Chapter 1: Preparation and Anticipation
Not long ago, a newly born fairy with exceptional magic and an uncontrollably curiosity ventured beyond the safety of her world of fairies. There, she met a young human prince who took her to his kingdom, allowing the young fairy to get to know humans in a way that no other fairy had ever dreamed of. Along the way, she and the prince had developed romantic feelings for each other and didn't want anyone to tear them apart, even though they come from different worlds. However, an evil fairy wanted to drain the young fairy's magic and take over the fairy world. In a trying battle, the young fairy defeated her enemy, which in turn; ending up sacrificing her life, but she was resurrected for her selflessness. Fulfilling a great destiny, the fairy queens praised the young fairy for her heroism, coronated her as a princess and allowed her to be with her true love. Now, the next chapter of the young fairy's life is about to unfold as a new adventure takes wing and this is where our story begins.
It had been almost a year since the coronation of the fairy princess Lapis Lazuli and she was planning out the preparations for a very important day for fairy kind. This was the first time that the young princess would be in charge of the fairies' spring equinox ceremony known as the Festival of Flowers.
The Festival of Flowers was one of the most important traditions in fairy culture. This ceremony was both necessary and crucial to help winter transcend into spring. On the first day of spring, the fairies would use their magic to activate a magical flower called the Vernal Blossom. When it's petals opened, it would disperse enchanted pollen to help all the sleeping seeds in the ground sprout and grow into flowers sending the spring season into motion. This had to happen or else winter would stretch on forever and all the things that happened in spring wouldn't come to pass.
As the fairy in charge of the whole festival, Lapis was responsible for making sure everything went off without a hitch. And the princess could not have been anymore stressed.
"Okay, Lapis. You can do this." the fairy princess said to herself as paced in the hall of the fairy queens' tree fortress. "Just go in there and talk to them. You're in charge of this festival. The future of flourishing life is resting on your shoulders." The thought made her whimper anxiously.
"Hello, sweetie." her husband, Prince Jamie came in. "I heard your voice and wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Oh, Jamie." Lapis said, rushing up to him. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm just nervous about this little meeting."
"Why is that?" the prince asked.
"The Festival of Flowers is less than a day away and I'm so stressed out." the young princess explained. "I came to talk to the fairy queens so that they can help talk me down, but I feel so shy about talking to them."
"I don't see why you should feel shy about talking to the queens." Jamie said, putting his hands on her shoulders and kissing her check. "Remember, you are royalty too and the fairy queens know you well. Just say what you want to say and you'll be fine. And I'll be right behind you the whole time."
"Okay." said Lapis, feeling a little more confident. Taking a deep breath, the princess took the handles of the two large doors in front of her and opened them to reveal the queens' throne room to her and her husband. The two of them walked into the throne room to face the three fairy queens before them.
"Good morning, fairy queens." Lapis greeted them, curtsying to the three royal sisters. "Thank you for allowing me to meet with you."
"Hello, Lapis." Blue Diamond said, warmly. "What brings you here to our throne room today?"
"I want to talk to you about the Festival of Flowers." the fairy princess answered, trying to stay calm.
"Yes, we are very excited." Yellow Diamond nodded. "And so are all the other fairies."
"Well, here's the thing." the young princess continued. "I think I might be more nervous than excited about the festival. This is the very first all-important fairy tradition I've ever been in charge of. I'm worried I might... make a mistake."
"Lapis, I assure you will not make a mistake." Pink Diamond promised her. "We know you are up to the task. After all, you were the one who encouraged us to allow humans to take part in the ceremony."
It was true. Ever since Lapis and Jamie got married, fairies and humans have been brought closer together in unity. The fairy princess wanted to include humans in one of the most important fairy ceremonies and had asked the three fairy queens especially for just that.
"You're right about that." said Lapis, smiling. "I mean, what are the odds of something horrible actually happening at the Festival of Flowers? So, you really think I'm ready?"
"We have the utmost confidence in you, Princess Lapis." Blue Diamond assured her, smiling.
"And speaking of important occasions." Pink Diamond brought up. "Tonight is a full moon and you know what that means."
"The birth of a new fairy!" the princess gasped excitedly, turning to Prince Jamie. "We definitely don't want to miss that."
"And if it's not too much trouble, we would like you to plant the new fairy's seed tonight." Yellow Diamond stated to her.
"I would be honored." Lapis responded, feeling greatly privileged.
"Well then, we look forward to meeting at the Tree of Life tonight." said Pink Diamond.
"Me too." the fairy princess conveyed. She and Jamie were about to head out, Lapis stopped midway and turned to the queens. "Oh and by the way, thank you for your reassurance and confidence in me."
And with that, the royal couple filed out of the throne room. As they walked through the great hall, Prince Jamie turned to his wife and said, "I told you that had no reason to be anxious around the queens."
Lapis smiled at the human prince and thought that maybe the fairy queens were right. It wasn't very likely that anything bad would happen at the Festival of Flowers. And what was the worst thing that could happen anyway? However unbeknownst to her and her husband, an ominous, black shapeless cloud was spying on the fairy princess through one of the hall windows.