Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon.

I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling mistakes you find.


Chapter 17:

In Florasia Kingdom:

Looking at herself in the mirror of her dressing room, Queen Eleanor smoothed the leaf on her head with her tan paw. She was standing on her hind legs to look into the mirror as she gave final touches to herself before leaving for the Stardust Kingdom. She got down on her front paws and turned to the glass bowl of fresh water waiting for her. Freshly-picked roses, glowing crimson red, were floating in the cool water. She picked up one of the roses and traced it over her face and ears and then down to her neck. Her skin tingled with the contact of the cold water that left the smell of the roses lingering on her.

Dumping the rose back into the bowl, she took her gold necklace with the Florasia symbol on it and fastened it securely around her neck. Then smoothing the leaf on her tail, she swept out of the room, followed by Grovyle who had been patiently waiting for her right outside by the door.

"Your Majesty," he reported as they continued to walk soundlessly down the corridors towards the throne room. "I have arranged for the Aalakazam to teleport us close to the grounds of the Stardust Kingdom as you requested."

"Excellent," she waved him and they continued walking with those solemn expressions and soon, they reached the huge wooden door of the Throne room, covered in dark green vines growing all over it.

"I assume the Queen has written back to us about this?" She asked him without looking at him, her guards opening the doors for her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Grovyle replied as he hastened behind her.

The Throne room of the Florasia Kingdom was one with nature, just like the castle itself. The Kingdom had green carpet leading to the throne. On either side, the ground was leveled lower. Fresh soil had been laid on this lower area and grass had been planted with wild, thorny flowers growing everywhere. It was like a garden inside the throne room.

Outside the balcony, you could see the long roots of the giant Willow tree running all the way down and touching the ground. When Eleanor was an Eevee, she would sneak out of the castle by using her tiny claws to grasp the old but strong roots and sliding down to the ground below and then, using her tiny body, to make her escape through the palace walls and into the city. The commoners had been her friends rather than the sons of the nobles of Florasia. Now that she was a Queen, she didn't have time for these childish pleasantries. She had far bigger things to worry about.

In the throne room, six Roserade warriors were waiting for her. Sitting on the grassy part of the throne room were the two twin brothers, The Aalakazam, who had been summoned into the court to teleport the queen, her royal advisor, her ride, the Venusaur and the six Roserade warriors to the plains of Limestone which marked the territory of the Stardust Kingdom.

The venusaur kneeled and the Leafeon Queen climbed his back and seated herself on the tree in the middle of his back. Grovyle, using his agile legs, leaped onto the Venusaur's head the very next second. Sliding his leafy fingers between the double rein, he guided the Venusaur onto the grass, followed by the roserade, three on each side.

The Aalakazam brothers, feeling the royal presence drawing near, opened their eyes and stood up. On the signal of the Queen, they drew out their hands and channeled their psychic energy on the Leafeon Queen. Pink smoke began to surround the group and in the mist, they vanished. The Aalakazam brothers were shortly dismissed and they teleported out of the castle premises.

Queen Eleanor and her deputation found themselves in a land which they had so far only heard of. Pink grounds lied beneath their feet, stretching out for miles ahead. This ground was made of pure limestone that had emerged from the underground a few hundred years ago and marked the beginning of the Fairy-pokemon dynasty. In fact, no one had even heard of the existence of the Fairy-type pokemon prior to this and their kingdom was the last to appear on the map. Many legends narrate that the kingdom had existed underground and dated back to early centuries but after their ancient king had insulted the legendary pokemon that guarded the underground caverns, they were forcefully dumped onto the surface to fend for themselves. The Fossil Kingdom, who knew that the same fate was in store for them, quickly turned their heads and knelt to the legendary, swearing loyalty to him and vowing to worship him. And there they are to this day, worshiping him still. Legends, of course, were not always taken for word.

The rulers of the Stardust Kingdom were known for their pleasure-seeking disposition. As such, they had never made an effort to preserve their history. The kings had spent time sitting on the throne room, having their servants feed them grapes while the court musicians played all night. Despite their lethargic ways, they had been quick in making a name for themselves, building a kingdom faster than any in the history and so far, they had proven themselves no harm to any of the others. Given that, their kingdom rarely had conquests from the conquering kingdom nor did they abandon their luxurious lifestyles to conquer others. In fact, the sole purpose it served to the other kingdoms was trade. Merchant pokemon would travel from far areas to trade the special limestone objects carved by the fairy pokemon. Their single largest trade was quite possibly the gold armor. While the Fairy-pokemon themselves had no need for such heavy armor, the demand from neighboring kingdoms had allowed this industry to grow rapidly in their kingdom.

