Chapter 2: Bonds of Magic (the circle of friends)

The five-princess stood in the library, after a sleepless night they convened to talk about they're strange encounter. Iris looked between Lyna and Talia, the two seeming to know the most Information about Soren and the wicked dark knight. She watched the two wander around and being generally untalkative. "Once again that disgusting brut is not a knight!" Carissa shouted in the enjoying a growing debate with Auriana "He has no honor, no discipline in his fighting." She smiled elated at her own statement.

Auriana frowned her browse at her statement "But, he wore armor, sure not in traditional Ephedian metal or style." She answered in a confused tone "Yet a knight none the less." She pursed her lips and crossed her arms

"Jewlrestdom didn't have knights, they had soldiers yes but, not in the we use them today." Lyna corrected them then quickly looked away

Iris perked up "Maybe you tell us about Jewlrestdom, since you seem to know the most about that place?" she asked move than willing to finally understand what happend last night.

Lyna looked at her flustered then seeing the other three looking at her curiously, she composed herself "I'm mean I never thought Jewlrestdom was an actual place, it's a story the princesses of Borealis learn to keep them on path of good." She blinked as if embarrassed.

"so, tell us the story. Is there a kiss at the end?" Auriana said in an encouraging, curious tone.

"no, it's long sad story about one piece of advice that destroyed an empire." She kept a soft composed tone as she frowned.

"Give us the short hand version." Talia nodded clearly paying attention.

Lyna gave a tired sigh before she began to explained "So Jewlrestdom was a kingdom somewhere in ocean north of Borealis." She explained gesturing to try to get her words across "It was a massive kingdom when Ephedia was very, very young." She paused thinking of relative information "it was considered the birth place of the study of magic and was the first kingdom to have a court wizard."

"this is the short version?" Carissa yawned uninterested with her front loading.

"Just thought some set up would be useful, but okay." Lyna muttered in response, before continuing "The Jewlrestdom royal family source of power came from artifacts call the crown jewels, stones filled wild magic that would be tuned by a wizard's power."

"So, like the Oracle Gems?" Iris asked stopping her once more.

Lyna titled her head to the side like she never thought about it. "Not really? Jewlrestdom crown jewels were depicted a being a large as dinner plates." She blinked remembering more details "and Jewlrestdom magic as advance as it was back in ancient Ephedia, is weak and rudimentary today. The simplest spell we do on the daily would blow any of their spells out of the water."

Lyna gave herself a short nodded before continuing the tale "So, the story, the last royal family in Jewlrestdom had four daughters the eldest two being the king and queens, the other two were gifts."

Iris's jaw dropped at the statement "Gifts?!" she looked about the room confused.

Lyna narrowed her eyes and sighed "Unless you want to get into ancient Ephedian politics you won't think too hard about it."

Iris nodded yet was still confused by what Lyna said or how gifting children to other families makes any sense.

"The eldest princess was a described as a heathen, she disregarded the virtues of the time which made her unpopular with the people." Lyna picked back up the story in an educate cool voice "The court wizards convinced king and queen to disown her as heir to kingdom and exiled her, in responded."

"Let me guess her came back years later, and wanted her place on throne with evil powers under her belt." Talia comment dryly playing with playing a lock of her hair.

"Not evil, wild." Lyna corrected briefly "She had managed to find a certain crystal held a massive amount passive untamed energy." She looked at the group with gave seriousness "The same crystal, that if I'm correct, is the same one the knight now has."

Aurina waved her hand bouncing in place "What about the talking, anim-monster?" she corrected herself, unsure how to label the creature Intrepid. Amaru poked his head out of the corner he was resting in as if suddenly interested the LoliRocks conversation.

"That's a Jewlrestdom thing, they believed power could be multiplied by dividing it, so close companions such as pets and family being vessels for such divisions." Lyna answered the question nonchalantly "It's such a strange concept of magic, and I don't think anyone ever since has tried to test it."

"Is Jewlrestdom really cursed?" Iris asked wanting to get to the center of the issue.

"I didn't think Jewlrestdom was even real, there are no maps that show where it would be." Lyna shrugged her face showing that couldn't answer that question.

"So, the knight's evil 'till proven otherwise." Carissa stated, as the other nodded even if the knight's intention could be good, the origin of its power were not as morally sound.

