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LUXA - S1E4: A Royal Job

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Episode 4: A Royal Job



Luxa opens her eyes. The bright sun welcomes her. Mrs. Faragonda has transported her back to her home planet, Solaria. Luxa is still tired and overwhelmed by the events of that day. She picks up her luggage, or at least what’s left of it after the water damage, and walks towards her home. She notices her mother standing at the window. Luxa waves at her, trying to fake a smile. Her mother waves back and opens the door. She walks towards Luxa and hugs her daughter tight. For a couple of seconds they stand there hugging, not saying anything. ‘I’m so glad you’re safe,’ her mother says, holding her daughter’s head in her hands. Luxa stares at her mother, trying not to burst into tears. ‘Come, I made your favorite meal’, her mother says and enters the house.

Luxa is lying in her bed after the most intense day of her life. She tried to eat that night, but was unable to take a single bite. So instead she told her parents everything about that day: how she couldn’t sleep, the terrible weather, the encounter with Medusa, the venomous snakebite and the attack on Alfea. Everything in detail, exactly how everything happened. She went to bed early, but now here she is, not able to fall asleep, again.
A face appears around the corner. ‘Hi Adam’,  Luxa greets her younger brother. He walks towards her and sits down on her bed. ‘Did I wake you up?’, he asks. Luxa shakes her head: ‘No, I can’t sleep. I’m still processing everything that has happened today’. Adam nods. They are quiet for some time, but Luxa notices something about Adam. ‘What’s wrong?’, she asks. Adam hesitates, but then says: ‘I just overheard mom and dad talking downstairs’. He takes a deep breath and says: ‘Mom doesn’t want you to return to Alfea’. Luxa’s eyes widen and she sits up. ‘They can’t do that!’, she says. ‘She doesn’t think it’s safe for you there’, Adam continues. Luxa stands up and says: ‘I need to talk to them!’ as she walks to the door. Adam grabs her wrist and says: ‘Don’t. Let’s just wait what dad thinks, maybe he can win her over’. Luxa hesitates, but then nods.
After sleeping late and a quick breakfast, Luxa is on her way to the Solarian Royal Palace. The doorman greets her friendly and lets her in. She goes up the stairs to the highest floor. She opens the door and immediately is welcomed by the sound of cooing. Dozens of doves fly around. ‘Hi, sis,’. Luxa’s older brother Phil appears with a big bag of dove food. ‘Hi, Phil, sorry I’m late’, Luxa says. ‘It’s okay, thanks for helping me today’, he says. He pours out the bag into the feed boxes, immediately surrounded by the hungry doves. Luxa laughs as Phil tries to get a small feather out of his mouth. ‘Hey, don’t laugh!’, he jokes and throws a piece of cloth at her, ‘You’d better start cleaning’. ‘Yes, sir!’, Luxa salutes.
‘So, when are you going back?’, Phil asks while he’s scrubbing a bird cage. ‘I have no idea. Headmistress Faragonda told us the school year will continue when danger is past, but renovating the castle will probably take some time as well. But there is no sense to going to a fairy school as long as I don’t have my powers back ’, Luxa answers, ‘So until then I’ll continue my life from where it was before I left’. ‘Like taking care of the royal doves for low pay?’, Phil smiles. ‘Exactly!’, Luxa laughs.

‘Sweetheart, your mother and I have talked about your return to Alfea’. Days later the family is having dinner, when Luxa’s dad suddenly brings up Alfea. Luxa looks at her dad. ‘We have discussed it in great detail and concluded it would be best for your future to indeed return’, he continues. Luxa heaves a sigh of relief and says: ‘Thank you so much! I was afraid you wouldn’t allow me to’. ‘Not so quick, honey,’ her mother adds, ‘we will not allow you to return until you have your powers back’. ‘But that might take weeks!’, Luxa says upset. ‘You’ll stay here until you have your powers back, period!’, her mom says irritated.
More days go by and everyday Luxa tries if her powers are back, but without success. After two weeks Luxa receives a magical envelope. The letter tells her that the school year will continue tomorrow starting with a festive reopening. Faragonda assures all parents that the magical protection has improved significantly and that there hasn’t been any danger the last couple of weeks. ‘Look, mom,’ Luxa enthusiastically shows the letter to her parents, ‘everything is perfectly safe now!’. ‘No, Luxa, we stick to our initial decision,’ her mother replies. Luxa lets herself fall on the couch and covers her face with the letter, letting out a sigh. Phil laughs and grabs the letter. ‘Come on, sis, we got cages to clean!’.

That night, just before Luxa was going to bed, a holocall came in. ‘Hey, girl!’, Jasmin’s enthusiastic face appears floating in the middle of Luxa’s room. ‘Hi, Jasmin!’, Luxa laughs, ‘How are you?’. ‘I’m great! I can’t wait to see all of you again tomorrow!’, Jasmin replies. ‘Well, not all of us,’ Luxa says, ‘My parents don’t want me to go back until I have my powers back’. ‘Ugh, that sucks!’, Jasmin says, ‘When are you planning to get them back?’. Luxa laughs: ‘I don’t know, I try every day, but still nothing happens’. The two girls talked all night like they had been friends for years.

The next day Luxa and Phil went to the Solarian Royal Palace to feed the doves. Luxa pours out a bag of dove food, ready to avoid getting hit by dozens of doves, but the doves stay where they are. ‘That’s weird’, Phil says as she looks at the schedule, ‘Nobody’s fed them yet…’. ‘Maybe there’s something wrong with them’, Luxa says. She walks towards a dove and carefully picks him up. The dove starts flapping its wings very quickly. ‘Okay, okay, calm down’, she says as she puts him back. ‘There’s definitely something wrong, they’re used to being picked up’, Phil says, ‘It’s like they sense some kind of danger’. A fraction of a second later they hear lightening strike outside. Luxa’s eyes widen.
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