IN KNIGHTON the sun was rising over the horizon. The entire League of Heroes Castle would be slowly waking up to life.

In the bedroom, the Princess (Y/N) and Prince Aaron were still deeply asleep. The dark green curtains were drawn and there was darkness throughout the room. Saber on his large bed by the fireplace in the royal couple's bedroom was snoring deeply, wearing a gentle smile on his muzzle.

(Y/N) had her head resting on Aaron's arm and her husband was putting his arm around her waist. Suddenly, the bedroom door was opened with a creak and Lily stepped into the room.

Lily is the eleven-year-old daughter of Aaron and (Y/N). She has long, wavy ginger hair and (E/C) eyes after her mum. There are a few freckles on her nose. Lily is like her dad in character. Adventurous and thrill seeking, a desire to explore. But she also takes some traits from her mum: charisma, kindness and understanding of those different from her.

Sometimes there is a display of sheer unreasonableness and stupidity in her (especially when she is with her siblings all the time, because in them stupidity is unfortunately contagious) and it is Atlas with Ingrid who are the last display of reason in their team.

However, they all had one thing in common. Caring. One for all, all for one, this rule hasn't changed since their earliest days, they literally could sacrifice for another.

But coming back.

Lily looked at her sleeping parents and stepped closer. She leaned into her dad's face and furrowed her brows.

- Dad... Hey, Dad... Dad, wake up! - the girl started poking her father's cheek with her finger, who moaned helplessly.

- Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy...! Come on, come on! Wake up!!! Do you hear me?

(Y/N) smiled with her eyes closed and sighed through her nose. - Your daughter's awake.

Aaron nodded. - But before noon it was your daughter.

The princess only laughed under her breath and pulled her hand out from under the duvet. Her hand glowed with a yellow aura and she used telekinesis to lift her daughter off the floor. Lily squealed from the sudden action and crossed her arms as her mother sat her down between her and her father.

- Don't scare me like that again!

The royal couple finally opened their eyes and looked at her slightly annoyed by the sudden wake-up call.

- What do you want at this hour? - Aaron asked.

- It had better be important. - called out Saber from a distance and turned his back on them.

- And when did you wake up? - asked a surprised Lily.

- Since you unprofessionally barged into this room. You creaked the door, a basic ninja mistake. If there had been an animal in the villain's room, it would have been rushed at you in a flash. - He answered her, still with his back turned to her.

Lily groaned and looked down defeated.

- Coming back... What do you need, dear? - asked (Y/N), lifting herself into a sitting position.

- Dad promised to take me for a ride with Draco. And it's not an unexpected wake-up call.... It's already 10am.

Both parents gasped and rose from the bed. - 10:00am!!?

- Yes. And didn't you mum have some kind of meeting with Ernest's grandfather?

(Y/N) screamed frightened and jumped out of bed with all her might and Aaron fell off the bed, making Lily laugh out loud. The yellow ninja opened the wardrobe and she stepped inside, there was a secret passage to a dressing room with various clothes for her.

- How could I have overslept like that!? Halbert is going to kill me...!

Then she stopped in the middle of rummaging through the clothes and raised an eyebrows. - Wait... I'm not a knight, I'm a princess.... And we rescheduled the meeting for 11:00.... Crap.

The princess made a facepalm irritated by her lack of organisation. - Sometimes I hate the fact that I wear a crown.

After a moment, two royal bots rushed into the dressing room to help her get ready. Aaron dressed in his normal knight's attire and took his riding tiara.

- Okay babygirl, let's go with it!

Lily nodded with an excited smile and they both ran out of the room. They ran to the stables where Draco was, who was sleeping soundly. Aaron saddled him up and he and his daughter took to the air.

---

After meeting the King and Queen of Halbert, (Y/N) was in the castle library and sitting at a desk where various scrolls, maps and plans and piles of books from ancient times were scattered about.

(Y/N) was looking through a large magnifying glass as she used tweezers to insert some blue crystal into a locket. When the crystal matched the silver medallion, an intense blue light shone through and she heard the quiet growl of a dragon.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on the woman's face and she turned the jewellery in her hand. She glanced at the strange scroll and discovered that she had already managed to build the fourth piece.

- They will be ready soon. Just wait. - She muttered to herself, admiring the medallion in her hands.

- Do you think they'll be worthy of it? I mean... It's a great sacrifice of what you want to do. - said Aspheera, who was carrying the sorting books in her hands.

- I think when they grow up and prove to me that they can do it. The effort will pay off. - she replied with a smile.

- But you know that if you want these.... crystals work you have to give up your powers, right? - She asked further as she stopped in front of the desk and looked at the plans.

- Yes, I know that. But what use will these powers be to me? I won't need them completely any time soon. - she replied.

- As you wish, but I still have my doubts that such a powerful weapon will end up in the hands of our kids. It's... hard to imagine.

(Y/N) fell silent and looked at the plan again. Her brow furrowed in doubt. It was a very risky action, a wild card. But for now, their children are too young for such power.

- For now, it's just a pure hypothesis. - She decided with a resolute nod.

---

Lily went to the library to see her mother after the ride with Draco and her father. As she entered the large room, she noticed her mother on the upper floor walking around with a puzzled expression on her face.

She quietly walked upstairs and turned the golden hourglass that served as the library clock. Her gaze shifted from her mother to a large blackboard with a map of the kingdom.

- Woah... this kingdom is very big. - sighed Lily.

(Y/N) raised her eyes and looked at her daughter confused, before seeing what she was looking at.

- And yes. Yes, it's quite big. - she replied, walking closer to the map.

- This dragon.... Did dragons live here?

(Y/N) nodded. - Yes, but centuries and centuries ago. Back when Queen Ulfberth and Thinneous Halbert I still ruled this country. They commissioned highwaymen, dragon hunters, to get rid of them and banish the creatures from the kingdom.

- Oh...Poor things. Why would anyone kill such cuddly creatures?

- The people of these lands didn't understand dragons, dear. They only saw them as greedy and hateful beasts. As I once told you, Knighton and Ninjago are quite different.

Lily furrowed her brow and nodded. She looked at the bottom of the map and an area that was darkened caught her eye. The Dark Woods.

- Why is this place darkened?

- This part of the kingdom does not belong to us. Everything there is wild and dangerous. No one is allowed to venture there because of rumours of forest monsters.

- Forest monsters? Like what? Trees?

- I don't know. No one has spoken of them, one can only guess.... - Then the princess's eyes widened and she looked at her daughter with a stern look. - Don't you dare even go near there, you understand. - She threatened her with her finger.

Lily sighed and nodded her head frantically. - I'm just asking out of curiosity! Not that I have to plan something right away. Don't you trust me?

- I don't in some things. Don't you remember what happened on New Year?

The girl groaned. - Please, mum! That was five years ago, we were kids!

- You still are.

Lily groaned. - You know what!? I'm coming from you!- She stomped her foot irritably and started walking towards the stairs.

- Remember, don't you dare go near in this forest!!

She heard her mother's shout behind her and she just rolled her eyes and sneered at her words.

- I'll prove to you already that I'm not a child, but a brave warrior. - she said under her breath and smiled slightly.

Time to rally the team for another adventure.

=THE END OF CHAPTER TWO=