The Dragon Prince The City of Smoke and Night

Chapter Twenty Four Celebration

The day of the Sunfire Inaugural Ball finally arrived on a cloudless morning. The weather was clement and the sun was shining brightly. A perfect day for a celebration. Naima woke up, beaming from ear to ear and looked through her bedroom window to see the whole camp had become a hive of preparation for the ball this evening. Sunfire Elves and humans were working together in putting the final touches on the decorations for the ballroom at her castle. Everyone would be there from the camp to the Silvergrove. She got ready for the day and went to help out with the ball preparations. Throughout the day, she worked tirelessly on the details for the ball, making sure that everything was just right despite a few mishaps like an oven in the castle kitchen exploding and the scorchberry cake batter splattered all over the place for example. When it was time for her to take a break, she decided to take a walk around the camp. She stopped to admire the ruins of Lux Aurea. She found them to be magnificent and she knew that the memory of Lux Aurea's beauty and military might would live forever in the hearts of the Sunfire Elves despite its current state. "We were hoping you'd come here," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see Karim and Miyana. "Your aunt asks us to come get you so you can get read-" Karim was taken aback when he saw Naima. "Holy Hotcats! What happened to you?" Between fixing the oven and calming down Amaya's Hotcat mount Aegis, Naima had become very scruffy. Scorchberry cake batter was all over her forehead and cheeks, and her hair was matted with straw. She even smelled like hay and Hotcat fur. "You're a mess, Naima. We need to get you home and get you cleaned up," Miyana told her as she picked bits of straw out of her hair. "I was helping some people out but it looks like I got dirty while doing it," Naima said as the three of them walked together. "I was looking at the ruins of Lux Aurea. They were such an inspiring sight." "You really think so?" Karim asked and she confirmed with a nod. "I know Lux Aurea is no longer the monumental, dazzling city from before but its ruins remind us that there is still some value and glory even in its brokenness. The ruins of Lux Aurea are not just the remains of a lost city but they are traces that allow us to see the Sunfire Elves' past, their present condition, and what they are going to be in their future. Beauty exists in all things, even when it's broken. The ruins of any historical architecture reminds us of the human body-fragile and fleeting as we grow older. But the memory of the architecture's beauty and rich history lasts forever. The point I'm making is that beauty doesn't exist without flaws or last long but inner beauty lasts forever and it shines even through imperfection. We all have our flaws. They make us who we are and make us unique in our own way." Karim smiled. "Who made you such an insightful, open minded individual?" "My parents did," she said. "Of course they did." Karim felt Miyana pull his wrist as she urged him to try out some of Naima's beauty treatments. "Please, Karim, it'll do you some good," she pleaded. "Absolutely not. There is no way I'm becoming a guinea pig for Naima's skin care treatments." "Oh, don't be such a buzzkill, Karim," Naima told him, who was looking immaculate in her bathrobe. "It wouldn't have to be a complete makeover. We could just do a cucumber eye mask to remove the dark circles from your eyes after the nightmares you've had. Maybe a charcoal face scrub to clean out your pores. Just basic skin care." "Well, if Karim won't say yes, I'll be happy to take his place," Rayla chirped as she stood beside her. Callum couldn't believe this betrayal. "Rayla, seriously?" "What? I hate getting sunburned," she replied defensively. "Please for me," Miyana said to Karim with puppy dog eyes. "Don't do that," he said. "Do what?" "Whenever you say, 'please for me,' then I'll just do anything you want. Well, not this time." "Please for me?" Karim sighed. "Okay. But as long as she doesn't pluck my eyebrows." Naima laughed. "Deal." After Rayla said goodbye to Callum, Naima pulled out her case of natural beauty products. "Let's get to work," she said, smiling. "If Janai sees me like this, she'll never let me leave it down," Karim said, laying flat on his back, his face slathered in a charcoal face scrub and two cucumber slices were placed on his eyes. "Do I really have to have these on my eyes? It feels so girly." "That's what a face mask does," Naima said, removing the slices from his eyes. "Charcoal has healing properties with many health benefits. It removes all the oil, dead skin cells, and other impurities in your skin." "Does it clear grumpiness too?" Miyana teased, whose face was covered in a cacao cream mask and Rayla giggled. Her face was coated with a face pack made of moonberries, lotus powder, and green tea. Her fingers and feet were soaking in bowls of pureed moonberries. Karim shot the girls with a flat look. "Ha, ha, so funny," he said sarcastically. Naima wiped the scrub from his face with a washcloth. Then she massaged his temples with lemon balm oil. Karim had to admit that this was very nice. She wiped her fingers and put his diadem on his forehead. He gazed at his reflection in the vanity mirror. He stroked his cheeks, which felt smooth and clean. That scrub actually worked. "You've got skill, Naima," he told her. "I do feel much better. Well, you girls have fun with your primping." He left Naima's bedroom. Rayla whispered to Naima that she would give him a makeover for the ball, which he called out, "Over my dead body!" Naima and Rayla giggled together. "Naima, what's wrong?" Rayla asked her as she sat up in the comfy lounge chair she was sitting in. Naima had offered Miyana and Rayla to help them get ready for the ball with all day spa passes at the royal spa. The three of them were bundled in soft thick robes and relaxing in the most comfortable villa Ocean Dreams. "Everything," she said, trying hard not to cry. "I-I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't know myself anymore. I've spent my life hiding for sixteen years, stuck as someone else. I thought I would have an ordinary life in Duren and I don't know who I am anymore." She hugged her knees to her chest. "If people see who I am, they will see how broken I am." "We know who you are and you're anything but broken," Rayla said to her. "You're a great friend." "And a great princess, warrior, Ocean mage, daughter, niece, granddaughter, artist, and performer. You're an unique individual, Naima. Your past may not have been a happy one but you're destined to have a beautiful, golden present and future. And you are blessed to have friends and family that love you." "Thanks, guys." Naima felt better already. "Besides, if I grew up in a place like this, I'd never want to leave," Rayla said as she stretched out on the lounge chair. "Attending exciting balls and festivals and running away to your own paradise to be waited on hand and foot. You've got it made, Naima." She laughed. She could always count on Rayla's sarcasm to cheer her up. Throughout their visit, they were killed with kindness by the royal spa staff and made sure they looked presentable for the ball. Rayla and Miyana were waiting for Naima to arrive. Rayla was wearing an elegant black and teal gown with butterfly sleeves and her hair was styled in a left side bun with two tendrils that rested above her temples, while Miyana wore a shimmering gold dress with off the shoulder sleeves with red flowers and she wore a circlet of fire lilies in her hair. "Where's Naima?" Rayla asked. Miyana shrugged. "I don't know. But I hope she's okay. We'll just have to start it without her." "Start what without me?" Naima asked from behind Miyana. Miyana and Rayla turned around and were amazed when they saw Naima. She looked spellbinding. She was wearing a flowy sea blue gown with swirls of white and gold and on her feet were delicate aquamarine sea glass slippers, studded with a rose quartz rosette at the toe. White diamond dust glossed her

