Because This World is Loved

Chapter 5: Stars and Seeds

The weekend arrived, and with it, the Starseed Festival began. Various Magicants worked hours to set up all the booths and haul in all the supplies. The air smelled of many kinds of food before the festival was scheduled to open; when she got a whiff of the mixed scents, Noel felt a tingle of enthusiasm and excitement go through her. She was definitely ready to have a good time.

Before she and her family left for the festival, Noel got to watch Alea give Drea and Alves a list of do's and don'ts, most of which involved staying by her at all times and being polite to the people running the booths. "Do I have to stay by your side at all times, too?" Noel quipped.

Alea gave an uneasy chuckle. "I think I can give you my permission to explore the festival, just this once," she said jokingly.

"Gee, thanks, Mom," Noel replied, equally joking. "What about Kelves? Does he get to stay with you, too?"

"We're going to be taking turns looking after the little ones," Alea said. "This way, we all get time to do what we want, and Drea and Alves won't get lost."

"I have a good sense of direction!" Drea chimed in.

"What's a sense of direction?" Alves asked.

Noel laughed. "Don't worry about it, you two. Mom and Kelves will make sure you guys are safe."

"Is the festival safe?" Alves was fidgeting nervously with the end of his shirt.

"Of course it is," Noel said. "But you don't want to get lost, do you?"

"Nuh-uh."

Soon, the sun began to set, and the festival gates opened. First, however, there was to be a small introduction from the Magicant royal family. Everyone gathered around a stage on a hill, setting up picnic blankets and chairs. Noel continued to marvel at the variety of Magicants that existed; she saw a family of turtles with bowls of water on their backs, some creatures that looked like they were made of tangled strings, and a six-armed purple woman offering her equally-armed blue husband a bite of her sandwich. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, whether it was small talk or talk about the festival itself. 

Noel was quiet as she sat on her family's picnic blanket; Drea teased Alves with a spiky-looking plant, while Kelves tried to persuade Drea to do something else and Alea made a grab for the offending plant. Eventually, the royal family took the stage, and the crowd hushed as Nashir tested his microphone. Kastra stood to his right, Alrai to his left, and Fenne and Caleb stood to the left of Alrai. All were wearing traditional royal robes, purple with gold trim. Nashir's had a broad golden cape and shoulder plates; Kastra's had blue alongside the gold, as did Alrai's.

"Greetings, everyone," Nashir boomed through the microphone. "Welcome to Medlia's tenth Starseed Festival, where we honor our ancestors and wish for prosperity. Ever since we arrived in Medlia, we have held our presentations at sunset, as the first thing we saw when we entered this world was a glorious sunset. This festival is special, as it marks the tenth anniversary of our arrival in this world." He paused to clear his throat, then continued. "Even in ten years, I've seen our community grow and change. Children have been born, and others have grown into wonderful young men and women." He gave a nod to Alrai's side of the stage. "Once, we wished upon stars as we planted our seeds. Though it was difficult to do that in the Sealed World, we tried our best to keep our spirits up. Now, in Medlia, we enjoy a new sort of freedom, far away from the humans who betrayed us in Lemanta. We have friends here." A murmur rippled through the crowd. For a moment, Noel thought she heard Alea sigh.

Nashir passed the microphone to Kastra, and she began to speak. "As your queen, I hope the best for each and every one of you. I am glad to see that we have remained strong in the face of change; I know of many people whose lives improved greatly when the Sealed World opened into Medlia. I am glad that I got to watch my children grow under a real world's true sun, and not under the constructs of the Sealed World." She also nodded to Alrai's side of the stage, before passing the microphone over to him.