"While we're on the topic of judging people, I vote on keeping Soren."Aurina interjected with a playful smile.

"First whose parents sent him, he's obviously somebody's guard." Carissa grumbled not impressed by the stranger's heroics.

Aurina gave the warrior princess a hard look "Excuse me? All our parents are at the bottom of Gramorr's dungeons." Her voice was nearly a shriek, as Carissa recoiled in shock "if my family had him in their service they would have used him to get my siblings out of that awful place, not running interference so we never meet a guy with a talking horse monster!"

Carissa stared at Aurina mouth half-open then looked down guilty for her previous statement.

The tensions in the room snapped as Talia spoke up "It's me!" the usually well composed member of their team, looking flustered if not completely embarrassed.

"Really Tali? You know him?" Iris asked wanting her friend to confirm what she suspected since last night.

Talia looked at her as if she had spoken in another language "No, of course not." She answered in a blunt tone "I think it's because of karmic debt."

The other looked a Talia confused as she blew a stand of hair out of face clearly exasperated as walked to bookshelf. Roughly shuffling around ancient tomes looking for something specific, then pulled out a large worn out book blowing off the layer of dust that came with it.

"Let me explain." Talia placed the book on the nearest pedestal for everyone to see her flipped through pages of hieroglyphic imagery and faded runic scripts "Long ago some Xerins encountered a strange machine from with people inside that said they came from the sky." She stopped on a page with a worn out sketches of tall willowy people, long flat protrusion like the wing on a dragonfly hanging off their backs and shoulders "With castles the size of mountains, and an army of the mechanical men." She carefully traced the outline of one the figures as the group listened "We help repair what was called an 'air ship' and by that they declared our kindness would be repaid." She closed the book abruptly as Lyna hand encroached on the page, Talia was staring at fondly "Then they just disappeared, then with each passing century the sky people kind of just became a myth."

"If the." Carissa stopped swallowing a giggled "'Sky people' are a myth; then how do you know that he's one of them?"

"His magic." Talia hugged book the before putting it back on a shelf "The sky people could send down lighting with a single word, and clam storms with their touch. Soren has weather base magic it makes the most sense."

"Well if meet him again we'll ask just him." Lyna said eyeing the book that was almost closed on her fingers enviously.

Talia just nodded as the room fell into a somber quiet. Each piecing together the information now divulges. New enemies? New allies?

Was the knight aware of the Oracle gems? If not, what would knight go away them instead of their own gems?

Aurina's ever cheery yet somewhat bored voice was the first break the silent "All pondering has my gloomy, let go shopping and get some smoothies guys."

Iris blushed "I'd like that." She nodded thinking about a certain someone who she wanted to see for a while.

"Oh, you girls going out? Don't forget I got tickets for all of us to see Swan Lake tonight." Aunt Ellen chimed at the girls as they left the practice room.

Iris turned to her aunt and waved as she spoke "Don't worry we'll be back in time." She smiled before heading out the door with the rest of her friends.

"Why do we need tickets to see a lake?" Carissa asked

"No." Iris laughed "Swan Lake is a ballet, it's a type of dance used to tell a story." She began to walk to the smoothie bar.

Talia furrowed her brow "are you sure we let you know who around anymore earth stories?"

"Hey what I did was helpful!" Aurina blurted completely aware what she was talking about

"Yes, but having hundreds of amphibious animals in your room in hopes finding a boyfriend was a bit extreme." Talia smirked as the group stifled giggles

Aurina's face redden with abasement "it was worth a shot." She muttered playing with her fingers.

A short walk and light banter later the LoilRocks enter the smoothie bar, one of their songs finishing from a nearby stereo. "Hey there girls." The green-eyed, dark-haired waiter called to them from the other side of the bar.

Iris grinned walking over to him "Hey Nathaniel." She tried to suppress the warm sensation bubbling in her checks.

"What can I do for you?" He lends in to the bar the corners of his mouth upturned.

Before Iris could answer him, Aurina jumped in with her order "Oh! Oh! I want a smoothie the strawberry one!"

"Do you still have that tea, the one with the red flower?" Lyna asked next with barely a second between the other two.

"Hibiscus?" Nathaniel asked and the dark hair princess nodded remembering.

He then looked Iris who smiled nervously and just said "Just get me an iced latte please."

