While Aureate could see hundreds of stars in the sky, there was no moon that night. This was the easiest way she could tell her dreams from reality.
"Are you coming?" asked a voice belonging to a small sunflower in front of her.
"You aren't real." Aureate shook her head, and the world around her began to melt. "Of course I'm real," the sunflower said, giving her an outstretched leaf, "but you don't remember."
"Leave me alone!" Aureate retaliated, and the stars came crashing down. Right before they crushed her, the dream came to a close.
-
As if she had been electrocuted, Aureate Solarex woke up with a jolt.
"It was just a dream. Just a dream," she told herself. As long as she could remember, she'd been having this strange, reoccurring dream about an orange-petaled sunflower telling her to remember. But Aureate had never seen that sunflower in her life.
Now, with her head laid on her pillow, she lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling from her canopy bed. Being royalty had its perks. Gold was one of them. Being a princess, Aureate had plenty of golden coins to spend on therapists, psychologists, and even on dream interpreters, oneirocritics, but nothing worked.
As a result, she dealt with the dream on her own. The weird thing was, every time the dream reoccurred, it was in a different setting—somewhere she'd never been, or even seen. Aureate sighed. She lifted her restless self off her bed, drowsily crossing her room and entering the hallway.
What time is it?
Light pooled in from the windows of the castle, suggesting it was about midday. Aureate didn't usually sleep so late, but the past couple of nights had been a struggle.
She strode through the castle halls, gazing at the portraits of her parents as she passed. Her real mother had wilted when she was very young. Her father, Quynn, remarried to Aureate's stepmother, Shine. Her adoptive mother was the only motherly figure she's had so far. Yes, because of that, she treats Shine as if she were her sproutage mother. With no siblings or known relatives, Shine and Quynn were the only family Aureate had.
As she continued through the hall, which seemed endless at this point, she stumbled across her favorite painting. The only one of her mother. Aureate felt a smile find its way onto her face. Her sproutage mother, Gleam, had pale yellow petals, a pale green stem, and emerald green eyes. Aureate closely resembled her mother, but there were a few key differences. Her stem was darker, and her petals were a strange, golden-ish color. But their eyes were the same. Their eyes were always the same.
"Aureate! Aureate, it's time to come greet the new villagers," called the voice of her father. "Come to the throne room, dear!"
Oh, right! Aureate had forgotten all about that. A new batch of citizens were due to arrive that day, as she was told last week. She wanted to welcome them to the kingdom instead of her father, who usually does it, because they're around her age. "It would be a chance to make new friends," was what her mother, Shine said. Aureate didn't have many friends. Not at all.
Because there were others who yearned for her status and, daresay, beauty, the Sunfall Kingdom's citizens often talked about her behind her back. It made Aureate sad, sure, but she was.. used to it. Just one of the many drawbacks of being "different."
"Coming, father!" Aureate yelled down the hall. With one last longing look at her mother's portrait, she made her way to the throne room.
Not much time passed before she reached the destination, flicking her gaze across the new citizens. A peashooter, snapdragon, and acorn, she noted. Out of the three, she recognized one—the acorn.
Her name was Harmonia, and they had been buddies ever since they were sproutlings. However, they couldn't visit each other often because Harmonia lived in the Northreach Kingdom, while Aureate resided in Sunfall. It wasn't until years later that Harmonia became an official Sunfall Kingdom citizen, which was that very day.
Aureate smiled at the acorn, who didn't hesitate to return the friendly gesture.
Quynn stood up from his throne shortly after Aureate entered the room. The townsfolk bowed formally. "It is my pleasure to welcome all three of you to the Sunfall Kingdom. My name is King Quynn. This is my daughter, Princess Aureate," Quynn introduced the both of them, gesturing to his daughter. The princess did a quick bow before he continued.
"Unfortunately, Queen Shine was unable to attend our little meeting. Don't worry, though, as she will be sure to make introductions as soon as she can," the nightcap continued. After a short pause, Aureate realized he was waiting for her to take the mantle.
With a gulp, Aureate said, "It is truly a pleasure to have new villagers, especially since you're all moving here from so far away. That takes courage," she spoke. "I'll be hosting a tour of our kingdom shortly after you're all dismissed. If you wish to attend, please wait outside the castle doors. With that, our meeting is over. Unless you have any questions, you are free to leave. Thank you."
Both her and Quynn bowed their heads as the new villagers began to depart. However, one stayed behind. "I'll handle this, Dad," Aureate whispered to her father. The nightcap nodded before stepping out of the throne room.
"Is there something you require?" she asked. It was the peashooter. He wore a bright red bandana. When he turned the side of his head, a large white splotch was visible against his green skin.
