It had been a few days since Musa had successfully tested her newfound personality on her guard. Since then, Musa would be woken up each morning by Tecna opening the curtains, followed by morning walks around the palace gardens where they would politely greet each guard they walked past and try to sit near gossiping courtiers. Sadly though, the courtiers still leave as soon as Musa appears close to them – like she had an infectious disease. Musa did, however, notice that the guards had slowly been accepting of the new greetings. At first, they were confused and sneered at their greetings, to which Musa and Tecna simply smiled and pretended they didn't notice, to now slight nods of the head.
For Valkarians, the men were not overly friendly anyway so a nod of the head in return for a good morning was the best response the pair could get.
Unfortunately, their lack of progress with getting intel from the ladies of the court and even some gossiping lords was heading nowhere. That resulted in with Musa and Tecna returning to Musa's quarters to continue with their plan in the afternoons. Tecna started to make mind maps of each lord and lady of the court, how they fit in, who they were related to, you know, all the stuff Musa needed to know and remember to start acting like one of them.
For the last two afternoons, Tecna had been tutoring Musa in the mind map but it was getting confusing. Musa was more of a doer than a listener learner.
"Musa, how can this be hard?" Tecna said in aggravation.
Musa had sat crossed legged on the bedroom floor as Tecna sat across from her with a large parchment in between them. To Musa, the parchment looked more like a family tree then a diagram to help remember members of the court. As the pair were talking about members of the court that day, they didn't feel the need to discuss secretly in the bathroom.
"Lord Vanya is married to Lady Anya who cannot be confused with Countess Anya, second cousin to King Kataar. Countess Anya is having an affair with Count Richard, while her husband Count Tallar is having an affair with Lady Anya's sister; Lady Ashlin. What is so hard to understand?"
Musa stared at Tecna like she just spoke another language to her and massaged the temples on either side of her head.
"That is just two families. We haven't even started looking at everyone else," Musa said tiredly. "I thought you said you would be telling me their positions and how they all play out in this grand scheme called the court."
"Being part of the court also means knowing the gossip that is going on. One wrong move or wrong thing said to the wrong person, and it is all over."
"Where in the world did you get that nonsense from? You are Tecna, the most logical person I know."
"…..I got it from Stella," Tecna replied.
Musa dropped her head down sadly and sighed. "Of course you did. I can't do any of this without them."
"Musa, maybe it's time that you try to contact them again," Tecna said gently. "The Valkarians currently allow the girls to be ambassadors for their realms in Melody. King Kataar wants to keep up appearances that he isn't some power-hungry nut job, so let's use it."
"Tecna, I already explained that since they saw what really happens to me firsthand, they are terrified to come back. I don't blame them. Their first priority is to their people so they should protect them. Coming here and pretending that they don't know what really happens to me behind the scenes is asking too much. They would intervene the second King Kataar has his way with me again and then all hell would break loose before we can even put our plan in motion."
"Musa, please, they are our friends. They would do anything to help you. I get the need to protect their people but running away from you like that was horrible. They left you to be canned in public."
"If they did anything then my father and I would have been dead, you know that, Tecna."
"They could have escaped with you and Melody would have a future. Either way though, we need them. They each have skills that can help us. Stella has always been the Queen Bee of the court whenever she is here. She knows the gossip within seconds of meeting people. She would be much better explaining this to you than I ever could."
"Tecna, for the last time, I am not getting them involved and that is that," Musa whispered harshly to Tecna, knowing the guards were outside.
Musa stood up from the floor and stared down at her long-time friend. "They are not helping, and that is that. No one else should have to go through what I am going through."
With that said, Musa headed for the bathroom and closed it shut. Within seconds, Tecna heard the shower turn on and Musa step inside. It was getting close to dinner time so Tecna sighed sadly and decided to call it a day. As Tecna started to pack up the notes and diagrams, she continued to think about their friends.