Nathaniel nodded and went to work on the girls orders as the group found a more comfortable place to relax. As time passed it was clear to each princess that other where in some way uncomfortable. "What if he attacks right now?" Carissa said in an octave lower than her normal voice.

Talia responded with the only answer she could give "Then we fight back, like we always do."

"Okay here's your -" Nathaniel looked at the girls gloomy and distressed faces "is everything alright?" he set the tray of drinks on a nearby coffee table.

"Um? Yeah we're fine." Iris answered in the most reassuring tone she could muster.

Nathaniel gave a short sigh before smiling "Ok? I'll be here if you need anything." It was clear he wasn't taking Iris's claim too seriously.

"Thanks Nat." Iris stated as the rest of the group echoed her sympathy as he walked away.

The girls took their drinks and lounged around trying to distract each other from their thoughts, then Talia stood up abruptly looking out the window.

"What wrong?" Aurina was the first to voice concern over Talia.

The honey eyed princess turned to the group, her voice was soft almost a whisper "I thought I saw a dewizzel?"

"Eww."

"No."

"Ha there aren't any of those on earth."

"What's a dewizzel?" Iris asked seeing the general disgust on her friend faces.

Talia opened her mouth to answer, before seeing something out of the corner of her eye "There it is again."

"Talia wait!" Lyna shouted as the Xerin princess bolted in to the street, chasing something the other couldn't see.

"What's a dewizzel?!" Iris shouted after Talia, seeing her dark hair whipping around a corner into a narrow dead end alleyway.

"That is." Talia finally answered as the other squeezed to the alley.

At first Iris didn't see the creature her friend had chased down, then she saw it peering out from a pile of trash. With an earless slim rat like head and glassy puss colored eyes, the rodent uncoiled its greasy black serpentine body as it crept out from its hiding place. Spiky patches of crystal glistening along its spine as it stretched and shook.

"What's it doing?" Iris watched the dewizzel as she tried to sooth Amaru who growled and snapped at the dirty rodent.

"Dewizzel's can smell magic, they have a tendency of making homes out of temple and palaces." Talia got one knee watching the Ephedia animal slink and wobble about "Their considered pests on mainland Ephedia." She summoned a magic circle in her hand, the dewizzel's piggish nose swiveling to her.

"So, it knows we're here?" Iris asked as it approached making Amaru more agitated forcing "why is it here?"

Talia gave the group a knowing look "can do you one better." She lifted hand, making the dewizzel extend its neck reveling a collar with a distinct maroon crystal.

There was a collective inhale and Amaru bolted towards the rodent, woofing and growling, making the Ephedian rodent squeal and shake. The dewizzel's body coiling like a spring as the princesses encroached to separate the two.

"Catch it!" Lyna shirked as dewizzel jumped it full body length into the air before zipping around Talia and Carissa's grasps.

"Gross, gross!" Aurina shank away shivering as the dewizzel's body twisted along legs before slipping out of the alley.

Not sparing a second with a calmed Amaru, the girls chased after the rodent. Casting minor spells in hopes of subduing the panicking creature, all with little or no effect, the dewizzel slipped through an ajar door to an abandoned looking warehouse. The five princesses looked at each other as an unnerving wave of magic pooling around them.

"Do you think?" Lyna looked at rest of the group.

"Ateruina" The eruption of red magic answered her more than the shrill voice what summoned

The group recoiled from a sound maroon explosion which they could only guess was the knight relation.

"Exbullo"

At the sound of Mephisto's the five princess unanimously transformed and busted into the warehouse weapons at the ready. "Ugh! Really! Really!" Praxina groaned from the place she floated above them, angered and exasperated at the LoliRocks arrival.

Mephisto made a shooing motion with his hands "go away princesses, we promise we'll bother you later." He teased from his preach on a metal rafter.

Twin streams black fire lashed out at Mephisto and Praxina forcing them to doge, before any of the princesses could return with a witty response "You're noisy chattering is bothersome!" The knight grumbled from across the room, a dewizzel on each shoulder maws dripping with wiggling tongues of flame. The stone warrior began to make its way out of the building scratching the dewizzels coats, squeaking and chattering in approval.

Praxina snarled "I told you not to leave!" She thrust her hands out funneling her rage for the stone warrior. Hurtling down a shower of crystal shards upon the unsuspecting knight.

