Prologue
In the far-off Kingdom of Starrett, there once lived a great king. King Heber was kind and benevolent. He treated his people with respect and generosity. He followed the path and advice of his father before him.
"My son, you will do great things," proclaimed King Victor on his death bed. "Treat the people well, and they will treat you well in return," was his final advice before his spirit joined the stars.
"I will, Father. I will make you proud!" He promised, as he watched his father fade from this world into the next.
He never put himself above his people. He was often found working in the fields with the workers.
"My King, how surprising it is for you to join us today," the maids teased, as if he had not just seen them the previous day. He worked the fields three days a week, and the rest was saved for problems of the kingdom and politics (which were his least favorite days).
"Yes. And just like yesterday, and the day before that! It's always a surprise," King Heber chuckled as he got to work. "This is my land, and I want to be a part of it."
All the neighboring kingdoms respected his wisdom and leadership of Starrett. The trades brought much wealth and strong bonds between them. Everyone flourished.
The stars looked down upon this man. They had seen he had taken what he was given and expanded it. This pleased the stars and they found him worthy of a most precious gift.
"He will bless his kingdom with our magic, and the land will proser," the stars whispered among themselves.
"Yes. He is a wise ruler and will not abuse our power," they agreed.
"We will send her down and she will present it to him," they murmured in agreement.
The star lit daughter smiled, pleased by this assignment. She had always wanted to go to Earth, and now, this was her chance.
"Soon, little one," the stars chuckled at her eagerness. "The time has to be right."
One night, King Heber threw a ball, inviting everyone to celebrate with him. It was a grand festival, unlike any had seen before. It was the end of the harvest season, and he had more than one reason to celebrate that evening.
Standing before the crowd of joyful cheers, he stood before them and presented his new bride.
"My friends, both far and near. Thank you for coming to celebrate with me. Let me introduce my new queen. Queen Elspeth! I hope you love and adore her as much as I do," he said looking lovingly into the eyes of his new wife.
Elspeth was from their closest neighboring kingdom, Meridale. They had known each other since they were young, and their parents had wanted this union to bring the kingdoms closer together.
Cheers rang out through the halls of the castle and throughout the kingdom.
As it happened, on this very special night, the stars sent their own gift, to bless the king and his land.
The star lit daughter approached the new couple and bowed before them. "My King. My Queen. On behalf of the stars, I present you with this gift," she said placing the star lit staff in the hands of the king. This staff and its powers with strengthen your kingdom and enhance your rule. It is to be used only as an enhancement to the prosperity and fertility to your land," the daughter announced as cheers and praises to the stars rang out through the room.
The star lit daughter smiled out at them and bowed graciously, accepting their thanks. But then she turned back to the king, her face completely serious.
"But be warned, the power of the staff must only be used with good intentions. If it should ever be used for evil, the stars will incur their wrath upon this kingdom for soiling their precious gift,” she warned.
“I thank you for this magnificent gift; and I give my word to use it wisely. And if any of my progeny use this for selfish purposes, I pray the stars remove it, for I fear what will become of my people,” King Heber bowed before the star lit daughter.
The star lit daughter had also been given a gift from the stars. One she had been anxiously waiting for, for eons.
A chance to live on Earth. Like a real person. A chance to have her own family, instead of watching from above. She had been lonely for so long...
She fell in love with a man named Harold Hellstern. They created their own family, settling in the land, and helped the fields in the kingdom to grow.
She did not need the staff; she was born of power. She was blessed with her own daughter, but it was soon learned that the power skips many generations. The stars promised her there would be a star lit daughter born every one-hundred years, and their power would grow.
For four generations, the Hellstern's watched as the kings used the special gift to enhanced life and the land. They watched as it showered the people with prosperity, and the Hellstern's and the stars were very pleased.
But as often happens when given too much of a good thing, the king from the fifth generation started to get greedier and lazier. He did not see the point in working his kingdom when the workers and the stars did it all for him.
And the generations after him only got worse. They were cruel and forceful. They only cared about was what they could get out of the world without giving back. They enjoyed the fame and fortune and power that came with the magical staff and began to abuse its powers for greed.
It was decided by the stars that it was time to take the star lit staff away from the greedy kings and hide if. It was still tied to the king and his land, but because he could no longer hold it to access the power it possessed, the king would no longer have the star lit magic held within it, cutting his own power by half.
"Where is it?" Demanded King Stephan as he barged into the Hellstern home.
"You cannot have it," responded the daughter. "The stars warned your family to use it only for good. And while they had followed their instructions, you have not and the stars have decided to take back what is rightfully theirs."
"GIVE IT BACK!" he raged.
But the family refused to give up the location, keeping it secret and safe.
After the staff had been removed, kings grew even more agitated and rasher. Their judgments were harsh and their hearts turned cold and cruel. They wanted the staff returned to its rightful place.
But the stars refused. And all the while the Hellstern family watched on, protecting the special gift from the stars. Over the years, their family grew into the hundreds, all of them working the fields, and helping the land to grow.
Many of the kings threatened the Hellstern family over the years, demanding them to return the staff, or the family would lose everything. But they were true and faithful to the stars and Starrett.
The people of Starrett loved and respected the Hellstern's because they protected them and gave generously, in return they would hide the family when the king's men tried to search for them.
One such family were the Nightshades, a family of knights that swore to keep the Hellstern's safe. This protection pleased the stars, and they vowed to return the gift.
With the refusal to return the staff, the Hellstern's were treated as slaves to the king. All their wealth and land had been taken from them, and they were only allowed to eat what they grew.
It came to pass that King Rupert was on the throne, and he knew the next star lit daughter had been born almost seventeen years ago, but he didn't know which daughter it was. There were too many of them now.
All he knew was that her power would manifest on her seventeenth birthday, just like all the previous star lit daughters.
He sent his spies out to watch the fields in hopes the next star lit daughter would manifest her powers... He had plans for her. He was planning on stealing the power back, even if it meant he had to take the girl himself.