"Yeah.. uh.. how is this kingdom in terms of.. friendliness?" the peashooter asked, his tone nervous. "I'll be honest with you," Aureate decided, her tone turning serious. "The Chorians here can be quite.. judgmental. But you'll always have a friend in me!"
Eyeing her suspiciously, he nodded quickly before attempting to bow out of the castle. "Wait, I didn't catch your name?" she called to him on the way out.
"Just call me.. Pea," he said before leaving.
Aureate hummed to herself.
What a strange name. Pea.
<><><>
After being escorted out of the castle, Pea waited outside for the princess to give them the tour. Standing with the others, in silence, it was kind of, er, awkward. Thankfully, it didn't last long, as Aureate came out shortly.
"Oh, good, you all stayed!" She beamed, seemingly overjoyed. Pea quirked a brow at her. He knew sunflowers were perpetually happy and all, sure, but she had a different energy about her. A sort of energy he couldn't pinpoint.
"How about we go around with names?" she suggested, though it wasn't really a suggestion. More of an indirect command.
"I'm Harmonia," the pale acorn said, her voice hefty with an accent. "It's like harmonica, but without the 'c'."
Harmonia was a pale acorn, her base color birch, her cap more of a cold tree bark color, and her leaves an olivish green. Most acorns had brighter colors than hers, which made her an off color.
An off color was a plant whose colors weren't the same as the majority of their plant type. In terms of rarity, they were rather uncommon.
Off colors may have subtle or drastic differences, but the common trend was they're constantly ridiculed about their appearance.
"..I'm Flare," the snapdragon said after giving Harmonia an odd glance. A red snapdragon with orange accents and gray horns. Another off color, Pea noticed almost immediately.
After a couple beats, the peashooter realized it was his turn when all eyes were on him.
"Pea," he mustered, crossing his leaf blades over his stem.
"I'm sure you all know this, but I'm Aureate," the princess finished the introduction circle with a bright grin. She now wore a white poncho, Pea noted, and an amulet with a yellow topaz.
She probably changed after I left, he figured.
"And we should get started on this tour immediately, hm?" Aureate offered, touching the tips of her leaf blades together in a graceful manner.
The group of four left the castle's proximity and into the town. "This is the marketplace. There's a tailor shop, armory, the whole ordeal. Every now and then, traveling merchants stop by. They carry rare items from all corners of the realm. But this is a standard for all castle towns, as you all probably know," she said.
They passed through the bustling marketplace, following the cobble path leading through the whole town.
"Over there is the tavern. Temporarily, you can get a bed there, as well as a drink. The tavern keeper, Nicholas, is around our age," Aureate informed them, coming to a halt outside the building, "but don't underestimate him. He's an expert mixologist who'll craft the finest root beer in all of the realm. It's an amazing process to watch, really. He's also my friend, so don't forget to stop by and say I sent you for a discount." She finished that last sentence with a wink.
<><><>
"...And that's about it! Unless you also want a tour of the territory, all three of you are free to head to your new homes and settle in. Any questions before I leave?" Aureate asked, looking at them expectantly.
"Yeah, I moved here so I could attend this region's academy. When does that happen?" Flare piped up.
"Oh! You're here for Horizons Academy?" The sunflower smiled. "Luckily for you, the school is taking applications this week. You have to go to the front desk, and ask to apply from there. They'll help you from there. In case you need any help finding Horizons Academy, there's a map at the town entrance."
Flare nodded. "Thanks, Princess." The snapdragon respectfully dipped her head before heading to the kingdom's entrance.
"I'm headin' to Nick's to grab a drink before headin' to the academy. Care to join me, Princess?" Harmonia asked.
"I don't see why not," Aureate replied, grateful for the invitation. She turned to lock eyes with Pea. "You can come as well, if you want."
"No! No, that's okay," Pea quickly declined, shaking his head. His tone was jittery due to the nerves eating away at him.
"You're free to join anytime," the princess said before walking off with Harmonia. Pea tugged at his bandanna while watching the two depart. He released an exhale of exasperation as he contemplated joining their little hangout. A wave of anxiety washed over him when he quietly followed behind them.
<><><>
"Two on me, Nicholas!" Aureate said to purple, off-color nightcap behind the table.
"Princess! A pleasure," Nicholas greeted her, setting two glasses on the counter. "Harmonia, it's nice to see you after so long."
"You too, cuz.'" Harmonia grinned broadly. Both Aureate and Harmonia had seated themselves on the cushioned barstools. They patiently awaited their drinks while exchanging pleasantries and small talk before the tavern door swung open, the bell above the door ringing violently.
Aureate glanced over, recognizing the peashooter with the mark and bandanna from before. Pea was his name, she reminded herself.
