At recess later that day, Lamenta and Lee Ali went back to the sandbox and started building a sandcastle together, this time having a genuinely good time just playing together.

Lee Ali found a stick to place on top of the castle, and Lamenta found a leaf to stick on it to make it look more like a flag. And she did a little magic, making some purple flowers sprout onto the little castle's towers.

"Pretty." said Lee Ali.

"Thanks." Lamenta said. "So, tell me something about you, Lee. What do you like doing for fun?"

"Hmm. I like a lot of things." Lee Ali said. "I have a pet Voorpak I like to play with. His name's Yappy. Sometimes my mom and I read together, and I like dancing."

"Me too!" Lamenta said. "My parents and I learn dancing together. My favorite is ballet."

"No way! That's my favorite too. Have you seen the Nutcracker?"

"Seen it? I danced in it once." Lamenta said. "One day, my parents and I were on vacation, and there were auditions for little girls to do ballet, and I danced in the Waltz of the Flowers."

"I love that one." said Lee Ali.

"Me too. You should hear my cousin Gabby play the music on the piano. She actually makes roses grow every time she does too. I play the violin."

"Cool."

And today, as expected, Gabby was getting a lot of attention today from the other kids.

"Your cousin really is popular, isn't she?" Lee Ali said, looking at the crowd of kids surrounding Gabby as she played jump rope.

"Oh, she doesn't enjoy it as much as you might think." Lamenta said. "She's had problems with finding real friends as badly as I have. If it's not because her parents are famous, it's because she's gonna be queen of Naboo when she grows up."

"My big sister is the complete opposite." Lee Ali said. "She loves to be popular. She hates being second-best."

"Oh, you have a sister?" Lamenta said.

"Yup. But we don't get along very well. Since I can remember, she always had to be the best at everything and take all the best things for herself. She's the worst, and we have to share a bedroom because our apartment has only three rooms, and my mom uses one of them for her job."

"I guess not all big sisters can be like Aunt Kara. She and my daddy and Uncle Anakin only found out they were siblings recently, and Kara's already started being a good big sister to them and auntie for me and my cousins."

"Some families get all the luck."

"I'm sure deep down, your sister loves you. I honestly wish I had a sister. Or a brother. Uncle Anakin is about to have four kids, and my daddy only had me. Maybe we can have a playdate sometime."

Gabby finally managed to escape the other kids.

"Alright guys, seriously. Please let a princess have her personal space." Gabby said, walking to the sandbox. and she noticed her cousin wasn't alone. "Hey, Lamenta. Oh, hi there."

"Hey, Gabby. Lee Ali, this is my cousin Gabby." Lamenta introduced. "Gabby, Lee Ali."

"Nice to meet you." Gabby smiled.

"Your highness." Lee Ali bowed.

"Please, don't bow." Gabby said.

"Isn't that what we're supposed to do for our future queen?"

"At formal events, yes. But not in school. Here, I'm just a kid like you."

"My sister wouldn't see it like that. She'd love being a princess if it meant getting all the attention like you."

"Well, it's not as much fun as it might look to her. And I plan to make a change to how we experience school today."


Later, as classes were going on again, Coach Karen was coaching gym class for the eighth graders.

"Alright, move it, move it you lazy rascals!" the coach yelled as the students ran laps. "This is Phys ed, not prancing time!"

That was when Principal Sumner entered the scene.

"Coach Karen, I'd like a word with you." said Mrs. Sumner.

"I'm in the middle of a class, Lilian." said Karen.

"It's about the cheer tryouts."

"Not to worry, the girls will be ready for the big game. I've already arranged for practice to go as planned tomorrow."

"But what about the boys?"

"Only the cheerleaders are at practice, not the football players."

"I'm not talking about the football players. I'm talking about the lack of male cheerleaders."

"There weren't enough boys let any on. Only one actually showed up, and his routine was inadequate."

"I don't believe that." said a new voice.

And that was when a hooded figure came beside Mrs. Sumner and removed his hood.

"Is that King Qui-Gon?" said one girl.

Some of the kids tripped or screeched to a stop when they heard this news; it wasn't everyday a royal person came to their school (one who wasn't a student or faculty member, anyway).

"Your Majesty." bowed Coach Karen. "It's an honor."

"Is it?" Qui-Gon did not look happy. "I came here regarding my grandson. Boba. My son Anakin told me Boba was rejected because he is male despite his exceptional performance."

"Lots of cheerleaders who get rejected claim their routines were great."

"I thought you might say that."

Qui-Gon took out his phone and showed a video of Boba performing his routine.

"Is this what you would call inadequate?"

"That could just be editing."

"My son Carmine is Count Crescendo's choreographer. He, along with various experts in dance trained him for the last four months. And Boba would never lie to his family."

"Not only that." said Mrs. Sumner. "When I gave you the list for tryouts, there were at least twelve other boys who signed up."

"My daughters-in-law both questioned the families and those boys." Qui-Gon said. "All of them said they received emails saying that cheer tryouts were cancelled. And that wasn't true. It seems you neglected to send a fake email to one boy."