Queen Eleanor and her deputation made a short journey until they found the Kingdom of Stardust situated in this land of limestone. The castle overlooked the entire area and was also built of limestone. Queen Eleanor took in the structure carefully and concluded that the castle must have been carved into a Limestone mountain and that would mean that the entire castle walls and its corridors were all made of pure limestone. It was magnificent to say the least. World really is a wonderful place. She thought.

Queen Eleanor requested entry into the kingdom which was granted easily since she was a royal quest of their Queen. With the sound of a loud trumpet, their arrival was announced and the iron gates to the city leading to the castle were opened for them. The Floette guards bowed as Eleanor's Venasaur slowly made his way into the castle grounds, the Roserade following at his heels.

The road to the castle had been easy and once inside the castle premises, Queen Eleanor realized that the castle gardens didn't have real vegetation either. Instead, small sculptures of many hundred flowers had been carved out of limestone and even sculptures of trees could be seen. It must be the hands of the Fairy-pokemon craftsman. Queen Eleanor thought, taking in the beauty of the glowing flowers from the reflected light. They look so life-like.

This was a strange view for pokemon that had been born and raised in the lap of flora. Yet, the beauty they beheld could not be put into words and they found it hard to tear their eyes away from this glorious view of the limestone garden. But, they didn't have all the time in the world either. Their mission was to make an alliance with Stardust kingdom. This was going to be a difficult task. Stardust kingdom was one which was not particularly keen about wars and their assistance was not the most reliable one when it came to fighting. Also, it had a number of affiliations with other kingdoms and therefore, persuading them into coming in terms with Florasia might lead to a drastic fall in their trade with other kingdoms, the very trade that had helped the royal family generate the money to support their lavish lifestyles. Queen Eleanor sighed at this thought. This was like the punishment for her after failing to put an end to their old enemy, the Darkus Kingdom. However, Stardust could be a powerful ally. With them, Florasia would have an ensured supply of weapons and armor and while Stardust itself might not fight on the battlefield, financial assistance was one it would willingly provide to compensate for this. This would work out well for Queen Eleanor who trusted her forces more than any other type. This would allow her to command a powerful army without having to deal with the incompetency of another type of pokemon.

Now, they were walking down the hall towards the throne room. Spritzee, the royal advisor of Queen Sylvia the Sylveon, quickly fluttered away inside the throne room in excitement upon hearing of royal guests. Dashing into the throne room like a whirlwind of brightly-colored feathers, he quickly reported to the queen in a series of chirps and blubbers that only the Queen could understand.

"Your Majesty!" He chirped in a squeaky voice. "May I present her royal Majesty, Queen Eleanor the Leafeon and her deputation?"

"You may, yes," she said and giggled a bit, then brought her paw to her muzzle and yawned. Deep inside, her mind was an abyss of wonder. Why did Queen Eleanor chose her kingdom for the visit? She had made no specifications in her letter other than requesting an audience with her. Queen Eleanor and her kingdom were the most uncommunicative of all kingdoms. Also, Florasia Kingdom and Darkus Kingdom were mortal enemies. This was something Prince Skull had explained to her in one of his letters a long time ago.

Flashback:-

Dear Skull,

I am not of the opinion that alliances with Fairy Kingdom would be beneficial for Darkus, yes. As you know, we are not the most reliable war companions and I barely know any battling tactics myself. If I were to find myself in a battlefield, I'd be a damsel in distress, yes. Entering wedlock with you sounds much more pleasant if you will have me. You lack nothing to be declared my King and I your Queen.

There is, however, one more thing I wish to ask about. I fail to understand your enmity with the Florasia Kingdom. I am sure you are well aware that my ancestors did absolutely nothing to preserve history of Stardust Kingdom, let alone any other kingdom. So I have no way of knowing but to inquire about it from you. I offer my deepest apologizes if any of this brings back horrid memories and if you find it difficult to share this piece of information. I suppose it would be quite alright, yes?

Yours Truly

Queen Sylvia

She sent that letter the very night and waited patiently for his response. As she did so, she recalled her history with him.

Their secret conversation had started after the two royals had become acquainted with each other a ball in Stardust. Prince Skull had attended the ball to establish good relations with the royal family of the Fairy Pokemon. This was to pave the path to a strong alliance between the two in the future. This, of course, had not been his own decision but because of the strong advice from his advisor, Absol. Against his personal wished, Skull had attended. Sylvia, too, had been reluctant to add his name to her guest list during the preparations, presuming someone as dull as Prince Skull would be quite a bore at one of her lavish parties.