Tecna wasn't lying when she said that the way the girls ran from Melody and never looked back was horrible. Yes, seeing Musa's punishment in person is horrifying but should that not be a reason to help your friend and try to save them? King Kataar also refused Musa to speak with the outside world, even with letters, so it was impossible for her to try to keep up communications. Tecna on the other hand, though, was permitted to send letters to other realms – after they were inspected before being sent out.
Right then and there Tecna made her decision. She finished stacking the documents together and pulled out a loose timber floorboard in Musa's bedroom floor. She gently wrapped the documents in cloth for protection and placed the pile inside the hole before replacing the board again. Tecna then took a piece of paper on Musa's writing desk and started writing a letter. Tecna knew Musa was going to be mad but the decision was worth it.
An hour later, Musa was freshly showered, had eaten her dinner, and was ready for bed. Tecna bid her friend a farewell and left the bedroom. Tecna nodded to the guards, keeping up the charade, put on her long coat, and started leaving the palace. Tecna walked on the large stone bridge that connected the front castle gates to the centre of Melody's main city. The tall black lamps started to cast their glow, lighting up the streets. Tecna pulled up her collar of her coat to prevent drawing attention to herself by the Valkarians. Valkarians walked all over the place, either as guards, courtiers, or everyday people. The young children who never knew of war played handball on the sidewalks as they waited for their parents in the nearby shops.
Tecna noticed that every Valkarian who walked past her had at least one Melodian gem pinned to their uniform or clothing. Tecna knew they were sacred to Melody and having other people wear them was sacrilege. She knew the only reason they wore them was as a battle trophy. They pinned them to their uniforms as a symbol of their supposed 'victory' and to remind Melodians of their strength. Terrible.
It was tough to spot true Melodians anywhere. Most Melodians hid themselves away in their stores and their houses, wanting to steer clear of the Valkarians. A lot of the people moved away from the main cities on Melody and chose to live in the smaller outer towns where there was fewer run ins with Valkarians. Nowhere was truly safe though. Every day, Kind Kataar would pose a new law or new tax on the people.
'It is for your own good' he would say. That the money 'is to help replenish supplies and food.'
But they were all lies. By Tecna's calculations, Melody would run out of resources within the next two years. Ever since the Valkarians came, crops began to die despite the efforts of hardworking farmers, water was not as clean as it once was, and just life on the planet began to sparkle less. That made replenishing resources very difficult. If Valkarians needed a planet, and they came peacefully, Musa's mother would have happily accepted them and let them immigrate but they didn't. Now, they were leeching away everything good about Melody, and unless they were stopped soon, life as they knew it would be over.
Tecna suddenly arrived at her destination and walked into the small stone covered store. A bell gently chimed above the door as Tecna entered and the soft yellow glow made the store feel even warmer inside. A nice contrast to the cold air that was creeping in. An elderly man walked up behind the counter and gave a gentle smile to Tecna. The man had greying hair in the mix of his dark navy hair. His soft purple eyes sparkled at seeing Tecna's lack of brown eyes. The Melodian gave a bigger smile knowing that a Valkarian wasn't going to give him trouble that evening.
"Good evening madam," the man said. "What can I do for you tonight?"
Tecna returned his smile. "Good evening," she said. "I need to send multiple copies of this letter to four different realms and I need them to be express shipped, please."
"No problem," the man said. "However, you do know that any inter-realm mail cannot arrive the following day due to the…..security checks."
By security checks he meant the Valkarians opening every outgoing mail to other realms and check them for signs of rebellion or hate speech. If any was detected, hate speech was an immediate fine and rebellion was immediate imprisonment. Sad to say that outgoing mail dramatically decreased when that was brought in over six years ago.
"Of course," Tecna said sadly. "Sadly, I am aware."
The man nodded grimly and began to start preparing the letters. He placed the original letter in a scanner and made the necessary copies.
"So, my dear," the man began. "Where would you like the letters sent?"
