Starlit sagged against her heavy oak chair, lifting her hair off her neck. The upbeat music swirled around her, calling the guests the dance.
"Star, what are you doing sitting down?! You should be dancing," Cassiopeia came over, still swaying to the music. Her face was bright red and a grin split her face.
"I'm tired; I only mean to rest for a moment. Come keep me company?" Starlit motioned to the chair next to her.
Cassiopeia hesitated but nodded, moving around the table to sit next to her sister. "Whew, it does feel nice to sit! We've been dancing for so long!" She was quiet for a moment, watching her sister watch the dancers. "You're not starting to feel shy, are you?" She smiled a bit.
"No, no. I said I was just tired. I'll go back out soon enough."
"There have been a couple guys checking you out. Will you dance with any of them, if they were to come ask?" Cassiopeia asked, glancing over at the mentioned men.
"No. Why should I wait for them to ask? I'm fully capable of asking them myself!"
"You are?" Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. Starlit could barely speak to strangers at their own castle; it'd surprise her if her shy little sister could talk to strangers in a foreign place.
Starlit knew Cassiopeia was referring to her sometimes extreme shyness but she kept going, "Yes, I am. All women are. We do not need to just sit here and while away our time waiting for some guy to invite us to do something. We can invite them. We have feet to walk us over to them and mouths to speak to them, even if they don't want to hear it."
Cassiopeia shook her head, "Uh, Star..."
"No, I'm going to prove it to you." She looked over at the three boys that her sister had pointed out earlier. One was looking back at her, a small smile curving up the corner of his full lips. His chocolate brown eyes danced as he tilted his head, almost as if he was challenging her.
Starlit stood and walked over, purpose in her step.
"Hello," he greeted her, his lips turning up into a half smile.
"Hi. I... Uh..." Starlit was hit with a wave of uncertainty. She glanced over at Cassiopeia, who waved her on. "Dance with me." She held out her right hand, the other on her hip.
He stared at her for a moment before shrugging and taking her hand.
"I'm Starlit by the way."
Firla played with the large bow on the side of her dress, shifting awkwardly. She was seated on a chaise off the side of the dance floor. Her dress was a frothy cloud of pale pink ruffles around her. Nearby, her younger brother played on the floor, keeping himself busy.
"Why aren't you dancing?" Dafne asked as she approached. She perched on the edge of the chaise and took Firla's hand. "There are lots of cute boys here. Of course, I'm sure you wouldn't be interested." She winked.
Firla smiled weakly, "I'm not. Besides, no one would be interested in me; I'm too much of a klutz. That's why I'm not dancing."
"Honey, you're not a klutz; you just need a proper leader. Come dance with me. Show off your pretty dress."
Firla ran her free hand over the fabric, appreciating the decadent feel of the material. "It's from Solarian Stella," She stated proudly. "But I'd rather stay here with Brannon and keep an eye on him."
Dafne shook her head, "No getting out of this one." She turned to Brannon and ran a hand over his hair gently to get his attention. "Brannon, would you like to dance with your sister and me?"
Brannon looked up from his model cars and grinned, "Sure!" He tossed the cars into a little basket behind the curtains covering a window overlooking the garden.
"But Grandmother..." Firla tried to object. It was pointless, she realized when Dafne stood and deftly pulled her young granddaughter to her feet.
"Now, my lovely grandchildren let us dance!" Dafne kept hold of Firla's hand and captured Brannon's too.
Firla reluctantly followed her onto the dance floor.
Carole followed her mother's steps, her eyes on their feet peeking from under their gowns. They spun through the crowd, keeping in perfect time with the music. Carole was a very talented dancer, but she didn't want to accidentally step on her mother's dress or shoes. Her father would scold her for not paying attention.
"Carole, dear, look up. You're fine," her mother murmured. "Enjoy the music, we'll be fine." She squeezed her daughter's hand.
"I'm not worried," Carole quickly responded before thinking. She bit her lip; her parents hated lying.
"Dear, I know you are. I can see it on your face. You've been worrying all evening," Tania squeezed her daughter's hand. "Everything will be fine."
"I just want Father and you to be proud of me; I want you two to be happy." Carole sighed.
"We're very proud of you, Carole. Your father just isn't the best at showing it." She paused for a moment, watching her youngest daughter's face closely, "And don't think that just because you went to Alfea you have to prove yourself."
"Father hates Alfea, though." Carole executed a perfect spin.
"But, it makes you happy. Your father doesn't exactly hate it. He just doesn't agree with some of the school's beliefs." Tania explained as she guided her around the dance floor.
"What beliefs doesn't he agree with?" Carole questioned. She tried to think of the things she was taught in school that her father wouldn't like. They taught the same things that she had gone over briefly when she was younger.
