All of the boys started heading towards Celestizam by dawn.
Rayne sat at the front of the stagecoach handling the reins, driven by two large horses, one pure white mare with a small flimsy bow fastened in the mane, and a copper-brown stallion with a white diamond on its forehead. The white mare looked so much like Angelique he almost got lost in its eyes, when he suddenly snapped out of it in time to swerve away from a large oak.
Rayne heard a knock on the glass from the cart and he quickly turned around to face an angry-looking Roche mouthing 'What the hell?' Rayne simply rolled his eyes and continued focusing on the road ahead.
"What a pest sometimes... I wish I could just leave him on the road..." He muttered. In response he got another knock on the glass.
"Heard that!"
"Oh, shut up, will you?"
"Hey, you started it!"
"You're acting like a kindergartener."
"Am not!"
"You cannot deny it, Roche."
Bernard stepped in. "Break it up you two. Rayne, focus on the road. I don't want to crash into a tree."
"Okay." Rayne sighed as he looked off into the distance. What would it be like now, that Angelique was Queen of Arcadia? Would it be difficult to even speak to her at the time being? He thought. She might have royal duties, and might seek the hand of- He shook his head and looked at the clear horizon. "No! I can't let that happen!" Rayne's hands tightened around the leather reins. "I won't let anyone have her!"
"I'm not so sure about thaaat~" Roche's annoying sing-song was the last straw on the camel's back for Rayne.
"Will you can it, reporter?!" He immediately tuned him out and actually kept all focus on the road.
After about a half an hour, they reached Celestizam!
"Come on, let's go." Hyuuga grunted as he jumped out of the stagecoach. He looked up at the Holy City where Angelique now resided. "It's more beautiful than I remember..." The warmest smile appeared on his face as he took in the city.
Everyone made their way to the gates of the city when they were greeted by the Knights of the Silver Tree.
"Who are you five? State your names." A small, lean Knight questioned them.
"Uh..." J.D stammered, but a larger Knight appeared behind the small one.
"Forgive him. He's the new kid. You may enter, but please don't do anything ridiculous or in any way to harm the Queen. Have a nice day." He opened the gates and waved as they all walked inside. And the single thought that was going through all their minds, rang like church bells on Sundays: Why would we ever hurt her?
Hartwell led Angelique to a large garden behind the main gates, decorated with many flowers: peonies, roses, marigolds, orchids, sunflowers, you name it. This was a garden of the rainbow, it's colors were so diverse.
"I always keep becoming amazed at every single detail about this place, its so funny! This is such a pretty haven!"
"Then you should meet the male twins who tend to the flowers every day, Talfrin and Talos. They are the chiefs of the garden."
"Send them my compliments. You could make a bouquet out of...out of...anything! Gosh, I can't stop gushing!" Angelique laughed at herself and and Hartwell chuckled.
"My, what a lighthearted Queen!"
"I'll take that as a compliment." She smiled.
"But it already was, was it not?" They both tried to keep a straight face, but the impossible couldn't become the possible.
"Oh, if everyday were like this! I'd be the happiest girl in the world!" She smiled until her cheeks hurt. "Hartwell, you're such a good friend!"
"Thank you, Angelique-sama. I try." He had a warm smile on his face from the laughter they shared moments before.
"Oh, may I ask you a favor?"
"Anything."
"While we're alone together, please, just call me Angelique."
Hartwell stared at Angelique with shock. "Pa...Pardon?"
"I said when we're alone, just to call me Angelique. No Angelique-sama, no Lady Angelique, no Queen Angelique. Just Angelique." She remembered saying the exact same words to Hyuuga, and how funny it was to hear him just say her regular name.
"Uh... Will this be only when we are alone?"
"Yes. Why, is there a problem?"
"Oh, no, not at all. It just comes as impulse to give a higher name to a superior."
Angelique nodded. "Well then let's get started on your filter, Hartwell." They both chuckled as they began walking to the Main Courtyard.