Before anybody could react, Pea was shoved aside by somebody from behind. On guard, Aureate didn't recognize the snapdragon who'd thrown Pea to the ground. Nor the nightcap standing beside him.
Harmonia narrowed her eyes at then, but there was no recognition with her either. Nicholas, on the other hand, dropped the glasses, spilling root beer behind the counter. Aureate snapped her gaze back to him, his eyes meeting hers with a look of frozen panic in them. Judging from Nicholas' reaction, there was no way him and the plants at the door had a positive relationship.
"Princess Aureate. We've been looking for you," the snapdragon started, his voice rough. "I'm Flamethrower, and this is my henchman, Nightshade. We've come for that amulet of yours."
The snapdragon looked fairly typical, but Nightshade sported the markings of an off color. He was green and white, with a scar crossing over his right eye.
"The audacity—!" Harmonia growled, but was interrupted by Aureate. "I'm sorry, but you cannot have what you came here for," she said calmly. "Now please leave this tavern and these people in peace."
"So you want the hard way, do ya?" Flamethrower said as he cocked his head to the side, baring his crooked teeth at her.
Before she could respond, Flamethrower spurted out a fireball. But instead of arching towards the group of sprouts at the tavern's counter like a normal fireball, it exploded, sending the tavern on fire.
The flames quickly engulfed the patrons inside, causing citizens to shriek and panic. Aureate had ducked behind the counter, but the counter had taken most of the damage and turned to rubble, which she was trapped under.
The smoke and ash only grew as the moments went by. Aureate could hear Nicholas coughing next to her and Harmonia yelling from the other side of the counter. The sunflower felt her life force grow weaker and weaker as the smoke grew thicker.
But there was something inside of her.
Something that just wouldn't let go.
The amulet hanging around her 'neck' began to glow brighter and brighter until the entire tavern was filled with nothing but light..
<><><>
Breathing heavily, Aureate woke up. The world around was mystifying, nothing like she'd ever seen. The ground seemed to be made from cosmos and clouds, and the same with the sky.
"Hello?" Aureate called into the nothingness.
Aureate..
Aureate..
The princess whipped her head in all directions, but the voice was coming from her mind.
Who's there?
A blinding light forced Aureate to shut her eyes. Once she reopened them, she spotted a figure standing before her. A sunflower, fully grown, with round petals eyes and a dark face. He wore a top hat and suit, his petals glittering like stars.
"My name is Luz," the sunflower bowed, "and I am the first Gembearer of Light. I've been trapped inside of the Topaz ever since the Enchantress locked me in."
"The Enchantress? You mean from the story?" Aureate inquired, her eyes wide. Luz nodded somberly. "Unfortunately, the tale you heard when you were younger isn't historically accurate to what truly happened, way back when," he answered.
"Then tell me.. Luz. What happened that day?" The princess questioned.
Aureate recalled the Tale of the Enchanted Gembearers very vividly. There was a rose, who went by the title the Enchantress, who created these gemstones with crazy amounts of elemental power in them. She used said gems to conquer all of Choria, and it worked like a charm. Although, there was this small rebellion of chorians who fought against her. They stole the Gemstones and used them against her. They were the warriors of the purest souls—the world knew them as the Gembearers. These bearers took down the Enchantress, but she trapped their spirits inside of their gems as a final act.
This didn't stop the Gemstones from being passed down from generation to generation of pure souls. One day, however, the Gembearers disappeared with the Gemstones along with them. Nobody knows what happened to the previous generation—the eighth generation—of Gembearers. All that is known is there hasn't been one since.
Luz shook his head. "No. You aren't ready to hear the truth," he said. "But that is besides the point. From this moment and on, I will be your guide."
"My guide?" Aureate tilted her head, confused. "Guide for what?"
Luz stepped forward. Aureate looked closer at him, noticing he seemed to be transparent, like a ghost.
"As the spirit of this gemstone, it is my job to teach you the ways, for you, Princess Aureate Solarex, are to be the next Gembearer of Light."
Aureate's breath quickened at that. "I—what?"
"Do you accept this humble burden?" Luz demanded. "The burden to protect those who cannot protect themselves?"
The princess stood for a moment. Her senses were screaming at her to decline and go back to her normal life, but there was this voice. This voice she couldn't ignore.
"Y-Yes. I.. accept." She choked the words out.
"Then kneel as I bestow the power of light upon you," Luz commanded, raising his leaf blade and summoning a cane out of thin air.
Slowly, Aureate kneeled down.
"Princess, your task is to find the rest of your team," he stated, using said cane to knight her. "And together, bring Relcestra to heel."
Before Aureate could say anything, a loud chime echoed through the dream-like world.
"Now go!"
The world around them began to crumble and collapse as Aureate was thrown back into darkness.