Stelline and the crown

“You know I don’t like this, Rain.” Yes, yes, yes, of course she knew. She didn’t like it. Big deal, as long as she enjoyed it herself, and she stepped a little further away from the shelter of the trees, enjoying the pure rain that was touching her coat now.
“I don’t care.” She said while she stuck her nose into the air to smell the rain. “I like it. You’ve had enough sun. And don’t call me Rain.”

“I will call you Rain because otherwise you wouldn’t have a name.”
“So? It’s not like you have one, either.”
She was getting so tired of this. Ever since they had arrived in the friendship Lands her companion had insisted on the blazing sun, and she had endured it for a while. He wouldn’t mind if the lands would dry out, anyway. But too much was too much. And now she would drown them. All this water after the long drought… it would definitely destroy all the crops.

“I have a name. I just… don’t remember it.” The other replied.
The answer worried her, like many things these days. Was the mind seal breaking already? Surely his powers must be growing now, with the other crown, instead of waning? Or were her powers simply too great, and could he not control them? No, it couldn’t be. But they should not linger here much longer.

She knew Twinkle Star had returned a few days ago. She did not yet know where she had been, but the crown was inside the castle now. But it was crowded there now, and they knew her face, so she could not simply enter, nor did she trust the other to do it. No… She needed someone to take the crown from there and deliver it to them. And she knew just who would do that for them.

“My Lady Aline.” The young girl said as she bowed before her. Why did they do that? She wasn’t even steward yet!
“Welcome, Olane. Please, mother, go get a towel. She’s soaked.” She said to her mother who rushed out of the living room of the small house. The clouds have broken yesterday evening, and already the grounds were flooding. After such a long time, so much rain at once…

Well, at least their little house was water proof, Aline thought, but the workers couldn’t do anything in weather like this. And there were ponies sleeping in tents as well… She hoped those at least had decided to go home. She decided she would check on them later that day, and if they were still there and the storm would show no sign of slowing down, she would send them home. But she had other things to turn her mind to, first.

“What brings you here, Olane?”
 She had not expected this girl to show up, and definitely not on a day like this. She was one of the maids that lived in the Royal Castle and served the queen. Why would Regina spare her now?
“The queen send me to inquire how things were going here, and to bring you news from the castle.”
“Well, things all go smoothly here, except for this rain. But tell me the news first.” Aline could hardly imagine any news that would be worthy of sending a servant for. The queen knew Aline would visit the castle shortly anyway, why send someone she could use so well herself?

Meanwhile her mother hasd returned with a blanket and Olane was drying herself when she spoke.
 “The Princess Twinkle Star has returned. She has brought the Queen some important news, but she wishes to discuss it with you in private. It concerns the old lands… and the old Queen.”
“Medina?” Aline’s mother asked, and the girl nodded.
“I think you must go then, my dear.” Aline could hear a loyalty in her mother’s voice she could not quite place.
“Of course I will go, as soon as the rain calms down.”

But her reasons were not those Olane had given her. Of course she was interested in what the queen had to say, but Twinkle Star was back… and even though her heart felt scared now, she knew she had to confront her and sort out their fight. She knew she would have to face Twinkle Star some day, she just hadn’t expected it to be so soon… and she was scared to do so. If only Twinkle Star would forgive her…
 “I will go with you, my dear.” Junai said when he saw Aline’s troubled face.

Sweet Junai… She loved him so much, but he could not help her with this. She had made the fight with Twinkle Star all by herself, and now she had to fix it herself. Yet, the thought of Junai being near her was soothing, somehow.
“Thank you, Junai. Are you sure they can miss you?”
“Of course. A trip with the lady is more important than staying with a bunch of guys building a house that’s drowning in the rain.” Aline had to laugh while Junai winked. Yes, it would be good to have him there… And she would be glad when she and Twinkle Star would be friends again.

“Well, come on then, put it on.” Fleur said to her mother.
They were all there, Twinkle Star thought, all of Regina’s daughters… To witness their mother wearing the Queen’s Crown for the very first time. Of course, no one else was in the room. Her mother would wear the crown in public at Medina’s ceremony for the first time, but she had asked her daughters to witness her wearing it alone for the first time. Twinkle Star didn’t really understand why, but she suspected her mother would give them an explanation.

