"You're all pathetic," Aelira muttered.
She stood in the doorway of my room, one hand on her hip, the other holding her pillow like a weapon.
Lucen was snoring next to me. Not even graceful snoring—like a tiny divine bear choking on his own self-importance.
I cracked an eye open. "Couldn't sleep either?"
She rolled her eyes and walked in. "There's a draft. And someone keeps muttering nonsense through the walls."
"I am speaking divine affirmations to myself," Lucen said without opening his eyes.
Aelira just sighed, tossed her pillow down on the far side of the bed, and climbed in without another word. It was quiet for a while—peaceful, almost... warm.
For a group of weird strangers from different worlds with god-complex issues and emotional baggage, we were surprisingly good at this sleepover thing.
But as I started to drift off, I noticed her breathing.
It hitched.
Quietly.
Like she didn't want anyone to notice.
---
Aelira's Dream
She was six.
The kind of six that wears hair ribbons and believes the world is full of magic.
Her mother was humming in the kitchen. Her father was fixing her backpack for school, cursing gently under his breath about zippers and how they were tools of chaos.
Laughter.
Sunlight.
Warmth.
Then... screams.
Glass.
Metal tearing like paper.
Then silence.
Cold.
Empty.
She stood at the edge of the hospital bed, her small hands shaking.
They were wrapped in white sheets.
Still.
Too still.
She begged them to wake up.
No answer.
They were just... gone.
---
She didn't remember jumping.
Only the wind.
And the flash of light.
And then—this world.
---
Back in the Present
Aelira gasped in her sleep. Her body jerked. A hand shot to her mouth.
When I opened my eyes, I saw her sitting up.
She was trembling.
Tears spilled silently down her cheeks. She was trying to hide it—but I saw.
"Aelira…?"
She flinched.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
But she didn't move away when I gently placed my hand over hers.
She didn't wipe her tears either.
Lucen murmured something about being "blessed with inner strength" and turned over.
Aelira didn't speak again.
But she stayed.
And I didn't let go.
---
The Next Morning
Breakfast was served in the royal garden.
Fancy plates. Golden teacups. Birds chirping. The usual castle-life stuff I was starting to get dangerously used to.
Then she arrived.
The guest.
The… tiny guest.
She looked like she couldn't be older than twelve, though something about her eyes felt older. Wiser.
Her dress was layered with frills and ribbons, a warm pink that somehow fit her energy. She marched into the garden with two armored escorts and immediately waved at us with both hands.
"Hello!!"
Lucen blinked. "Did someone's daughter get lost?"
The girl frowned at him. "I'm Princess Lumière of Estalia, thank you very much!"
I coughed, trying not to laugh. "Estalia… that's another capital, right?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! My dad heard that The Yes King was staying here, so he sent me to check if you're a fraud."
Aelira raised a brow. "That's... bold."
Princess Lumière walked straight up to me and squinted suspiciously.
"You don't look that impressive."
Lucen looked offended on my behalf. "He has an aura of sovereign strength, you impudent child!"
Lumière poked my chest. "You look more like a dork with a crown."
Aelira burst into laughter.
I gave her a tired look. "This one's gonna be trouble, isn't she?"
"Oh absolutely," she smirked.
Still…
When Lumière smiled—really smiled—it reminded me of something I hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope.
Maybe this girl, with her odd innocence and sharp tongue, wasn't just a random guest.
Maybe she'd be something important.
Maybe even a friend.
---
[To be continued…]