Freedom Planet: Trinity (CANCELLED)

Freedom Chapter 1: Celebration Anxiety

"Today, we stand here in honor of those who risked their lives to save this planet!" The magister stood at a podium, the Avalicion sun high in the sky. In front of him stood thousands, if not millions of people, all gathered to watch a ceremony for those who had defeated Brevon and his armada, "Three months ago, Arktivus Brevon and his armada touched down in Shuigang, taking control of the kingdom, and waging war on the planet of Avalice. If it were not for these brave warriors, we would not be here today," The Magister motioned behind him, to the lineup of people standing on stage. He noticed that one was missing. He sighed, and turned back to the crowd, "Ahem!" He cleared his throat, "Although we are gathered here to celebrate our survival, and bravery in the face of insurmountable odds, we must also remember those fallen during this battle. They will always be remembered, they will never be forgotten,"

The Magister turned towards one of the royal guards standing next to him, "May I have the commendations please?" The royal guard nodded and raised a small box to him, opening the lid to reveal shining metal flowers, all looking like they'd been painstakingly crafted, "I give out these awards so that you will always be seen as heroes beyond the highest measure," The Magister grabbed one of the metal flowers and stepped up to the first person in line, handing the medal to them. He went down the line, handing everyone their awards. At the end, all of the awards had been handed out except for one. The Magister just had to go with it, "Today, we honor King Dail, Carol Tea, Milla Basset, Sash Lilac, Crimson Flare, Neera-Li, and-" The Magister cleared his throat, trying to make a good recovery, "And all of those who helped with repelling Brevon's attack," The Magister clapped his hands, applauding the warriors. The entire crowd exploded in cheers and hollering.

Among the chaos a few "Marry me [insert name]!"s could be heard. Once the cheering had died down slightly, the Magister stepped back up to the podium, "This moment marks the first step in a new history of Avalice! Let the celebration begin!" As the Magister ended his speech, fireworks shot into the sky, exploding into bright colors. As the crowd dispersed to go and enjoy the celebration, the Magister turned to the warriors, "Where's Lady Fae?"

"I don't know, your highness," Neera said, a small worried frown on her face.

"What do you mean you don't know? Isn't she your girlfriend?" Carol piped up, looking over to Neera. Lilac leaned over and elbowed Carol in the arm, "Hey! That hurt!"

"Aya is an adult, she can do what she pleases," King Dail added, stepping up to the Magister, "Although, I would recommend we find her. I'm sure she wouldn't want to miss the celebration."

"I can find her," Neera said, "I think I know where she is anyway," Neera sighed a little, "I apologize for the inconvenience your majesty," Neera bowed to the Magister.

"It's no inconvenience at all, I just wish to give her the medal she earned, and for her to enjoy the celebration," The Magister said.

"I'll be as quick as possible," Neera said, hopping off the side of the stage and running off. Neera entered the royal palace at a startling pace. She had a feeling that Aya was on the roof. She often was when she wanted to be alone. It was strange to be in the palace without many other people being there. Neera quickly made her way to the roof, passing by a few stray guards that had stayed behind. As she got to the roof, she stepped through a door to see Aya sitting at the edge of the building, her legs hanging off the side.

"Aya?" Neera said, stepping over to the panda and sitting down next to her.

"Hi," Aya responded, her voice quiet.

"The Magister needs you at the ceremony. He wasn't able to give you your medal," Neera said. When Aya gave no response, Neera looked at her with a small frown, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Aya said, her voice a low whisper.

"Are you sure?" Neera asked.

"I'm fine," Aya's voice wavered, hitching in her throat.

"Hey, you know I'm not very good at this stuff, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me. I will always be here for you," Neera responded, grabbing onto Aya's hand and squeezing it, a sign to show Aya that she was there, and she was safe.

Aya inhaled sharply, feeling as a few small tears rolled down her cheek, "Neera," Aya whimpered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Aya bursted into tears, her soft whimpers evolving into loud moans and wails, "I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, hey hey!" Neera wrapped her arms around Aya and pulled her close to her chest, "Aya, there is nothing to be sorry about. You haven't done anything wrong. Why are you apologizing?"

"I..." Aya sniffled and cried, wrapping her arms around Neera weakly. After a few short moments of crying, Aya finally got out all her tears, now just a soaking, sniffling mess clinging to Neera like her life depended on it.

"Feeling better now?" Neera asked, softly brushing her fingers through Aya's hair.

"Y-yeah," Aya stuttered, still hugging Neera.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Neera asked, her concern for Aya continuing to  mount.

"No."

"If you say so. But please," Neera softly grabbed onto the sides of Aya's face and forced her head up so they were looking each other in the eyes, "Please know that I am here for you. Please."

"Okay," Aya sniffled a bit, softly pulling away from Neera.

"Now that you're feeling better, let's get to the celebration, the Magister has requested your presence," Neera said, standing up and walking to the door of the roof.

Aya nodded, "Okay," She said. She took one last glance at the edge of the roof, and then followed Neera.

As the two left the Royal Palace, they were met with the likes of Carol and Milla, "Finally. Took you two long enough. Dail sent us to find you two, since you were taking so long," Carol said, a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Told you!" Milla said, lightly nudging Carol's side.

"Yeah yeah, you win the bet," Carol handed over a few crystals over to Milla.

"Bet?" Aya asked, a small hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I bet that we'd find you two smooching, we didn't," Carol said, shrugging it off like it was nothing, "Hey, you alright? Your makeup is all smeared," Carol said, motioning towards the makeup disaster on Aya's face.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Aya used her sleeve to try and wipe off some of the makeup.

"You're very pretty Miss Aya! I like your dress!" Milla smiled, quickly circling Aya, "A lot less revealing than your last outfit," Milla said, giggling a little at the memory of them first meeting.

"Why thank you Milla, I appreciate the compliment," Aya said, a soft smile spreading across her face.

"We shouldn't be wasting any time. The Magister wants us back, hurry up!" Neera ordered, stepping in front of the group and taking charge.

"Got it, sorry," Aya said, blushing a little in embarrassment.

Carol leaned over as they walked, keeping pace with Aya, "Why'd you have to pick such a stuck-up for your girlfriend?" She whispered.

"I heard that!" Neera said, glaring back at Carol.

Aya blushed a little, "I don't think I really chose her. It kinda just happened. And I don't know, I guess I just find her take-charge kind of attitude appealing."

"So you think it's hot when she's a jerk?" Carol asked.

Neera whirled around and pushed her finger against Carol's nose, causing Carol to backpedal slightly, "Keep poking your nose in our business and I'll tear it off for you!"

"Yeesh, got it, scary lady," Carol shrugged it off and kept walking.

Milla, who had been lagging behind, quickly bound up to Aya, "Hi! I have a surprise to show you and Miss Neera after the celebration, okay?"

"Oh...I wasn't expecting anything, but okay!" Aya smiled a little and ruffled Milla's hair with her hand.