"Quirin!" Rosamund ran to the boy with a bright smile on her face. She loved going out to see him each day. The Dark Kingdom was her home and it was where she found the boy she knew she loved.

"Rosamund! Hey!" Quirin waved as she ran over.

"I started working on a new project! I'm super excited to finish it!" Rosamund bent down in the field to help Quirin pick the carrots.

"That's great, but, Rosie, I heard you crying last night. I wanted to ask you a question, but you were crying. What was upsetting you?" Quirin asked as he looked at her with genuine concern in his tone.

The fourteen year old girl froze and it felt as though cold water ran down her spine.

"M-my parents... I really miss them..." Rose admitted as she rubbed her arm.

"Your parents? Who were they? You never mentioned them," Quirin said as he gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"I-I can't tell you..." Rosamund murmured, fearing that he would turn her in. She was in love with him and it would tear her apart if he ratted her out.

"Why not? Rose, you're my best friend. You know you can tell me anything," Quirin urged, wanting to help her out and make her feel better. He wanted nothing more than to see her smiling.

"Because you... I... I don't want to lose you..." Rose felt tears come to her eyes.

"I would never leave you, Rosie. I promise. It doesn't matter who your parents are to me. I will always be by your side." Quirin wrapped Rosamund in a tight hug.

"My parents are the former king and queen of Eden..." Rose admitted and Quirin's eyes widened.

"You're Princess Ulla?" He looked at her and she nodded, tears coming down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry I lied... y-you were just so nice to me and I didn't want you to know who I was. I was gonna tell you, but then word got out about me being alive and now there's a bounty on my head... please don't turn me in... I don't want to be killed..." Rose trembled as she looked at him, but he just kissed her gently.

Rosamund froze before melting into the kiss. She put a hand on his cheek as she returned the soft kiss.

Quirin pulled back and put a hand over the hand she had on his cheek. "I will never turn you in. I love you, Rose. Money is not as important to me as you are." He laced his fingers with hers, his palm pressed against the back of her hand. He then moved her hand, kissing her palm gently.

"I love you too, Quirin. I love you so much," Rose whispered with a bright smile.

Quirin wiped her tears and kissed her forehead. "I'll stay by your side forever. I promise."

💧

"What do you mean he said yes?!" Aquaria looked at Rapunzel in amazement.

"You said that you and Varian wanted to go to Eden to see if there were any books that could help you so I sent a royal request to King Dante. He said that you both were welcome to come and search the royal libraries," Rapunzel said and Aqua hugged her excitedly.

"You're the best sister ever!" She squealed and Rapunzel laughed.

"I'm just trying to help my little sister and her boyfriend find his mother," Rapunzel replied as she hugged her back.

"Thank you," Aqua smiled bright and then Eugene walked in.

"Hey, Squirt! What's going on?" Eugene smiled and ruffled the young princess's hair.

"Varian and I are gonna get to go to the kingdom of Eden!" Aqua squealed happily as she let go of Rapunzel.

"Just the two of you? Alone?" Eugene nudged her playfully.

"Haha. We're not gonna be doing anything other than collecting research, Eugene," Aqua said with a grimace.

"Are you sure that's all you'll be doing?" Eugene teased her and she punched his shoulder lightly.

"I'm positive. We aren't going to do anything that we shouldn't be doing. Plus, we're not ready for that," Aqua admitted with a light blush.

"Seriously? You guys have been together since you were fourteen! Granted you had that break, but still! You're sixteen and he's seventeen! You can't tell me you haven't at least thought about it." Eugene looked at her in shock, not believing that his soon to be sister-in-law had never thought about taking the next step in her relationship with Varian.

The mere thought made Aqua embarrassed, but she honestly hadn't thought about it. She never had to think about it.

"Nope," Aqua replied and Eugene's jaw dropped.

"Have you ever madeout?" Eugene asked quickly.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel nudged her fiancé and shot him a glare.

"No, we have not," Aquaria answered regardless and Rapunzel now looked curious.

"Really? I thought you two would've at least-"

"Raps!" Aqua crossed her arms, her cheeks darkening with a blush. She didn't know why they were talking about her and Varian's relationship. "Whose side are you on?"

