The sun appeared on the sky 4 times since that day, maria was in the garden laying down, doing absolutely nothing.
She refused to learn anything in the past 4 days, just laying down and looking grumpy. Nothing else.
"For how long are you going to keep acting like this, child?" Maria didn't have the need to sit up and see who dared chase the peaceful moment away. It was her mother.
"The teachers got mad, you know?" Her mother said as she stood before her, hands on hips.
"Why would they? I told them I'm tired."
"You didn't quite say that."
"It meant the same thing."
With a sigh, yvanna sat next to the laying princess looking over the beautiful garden of colourful flowers. "Being all sad and mad won't help you with anything, Maria." Yvanna conceded, casting a glance at her daughter. "You're not helpless. Don't act like it." She let her palm fall on her hair, testing the soft touch of her silk brown locks. "You know what will help?" Maria shot her mother a curious look, despite the grumpiness.
"Searching for answers. In Neroliner." She sat upright at her mother's words, watching the small excited smile that had her lips. Maria narrowed her eyes, getting suspicious.
"You're just trying to make me feel better." She mumbled, casting her gaze away.
"That, and going to Neroliner too." Yvanna commented with a shrug.
"Are you serious?" All the grumpiness got replaced by pure curiosity and an urge to smile widely.
"Yes. Your father believes we'd find something there, and so do i." The urge to smile won, and Maria jumped on her mother, grabbing her by the shoulders with a big grin. "Are you sure sure sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure sure sure." Yvanna replied with a chuckle.
Maria listened intently to her mother’s words, her heart racing with excitement and anticipation. She couldn’t wait to leave monaler to search for anything that might help her, but she was more excited to see her mother's homeland and the relatives she had there.
"How long will we be gone?" Maria asked, eager to know more.
"Not long," Yvanna replied, gently tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Just long enough to find the answers we're looking for."
"I can't wait!" Maria exclaimed, bursting with enthusiasm.
"But," Yvanna said somberly, "There are some rules you need to follow while we're away." Maria's heart dropped a little. There were always rules, always something to worry about, even when something was supposed to be fun and exciting.
"What kind of rules?" Maria asked warily.
"You know after the death of your grandfather things weren't as good as they used to be, Neroliner is facing a bit of a problem at the moment." Yvanna explained, trying not to sound too rough or explicit. She's a child, she wouldn't understand.
"What's going on there, mother?"
"Nothing too bad. Just promise me you won't leave my sight? Not even for a second?"
Thinking her mother is overreacting a bit, maria nodded. "I promise."
"Good," Yvanna said, smiling at her daughter’s obedience. The truth was, things in Neroliner were worse than she could even imagine. Maria would soon find out that the "bit of a problem" was actually a crisis of monumental proportions, one that could threaten the very existence of her beloved kingdom. But it was important that she kept the severity from her daughter, at least for now. Instead, she focused on the more positive aspects of the journey ahead.
"So when do we leave?" Maria asked, standing up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"As soon as possible," Yvanna replied with a faint smile, knowing that the road ahead was anything but certain.
"You're coming here?"
"It's for most urgent reasons."
"Yvanna, you know it's a bit complicated and-"
"Just don't tell anyone, and we'd be fine,"
"Walls have eyes and ears, yvanna."
"Brother, it's about my daughter."
"Still, huh?"
"And that's why we need to find some answers."
As the crystal's light faded, taking with it the reflection of the man, yvanna exited the room and walked over to the balcony where her husband awaited.
"What did he say?"
"He's contemplating, but we'd go."
"For how long, do you think?"
"I don't know, but the more we stay, the more attention we get, so I'd try to be quick." Delvin, who's still not quite reassured, nodded his head.
"Please, be careful, love."
"I will."
As the recall of last night's called faded off of her train of thoughts, the Queen stood up, grabbing her daughter’s hand.
"Come on, let's go inside." And maria gladly followed.
___
Maria woke up the next day with a surge of excitement flowing through her veins.
visiting the Water kingdom, her mother's homeland, seeing the vast endless oceans, and encountering an elemental rider filled her with anticipation. She wondered what it'd look like, since her mother said it could be different than what she saw in the library last night, after she forced her mother to study with her about Neroliner.
She straight up walked towards the garden, where she noticed her parents sitting there and sipping tea, eating breakfast, and having no care in the world.
"Good morning!" She excalimed happily, sitting across them.
"Uh, someone's in a happy mood today." Her father remarked. As her mother served her a plate of food.
"Only because I'm going to Neroliner. How come you never took me there, mother?" Maria questioned, taking a bite of soft bread as she shifted her eyes to the blue of her mother.
"You said i have a whole uncle and a cousin there." She continued, a genuine confusion dancing in her face.
"Because you never asked me to take you along, and the last time i went there was 2 years ago." her mother simply shrugged, sipping her morning tea.
"What?"
"Did you?"
"No, but,"
"Exactly."
Delvin laughed at their back and forth. sometimes, he felt like he was dealing with the same person just in two different fonts.
"You never told me how old my cousin is," Maria remarked, imagining a little toddler who would chase her around and call her big cousin or sister.
"She's 2 years older than you." The imagination she had of the little baby came crumbling down at her mother's words. "What?! I'm the younger cousin?"
"Seems like it." Her mother muttered, her attention taken by the food.
"That's not fair." Maria frowned, crossing her arms. "I want a baby brother or sister."she mumbled annoyingly,making her parents exchange a glance.
Maria’s parents exchanged another look, a look of concern for what the future might have in store for them.
"Maybe one day." Delvin said to her gently.
"Yeah, one day," her mother added, with an even softer voice than usual.
"You're just saying that." Maria mumbled quietly.