Haruka soared over the rolling hills, glad to be airborne again. She had enjoyed her visit with the two Darkling princesses, but, like all Skylings, she was very claustrophobic and it took ever ounce of her self-control to enter those caves in the first place. Luckily, unlike most of her people, Haruka's curiosity overrode her fear most of the time, but she didn't think that she could have stayed underground much longer. She heard a cry from below, and her flight faltered as she looked down, spotting a small crowd of wingless ones in the town below her. She circled for a moment, wondering if she should land, but she decided that the wingless ones could not be that dangerous. With little more thought, she folded her wings and dove, opening them at the last possible second to land safely in a crouch, arms held up semi-defensively, claws retracted to keep from frightening the landlings. As she folded her wings, two of the men moved forward, a more richly dressed woman between them. She seemed to be the leader, raising a hand to stop the delegation a few feet from Haruka, afraid of frightening the winged woman, opening her hands to show that she carried no weapons. "Hello, Sky Woman," the woman greeted. Haruka slowly straightened, trusting the three strangers, and stepped forward, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Hello, Wingless Ones. I was just passing through . . ." "Forgive our curiosity, but we haven't seen a Sky Person on this side of the mountains in centuries. I am Anderaa, ruler of this province, and I am honored to meet you." "Haruka, oldest daughter of King Koshu of the Skylings and heir to my late mother's throne," she introduced, second eyelids fluttering open. "There used to be Skylings here? My people used to live on this side of the mountains?" "Long ago, Princess Haruka of the Sky People." "I came here looking for my people's ancestral home. The Queen of Darkness—" "The Guardian of Time? You spoke to her? This is an auspicious day! Certainly you were sent here by the gods to bless the princess's engagement to the Prince of the Hills! Haruka-hime, you must hasten to the palace and meet with the queen! She will certainly want to meet you, almost as much as her daughter." "I was actually headed for the sea . . ." "Please? It would mean so much to her. She's such a romantic, our princess." Haruka bit her lip like some little fledgling, considering the lady's words. "I suppose a short stop won't hurt anything . . ." "Thank you, Haruka Princess of the Sky People!" The lady fell to one knee, all of her followers kneeling and bowing their heads to the blonde. Haruka stammered her thanks before jumping into the air and soaring toward the distant silver palace. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Serenity smiled as she watched the wind play with her flowers, listening as the birds sang for her, sitting inches away and watching her with their bright little eyes. She felt the wind change, all of her birds silenced by something they sensed in the air. She looked up, shocked, as a huge golden eagle soared overhead. No, that wasn't an eagle—it had arms as well as legs and lacked a tail. It was a winged person! A Skyling! There hadn't been Skylings in the Plains for centuries! "Skyling!" Some part of her reached out, desperate to keep the golden-winged woman from escaping, though she had no idea what prompted her to cry out. The winged woman began to circle at the call, recognizing the crystal-embossed building as the palace she was aiming for. Spotting the silk-clad young woman in the rose garden far below with her eagle-eyes, she recognized the unique hairstyle as identical to Ailan's. It was the royal hairstyle, then. Haruka landed, wings stirring up a brief hurricane of leaves and debris as she folded her wings tightly against her body. When the air cleared, Serenity stared at the winged woman. "Wow," she whispered. "I've never seen a flying woman before." Haruka relaxed her wings, letting them open slightly and curl forward in curiosity. Curious, the young princess reached out toward the feathered appendages with one tiny hand, jerking back when she brushed the edge of one of the long golden feathers. The taller Skyling chuckled as she opened her wing, reaching out and wrapping it around the slim girl, pulling her close. "You look just like her," the Skyling murmured, running her long fingers through Serenity's shining golden hair, touching the odango-like buns on top of the girl's head. "It must be the royal hairstyle or something." "I-it is. Every Crown Princess adopts it. My mother doesn't wear it because she was never the Crown Princess; she only became queen when her older sister went away to become an immortal Keeper of the Light/Speaker of the Truth/Seer of the Path." "She fell in love with the Queen of Darkness/Guardian of Time/Goddess of Storms. They make a beautiful couple." "You met them?" Haruka shrugged her free wing. "Yeah. Ailan-san told me that you are called ‘Usagi'. Is there any particular reason?" The blonde blushed. "My mother tells me that she named me for a story about a princess who lived on the moon and spent her life searching for true love. It's a very old story, and I am told that every species has its own version." "We have a tale about a small child with white wings that was kidnapped by the sprites of the moon but she grew to love them and brought peace to the Earth. She's the reason why there are no more attacks from the moon. It's a very old, very simple story. It's supposed to make us want peace between the different races." "That's what my name is for. Peace. I'm supposed to unite the Plains People and the Hill People through marriage in a few months. And make peace." Haruka pulled away slightly, letting her wing drop. "At least you have a way to make a difference. I have nothing." Usagi smiled and reached up to touch Haruka's face. "You'll find your purpose in time. Now, my mothers sent you out here to find your ancient home, not me. You need to get going, no matter what those villagers said. You are all I expected from a Skyling Princess, and you will make a great queen like your mother." "How did you know?" Usagi smiled as she pulled away, fingering the jeweled pendant Haruka wore. "I know a great deal more than most people think. I know that Noriko is not my mother, but I know why Ailan gave me up. She did the right thing. There's also a prophecy about you, Skyling, but you will discover that on your own. Thank you for coming to see me, but now you must head for the sea where your destiny awaits." "Destiny?" Haruka opened her wings, preparing for flight, automatically following the princess's commands. "I don't understand." "You will. Go now, and we will meet again." "Wait! Princess, I can see in you the great strength your mothers possess. I know you will make a great queen one day, and I will be honored to be your ally." "Thank you, Haruka. When you finish your journey and find your home, come back to visit me, okay?" Haruka leaned down and brushed her lips across Serenity's forehead. "I'll come back, Usagi-san. I promise." With that, she let the strengthening wind billow under her great wings and carry her into the darkening sky, heading away from the setting sun and toward the sea glistening many miles away.
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