CHAPTER IV
The moment I stepped into Sunflowerland, a gentle breeze swept across my face — cool and soft, like the whisper of a lullaby. It brushed past me like a greeting, curling through my hair and dancing around my gown, as though the land itself had stretched out its arms to say, "Welcome, Celeste."
I paused for a breath, letting the air fill my lungs. There was something different here — something calming and magical. It felt like a place made of joy and sunlight. Even the grass under my feet seemed to hum with warmth.
Not even a few steps in, and we saw her — a fairy kneeling by a patch of blossoms, carefully picking the most beautiful flowers I'd ever seen. She was delicate, her golden wings fluttering behind her like light caught in motion.
Olivia, ever the graceful diplomat, approached her kindly and asked, "Excuse me… may I ask why you're picking these flowers?"
The fairy looked up with a smile and replied, "I'm gathering them for Princess Aurelia. She's leaving today to begin her journey to meet Mother Fairy."
I blinked in surprise. "She is too?"
The words left my mouth before my brain could catch them.
Before I could even add anything else, Flash — ever the overreacting drama bird — swooped down and smacked his wing over my mouth.
I let out a muffled protest, glaring at him.
The flower-gathering fairy looked at us, puzzled. "'She is too'? What do you mean?"
Olivia jumped in, her voice light and laughing, "Oh, don't mind her! She always says the silliest things — she just loves making up stories. You know how white fairies are!"
The fairy tilted her head, unconvinced but polite, and then fluttered away, bouquet in hand.
As soon as she disappeared behind a hill, Flash turned to me with that all-too-familiar disapproving glare and hissed, "You're unbelievable. Are you trying to announce to the entire Fairyland that you're the future Queen of Frosthevan on a secret journey?!"
I huffed and pulled his wing off my face. "I forgot, okay?! I said Mother Fairy and I just—"
"—Blurted it out like a pixie with no filter," Flash interrupted.
I gave him a look that would've frozen lava. "You know, you're lucky I'm not using my powers right now."
Flash flapped a few feet higher, smirking smugly, just out of my reach. "You wouldn't reach me even if you tried. I'm at least two hands taller than you in flight."
"Oh really? Come down here and say that!"
From above, Flash burst into laughter. Not polite fairy laughter. No. This was loud, cheeky, full-on I'm-going-to-tell-everyone-how-dumb-you-are laughter.
And of course — of course — Olivia, Chiko, and even Rira started laughing too.
I stood there in the middle of Sunflowerland, arms crossed, fuming while trying not to smile. Because honestly… the whole situation was so ridiculous, even I could see how funny it was.
A future queen getting shushed by a parrot, scolded for being too honest, and laughed at by a monkey and a magical carpet.
What a glorious royal life I was leading.
Still, the moment — as silly as it was — warmed something in me. These strange, mismatched companions weren't just tagalongs on a mission anymore. They were slowly becoming… something else.
Maybe not quite friends. But something close.
And as we moved deeper into Sunflowerland, golden light brushing our shoulders and laughter echoing behind us, I had a feeling we were just beginning to see the magic this journey had in store.
We had barely walked a little further when the golden fields of Sunflower Land opened up into something truly magical — a marketplace straight from a fairytale.
It stretched out like a festival of dreams. Stalls lined both sides of the path, decorated with yellow petals and golden ribbons. The air was filled with the delicious aroma of sweet treats and fresh fruits. There were stands selling glittering fairy dresses in shades of sunflower gold, toys carved from enchanted wood, fresh-cut flowers that glowed faintly in the sunlight, and whimsical rides that spun and twirled like floating petals in the wind.
My eyes widened in awe. Everywhere I looked, joy bloomed like magic. Fairies with bright eyes and twinkling wings fluttered from one stall to another, laughing, twirling, and trying out sweets or sparkling trinkets. Children giggled as they rode tiny magical swings that floated gently in the air.
I stood there, completely mesmerized.
This was happiness — raw and simple. A part of life I had only read about in books or heard whispered in bedtime stories.
A soft ache grew in my chest.
"I've never seen anything like this," I murmured, voice barely above a breath. "Why… why have I never visited a market in my own land?"
The words stung more than I expected. Back home in Frosthevan, everything was about responsibility, rules, tradition. I had been raised in palace halls lined with ice-carved walls and echoes of duty. But never freedom like this. Never color like this.
For a brief moment, I almost wished I was just any fairy — not a princess, not a future queen. Just someone who could come to this market and spend a carefree afternoon picking sunfruit or trying cotton sweets shaped like little stars.
Then, from beside me, Flash — the ever-enthusiastic black parrot — suddenly whooshed into the air.
"Wooohooo! Now this is a market!" he cawed, spinning in joy above us.
He zipped around the stalls like an overexcited child. But almost instantly, I noticed something strange — the fairies at the market… they froze.
Their joyful chatter dimmed.
Their wings drooped mid-flight.
Eyes widened. Smiles faded.
And then, whispers began to ripple through the crowd like a growing storm.
"Black feathers…"
"A black parrot?"
"Is… is a Black Fairy here?"
My heart skipped a beat.
Because in our world, black was not just a color — it was a warning.
In fairyland lore, the appearance of black-colored creatures — especially those in clothing or flight — always meant one thing:
> "A Black Fairy is near."
And here we were… a black parrot swooping gleefully over a golden market, completely unaware of the chaos he was about to cause.
Within seconds, the joy of the marketplace turned into quiet panic. Fairies ducked into stalls. Some flew off quickly, others whispered to shopkeepers in fear. I could feel the tension like electricity in the air.