"Crysta-Tectus!" The Princesses raised a barrier defending themselves as well the unaware knight.

The knight turned around taking what had transpired, before tilling its head in the direction of the princesses "why?" it asked with confusion petering off into a grumble.

"They're attacking you." Talia tossed back answer, though the question of why hanged in the air.

"It's not like we want to, he won't go with us to Garmorr." Mephisto voice was a whine as he explained, receiving a glare from his twin.

"oh really? I wonder why?" Carissa said snidely up at him.

The sound of claws against stone stopped the young sorcerer from making a response, Maphisto glared down at dewizzels gnawing and scratching the dark armor of the warrior.

"Yes, you may go." The knight spokes as if in middle of a conversation, veins energy spreading out from the crystal on their chest creating webbing across the knights jagged body. Symbol of a broken magic circle danced across the ground as a small vortex opened in the palm of its stone clad hand.

With elated squeaks two Ephedian rodents stampeder down the knights arm, falling in the vortex and disappearing into. "Now!" The knight crushed the vortex sealing the portal within, the of bright veins of magic cooling "I wish to leave, if not I well be forced to make this confrontation deadly." The tips of the warrior fingers becoming thinner, shaper.

Praxina tossed back her red locks unimpressed by the morphing armor "You're not going anywhere, until you have a word with our master."

The princesses dawned their weapons "Tell Garmorr this guy isn't interested." Auriana said up to the twins tensing her ribbon for battel.

"chattering." The knight grumbled once more crystal glowing with intense power

Iris looked behind her "Amaru?" she scanned the area to see the fuzzy feline setting patiently.

Then with a nod of understanding from Amaru he created the arena securing a safer place for the battel to continue.

The knight staggered at the sudden change in environment "What is-!" their words die as a swirling plast of magic blast them in the shoulder.

The twins chucked only to knocked out air by the princesses combined attack. Praxina recovering quickly after the fall as her younger brother went sliding across the field. The red-haired sorceress summoned her duel rapiers rushing at the knight to be interstice by Iris and Carissa. While Lyna and Auriana moved around to distract Maphisto who was quickly recovering.

Leaving Taila to approach the knight alone "Hey!" She shouted the stationary warrior, reflection distorting along the dark stone as she approached "is anyone in the-gaw!"

The cold stone fingers encircled her neck as she was slammed in to the arena floor. She gasped and winced as the full weight of the stone warrior pressed down on her chest. Her wand skidding just out of her reach as her visions blurred from the dark magic pressing down on her. 'what are you?' she thought up the knights blurred form.

"Do it, I dare you." Her eyes shot open as cold finger pulled at her wristband "What will your people think of you, putting a realm in jeopardy to save your own." She stared coldly into her reflection as the knight looked down at her. "You're a monster."

The image of the Xerin princess multiplied as cracks split the knights face plate. "N-No." the warrior recoiled as the cracks depend as breaking mirror smooth surface.

In rush of fury Taila rolled over, gripped her wand tightly. smacking it against the knight's head with an adrenaline filled blow. Every one turned their heads as chunk of heavy black stone, broke off the face plate like brittle glass.

Taila jumped back as felt a flood of vile, evil energy mixing the with feels of sorrow and rage that was too much for person to ever create. Her eyes watered as she saw, an eye peering out the hole she'd made in the thick armor. It stared out wide and panicked flicking about, as the knight's hands pulled violently at edges of the hole. The voice of the warrior now an unnatural stream of garbled tones, the wild crystal flashing in erratic rhythms.

Iris flicked her gaze between the knight doubling over and her allies and combatants; who stared on with mixed reaction.

"The crystal."

"The curse!"

Her fellow princesses shouted as the twins looked at each other in confused disgusted. The knight turned his attention the maroon crystal crawling and yank at the uncut gem with the intent of removing it. Talia the hold on her wand becoming shaky tried to reproach the knight. a stray blast of maroon magic knocking her back, as the knight crawled back armor continuing to break down.

Praxina let out a yell, seeing the stone stranger hand gripping the edge of the arena "Maphisto after him!" The Princesses already rushing having their own reasons for halting the escape.

The knight out of blind terror, the knight flings themselves off the edge. The force of wild crystal tearing at dimensional barriers of the arena and the outside world. Two massive talons ripping through the tear violent dragging the knight like a mere toy.