"To the princesses of Solaria, Sparks, Tides and Linphea."
It had been two days since Tecna had sent the letters without Musa's knowledge. After their little tiff, Tecna took it easy on the training and decided to let Musa keep to her normal schedule. The pair continued their routine of a morning walk around the palace and the gardens but there were still places that Musa was not allowed to go so finding gossiping courtiers was becoming a challenge.
In a small tearoom on the second floor of the palace, Musa sat at a small dining table with her breakfast and tea. The room was lovely, like a small sitting room with couches and dining table, and a large window overlooking the palace gardens. Musa rarely ate in that room, choosing to eat in her quarters to avoid running into Valkarians but if she wanted to show that she was changing then she had to be seen. This was one of the few rooms that Musa could access in the palace. Obviously, Musa was not allowed to have the palace chefs at her disposal so she only got simple muesli and yoghurt with a cup of tea but that was enough for her.
Tecna sat across from her drinking her own cup of tea, a cup she managed to sneak out of the kitchen along with Musa's breakfast. Despite having hot pink hair, as she was neither Melodian or Valkarian, Tecna was practically invisible to the 'royal' Valkarians and paid her no attention. That worked in her favour a lot.
Musa's guards stood watching Musa and Tecna at the table, their backs straight and arms behind their backs, as they stood either side of the double doors. Musa used this time just to reflect on her plan with Tecna. She knew that anything they said to each other would be relayed back to the king otherwise. The guards were a bit nicer towards Musa and Tecna since they started their act, however, as the saying goes, Magix was not built in a day, so they still had a lot to accomplish. A week does not bring the guards to her side…..yet.
After a few minutes, loud knocking echoed from the other side of the door. One of Musa's guards opened the door and revealed a messenger. It was time to continue her act with this messenger. The messenger walked into the room and stood in front of Musa and Tecna, he arms behind his back.
Musa swore that all Valkarians must love that stance – they all do it. The messenger had a stern look on his face, causing Musa to immediately stand. She curtseyed to the messenger. She normally wouldn't, however, she wanted every Valkarian to be under her spell for the king to believe her.
"Good morning, Sir," Musa said in her curtsey. "What do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
The messenger gave a side gaze to the guards, to which they gave a subtle shoulder shrug in return.
"Ah….Good morning….Lady Musa," the messenger replied, unsure of Musa's behaviour. He too was accustomed to her rebellious nature. "King Kataar has requested your presence in the throne room."
Musa's back tensed slightly at the request but her face remained unfazed.
"Of course," Musa immediately replied with a head nod. She turned to Tecna. "Please return my breakfast to the kitchen and thank them for me." She turned back to the messenger. "Lead the way, sir."
Again, the messenger raised an eyebrow at Musa before he turned and started to lead Musa away. Tecna quickly rushed the dishes down to the kitchen, thanking the staff as ordered, and ran back up the floors until she met Musa in the throne room.
Musa and her guards followed the messenger, no one uttering a word for a few moments.
"Excuse me, Sir," Musa began to the messenger. "But do you know what this is regarding?"
Musa prayed it was not because of the rebellion.
"You are not to ask questions, Siren," the messenger hissed back.
Musa internally cringed so she tried to appease the man. "My apologies, sir. I was merely enquiring to make sure that my attire was appropriate for His Highness. I would not want to embarrass him over an important matter."
"Uh….sure…." the messenger replied confused.
Musa decided not to push her luck further and remained silent for the rest of the walk. The foursome arrived in front of the familiar large double oak doors and Tecna suddenly appeared at the rear, a little out of breath. The messenger opened the doors and the group walked inside.
Musa was immediately surprised when she heard laughter echoing from the throne room. Musa and Tecna immediately curtseyed in front of the king when they entered.
"Ah…Lady Musa," a voice boomed.
