Chapter 6

The anonymity of this happening was to the rest of the kingdom a surprise but not to Pink-White for he knew where his mother had gone--it had something to do with that odd dream he had had the previous night. It was only for him to know. 

He wept.

...ends flashback.

The Gipus Curse: This was the curse that the witches of Gipus kingdom had cast over the immortals of Green kingdom. It reduced them to half-mortal and half-immortal making them unable to live forever. The original Greens, Terese and Bingy-White were forced to sacrifice a few of their lives to save their son and granddaughters by doing this the latter became immortal. When they sacrificed some of their years, Terese and Bingy-White, their bodies could no longer exist on earth so they went into the land of immortality to sustain what had remained of their souls. This sacrifice was the only deal they could make with the witches of Gipus kingdom to have them quit practicing dark magic after their land had been destroyed by the Greens.

The Elixir of Life: A drink that was made by the Silver family who were considered the healers in all the land. It was the drink that sustained half-immortals. The Green kingdom made an arrangement with the Silver kingdom having conquered the witches of Gipus kingdom, that since they were respected for their strength in fighting dark magic, they should give hold the celebrations of the Elixir of Life as a form of gratitude to the Silver family but also as bait to ensure that the witches of Green kingdom never practiced dark magic ever again.

An elixir is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medical purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's illness. 

From his mother's words to the events laid before him Pink-White fought hard to bring himself back to reality. She had said calm before the storm, even when he did not want himself to think about it, the thought nagged at him. Pulling himself out of his head, he got up from where he was seated watching Shinja and walked towards her.

"You are so beautiful, my dear. Today is a great day and we shall celebrate it for its greatness."

He kissed her cheek and gazed openly at his other daughters. They could not contain their excitement. He was elated for them. He looked at her and, in her eyes, he could see her; his mother. Shinja had the loveliest eyes, brown like her grandmother. She had taken a little white streak on the left side of her hair. To be the youngest but the most reliable and mature had not been much of a choice to her. Her sisters were reluctant in taking on tough responsibilities so her empathetic nature made her engage in activities beyond her age. She understood her father's plight and always went out to help him. She always noticed when his mind had traveled far off, like today, he was not alright but she could see that he was trying too hard to keep them. He could tell that in her, his mother Terese-White had been reincarnated. 

He had not lost her completely. Her love for him was with him always. He had his wife, Evalene-White to thank for his beautiful daughters that kept his mind grounded on all the good in the world. Them. Each of the girls had picked a feature from their mother, it was those features that kept him grounded when he felt she was not around.

If today morning had meant anything, he knew that his mother was watching him and this day of all days was significant in their lives.

After fifty years a banquet that lasted for days on end was hosted by the Green kingdom at the end of the fiftieth year to celebrate the  Elixir of Life. Many families from different kingdoms visited Pink-White's family, the Green Kingdom at such a time. They had learnt that the Elixir of Life had the ability to give you half-immortality and they wanted some of iOn this unusual occasion an elixir was drunk instead of other drinks like wine and whisky. It made them live longer since they were now half mortal and half immortal. This time round the Silver kingdom family was to grace the occasion, word had gone around that it would be so. Of the twenty one families that were to be in attendance of the banquet, one was most emphasized and to it a lot of importance attached, the Silver kingdom. 

The sisters were elated by the news that the Silver kingdom would be in attendance this time, a time when they were also allowed to attend the banquet. Everyone in the castle, even the servants knew about the tale Terese-White had always told the girls about the silver prince, they could never go a day without discussing it, even after her mysterious disappearance that had been explained to them by their father. It had become ritualistic for them to go over it after dinner. 

The tale that their grandmother, Terese told them years ago had stuck with them. They would not keep quiet about the little boy with silver eyes or hair, it did not matter, his arrival was highly awaited. Shinja had taken over possession of the charm book that her grandmother had left behind. She had used a little of the knowledge gotten from Terese and her own intelligence to learn how to use it. They were much needed times when it came in handy. 

The sisters went around ensuring that everything had been done right. The palace maidens and maid servants had already cut flowers, built the tents and laid the tables. The princesses dressed gloriously surveying the servants' work, instructed here and there but otherwise all was good to go.

The first royal family to arrive was the Brown kingdom from East Shadey, known for their expertise in making armory. Next was the Yellow kingdom from Southern Carolina who in charge of maintaining the balance between sadness and joy. More families kept until the second last, the twentieth family arrived and that was the Diamond family; in charge of the largest source of wealth and riches.