I sat quietly on a high chair in a small wooden cabin buried deep in the city. The symbol of the guild plastered on the wall and their members made the room smaller than it seemed. I laid my head on the table and groaned in agony.

"Are you okay?"

I pressed my lips together as I watched Triston carefully. His light blue eyes were of another world. They were filled with such hope, happiness, joy, and full; Completely full. His lips slightly curved on the left as he gave me his dimpled crook smile. He leaned in closer to me letting his blue hair swing down over his eyes, "I'm fine." I groaned.

"You sure?" I bobbed my head up and down as I turned to lay my head down in the opposite direction of him. "Lisa, Edgor!"

"Oh, hello Triston." A young woman's voice hummed, "It's been awhile."

"Woah! Look at you! You've gotten big!" Triston laughed, "How long is it now?"

"Eight months!" A man's voice boomed in excitement. I lifted my head off the table and glanced over my shoulder to the odd pair standing in front of Triston. The short woman had her hands carressing her round tummy as a taller man laughed devishly next to her, "Our son will be the next fiore king!"

The round woman elbowed the lean man in the stomach, "It's not going to be a boy!" She shrieked.

"How do you know that, Lisa?" Triston asked curiously.

Lisa rubber her tummy, "Woman's intuition." She looked over at me and smiled, "You know what I mean right?"

I nodded my head wildly. Triston grinned, "Oh, I almost forgot. This is Aurora."

"Nice to meet you - child." I twitched at the lean man, "I'm Edgor Nguyen, this is my wife Lisa Nguyen, and that is our son in there." He grinned creepily, pointing at Lisa's stomach, "You know what's in there right - child?"

I took in a deep breath, "I-am-not-a-child!" I shouted. I stuck my thumb to my chest as I stood off the stool peering up to the lean man, "Uh-roar-uh!"

The man placed his hand on the top of my head, "You are one tough child." He smiled genuinely.

I swatted his hand off my head and crossed my arms across my chest as I pouted, "I have to go back to the smith shop." I muttered, snatching my bag off the counter and strapping it onto my back.

"I'll go with you. I'll see you guys later!" Triston shouted as he ran after me to the cabin doors.

I marched down the street muttering under my breath. Triston followed along next to me, holding a slgiht smile on his face. I glared at him, "Why so happy?"

He shrugged, "It's cute when you pout."

I rolled my eyes, "Weirdo."

I pushed the shop door open and walked straight to the counter where the old man from earlier sat. He face lit up when he saw me, "Ms.! I have your item for you right here," He reached down below the counter and pulled out a brown bag, "I went ahead and bagged the extra crystal's you desired." He said, pulling out a small clear bag from inside the brown one.

The crystal clip glistened against the light that peeked through the window. A smiled spread across my face as the man placed it into my palm. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a chain, slowly letting the chain slide through the hole of the clip. I grabbed both end of the chain and watch the clip hang at the end.

"Here," Triston said, reaching for the necklace. I pulled my hair up above my head as I turned my back to him. He reached around me to pul both end arouns my neck and clipped ever so easily. I let my hair drop down and turned to him with a grin plastered on my face, "The vermillion symbol huh?"

I titled my head to the side, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Triston grabbed my paper bog from the counter and began to head toward the door as I walked along with him, "Fiore's king and queen. The royal palace." I shook my head, "You didn't know?"

"I've been drawing this symbol since I could remember, and this is my second time coming to Crocus."

Triston ruffled his hair, "What a strange coincidence?"

I lifted my clip up to my face and watched it glimmer under the setting sun. The ends of each petal curved down symmetrically into the middle, leaving not one dent or imperfection in the design. The four bent in claws cleverly built in with the design hung underneath it making the design and inch longer than it originally was.

I laid it back on my chest where it hung and turned to Triston, "Take-me-to-the-palace."

"What?"

"Take me to the palace." I repeated slowly, "I want to speak to the king and queen. Maybe they know something about my parents."

Triston cocked his head to the side, "Your parents? That's who you were looking for?" I nodded. Triston sighed, "Alright come on. It's this way."

Triston jogged up the hill and I followed hastily behind him.  I listened to the thudding of my feet. Thud, thud, thud. The thudding was all I could hear--besides my heart, that pounded, frantically in my chest. I was nothing more than a lost puppy searching for a way home.

Over the hil top the palace appeared almost out of nowhere. It was large in size and stature. I felt a weight lift of my shoulders and I fount myself sprinting, faster than the man who was guiding me. I passed Triston, ignoring my surroundings, focused only on the Palace up ahead.

I reached the stairs and kept on pushing. Faster, faster I ran. If I could compare myself, I'd compare myself to the speed of light. Then, I stopped, breathing heavily as I stood in front of the large double doors. I looked over my surroundings recognizing nothing. My heart ached at that relization. I lowered my head.

"This can't be it." I muttered, just about to turn around and retreat, hoplessly starting over again. Then the double doors flew inwards. A woman with tears streaming down her face jumped at me with arms open. I stepped back in shock, her arms wrapped around me and pulled me in close to her body.

"Aurora." She quivered, tightening her grip around me. Over her shoulder an older man reached the door huffing with sorrowful eyes. The woman released me, still keeping an arm around me as if I was going to float away. She turned to the older man with a wet face and smile, "Our daughter returned to us Maarten."

Maarten smiled as tears began to stream down his face, "Welcome home Aurora."

Something deep inside me began to well up. I gripped my shirt over my heart as it ached; Ached in happiness. I smiled at the man Maarten; My father, "I'm home."