"Hm?" Hartwell stopped walking and paused, as if listening for something.
"What is it, Har-"
"Please be quiet for a moment, Angelique." He whispered. He put a finger over his lips and Angelique nodded.
Now that Hartwell mentioned it, she could hear voices. She couldn't tell who they were coming from, but she could hear the words.
"...please let us in! We need to see Angie!"
"Don't refer to the Queen in such a low manner! Get out of my sight!"
A familiar husky voice interrupted the two. "If you don't let us in, I'll fight you myself with my spear!"
"Hyuuga! Don't aggravate him!"
Hyuuga?! Angelique's eyes widened. Did that voice just say Hyuuga?! She started running toward the Main Gates with Hartwell close on her heel.
"Hyuuga! Hyuuga-san!" Angelique was yelling. "Hyuug-sa-"
"Be quiet! Don't draw them in! They could be impostors!" Hartwell covered Angelique's mouth. But she wriggled free and continued running until she reached the source of the voices.
Angelique couldn't believe her eyes! There stood before her, right behind two Knights, were Rayne, J.D, Hyuuga, Roche and Bernard!
She had so many things she wanted to do right at that moment, so many questions to ask, so many hugs she wanted to give to last forever, but her mind couldn't translate all of that at once. She stood motionless and wide-mouthed, gaping at what lay before her.
Everyone else, excluding the Knights, were spellbound at the sight of her.
"A...Angie?" Rayne's word's barely escaped his lips when he began to be escorted away.
"There you go, you've had your view of the Queen, now move along." The Knight was obviously not ever going to let them pass, but Angelique pleaded anyways.
"Please, don't make them leave!"
"They don't look safe! One of them threatened me to fight me one on one with his spear!"
"NO!" Rayne tried to push his way through the Knight, but unfortunately more came to subdue them. Everyone was surprised at the greeting they got from the Knights of the Silver Tree. Wouldn't it have been more welcoming in the past?
By the time they came, Angelique was already in tears. "No, please... Don't make them go!"
The shocked faces on everyone's faces made her want to avert her eyes and fall into Hartwell's arms, to in some way sway the Knight to release them from his iron fist.
But it was too late. The gates had already closed upon Rayne and the others.
"No... No..." Angelique buried her face into her hands and wet them with her tears. She immediately ran to her quarters and cried herself to sleep, although it being 11:18 am.
"How...how DARE he?! How dare that belligerent guard shoo us away?!" Roche was fuming. Literally. All of them could see steam coming out of his ears.
J.D tried to calm him down. "Please calm down, it won't do any good for you or for any of us."
Roche was stared down by all of them until he gave up and sighed. "Ugh, I just can't help it when my beautiful girl isn't happy anymore."
Rayne snorted. "Excuse me? Whoever said she was yours?"
"And look who started it this time," Roche retorted. "and whoever said she wasn't? I'll have you all know I took her on a date one day before she left."When Rayne heard that, he didn't want to believe a single word of it.
"Pff- prove it."
"Gladly," Roche shuffled through his chest pocket and pulled out a photo of the outfit he bought Angelique at the time. "I bought her this."
If only Itook her on that date... Rayne thought enviously. "But why are we arguing about this? We have to get into the Palace!"To his surprise, Roche nodded.
"Yeah. That guard seemed a little suspicious, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so, but maybe it was just his duty, and we looked suspicious to him," Bernard looked up into the tower. "I bet Angie is heartbroken..."
"It would pain me to see her crying once again, I don't want to be reminded of how sad she looked at the burning of the Sunlit Mansion." Hyuuga said in a deep, sad voice.
"Great, now you just reminded all of us," J.D pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I guess we'll try tomorrow? Let's find a place to stay."
"Yeah. I'll go fetch the stagecoach. You two calm yourselves." Bernard pointed at both Rayne and Roche, who were giving each other the evil eye.I wonder why all of them are after Little Angie? Bernard thought as he walked the streets of Celestizam. Is it just because she's the Queen? Or is it just true love?