"grr! your princess ruin everything!" Maphisto growled at the tear before him and Praxina teleported ending the confrontation. Leaving the princes startled and confused.

"So why what do we do now?" Auriana asked a little nervously.

The setting sun cast long orange stripes along ground as Maphisto half searching for the knight. Half wasting time for his sister to convince Garmorr to change targets, or maybe giving up and just sticking to finding the oracle gems. After watching the breakdown of what he had assumed an ancient Ephedian warrior, his expectation of Garmorr could want from him blurred. Perhaps it was the crystal was what Garmorr was really seeking? The young sorcerer tried to justify his master's actions. The grand wizard tends to have a plan for everything, even back up plans when his sister and him constantly mess them up.

He stopped as he floated over a fallen branch. A common sight, but, the long scratches on the branch and against tree tops, made it clear he had stumbled crossed some sort of trail. He headed off down the damaged path intent find the source. Wisp of the feminine voice slowing his investigation, as his attention shifted to what he could only guess was an earthling. Singing? Deeper in the woods.

"I have sought to be both lamb and lion, heartache is the pain I tend to find."

It was a smooth ballad tune of a lullaby. Different from the cheery poppy music that the princesses would after their victories and most deaf honking that most human girls used to mimic them. He drifted as closer to singing preferring a simple distraction, over any progress in serving Garmorr's plans.

"Clamor overwhelms me and I wonder. 'What is there to be so loud about?'"

Maphisto pressed his back against a tree, he had gotten so close to the source of the singing. As sneakily as possibly he peaked around the tree, then pulled back his cheeks red with embarrassment. He bit his lip, heart pounding, mind and body in conflict with how to proceed. His mind losing out he swung his head around to fully take in the singer.

"I wouldn't shrink away and disappear. I don't want them to worship me or care that much at all, I only want to know they know I'm here."

His eye scanned the wet dripping curvatures of the, in his opinion, rather undressed singer. Long drench hair cling to the curves of her shoulders as long nimble legs played at the edge of an azure pool of water. Praxina would have surely blinded him by now, if was aware of what he was doing. Though his straight-laced twin wasn't there to remind him that he was only ogling a lowly human, after all.

"I don't want to shout above the babel, I'm not even sure what I would say."

The singer swayed her body to a melody only she could hear, Maphisto relaxed in his hiding place his emerald eyes half lidded he began to drift off. The nameless songstress words smothering him like a spell of numbing.

"Part of me has things she wants and wishes, part of me is worried she is wrong. Part of me is busy masquerading as a girl whose pieces get along."

A loud crack forced Maphisto back to full awareness, glancing down, he saw that he'd unknowing stepped on a rather loud twig. He muttered a burst of profanity noting that his little distraction had stopped her song.

"Hello? Is someone here?" The songstress looked about, her sweet melodic tone betraying the nervousness what marred her features.

He watched her wrapped arms around herself defensively shivering like a cornered animal. A conflicted and dirty feeling washed over him, he hadn't even made his presence known and he managed to this human make this distressed.

"It's okay, show yourself. Please, I'm scared." His distraction, looked about with wide eyes, as she slowly retreated into the water. As if that would save her if he really wanted to do harm.

The water began to roil and churn with magic, the human turns her attention to something in the water. "Melanosthro? Shh, it okay, I'm coming." She continued to wade into the water to the young sorcerer's amusement "I wasn't trying to leave you."

Mephisto stiffened as she looked straight him with sad tired expression be for diving under the frothing water. The pool calmed flattening down in seconds afterwards the magic soon died out as well. He teleported away now having something to report to Garmorr about.

Iris stared out the window as the sky went from preach to purple as the sun sank into the ocean. She sat dressed and ready to see the ballet, her hands rest on her journal debating whether to write some before she went out.

"Hey you ready to go?" Taila asked leaning in the door, a somber look on her face.

Iris nodded giving a distracted "yeah."

Talia nodded before speaking "I've been thinking, that maybe we should have went after him." She stared at her hands before tightening them into fists "I'm still trying figure out what sensed was haunting of the curse he mentioned."

"Can you be cursed to be haunted?" Iris asked then walked to her friend seeing Talia didn't hear her "it's not your fault Tali, we have to keep doing what we think is right."

The Xerin princess face softened pulling her into a hug.

