It was the day when everything began. The wind rustled the leaves and the shutters clattered. The chirping birds flew away as dark clouds loomed in the sky.

Her counterpart's once warned her about that man's existence, but Kuputeri that time had not expected things to turn out this badly. She recalled what she had witnessed back then. The silver hues were like molten silver, swirling in steady and radiating ripples, the trees creaked outside and the dust was swept up into the air. The storm arrived with a crimson hue to the silver-black sky, as if it knew the winds and rain it brought would echo for eternity.

Lightning cracked the sky, illuminating the storms with the light of death. As the hurricane slowly engulfed everything, Kuputeri just realized she was no longer the one in control anymore. Beliung ... Behind that shattered mask, desperation and disbelief could be seen on her face. In the midst of everything she'd lost, she could hardly bear to breathe. She had lost her power, and the next thing that monster would take was her life .

Her hand trembled as she lowered her knee to the ground, almost out of energy. Kuputeri felt the need to move almost without end; if her limbs were moving, her fear would vanish, or she would be able to ignore it for a while. But there wasn't enough time; not so long after that, every nerve in her body was screaming, telling her to activate her remaining strength and hide in the cocoon as soon as possible. The hurricane showed no sign of quitting, just as the Highness seemed to have lost all hope, something happened...

Butterflies swarmed above her.

Everything happened after that was utter chaos. Kuputeri didn't dare to think about those days any longer.

Fear was lurking in her chest, ready to take over. Perhaps it was merely trying to protect her, but there was no threat. It sat there like an angry ball, driving her towards anxiety she didn't need. She gazed up; the weather was beautiful, there were birds in the sky, and she could hear the chatter of a village not far away. There was something about being outside that evaporates her fear, she wasn't sure - but her body had already begun to relax. The sight of her kingdom returning to normalcy was enough to allow Kuputeri to release a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding.

"Tuanku, is there something on your mind?"

The man in red inquired, as the Queen gave him such a gentle look. They were standing outside the castle, which gave them a complete overview of the kingdom down the hill. Kuputeri stood patiently there, observing her people restore every inch of the planet she once loved. The villagers wouldn't let her do anything, so the Queen had no choice but to find this spot to just see her people, a proud smile slowly painted across her face. That's when Maripos decided to show up.

"Oh," she chuckled, "A lot." She didn't want him to know that she had spaced out a few seconds before.

Today was undeniably nice, and Kuputeri eventually found herself in pleasant anticipation, absorbing the bright colors of the new foliage and buds, taking a moment to watch a butterfly fluttered by, its back a dazzling electric blue. The breeze brought with it a sense of balance, the fresh air and the greenery born of the trees and shrubs come together in their own ballet dance.

It stopped to caress her cheek and blew through with powerful passion, carrying the aroma of the landscape, from rain-quenched soils to sunlit lake, to the evergreen foliage that reflected her woodland heart. As they did, she took in the freshly calm air with that hint of an earthy aroma, the fragrance of homeliness. She let her eyes rest for a moment, feeling the atmosphere of the village, hearing the sounds, taking in the aroma, allowing her mind to recover.

She wondered if anyone had noticed how lovely the sky was today, how the blue was both dazzling and soft at the same time. She wondered if they saw tranquility of the clouds as they floated by, gently passing along on their way to wherever the wind wishes them to come. She wondered if they, as she did, imagined themselves to be the bird set free in the sky, singing and playing. If they did, she hoped they felt at least a little of what she felt, a calm sense of awe as warm as sunny rays... and at that moment she was as delighted as any queen or king had ever been.

When the trees boughed to the wind, Maripos did the same thing, yet always in the opposite direction and holding onto his hat. His gaze was fixed on Kuputeri, patiently waiting for her Highness to enjoy her peaceful moment, knowing that they've waited for this time to come for so, so long.

Oh Windara, the kingdom of wind and freedom, "Over 100 years... Here comes our peace." Kuputeri whispered, as her joy and happiness got carried by the wind. And then her attention was drawn to the man standing by her side; no matter what, he was always there for her. His loyalty is something that the other might be envious of, he had done so much for her. If only Kuputeri could give what he desires...

"What are you gonna do now, Maripos?"

The marshal responded simply, "Anything you asked me to, Your Highness."

The queen seemed not so amused with the answer. Yes, it was something that she expected, but not what she wished for. Maripos was afraid if he had said something displeased her, but to his concern, Kuputeri's voice was as soothing as a gentle breeze:

"What if I told you to do what you've always wanted to?" She recalled the fight they got back then, "You all haven't had a proper conversation since then."

Bewilderment was all over his face. But it quickly switched to a complex one, as his eyes wandered back and forth, not knowing which was the best way to deal with it. Maripos has always had a smooth tongue, but the Majesty expected him to fix this with them? His old counterparts? The ones who would never buy his convincing for once?

"They won't listen to me." He sighed. Maripos didn't know if that was even possible.

The queen raised a brow at his demeanor, "And I required that you were more stubborn back then."

"Are you sure about this?" And as much as Maripos despises admitting the fact, they were once their enemies. Besides, since Kuputeri allowed that boy to keep the wind element, Maripos has a valid reason to be concerned about their home's safety and protection. One miscalculation, they lost their home again. One miscalculation, they must endure all of the pain and trauma. One miscalculation, they have to seek assistance from someone outside the planet one more time.

It's not that Maripos doesn't like the Earthlings, on the contrary, he felt grateful for what the kids had done for this kingdom. There were some destructions, but their ruler is still safe, Maripos couldn't ask more than that. It's just the idea of asking someone to solve their planet's civil conflict wasn't something that Maripos approves anytime. They certainly cannot sit still and expect people to do the work for them.

