Outside the Royal Palace
May 14
11h00
"It's all right, Keika-khi." reassured Aislina. "The queen is very kind."
"I hope you're right…" Keika looked up at the palace towers. She felt uncomfortable, especially in this new, fancy outfit.
A sleeveless maxi dress with high slits up the sides of the skirt provided freedom of movement. It was made of emerald-green silk. Cream-hued tights with green and gold starburst embroidery added a modest touch. The tights placed in gold flats that were perfectly sized. Her hair was braided flawlessly and held with a sparkling ribbon.
"Can you come with me?"
"I wish I could. But this is not my moment. This is all yours."
Six of the Royal Guards came. There was one of each type of Vahki. Their armor was purely the metal of their district, rather than the usual coloration.
"Come with us, Star-Child." said the Vorzahk. His golden armor reflected the sun and glinted into Keika's eyes. After a few self-inflicted blindings, Keika was used to it.
"Please," said Aislina, "call her Keika."
"Very good." This time the Zadahk spoke. His copper armor glowed like the sunset.
"You mean very well?" interjected the Bordahk, her silver armor shining like moonlight on the canals.
The bronze-armored Nuurahk had a chuckle. Meanwhile, the pewter-armored Rorzahk exchanged sly glances with the platinum-armored Keerahk.
Finally, all six nodded at each other. They then turned to Keika. "Keika, come with us."
"Bye, Mom..." Keika's starry demeanor was being sucked into a black hole. Aislina gave Keika one more hug, then walked away.
Keika couldn't believe it. These were the best of the best, chosen to guard the Royal Family. And now they were guarding her.
"Hello, Keika." said a sweet female voice. Keika immediately knelt and bowed her head. That was Termina, Metru Nui's queen.
"Your Leadership…" began Keika.
"Please, call me Termina. Also, it won't hurt to stand up and look me in the eye."
Keika nervously raised her head and stood up. With that, she marveled at Termina's beauty.
Termina's dress reminded Keika of the green ruqun Mulan wore at the beginning of the first movie, as far as the overall style. But the fabric and colors were completely different. It looked like it was woven from celestial energy and the essence of royalty. Various hues of gold and yellow, with accents of amethyst and lilac, complemented Termina's extremely fair skin.
Her hip-length dark hair was in a half-up bun, held with a golden crown hairpiece. The hairpiece was adorned with six gems, each set in a different metal, to represent the six districts of the city. The first from the left was an emerald, set in gold, for Le-Metru. The second was a moonstone, set in platinum, for Ko-Metru. The third was a sapphire, set in silver, for Ga-Metru. The fourth was a citrine, set in copper, for Po-Metru. The fifth was a ruby, set in bronze, for Ta-Metru. The sixth was an onyx, set in pewter, for Onu-Metru.
"You look lovely." whispered Keika.
"You look lovely as well." complimented Termina. "Come in." She gestured to the guards to exit. They obeyed. Keika followed Termina into the palace - still unsure of what was happening.
Garden of the Elements
Same day
13h00
After lunch, Keika followed Termina outside. They stopped outside an elaborate wrought-iron gate. Upon closer inspection, the patterns were the symbols of the six elements: fire, water, air, earth, stone, and ice. They circled a seventh pattern Keika had never seen - a ring of shooting stars around two suns. The gate was locked.
"Your Leadership…" Keika began. Termina put up a hand.
"Please, call me Termina." she said serenely.
"Are you sure?" Keika sounded nervous.
Termina laughed. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Very well… Termina."
"You don't have to speak formally around me." Termina pointed. "I actually prefer when children show their innocence."
"OK, Termina." Keika managed to smile.
"That's more like it. Now, could you please open the gate?"
"But I don't have a key…"
Termina stood back and nodded. Keika took that as a cue that there wasn't a key. Maybe she'd have to use these newfound powers...
Keika traced each element symbol with her index finger. Nothing happened - until she placed her hands over the center, at the seventh symbol.
The shooting stars started glowing at the heads, and the light circled around in a rhythm. It spread to the rays of the two suns. Keika was hypnotized by the motion.
Out of nowhere, a voice echoed in Keika's head…
"Focus, my Star-Child. Focus. You must control the light, not the other way around."
Keika didn't know who was speaking to her. Whoever this was, he or she gave good advice. Her hands took on an aura and the light flowed into the entire gate. With a golden flash, the gate opened!
"What… what did I do?"
"You opened the gate, Keika." said Termina, snapping Keika out of her trance. "Now we can go in."
Keika decided not to tell Termina about the helpful voice. With that, they entered the Garden of the Elements.
At first glance, it looked a lot like a garden Keika saw in a book on Japan. It wasn't contrived and artificial like a European garden. It was a small-scale model of nature… with some Metru Nui flair.
The garden, like the city, was divided into six sections. Each section represented one of the six elements: fire, water, air, earth, stone, and ice.
