Naloria hummed a little as she placed her newest purchase in the window, gently tapping one of the twelve crystals and admiring the strange reaction and sounds from the others. She smiled sadly at the sound. It sounded just like Rin when she sang, soft and sweet. Sitting by the window, the queen looked around the empty room, thinking back. The whole palace was silent now. There was never any sound. No song, no laughter, no fun or life. Just silence left by her stepdaughter and her ladies in waiting. She'd always feared Rin leaving, of being left alone again but she'd never thought it would happen like this. At least if Rin had married, she would have been able to stay or visit her.
Sighing again, the queen looked at her reaction. She'd always known her father was a fairy but the thought that Angel and Demon were as well. All these years, those two had been fairies. They had always been odd but…
She smiled; Angel and Demon made Rin come alive. Maybe that was why.
The chime above her head made a small tinkle of sound and glowed, twisting on its pivot. A second later, the door to her study opened and a man walked in. "Naloria, has there been any news?"
His daughter stood from the window and stared at him. "Father, it is customary to knock before entering someone's room."
"Spare me. Has there been any news? Has there been news about the princess?" he walked over to her and stared into her eyes. "We need to find her and kill her, before those two flutter brains find her. Or worse, that prince."
The queen stared at him then turned away. "No, there has been no news."
"Well, try harder. Put a bounty on Angel and Demon. Declare war on…" he stopped, his eyes trapped on the crystal charm by the window. "What is that?"
His daughter turned to look back at him and what he was looking at. "Oh. They are the latest trend among the people. They come from a far off land and it's said that the crystals hold powers. This one, I was told, is a protective charm."
Her father stared at the chime for a little longer then reached up and yanked the chime down, sending the crystals banging against each other, their song loud and fast. As they fell still, Naraku touched a yellow gem, causing the others to glow in the same way. He smiled a little more. "These gems are from the cave of crystals. It's a legendary, powerful and ancient location." He dropped it to the gems to a table. "If I could find it… follow these chimes back to their source… then I could find the cave… and regain my power." His eyes turned quickly to the confused queen. "Where did you get them?"