Musa slowly rose from her curtsey and saw a smiling King Kataar sitting on the throne. The sight alone was enough to make Musa extremely nervous. A smile is a rare sight on any Valkarian, let alone the king. But Musa's questions were soon answered when in front of her she saw a group of ladies, dressed in their formal attire, laughing with the king.
"Thank you for joining us," the king continued.
The messenger and Musa's guards exited the room when King Kataar waved his hand.
"Good morning, Sire," Musa greeted with a warm smile. "You requested my presence?"
"Yes, I did," the king replied. "We have lovely guests here today that I thought it would be appropriate for you to greet them."
The group of girls turned around and Musa's eyes slightly widened. Standing in front of her were four girls – one tall blonde, one brunette, one red head, and one dark skinned girl.
"Please welcome our beloved ambassadors," King Kataar said with a slimy smile.
In shock, Musa slowly sank down into a curtsey while uttering, "W-welcome…Y-your Highnesses."
"It is so lovely to see you again L-Lady M-Musa," the red head uttered, stumbling over her words.
"She is just as l-lovely a-as I remember," the brunette said to the king with a smile.
"Ha..yes she is," the king replied with a strange look in his eyes.
"Forgive us, King Kataar," the dark-skinned girl said. "Our Fathers send their regards and hope that you are well. We are here in sign of friendship between our realms."
"Of course," King Kataar immediately replied. "I expect no less from your great realms. Thank you for joining us. It is always nice to see friends."
"We apologise for how long we have been gone," the blonde said looking sideways between the king and Musa and Tecna. "It won't happen again."
"No apologies necessary, Princess Stella," King Kataar said, waving his hand like it was not a big deal. "You lovely ladies are always welcome on Melody."
"As it has been a while since we were last here, we noticed some changes have taken place and we were hoping Lady Musa would be kind enough to give us a tour?" the red head said.
"Ah…." King Kataar began. "Well, I'm sorry Princess Bloom but Lady Musa has a lot on her plate today."
"I understand, Sire," Bloom replied with a soft smile. "It's just….we know that His Highness has a very busy schedule and we wouldn't want to impose on him or on the b-beloved Prince to give us a tour."
"Y-yes….quite right," the king stuttered out. "I'm sure Lady Musa can take time out of her day to give a detailed tour for you ladies."
The king stared pointedly at Musa, telling her that the tour was non-negotiable. Musa immediately knew the meaning and dropped into a curtsey again.
"I-it would be my pleasure to escort the princesses," Musa replied to the king.
The king gave a nod in approval. "Very well," he said. "Enjoy the day, Your Highnesses, and stay at the palace as long as you wish. Lady Musa, if the princesses wish to access 'other' areas, please inform the guards to assist."
"Yes, Your Highness," Musa immediately replied.
Translation – if Musa wanted to 'give a tour' to the areas she couldn't access then she had to drag her guards with her and get permission from them first. How charming.
The king dismissed the girls after that, and the group walked outside into the deserted hallway. The group was silent for a few moments, not knowing what to say.
"It's great to see you, Musa," the dark-skinned girl said.
Musa quietly nodded her head in response. "I guess," she replied.
"Y-you look well," the brunette added.
Musa pulled down on the sleeves of her long-sleeved dress in response. She didn't want her friends to see some of her healing wounds from her punishment the previous month. A Valkarian was attacked in a neighbouring city, supposedly by a Melodian but Musa knew it was a drunken bar fight between two Valkarians.
"As do you, Flora," Musa replied.
The group was silent again. Tecna stood next to Musa waiting to gage her reaction.
"I-it's….um….it's been a while, Musa, we know that," Bloom said sadly. "And….and we can't apologise enough for not being her enough for you."
"We have been the worst friends to you," Stella added sadly. "We have been friends for years so we are sorry we had to leave you last year."
Musa did not respond to them for another few minutes. All the girls around her knew she needed time to digest the fact that her long-time friends, who she hadn't had contact within a year, were suddenly in Melody.
