Chapter Text
There are those who believe that the stars that light up the night sky are nothing more than big fireballs billions of miles away. Cosmic rocks without life, without soul, without heart.
Everyone is free to believe in what they want to, but if a star were to hear such assumptions, I can assure you that their indignation would be very strong and justified.
Because stars were much more than that, and although there were some that could be considered soulless, like some humans seem soulless to certain people, one thing is certain: they have a heart. A big heart with extraordinary power, capable of illuminating the sky, granting youth and eternal life to anyone who possesses it. In short, stars were certainly more than just gas balls.
And anyone who said otherwise was frowned upon by their bright eyes.
Because another thing you need to know about stars is that they constantly observe the earth, and other planets that are within their sight. Life up there in the sky, after all, wasn't particularly eventful, so the stars watched the humans' dramas as if they were their own Netflix. And without the possibility of changing the channel, unfortunately.
And at that moment, on earth, there were two events that almost all the stars were observing.
Well, one of these two events was an extremely important one that almost all the stars in the firmament were watching.
The second event was of minimal importance to stars and to humans, but it is fundamental in this story, so I will talk about it, even if, to be fair, it was theoretically of very little importance.
Those two events took place a few dozens of miles apart, in England, one on either side of the wall that divided the village of Wall, which took its name from the stone wall that was forbidden to cross, and the fantasy kingdom of Kurain, home of wizards, witches, queens and magic.
The two places did not know of their respective existence, but that did not mean that they had never met.
And Phoenix Wright was a worthy example of the encounter between the two worlds. A real ‘son’ of the two worlds, one could say.
But the time has not yet come to talk about him, let's move on to the great event that was happening that night in the kingdom of Kurain, at the royal castle.
In fact, the queen, Ami Fey, was on her deathbed, surrounded by her three granddaughters and the only remaining daughter: Morgan Fey, mother of the youngest granddaughter, Pearl.
Rumors whispered that Queen Ami could not stand her daughter's choice to call her niece Pearl, and that everything that would happen in a few moments was almost entirely due to the unfortunate choice.
In the Fey family, it was tradition that every name had an M somewhere.
Queen Ami was very fond of this tradition, in fact, she had named her three children with names that began with this sacred letter: Misty, Manuel and Morgan.
The eldest, Misty, had been equally faithful to tradition, and had named her daughters Mia and Maya. Unfortunately, she had disappeared years earlier, during the search for her brother and second son of the family, Manuel, who had disappeared many years before, when he was still a teenager. There was no hope of finding him, and, as much as the Feys knew, he had no heirs.
The last daughter, Morgan, was not very attentive to tradition, and not particularly fond of the family, from what the stars could observe.
She hadn't shed a single tear at the news that her older siblings had disappeared, and the only person who could get a smile from her was her daughter Pearl, the only daughter she had, and her little gem.
Even now that her mother was on the verge of death, Morgan couldn't pretend to be sad about it, and her impassive face betrayed a hint of a smile.
She was the only heir, it was obvious that the crown would pass to her.
And maybe it would have been like that if she hadn't called his daughter Pearl.
Ami was on her deathbed, lovingly looking down at her granddaughters bent beside her.
Mia Fey, the eldest, age 27, held her grandmother's hand. She was trying to force herself not to cry, hoping to be the support of the other two, but her eyes were wet.
Maya, her sister, age 17, was crying profusely, and was hugging Pearl, her 8-year-old cousin, who did not understand exactly what was happening, and kept hoping that her grandmother would recover, but still felt the gravity of the situation, and was crying as well.
“My dearest grandchildren…” Ami began, looking at the three girls with affection “…daughter…” she then glanced at Morgan, who raised an eyebrow, but did not reply “…my time has now come to an end. I have lived a long life full of joy and love. I have given everything I can to be a good queen. I have no regrets” despite her words, she glanced at Morgan and her eyes seemed to say ‘well, maybe I might have a regret, but I don't want to think about it'.
“You were the best queen this kingdom has ever had, no one can ever equal you” Mia commented, approaching her beloved grandmother who had raised her like a mother after Misty's disappearance.
“I wish I had the power to prevent my children from disappearing, but thank you for your words, Mia. I'm sure any of you would make a wonderful queen” she looked at her granddaughters fondly.
“But there can only be one queen” Morgan reminded her. Her almost imperceptible smile was beginning to resemble a gloating grin.
“Morgan is right. Only one of you can ascend the throne. Normally, this honor would go to the eldest daughter of the family…” Ami began announcing the rules.
Morgan's grin widened. Years of waiting, of schemes, of deceptions, and finally she was going to have the throne.
