At age two, there are many things that Luxa does not know. She does not know of the dangers that lie beyond the walls of Regalia. She does not know of the pain that lies in the future. She does not know the weight of the crown she will bear. But one thing that she can safely say is that Uncle Hamnet is her favorite uncle.
For one, he always listens. Not every uncle does. Uncle York is always so stiff. And he is too big for her games. Father's brother is less stiff, but he also likes adult things more than he likes child things. But not Uncle Hamnet. Uncle Hamnet thinks everything she has to say is important. Luxa likes that very much because what she has to say is very important.
There are often fliers around. Both in the palace and in the city. Luxa likes fliers. They are so pretty. And more than that, they can fly and flip around. They can do all kinds of things. Luxa rides fliers, too. She goes to train in the Arena, she is that grown already! The fliers will take her up in the sky and drop her, and then she will spin around until they catch her. Luxa loves fliers. But she has never really been flying. Not outside Regalia. And if she is a princess, she should see more. She is grown enough, she can do it!
"I will fly outside Regalia!" she declares one day. She is met with silence. Looks are exchanged.
That day ends with a quite sullen Luxa. "I am a princess. I handle it!" she tells her parents in indignation. But she is too young, apparently. It is a too dangerous. She is a princess, after all.
And then Uncle Hamnet says, "I will take her."
Uncle Hamnet is going away soon. He has a big mission. Father tells Luxa that soon, she can go play in a big garden, too. With apples like in the stories from the Overland. Uncle Hamnet's face always goes a little white when this is mentioned. Maybe he is nervous. Some people get nervous a lot. Like her cousin.
Maybe it is because Uncle Hamnet is going away soon that he is allowed to take her all the way outside of Regalia. Luxa does not really know, but she is excited. She has never gone that far out before. She knows that the rest of her world lies there, but it does not really seem real. Like how she had not really thought a shiner, a being that naturally gives off light, a real creature until she had hurt her eyes by looking into its rear end.
Uncle Hamnet takes her onto his bond. Her name is Soteria, and her fur is bright and soft. "One day I have my own bond!" Luxa says. "You not have to take me, then!"
"Well," says Uncle Hamnet, "even a bond can be ill sometimes. So maybe I will have to take you, anyway."
Luxa scoffs. "I have more bonds. I be queen. I be grown up! You not have to take me."
And Uncle Hamnet's smile falls a little.
They soar across the city. The buildings are so small! All the people are tiny! Like Overland crawlers, Luxa knows. She is very clever. The people wave at her. She waves back. A future queen should know how to wave.
There are the fields. There are the walls. For a moment, Luxa thinks that they will not let her pass. As if the walls stretch into the open air, too. They are made to protect her, she knows. Her and Regalia.
And then the walls are gone. Beneath lies the river. The water churns and froths. It looks fearsome. She grabs tighter onto her uncle.
He says, "You do well to fear, Luxa. The river should not be underestimated. But you are up here with me and Soteria. We will not let you fall. Now, look!"
And she looks. Beneath, a beach appears. "Oh!" Everywhere, crystals glisten. They come in many shapes and forms. As soon as Soteria lands on the beach, Luxa is quick to run off. "Look, Uncle! Look! Crystals!"
The river still rages by the side of the beach. But here, there it is quiet. It is beautiful. She spots a blue chunk of crystal lying on the beach and bends to pick it up. It looks like a fish. She giggles and turns to look back at her uncle. He is still standing by his bond, stroking her wing gently. But his face looks brighter. He looks so tired, sometimes. Like there is something he just cannot puzzle out. But he is smiling now.
"Come see!" Luxa shouts, and he comes towards her.