"Dolores, did you catch what was the name of the kingdom?" Mirabel asked as she ran beside her cousin, glasses bouncing slightly on her nose.
"Lumièrea," Dolores whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself.
Mirabel's eyes widened. She knew that name.
Every time a child in the family came of age to receive their gift, Abuela Alma would sit them down in the same quiet corner of Casita and tell them the story of Pedro, their Abuelo, the candle, and how the miracle came to be.
It all began with the war of the nobles.
Abuela had lived in a prosperous city near the borders of a great kingdom. She was with Pedro and their three young children when the fighting reached their home. The city was destroyed in a single night of fire and steel, families fled in every direction.
They were cornered at the edge of the river, and it was there that Pedro made his choice, to stand, to hold them back, so that Abuela and the children could escape the soldiers who hunted them through the dark.
He gave his life for theirs.
Abuela had fallen to her knees in the wilderness, clutching her children, the small lamp she carried shaking in her hands. She had no path left and no strength remaining.
Then a soft light fell from the moon.
It shone directly upon her and the children. The lamp in her hands began to glow, brighter and brighter, until the candle inside flickered to life with a steady, golden flame that never went out. The ground trembled. Mountains rose around them in a perfect ring, tall and impassable, sealing the valley away from the outside world. A living house grew from the earth, its doors and windows shifting with personality, and the land itself became rich and protected.
And on that same day, Abuela understood that when each child reached the age of five the miracle would grant them a gift, a power meant to serve and protect their people.
In the quiet safety of that valley, Abuela's lost memories slowly returned.
She remembered the kingdom that had once stood beyond the mountains.
Its name was Lumièrea.
One day it had simply vanished. Everyone outside began to forget it existed. The nobles, left without a clear throne to follow, turned on each other almost overnight. That was the war that destroyed her city but after the miracle, Abuela's memories returned in full. She remembered the prosperity of Lumièrea, the protection it once offered, and the strange silence that followed its disappearance.
Now, nearly forty years later, that same kingdom had returned.
And it had crowned a new king.
_____
Lumièrea Kingdom
Inside the castle, Lucian walked the long halls with Yen Sid at his side. Behind them followed the nobles who had attended the coronation, along with Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Astrid. The rest of the group had remained behind to help with the ongoing restoration.
Yen Sid led them into a wide chamber. A long polished table stretched down the center, with high-backed chairs on either side. An orb was embedded in the middle of the table, and smaller matching orbs were set into the front of every seat.
Yen Sid guided Lucian to the chair at the head of the table and gestured for him to sit. The old wizard remained standing at his right. The nobles took their places but remained standing as well. Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Astrid found empty seats farther down the table and sat.
Yen Sid raised his staff slightly.
"Before we begin," he said, "allow me to introduce the heads of the remaining noble houses who were present at the banquet the night the curse fell, and who have now awakened with the kingdom."
He turned first to a man with striking white hair and sharp, calculating eyes inclined his head with elegant precision. "Duke Victor De Ville"
A broad-shouldered man with a calm but commanding presence stepped forward last among the major houses. "Marquis Dimitri Valmont."
A slightly younger man with sharp features and a proud posture stepped forward next. "Count Cassian Capulet."
A tall, stern man with silver-streaked black hair. "Count Alaric Montague."
A heavy-set man with a carefully trimmed beard and an air of quiet calculation bowed. "Baron Reginald Duloc."
Yen Sid continued with several lesser titles Baron Harcourt and Lord Ashford before lowering his staff.
"These are the surviving heads of the houses that once served Lumièrea. They have agreed to offer counsel in these first days."
At his nod, they drew out their chairs and sat. The rustle of fabric and soft scrape of wood the only sound in the room. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs took seats near the far end.
Yen Sid tapped the end of his staff against the floor. The large orb in the center of the table flared with soft blue light. A holographic map of the kingdom rose above the table, showing the capital of Lumièrea, Elyria, the surrounding lands, the Dark Forest borders, and the mountain ranges beyond.
Lucian leaned forward slightly, studying the glowing image.
The first true council of the restored Kingdom of Lumièrea had begun.