"W-what….what are you…doing here?" Musa asked finally.
"We came to see you," the dark-skinned girl replied.
"Layla…" Musa began but was interrupted.
"We came to see you, because we got your letter," Layla added.
"What letter?" Musa asked confused. "You know I am forbidden to send letters."
"They were from me," Tecna said.
The group looked at their purple-haired friend.
"Musa, I knew you wouldn't and couldn't do it, so I did it for you. Girls, we need your help."
To say that Musa was angry at Tecna was an understatement. She had told her friend not to get the girls involved. If, god forbid, the king found out about their plan, Musa was convinced that he would not think twice about invading more realms. Musa, despite feeling abandoned by her friends, would not wish that hell on anyone else.
After Tecna's confession, the group decided it would be best to head somewhere more private to talk. Luckily, as the girls were considered ambassadors to the king, the group could walk around approved areas of the palace without Musa's goons. Princess Layla was used to avoiding palace guards anyway so if they were being followed, she would make sure to ditch them as soon as possible.
As it was a nice sunny day, the girls decided to head to the palace gardens. Due to their important discussion, Musa and Tecna led the group to the centre of the large hedge maze near the back of the 30-acre royal garden. Through the years Musa had used the maze to ditch her supposed protectors so it had come to be a special place for her, and she knew it like the back of her hand.
In the centre of the maze was a large marble statue of her mother, the late Queen Matlin. Around the statue were numerous bushes of roses, each a different colour, surrounding the entire base. This was the only remaining piece of the queen left in Melody. After the invasion, all paintings and statues of Musa's mother was either burned or destroyed. During that first year, the king made Musa watch them destroy reminders of her mother as her punishment. No Valkarian entered the maze so luckily no one knew of the statue's existence. Two stone benches lined the edge of the hedges, giving a view of the statue, so the group sat down on those.
"This place is beautiful," Flora said, admiring the beautiful rose pushes and the sound of the birds that fed on the pollen.
"Yes," Musa agreed sadly. "One of the remaining places in the whole palace that has a reminder of my mother. Everything else of hers was destroyed."
Awkward silence fell on the group. Musa was not trying to be rude or anything, she was just stating facts.
"We truly did not mean to hurt you, Musa," Bloom said, breaking the silence. "After….after what we saw….we couldn't bear to see it again. You are our dearest friend and to watch what that monster and his men did to you….."
"I know," Musa said with a sad smile. "I truly know that. I don't blame you either. I told you years ago not to intervene as it would put you at risk. To ask you to stay knowing what truly happens to me here and not intervene would have been selfish as well."
"But we can't stop the feeling of abandonment," Tecna added. "You girls came here so much as children when Queen Matlin was still alive. To not be able to see you or talk to you hurt."
"We know," Layla said. "We are truly sorry, but we are here now. Please, tell us what is going on. It must be really bad to risk getting caught sending letters."
Musa nodded her head. "I did not want to involve any of you. It would be too risky."
"We are your friends, Musa," Stella interrupted. "We would do anything for you."
"Well….it's too late now," Musa sighed. "You are already here, and the king has already seen you."
"Playing pretend with that monster was the worst experience ever," Flora hissed. "He shouldn't be standing in your palace, let alone on your planet."
"I agree," Musa agreed. "I know you all weren't really enjoying the king's conversation when I walked in."
"Tell us why you need our help," Bloom asked.
Tecna and Musa were quiet for a few seconds as they tried to think of how to broach the subject. There wasn't a better way than to just blurt it out.
"Tecna and I are planning to take down the Valkarians from the inside out," Musa said.
The girls were shocked into silence. Layla looked like she was impressed with the suggestion, Bloom worried but intrigued, Stella confused at the sudden change, and Flora just worried.
"What….what do you mean?" Flora asked. "How?"
"I am so sick of playing his game and it never gets me anywhere. My mother would be ashamed of me."