The first section was the Fire Garden. It had three small fire pits, from which flowed three streams of molten bronze. The streams collected into a pond that boiled like a metallic hot spring. There was a bridge over the streams, made of dark igneous rock. A bench that matched the bridge sat under a Flame-Blossom Tree. The tree was fairly small, with grainy, ash-gray bark. It had crinkled leaves that blazed in perpetual autumn colors, and sharp vertical flowers that started white at the base and turned to scarlet at the top. The ground was covered with eruption fragments in deep reds and shades of warm gray.
The second section was the Water Garden. Part of it was slightly elevated, where a pond became a waterfall. The waterfall, in turn, fed a small lake. Lotuses graced the lake, while river rocks surrounded it. A bench made of glittering light gray granite was surrounded by sea grasses and lilies, with a Sea Magnolia making a canopy. The almost-white bark had a subtle wave pattern, with waxy seafoam-green leaves and cupped flowers the same brilliant blue as a tropical ocean. Green-and-blue sea glass and smooth gray pebbles graced the ground.
The third section was the Air Garden. Three small fountains were placed around it. The fountains each had an abstract sculpture in the center. One of them looked like two Toa embracing, another like two Vahki in pursuit, still another like two Matoran dancing. Glass mobiles hung delicately from verdant bushes, swaying and circling in the breeze. A bench made of yellow marble was placed under a Whirlwind Maple. The light yellowish-gray bark peeled off in swirling patterns like ribbons; feather-like emerald leaves crowned the branches. Uncut green-and-white streaked stones with flecks of gold made Keika feel like she was literally walking on sunshine.
The fourth section was the Earth Garden. It had three springs that bubbled up and flowed into a reflecting pool. Square-leafed, greenish-black ivy with pewter-hued veins covered some of the ground. A bench made of polished black stone was surrounded with flowers in deep purple and midnight blue, with a Cavern Oak for shade. The knotted trunk stood up like a stalagmite, with dark brownish-gray bark and the deepest green leaves. The ground that wasn't covered by the ivy had the same black stones as the bench, with some semi-precious stones throughout.
The fifth section was the Stone Garden. No water could be found. Instead, sunrise-hued desert flowers graced the landscape, sustained by hidden irrigation. The ground was covered in sand of all colors, swirled into patterns. Paths were bordered with rocks in various shapes and sizes. A bench made of sandstone, surrounded by more flowers, was kept cool by a Desert Pine. The bark was rough and in endless shades of brown; the way the tree grew pushed the evergreen branches over the bench.
The sixth section was the Ice Garden. Although the surrounding area was warm, something kept the Ice Garden barely thawed. Three reflecting pools were frozen over, making perfect ice mirrors. Short evergreens glistened with frost and small icicles, catching the light and tossing back tiny rainbows. The paths were bordered by snow-blossoms, freely spreading flowers in various shades of pink. A bench made of sparkling quartz crystal was covered by a Winter Fir. The bark was a cool pale gray with a texture like cracked ice, and glassy blue needles that reflected the light.
"It's beautiful." breathed Keika. She stood in the center.
"Thank you." said Termina. "You're wondering about the Ice Garden, I take it?"
"Yes." Keika looked again and focused a bit. When the sunlight hit the area, it bounced off. "An invisible barrier?"
"Most people can't see it," said Termina, "but maybe you can. Focus on how the light is bouncing."
Keika squinted and really focused. The sunlight was coming down like a heavy rain, little particles coming together and making wavy sheets. It rolled down the sides as if going off a dome. She focused harder, and saw a glowing mist surrounding the garden. Some of the sunlight radiated from the mist, just enough to keep the garden alive.
"Ow…" she groaned. "My head hurts."
"You've seen it, Keika. You can stop focusing."
Keika blinked. The mist disappeared, and the sunlight came normally. Her headache went away.
"You can sense the light and how it moves." said Termina. "Can you sense it inside of you?"
Keika closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She heard the voice again:
"Star-Child, your entire body holds the light. Let it rush through your bloodstream. Let it spark up and down your nerves. Let it find a rhythm in your four hearts. Let it put a shine to your hair and a glow to your skin."
"I feel it." Keika whispered. "It's the best feeling in the world!"
Termina put her hand on Keika's now-glowing shoulder. "Good. You can find the light inside and outside." Keika opened her eyes and realized she was surrounded by an aura. It felt like the binary suns, the stars, the moon - all together.
"Termina?" she asked. Her glow gradually dimmed until she was back to normal.
"Yes, Keika?"
"Someone is talking to me. Like when I opened the gate, they told me to focus and control the light instead of letting it control me."
"And when you asked if I could sense the light inside, they said my entire body holds the light."
Termina smiled. "There's only one person who knows how much light you have, and she's in the stars."
Realization dawned. Aislina had to know.