Chapter 3

Imani had assembled the royal council of the Guardians in the throne room. All spectacular accessories had been stripped down since the queen had passed on. There was no gold, silver or anything fancy displayed or worn by anything or anyone for the next seven days of mourning. Imani wore here long white dress, she was beautiful. She had dark brown eyes like her brother, her hair was black and long. She had red plum lips and she walked like the queen she was meant to be. She was good in fighting and strategizing, she was stern and had no time for games since she was raised to be the next in line to protect her realm and the humans. Her mother's passing hit her hard and seeing her twin brother after so many centuries was a surprise to her. She knew at one point she loved him but because he was a topic no one mentioned he had just grown into a faded memory and legend for the younger generation of the Guardians. She wanted to kill him for murdering their mother but her hands were tied up. The twelve council elders joined her with her chief commander in the council room. "Have we located Khari's location?" She asked the council. Adana the current chief commander stepped forward with her hands behind her back. She bowed her head. "No your highness, he did not return to his cave. But as it is we can not do anything to him. We have to wait for the next seven days until the mourning period is over and then we can track him down." Adana explained to the council. Imani sat on her mother's throne and she put her head in her left hand. "So we do nothing?" She asked the council members angrily. Dain, one of the oldest council members stepped forward, "Yes we do nothing for the meantime. We have to honor our queen and go through with your coronation before shedding any blood." He advised the young queen. Imani knew her mother had trusted and taken advice from the council members seriously so she took heed of what they told her. "So what do we need to do for mother's funeral?" She asked the council. They spoke in their midst and Dain replied. "We have to take you to the lotus valley, have you meditate for the next two days. The council will make all the preparations necessary." She nodded her head. "Then I will leave for the valley immediately! Adana you make sure someone stands guard at the cave." The young queen commanded. She stood up and walked down the stairs from the throne chair with everyone bowing their heads down as she walked past them. Dain followed Imani out with two other council members. They headed to the Lotus valley.

Imani and the elders arrived at the Lotus valley together. The valley was sacred to the Guardians, it is the place the Gods had blessed them with this realm and task to be carers of the human and supernatural world. The valley was filled with purple, pink and blue lotus flowers. The high priestesses of the Guardians who stood guard of the valley had remained in the valley for thousands of years. The three priestesses were Aiwel, Eshu and Zahari. They had been perfoming rituals and taking care of the valley. In the valley there was a withered, dim and purplish iris flower. It was in the middle of the valley and it looked as if the lotus flowers were guarding it. Imani looked at it as she entered the valley. The three priestesses greeted her and bowed to her and she bowed back to them. "We have suffered a great loss as the Guardians." Aiwel said to Imani who just kept on staring at the withered iris flower. The high priestesses saw her stare and Eshu could sense the young queen's fear. "His escaping can not release Jahzara. Your mother did the heart curse so only if he falls in love with a woman or if she falls in love with him but it is impossible to break that kind of curse." Eshu explained to the young queen. "Isn't that what they said about the seal on his cave but he is apparently roaming about." She said back to the priestess. The priestess looked at the young queen. "The Gods have a plan for everything your highness." Eshu further explained to the queen. Eshu was known for her wisdom and good counsel and it was rumored that she spoke directly to the gods since she was a direct descendant of them. Imani smiled and Zahari who was the youngest of the priestess handed a pink garment to the queen. "Please change into this so I can take you to your place of meditation." She said to the queen. The priestesses were wearing plain dresses that had the same colors with the flowers. They had no accessories just like everyone in the realm. Imani took the dress and went to change. She joined the three priestesses and they walked her deep into the valley. Dain and the two elders returned to the kingdom to plan the queen's funeral.

Imani sat in the valley with three priestesses sitting down surrounding her. She folded her legs and closed her eyes. The priestesses hummed their traditional songs as to call out to the spirits of the valley. Zahari was burning incense as they hummed the song, this incense helped the queen to fall into a deep sleep. The spirits of the valley would visit her in her deep sleep, she slowly fell to the ground and the priestesses left her there as they continued humming their traditional songs. Imani went into transition and she was sitting amongst the former rulers of the Guardians, she saw her mother and father amongst them. The former rulers were blessing her in her sleep. They took turns to touch her head and bestow blessings to her, she bowed her head as she received their blessings. When her parents came to bless her, she couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes. She looked at her parents blessing her and she let her tears stream down her cheeks. Her mother knelt down and held her head up towards hers. "You are going to face one of the fiercest battles of all time, be wise and be prepared." Zuri told her daughter. Imani held her mother's hands and she let her tears out. "Mother, I am not ready yet." She told her mother but Zuri smiled at her. "You are more than ready." Zuri encouraged her daughter. She kissed her on the forehead and her husband kissed their daughter on the cheek. Imani held her parents' hands and they held hers before they disappeared. Imani bowed her head in respect and she woke up from her meditation, she saw the three priestesses humming and when they saw her up they all bowed down to her in respect. She was ready to lead her mother's funeral and crowned as queen of the Guardians.

The three priestesses led their new queen out for the valley back to the city gates. The twelve council members waited for her just outside the valley with the gold emblem that represented the queen's body. They bowed as Dain handed it to Imani who bowed as she took it. She held the emblem and walked behind the three priestesses followed by the twelve council members. As she walked into the city everyone knelt down in honor of their queen. Imani walked and the Guardians began singing a slow but beautiful song for their queen. Bloomy the flower guardian flew into the sky and she let flower spring out from the skies. They fell everywhere and the people continued to sing. As she walked to the middle of the palace yard Adana commanded her army to raise their swords in honor of the late queen. Imani walked behind the priestesses towards the burial ground and everyone stopped singing allowing Zahari to hum the send off hymn. She bowed her head and sang beautifully as the other two priestesses helped the young queen place her mother's emblem and sword that Adana had been holding in her final resting piece. The flower Guardian blew the last flowers for her queen and everyone knelt and bowed their heads down as respect for Zuri. It was custom for the Guardians to coronate the next ruler right there after burial so Dain took the crown and handed it to Eshu took the crown and the other priestesses began chanting whilst Imani knelt in front of them facing the people. She put the crown on her head and took the Guardians' royal sword. "You shall serve the Gods, the Guardians and the people's purpose with this crown and sword." The priestess said to the queen. "With all my might and my heart I shall serve these." Imani accepted her duties as she took the sword with both hands. Zahari stepped forward. "Long live the Queen!" She chanted and every Guardian chanted after her. "Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" Bloomy had more flowers falling everywhere and the Guardians had a new queen who had to fight her brother so he wouldn't destroy both realms.