Realization

Luna was still bathing when she heard the door to the room open and someone enter.

"Phew! I'm home." Quetzal's voice sounded from the door. "Luna, is the water to your liking?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Great, I thought it might be too hot for you." Quetzal focused on setting the table for both of them to eat. "Oh, I took the opportunity to stop by your room to bring your clothes, do you want me to leave them at the door?"

"Yes, please."

"Sure."

The door to the bathroom opened and Quetzal hung her clothes on the doorknob along with a towel, and before closing, Pagui slipped through the crack and landed on Luna's head.

"Oh, it seems he wants to bathe with you."

"Isn't the water too hot for him?"

"No, sometimes he even dives..."

Splash!

 Without thinking twice, Pagui dove into the water with all his might, getting completely wet.

"Looks like he's already in, haha!"

"Haha, yes..."

Pagui flapped his wings wildly, splashing water on Luna's face, while making animated sounds.

"Oh yeah? Take this then!" In response, Luna splashed water at the bird, starting a competition of who could splash more water on the other.

However, Luna had small hands, while Pagui had two large wings that, when opened, measured more than a meter from tip to tip.

"Okay, okay, haha! I give up!"

Pagui flapped his wings and seemed to shout in celebration of his victory.

"Dinner's on the table, are you done in there?" Quetzal asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm coming."

Luna left the large bathtub and dried herself with the towel that Quetzal had left at the door.

This time, it took her longer to dry herself, as her hair was getting longer and longer, so drying it was a long task.

After a few minutes, she left the bathroom and found a large meal waiting for her. The contents were very similar to what she had eaten earlier, during the meeting with Yaxun, except there was less meat.

As soon as the door opened, Pagui flew towards the meat and devoured it.

"Oh, sit down!" Quetzal pointed to a cushioned seat. "Don't worry about the meat, it's all for Pagui."

"I thought it was for you."

"Oh no, I don't eat anything animal."

"You too?"

"Yes, and as far as I know from my father, my mother didn't eat it either."

"I understand."

"You better not take too long to eat, if Pagui finishes his meat and there's something left, he'll attack anything left on the table."

"Alright."

The trio ate their meals with gusto, while the two princesses talked about themselves and the difference between their kingdoms.

After eating, it was Quetzal's turn to take a bath while Luna played with Pagui.

Afterwards, they both got ready for bed. They both lay down on the large bed, with enough space for three people to sleep comfortably.

"Hey..." Quetzal whispered. "What's your father like?"

"Oh, Geoffrey?"

"Yeah."

"Well... He's very kind and protective... He was always very strict about who could get close to me, and whenever a new person saw me he would make sure to leave some guards nearby to protect me... When I was a child he always used his little free time to be with me, since I stayed in my room all day..."

Luna had her back to Quetzal, so she couldn't see what kind of expression she had.

"So, he really loves you a lot, huh."

"Yes. To be honest, I've been very lucky to have him as a father. It's only thanks to him that I'm alive. He's the best father I could have..." Luna smiled the whole time while thinking about her father.

Silence…

"Quetzal?" She turned to look at her and found her sleeping peacefully. Realizing this, she turned back over and tried to sleep.

However, her mind kept thinking about her father, and memories of the good times they'd spent together replayed constantly.

One particular memory kept returning, from when she was just a child, innocent of the terrible future that awaited her.

*****

"Where could she be...?" asked a soft, deep voice.

Luna tried to hold back her laughter as she heard the voice getting closer and closer.

The room was completely dark and cramped, but it didn't scare her, it just made everything more fun.

"Could it be... HERE?"

A loud sound of some kind of door being slammed open echoed, a little way from where she was.

"Hmm... so it must be HERE!"

This time, it was the sound of some heavy fabric being lifted, closer than before.

"Oh? So maybe..."

The voice fell silent, and the sound of footsteps, trying to be stealthy, approached slowly and stopped very close to where she was.

"HERE! "

Suddenly, the door of the closet where she was hiding swung open, allowing light to flood in and banish the darkness.

"I found you! "

Geoffrey scooped up little Luna in his arms and lifted her into the air, laughing easily.

