"Your majesty, the princess has arrived." Devarux bows, and then she steps out of Elena's way to reveal their niece.
Elena stands there looking at everyone, but her face lands on the man who stands from the chair, looking straight at her. King Solwyn, her uncle, her father's younger brother, just looks at her like he's seen a ghost, but he knows very well that his niece has been alive these past sixteen years.
"Elena," he says with his jaw on the floor. He's stunned to see his niece finally.
"Hey," she waves at everyone.
"Elena!" she jumps when she excitedly hears her name, and she sees two kids running toward her, two black blond-haired boys, who embrace her in a hug.
"Oh, hi."
"Those are your cousins, Skyee and Daycrest." Her uncle says.
They're twins.
"Oh, hi. Are they your kids?"
"Uh…"
"No," a beautiful woman with deep brown skin and curly blond hair says, standing from her chair. She smokes a cigar and blows it out, and star-shaped smokes come out of her mouth. "They're mine, dear niece," she says, smirking.
"Elen, this is your Aunt Nyssara, she's your father's youngest sister," Uncle Solwyn says.
"Oh, nice to meet you."
And she looks badass, too.
"Our kid, Henri, is already in school at Hollow Prep Academy." Another woman with deep brown skin, long blonde hair and a long sparkly gown stands. "And he's your age," she says, giving her a motherly smile.
"Elena, this is my wife, Aurelle," says Uncle Solwyn.
She walks over to Elena. "Can I hug her now, guys?"
The twins let go of Elena, and her aunt embraces her in a hug. Elena hugs back, and she sinks into the hug. Her aunt smells of flowers; that's just her perfume. Could the perfume here smell more like nice, natural roses?
Elena can hope.
"Ugh, the last time I held you you were a baby. You've grown, and you look beautiful as ever."
She smiles at Elena playing with her hair. Elena smiles back at her. She can feel herself about to cry, but no, she won't ruin this moment by crying. Even though she feels her aunt wants to cry.
"I didn't get my hug." Uncle Solwyn says, and Aunt Aurelle steps aside to let her uncle hug her. As soon as he does, it feels like she's hugging her father.
This is her uncle, those are her aunts, she has cousins, and this is her home. She feels more at home in their embrace than she does walking into the palace.
"It's so nice to have you back, Elena," he looks at her with a little tear in his eyes. "Gods, you're so beautiful, you look just like her."
And by "her", he means her mother. Elena smiles at that.
Her uncle Solwyn is a very young and handsome man. Smooth deep brown sky, light brown eyes, full lips, a nicely cut blond beard and blond dreadlocks. He's dressed regally, as a king should dress. He's in an elegant, monochrome off-white outfit that gives a calm, almost ethereal vibe.
The dresses her aunts wear are very floral, fairy-like, like how most of the female fairies dress. They're so pretty, she currently looks out of place in her earthly dress.
A bark.
And here comes a golden retriever with… with wings running toward Elena.
"Oh, hey!" Elena says, playing with the dog, rubbing his belly. "What's your name?"
"Skyyyy." the twins say, giggling among themselves.
"Why hii Skyye, nice to meet you. Aww, he's so cute." She says in a baby voice.
"Come, Elena, have breakfast with us." Uncle Stormlyn says. "Perrilion, you too. Devarux."
"Oh, thank you, sir, but I have other things to attend to." She bows her head, and she walks away.
Elena gladly moves over to the dining table because she didn't get to really eat because of those bitch witches. She wanted to sit next to Perri, but Perri's already sitting next to her badass Aunt Nyssara and… A man who didn't bother to stand up to introduce himself. He's too busy looking at a newspaper where the letters and the characters move and change positions.
"Uh, hello," Elena says.
The man's blond hair is all bushy, and so is his beard. Elena can't tell if he's handsome or not; it's a mix of both, and he holds a frown on his face. Elena doesn't like people who don't smile. It's why she hated her foster mother, Margaret. Ugh, she's happy she won't have to see her face anymore.
"Oh, Elena, this is my grumpy husband and the father of the twins, Duke Isandrel Solbright. Don't worry, he doesn't bite." She winks at Elena and blows smoke out of her mouth.
Elena is confused about how a badass woman like her could be married to a grumpy man like him. Well, love is blind after all.
"Nice to meet yo-"
"You were attacked by witches on your way here," he says, looking at her finally.
"Uh…"
"It says here in the news."
