The Star Child and The Guardian of the Cosmos

Chapter 1

When The Collector left the Boiling Isles, they honestly didn't think about which direction they were going. They were just going in a random direction, thinking about everything that had happened, and all of the people they had hurt.

Even though they seemed to have forgiven him, that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. He just wanted to make friends - but as it turns out, he didn't really know how to do that. He had scared everyone, not to mention getting manipulated by Philip, again.

The Collector hugged Francois, the plush that King gave him, trying to reassure himself that everything was fine now, that Philip was gone and that he wouldn't be manipulated by him or anyone ever again. Plus, King said he wanted to see him again and even gave him the plush he was so protective of.

The Collector smiled thinking about his first ever friend. Even if their friendship started out as a lie, he was really glad to have met him and his family. He hoped that he could learn more about how to strengthen a friendship, so he could become the bestest friend ever!

Or...a good one, at least.

Suddenly, The Collector's thoughts were interrupted by something in their vision that stuck out amongst the void of space and the stars. Their curiosity piqued, they advanced towards it, wondering about what this thing could be.

Even though they didn't really pay attention to where they were going, they could still tell in which area of space they were in, something they were able to do due to their species' connection to the cosmos. And so they knew that whatever this thing was, it was not supposed to be there.

As The Collector approached, they realized that it was a spaceship, which seemed familiar but they couldn't quite place where they had last seen it. Their memories of the past weren't the best after they had spent years locked up in the In Between Realm. They decided that trying to figure out the mystery of this spaceship would be their first ever adventure on their journey through space. They were excited just thinking about it!

He hurriedly came closer to the ship, and landed on its floor after stepping off his star which disappeared, leaving a few magical sparks behind.

The first thing he noticed was the bright blue sphere that was in the center of the ship. It seemed to emanate some kind of power that they couldn't identify. The Collector stared at it in awe.

"It's beautiful..."

"Isn't it?"

"Ah!" The Collector jumped back in surprise; he didn't notice anyone coming near him!

"It is the beacon that powers up this entire spaceship." The stranger said with a seemingly fond look. "Tell me, little one, how did you end up here? I did not expect any guests."

The Collector tried to hide his nervousness. "T-That doesn't matter! Who are you?!"

The stranger chuckled "My name is Rosalina, child. And who might you be?"

"I- I am The Collector." He replied, suddenly feeling shy.

"I see, it is nice to meet you." Rosalina smiled.

Now that he wasn't freaking out, he could actually focus on what Rosalina looked like. She had long platinum hair that reached her waist with a large bang that hid a part of her face. She wore a turquoise blue gown with a star shaped brooch attached to it and there were gold star earrings hanging from her ears.

The most intriguing thing about her though was the silver crown she was wearing. Could she be some kind of ruler?

"I welcome you to the Comet Observatory, it is where me and my children live."

Children...? The Collector looked around and frowned, they didn't see anyone else around.

Noticing the confused look on the child, Rosalina explained "They are all waiting for me in the library, I read them stories from time to time. You can come with me if you would like."

"I do like stories!" The Collector said excitedly.

As they followed Rosalina to the library, they started to wonder. Why did they feel like they could trust this lady? They didn't know her! What if she was just like Philip, trying to trick them into doing her bidding?

And yet, there was something familiar about her that reassured them. The Collector's resolve to solve this mystery only strengthened as they entered the library.

Their eyes widened as they saw a dozen floating creatures huddled in the small building. They seemed to be star-like beings, and they were quite the colorful bunch, most of them were yellow but some were also blue, pink, green, red and black.

The only black creature who also happened to have blue eyes compared to the others with black eyes approached. "Mom, did you bring a guest?"

"Well, they sort of brought themselves in, but yes, they are a guest." She turned towards The Collector. "These Lumas are my children. Do you want to introduce yourself to them?"

"Okay! I am The Collector and I, um, I want to make friends and listen to stories!" He said with the biggest amount of confidence he could muster. If they wanted to make friends, they had to make a good first impression right?

He tried not to frown while thinking of the people's fearful faces when seeing him for the first time. When he was freed, he was so excited that he couldn't possibly realize how frightened everyone around him was...

The Lumas cheered, some of them saying "A new friend!", others pleaded "Can we play with them after the story mom? Pleeease!"

Rosalina smiled as she sat on a wooden chair and grabbed a book "Only if they want to play with you."

The Collector replied "I'd love to play!" Maybe this time, he could play without scaring anyone away.

And so Rosalina started telling the story of a little girl and a peach colored luma lost into the vastness of space.