"Flash — get down!" I hissed, trying not to draw more attention. "They're afraid!"
He stopped mid-flight and tilted his head, confused. "Afraid of me? Why?"
"Because you're BLACK!" I whisper-yelled. "Do you not know how that looks in a place like this?!"
Flash blinked in surprise, just realizing the mistake.
But before anything worse could happen — a sudden burst of light shimmered in the air.
It crackled softly like fairy bells… and in a swirl of magic, Flash's feathers began to change.
Right before everyone's eyes, his dark feathers turned a brilliant white, shining like snow under the sun. The transformation was dazzling — feathers, beak, tail… all glowing with an innocent purity that made the crowd gasp in surprise.
The fairies below blinked, confused.
Had they been mistaken?
Whispers changed from panic to puzzled curiosity.
"…Was it just a trick of the light?"
"…I could have sworn it was black…"
"…Maybe it was nothing after all."
Within seconds, the panic faded, and the market slowly returned to life. The fairies, though still slightly wary, continued their shopping and chatter. Children ran again. Laughter returned, like sunlight breaking through a cloud.
But I stood frozen — eyes locked on Flash, whose now-white wings fluttered above us like a dove of peace.
He glided back down beside me and said softly, "That wasn't me."
I turned slowly. "What?"
"I didn't change my feathers," he whispered, eyes serious for once. "That… was colorchanger magic."
My breath caught.
Because colorchanger spells were ancient, and rarely used. They weren't something creatures just knew. They were linked to a person's bond — someone powerful, someone close.
And in this case… it could only mean one thing.
"Cael," I whispered.
Flash nodded. "Yes. That was him. He's here, Celeste. Somewhere nearby."
My heart began to race.
If Cael was here — if he had used magic to protect Flash — then he had seen what happened. He was watching. Close enough to act. But why hide? Why not reveal himself?
The mystery deepened like a shadow behind a curtain.
Beside me, Olivia spoke softly, "It seems the past is closer than we thought."
I said nothing.
Because deep inside me, something had already changed.
This journey… this mission… this ritual…
It wasn't just about finding Cael anymore.
It was about everything I didn't know — about my world, about others… and even about myself.
And now that the winds of fate had stirred again…
There was no going back.
Just as we stood there, still surrounded by the soft shimmer of Sunflower Land's golden glow, a chariot appeared in the distance — radiant and regal. It glided smoothly across the ground like a dream, the soft hum of magic trailing in its wake. The chariot was being pulled by two gleaming horses, and at its helm sat a mysterious figure — a man, or perhaps a fairy, with his face entirely hidden beneath layers of cloth. Only his hands were visible, strong and steady as he guided the reins. Riding in the chariot was a fairy unlike any we had seen today — her aura was warm yet commanding, her posture graceful yet confident.
As the chariot slowed to a halt before us, the fairy stepped down and addressed us directly. "You must be Celeste and Olivia, correct?"
Startled, Olivia took a step forward and asked, "How do you know who we are?"
Instantly, my heart skipped a beat. Oh no, I thought, Did I say something I shouldn't have again? Did I make another mistake? Worry began to flood my mind, fearing that I had accidentally revealed our identity to the wrong person. But before my thoughts could spiral further, the fairy offered a reassuring smile.
"My name is Aurelia," she said kindly. "And according to the ritual of Sunflower Land, I was meant to meet three fairies here today. Only when the three of us are together can our sacred journey begin."
Olivia glanced at me, confused. "But there are only two of us. Where is the third?"
Aurelia looked up at the sky for a moment, thoughtful. "That… I don't yet know. But I believe that the path ahead will bring the answer. What matters now is that we move forward — together."
Then Olivia turned to me and asked with a gentle seriousness, "Celeste… are you ready for this?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my choices and the excitement of the unknown all at once. I nodded slowly, a soft smile playing on my lips. "Yes, I'm ready. Let's go."
At that moment, Flash, our ever-dramatic black parrot, flew off my shoulder and made himself very comfortable on the chariot driver's shoulder — as if he'd found the perfect resting place. He looked unusually calm, like the journey was finally catching up to him, and the chariot was the only place he trusted to rest. As if responding to some unseen signal, his feathers slowly shifted back to black — the color change magic was fading. That could only mean one thing: Cael, the one who cast the spell, was very close.
Then, something even stranger happened.
Flash whispered softly, "Chuki…"
At the sound of the name, Chiko — who had been gliding nearby on Rira, our enchanted carpet — turned his head. Without hesitation, he flew toward the chariot and landed beside the veiled driver, settling into a cozy spot as if he'd been waiting for this moment all along. Rira floated behind, like a loyal companion following the leader.
It was surreal. Somehow, Flash and Chiko both felt drawn to this mysterious figure — a driver whose face we hadn't even seen. But there was no time to question it.
Aurelia extended her hand toward us once more. "Shall we begin?"
With a final glance between Olivia and me, we stepped onto the chariot together. The moment our feet touched its glowing floor, the wheels lit up and the entire structure began to rise gently into the air. The horses lifted off the ground, soaring upward as though they were dancing on clouds. Slowly, Sunflower Land faded below us, its golden fields waving goodbye like an ocean of blossoms.
And so, the journey began — with a mysterious driver, three fairies tied by fate, and two magical companions who clearly knew more than they let on.
We didn't know where we were headed.
But we knew this much — something powerful was waiting in the skies ahead.
To be continue.....