Tania glanced over Carole's shoulder and shook her head, "You'll know when you're older. It does not affect your schooling, however, despite what he might think."
King Cy and Clara danced their way over and greeted the mother-daughter duet. The two pairs spun around each other.
Carole responded politely but her mind was preoccupied. What could Alfea teachers possibly believe in that made her father despise the school so much?
Zanna lay in bed, her youngest sister curled against her side. Zhia's light snores were the only sound in the room. Zanna played with Zhia's soft hair and drifted in and out of consciousness. Every once in a while she caught the sounds of her father working in the room over, trying to catch up on his work now that Zhia was with Zanna.
Zanna loved having her sister with her; she could keep bad dreams away better. Tonight would be her last night with her family for this break and she wanted to enjoy it. She had a feeling it'd be awhile before she was back.
Anila shifted to tuck her feet up under her on the chair. Her eyes scanned the page of her novel quickly. The quiet of the house surrounded her, comforted her. Every now and then she could hear her grandmother turn in her bed, letting Anila know she was okay as she slept. She eyed the front door, the locks gleaming in the dark.
She scolded herself for being so paranoid. The house was protected by powerful spells that Meridah had out up long ago, spells that would keep anything out at this time of night.
She laid her book down on her knee and picked up her cup of tea. She inhaled the fresh scent of chamomile and lemon before taking a sip, looking out the window. This was her favorite time of day. The sun had set, the air had cooled, and all was quiet- even the always present wind.
Anila's eyes followed a fallen flower that the wind caught as it swirled through the open air. After a few moments she scolded herself, "Stop daydreaming. You were supposed to have this book done by the time you got back to school."
She went back to her book, placing her teacup on the table next to her. She'd get this book done.
Just like she'd keep watch on her grandmother the last night she was home for several months. Anila wouldn't lose Meridah like she lost her parents.
Starlit swirled around the ballroom, led expertly by her dance partner. They talked minimally; all she really knew was he was a Specialist at Redfountain.
Across the dance floor, closer to where the new king and queen sat, Firla danced in a circle with her younger brother and her grandmother. Dafne's face was alight with laughter as the three of them tried to not bump into each other, or their guests.
At the back of the ballroom, seated at a table with her parents, Carole watched the other guests. Hidden under the table and layers of her voluminous skirts, she slipped off her shoes to give her feet some relief.
In a second, the room was black and with moments the fast-paced music died away. The crowd started to panic, shuffling around in the pale light given off from the moonless sky coming through the huge windows. Before King Blaize could speak a word, little flames appeared above the wall sconces, giving off different colored light. The lights were bright, shining in reds and blues and yellows. A silhouette appeared above the crowd, shifting wildly.
"The Keepers are called upon by the Great Dragon! The world is in peril."/ The voice was deep and full of power, leaving the party-goers looking on in shocked awe. /"I had chosen from the many planets of the Magix Dimension, long ago. Many lines of Keepers have lived and died, and with them has gone their stories. It is time for this generation's Keepers of the Dragon to accept their power!"
Three red lights shot from the Dragon and into the crowd as if searching for something, panicking the crowd.
"Princess Firla of Domino, Keeper of the Dragon's Flame."
A single red light hit Firla, disappearing into her chest, as her name was spoken. She stared down at her hands, lit by a red glow. She gasped in amazement.
"You're glowing... all over," Brannon whispered, his golden hazel eyes wide in awe.
Firla watched as the glowing in her hands intensified. A shape began to form in front of her, surrounded in the same reddish glow. In a flash, the glow disappeared from the object and her, leaving a small red gem in her palms.
The gem shone in the darkened room, lighting up the nearby faces. The wall sconces' red flames brightened and grew larger.
The voice from the silhouette spoke once more, "Princess Carole of Callisto, Keeper of the Dragon's Tear!"
Carole had stood when the room went black and as the silhouette had spoken she moved farther away from her table, leaving her shoes behind. Now, she was hit with the second glowing red light. Her body filled with the glow and she stared at her red toes peeking from under her dress.
"Why is she glowing?" Her father hissed. Carole could hear his chair move and when she glanced back he was standing.
"Why was she chosen?" Clara hissed, stamping a foot in her chair. She was kept in her chair by Tania's hand on hers.
"Hush, dear."
Carole's attention went back to the dance floor, watching the silhouette in awe, only looking down when a vibrant sphere of appeared in front of her. She gently lifted her hands to cup them under the lights, her eyes wide and full lips parted in shock. There was another flash of light, and the glow was gone. In its place was a little gem; the center of the gem pulsed with a blue-ish tint.
The blue flames that lit the wall sconces brightened and a faint look of snow came from the top.
