"This way, Aureate! We're almost there!" the orange-petaled sunflower said. She had the widest grin stretched across her face. Aureate followed without really thinking about it. They were somewhere in the Sunfall Kingdom, but the area was unfamiliar.
"Here we are! Our secret hideout," the sunflower announced, coming to a sudden halt. There was a large oak tree with a well-structured treehouse at the top. "Come on in!" She motioned for Aureate to follow her. "Why do we need a secret hideout?" Aureate asked. She loosely trailed behind the sunflower. Before the flower could reply, the treehouse came to a crumble. Aureate looked at the sky, which had no moon.
"Aureate! Help me!" her unrecognizable companion pleaded.
"Aureate!"
"Aureate!"
"AUREATE!"
"Ahh!" Aureate yelled when she woke up. "You're finally awake. Thank goodness," said a relieved voice, which belonged to her mother, Shine. Quynn was there too, as well as a couple of sunflower medics.
"We were so worried," Quynn added.
"How are you feeling?" one of the medics asked.
They were in her bedroom. "Sore.." Aureate responded. There was this certain.. power inside of her that wasn't there before, but she refrained from voicing that.
"Of course. You endured a lot," the same medic said. "It's a miracle you survived the explosion at all."
"..Explosion?" Aureate echoed, widening her eyes.
"Tell us, Princess, how much do you remember?" another medic asked. "Since when?" Aureate returned the question. "Since you left the castle yesterday," Quynn chimed in. "To give the new townsfolk the tour?"
That was yesterday?
"Well.. after the tour ended, I stopped by the tavern with Harmonia. You know Harmonia, the off-color acorn who sewed me my poncho?" Aureate double-checked. "Yes, it was very kind of her. Continue," Quynn said.
"Nicholas was there, as per usual, and we were having a casual conversation before these plants entered. Introduced themselves as Blazemaker and Nightgale—or something like that," Aureate recalled, her memory foggy.
"They wanted my sproutage mother's amulet, but I wouldn't give it up, so the snapdragon—Firebarker—set the tavern aflame," she said, using dramatic gestures to make the story more enticing. "And then.."
She paused. Was the part about Luz and her newfound mission real or just a hallucination?
"I.. don't remember anything else. I must've blacked out," she decided.
"When we recovered you, the amulet was gone. It's likely the people you mentioned before could've gotten it," the first medic informed her.
Quynn and Shine were eerily quiet the whole time until Quynn spoke up: "They're back," was what he said.
"What? Who's back?" Aureate interjected, confused. "Nothing, nobody," Shine quickly threw away the topic.
"You three are dismissed," she told the sunflower healers.
They bowed before leaving the bedroom. "What's going on? It's very obvious you're keeping something from me." Aureate frowned, crossing her leaf blades.
"Listen; after this whole series of events, it's become very evident that you need self-defense lessons," Quynn said slowly. "..Your mother and I have decided; It's finally time you discover how to use your Cora."
"My Cora? But I-I'm a princess!" Aureate protested.
"Cora is the energy inside of every sentient being in our realm. All plants can harness their Cora into weapons, tools—even princesses, Shine said. "If you don't learn, then you're an easy target for assassins, thieves, or anyone who may wish you harm."
YOU ARE READING
Golden: The Collection
Fanfiction"Do you accept this humble burden?" Luz demanded. "The burden to protect those who cannot protect themselves?" The princess stood for a moment. Her senses were screaming at her to decline and go back to her normal life, but there was this voice. Thi...