lips and her eyelids flaunted with blue eyeshadow lined in gold. Her hair was in beachy waves and decorated in pearls, white water lilies, and pink lotus flowers. The moonstone earrings studded her earlobes and she wore a turquoise bead necklace. She looked as if she had merged her two heritages into one. "Wow, Naima. You look wow," Rayla said. "Thanks. Are you ready?" "As we'll ever be." The three of them went to the ball. By the time Naima heard her name was announced, she glided down the staircase with a bright smile on her face, earning awestruck whispers and looks from the guests as she walked down. Soren was so awed by Naima's new look that spat out his punch. He coughed and asked, "Who are you and what have you done with Naima?" She laughed at his antics. "It's me, Soren." "You look really pretty, Naima," Zivon told her. He looked charming in his brown three piece suit. "You cleaned up nice yourself." Naima was overjoyed to see Hanan, Elinora, and Aerwyna, dressed in their finery, and ran to hug them. They told her that they had been invited by her aunt and uncle. She introduced them and Team Zym to Zivon, who gave him warm greetings, and when he said that he was Naima's boyfriend, Soren did another spit take and spat his punch all over Callum's face, much to his annoyance. The ball was an effervescent celebration indeed. Naima's friends and family took turns saying words about what a good person she was and wishing her good luck on her audition. When it was time for her to speak, she smiled. "First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate this historic event. Secondly, I can hardly believe that I'm starting my new life as a princess. All my life, I've never seen myself as special. I thought I was an ordinary, humble girl who loves to lend a helping hand and I've dreamed I had the qualities of the strong women I admired like Amaya's confidence, Janai's bravery, and Miyana's self assurance. That is until I met Callum and his friends, who took me under their wing and showed me what it means to be a true Ocean mage, warrior, and a true Sunfire princess. I see them as more than just a group of friends but as a family and I couldn't be prouder to call them my family." Soren blew his nose in a hanky. "I thought I would have an ordinary life as a farm girl in Duren but I'm starting to know I can't have an ordinary life," Naima continued. "I was never meant to have one. I have no idea what the future holds for me but I know that I'll navigate my life as a human-Sunfire Elf princess until I ascend my family throne as queen. I'm not going to hide away anymore. The world is going to see me as I am. Until then it is an honor and a privilege to be your princess." The guests cheered at her speech. The following morning after the ball, Naima prepared to leave for Duren for her audition. She was wearing sensible traveling clothes in gold, white, and blue with white boots. Her hair flowed down her upper back and she put her lotus barrette in her hair for good luck. It was happening. She was going to audition for the finest school of the performing arts in the Human Kingdoms. Grabbing her dark blue suitcase, she walked out of her bedroom with a skip in her step and a smile on her face. Naima said goodbye to her elven friends. "Thank you for everything, Karim," she said as she hugged him and Miyana. "No, I should be thanking you for opening my eyes, Naima. Go show them what you're made out of." She waved to them and they waved to her back as she catched up to her godparents. She looked back at the camp and smiled. "Goodbye, Lux Aurea. I know you'll wait for me." And she and her god family headed for Duren. Naima waited outside of the drama room until a woman in a white blouse and blue skirt called her name and said that the teachers were ready for her now. She took her song in her hand and got out of her seat and went inside, her smile growing bigger and one of the teachers asked her what inspired her to write her song from the talent show in Neolandia. "Well, I wanted to show people the real me behind my broken past so here's the story."