"Sorry! Sorry! I just thought you two had already- you know what? Never mind," Rapunzel quickly dropped it and Aqua let out a grateful sigh.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" Lance bounded in and smiled.

"I'm about to go talk to Varian and Quirin about going to Eden," Aquaria said as she smiled back at Lance.

"Oo! We should all go! It'll be an adventure!" Lance suggested, but Eugene put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"The two nerds were hoping for some alone time, buddy. If you know what I mean," Eugene said to Lance, giving him a not so subtle wink.

"Eugene Fitzherbert! We are not! If you guys wanna come, I don't have a problem with it." Aqua was bright red again.

"Oh, no! No! I wanna have baby Lloyd or Dixie come sooner," Lance replied quickly and Rapunzel facepalmed.

"Ugh... I'm gonna go talk to Varian..." Aqua trudged out of the room and made her way to the bridge to go to Old Corona.

She went to the town her boyfriend lived in and went to the lab, but he wasn't there so she hummed softly. She went to check his room and found him lying in his bed.

She smiled as she slipped into bed with him and he shifted. His eyes fluttered opened and he smiled when he saw her, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close.

"Morning, freckles," she murmured as he buried his face in her neck.

"Not yet... still sleepy," Varian replied hoarsely and he closed his eyes. He hadn't gotten to sleep until really early in the morning so he was still exhausted.

"Okay. I'll stay and snuggle. I've got some good news when you wake up," Aqua whispered, trailing her fingers through his hair gently. He let out a huff to let her know he heard her before he fell back asleep.

Aqua smiled as she stayed snuggled close to him, playing with his hair gently. He looked so peaceful and happy, like an angel resting in her arms.

Whenever he smiled it was like the sun shining and he always knew how to cheer her up whenever she was having a rough day. She wouldn't trade him for anything in the entire world.

She heard the singing again and she looked out the window. It was soft and beautiful, calling out to her as if it wanted her to find it.

She ignored it though, knowing she had a more important quest to complete first.

Finding Rosamund in the Ever Realm.

🧪

"I have everything, dad. We'll be fine. I promise," Varian said as he embraced his father.

"Alright. I trust you both. I love you," Quirin said and he hugged both teenagers close to him.

Once they left the house, the carriage was waiting for them outside to take them to Eden.

"I'm so excited to see the library, but I am nervous to meet the king," Aquaria spoke as she leaned against Varian.

"What if they figure out my mother is Princess Ulla and they kill me?" Varian panicked, but Aqua kissed his cheek.

"They won't figure that out and I would never let anyone lay a hand on you in malice. I promise," Aqua said softly which calmed Varian down immediately.

Ruddiger chittered at Varian and then scampered from his shoulders into Aquaria's lap.

"I really hope that we are actually able to find something useful," Varian replied as he held Aquaria close to him.

"Me too. I can't wait to find your mom. It'll be amazing," Aqua said confidently which made Varian happy.

He couldn't wait either. He wanted to see his mother so badly.

🧪

Varian had dozed off, but his eyes fluttered open as he kept his arms around Aquaria.

The carriage pulled up to the palace of Eden and Varian couldn't help but to look at the feat of architecture. Aquaria was still asleep so he gently kissed her head.

"Blue, we're here. Wake up," Varian murmured in her ear and she groaned softly as she started to wake up.

"We're here?" Aquaria asked, blinking the bleariness out of her eyes.

Ruddiger lifted his head from being snuggled up in Aquaria's lap.

"Yep. We're in Eden," Varian confirmed and Aqua looked out the window, her eyes widening.

"It looks so much prettier in person," Aquaria breathed out as she grazed her eyes over the palace.

"It's absolutely gorgeous, but I've seen something prettier," Varian said smoothly and Aqua pushed his shoulder.

"Shut up, dork," Aqua replied with a light laugh.

"It's true!" Varian defended, glad that she was smiling. "You are way prettier!"

"Well, I'm glad you think I'm prettier than the palace," Aquaria said as she smiled and pecked his cheek. "Come on."

