to you?" asked Dreamy, bowing slightly.
My mouth was wide open.
This creature was majestic.
"Well Dreamy, why don't you explain to Juna what exactly you are and what the duties of a soul guardian are?" said Lilly turning to her guardian.
"We are a part of you. As soon as you let out your first laugh, a tiny part of your soul detaches and then a soul guardian is created from that. We have the same dreams, desires, longings and fears as you. And we are here to make as many of your wishes and hopes come true as possible."
A long "Ahhhhh" escaped me, though I still didn't quite understand the whole thing.
"And what exactly do my adoptive parents have to do with all of this now? They're humans and probably don't even suspect anything about this place." I countered to Lilly.
But she just shook her head.
"No, unfortunately, it is not quite that simple. You see, a soul guardian has the opportunity once in his life to give himself a different outer appearance. Your parents Margret and Cole are actually called Sunhine and Thunder. They are the soulguards of your biological parents.
After their death, their guardians agreed and decided to adapt their appearance to the human world. They had the mages cast a protective spell on you and me, so that we also took on human features, and escaped to the human world with the two of us.
Why they acted that way and what happened to your parents...." Lilly hesitated for a moment.
"...I cannot and must not tell you that." she then continued her sentence.
"If my parents, are not my parents, then who or what is Malia?" I asked with my lips pressed together.
Lilly stared at the floor. A few minutes passed that felt like hours before she answered me.
"Malia is a mage, she is the highest mage of Elderon. She is the reason why the cloaking and protection spell lasted all these years, that worked on us."
I took several deep breaths, tears came to my eyes and I had to pull myself together very hard not to scream all together right away.
I stood up and hit the rock wall behind us with all my might. Over and over again until my knuckles started to bleed.
"Juna, please calm down," Lilly pleaded with me, upset.
I gave her a nasty look at first, but finally fell into her arms, crying.
Why had my adoptive parents, no the soul guardians of my parents, who are part of my parents, never told me anything about this?
Why am I only finding out about all this now, after I have gone through this mirror and landed here?
For me, my entire world just collapsed.
Finally, Lilly had to start crying, too.
And so we lay in each other's arms, crying, until our tears were used up.
A clearing of the throat interrupted our embrace.
King Matteo was standing next to the Tree of Return.
"Juna? Someone wants to welcome you." he said, taking a step aside.
Behind him stood Queen Alexis.
She looked beautiful. She wore a long red and yellow sleeveless dress and a cloak, in cobalt blue. Her hair was already completely silver and some wrinkles rimmed her eyes.
There was so much warmth in her face.
She spread her arms and walked towards me. I did the same and we fell into each other's arms.
I only managed a soft, barely audible "Hello Grandma" before I started crying again, but this time out of joy.
She stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. She too had tears in her eyes and whispered a "Hello my child, welcome home" to me.
I could also hear my grandfather sniffling lightly beside me, so I made a gesture for him to come over to us.
He gave us both a big hug.
I was happy to have a family.
Chapter 4
The masked ball
That same evening, my grandparents held a huge masquerade ball and announced the good news, my return to Sunset.
In my room stood five servants who helped me put on my dress and at the same time made my hair into a magnificent hairstyle.
After barely twenty minutes, I was dressed, made up and my hair done.
I wore a purple off-the-shoulder dress, with a short train and gold embellishments. My cape was red-orange and had a star as a brooch, this was our crest, as I learned from Lilly before she had gone to her room to get ready for the ball as well.
My hair was braided at the front of both soaps and tied into a braid at the back of my head. As small decorations, small diamonds in star shape were incorporated into my hair.
I turned several times in front of the mirror, because I could not believe that this was me.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Yes come in!" I said as I looked at myself again in the mirror.
"Wow, you. Looks. Stunning. Look!" said Lilly, grinning at me.
She was wearing a knee length blue and green dress with a belt at her waist. The belt was made of creepers.
Her hair had been made into an updo and two small strands hung down the front of her face.
"You look dazzling as well! I think this life at court is good for both of us." I said while holding my nose up in an exaggerated manner.
We took our masks and strolled, arms raked into each other, to the ballroom.
Almost all the noble houses and high-ranking ambassadors of the country were invited.
Each time a guest arrived, a guard, with his lance, hammered twice on the floor and read their name and where they came from.
Tong, tong.
"The elders Kira and Maro from the Haunted Woods."
"Well they didn't look old at all, more like in their late 30's, " I just thought to myself.
"Princess Juna, it's such a blessing to have them back with us!" Maro began, but his consort immediately rebuked him. "Now go on for now, you can talk later! There are other gentlemen waiting to take a look at the princess!"
I had to grin a bit at the bleating, now I understood why "elders", they didn't look it, but they acted like an old married couple.
Another tong, tong, snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Queen Apple Bloom, her consort King Garlic and his twin sons Dante and Dandelion from the Kingdom of Blossom".
I really had to stifle my laughter at these names. It might be that this was normal here, that people in the Kingdom of Blossom were named like Vegetables, Fruits and Weeds, but I found it rather amusing. Their clothes reminded me of our orchard back home.
The queen wore a dark green dress, which was decorated with thousands of small flowers, and her crown was made of vines that entwined a ruby in the shape of a rose.
The king and his sons also wore green suits, but they were decorated with fewer flowers. Only on the cufflinks, as well as on the capes, were flowers and jewels set in the shape of flowers.
They bowed briefly and then moved aside to make way for the next to put on their masks.
Tong, tong.
"The High Guardian Paratos accompanied by Queen Spinella, His Royal Highness King Carnelian and his children, Princess Berryl and Princes Tourmaline and Peridot! From