"No!" Tecna said angrily. "Your mother would never be ashamed. You were a child when they invaded – you played along so you could survive."
"Tecna is right," Bloom added. "You survived so that Melody still had an heir. You give them hope."
Musa scoffed. "What? I give my people – the people who are starving and forced into hard labour for the Valkarians – hope? With me wearing my long beautiful dresses, hair and make-up done to the nines, and watch as the Valkarians punish me in public? Showing my weakness? They are probably just as ashamed."
"Musa…" Flora began.
"But that ends now," Musa interrupted, determination flaring in her eyes. "This is my realm, those are my people, and they have kept my father and I prisoner for too long. I am going to butter them up, show them that I am indeed one of them and gain intel. I will use that intel and give it to the rebellion. There are rumours in the palace that another one is stirring."
"That's correct," Bloom said.
Musa and Tecna were stunned at Bloom's statement.
"Our realms have heard that a new leader of the rebellion has stepped forward," Bloom continued.
"What?" Musa said in shock.
"She's right," Layla added. "We don't know who they are, but the leader started a small rebellion force in Melody. They sent word about their plans to people in Magix, Solaria, Tides, Sparks and Linphea. Now, they have small rebellion forces in each realm, all pledging to help save Melody."
"You can't be serious?" Tecna asked. "How?"
"We don't know," Stella answered. "This leader made it happen I hear. Don't know how and no one knows who they are. I think he is Melodian as the rebellion started here. That's all people suspect about them."
"So, the rumours really are true?" Musa asked with hope.
"Absolutely," Stella answered immediately. "You aren't alone, Musa."
"How are you going to get intel?" Flora asked.
Musa and Tecna looked at each other for a few seconds before Musa looked back at the other girls. She sighed.
"I….I am going to get it from the prince," Musa answered.
"What?" the girls whispered in unison.
"Prince Riven returned early from his break," Tecna explained. "From what we saw the other day, it seemed as if he isn't as close with his father as he once was, or at least isn't as horrible."
"I am trying to pretend to all Valkarians that I am a changed person, that I have been influenced by them and see myself as Valkarian. They will let their guard down and, hopefully, allow me to get more access to the palace and find the prince," Musa explained further.
"And when you find the prince?" Stella asked.
"I….I am going to gain his trust, get him to fall for me, so he gives me all of the military information," Musa replied.
"What?" the girls whispered again in shock.
"There is no other way," Musa immediately replied. "The prince is the head of the Valkarian army and has been involved in their battle strategies for almost a decade. No one else will have the information I need to give to the rebellion."
"It is extremely risky, Musa," Stella said. "I mean, sure you could convince some of the Valkarians, but the prince and the king? You fought them every day since they arrived, which I don't blame you, but it would take a lot of planning."
"That's why I need you girls," Musa said. "Stella, there is no one I know that knows the intricacies and power moves of the court. They all gossip and they gossip to you."
"I tried teaching Musa how each courtier is connected and the gossip between them, but it is difficult," Tecna explained.
"Layla, your realm is the closest to Melody and letters to you will be checked less extensively. You can transfer messages to the rebellion for me."
"But why can't you use the rebellion here?" Layla asked.
"You said they are forming in Magix too," Musa answered. "Is that where the rebellion is big enough?"
"Yes," Bloom answered. "She's right. Magix is the biggest force for the rebellion.
"Then you can act as the messenger for me," Musa replied. "Flora, you know how to sweet talk anyone. I need your help to become a true lady, one that will make any Valkarian believe me."
"Bloom," Tecna said. "You are a great leader and you can convince anyone with your words. We need you to convince your realm and other realms to help join the rebellion. There is no one army that can defeat the Valkarians. The rebellion, even if one was bigger than the Valkarian force, could not defeat them alone. We need other realms. We need you to get as many leaders and realms on our side as we can."
"Tecna predicts that Melody's resources will have completely depleted within the next two years. After that, the Valkarians will move on to another unsuspecting realm and conquer it," Musa explained.