Varian got out of the carriage first with Ruddiger now on his shoulders, helping Aquaria get out after him. The king and who they could only assume was Prince Orion were waiting for them with a bunch of guards.

"Welcome to Eden. I am King Dante. It really is wonderful to have you both here," the king said and Aqua gave a curtsy as Varian bowed. "This is my son Orion."

Orion bowed and held out his hand for Aquaria. She gave him her hand and he pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. Varian would've felt jealous, but he knew it was customary and he could tell that Orion didn't seem to be flirtatious in any way.

"It is pleasure to meet you, your highness," Aquaria said respectfully to the king.

"The pleasure is all mine. I hope you didn't mind us bringing you here in our own carriage for security reasons," King Dante replied, narrowing his eyes slightly after noticing the raccoon on Varian's shoulders, but he brushed it off.

"It was not a problem at all. It was a very enjoyable ride," Aqua responded with a warm smile.

"Orion, please escort them to their room. I have to meet with the guards about our recent issues," the king said before he left.

"Come. I hope you don't mind sharing a room. I had figured since you two were courting that it wouldn't be an issue," Orion said as he motioned for them to follow.

"Not at all," Varian said politely, linking his arm with Aquaria's.

It was very clear that things were more traditional and not as carefree as Corona.

"Wonderful. I helped Camila set up your room," Orion replied with a smile as he led them to their room.

It was a quite spacious room and the bed was huge. Aquaria swore her whole family could fit on the bed together. The walls were a soft pastel blue color and there was a window with a gorgeous view of the ocean.

"Oh, this room is perfect," Aqua murmured, feeling right at home as she stood in front of the window that opened onto a balcony.

"I don't mean to be rude, but is it normal for that raccoon to stay on your shoulders like that?" Orion asked curiously as he looked at Ruddiger.

"Yeah. This is Ruddiger. You can pet him if you want. He loves attention," Varian said with a light chuckle.

Orion carefully reached out, running his fingers through Ruddiger's fluff. "Wow, he is soft. I wish I could have a pet. Father doesn't allow them."

"Why not?" Aquaria asked as she looked away from the window and over at Orion.

"Father says that a pet would distract me from ruling the kingdom like him. I have to take over the kingdom one day, but I don't want that. You probably think I'm crazy," Orion said as he let out a short disheartened laugh.

"Not at all," Aquaria said as she walked over, Varian shaking his head as well.

"Really? I thought since you both are royals, it would sound silly," Orion admitted.

"I'm not a royal. I'm just a boy from a village," Varian said and Orion's eyes widened.

"And her father let you be with her?" Orion questioned in shock.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't he?" Varian furrowed his brows.

"My father will only allow me to marry a princess or a woman of great nobility," Orion said, sadness laced in his voice.

"That's awful. You shouldn't have to be forced to love someone on your father's wishes of status. You should be able to love whoever you want," Aquaria said as she frowned, feeling so incredibly awful for him.

Varian couldn't imagine being told that he wasn't allowed to be with Aquaria simply because he wasn't royal.

"There's nothing I can do. Now, if you would like, I can show you to the palace library," Orion offered and Aquaria hummed.

"That would be great. Come on," she said, grasping Varian's hand as she linked her other arm with Orion's. "You can tell us more about the kingdom on the way."

"Alright, I can do that," Orion agreed and they went off to the library.

🐞

Challenge Time!

I have a challenge for you all! As you guys might now, I suck at art, but I know that this app is filled with talented people!

My challenge for you guys is draw Aquaria and Varian or just Aquaria and get it to me someway. You can do it online, which I think would be so so cool, or just a regular drawing which is incredible as well! (All forms of art to me are just amazing because I can't draw to save my life)

You can email it to me, just pm me and I'll give you my email. Tag me in a book you have the picture in. Or even tag me in Instagram @lytleladibug.

You can do a picture from when Aqua has brown hair or blue hair! It's up to you!

Each picture I receive will be put at the top of one of the chapters in this book for a book prior and the artist will get a shoutout!

I love you all so much!

I know that the hair is really off, but this is my original drawing of Aquaria.