Heroes Never Die ✓

Chapter 5 The Harvest Festival

Skylar sat next to her daughter's bed. The room was small but cosy. The walls were painted in the light blue of the summer sky and adorned with unicorns, winged horses and gryphons. Preston was the one painting those, and they looked lifelike. Skylar smiled to herself. Her old guard's career as an artist skyrocketed since they hired him to paint their family portraits and such. Not many people were saying arts were not a masculine occupation anymore.

"Come on, Mummy! Read!" Thalia's demanding voice broke her train of thoughts.

"All right, all right, I'm reading!"

"You're not! You're just sitting here."

"Because I was looking at you, and you're just too cute." Skylar tickled her daughter, who giggled with glee. "All right, let's read it then." She opened a small book with beautifully painted pictures. "Once upon a time, there was a Princess named Melody. She was a beautiful little girl who lived in a big castle. But Princess Melody was sad because she didn't have any friends."

"Show me the castle!" Thalia demanded.

Sky turned the book so the girl could see the illustrations while she read. "One day, she decided to go for a walk to find some new friends." She turned the page. "Princess Melody went to the wood and met a squirrel. Will you be my friend, Miss Squirrel, and play with me? she asked. I can play with you for a moment, but then I need to get back to gathering nuts for winter. And so they played, but then squirrel had to go, and Princess Melody felt lonely again."

"Poor Princess Melody." Thalia sighed.

"After a while, Princess Melody found a baby deer. Can you play with me and be my friend? She asked. I can play with you for a bit, but then I'll have to go back home, the deer replied. They played for a while, but Princess Melody found herself alone once again when the animal left. She met many more creatures, but every one of them had to go at some point, and Princess Melody was sorrowful. She sat on the big rock and started crying.

"But then, a boy walked up to her and asked, Why are you crying? Princess Melody looked up and replied Because I don't have any friends. Do you want to be my friend? The boy smiled. Yes, I will be your friend! Come with me to my kingdom, and we can stay together forever! Wait, what?" Skylar frowned and looked at the few remaining pages. "That's ridiculous. Who wrote that?"

"What's wrong, Mummy? Why did you stop reading?" Thalia asked.

"Because this is not a good story."

"But it's my favourite story!" the girl protested. "Next, Princess Melody and Prince Aidan become friends, then get married and live happily ever after!"

"All right, firstly, they are children. They can't possibly get married." Skylar scoffed. "And secondly, you don't need a boy to live happily ever after."

"But you married Daddy, didn't you? And you are living happily ever after?"

Skylar laughed. "Oh, Kitten, if only it were so easy." She brushed her daughter's dark hair from her forehead. "Do you know how this story should go?"

The girl shook her head. Her dark eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Princess Melody and her new friend Prince Aidan went together to adventure. They visited all the places worldwide, made loads of new friends along the way, slew some horrible monsters, and saved a few kingdoms. When they got tired, they decided to settle and if they loved each other, maybe even get married. And then, they could live happily ever after," she finished proudly.

Thalia was silent for a moment, her mind absorbing the new ending to her favourite tale.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, Kitten?"