A sudden weight on Iris's back knock the breath out her "Auriana!" She wheezed seeing the Voltan had joined the hug.

"No frowny faces guy." Auriana teased squeezing her friends tighter "we going to dance."

"If I remember were watching other people dance." Talia corrected as she broke off the hug.

"Girls are you ready? We should get going." Aunt Ellen called up the stairs, Lyna and Carssia voices bickering loudly in the background

"Coming." Iris called back the trio heading down the stair together.

At the ballet, the princesses watched with varying levels of interest. Carissa falling asleep within the minute of the lights being dimmed, and Auriana leaning a crossed her seat to ask question at every moment. Iris just watched and try to explain the story being acted out through dance. As intermission rolled around closing out the first and second act, Talia stood up moving to back stage entry.

"Where you going?" Iris whispered following her, Auriana close on her heels.

"Back stage, I think Soren is one of the dancers." Talia pressed her hand against a door which lead to a back area.

"Really?" Auriana asked, not recognizing the supposed sky person in the mired of dancer that where on stage.

Instead of explaining, Talia opened to door Iris and Auriana slipping inside with her.

"That are you girls doing back here?" A booming made them jump, as a burly security guard marched up to them.

Talia flinched and looked around "oh? Hi we're looking for a friend he one of the performers." She looked at the guard with a big grin.

The guard crossed his arms an eyebrow raised "Oh, really what his name."

"Soren." Auriana squeaked hoping that the name they were given was real.

The guard let out short "of course, you are, what you didn't bring him flowers." He gave the girls a dismissive look "or do you want a reason to come back later."

The three girls just smiled nervously, not understanding the sudden change in the guards demeanor. "Down the hall he's the only dancer unpaid dancer with a dressing room."

The three princesses began to book it in the general direction, the guard gestured.

"Also!" they stopped as he followed them pulling out a pen and small notepad "Can I get your autographs's; my daughter absolutely loves your music." He held pen and pad out Iris and her friends, who happily put their sinister and messages on the paper. "Make sure your back in your seats before the show starts back up." The guard whispered.

"Thank you so much." Iris smiled back, as went off with her friends to find the dressing room.

Auriana was the first to the door the dressing room "um Mr. Sky person." She knocked innocently, hopping nervously as she waited for a response. Then slowly looked at her friends as they approached.

"Is it locked?" Talia asked jiggling the door knob, before opening door uninvited.

The door opened out into a small bare room, poorly lit by a few standing lamps. A chest and desk with tarnished mirror propped on top, the beaked mask of a crow placed carelessly on its edge.

The trio of princesses entered the room "Hello?" Iris spoke in the seemly empty room.

"Um." A collective jump rippled through the group, at the response from the comer besides the door.

Another light was turned on as the dark green tipped haired teen stood up. He stared at girls with tired makeup paled face, dressed black feathered custom of the ballets evil minions.

The girls stared briefly his lean muscled form before looking, noticing he was staring right back at them "sorry, uh. We're looking Soren, are you sharing this room with him?" Auriana asked

The male raised an eyebrow before narrowing his orange colored eyes "I'm Soren." He answered. Specious.

Silence grew in the room, the girls shifted awkwardly not a single one knows how to proceed. The image of the glowing stranger of the night before and expectation of meeting him again was shattered. Iris wished that she made Lyna and Carissa tag along, one of would of surely know how to proceed.

"Can we close the door?" The supposed Soren asked moving to sit on the chest his body tense.

"Sure." Talia flung the door closed, clicking shut as she moved further into the room.

"So, hi we're LoilRock and-"

"Yes."

"hu?" Iris blinked at his statement interrupting her introduction.

He gave her an exhausted look "Yes, I'm that Soren, from last night and yes I'm good. I won't hurt anyone." He said with a cool finality, his gloved fingers drumming the chest.

Another bout of silenced fill the space, the girls looked at him with shock and annoyed at being shut down twice.

"Can't breathe! Can't breathe!" The chest under Soren shook violently. The group by startled the muffled voice within.

Soren pounded on the lid his face one of annoyance "No, you have to stay in there!"

"Is there someone in there?" Talia ask as the chest bucked the male dancer to the floor.

"ho, ho, ho! Multiple someone's." another voice chuckled from the box.