Once the two had met, it was love at first sight for the Sylveon Queen. Prince Skull was a handsome youth and had the charms to match. While he was not as chatty as the others, he was deeply respectful of the Queen. Sylvia had been showered with flattery all her life and the mysterious and quiet nature of the Dark Prince had drawn her to him. Of all the nobles she had met, he was the one who had captured her heart.

She had started writing to him soon after and while the Darkus Prince did not write back as frequently nor as quickly, it was hardly enough to discourage the Fairy Queen. Soon enough, the two developed a friendship of sorts and while Skull was still neutral to the topic, Sylvia's affections for the prince had deepened with every letter.

With her growing feelings, her patience began to deplete until one day, she confessed. She had foolishly led herself to believe that there was no way he'd reject her feelings for her knowing she was the fairest maiden in the land. To her dismay his response had not been the one she had expected.

He had told her that he could not return those feelings because engaged to Queen Esperanza. Queen Sylvia had read that letter with teary eyes, her heart shattering with every word her lips read.

Dear Sylvia,

Your honesty is what I can admire but I must inform you that I am engaged to Queen Esperanza of the Aurora Kingdom. I belong to her and there is no one I'd rather be with. If not her, then none other for she is the one my heart yearns for every night, every day.

I apologize but I cannot return your affections.

Sincerely

Prince Skull

The awkwardness had taken time but finally it dissolved and they were fast friends once more. He would tell her about his battles and she would tell him about the balls she had on a weekly basis. They were so far apart and in two entirely different worlds. And yet, Sylvia could not come to terms with the idea that Skull could take someone for a bride other than her.

The news about Esperanza's wedding to another had been music to her pretty pink ears. She had never been happier in her life. In fact, in celebration, she had thrown a grand ball for all the nobles and the ball had lasted for three nights. But of course, only she knew the actual reason for the grand celebrations. The next few days, she had spent her time trying to console Prince Skull who had no need for this. To her astonishment, she had discovered that it was he who called off the engagement. Her naïve little heart had allowed her to believe that it was she he wanted instead of Esperanza and Sylvia was ecstatic. She had made every effort to portray herself as a sincere friend. Only a few weeks later, she had started making romantic advancements towards him. She would give hints in her letters, all of which were always ignored as his letters sounded purely business and serious in all matters.

A short time later after Esperanza's wedding and her supposedly broken ties with Skull, Sylvia invited him over to her castle. Imagine her delight when he came. She had spent her entire afternoon with him in her limestone garden, listening to him narrate books and tell her about ancient battles fought by Darkus and other kingdoms. She took in his every word like the words of a legendary pokemon. She sat by the limestone fountain while he described the world outside of Stardust Kingdom, the world she never knew. When he spoke to her about the tales of warriors and explained their meaning to her, he left her more dazzled and enchanted than ever. When he was about to leave, she had made every effort into persuading him to stay at her castle for a few days but he had rejected politely, stating he had business to take care of with Florasia kingdom.

Now, it was months later and finally, she had mustered the courage to inquire about Florasia kingdom. She fantasized about him while waiting for him to write back, giggling to herself as she replayed his visit to her kingdom. It wasn't long either because a few minutes later, a Pidove was tapping on her window with his beak, begging to be led in.

As soon as she got her paws on the letter, she clawed it open and read it.

Dear Queen Sylvia,

I do not plan to put you in a war. Believe me, I wish to make alliances simply because I have befriended you. Your Kingdom is rich in trade and I assume it can serve me well for supplying weapons for my own battles. I would never request you to assist me in battle. My nation is a strong one. If we must fight, we shall fight our battles without help.

To answer you question, Florasia Kingdom is the one I despise the most. It was their king that killed my parents in a war when I was but an Eevee. They are to blame for my sufferings and my miserable life. I was forcefully evolved and then strained to take over the throne. Queen Eleanor, the current ruler, did not have a hand in this but as she is the present ruler of Florasia, my vengeance requires me to stain my paws with her blood. Forgive me for my language. I do not have any other words to put it in.

Yours Sincerely

Prince Skull

Sylvia's face dropped into a frown as she read the letter over and over again. There was no response to her proposal on entering wedlock with him. He had ignored her romantic advances once again. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to be completely mad at him. Especially after he had poured his heart out to her in that letter, sharing what could have possibly been his darkest secret.

