Morning arises behind the mountains of a small valley in Human Territory. Its shine pierces through the clouds, revealing its gradient majesty to this tired little town. It cues the rooster to crow, and the tired little town bustles with greetings from neighbor to neighbor.
It's the start of a new day in Veil Valley.
It begins alongside the town's humble library. A young woman steps out of the house, connected to the library.
She has light blue eyes and dark brown hair with a subtle shimmer of crimson red when she sets foot under the sun, with her smile just as warm and bright. She also wears a long village dress with long puffy sleeves and ties a cloth around her hair.
That young woman's name is 'Ina', Ina Hopeget, the Librarian of the Hopeget Library.
Ina cups one hand to the side of her face as she calls audibly in the open,
"Sweetie, breakfast! Come inside before it gets cold!"
But no response. How strange, she usually comes running when called for breakfast, especially after making her favorite, berry pancakes.
Ina inspects the situation.
She visits her little one's favorite spot, under the shade of a large tree. After inspection, she wonders,
"How odd. I thought she'd be here."
Ina's confused, but not worried. The town she grew up in has always been a safe place and she knows her neighbors very well. A responsible and trustworthy community. Her child even plays and visits the neighborhood children.
Above Ina's head, she hears a rustle and leaves fall on top of her. She looks up and places her hands to her hips while smiling.
She should've known she'd be up there.
Meanwhile, up on top of a tall tree sits a small 6-year-old little girl with long bright red hair who is so into her book that she doesn't heed her Mommy's call.
Ina calls again to her daughter. The little girl looks up from her book and finally hears her Mommy. She follows the source of her voice and sees her.
"HOPE! Come down, it's time for breakfast!" Ina calls, hopefully audible enough to get her attention.
Her daughter responds back,
"Hold on, Mommy! I'm getting to the best part!"
Ina lets out a lighthearted sigh and shakes her head.
Her little girl revolves around that book like the moon revolves around the world. She knows that once her daughter reads her favorite adventure book, almost nothing will split her away from it.
Ina goes into serious parent mode. She places her hands on her hips and says with authority, but with a warm, firm tone,
"Hope! I have to take you to school before I open the library! You can read the book there, okay?"
Mommy has a point. She always has a point. The little one never wins an argument against her Mommy. So, she closes the cover of her favorite book, 'McBride Journal'.
'McBride Journal' is a precious relic. Its cover has old, shredded leather. Pages with faded writing, and the pages themselves tear easily if one is not careful. It holds entries of an adventurer's journey around the world of Size-Terra.
The little girl, Hope, gingerly places the book in her bag and replies to her Mommy,
"Ooookaaay. Be right down in a second!"
Hope reaches into her bag and pulls out an odd-looking contraption.
Time to use the trusty tool that brought her up this tree in the first place.
Hope's an excellent climber, but if she wants to climb down the fastest way, she depends on her favorite toy. With the push of its button, it uncoils itself and becomes…
A grappling hook.
The little one puts on her bag and gets up on her feet, searching for a target.
There! A sturdy tree branch.
Once she locks on target, she spins her grappling hook and throws it at the branch. Her hook successfully clings to it, all ready and steady.
Hope leaps and hugs her knees as she shouts,
"CANNONBALL!!!"
With a whoosh of leaves behind her, Hope grips the rope and is in total control on where she swings.
The wind rushes through her bright red hair. The thrill of a grappling hook is much more fun than what any playground swing set would do.
Piles of scattered leaves float down on top of Ina's head in the playful process.
Hope then reaches in her bag while still swinging down. She spots her Mommy and pulls out her wooden sword and shouts in an exaggerated tone,
"Halt, villain! I've come to take back the treasure!"
Ina giggles a little from the act. Oh my, there she goes again. Ina remains unphased and just stands there crossing her arms and smiles at her daughter warmly, even with leaves in her hair.
Ina once thought that every little girl would want to play with a doll house, jump rope, or a tricycle, but no, her little girl just wants to play with a grappling hook.
--- MOMENTS LATER ---
After an entertaining show from her little one, Ina walks her daughter to the direction of her school. As they stroll hand-in-hand, Hope is skipping joyfully. Ina gently glances at her daughter and asks,
"Having fun with my grappling hook, Dear?"
"AH HA! I just love climbing high places!" Hope perks.
"And you've been reenacting from the book, again?"
Hope's blue eyes widened and have that sparkle in her eyes as she happily answers her Mommy. She is always happy to share what she reads on their walks while her Mommy happily listens.
What Hope loves to share most of all is about her hero, 'Diana McBride'.
As the little one tells her Mommy, she swings her arm around enthusiastically as she describes the actions in her book,
"YEAH! It's when Diana fought pirates in Goblin Territory! It's so awesome! She swung down a vine and WHAM! BAM! Tied those meanies up, and brought back the Goblin's stolen treasure!"
Ina giggles and smiles with her daughter,
"One thing's for sure, you're becoming like your hero every day, Darling."
"Really!? Thank you, Mommy! That means a lot!" Hope responds with enthusiasm.