The princess was barely a meter tall but already showed signs of the beautiful woman she would become. Her blue eyes, as magnificent as a frozen lake, sparkled, and this beauty was complemented by the aura in her pupils. Her hair was like silver threads, fine and silky.

"Heehee, how did you find me, Daddy? " Luna laughed and stretched out her short arms as her father twirled her in the air. She was so small she could hide anywhere in her room.

"You've been hiding in the closet ever since I read that story about kids like you who go into the closet and end up in another world! " said Geoffrey excitedly.

"But I really went! "

"Oh? And what was that world like?" asked her curious father.

"I'll only tell you if you let me out of the room! "

Hearing this, the king put Luna down, knelt at her level, and looked into her eyes.

"But honey, I've already told you it's dangerous to go out... "

"I want to go outside! I want to see the garden and the flowers!" she insisted.

Geoffrey was silent for a moment and looked at her with an intrigued expression.

"Your birthday is next month, right? "

The princess nodded.

"How old will you be? "

"Hmm, Six! "

"Haha! That's right! On your birthday you can go out, okay? " The king rubbed Luna's silvery hair affectionately.

"Okay! It's a promise, right?" she asked, raising her hand. 

"Yes, it's a promise." Her father squeezed her hand, sealing the deal.

"Now it's time for bed."

"But I'm not sleepy!" she protested.

"How about if I read you a story?" Geoffrey suggested.

"Yay! A story!"

"Haha! Very well, let's read the story of the queen who had to live on the streets to protect her people!"

"Yay!" exclaimed Luna excitedly as she hurried to climb into her bed.

*****

Minutes passed and Luna tossed and turned in bed in a failed attempt to sleep. In the end, she gave up trying to sleep and sat up, looking at Quetzal's dark room.

Her eyes were drawn unconsciously to the door. Staring at the door for a while, she remembered how her father would open a small crack every night to check if she was okay.

Luna had already told him it wasn't necessary and that he could use his time for something else, but he would always dedicate a few minutes of his time to see her, even if he was extremely busy, tired, and sleepy.

She continued to stare at the door, hoping a small gap would open and she would see her father's face through it, and then he would ask her if everything was alright.

But that wouldn't happen, so she just lay back down.

It was at this moment that a realization finally hit her. She would never see her father again, never talk to him or hug him again. She had left without even saying goodbye or explaining what was happening.

Luna looked out the window and saw the moon. At that moment, the image of her father looking at the same moon with tears in his eyes because he didn't know where she was popped into her mind.

Or worse, he was probably not even alive anymore, after all, Ardos' deadline had already passed.

Before she realized it, tears were streaming down her eyes and running down her face. Tears that had long since dried up due to all the terrible things she had to hear from the people. Tears that hadn't flowed for a long time, and now fell for the sorrow of having left her father, her family.

Guilt hit her hard, adding a new weight to her conscience, as if the burden she carried for being an Angel wasn't enough. The tears became more and more numerous, and she had to put both hands over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake Quetzal with her sobs.

Pagui noticed the princess's suffering and flew towards her, landing on her lap. Then, he forced one of Luna's arms so that she would hug him. The princess hugged Pagui tightly while doing her best to hold back her tears.

They both remained this way for several minutes, until Luna gradually calmed down with the warmth and soft feathers of Pagui and fell asleep, still hugging him.

*****

Hours later, Sariel was watching the kingdom's nighttime landscape from his room.

Only guards were walking the streets, and the traveler watched them intently, as if looking for someone specific.

After a few minutes, his beautiful, cold blue eyes finally found their target.

"I found you," he murmured with a smile on his face.

He carefully watched the entire trajectory of his target, who was accompanied by another man. After a while, they both entered a small building and didn't come out.

While he was watching, Paqui appeared in his field of vision and landed on his windowsill.

"Hello friend, what brings you here?" The traveler threw a piece of meat to the bird and petted it.

Croak!

"I understand, can you fly over that building over there?" he said, pointing to the building his target had entered. "If you see anyone come out, come to me and let me know, okay?"

Croak!

Paqui took flight and headed towards the place Sariel pointed out.

"Now, it's time to act."

The traveler then jumped out of the window with such speed, it was as if he had been thrown by a catapult, and then disappeared into the dark streets.