"No, no, no! I want nothing to do with this," king Arogan was completely clear. "We suffered in the vicinity of one magical creature. We are sure not going through that again."
"But these are peaceful creatures. Connected to the stars. And surely you have one beach you could spare," Zora pleaded.
"Of course, we have beaches. We have quantity and quality. But my answer stays the same. I'm not dealing with any more magical creatures. And that is final!"
"We are finally starting to heal. The people discovered they could shout and fight without fear of the big bad witch to worry about," queen Leona said.
"Yes. And it is beautiful," the king concluded.
The two left discouraged.
Meanwhile, at the Seven Hill forest, the little prince was running with glee. He babbled and went left and right, while Viniria pretended to chase him. The nanny rolled her eyes, trying to make do with the little supplies she had. She made a makeshift tent, placing all the covers and pillows inside, hoping it would be adequate for their night rest.
Luka's attention wandered towards a nearby bush. "Berries!" Viniria popped out of the leaves.
The boy giggled loudly. "Ve-vis!"
He then ran and looked up at a tree.
"Squirrel!" the forest guardian snook up on him.
The boy giggled again. "Sva-va!" he said in his cute voice.
He then ran again, looking for something else that was interesting. He jumped up, wanting to reach a nest of baby birds.
"Baby birds! And look! Here is your father's friend bringing them food."
"Wa-va, birrrrr. Wa-va chip, chip, chip, chip. Ba, ba, bla, bla. Papa, mama, hihihihi!" the boy explained excitedly. His godmother just nodded with a vague smile.
"Come, little Highness. It is time for your story," the nanny called, holding a large book.
"Let him play for a little longer. Can't he enjoy at least a day without his stuffy court obligations?" Viniria said, frowning.
Still, Eli remained firm. "This is very important for his pronunciation training."
"What do you think we are doing now?"
The young woman held the book up. "The doctor recommended for him to listen and repeat as many words as possible for an hour a day. And besides, this is child appropriate and one of Zora's favorite books."
Viniria grumbled. The nanny placed Luka on a cushy pillow beside her and started reading. "There once was a race of majestic creatures. Their skin was glistening white with flowing manes. Their horse-like head was adorned with a magical horn, told to grant wishes. Can you repeat that?"
Viniria groaned, located behind them.
"A-a," the boy shook his head.
"Those are unicorns, dear. Can you say, unicorns!"
"Vu-ni... Vunicorns!" the boy said loudly.
"Yes! Un-ni-corns! Unicorns!" Viniria said, overjoyed.
"It was said they lived in a land covered with lush green hills, where they ran and played all day long," the nanny continued with the book.
"Ah! The Leaping Hills of Medonia. I remember them well. I used to frolic there myself, jumping and dancing with the herds... Did you know, you humans almost hunted them to extinction," she told Eli.
Nanny's jaw hit the floor. "I apologize, but I do not think that is an appropriate thing to talk about in front of such a young child."
"It's the truth, is it not?" Viniria shrugged.
Eli bit her tongue. Luckily, the portal opened and Zora came out.
"Your Majesty! Oh how I am glad. Have you finished your mission?" the nanny jumped up.
"If you want, the prince can stay a while longer. I do not mind," Viniria added.
The queen sighed, going to hug her child. "I am afraid, we are not even close. All the kingdoms we asked so far had rejected us," she said sad. "And how are you, my little one. Are they treating you well."
"Mama, mama. Vi-vi vo wush, wush, wush. An vo, ba! An me vo hahahaha!" the boy told joyfully.
Zora smiled warmly and nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're having fun. Father and I will have to leave you here a little longer. But we will come back soon. I promise," she said and kissed him again.
Viniria tapped her shoulder. "May we talk?"
Zora nodded. Walking a little further, the forest guardian spoke, "You know I adore Luka. And he can come here and stay as much as he likes. But don't you think he is a little old to be followed by a nanny everywhere?"
Zora glanced at the girl. "I don't see why not. Eli does he job well."
The forest guardian pressed her lips. "I do not deny that. But still, this is a forest. The boy could use some time away from the boring castle life. And it is not like I cannot care for him myself. I control the entire forest, don't I?"
The queen hummed. "I see your point."
"Excellent. Now."
"Can you tell me when was the last time he ate?"
Viniria blinked, stunned. "I think he had some fruit this morning."
"This morning? It is almost sunset?" Zora said.
"Already? Oh my, how time flies."
Zora shook her head, with her mind made up. "Alright. Time for you to go to bed. You too Viniria. I do not think I will have time to come later," she said holding her harp.
The forest creature grumbled, as the nanny placed the boy inside the tent. Tucking him and herself warmly, she was ready for the string tuck. The sour-faced Viniria slowly sat on her rock. Zora played a little tune, checked if their eyes were closed and went away quietly. Still, not all was so. Viniria squinted with one eyes. She had plugged her ears, so the melody did not affect her. Then, she rubbed her hands excitedly. "Good. Tomorrow, we will do things my way."
On the other side of the portal, Zora and Aidan found themselves in another throne room. If they thought the palace of the Golden Kingdom was gaudy, this one shifted their perspective. The royal portraits were as tall as the walls, placed in elaborate frames, seemingly made of pure gold. They were all of the current emperor of Bolaria. A slim man, dressed in strange robes of blue, red and gold. He seemed to place great emphasis on his shoulders appearing broad, for her wore draped lapels that made him look like a table. As far as his hair was concerned, it was not a question if he used hair oils, but how many, with every lock carefully glued to his forehead.
"What brings you here?" the emperor spoke.
Aidan cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, as you may have learned, we are in great need of a clean, calm sea shore."
"Not for us, of course. But for the celestial turtles in need," Zora added.
The emperor rubbed his chin. He hummed loudly, for more than a minute. "Alright, you may have it. But under one condition!"