As the queen's courtier and the marshall, Maripos knew better than anybody that they had to do something to avoid a civil war like previously occurred. To his disappointment, five generals had already stood by Reramos's side. Ruined the entire kingdom, tormented and tortured innocent people. Their world became a world of suffering. Maripos clenched his fists, what have they done? Is this what they want? Then how would he be supposed to confront them? Deep down in his heart, Maripos was furious, either for what they had done or he couldn't stop them in the first place.

But now... even she had approved that... Maripos wondered how much Kuputeri knew about him, and he just knew that he wasn't the only one looking for her.

"It's up to you now, I didn't tell you to convince them otherwise if you don't want to." Kuputeri gave him a sympathetic smile, Her voice remained as warm as early spring, simply saying this was her way of doing things, "I trust you more than anyone."

And that was enough to keep his mouth shut.

"I'll take that as a yes."

The Queen knowingly patted him on his shoulder, as if saying he had done a great job. And indeed, he did. She was proud of him more than anyone else would be.

The balloons started to appear from down the village, some were small, some were big, and some were red, white, and blue; some were up, some were down, and some were in the air. Multiple shades of colors floating in the sky, made it more mesmerizing than ever. As the balloon floated over the sky, it was filled with the sweet aroma of jasmine. The breeze was blowing through the leaves and the balloon was soaring higher and higher. They are like idyllic fantasies, perfect in every way.

As the balloons floated across the skies, they sparked with the joy of the day. They were filled with happiness and peace, as its flight was filled with the song of the birds and the sound of laughter. Then there was something that caught Kuputeri's attention, a shade of dark blue in that colorful scene, slowly floating along with its companions.

Blue... Oh?

Maripos was still staring at the view in front of him, lost in thought to the point where he had no idea what the Queen was thinking right now. He suddenly remembered how much work awaited them after restoring the kingdom. Oh, and diplomatic matters as well, because Kuputeri had reclaimed her throne.

He coughed, breaking the silence between them, "Well, since you seem to be in the mood for work right now. What do you think about us going back inside and solving some papers–"

"I'll do that later"

"Great– Wait, what?! Eh? Tuanku!!! Where are you going?!"

The marshal blinked in confusion, a gust of wind blew next to him, and Kuputeri jumped down the hill much to Maripos's surprise.

"Worry not, I'll come back soon!" She yelled back, then vanished swiftly as the wind.

"Tuanku!!!"

Speechless. And there he was, she left him here alone and waited again. Days ran past. Weeks flew by. His heart was pounding. He was told to wait. And so he did-- sitting, silently praying. Patiently waiting. Looking forward to a miracle. Spending his days waiting, and his nights counting every passing minute.

"Just a little bit more..." He muttered to himself as he drew himself in to sit beside her cocoon. Hardly maintaining it, he stared out of the cave. After all, he was told to wait. By no one else than himself. He didn't care if he was holding a false hope, they needed their Queen to come back. They were yearning for a ray of hope to come.

Wait. Wait. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Thirsty. Hungry. Cold. Aching muscles. Frustrated. Helpless. Of quiet days. Of hiding in the dark and suffering from time to time. Of their unfortunate fate. Yet what of hundreds of years, or millennia? What then? It seemed to be so unreal, so mythical. Even Maripos couldn't believe that.

They didn't make it in time when she returned. Everything turned even worse. They claimed he had turned his back on his counterparts. He, like her, was desperate. Every night, Maripos heard the echo of people in his thoughts, the residents of Windara.

They need help, Windara needs help. He had waited long enough, it was time to counter-attack!

And a miracle did happen, to him, to them, to this kingdom. He had witnessed her smile again. Those little Earthlings helped them, putting an end to their pain and misery. The pain vanished like it had never existed in the first place, there was no mark at all, not of red, black or any other color, like the whole thing had been a visual joke, and only laughter remained. It was as clean as the day it was created and just as supple, just as beautiful. But Maripos had a different thought, what had been there yesterday would never fade from his memory, as if it didn't just come from the silk or a piece of paper, but from history all together.

At least, he knew that the queen would always come back. It was enough to soothe his current concern. Felt like mild onshore breezes kissing salty stones. It isn't warm but there is a sense of tranquility, of nature, of things expected. Of peace and quiet.

Maripos sighed exasperatedly, he couldn't help but let out a faint smile, the marshal just simply shrugged it off. She never changes, doesn't she? That was not so bad either. Well, he can leave the work to her later when she comes back. For now, Maripos would do what he wanted, his face sorrowed when a piece of old memories came to his mind. Butterfly sat upon his finger with wings of blues, the colors blending and swirling as the sea waves. Maripos soon disappeared from his spot, following the blue butterflies to his next destination.

To the prison, then.

[End]

A/N:  This part, much to my expectation, was far shorter than it was supposed to be. But it's also an achievement since I'd never written about Maripos and Kuputeri before. I also love the headcanon that Maripos and the Generals were friends/comrades in the past, sadly I didn't go into them thoroughly enough.

About the last part, my headcanon about Kuputeri was despite her responsible and strict (mother) figure (lmao), she was a carefree person in the past, and the responsibilities only drowned her when she inherited the throne. Imagine Maripos has been her courtier since that time, Kuputeri used to sneak out of the castle, (of course, she still finished all the job afterwards) but this personality probably had bothered Maripos pretty much. And he could choose between finding her home or pushing all the work to her after that lol.

Thank you, to Lydia for helping me (double) check the draft again and to you guys for reading the full chapter! I required that the next ones were the continuation of this part, but unfortunately, there won't be a part for Maripos and the Generals because I kinda ran out of ideas for them, and I'm pretty afraid to write about the characters that I haven't imagined a full shape of their personalities, so nope, I apologize for disappointing you.

See ya in the next part xD