Poppy walked along the garden in the heights of Orion's castle.
The kingdom was built like one of the floating flower beds that hang from a chain, except it didn't leave the ground.
Orion was a genius, and was able to propel it off of the water, by caving the water of the centermost lake of Vallmora in with some sort of gravity manipulation.
So the kingdom looked like a ball that had been inflated on only the bottom half. While the top half became a living mountain of buildings and structures. With the grand castle standing at the top, towering above the clouds like a mountain itself.
She walked along the patches of flowers, touching them gently as she neared the chamber of the throne.
She had to speak to her father, and had to do something about Chase. There was no way she could let him spend anymore time in The Dark Forest.
"Because he is crazy enough! If he were to get crazier, who knows how many people he could endanger!"
She frantically assured herself. She was just worried about the people he could hurt.
Not him!
She stepped through the large marble doors of the castles highest point.
Inside was a vast hallway with nothing special really resting in it. Except for the large throne at the end of the hall made of pure gold.
On it, rested a figure that had always frightened Poppy. No matter how many times she seen him... The Grand Paladin had always made her wish she had been left on the streets and starving as a child.
It was far better than having to look that... Thing in the eyes.
Although it pained her to say it. Her adoptive father was probably the most beautiful being in the lands of Vallmora, not because she thought so. But because he was.
His navy-blue hair, and his deep blue eyes that didn't look much like a blue, and more a color you would find on another plane of existence.
He had sharp facial features and perfect skin, but that wasn't even the most impressive part.
His power was unshakable. He stood at the top for a reason, he had killed the Phoenix clan, and now had been one of the core reasons Orion's clan was wiped out.
Thankfully he had let Leander live...
However, he had made a deal with a god that forced Leander to live out his days as a Headmaster of Phoenix Academy, in honor of the first Phoenix.
And there was always the fact that no matter how strong her father got, he would never rival Orion in terms of pure strength and magic. So he always feared the return of the king of constellations.
"Father..."
She said, steeling her nerves and bowing her head.
"Hm?"
He said carelessly, looking out of the grand balcony that was open to the hall, and had a view point over the entire western side of the continent.
The side that gave him the most problems.
"The boy... I ask for your favor.. And that you lift his exile..."
She said, getting straight to the point, no matter how much she wanted to avoid bringing her reason for coming, up to her father.
He frowned, and rolled his eyes.
"I have my plans... Do not worry, the bird will live... Sadly..."
Poppy scowled.
"Father I do not think it wise that he gets more time to get stronger... and less of himself, inside of that forest."
His frown deepened.
"If I feared the boy getting stronger, I would have had a real assassin kill him."
Her heart ached, but she took a deep breath.
Then another voice called from behind, this one however, made a vein twitch on Poppy's forehead.
"Yes! Father will have me kill him next time!"
Star exclaimed happily, as she walked past her, not even bothering to look at her sister.
Her deep blue hair flowed with the wind of the open balcony, and her eyes that matched her father's flashed by with arrogance and pride as she strolled over to The Grand Paladin.
"Father! I am so happy to see you! Those Orion Academy boys never stop following me."
She whined to their father as she always did.
"Then I will have them killed if you just say their names. But it appears you do not want them to stop following you, or you wouldn't bring it up without reason so damn much..."
Their father groaned, rubbing his eyes with annoyance.
Then he looked down at Poppy.
"Leave, the boy will live... And if he does, and does something about that insolent Rider, then I will just marry him into my family and train him as my heir."
Looking at Star, he scowled and shook his head.
"No matter how pathetic of a wife I must give him..."