A few months later . . .
Cara kissed her mom on the cheek and waved goodbye as she walked out of their suite. The King and Queen announced the temporary lifting of the Veil and granted Mehks’ the right to travel through the realms for a short time.
Her mom and uncle arrived in Tropos about a week after the King’s announcement, along with the Luanas, who wrapped up loose ends in Los Angeles before leaving. Both families settled into the palace without the slightest hiccup and had fallen into a steady routine during this moment of peace in the realm.
While leaving their lives in Lok Klang was never part of any of their plans, the summer’s events changed their worlds’ trajectory. Cara hoped it was for the better. Waiting patiently by her door, Lek greeted Cara. She smiled at his presence and the thought of her daily challenge for him that morning.
“Loser has to clean the winner’s gear for a week!” Cara sprinted down the hallway ahead of Lek, laughing hysterically.
“Keekhong!” Lek chased her through the palace, shouting and laughing with her. “You got a head start!” They zipped past royal guards who yelled at the kids to slow down. Lek took the lead down the last hallway, only to have Cara leap onto his back, making him stumble. “I can’t believe you’re doing this!”
“Gotta do whatever it takes to win.” She jumped over him, kicking Lek’s shoulder and pushing him back.
“Exactly. Those are your words, not mine, so don’t get mad when you lose!” Lek grabbed Cara's ankle and ignored her scream to pull her back towards him. Lek snorted as she flew behind him, allowing him to regain the lead. “I’m not cleaning your gear this week.”
His well-choreographed move would have been flawless and given him the victory if Cara hadn’t caught his wing at the last moment. The force of her pull sent the two tumbling to the ground and rolling down the hall.
Landing in front of Sofia’s door in a jumbled mix of legs, arms, and wings, Cara detangled her arm as quickly as possible and touched the door.
“I win!”
“Are you two going to race through the halls every morning?” Song looked down at the tangled pair and shook his head. “Just face it, Lek. You’re destined to clean her gear forever. When you accept that fact willingly, you two can finally stop competing and just walk through the palace like normal people.”
“What fun is that?” Lek jumped up and fixed his uniform before offering his hand to help Cara up. “Besides, I would win every time if she didn’t cheat.”
Elbowing Lek for defaming her, Cara huffed and stomped her feet. “I do not cheat. You’re the one who pulled my leg and made me fall.”
“Seriously?” Lek crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “You jumped on my back and tried to kick me in the face. Not to mention, you pulled on my wings again.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Cara mocked, pretending to play him a tiny violin. “Stop whining about it. I won again, so you’re on cleaning duty for the week. Anyways, has Sofia come out yet, Song?”
Shaking his head, Song chuckled at the sight of the bickering couple. “Not yet. You want to go check on her?”
“You betcha! Be right back.” Cara skipped inside the antechamber.
The group had fallen into a relatively normal routine after the rescue. There had been no news about Muet or any other attacks along the borders since their return. Things were peaceful for the time being, which allowed Sofia and Cara to settle into life at the palace.
Even though Cara missed living in Lok Klang, she was learning to enjoy her time in Tropos, especially since she had been reunited with her family. Everything she needed was here, and as much as she was eager to leave Tropos when they first arrived, things were different now. So much had happened last year that Cara wouldn’t change it for the world. Tropos had opened her eyes to its vast possibilities, and Cara could never go back to being ordinary again.
“Knock, knock.” Cara peeked her head into the room, searching for Sofia. Not seeing her immediately, Cara sauntered in further to find her. “You ready, Sofe?”
“Just a sec,” Sofia replied from her closet. Quickly brushing her hair and checking her clothes, Sofia mentally ran through her schedule before she grabbed her knapsack from the floor. Heading out the door, Sofia suddenly stopped, realizing she had forgotten something. Inside her dresser drawer sat her crutch and confidante whenever she felt lonely.
Sofia always kept Muet’s pocket mirror with her since she returned to the palace. Yet, as much as Sofia thought about her aunt, Muet’s image never appeared in the mirror, as if the trinket knew not to disclose her maker’s location anymore. She put the mirror in her pocket and walked out to meet Cara.
“Finally. What took so long?” Cara grabbed Sofia’s arm and dragged her out of the bedroom.
