I Need A Hero Vol. 4 {Peter Quill}

twenty seven

The sun had set, and the moon illuminated the castle. Guests patiently stood outside, waiting to be led into the castle for Princess Meredith and Lady Carol's engagement party. It was lively inside the ballroom. There were already people dancing and drinks in hand.

Poppie stood against the wall, smiling proudly at the work she had done. She was hoping that when Meredith and Carol arrive, that they're pleased with what she had done. Poppie had barely noticed Kamomile come up beside her. "Miss Poppie, you've done a wonderful job here" he commended her.

Poppie smiled at him and looked down, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Thank you, Mr. Kamomile. Do you think my ladies will like it?"

"They will" Kamomile smiled at her. There was a moment of silence between them. "Miss Poppie, would you save me a dance?"

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Kamomile" He parted from Poppie with a smile. Just as soon as he left, Helena approached Poppie.

"Hello Princess Helena"

"Hello Poppie. Have Peter and Gwen arrived yet?" Helena wondered.

"Not yet, milady. Neither have Meredith or Carol. The other Guardians are here though, as are your brother and your parents" Poppie noticed the troubled look on Helena's face. "Is everything alright, milady?"

"Oh, I'm alright. But, I do need you to keep an eye on Gisella and Moira tonight"

Poppie rolled her eyes. "Those two girls are trouble makers. Always up to no good. What is it they've done this time?"

"Well, you know that Gwen and Peter are having..." Helena paused, trying to find the right way to phrase it. "Marital troubles, yes?"

"I do, milady. I've kept the news to myself, but I suspect those two girls may know as well?"

Helena nodded. "One of them may try to seduce Peter and I don't want that happening. Not if there's a chance they can make things right"

"Say no more. I'll keep a close watchful eye on them"

"Thanks Poppie" Helena smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, and also keep an eye on Drax and Rocket too. I've heard that their reckless drunks"

Poppie laughed. "Will do, milady!"

With that Helena walked off. Suddenly, the whole ballroom fell silent. Gwen and Peter had entered the ballroom. With their arms linked together, they walked to their thrones. When they got to the velvet chairs, they remained on their feet. Gwen addressed the ballroom. "May I present the newly engaged couple, our daughter, Princess Meredith Quill, and our soon to be daughter-in-law, Carol Danvers"

Everyone started clapping and cheering as the two women entered the ballroom, also linking arms. Meredith had changed into a purple sequinned party dress, while Carol wore a t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket.

The two women joined Gwen and Peter, where another set of thrones awaited them. Gwen addressed the guests again. "At this time, we would like to invite our guests to approach and greet the future wives"

The four of them took their seats. While Meredith and Carol were being lovey dovey with each other, holding hands and sneaking kisses when they could, Gwen and Peter were being quite the opposite. In fact, they refused to acknowledge each other's presence.

Guest after guest came up to give Meredith and Carol their congratulations and blessings. Everyone seemed to love Carol, and that made Meredith extremely happy. "Everyone loves you, Carol!" Meredith squealed in excitement.

"Your love is the only one that matters to me" Carol smiled at her, squeezing her hand affectionately.

"You know," Gwen spoke up, making the girls look at her. "You two don't have to sit here the entire night. Go have fun! Drink and dance"

With that Meredith and Carol left their seats and made their way to the bar. That left an awkward silence between Gwen and Peter. Gwen looked at him, and tried to at least reach for his hand, but Peter quickly retracted it away.

"Peter, can we at least talk about this?" Gwen pleaded, feeling her heart break.

"What is there to talk about, Gwen? You've betrayed me in the worst way possible!" Peter hissed at her.

Gwen huffed at him. Clearly they weren't going to have a civil conversation with each other tonight. She looked towards the bar and saw that Thor was there. The two of them locked eyes. Thor smiled at her, and beckoned for her to join him. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink"

"Whatever" Peter mumbled to her. Gwen rolled her eyes and made her way over to the bar. There she met up with Thor.

"Enjoying your evening, Lady Gwen?" Thor asked her.

"I am! Meredith and Carol seem to be having fun" Gwen said, motioning to the two girls who were dancing together with a smile on their faces.

"That they are" Thor agreed. "May I get you a drink?"

Gwen smirked at him. "Something strong, please"

~

Nebula was sitting at a table with Rocket and Drax, sipping on a purple fruity drink, hearing them bicker about which was better. Guns or knives.

"Knives are clearly the superior weapon for battle" Drax pointed out.

"Can you make things explode with a knife?" Rocket retorted. "Didn't think so"

"You can if you stab an exploding fruit"

"Why would you stab an exploding fruit? Wouldn't you blow up with it?"

"Not if you throw the knife at the fruit"

"Hang on, where did you find the exploding fruit? And how can I get some?"

"This is the most pointless conversation I've ever had to listen to" Nebula complained.

Rocket looked at her. "Well, no one is asking you to listen"

Nebula groaned and rolled her eyes. At the very moment, the other Kamomile, who was now going by the name Miles, taking the form of a blonde haired man, approached her. "Nebula, may I request your presence in the medical wing?"

"What's wrong, Miles?" Nebula wondered.

"Just come with me, quickly"

~

Nebula followed Miles up to the medical wing. When they got there, Nebula noticed that Xavier and Ophelia were already there. "Xavier, Ophelia, is everything okay?"

"Yes, our dear Nebula, everything is fine" Ophelia assured.

"We just trust you to reveal this to. Until we figure out why she's here, at least" Xavier said, leading her into the main room.

Nebula thought for a moment that they had found her sister, and that maybe she got hurt. But instead of seeing a green woman in the bed, it was a beautiful pale woman, with long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. She wore a long, navy blue dress, and a circlet upon her head. Then Nebula noticed the woman's ears. They were pointed.

"Miles found her passed out in front of the castle, after all the guests had been let inside" Ophelia explained. The woman was stirring in her sleep. Ophelia grabbed the damp washcloth and dabbed the woman's forehead. "She's of a very ancient elven race. It's odd to see one so far away from home"

"Then what would she be doing here?" Nebula wondered.

"That we won't know until she wakes up" Xavier said. "We should have Lylla draft something up to wake her. But until that happens, her presence her must remain secret. Promise you'll keep the secret, Nebula"

"I will, but I don't understand why I'm the one having knowledge of her prescience"

"She's been muttering Phantom's name in her sleep. We figured if she spoke her name, you might recognize her" Ophelia explained. "Considering you and our Kamomiles are the only ones who knew Phantom before the events of Thanos and his snap"

"Well, I can't say I recognize this woman" Nebula answered. "And Phantom never mentioned any elf"

"It's odd" Ophelia sighed. The woman stirred in her sleep again. The former Queen began to gently pet the elf's hair. "What connection would an ancient elf have with whatever Phantom was?"