B.R. Schlüter - The chronicals of Elderon

The king approached me and stopped about half a meter in front of me so that I could see his legs.

"My child, rise. I want to look at you more closely." the king said to me.

So I stood up and lifted my head so that I could also look him in the eye.

King Matteo looked like a mixture of an old wizard and an elf.

He wore a dark blue shirt, black velvet pants, and a yellow cloak that was held together below his chest with a star-shaped brooch.

There was something familiar about his face, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

He examined me from top to bottom, walked around me several times and then stroked a strand of my hair out of my face.

Then his gaze lingered on my birthmark, under my ear.

He drew back and gasped for air. Had I done something wrong?

He took several deep breaths before turning back to me in a shaky voice.

"Ju, Juna, is that really you?" he asked me.

I looked at him confused. "Yes my name is Juna, Juna Nightmoon. Your Majesty" I answered him and bowed to demonstrate my submissiveness.

Tears came to his eyes and he started laughing.

Before he or I could say anything, he took me in his arms and hugged me almost a little too tightly.

"Finally you are back my child!" he cheered.

"Back again?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Excuse me your majesty, but I have never seen you before and I don't remember ever being here either."

I told him and disengaged from his embrace.

He straightened his clothes and turned to Lilly.

"Lilly Starfly! Haven't you been to the Keeper's Crystal Castle with her yet?" he said in a serious tone.

Lilly stood up and directed her gaze over to the king.

"My Lord, I was just about to leave with her for the Crystal Castle when her guards came to us and brought us here with them! Not even Stardust, Juna's soul guardian, could properly meet her."

The king snorted contemptuously.

"Commander Irfried! You were bragging big just a few days ago that you could recognize anyone in the royal family instantly!" he shouted across the throne room.

Irfried took a step forward.

He had short black hair, brown eyes, and also generally looked rather average. If he hadn't had pointed ears, you would have thought he was one of my work colleagues, Professor Markus Pinway, specialist teacher of naturopathy.

"Yes, I can do that too, Your Highness." he replied, full of pride.

"Then I wonder, how can it be, then, please, THAT YOU did not recognize MY GRANDDAUGHTER , and you treat her like a common prisoner!!!?

I should execute or banish you on the spot!"

All color drained from the man's face.

Immediately I stood in front of the guard with a defensive posture.

I didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of me and shook my head violently to show him that I was against it.

Only after I did that did I process the king's words.

Me, his granddaughter? Surely that meant I would be part of the royal family?!

I felt dizzy and had trouble staying on my feet, it was just too much information for me.

Before I lost consciousness, Irfried caught me.

I woke up after a dreamless night in a huge bed.

I looked around a little.

This room was huge. My house would have fit in here easily.

In the back, at the other end of the bed, hung some clothes that I was only too happy to put on.

With the minidress on, I could barely move around the castle without getting uncomfortable.

After changing my clothes, I opened the door.

Grinning, Lilly stood in front of me with a huge tray full of goodies.

"Where are we going? Breakfast is the most important meal of the whole day and you're not leaving my room without it, Juna." Said Lilly reprovingly.

So I sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed some fruit?

It looked like a nectarine, but the flesh was blue.

Taste-wise, it reminded me more of a mango.

"What exactly is this thing I'm eating?" I asked Lilly still smacking my lips slightly.

"It's called 'squashi fruit' this berry grows all year round in the royal garden."

"They're pretty darn tasty. So now we're just about to eat something. Now will you explain to me what's going on? Or do I have to wait until we get to this ominous crystal castle?" I replied casually while eating.

"I'll be able to answer some of your questions, at least about who I am, what Stardust is all about, what role your adoptive parents play in it, and of course where we are. Anything else, only the guardians can tell you." she said, looking at me somewhat ruefully.

"Like, who you are?" I asked skeptically.

But she didn't respond to my question.

"Well, I want to look around here a bit first, and you can tell me something about this magnificent building in the meantime," I suggested to her.

I winked at Lilly and opened the door for her. "May I, my lady?" I asked with a big grin on my face and held out my hand to her.

"Very well, princess." she answered me and put her hand in mine.

So we walked out of the room and strolled down a long carpeted hallway.

We walked towards the royal garden, which only the direct confidants of the royal family or the royal family itself could enter.

At least, that's how Lilly explained it to me.

The castle itself was probably several thousand years old and had been in the possession of the royal family for generations. According to legend, the sun goddess ' Solaris ' herself had formed this mountain into a castle to rest here at night.

We continued to the royal garden, where I could not get out of the amazement.

Everywhere you looked, there were many different flowers and plants. The air smelled deliciously sweet and everywhere it hummed and buzzed, from the many different insects that flew around in the garden.

The garden was right next to a large waterfall and in its center was a huge green crooked tree.

"That's the Tree of Return," Lilly replied when she saw my admiration.

"The tree of return? Does that thing give you an afterlife or what?" i asked a bit incredulous

"Hahahaha no, not that. But at winter as well as summer solstice, the spirits of the deceased pass through this tree and can then spend a few hours with their loved ones from sunset to sunrise, at least if you have previously hung their name on one of the branches."

I looked at her in disbelief. "Yes but if only the royal family has access to this garden, then isn't that absolutely unfair to the folk?!" I protested directly.

"That's why there's a mailbox at the castle gate, especially for the names of the dead who want to see the folk again on those two nights. About a week before the Feast of the Return, people come to the castle and put the names of their loved ones in the mailbox so that King Matteo, Queen Alexis and their confidants, can hang the names on the tree," Lilly told me and a brief smile crossed her face.

Further back in the garden there was a small oasis of well-being, right next to the waterfall were placed several cushions, as well as a bench and a Hollywood swing.

"Well shall we take a seat on the bench first? Then I can answer your questions better, because this will take a little more time and I can't stand that long." suggested Lilly, pointing to the bench next to the waterfall.

We walked over and sat down, facing each other.

"So where do I start? My name is Lilly Starfly, I was born on the same day as you. But you know that." she began.

"Yes, so what?" I asked impatiently.

"As you've already gathered, I'm a fairy. We fairies live further east in the Haunted Woods and are really just winged gardeners, as we are closely connected to nature.

Every thousand years, when a royal baby is born in Sunset, a flower calyx lights up on the Tree of Souls and then a special fairy comes out of it on the same day," Lilly continued.