The girls gasped in shock. "Two years?" Flora asked. "That is impossible."
"The Valkarians are leeches," Tecna explained. "They take everything and force the Melodians to work to provide them. Also, Melody's magic has disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Bloom gasped. "How is that possible?"
"We don't know," Tecna answered sadly. "It isn't just Musa's powers that are gone but everyone's. Crops cannot grow, food cannot be produced, wildlife are depleting or escaping to other areas. It's like the magic on the planet as just been sucked dry. Nothing can replenish."
"Hence why you have two years," Layla added.
Tecna and Musa nodded their heads slowly.
"My people have two years max on this planet," Musa said. "If I don't do something now, we will all perish."
"Then they come after one of us," Bloom summarised.
Again, Tecna and Musa nodded their heads.
"What happened to their original planet?" Stella asked. "I am sure I heard stories from my grandfather that the Valkarians had their own planet."
"We don't know," Musa answered. "I just thought they were barbarians, just roaming from planet to planet, using them until they were nothing then moving on."
"Then maybe that is something we should add to our list," Bloom replied.
"You mean, you girls will help?" Musa asked.
"Of course we will!" Stella immediately replied.
"Yeah," Layla cheered. "It's high time the Valkarians got what was coming to them."
"Everyone in the magical dimension are sick of hiding from the Valkarians and pretending that they are not brutes," Flora added. "If we don't stop them, no one will."
"We will do anything for our friend," Bloom said.
Tears began to form in Musa's eyes.
"Girls, I cannot thank you enough," Musa said, whipping her eyes.
"No thanks needed," Bloom replied. "We are sorry that it took us this long to help."
"I'm sorry it took me this long to get a back-bone," Musa joked.
The girls all giggled.
"So here is what we will do," Bloom began. "We are here for two days, King Kataar wouldn't approve our stay longer than that."
"Probably because he wants to hide what he does to me and keep up appearances," Musa hissed.
"Probably," Bloom agreed. "But doesn't matter. In those two days, Flora, Stella and Tecna are going to whip you into shape and mould you into 'the perfect lady' to fool the Valkarians. In the meantime, Layla and I will start finding the rebellion here on Melody, figure out what they are planning. When we leave, Layla and I will continue to get recruits from our realms, convince our fathers to give us armies to the rebellion, and send messages to each other."
"I will do some research and see how we could send secret messages to each other without risking letters. Too many letters back and forth, I'm sure, would raise a red flag," Tecna said.
"Perfect," Bloom replied. "Once we go, Musa, I think you need to use your new charm on the Valkarian courtiers. They love to gossip so I know the news of your 'change' will reach the king. Once done, go to the king and get him to give you access to their library."
"Their library?" Musa asked confused.
"We need to know what happened to their planet and why they are so hell bent on using other realms to sustain themselves. There is bound to be something behind this," Bloom answered. "Also, you need to know something about the Valkarians if you want to show that you have changed. Prince Riven is not going to be easily fooled."
Musa looked down at her hands in her lap sadly. Tecna gently rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Look," Tecna began. "We all know that this will be a big ask of you. You will have to pretend to be someone you're not, pretend to believe things that eat you up inside, and….try to gain favour with the prince. It will be hard, and you will have to learn about the Valkarians for this to work, but I promise, in-between this plan, I will try to figure out what happened to your powers and the magic of your realm."
"We all will, Musa," Flora added.
"Thank you, girls, that means more than anything," Musa said.
The girls all sat closer to Musa and pulled her into a big group hug.
For the first time in years, Musa truly felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. As the saying goes, you are graced with a great future in life, but you are given hurdles in between to make you stronger. Hopefully, this will make Musa stronger and she can finally save her people.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or followed this story so far! I hope that you all continue to support this story and I love hearing from you all.
Till next time xx
~AngelAlexandra~