“Yes, Fleur, I will. I will…”
Still, her mother did nothing except to stare at the red crown that was laying solently in front of them on a table, as if it was sleeping and waiting to be awakened. She wasn’t looking forward to it, Twinkle Star thought. To accept the crown as her own… Would make her Queen of the Friendship Lands, heir to her mother, not just queen Regina of the hidden country in the mountains…

And as her mother had told her and Stelline yesterday evening while they enjoyed a glass of wine at the fireplace, she had worn the crown before. Her mother had let her put it on her head, once, when she was younger… just to see how it would look on her. Of course it looked great, she had said with a sad smile, and Twinkle Star was sure it would look even better now, as it is a crown fitting for a queen, not a princess.

“Well, here goes nothing.” Her mother said finally, and she picked up the crown and slowly put it on her head. The moment the crown touched her hair Twinkle Star heard her sisters gasp when the light of the golden stone began to shine brightly. Twinkle Star did not really understand it either, but her mother had begun to explain before she could even ask.

“The crown… it is the Queen’s Crown for a reason. It only lights up on the head of those meant to become queen. It had lit up on my head when I was smaller, as well… Which my mother back then had concidered weird, because I was only her third child… But the crown shines, so maybe, after all, I was meant to follow my mother…”
Yes, her mother’s story was correct… Her oldest sister Reine was supposed to become queen, mother of Illuvia and Chifre… and her mother had another older sister as well, Campestre… but Twinkle Star knew nothing of her. But the crown was shining, and her mother was the true heir to Medina, there was no doubt about that.

“You really are the queen, mother. I never doubted that.” Stelline said with a gracious smile.
“And neither did we.” Ivy said, looking at Fleur, “Even though… I never met my grandmother. I wish I had, but…”
“I know, Ivy. She was very fond of you, I remember that. Too bad you do not remember her. But she lives on, in all of us. And this crown… one day it would have become mine, even without the disaster. I had always wondered what the look on her face would be when she would transfer it to me, but I will never know. But I promise you, Stelline, I will be there when it will become yours.”

Regina took the crown off her head and placed it back on the table. The golden stone shone for a little longer, and then slowly faded.
“Thank you, for being here. I would just… felt it would be awkward to do this in public for the first time.”
“No problem, mother. Well, I have other duties I must attend to now…” Ivy’s voice faded away and not for the first time these days Twinkle Star got the feeling she was trying to avoid her mother.

Regina excused her daughter and Ivy left the room, and after a long sigh Fleur followed her. Twinkle stared at Stelline, but she seemed not to understand either. She promised herself she would ask either Ivy or her mother what was going on, even though it might not be her business; by acting like this they were making it hers as well. And she knew Stelline had noticed it, too.

“I am glad to see the crown still lives, I must confess.” Regina said after her youngest two daughters had left.
“Why is that, mother?” Stelline asked while she once again focussed on the crown.
“Well… this is the Queen’s Crown of the Friendship Lands. Those lands… right here, it might carry the same name because I granted it that name, but it will never be… those Lands where we were born, I always felt they were special, somehow, and not just because of our family. Maybe it was even the other way around; we were so strong because the Land chose us to be so. But because of that… I wondered whether the crown was linked to those Lands, instead of us.”

“Maybe it sees you as the queen of the Old Lands also, mother. I do not think anyone will deny you that.” Twinkle Star smiled. Regina looked thankful for her daughter’s words.
“Yes, maybe it is so. Maybe that is what the crown wants me to see; that I am also queen of the Old Friendship Lands, even though they are deserted.”
Regina fell silent for a moment. Twinkle Star had a deep feeling that maybe the Crown wanted to show them more, but it was unable to. And even she did not know what it could be, though she could not hide herself from the feeling that she should have known.

“Why then, Stelline, will you not try the crown? You are my heir, after all, you can try it on if you wish.”
It was obvious to Twinkle Star her mother was trying to lighten the subject of the crown. Did she not wish to think more of what was just said, or was it just too much for her right now?
“Yes, why not? You tried it before you were queen… Maybe I should do the same.”

Regina laughed, and she handed her eldest daughter the crown. Twinkle Star felt some dread inside, fearing this might not be such a good idea, but she could not think of any argument to support her feelings, so she let it be. Besides, she was curious also, how the crown would look on her sister. She recalled a painting in the unicorn gallery that she had visited last year with Aline, of a unicorn wearing this crown… it had been so pretty.

Slowly Stelline put the crown on her head, and as Twinkle Star had predicte,d she looked really gorgeous wearing it. It rested only a little above her horn, which somehow looked longer and larger now that she was wearing the crown. But because of this it took Twinkle Star a moment to register that something wasn’t like it should be. Something was missing… And then she knew. The crown had not lit up like it had done with her mother. It didn’t accept Stelline as the future queen.