“Sorry, I woke up late this morning and rushed to get ready. I don’t know where my mind is these days.”
The girls rushed out of the hallway towards their waiting guards.
“Ugh! That bunny-octopus! Plaek’s memories aren’t haunting you or keeping you up, are they?” Worry flickered on Cara’s face.
“No. I haven’t had any nightmares or memories like that since we’ve come back.”
They entered her antechamber and found Song and Lek lounging on the sofa.
Seeing their charges, Song jumped up. “Morning, Your Grace. Are you ready to go to the wat?”
“Geez, Song.” Sofia playfully punched her guard in the shoulder. “How many times have I told you to call me Sofia? It’s too weird to have you call me ‘Your Grace’ all the time.”
“I’m sorry, Your Gr, I mean, Sofia,” Song apologized, rubbing his shoulder. “Old habits. We should get going so we won’t be late.”
“You’re right, as usual. Let’s go.”
Sofia fell in line, and the group exited. As they walked through the corridors, Sofia smiled at the sight of Cara and Lek joking about and sparring all the way to the temple. She waved goodbye to the pair as they continued toward the training grounds. Cara spent her mornings working on her fighting skills and battle strategies, while Sofia mostly spent her time with the Oracle.
Neither Cara nor the Sawaan brothers spoke about what happened in the Banished Lands, and Sofia could not replicate anything of that magnitude since. She didn’t truly understand how she was able to call on her Palang back then and wished she knew why it remained hidden during her training with the Oracle. The Oracle only explained that she didn’t need her Palang within the palace walls.
“Your Palang is meant to help you in times of genuine need. Even the most advanced practitioners can only control the elements when they are in imminent danger. While we’re training, your Palang senses you’re in no danger. That may be why you are only able to strengthen your mind. But this will help you prepare to access your Palang’s true power in the future.”
She rarely understood much of what the Oracle said, but she never discounted the value of his wisdom. Sofia had so much to learn and so much to catch up on that she often felt overwhelmed. Yet, she always tried her best to improve her skills to help her become a better leader. Today’s training with the Oracle was no different than any other day, but for some reason, Sofia sensed a bit of unease from her mentor.
“I think that is enough for today, Your Grace.” The Oracle looked out at the wat’s gardens, admiring the jao ying’s progress. She had successfully bloomed the entire row of dok rak bushes. “We’ve come a long way from when you first arrived.”
“Thank you.” Sofia bowed as a sign of her gratitude. “I try my best to listen and remember what you teach me.”
“It truly shows.” The Oracle continued walking through the gardens, and Sofia followed. “Are you heading back to the palace on your own today?”
“I’ll probably wait for Cara,” Sophia answered. “I don’t have much to do today since we don’t have any afternoon lessons. Do you mind if I hang around?”
The Oracle quickly shook his head. “Not at all. I’d like to share something with both of you when she arrives.”
“Really? What is it?” Sofia asked curiously.
“Patience, Your Grace,” The Oracle laughed. “I’ll tell you both at the same time. Let me retrieve it while you wait. I’ll be right back.”
Sofia nodded and watched the Oracle disappear down the hall. She walked in the opposite direction to grab her bag and stepped back outside to the atrium. Settling on one of the benches, Sofia tried to guess what the Oracle wanted to show them. I wonder if it’s the reason I was forced to leave Tropos as a baby. She still considered the Luanas her parents but began to accept the Queen and King as her parents, too. Even though her relationship with the Queen and King had improved, Sofia still felt a bit out of place. She was glad to know the truth about her birth parents, but it felt strange to think about it. They had a twelve-year gap, after all. Sofia sighed at the thought and tinkered with her teardrop necklace. Often, when she was alone, Sofia would open the locket and just stare at the happy faces of the sisters inside.
Queen Fauna hadn’t reacted to it, nor had anyone else at the palace. Perhaps she’s forgotten about it and its owner. Sofia didn’t dare to press the Queen about it or Muet, but she hoped that the truth would be revealed one day. It boggled her mind to think about what could make sisters hate each other and ignore each other’s existence. Sofia knew that she and Cara could never be torn apart like that, and the mere thought made her shudder.
The thought of Cara prompted Sofia to pull out her pocket mirror and check on her sister's whereabouts.