"Who says there were fake emails?"

"Apparently you aren't aware the school computers have all activities monitored." said Mrs. Sumner.

The principal pulled out her tablet and showed that Coach Karen had indeed sent out an email to all the boys who signed up to try for cheer. And then, she showed her the video Boba made and all the support he was getting from students, teachers, and many holo-net influencers.

"You realize this is a very serious offense that goes against everything Windy Falls Academy stands for."

Coach Karen stammered for a moment, and the principal said, "You have thirty minutes to clear out your things."

Coach Karen couldn't believe what was happening here and now.

"Your Majesty, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind keeping an eye on the students until the bell rings while I begin searching for a new coach?"

"Of course, Principal Sumner." Qui-Gon said.

While the principal was gone, the kids were curious. They gathered around and had questions for him.

"Are you really super strong?" asked one girl.

"Can you lift a Jedi Cruiser?" asked a boy.

"My dad said you died years ago."

Qui-Gon anticipated that kids would have a lot of questions. When Gabby and her friends cast the revival spell last year, everyone had so many questions. Everyone. The Jedi Council, Padawans, citizens of the Republic, and especially the media and Enchantra High Commission.

In all the few times anyone cast the Amorevo spell, the youngest Enchanted to cast it was thirteen. This was the first time in history a five-year-old had cast it.

Gabby had done a lot of research before casting the spell, and apparently so had everyone else who took the risk of casting the spell. Young magical creatures of various species with longer lifespans made casting safer, and immortal being such as nymphs and genies took the least life force from mortal beings. And the flowers Gabby grew before casting the spell added a boost as well. That being shown as many of the plants wilted after the spell was cast, leaving mainly seeds.

After that, Qui-Gon was no stranger to a lot of questions, and a lot of people hounded Gabby as well as him after that.

Scientists, teachers from the best schools on Escuela, and of course reporters were all over Gabby when they heard about Qui-Gon being revived.

It seemed to take forever for people to settle down, and things got even crazier when Qui-Gon's coronation was being set up. When the EHC learned Solaran magic still existed, and the land was reviving itself, legally the royal family could take back their kingdom. And despite Miranda never becoming queen, Qui-Gon was naturally first in line for the throne. And knowing how much saving the kingdom meant to his mother and late grandparents, he accepted the crown.

"It is true I do super strength." Qui-Gon said. "I inherited this power from my grandfather Reginald Starling, said to be one of the greatest leaders Solaris knew before its fall."

"My mom's friend is a reporter." said one girl. "She said Princess Gabriella brought you back with a spell that brings people back to life."

"It is true. She did. However, none of you must get any ideas of asking her to cast the spell for you. It is a very rare spell, very difficult to cast. Even if Gabriella could cast it multiple times, she knows as well as I that it could upset the balance of our very galaxy."

"Why does she have so many powers?" asked one boy. "I don't know much about Enchanteds, but I've only seen one kind of power from every member of the royal family."

"Gabriella is a rare case. Her powers develop with her surroundings and experiences. She is a girl of many talents. And her greatest, she never gives up on the people she loves. Once she's set her mind to something, she does not stop until she's completed the mission. All of my children and grandchildren are gifted in their own ways, and so are each of you. None of you require magical powers to do extraordinary things with your lives."


At lunch that day, Gabby sat with her cousin and her new friend.

As expected, other kids began giving Gabby the royal treatment again.

One boy placed a beautiful red rose by Gabby's plate, and another dusted off her seat and placed a pillow before she sat down.

"Okay, that's it." Gabby said.

It was time to put her plan into action.

Gabby stepped up and stood on the table and whistled to catch everyone's attention.

"If everyone would please pay attention." Gabby called out. Everyone was silent. "I've got something very important to say. It's about how some students have been treating me here."

"Has someone been disrespecting you, Princess?" said one girl. "Let me at 'em!"

Gabby chuckled and said, "No. Actually, everyone here has been very nice and giving me the royal treatment. I've been treated like the queen here since day one. And that's the problem."

The other kids were confused.

"I appreciate all the gifts and the kindness I've been receiving, but I came to a real school because I'd hoped to be amongst the people I'll be leading someday. I may be a princess, but I'm also a kid just like all of you. I have a family of my own, I have feelings, and even the royal family faces personal issues. I'm more than just the future queen of Naboo. Behind my crown and princess smile, there's a girl who just wants to make true friends, and to understand the people around her. And doing me a bunch of favors and giving me cookies isn't how I wanted that to happen. I want to get to know all of you as people, and I really hope there are those among you who will do the same for me."

Lamenta was astonished by how brave her cousin was. Most kids would never take such a risk in front of the whole school. In front of the whole school was the easiest place to do something that would either make you the most popular kid in school, or the laughingstock. But Gabby was like her father and her mother. She knew the risks of every big thing she did, but when it came to fighting for what was right, especially when her loved ones were involved, none of those risks scared her.

