The Power in You

Chapter 10

Calliope took a deep breath before knocking on Queen Angella's door. Lexie stood behind her, fingers lightly touching her lower back in encouragement. Calliope had told her she could do this by herself but Lexie insisted that she shouldn't have to and tagged along.

She heard Queen Angella tell her to enter and she opened the door, Lexie closing it behind her as they took in the room. Queen Angella sat at a desk, paperwork scattered everywhere as she watched the two girls enter the room. She stood, in all her elegance and grace, and motioned for them to take a seat on the couch in front of the desk.

Both girls took a seat, Lexie pulling Calliope close so that her arm was draped over her smaller frame. Calliope laid her hand to rest on top of Lexie's knee, giving it a small squeeze in appreciation for the support.

"I've been waiting for you to come to find me, I'm surprised it took you so long," Angella told her, taking her seat again.

"I was... distracted," Calliope blushed, looking at Lexie who smirked back at her.

"I can see that," Angella chuckled. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions..."

"I do. Too many. A lifetime of questions. But first... my kingdom. Tell me about it, please." Angella nodded, clasping her hands in front of her on the desk.

"The Kingdom of Musicia was the kingdom of music. It was beautiful and always filled with singing and dancing. Different instruments and melodies carried different functions for the people and could be used for various tasks like cooking, cleaning, telling stories, and healing. There were endless possibilities to the magic of their music. You've seen some of those capabilities first hand as your magic has grown. The royal family also had a special task, they were the guardians of..." Angella paused, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

"The guardians of what?" Calliope pushed, leaning forward in her seat.

"I... I can't seem to recall... it's there but it won't come to me. But either way, it was a task only the royal family could complete."

"What about the royal family? My parents? What were they like?" Calliope bounced her leg nervously, causing Lexie to put a reassuring hand on it to calm it.

A small smile graced Angella's features as she picked up a framed photo from her desk and stood up, coming around to hand it to Calliope, who examined it. The man and woman from her dream vision stood there, smiling brilliantly with a baby settled in the woman's arms, not bundled up as she had previously seen.

"Awww, look at how cute you were as a baby!" Lexie gushed, looking over her shoulder at the photo.

"That was taken about six months after you were born before..." Angella took a deep breath. "A month before the kingdom fell."

Calliope gently traced the contours of the woman's face.

"You have her eyes. You have her heart. You have his smile. You have his courage. You are such a beautiful blend of the two," Angella recounted, pulling a chair up to sit in front of them.

"What were they like..." Calliope looked up at her, seeing the sad expression on the Queen's face.

"They were... my best friends. Mine and my husbands before..." She sighed. "I lost everyone I ever loved within months of each other. First, my husband during a battle that I insisted on. Then them and you, when I was too scared to try to help anyone. Your mother was born royal, we grew up together and wreaked havoc on our parents," Angella chuckled at the memory.

"Your father grew up in a good family and they met at Princess Prom when they were sixteen and fell madly in love. I swear, it was love at first sight as we danced around and I saw the moment their eyes met across the dance floor. They were both entranced by the other and danced together the rest of the night. I had never seen her so happy before. They courted and within a couple of years, they got married and took over the Kingdom in their early 20s when her father, your grandfather, passed away."

Calliope nodded along, completely enraptured in the story as she clutched the photograph to her chest.

"They struggled for a while to have children. You were their miracle, the product of true love. I wish they could see you now, how beautiful you grew up to be. How kind you are despite the horrible circumstances you endured. They would be so proud of you, as I am."

"I like to think I have something to do with that," Lexie said, arms winding around Calliope's waist as her chin rested on her shoulder. "I refused to let that place ruin her. She was always too... innocent for the Horde."

"She's not completely wrong. I wanted to be bitter and angry but Lexie always reminded me who I was. She kept me shielded from the worst of it, she was my rock," Calliope said, squeezing Lexie's knee again. "My parents sound amazing. What happened?"

Angella's features grew dark. "I'm not completely sure, I only saw the aftermath. I can only guess that the Horde ambushed in the middle of the night when defenses were down. I remember a blinding light that night coming from the direction of the kingdom but I didn't think it was anything serious. We never got a distress call, nothing. It happened so quickly... the entire city was destroyed and there were no survivors. We found your father but... we never found you or your mother."

"Do you think she's alive? If you didn't find her, that must be good? Maybe she survived as I did!" Calliope said excitedly.

"I don't think that's the case. You only survived because the Horde took you in. She would have come here if she had survived. Something else happened but I'm not sure what," Angella explained to her, watching as Calliope's shoulders sagged.

"I need to know more. We want to rebuild after the war and I need to know everything so we will be able to. Is there somewhere I can go to learn more?"

Angella nodded. "Bow's fathers, George and Lance, have a library in the Whispering Woods. I'm sure they won't mind you crashing there to study. I'm sure you would want to visit the ruins as well. They're close by the Beacon, where you met She-Ra. She can lead you back that way when you are ready."

Calliope nodded gratefully, standing up with Lexie right behind her. "Thank you so much for all the information. It was helpful. My mom was lucky to have a friend like you."

Tears formed in Angella's eyes as Calliope stepped forward and hugged her tightly, Angella returning the hug with no hesitation. They embraced each other for a couple of moments, as if it would be the last time they ever saw each other before breaking apart.

"You are going to make a wonderful princess to your kingdom one day. Take care of her, Lexie. You have something special here," Angella told her as Lexie pulled Calliope to her, smiling.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Your Majesty. She's a diamond, for sure."

Angella waved them away as they turned to leave before she stopped them again, picking up the frame that had been left on the couch to give to Calliope.

"Something to remember them by. They would want you to have it," she explained as Calliope tried to decline the gift. "I have a lifetime of memories with them, this is the least I can give you."

Calliope reluctantly took the frame, grateful for the gift as she and Lexie left the room, leaving Angella alone.