A geode-screen played an old-style movie about the forbidden romance between a Sasquatch and a country dryad from a rival village in the Coronado wilderness. Their people fought for an unclaimed land that would aid them during a drought. Kymera and Gryffin watched a couple of scenes before growing bored. The dialog was so corny and basic it made their brains go numb.

They kept themselves occupied with their geodes. Tapping on the icon on the corner of the screens, their small flat stones expanded into the size of a notebook. Kymera pulled out the stylus crystal pen from a side slot and started sketching.

Gryffin put on his earbuds and was composing music with the app he purchased from Oracle*. After a couple of hours, Kymera tapped Gryffin’s shoulder and pointed towards the speakers.

“Hello, passengers. We are currently hovering over the boarder of southeast Avalon and will be arriving in Camelot City airport in ten minutes. Please remain in your seats until we have landed.”

The airship hovered over the shoreline of the Avalonian beach. Kymera and Gryffin leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the finfolk and undines ridding hippocampi across the ocean’s surface, leaving behind a trail of foam.

As the airship descended from its high altitude, and the twins spotted the silhouette of The Great Phoenix Statue near Harmony City Harbor coming into view. A mighty chimera-like creature with the face and ears of a wolf, the mane of a lion, the antlers of a stag, the torso of an equine, and the front claws of an eagle. It’s massive wings stretched out as though it would take flight at any moment, and it’s wave-like tail wrapping around it’s back legs.

The statue was as old as Camelot itself. Builtduring the tail end of the second Golden Age, and crafted out of the purest gold which still glistened as it did the day it was first constructed.

Kymera was ready to jump out of her seat when she saw the airport closing in. The mountains and trees grew so close she could almost smell the orchids and lilies decorating the city streets around this time of year. Not even Gryffin could keep himself steady.

“Attention passengers, we have arrived at Harmony City Airport. Please gather all of your belongings and exit in an orderly fashion. Thank you for flying with us.”

The twins gathered their bags, practically leaping from the airship opening and speed-walked down the ramp, bypassing several passengers and politely apologizing to the ones they bumped into. They reached the lobby, where a line of valets tended to the passengers’ pets behind a velvet rope line. Each leash and carrier had a tag with the number of their respective owners, which matched the numbers on their tickets. As soon as Katia and Salem spotted their owners, the peryton snapped her leash in two with her powerful teeth, sprung over the velvet rope, and rushed over to tackle Kymera. The girl laughed and hugged her precious baby, ignoring the fact that she just murdered a leash and caused a valet to trip and land flat on his rear.

“I’m okay!” hecalled out.

Salem, ever so the escape artist, used his claws to remove the lock from his carrier and slithered off, frightening a few ladies in the process. And ogre woman passed out, leaving her scrawny elf husband to catch her. Gryffin felt his furry friend purring against his leg and scooped him up.

“Salem, you crazy Tatzelwurm! You could’ve gotten me in trouble.” He cooed. He could never stay mad at his furry pal for long.

They took a downwards escalator and Kymera jumped off, searching the lobby for —

“Vlad!”

She waved to a very tall, very imposing otso; bear-like faerie man in a black suit and tie, a pair of pitch black sunglasses, a bear claw earpiece, and a bowler hat. Also black. Vlad’s entire body was covered in white fur, identical to that of a polar bear. Faeries took tentative steps when they walked past him. Kymera crashed into Vlad, hugging his torso. The otso’s stoicism melted and he hugged her back.

“I missed you so much, big fella! How are the wife and kids?”

“We are all doing very good, Princess Kymera.” Vlad said, speaking in a very thick Belovodye accent. “Little Anya and Alexi send you their love.”

“Aww. Well, tell the little snowballs I love them too.”

Vlad cracked a smile and gave Kymera and affectionate pat on the head. Gryffin approached him and offered the imposing fae his fist.

“Sup, Vlad?”

“Only ceiling.” Vlad returned his extended fist and bumped it with his own. “I hope the trip was uneventful.” He said, while Katia sniffed his shoes before panting and wagging her tail. Vlad gave her a short pat on the head.

“Sadly, yes.” Kymera said, adjusting her backpack. “Not a sky pirate or pterosaur swarm to be seen.”

Vlad helped with their backs and secured them on the trunk of the shinny black stretched limo waiting for them just outside. Katia jumped inside, sitting right next to Kymera. The interior smelled of pomegranates and mango. The seats were cushioned with soft red material that tickled the fingers, and sunk a bit when one sat on them.

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The limo had a mini fridge and when Kymera opened it she and Gryffin gasped, their eyes sparkling.

“Chocolate cheesecake frappes with strawberries!” the twins cheered.

“DeeDee must’ve left them here,” Griffin said as Kymera handed him his frappe.

“Best. Cousin. Ever!”

She and Gryffin clicked their frappes as though they were expensive glasses and savoredthe taste of sugar, cheese, chocolate, and strawberries dancing on their tongues. Gryffin shared his strawberry with Salem and Kymera allowed Katia to lick some of the foam from her palm.

The limo drove through a familiar tunnel, the luminescent crystals on the walls flickering in and out as they drove by. The twins laughed at the memory of when they used to pretend they were underwater every time they drove through this very tunnel.

Kymera sat down her half empty frappe and pressed the rune to open the sunroof. She kicked off her shoes and stood on her seat, exposing her upper half to Camelot’s wonders. The wind blew in her hair and wings as they drove through the outstretched highway.