Her muzzle had a goofy smile plastered on it. She pictured him once more inside her head before beginning to write again.

Flash back ends:-

Now, Queen Eleanor stood before her, bowing unnecessarily because this formality was for commoners and servants and courtier, not royal guests. The only time Prince Skull had ever bowed to her was when he gazed upon her for the first time and wanted to kiss her paw. That feeling was still fresh in her mind.

"Queen Eleanor, yes!" She greeted cheerfully. "I do wonder what brings you to Stardust? Have a seat, yes?"

She is unspeakably jolly, that pretty fairy maid. Queen Eleanor thought as she followed the Queen to another room, leaving behind her roserade and Grovyle and the Venusaur they were riding.

"I come with a sole purpose only," Queen Eleanor began in her queenly accent.

She had no desire to involve herself in pleasant conversation with what she labeled a doll royalty spoilt with riches. She probably had many suitors too and though it was hard for her to accept, Queen Eleanor had to admit that Sylvia was way prettier than she ever could be. Being the evolutions of the same pokemon, it didn't feel fair that one of them had evolved into a more elegant and beautiful pokemon.

"Oh, we have plenty of time for that, yes!" Queen Sylvia chirped with a broad smile on her muzzle. "But first, you should eat, yes! We make the best biscuits, yes!"

Are they made of Limestone as well? Eleanor grumbled in her thoughts, resisting the urge to scream at the unusually jovial Fairy Queen. Then to the Sylveon Queen, she answered: "No, but thank you all the same."

Queen Sylvia told Spritzee to fetch some anyway and he flew off in a blur of pink. She had probably ordered those for herself. What a peculiar little bird. Eleanor thought then shook the thought away.

"Oh yes," Queen Sylvia said, bringing her attention back to the Leafeon Queen. "What is it that the Leafeon Queens seeks from me?"

Her voice was polite with a hint of squeakiness and terribly loud. The Queen of Florasia, the enemy of her beloved, had paid her a visit. She kept wondering if Prince Skull would finally give her the attention she craved if she were to put an end to Eleanor's life right there in her court. But then again, she had never been the one to support bloodshed and was browsing her mind for easier alternatives. Also, Prince Skull would probably prefer to kill her himself.

"I wish to make a proposal to your kingdom," Queen Eleanor stated bluntly. "I wish to join hands with Stardust in an alliance. If her Majesty pleases of course."

"Oh but one must wonder why Stardust, no?" Queen Sylvia asked, trying to appear confused. "You do realize we are perhaps the most weakest when it comes to war." Then to provoke a certain reaction, she added; "Why not form an alliance with Darkus. yes? They are one of the strongest kingdoms yes?"

"Yes indeed," Queen Eleanor replied quickly, slightly baffled by that change of tone. "But question me not, your Majesty. I solely wish to join hands with you. The Prince of Darkus is rather cruel to me."

"Cruel you say, yes?" Queen Sylvia asked. "In what way might I ask?"

"I correct myself," Eleanor spoke somberly, bringing her head down. "I think it was rather that we had been cruel to them. Anyways, it was a long, long time ago and I believe Prince Skull is not so keen on making alliances with anyone. May I know of your decision? You do not have to make it immediately though."

By this time, the cookies had arrived and as Queen Eleanor had anticipated, they were made of limestone as well. Eleanor watched in a mix of disgust and astonishment as Sylvia munched on the cookies, pretending to think.

"I shall tell you something, yes?" Queen Sylvia said as she had chewed down and swallowed the first cookie. "I will write to you in a few days and inform you for my decision. Does that please Her Majesty?"

Eleanor sighed internally. She could not force this on Queen Sylvia either. She came here seeking help, not to instigate anger in the fairy-type Queen. "I suppose so. Then I shall depart on my journey. I shall wait for your answer then, yes?"

"Huh?" Sylvia blinked. Eleanor quickly regretted her words. That was rather rude of me! She hadn't meant to copy Sylvia's accent because now it sounded like she had just insulted the Queen.

'I apologize," Eleanor quickly apologized, bowing her head. "That was purely unintentional. Do forgive me."

She relaxed when Queen Sylvia burst out laughing. "Not to worry, yes."

Eleanor stifled as laugh as well. Queen Sylvia then walked her back to the throne room where she was reunited with her deputation.


Okay. Hopefully I'll get the time to update two or at least one chapter in the next four days.

See ya guys later!