Soren threw himself on to the chest "Stay! Stay!" he shouted in the used for scolding a dog.

Auriana playfully pushed the young man off the box "Oh, just let them out." She smiled thinking it just nothing of could possibly be inside as she flipped open the lid.

The chest was flung open three round blurs shooting to the ceiling "Freedom!" a reverberating squeaky voice came from one of the blurs, as they flitted about, knocking to thing.

One of blurs slowed stopping to float in front of Auriana 's face. A creature with swirling orange and blue skin and a bulbous body, it faces accused like a Picasso panting "Thank you so much miss, it was stuffy in there." It chuckled shaking her finger with one spindly limb tilting a pointed cap the other.

Auriana smiled through repulsed by the thing touching her, nodding as the creature yammered praise.

Soren look angrily at another red and yellow bulbous entity "give me that!" he pulled a small bundle of pink fabric out of its grasp.

"Well, you're welcome." It sneered floating off into the chest.

Iris spoke up gently trying to push the blue creature away from Auriana "That are these things?" as Talia looked around for the third one.

"Imps, they torment me." Soren looked distressed.

A mint and baby pink head of the third imp shot up making buzzing sound over his shoulder "Wrong." It said in a squeaky voice, receiving a hardy smack from Soren sending the balloonish imp against the wall.

"We are sky imps, our existence is to serve the evilest sorcerer in the Wingdom." The blue imp pick right with an explanation that turned the male performer's face red.

"Wingdom?"

"Evil!?"

A strong gust of wind silences the three princess's frantic questions "I just said I wasn't evil." Soren sighed the pink bundle leaking a bright cyan magic "I can't right now." He grabbed the crow mask tucking pink fabric under his arm "Jumble, Mumble, Snarl give them the location of the gallery." He said curtly leaving the room slamming the door after him.

"Hey, um." Iris walked up to the sky imp the Soren smacked into the wall.

There was a brief shift of a color in the imp's cheek color "umm, Mumble miss." The green imp answered sheepishly

The Ephedian princess smiled at the tiny monster "What's the Wingdom?" she sweetly asked the imp.

Mumble gave a smile and Iris could see that the green imp had an extra eye "The Wingdom is the vast realm of Helios, nobody up there calls it by that name." The imp giggled with each word.

Auriana jumped on Iris's line of thinking looking down on the blue imp that was clinging to her arm "Is Helios in the sky? Eh Jumble?" She guessed the imps name as she asked

The blue imp nodded with his own lopsided grin "Right oh madam! Not earth's sky's thought, no no." Jumble let go of her are and began to scribbled directions on a piece of paper "Here's the location of the secret gallery of Helios" Jumble folded it up and handed it to her.

"Thanks, we should get going." She moved to the door "Iris, Talia?" she looked back over to her friends Iris still chatting up mumble and Talia staring at the underside of the chest's lids.

"Who's this woman in all these pictures?" The Xerin princess asked the last imp, presumably Snarl, who sat at the and pouted at the bottom. Talia looked at the pictures of a tall imposing woman standing in dramatic poses, or smiling happily with a group of the same five teen dressed in outrageous clothes from the nineties, blanked the lid.

The red imp sniffed up at the photographs with its pointy nose before answering "Skyla queen of the Wingdom, these pictures are when she was on earth." It answered voice jaded "Coward hid her self away, and let foreign warriors to handle the civil war she started."

"A Civil war? In the sky?" Iris attention was pulled away from Mumble at that information.

"Hehe yes, it's a nasty thing." Snarl poked its head out of its hiding place to look at her "one that was ended and restarted by the birth by Soren."

"It's wired that an evil sorcerer would help us." Auriana stated staring at Soren's mother.

"Well Soren is in the Wingdom so…" Mumble looked at them with a nervous giggle.

"Plus, we'd surly be dead on earth if weren't his." Snarl made faux gagging noises between bursts of laughter "kindness."

The princesses looked at keeping their intrupration of what the two imps said to themselves. "We need to get back." Iris said realizing the amount of time that based

"Bye-bye pretty ladies." Mumble saluted them as walked out the door.

"Oh, please visit us at the gallery, tomorrow?"

(AN: Sorry if things are a little wonky, did some changes to fit season two better. So, I'll just call this AU. Tell me what you think, where would you like to see the story go? Also, sorry for such a late post.)