A mother's return [closed]

John “Bloodstreak” Itaruki, Prince of the Light Bender State of the Vermilion Empire, sat on the roof of the light palace, contemplating his impending takeover. He had spent the last few months slowly ruining his father- finding weaknesses he could exploit, connections he could sever, and friends he could distance. Of course, he was not doing this without provocation. No, he intended to take the throne for the good of the kingdom.

After his stepmother, Mei Itaruki, had abruptly left the castle, John's father, Hikaru, had sunk into depression. He turned to alcohol to solve his problems, and in the end, was consumed by it. Now, he had become abusive, having attacked John, or one of his sisters, several times, in a drunken rage. Hikaru had abandoned his responsibilities as king, and the kingdom had begun to sink. Not willing to let this happen, John had searched for a lawful way to dethrone his father. Since his father was still fit to rule, and John was still single, the only way to ascend to the throne was a full-scale Coup d'état.

He was currently engaged in making preparations to leave for the capital city. He had already donned his trademark travel travel gear- a black jacket (with red trim), with the word “Bloodstreak” across the chest, and matching pants. Both of these accentuated his shoulder-length, blonde hair well.

However, his preparations were cut short, upon an offhanded glance outside. Looking out, he saw a figure that looked strangely familiar. Being naturally curious, he dropped what he was doing, and unwittingly went down to see, in his assassin gear.

Mei was riding the train back into the Light Nation. It had been many years since she last saw these meadows surrounding the outskirts of her home. She left 15 years ago to pursue an ordinary life which she ended up finding. She cut her hair and wore the clothes of the citizens, which made her unrecognizable by many.

She found a dojo where fighters skilled in Chi Blocking resided. After many tries to prove she is worthy, they accepted her into their group. There she spent years learning close quarters combat and the art of Chi Blocking which she has now more or less mastered. She hadn't thought of the family she left behind, but one day she heard of the King's change in attitude. Even within the events within the royal walls seemed to leak out into the nation.

With this Mei hurriedly began to return home. She took many forms of transportation and eventually ended up on a train that headed straight into the Light Nation. She was nervous, of course, to see what had become of her beloved home. And could only hope her children were able take over her husband's duties.

Upon arriving in the Light Nation, she made her way straight to the palace. She easily got past guards who apologized and bowed by simply showing her royal seal. She walked through the courtyard of the palace in a hurry, but was interrupted by a young man, no not young anymore, he was grown. "John?"

Lilly was in the middle of bathing her beloved pet, Petal, before she had to go to her 'job' as one would call it. It wasn't a internship either but a kind act of volunteering. She 'worked' at the local gardens, using her nature bending to help the plants live. But she couldn't let anyone see her nature bend, for it would reveal her identity as the Light Princess Lilly. Petal often came to work with her to sleep in the bright sun that Lilly concentrates into one spot. Her 'boss' left a lot of responsibility to her because of loyalty to the gardens and her enthusiasm for the 'job'. She couldn't go by her real name for that would also reveal her identity. She usually goes by the name Grace.

She works from the crack of dawn to late morning, then returning to the palace from a secret entrance that was used as a fire escape in her room but should no longer be used for that purpose. When Lilly returned her favorite guard, Greg notified her of an important visitor. Petal perked her long ears up at the word important. Lilly ran towards the staircase leading to the entrance where she saw two figures, John her brother and a strange woman she has never seen before. Lilly walked to one of the guards near the entrance and asked, "Is she Queen Mei?"