She saw Cara tossing her gear at Lek and telling him to hurry. Laughing as always, she egged him into another race that held who knows what as a prize. The two of them continued to grow close during their time in Tropos, and this time, Sofia looked at them with genuine happiness. She watched her sister run from the training grounds, weaving in and out of the crowded square with Lek following close behind. As Cara’s lead in the foot race lengthened, Lek shook his head and shouted something at her, but Cara refused to slow down or turn around.
Sofia giggled at their race and let out the most unladylike snort when she saw Cara scream and close her eyes when Lek grabbed her and flew into the air. Knowing the pair would be arriving at the entrance shortly, Sofia closed her pocket mirror and ran over to watch the final leg of their race. As if on cue, Lek glided toward the bottom of the temple stairs and gently dropped Cara off just to race to the top of the stairs by air.
“Afternoon, Your Grace.” Lek landed breathlessly next to Sofia at the top of the stairs.
“Don’t talk to that cheater, Sofia!” Cara huffed from several flights of stairs below. “He owes me a week’s worth of desserts at the commissary.” Cara gasped and heaved her way up the last few steps.
Sofia smiled at the two of them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lek stretched and shook his wings as if he had done nothing wrong. “I won, fair and square.”
“No...you...didn’t.“ Cara plopped down on the staircase next to Sofia. After catching her breath, she shook her finger at the royal guard. “I’m not talking to you anymore, cheater! Come on, Sofe. You ready to head home?”
Cara jumped up, pushed past Lek, and linked arms with Sofia to start walking back to the palace.
“Fly your way outta here, you cheating chicken,” Cara said, waving her free hand to dismiss him.
“Hold on, Cara.” Sofia pulled Cara back easily. “The Oracle wanted to see both of us first. Thank you for dropping her off safely, Lek. We’ll see you at the palace, okay?”
“Of course, Your Grace.” Lek bowed slightly and hesitated to walk down the stairs.
“Say goodbye, Cara.” Sofia nudged her pouting best friend. Cara shook her head and refused to turn around to look at Lek. “Now, now, Cara. You’ll hurt his feelings. Be a good princess and say goodbye to your personal guard.”
Cara continued to pout, refusing to obey. She was the sorest of losers, so she was so competitive and always tried to win at all costs. Tightening her grip on Sofia’s elbow, Cara tried to shuffle her sister through the temple doors without saying goodbye to Lek. Her stubborn behavior made Sofia laugh out loud, and Cara halted in her tracks to glare at her sister.
“How could you laugh at me right now? Did you see what he did?” Cara stomped her foot and sulked some more. “I don’t care if I never talk to him again.”
Sofia stopped laughing but didn’t stop smirking. She turned around to look at Lek, who shrugged his shoulders. There was never a dull day with these two, and Sofia appreciated their lighthearted antics. Sighing heavily, Sofia leaned in closer to Cara.
“Care Bear, I know you’re not that mean,” Sofia whispered in her sister’s ear. She then straightened her posture, ready to lecture Cara. “Aren’t you always telling me that a good princess has to be more understanding and fairer to everyone?” Cara nodded slowly. Sofia seized the moment to tease her sister some more.
“Cara, if you don’t say goodbye now, you may lose your chance forever. Karma might get him for cheating in the race and strike him down on the way back to the palace. Or what if he’s so torn up inside and guilty about his behavior that he ends it all? Would you be happy to know that you didn’t smile and say goodbye? I mean, look at those sad, sad, sad, puppy dog eyes.”
Sofia gestured to Lek to make his saddest face as she forced Cara to turn around. Cara moved slowly but refused to look up. After a moment, Sofia got Cara to look at Lek, and her attitude softened immediately.
“Ugh, that’s so not fair. Fine. Bye, Lek!”
Cara quickly turned around and rushed inside the wat. Sofia chuckled and looked back at Lek, who smiled and waved before walking down the stairs. She walked back inside and caught up with Cara. “I only did that because you asked me to. I’m still angry that he cheated.”
“I know, I know. That’s what makes you the best sis ever.” Sofia laughed as she hugged Cara.
Pretending to resist, Cara struggled before giving in. Smiling together, they walked through the wat.
“Now let’s go find the Oracle and see what he has to show us,” Sofia announced.