Chapter 11

"Quick, get the clouds!"

"Hurry, over here!"

"I got one!"

"Me too!"

Starla woke up to those shouts and sat up in her bed in her new room, yawning and rubbing her eyes before gazing out the window and suddenly, Isabella bumped into the window, making the cyborg fairy jump with a small yelp.

The child turned to her. "Sorry, sis," she said. "I was trying to catch that cloud heart."

"Cloud heart?" Starla asked as she poked her head out and saw the heart-shaped clouds moving around. "Why are you trying to catch them?"

"It's a game," she said. "Our big cloud friend came up with some games for us to play today since it's Valentine's Day."

The cyborg fairy gasped as she remembered their parents talking about that the night before. "You're right," she said.

"Come join us, sis!" Isabella said as she ran off to catch another heart-shaped cloud.

Starla swiftly dressed and was soon flying around, catching cloud hearts too, finding the game fun before their cloud friend set up some larger heart clouds and indicated them to be shot with cloud arrows. "Oh, like cupid!" Dylan said.

"Mommy and Daddy told us Cupid makes Valentine's Day better by making Mommies and Daddies fall deeper in love," Amy said.

Starla smiled. "Maybe we can help him out a bit," she said as she looked around. "That's a lot of hearts that need some love."

The kids agreed and Mono was actually the first one to successfully hit a cloud heart with a cloud arrow. It vanished and a new cloud heart took its place.

Isabella jumped up to get one and a gust of wind carried her up to where she got the heart, but began to fall down. Starla quickly caught her though and the two laughed before they continued the game.

Susan and Tom were inside the house and Susan was decorating the house with roses and other Valentine's décor while Tom made breakfast. Heart-shaped pancakes with strawberries and caramel and even hot chocolate to go with breakfast. He then got some bananas and cut them up along with some peaches and oranges.

Hearing laughter outside, he gazed out the window to see the kids were now in a game of trying to catch the person who had the cloud heart attached to their arm. Starla was it, but she was trying not to make it too hard for her siblings since she was the eldest. She pretended to 'stumble' and Amy pounced on her, winning the round.

Susan smiled as she heard the kids laughter. "I'm glad they can relax and have fun," she said. "I was worried with all Isabella, Mono, and Starla had been through, they'd never find happiness again."

"But now they have, my love," Tom said, smiling at her. "Because we love them and we proved to them that they deserve a loving family. Look how much Isabella and Mono have come out of their shells and how Starla is blooming into a confident young lady."

"She has," Susan said. "I'm glad we could help them heal by proving not all people were out to hurt them and not all parents were horrible people."

Tom nodded before looking serious. "I'm still worried about them, especially with The Lady looking for Isabella," he said.

"I am too," his wife said. "I think they might be still a bit afraid too that she'll find us."

"If she ever does, she won't get past the front door, my love," he said to her. "I will protect you all."

She smiled. "I know," she said, kissing him. "You made that promise years ago when we first got married."

"And I don't intend on ever breaking that promise," he said.

"And now I, Princess Starla, along with my siblings Prince Dylan, Princess Isabella, Prince Mono, and Princess Amy command you all to put the hearts in your hands on every door and window you see!" Starla said, catching the couple's attention as they looked to see the kids sitting on cloud thrones and giving the 'proclamation'.

"These hearts must be spread out and be on every home before sundown," Isabella said.

"Or else the love dragon will not arrive," Mono said.

"We cannot fail in showing the world how love conquers all!" Dylan declared.

"Please help us make this possible," Amy said.

"Go now, our faithful people! And show the world why we are the greatest kingdom of all!" The five said altogether.

Their giant cloud friend did small thunder claps to make it sound like the 'people' clapping and rushing away to do the bidding of the princes and princesses.

Susan chuckled at seeing the kids all had cloud crowns on their heads and she grinned. "Oh, that gives me an idea," she said.

Tom smiled as he went back to getting breakfast together and Susan got to work on a project for all of her children. Thanks to her magic and her knack for creativity, she soon had gifts ready for her five children and one for her husband. Tom set out breakfast and went to find his wife, seeing her standing proudly with her project in front of her.

She had made Valentine's Day crowns made of a sturdy material so that they didn't break and they had gems of red, purple, and white on them. And each one was unique with the foremost gem.

One crown had a purple gem with a red rose on it while another had a blue gem with a white rose on it. A third had a pink gem with a white rose while another one had a teal-colored gem and a red rose on it. The last one for the kids had a white gem with a yellow rose on it.

The largest crown of them all had a red gem with a purple rose on it and Susan lifted this one up. "A crown fit for my king," she said. "As a reminder of how much I love and cherish him."

Tom accepted it and smiled, kissing his wife. "Ah, but a king's crown is incomplete without the queen's crown," he said as he snapped his fingers, using the leftover materials she had to make her a crown too. The crown he made had a red gem with a white rose on it and he set it on her head gently. "There," he said, taking his wife's hands in his own. "A crown fit for my queen, who makes me complete and makes me feel lucky to have her in my life every day."

"Oh, honey," she said, kissing him again before she picked up the other crowns. "Let's call the kids in and give them their crowns."

Nodding, Tom went to the door, seeing his children just finish up another game of 'catch the cloud hearts'. "Kids, breakfast!" He called out.

"Coming, Dad!" Starla called out and she rounded up her siblings, to which they all headed inside and were amazed by the breakfast on the table.

"Wow!" Isabella and Amy said in awe.

"Yay! Strawberries and caramel!" Dylan cheered.

Mono looked curious, but excited too. Starla looked amazed. "Wow, Mom and Dad. This looks great," she said.

"Alright, close your eyes, kids," Susan said.

The five did so, feeling their mother place something on their heads a moment later. "Okay, you can open your eyes," she said as she held up a mirror for them all to see what was on their heads.

The kids opened their eyes and were stunned to see the crowns on their heads and were happy to see their parents had crowns too. "I was inspired by you kids pretending you were royalty to make these for you all," Susan said. "And your father made my crown."

Amy and Dylan were ecstatic to have their own crowns while Starla, Mono, and Isabella were stunned, but happy. "I think this is one of the best gifts ever," Isabella said. "Because it reminds us of the best gift of all."

"The best gift of all?" Tom asked curiously.

Isabella smiled and nodded. "Our parents' love for us," she said.

"She's right," Starla said.

Mono nodded. "We have the best parents we could ever want or ask for," he said.

"The best of all!" Amy and Dylan said together before the five kids hugged their parents, who hugged their children back happily as family love filled the home to the brim.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! :)

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GoldGuardian2418