Suddenly, Lamenta felt like being brave too. She may have inherited her father's shyness, but that didn't mean either of them were cowards. And the younger cousin stepped up beside Gabby.

"And me." Lamenta said. "Some of you already approached me, not because I'm a princess, but because my parents work for Count Crescendo and thought I could get you tickets, autographs, or inside scoops. News flash, that's not how it works. Even if it were, I'm not a golden ticket to celebrities. I'm a human kid! Princess or not, I have feelings like any of you. And like my cousin said, we're both more than just our crowns and titles. We wanna be treated like people, not just royalty. That doesn't mean we won't expect respect, though."

"Girls, both of you, off the table." said Ms. Deera. "Your titles don't exempt you from school rules."

"Yes, Ms. Deera." said the princesses.

The girls got down from the table. Gabby really hoped she'd done the right thing. Everyone was sent back to their seats. But, one first grade boy with dark hair and blue eyes left Gabby a heart-shaped chocolate and smiled at her before he left.

"I think that boy likes you, Gabby." Lee Ali giggled.

Gabby looked at the candy and picked it up. The boy who gave it to her was named Gale Knight. He was a foreign exchange student from the kingdom of Nochestrella. He seemed pretty shy though. Gabby never heard him speak, but he seemed like a nice boy.


After school ended, Gabby, Lamenta, and the twins were much happier when they left.

Lamenta was so excited when she got home, she ran right to her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy! I made a new friend!" she screamed happily.

"That's fantastic, Lammy." Caroline smiled. "Who are they?"

"Her name's Lee Ali. She's really nice. We played in the sandbox again today. I met her yesterday. We talked, and she felt bad about how the other kids treated me. And we sat at lunch together. She likes ballet too. Can she come for a playdate?"

"We'll have to talk to her parents first, Sweetie." said Carmine. "But we're definitely happy you've met a special friend."

"Hey, Mom. Can I go rock climbing with Hera on Saturday?" Omega asked.

"If it's okay with her parents." Padme said.

Qui-Gon also got Boba alone to talk privately.

"If this is about me getting called to the principal's office, I didn't do anything wrong." Boba said.

Qui-Gon chuckled and said, "You're not in any trouble, Boba. I actually have good news. I talked to the principal today, and she says you're on the cheer team."

Boba's eyes widened at that.

"Are you kidding me?!" he smiled.

"As it turns out, Coach Karen sent emails to other boys who signed up, telling them tryouts were cancelled. Apparently, she was very against having boys on the squad. But since she overlooked your name, thanks to your standing up, she's been fired, and Mrs. Sumner is searching for a replacement and scheduling make-up tryouts as we speak."

"Who's gonna coach the cheer team until we have a replacement?"


Cheer tryouts...

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Carmine Jinn. You may know me as a Prince of Solaris, but while I hold the whistle, you will address me as Coach Carmine."

"Uncle Carmine?" Boba and Omega were both surprised.

As it turned out, Carmine was more than a secret pop star and a choreographer. He was also a certified dance instructor, which qualified him to be a substitute coach until the school found a permanent candidate. When Qui-Gon shared with Mrs. Sumner how great of a dancer Carmine was and how amazing he was with kids, she thought it would be wise to give him a chance. And who could turn down the choreographer of one of the galaxy's biggest stars?

"That's right. Until Mrs. Sumner can find a permanent replacement for former Coach Karen, I'll be filling in as the cheer squad's new coach."

"And I'm his assistant." Remix said.

"No offense, Your Highness," said Madison. "But what do you know about cheerleading?"

"Omega, hold my whistle." Carmine said, handing Omega his whistle. "Remix, give me a beat."

Remix spun his tunes, and Carmine went across the mat, doing various flips, cartwheels, and outstanding leaps. The kids were astonished as he did so many tricks, and went on the balance beam, gymnastic rings, and trampoline like a professional gold-medal Olympic gymnast.

And he finished it off with a backflip, landing perfectly on his feet.

The kids cheered as Carmine completed his routine.

"I know more than you'd think." Carmine said. "Believe it or not, I joined the cheer squad in high school. And I was captain. And today, we will be holding new tryouts to allow some of the boys who were denied the chance to even try out to become official members of this squad. Boba, would you care to say something to our potential future teammates?"

Boba stepped up in front of all the guys who came to try out.

"All of you are here because you wanna motivate school spirit, no doubt." Boba began. "For too long, this sport has been limited only to girls, and you've probably been told things like, 'cheerleading isn't for boys,' 'why aren't you playing real sports like the other guys?' and all sorts of stuff like that. But, cheer is a real sport because it requires not just a strong body and great physical abilities, but determination, motivation, and most of all, heart. You all have potential, but only some of you will make the final cut. But that doesn't mean you won't find other ways to live up to your full potentials. Whether you have special powers or not, you're special in your own way. And now, you have a chance to show just how special each of you really is. So are you ready to get cheering?"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered.

And thus began the tryouts.

Roya kissed Boba's cheek.

"You have what it takes to become captain of the cheer team someday." she told her boyfriend.