The girl trembled. She looked up at her employers, as if begging for support.
"Chief Ferguson, I assure you this is no joke. I can clearly remember the day that this girl was brought to our castle as a toddler. My nanny claimed that she was her angel, a gift sent from the Heavens. As a child myself, I did not question it much, even though my nanny was fifty at the time. Still, upon further inspection, we have learned that her words were only partially true. The girl we know as Eli, did fall from a sky. A mountain, that is. Her little frame was caught in the tree, saving her from the harsh stone below. She was bruised and smacked around, but very much alive and grew better quickly," Aidan explained.
"Is this true?" the chief turned to the girl.
She started crying. "I do not know. My parents did not know much. All I had was this fine fur cloak," she sobbed. "But it quickly grew small. So, I made a pair of shoes from it."
"You what?" the man stood up, mad.
"I know, it seems stupid now," the girl sobbed. "But it felt so soft on my skin."
At that moment, the brother peeked his head. The old man's eyes filled with tears. "You are my daughter!" he yelled, rushing down the stairs. The girl opened her arms, as both her father and brother embraced her. All together, their similarities were clear. They even had the same ugly cry.
Zora was touched by this family scene. She leaned on her husband's arm.
"Thank you. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me," the chief finally turned his attention to them.
"Oh, it is nothing. We were happy to help," Zora explained.
"No, no, no. This requires something in return. What was that you were looking for? Fur of invisibility?"
The two nobles looked around. Zora spotted something, intrigued. "Actually, may I ask something first?"
"But, of course," the old man replied.
The foreign queen pointed at something on the wall. "That stone over there. Is it a ruby?"
The old man smiled. "Ah, a good eye you have. Yes, actually, that ruby is considered one of the biggest in the world. Others may claim they have a larger one, but if you ask me, the only thing bigger is their ego."
Aidan observed it, stunned.
"May we have it, please?" Zora asked.
"Why, certainly," the chief said, pleased. "If my Wilhebertha wants another one, we will surely purchase it."
"Wilhebertha?" the girl's expression turned sour.
"Thank you, chief Ferguson," Zora said. "We should be going now."
Before they left, the girl came over to hug him. "Thank you so much for bringing me back to my family."
"No problem. Come back to visit any time," Zora said, smiling.
"I will," she replied. "I'll miss Luka. But the forest guardian. Not so much."
Leaving the estate, Zora told Aidan. "With this stone, we will be able to skip all of these requests."
Aidan happily grinned. "Exactly, we should be home in no time."
The first stop was the Bolaria's residence. The ruler of that land inspected the gem with great intensity, circling it with his large magnifying glass. The couple stood nearby in awkward silence.
"Well... is it to your liking?" Zora finally uttered.
After a long time of humming and mumbling, the emperor replied. "Yes! This is exactly what I was looking for?"
The two smiled, relieved. "Good. Can we have the beach now?" Aidan asked.
The absentminded noble, threw a piece of paper to them. It was the deed to the property, already signed. "Now go. I have important matters to attend to."
The royals shrugged, leaving with a skip in their step. By that time, the emperor has placed the large stone on top of his scepter. Fastening it into place, he stood with his chest proud. "Finally, I have all the accessories. With this shiny scepter and my wonderful crown, I can go and reclaim the rest of my empire! After all these years, the land of my forefathers, will be mine again!" he spoke with such determination that you could almost see the tiny flames coming out of his eyes.
As they watched the turtles settle their eggs in the sand, Zora seemed sad for the occasion.
"What is wrong?" Aidan noticed.
"Oh, nothing. Simply... some of the requests we got were for a good cause," she said quietly.
Aidan groaned, with his good mood turning to annoyance. "Fine. But we will do them my way. Alright?"
"Alright," she nodded, secretly thrilled.
Not long after that, a far away ruler was leaning on his balcony. The drought in his land was so severe, even his garden was going dry. A sudden drop of water surprised them, making him look up. The long awaited water dragon was here, flying over him with his swirling long body. There were two riders on his back.
He gasped excited and hurried inside. Soon after, he returned with a beautiful feather in his hand. "Here is the fire feather. Come and take it!" the ruler said.
Zora looked down. "That will not be necessary. Thank you."
"Huh?" the man uttered, confused.
"But you can send it to the so-called feather lady. If you so desire. I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Aidan added. He, in his wolf form, was having so much fun riding on the dragon's back. When the land was parched, the rain stopped and they rode off on their next task.
Luckily, finding a replacement instrument for the trade was easier than expected. The lonely continent was filled with tribes with wooden instruments just like it.
With all their required work done, the royal couple returned home to enjoy their family life again. A few years passed, with Luka growing big and strong. As expected, his speech cleared, even excelled in variety and volume of topics. Everything was right, everything peaceful, and their reputation insured the respect of kingdoms all over the world.
Still, after a while, king Aidan grew restless. During starry nights, he would keep glancing at the sky.
"Is there something the matter, dear?" Zora asked, watching him frantically place things into a small ship. He had it made months before. A sea vessel made in such a way that two could sail comfortably, and without the need for anyone else. All the arrangements were carefully made, making even Zora impressed.
"No. Why would there be?" he replied calmly.
"It is simply, you have been very busy with your latest project... What is this for again?" she added cautiously.
Finished with his work, he turned to her. His face had a tranquil expression.
"Zora," he said with a heavy delay. "Would you be willing to go on another adventure with me?"