Starlit looked on, awestruck at the sight of the Dragon's silhouette and what was going on around her. Nearby, one of the girls- Firla, Starlit recalled- closed her hand around a faint glowing object and moved closer to the silhouette, her head tilted up.
The silhouette spoke again, the form shifting and his voice surrounding the crowd. "Princess Starlit of Blue Star, Keeper of the Dragon's Light." The third, and last, red light absorbed into her body.
The people around Starlit turned and stared at her, the red glow lighting up their faces.
"Wait... what? He said my name?" Starlit thought, shocked. She glanced around, her face flushing it and turning it even redder. She glanced at her hands and then up at the silhouette.
A reddish sphere formed in front of her; it looked as if it was absorbing the glow from her- the glow emanating from her body faded as the sphere grew in brilliance. The glow concentrated in the center of the sphere, and a faint object began to form.
There was a flash of light and a red gem fell into Starlit's outstretched palm. The center glittered with a vivid golden color. She held it closer to her body and moved farther into the crowd.
The silhouette moved closer to the crowd, who moved back. It hovered at eye level as the three girls moved through the crowd. Soon they stood in a circle with the silhouette in the middle of them.
"You have a gift. You are the chosen few to Keep the Great Dragon. You have my power, I will grant you incredible abilities."
"It's the Great Dragon himself!" The whisper went through the crowd, the people rippled with shock.
The silhouette encircled the three girls. "You will have great power, and fight dangerous battles. Be ready." The words blew through their minds before the shadowy figure disappeared.
Elsewhere, Zanna laid awake in the dark. She ran her hand over Zhia's hair, staring up at the darkened ceiling. She thought of the past break, and school coming up soon. She wasn't looking forward to being back in class but it would be nice to see her friends again.
A little light appeared in her lamp; it flickered a greenish color.
"What…" Zanna sat up slowly, her eyes scanning the darkness. Her eyes stopped on a shadowy shape floating in the center of the room.
"Zanna of Hedera, Keeper of the Dragon's Heart."
Zanna slid quietly off the bed, standing in front of her baby sister. She watched the shadowy figure shift in the little bit of brightness given off by the strangely colored light. The figure was faint, barely able to be seen.
A reddish glow lightened the room even more, the most vibrant around Zanna. A more focused and intense glow formed in front of her. She looked at her hands, realizing some of the glow came from her. She gasped in shock.
"You have a gift. You are chosen to Keep the Dragon. You have my power."
"Zanna? What's going on?" Zhia murmured behind her, her eyes fluttering open. Once she registered what was in front of her, she cried out.
"Shh, it's okay. Go back to sleep," Zanna's calm words hid her inner turmoil as she tried to process what was going on.
Her words were ignored, for Zhia slipped off the bed and put her hand into Zanna's. She glanced over at the shadowy figure.
Zanna squeezed her baby sister's hand and eyed her free hand. The glow around her was starting to fade, while the glowing in front of her, now a sphere shape, formed a bright red gem with a pink tinted center. The gem began to descend.
Zanna blinked and gasped, letting go of her sister to reach for the gem. "What's…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the gem in her open hand.
"That's a pretty gem, sissy… But what's it for?" Zhia whispered from beside her.
Anila was nearing the end of her book and her cup of tea. She was contemplating just going to bed when the lights went out.
There was a light blue light coming from the lamps in the room. As she watched, the lights flickered as if a wind was blowing and a shadowed shape began to form in front of her.
Immediately she was on her feet, ready to fight whoever had somehow gotten past Meridah's protective barriers. No one was going to hurt her family again. "Who are you?"
The figure shifted; it was a long, reptilian-like body that flickered like the lights that lit the room with pale blue light.
"Anila of Everis, Keeper of the Dragon's Breath!"
Anila gasped and stepped back, almost falling into her chair. A soft, red glow surrounded her. "What did you do to me?! Who are you?"
"You have a gift. You are chosen to Keep the Dragon. He has been awakened."
"I'm not 'keeping' anyone, or anything. Especially not a fictional dragon, or whatever you are. My priorities are on becoming a great fairy," Anila's words cut the air surrounding her. She glanced down once more at her glowing hands and scowled.
A red, oblong sphere appeared in front of her, giving off its own fiery glow.
Anila stared at it, moving as far away as possible. It was like the glowing ball was absorbing the light from her; as the shape got brighter, the glow surrounding her grew dimmer.
What if that thing is stealing my powers," She thought suddenly. "Stop!" She yelled, feeling her magic build up inside her. She threw out a blast of air, knocking down pictures and rattling the furniture but not moving the shape or the shadowed form.
There was a bright flash and the faint lights from her, the shape, and the lamps were extinguished. Anila was left in blackness, staring at the gem on the floor at her feet.