Ina loves it when her precious child reenacts scenes from her hero's book.
The best part is that her child learns moral values from Diana McBride, like kindness to all, acceptance, love, the power of prayer, and family.
Time passes quickly as they talk until finally, they make it to Hope's school.
As Hope and her Mommy stroll down a hill path, a crowd of parents are seen dropping off their children to school.
They all see Ina and Hope come their way. The grown-ups and their kids loudly greet and are excited to wave to their favorite neighbors of the whole town.
"Ina! Hope! Good morning!"
"Morning, Ina and Hope!"
"Hey! Morning you two!"
Ina's well-known in town as a kind woman with extraordinary knowledge and wisdom, but is humble about it, and always happy to answer her neighbors.
While her daughter, Hope, also well-known, but to the other kids as someone fun, daring, supportive, and some would even say she's quite a handful.
Hope greets back to everyone who said hi to her and her Mommy until she hears,
"Bye, Dad, thanks for bringing me!"
Hope looks towards the source and sees a tall man with his son. The man ruffles his boy's hair and says cheerfully,
"Anytime, Son. I'll see you after school."
Hope looks on and then hears another little girl happily laughing,
"Higher! Lift me up higher, Daddy!"
"Hahaha! Any higher and you'll end up on the moon." A man says, chuckling to his daughter.
Ina finishes her greetings to every neighbor she sees and then glances down to her daughter with a warm smile and says with gladness,
"Okay, Sweetie, have fun at school."
However, Hope looks unsure, too deep in her thoughts to reply.
Ina notices her young one being unusually quiet, but why? Soon Ina gets her answer when her daughter looks up at her with curious eyes,
"Mommy…? Do I have…a Daddy?"
Ina is surprised, her daughter has never asked this kind of question before.
Where did this come from? She loves to answer any curious, usually cute, questions her child asks her, but this one catches her off guard.
Oh dear, this is quite sudden indeed.
"What?" Ina asks, looking shocked.
"Um! It's just that…I-if I…you know…had…a…!" Hope frantically stutters. "N-never mind, it's nothing…nothing at all."
Hope is ashamed for asking that, she feels like she asked the wrong question.
Ina softens, she looks directly on where her daughter is looking at. Right away, Ina understands why her little one asks that sudden question.
She watches a mother and father drop off their child then lovingly hug and kiss each other and say 'I love you' as they bid farewell.
Ina feels so nostalgic, and answers Hope with a tear formed in her eye,
"Of course you do, Sweetheart."
"Huh?" Hope glances at her Mommy.
"…You have a Daddy too."
Hope's mouth is agape. She's ecstatic on the inside.
A Daddy, she actually has a Daddy?! It's been just her and her Mommy growing up. She's happy about it, yes, but Hope never once thought she had a Daddy to begin with.
It really sparks her interest. She wants to know more, so she turns towards her Mommy and eagerly asks,
"REALLY!? I always wanted to know what it's like to have a Daddy! What's he like!? Where is he!? Can I see him!? Tell me! Tell me!"
Despite her enthusiasm, Ina sadly smiles and answers,
"I'm so sorry, Hope…but I can't tell you about him yet."
Hope is in total shock and disappointment. That's not the answer she wants to hear from her Mommy.
Never in her life does she think her Mommy would deny her daughter an answer. Her Mommy can answer difficult questions, like 'Why is the sky blue?' Or 'Why does the rooster crow in the morning?'
But why can't she answer about her Daddy?
"What!? Why not!?" Hope yells.
"It's a promise I made with your father." Ina answers calmly.
"What promise!? Why won't you tell me!?"
Hope sounds upset, almost at a tantrum level.
Ina understands how her child feels. Hope never likes secrets, especially when she so badly wants to know more about something.
Like mother, like daughter.
Ina kneels to her daughter's level and holds her hands gently,
"Please understand, Dear. He asked me not to tell anyone about him. 'Not even to our own child', he said. If people knew who he is, he's worried that it would put us in danger. So he's only trying to protect us."
Hope doesn't understand at all.
Why must her Mommy make a promise to keep her Daddy a secret? All to protect her?
But if it's to keep them safe, frustrating as it may be, she understands this fact…
A promise is a promise.
"I…understand." Hope answers a little hesitantly, but then she asks, "Can I see a picture of him instead?"
But Ina shakes her head and looks down sadly as she replies,
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I lost the only picture I had of him during a storm after you were born."
It's hard to see her child like this. She wants to answer Hope, but can't due to the last time Ina talked to her husband before he left for his crucial mission.
He never came back after Hope was born, but Ina completely understands the intentions her beloved husband tries to do.
"But…I want to see him now…I want to see my Daddy…" Hope says sadly.
Suddenly, her Mommy embraces her in a hug. Ina hugs her child's petite frame ever so firmly.
Her daughter longs to see her Daddy, which is a proud moment for Ina, because she was concerned her child would push him away like a complete stranger, but the moment her child asks about him, she's at ease, but Ina longs for him too. Ina says as she sobs a little,
"You will…I promise you will see him…I want to see him too…I miss him so much that I can't wait."