"Oh yes! We were told about what happened. Are you alright, Elena? Did they hurt you both?" Uncle Stormlyn asks both her and Perri.
"No," they both say in unison.
"Good." He says, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Those witches are crazy to have tried to attack the most powerful fairy and the most skilful knight." Elena winks at Perri, and Perri smiles at her, trying his best not to blush. He has to stay professional.
"Perri is going to grow up to be one of the best knights in the world. Just like his parents. We owe his family for their protection for centuries; the Stormbryns have stood side by side our family. Thank you for bringing Elena back to us again, Perri. Your mother would be so proud."
Her aunt Aurelle rubs his hand and he smiles at her. He's already a part of the family.
His mom? What about his dad? Elena thinks.
That's something she's going to have to ask later on.
"I heard you blinded them."
"Sure did. They shouldn't have tried to kill me." Elena says, and her uncle laughs, and he shakes his head. "I'm proud of you already," he says, and Elena blushes. She's never heard an adult say that to her; she's hearing it for the first time, from her father's father, for that matter. It feels good.
"Okay, let's eat. Please, Elena, help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do." She looks around her, and there's a lot of food on the table. "Wow, is this breakfast or a party?"
The twins laugh. So do her aunts. But her uncle Isandrel scoffs; she doesn't pay attention to him.
"Every day's a party, my dear. Now, kids, hurry up with your breakfast so you can go to school." Aunt Nyssara says. And the twins' hurry.
"Wow, you sound just like your uncle." Aunt Auerlle says.
"Ha, we could be twins." Uncle Stormlyn says.
Elena chuckles. And she finally finds what she's looking for.
The butter crackers Perri introduced her to. She takes them and stuffs some into her mouth.
"Mmm," she moans loudly, and everyone turns to look at her. Perri just looks away, laughing. "Mhmm. I'm so-" she stops when she realises she's being loud. She opens her eyes to see all eyes on her; she even managed to get the attention of the Duke.
The twins laugh again.
"Hmm. I like this kid," Aunt Nyssara says, putting the cigarette in her mouth.
She realises she's sitting next to royals, and she's a princess; this is not how a princess should behave.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay, if anything, you're having a normal reaction to butter crackers. It's so good," her uncle winks at her and smiles.
Elena smiles back.
"Please have another dear." Aunt Auerelle says to her, handing her the whole plate of crackers.
"Thank you," she says shyl,y collecting the plate of crackers, and she eats them, but this time without the sounds.
Ugh, they're so good.
After eating, she tells her cousins goodbye as they head over to Hollow Prep Elementary.
They're so cute. She thinks.
She and Uncle Stormlyn walk over to the royal cematary so Elena can see her parents' tombstone.
They walk silently before her uncle breaks the silence.
"I hope you don't want to run away and go back to earth."
"What? No, of course not, I mean- I'm going to miss earth, but I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be," she says, and she sighs. "All my life I've been alone, I thought my parents abandoned me because they didn't want me, I've been going from foster home to foster home, itching for a place to call home," she shakes her head. "It has not been easy."
"You've been alone your whole life." Her uncle says, and she faces him. "Elena, I'm so sorry, we only sent you to Earth to protect you."
"Yes, yes, I know I'm not angry, I mean, I was, but when I found out that you didn't abandon me, I wasn't angry anymore," she smiles. "We shouldn't dwell in the past anymore; we should only focus on the now."
"I agree," he says, and they both exchange genuine smiles.
"So how did it feel when you were forced to be king?"
"Ah, I hated it," he groans.
"Wait, really?"
"Yes, I mean, I used to hate it, but now I'd do anything for my people, but I never wanted to rule. I was so happy that my brother was the oldest until he died, and you were still a baby, so the responsibility fell to the spare. The reckless, irresponsible spare became king. I was wild, partied a lot, and was a womaniser before I met my beautiful wife. A lot of people think I became responsible because I became king, but it was when I met Aurelle."
"Aww," Elena says, pouting her lips. "I love love."
"Funny, your mom used to say that a lot," he says, sadness blessing his face. Sadness also visits Elena when she realises where she is. The royal cemetery.
This place is where she's going to be buried when she dies. A lot of royals who either died of old age or prematurely are buried here. Large tombstones everywhere surrounded by beautifully shaped trees that provides as shade.
The place is so pretty and gothic at the same time, it's kind of scary, but witches can't come here; the whole place is guarded. Probably more guarded than it was before.
Sadness really stings her when she stands in front of her parents' tombstones.