Queen Monse: She sat on the only island in her oceanic world, listening to the waves crash against the beach. While hugging her legs, she zoned out on the sounds of the water. "Why must this be so confusing...I know this isn't right, but I can't shake this feeling." She heard footsteps approaching her. Without thinking, she quickly got up and turned toward the noise.
????: "Whoa, whoa, hey, I don't mean any harm." A pink-skinned woman stood before her, wearing a plaid-patterned cyan, gold, and rose colored dress. Her black hair sparkled with the breeze, illuminating her gorgeous, starry purple eyes. "I just, you wouldn't believe me if I told you why I came here."
Queen Monse: "Try me...First, start with your name." Her bracelets glowed bright, an outline of her trident forming in her palm.
Sophi: "Yes, of course, my name is Sophi, and I am here because of the feeling that resides in your chest, dear."
Queen Monse: "Excuse me?..." She raised an eyebrow, removing the glow from her bracelets. "What are you talking about?"
Sophi: "Oh dear, that is the issue at hand, you are denying and forcing the feelings inside your chest to not show." She sat down in the sand, taking her crystal-like shoes off. "Please sit, humor me for a moment."
Queen Monse: She sat for a moment, keeping a distance between the two of them. "Speak."
Sophi: "I know you are struggling with the feeling of love, you have grown to have feelings for that wind figure, haven't you?"
Queen Monse: "How do you know that- No, you're wrong, it's just complicated stuff, I'm not supposed to feel that."
Sophi: "Dear, it's my job to know. I help beings regulate the emotion of love. You can not just limit yourself because of these rules."
Queen Monse: "Those rules are the reason we have had peace for eons, since the dawn of existence, we have lived in harmony because of it!"
Sophi: "Harmony? Hardly. It's more of a shackle, my dear. You and your friends reside within the confines of this restriction, compelled to limit the boundless depths of your emotions. Love, in all its complexity, is a unique and breathtaking phenomenon."
"It gives rise to new forms of life and connection that no other force could ever replicate. You cannot extinguish love; it cannot be contained or restrained, for it has an innate power that makes hearts bloom and souls intertwine."
Queen Monse: "IT IS NOT LOVE!" The waves grew aggressive, slamming against one another as the ocean world shook from her rage. She balled her hands into fists, resting them on her knees as she tried to calm down. "I don't know what this is..."
Sophi: "You have been lied to your entire life, and now you don't know what to do. Who made these rules, you all as a group? Or one figure."
Queen Monse: She sat and thought for a moment, "Valkun came up with our rules..."
Sophi: "So one figure who views themselves as the authority of your order, tell me, if you all are supposed to be this harmonious group of peace. Why is he the only one pulling the strings? Why is he the only one giving the orders?"
Queen Monse: "...I guess we have never seen it that way because it's always worked."
Sophi: "Dearest, it operates exactly as he intends. It functions according to his desires. He isn't striving for peace or equality; it's about control. He may not even realize it, but once you have control, all you seek is more of it."
"You all do not wish to seek love, or any feelings, because of the consequences he has laid down before you all. That is fear, fear to be killed, each of you is aware that when you die, someone else will be chosen, but the thought of death is scary."
Queen Monse: "..." She remained silent, taking in everything this stranger was saying; for some odd reason, they seemed to know a lot about their society. "Let's say it is love-"
Sophi: "It is."
Queen Monse: "Whatever, why would you want to help me? I am just some random person. If you are who you say you are, then why would I matter in the grand scheme of things?"
Sophi: "Every single person should feel love in their life, nobody should be forced to close their hearts because the world says so, or in your case, because Valkun says so."
"Sit and realize that even your own elemental species are allowed to love one another, and you sit there and watch it all go down. Are you going to sit there and tell me that you have never once thought why you can't have that? What is so wrong with feeling love?
Queen Monse: "...I-I don't know what I'm supposed to say."
Sophi: She drew a heart in the sand, "You don't have to say anything, not to me at least. You were never shown this path, much like a newborn child. You deny what is new, because it was never a part of what you know."
Queen Monse: "What exactly am I supposed to do then? If I open up to Wiliaquo, then I'll be murdered. Everything I stand for and everything I've done will be for nothing because my crown would just be placed on another."
Sophi: "That is not for me to decide, you just simply have to trust your heart, hun. I tell my husband that all of the time, we are still trying to work on his own heart. Love is wonderful when you let it manifest."
Queen Monse: She stared out into the vast ocean, "Okay, I'm going to tell him. I'll tell him how I feel-" She looked over to see that Sophi was gone, every trace of her just vanished entirely. Something stirred in her mind, thinking if any of that was even real.
Before she could regather her thoughts, she heard the rune gate build up behind her with the power of wind. Wiliaquo was coming, and she had to make a choice; it was now or never.