Ina trembles at the anticipation for her husband's return while she still embraces her child.
Hope feels her Mommy tremble and notices tears flowing down her face.
The little one regrets to have ever asked such a dumb question. She wishes she could take that back and forget about it, but can't.
What's done is done.
She made her Mommy cry and feels at fault. Best she can do is hug her Mommy back.
Ina and Hope hug each other in comfort, for what feels like a long time, before Ina releases her hold on her daughter.
She gently places her hand on her child's back. While her other hand wipes the tears off her eyes. Ina is a little embarrassed to cry in front of her daughter.
Her feelings really got to her, she needs to stay strong and bring back her composure.
"Sorry, Dear. I got a bit emotional back there."
"That's okay. You miss him, that's all…I'm sorry for making you cry, Mommy. I just wanted to know what having a Daddy is like."
Ina took note of her daughter's face, it's full of guilt.
Her child's face tells her that she might have asked something that hurt her feelings.
Hope has a quirky nature. A rambunctious child with a passion for learning something new, but is also considerate of other's feelings, even to her Mommy. Ina warmly answers,
"I understand. A Daddy is just like a Mommy, but a man. *Giggles* Actually, it's a male parent that's strong, but gentle. Also warm and caring enough to teach you, protect you, and more importantly, loves you dearly no matter what."
Hope is amazed, this is what having a Daddy is like?!
Ina is able to bring back the spark in her daughter's eyes that she is all too familiar with. For her child being sad doesn't fit her.
When Hope feels sad, Ina reminds her child to never forget her own name, it's also a reminder that keeps her and Ina strong everyday…
'Never lose yourself, never lose hope.'
"Wow! A Daddy sounds amazing, just like you, Mommy!" Hope exclaims.
Ina giggles happily from her adorable spark and replies with a warm smile,
"Thank you, but hurry, bell's gonna ring."
Hope waves back to her Mommy before she rushes towards the entrance of her school.
"Bye, Mommy! See you after school! I love you!"
"I love you too, Sweetheart!" Ina smiles and waves to her little one.
Ina watches her child hurry to her school with the other kids in town. She warmly smiles at her daughter, oh how she's grown.
Ina switches to a melancholy smile as she gazes up at the sky. A gentle breeze blows fallen leaves past her feet while she's idle. Words slowly come out of her mouth,
"…Mi Love…"
As she reflects back to that moment.
--- FLASHBACK (6 YEARS AGO, 4 MONTHS BEFORE BIRTH) ---
Young Ina cradles her pregnant belly while she smiles warmly and blushes as she rubs it tenderly with love and care.
She appears to be in a vague empty space, nothing but sky, clouds, and wind blowing in the background, and she appears to be completely alone. Not until Ina glances up from her baby to the vague face of her husband. Ina sadly smiles and says,
"Mi Love…Yes, you wanted to be there for me and our baby, but I completely understand..."
Ina's husband speaks in speechless silence.
"......…."
Ina replies to him with sincerity,
"I know we're more important to you than the mission, but I mean it, it's okay, it's crucial…Your home is my home…and your family is my family too."
Ina really wants her husband to stay with her when their first child is born. It's a precious moment for any newfound family. She's afraid to handle this alone, but Ina knows she can't prevent her husband from doing his duty. It'd be the most selfish thing to do.
Her husband must protect the forbidden knowledge of Size-Terra or else let peace fall into evil hands.
A young, hooded man suddenly appears and approaches Ina from behind. He kneels and bows his head down to her and speaks with formality,
"Pardon me, my Lady, but I'm sorry. We must hurry before the exit is sealed."
"Yes…I…we…must go…Thank you, Oliver." Ina says, continuing to tenderly rub her pregnant belly. Tears flow down her cheeks and under her chin, it's the time to say goodbye.
"......….?" Ina's husband said in speechless silence. Ina replies with tenderness,
"I love you too…and I'll miss you. When your mission's done, I'll welcome you back with open arms. I'll even let our child hug you first."
The husband gently places a kiss to Ina's womb and then to Ina's lips before their tearful goodbyes.
--- END OF FLASHBACK (PRESENT DAY) ---
It's the last time Ina ever saw her beloved husband. Ina is also entrusted with the duty to keep the forgotten history of Size-Terra alive while he's gone.
Ever since then, Ina raises Hope alone. She gives Hope her maiden name to avoid any information of her husband, all to keep the peace for Size-Terra.
Ina wipes her tears, anticipating the day he'll return and they'll be a whole family.
Ina watches Hope greet her teacher as she is deep in her thoughts for she remembers the last conversation she had with her husband.
"I was thinking about our child's name…Did you know, a robin lead me to you? That beautiful creature brought us together and blessed us with so much happiness. I know our baby will do the same not just for us, but to others of all kinds." Ina said lovingly.
"Our child will be…our little Robin."
After Hope was next in line, her teacher said checking on her clipboard,
"Check! Robin Hopeget, present! You're right on time, Hope."