lucina say behind me.
"Amazing," Roy says.
"Impressive," Ike adds, smiling. "I continue to be impressed even after I thought I could not be impressed any further,"
I smile back at him once he catches my gaze.
"Come Star, you try," I snap from Ike's eyes as I hear my mother say this to me and I turn to see her holding up a slab of marble for me to weld. I lift my hands, palms facing towards the edges of the marble slab. I concentrate on the slab and push my emotions through my arms to the tips of my fingertips. Then once I am ready, I feel the dark beam as it shoots through my arms. It shoots from my palms directly towards the marble slab. Once it hits the edge of the material, it does what my mother's beam did by heating the material and slowly welding it to the top of the slab mother just welded in place moments ago. Once I finish, my eyes widen and I look down at my hands.
"Whoa,"
"Excellent, my child. Let us continue,"
I look up at my friends. "Well then,"
I put up a sassy grin and turn to pick up another slab of marble. My friends follow me to do the same. Ike and Roy take one and pick up a welding gun my father handed them before and they begin welding marble adjacent to the ones my mother and I started.
Lucina is going to help me with the next one. It is going to a higher platform that Lucina is having trouble getting up to.
"Here," I lift my right hand that is not holding the slab up and begin forming a small platform of dark black light for Lucina to step onto.
"Use this," Lucina smiles at me and jumps up onto the platform. Once she is ready I stretch it to create another higher section for her to stand on and create more of them all the way up until she is next to the marble slab.
"Thanks," She begins welding the slab I am holding up there next to her. I have to concentrate extra hard because I am focusing on two objects at the same time. The edges of my vision blacken as I concentrate on holding the slab and keeping Lucina from falling.
Once she finishes, I lift another one with my left hand and bring it up next to her.
I lock eyes with Ike for a moment as I bring it up. I feel my stomach drop as he locks gazes with me. It feels like the first time I saw him. I shake myself free once I realize it and put on a sassy grin to hide my face that had started to burn.
Ike smiles, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Then he chuckles at me.
I laugh back. "Just checking on you!" I smile bigger with my sassy smile and turn back to Lucina, who is smiling back at
me.
No cat has my tongue, just you Ike.