Gryffin put his frappe aside, kicked off his shoes and stood side-by-side with his sister. Katia poked her head out of the window, barking and sticking her tongue out as it flapped in the wind. From his driver’s seat, a tiny smile appeared on Vlad’s face.

The capital of Camelot—Harmony City—shinned like the largest jewel on a queen’s crown.

Spiraling skyscrapers carved out from precious metals, stones, and minerals shot up toward the sky with lush green life growing from the roofs, balconies. Some of the trees appeared as though their formation had been bolted to fit with the building’s structure, creating a flawless fusion of industrialization and the natural world, like a pair of soulmates cementing their marriage.

The highways curved and bent around the imposing trees, passing by hovering branches that housed colorful birds of all types. All around were val shaped buildings with glass windows adorned with crystal tree patterns; a hovering railway hoisted by static cords powered by energy rays ricocheting by, and the Perseus Bridge laid overhead, clogged with traffic.

They drove through Crystal Heart Square. Everywhere they looked, jumbo-sized geode screens aired commercial ads for nectar drinks, restaurants and trailers for upcoming movies and musicals. From high above, winged faeries stopped by the first-floor entrances of the lavish boutiques and shopping malls. Some rode on griffins, hippogriffs, and pegasi, though most were police officers keeping watch from the skies. The buildings also housed roof plazas and food courts for anyone who could either fly or take the elevator. Some of the officers even flew past donut shop buildings that were two stories high, which were for bothland and winged fae.

The buildings shrunk as they made their way through upper town Camelot. While downtown was where the modern, bustling metropolis thrived, uptown was where all of the culture and history was put on full display. There were museums, historical landmarks, famous rivers, and lakes where freshwater fin-folk frolicked and sang by the shoreline, playing their instruments for any and all passerby which brought to mind the street parrandas in Guanina. Most of the suburban houses were made entirely out of brick and old metals that gave the feeling of going back in time.

The limo drove through a nearly abandoned brick bridge that went over Lake Brasil which interconnected Camelot with their neighbors in the country side of Arcadia. Very few cars came through this bridge; it curved around the mountains away from the commotion of the city. Up ahead in the near distance was the Embrose palace.

A monument of white, gold, and violet colors with onion-shaped tops and curved patterns that resembled golden vines sprouting from the ground and entrapping themselves around the building; archways and breezeways wereon both the left and right sides of the castle. The tallest tower had the Embrose family flag: The head of The Phoenix with a star compass right between its antlers. The castle itself was nestled along the mountain’s cliff side, with waterfalls parting down from opposite sides.

Vlad pressed a rune button on a remote and the large spiraling gold gates flew open. Kymera and Gryffin finally sat back down and closed the sunroof. Kymera fixed Gryffin’s hair before smoothing down her own. The limo slowed to a smooth halt in front of the palace entrance. On the small flight of stairs, four people stood waiting.

One was atall,middle-aged man with long crimson red hair tied back into a ponytail, and vibrant blue eyes that could rival the hue of the clear blue sky. He wore an ironed, deep blue jacket over a lighter blue shirt, and a pair of beige colored pants with brown knee-high boots. His jacket had gleaming gold buttons, and his beard was finely trimmed. His seraphin tail and wings were the color of amethyst.

Beside him was a woman of ethereal beauty with pure white wings. She had shoulder length, blond curly hair, and her eyes were a darker shade of blue. Her lips were peach pink, and she wore a light pink blouse underneath a darker magenta jacket with a matching shirt and pumps. She wore a tiny diamond studded tiara on her head.

The third person bared a striking resemblance to the woman, except she looked about eighteen and her wings were insteada brownish-gold at the top, red in the middle, and a lighter yellow at the bottom. Her eyes were the same clear blue as the man, and her hair was of a beautiful strawberry blonde, with yellow hues on her sideways bangs and the tips of her hair which that reached past her waistline.

She wore a blue shirt with feathered patterns beneath a long, light pink overcoat, with long sleeves that ended at the elbows, only to make way for pale yellow sleeves that ended at her wrists. Around her neck, she wore a small drape outlined with feathers, connected by a teardrop jewel, that matched the tiny tiara on her head. Her pants were blue and matched her pumps; poking out from behind her jacket was a brownish-gold dragon tail.

The fourth was an elderly woman, approximately the same age as Elseleyda. Her graying red hair was pulled back into an elegant hairstyle with a golden circlet across her forehead engraved with amethyst stones. Her eyes were a deep blue, identical to those of the seraphin man. She wore a fancy purple jacket laced with silver outlines embroidered with jewels with lacy sleeves, a lilac shawl and a matching purple skirt with plain black high-heel shoes. Her seraphin wings and tail were lilac like her shawl.

The last person was a tall avian, several years older than the seraphin man, but not nearly as old as the elderly seraphin woman. Both his hair and beard were made up entirely out of snow-white swan feathers to match the feathers on his wings. Above his sharp nose were a pair of small spectacles and he wore a white jacket with aquamarine sleeves and a golden swan-shaped pin, dark green pants and dark brown boots. He looked more like he belonged in the pages of a fable than a modern-day fae.

Vlad opened the door to the limo and spoke in a thick Belovodye accent. “Their royal highnesses—” Vlad never got to finish when Kymera jumped out.

“DeeDee!”