The hermit kept calling and calling out for help and in a short time there appeared a royal guard, dragging his feet slowly, silent and serious. The hermit looked up to him from his tiny corner of a bed and hope lit up his face. His eyes were darkened with a long forgotten burden, yet glimmering with madness. His worn out cheeks framed his characteristic nose. His skin was wrinkled, and the wrinkles were like echoes of previous curses uttered by that crooked mouth. He was not a great thing to look at.
Seeing the guard, he realised that he was definitely not there to help him. The guard informed the hermit that he was in the royal dungeons and added that he was sent by the king; he announced to him that he had two options: to either publicly apologise and regain his freedom or be exiled.
Face trembling with undefined satisfaction, the hermit burst out laughing. It was obvious to the guard that the hermit was not willing to cooperate therefore he just dragged his feet along some more, and grunted. His mission was to return to the king with this news.
Back in the palace, Cleo was gazing out of her window. Coco Pedro was standing a few metres behind, staring morosely at her, wanting to tell her the truth. Thoughts were passing through Cleo’s eyes like millions of lightning strikes. She was lost in a storm of question marks, struggling to answer all the doubts in her head. What would happen with Emily? Had she really deceived her? What about Robin, was that true love she had seen in his eyes? Her thoughts were interrupted by the stroke of the clock; it was time to go to the royal meeting with the king, representatives of the squirrels and the skaters so that they would come to a decision regarding the kingdom.
Cleo followed Coco Pedro in the next room where everyone else had already had a seat. The next couple of hours seemed like ages to Cleo, yet somehow everybody had managed to reach a conclusion. The kingdom would remain in the hands of the wise king and queen, but it would now be liberal, free of deprivation of rights and actions, thus all kinds of activities which were previously banned would now be allowed, for example skating.
The squirrels finally felt appreciated and achieved saving the forest. People had gradually started to care about it, because after all, it was the forest that kept their country going, providing them with shelter, fresh air, fruits and raw materials. The hermit was exiled; he would never be allowed to enter the kingdom again and everyone would be glad to get rid of him.
Cleo was relieved to exit the meeting- but another, far more important discussion was about to take place…
Coco followed Cleo out of the meeting, and smiled at her. Cleo and Coco had grown to be good friends throughout this adventure and Cleo appreciated Coco’s efforts to save her father. She reached out to hug him, and when their hands met, their touch was magic. Coco’s features started to fade and his whole appearance changed. They looked incredibly alike, and Coco no longer had a queer style; he wore baggy clothes as well, and was not as strange as he was before.
Cleo had never seen Coco Pedro so happy. He started to speak in a quick, nervous tone, and a seemingly impossible outcome unfurled itself before Cleo’s eyes. Coco was trying to explain to her as simply as possible that he was, in fact, her long lost brother.
Cleo’s reaction was priceless. She was speechless at first, her eyes opening up wide, filled with doubt. Could her dream of having a sibling come true? Cleo didn’t believe Coco at the beginning, but as Coco gave her a detailed explanation of how he had been cursed and transformed by the hermit into his previous appearance, she changed her mind. The only way he could become himself again was for Cleo to trust him; and she had grown to trust him. That was why, when they hugged, Coco regained his true appearance.
Both immersed in bliss, they cheerfully found their way to the royal hall because they wanted to tell the king and queen the good news. The king and queen were overwhelmed with joy; they embraced Coco and re-welcomed him in their family. Seeing Cleo, they had the opportunity to talk to her. The king, having already expressed his gratitude to Cleo, embraced his daughter and told her that, having realised how responsible she was, they thought that she was ready to go to an ordinary high school and meet other teenagers of her age.
Suddenly, a royal guard appeared, bringing in a blushing Emily. The guard explained that she had requested to see the royal family. The young girl started crying and tried to choke out some words. She finally managed to say that she was sorry and ashamed for betraying her best friend. However, she knew that things would never be the same as no one would trust her anymore, but she stated that she understood this. All she wanted was to apologise and she hoped for forgiveness. Cleo accepted her apologies, and assured her that there were no hard feelings. Emily left, saying they would see each other again at school and Cleo was glad to balance her feelings for everything that happened.
The young princess then excused herself and decided to have a walk in the garden. Arriving at the garden, she ran into Robin, who grinned when he saw her. He was genuinely happy, chatted along with Cleo cheerfully and they strolled together down the garden path. He brought with him the immensity of a blue sky reflected in his eyes, a sense of unexplained familiarity, and the news that he was not her cousin. He mentioned this in a spontaneous, insouciant manner, explaining that he was adopted as if it were the most natural thing. Cleo was secretly happy to find out, because she had grown to like Robin in a way that suggested something more than a friendship. She had been thrilled to find out that they would be going to the same high school! Robin chuckled softly, seeing her face light up. They hesitantly linked their fingers, like braided symbols of love, and turned to face their future.
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