“But Misty unfortunately disappeared years ago, as did Manuel” Ami shook her head. She put a hand on the magatama she was wearing. It shone with a green light, and was the symbol of the Fey family. Owning it gave full power, both metaphorical and literal, as it was the most spiritual magic-filled stone in the realm. Only the king or queen had the right to hold it, and the skills to use it.
And in a few minutes, Morgan would have had this honor. She was drooling with anticipation.
Ami took it off her neck.
“Grandma, your magatama…” Maya commented, surprised that she was giving it away.
Morgan lifted her arm to take it from her mother’s hands, but a strange gesture from Ami stopped her in place.
In fact, concentrating to the maximum of her forces that were slowly abandoning her, the late queen held the stone tightly in her hands, and from green it became pitch black, losing its characteristic shine.
Morgan withdrew, bewildered.
What the heck was going on?!
“The first of my grandchildren who can find the magatama will become the future monarch of my kingdom. Just one of you grandchildren. Anyone else who touches the magatama who is not my grandchild will not be able to restore its green shine, so they will not be able to inherit the throne” explained Ami, placing particular emphasis on the degree of kinship that the heir must have had with her.
Morgan was too surprised to be as fuming as she would have liked. She was also too upset to suggest to her daughter to take the necklace while she was within reach.
She just stared at her mother, mouth agape.
Ami opened her hands, and the magatama began to float in midair, circling the incredulous grandchildren, but ready to escape their grasp if they got too close to reaching it.
“I don't want this little competition to separate the family, take it as nothing more than a fun treasure hunt... I love all of you, and may the best of you win” she smiled affectionately at her granddaughters, didn't even glance at her daughter, and then collapsed on the pillow.
As the three smaller Feys scrambled to ascertain her condition, crying and not paying the slightest attention to the necklace, Morgan tried to grab it. She couldn't have been queen, but she had to make her daughter one, and command her from behind the scenes.
But the moment Morgan raised her hand to take the stone, it darted violently out the window, into the night sky, amidst the stars that were watching the scene with detached interest.
And dragging one of them with it, in its inevitable fall.
One of the few stars who were not observing that scene at all, but who was intent on watching closely a trial that was taking place in London at that very moment.
Unfortunately, he would never know how it turned out.
Nor would he had ever find out if, on the other side of the world, the Steel Samurai and the Cruel Magistrate would actually marry, or if Japanese laws were gonna prevent their union, because he wasn’t gonna remain in the sky long enough to observe Japan the next morning.
Definitely annoying.
And terribly painful.
The star, named Miles, fell violently to the ground accompanied by a pendant of no importance or use for him, straight in the middle of a Kurain forest, and forming a huge crater. The impact gave him a big pain in his coccyx and right leg.
As the light began to fade from his body, he whispered the last thoughts he had had before the magatama arrived to disturb his observation: “The defendant is clearly guilty, your honor” before fainting from the pain of the impact.
But now let's move on to the second particular event of the evening, the one that no star was observing, but which interests us particularly.
And before giving the details of the event itself, it is better to introduce the protagonists, or rather, the protagonist, of this story, not just of the event.
His name was Phoenix Wright, and he was a young and enthusiastic 24-year-old boy, who worked as an apprentice at the village shop, and was little considered.
He was not in fact more handsome, more athletic, or smarter than the other boys his age. His mother stated with absolute confidence that he was the kindest, and I cannot object to that. Unfortunately, the rest of Wall's village objected, as Phoenix Wright's mother, Patricia Wright, was frowned upon by Wall, since she was considered a crook and a streetwalker. Although she was very intelligent, a hard worker, and a beautiful woman, all her merits were outclassed by the scandal of having an illegitimate child, and being unmarried.
Nobody knew who Phoenix's real father was, but everyone assumed he was as bad as her, a man with whom Patricia had a one-night stand that ended badly.
Phoenix knew that if it weren't for him, his mother could definitely be respected, and she could have had everything she deserved. And he always tried to make her proud as best as he could.
Although, right now, his goal was more to try to conquer the woman he was deeply in love with, and the most beautiful, brilliant and kind girl in the whole village, perhaps even in the whole of England: Dahlia Hawthorne.
Daughter of the mayor, full of admirers, no siblings except a half-sister named Valerie. No twin, no mystery as to who her mother was, since it was the mayor's wife and her name wasn't Morgan. Better to specify it.
Phoenix knew he was no match for such a gorgeous girl, but he was still trying to woo her to the fullest of his abilities, with flowers, favors, and practically behaving like a faithful little dog ready to act at her every order.
And although his mother wasn't very happy with it, this method, for Phoenix, was working great, because he had gone from not even being noticed, to being, at that very moment, sitting under the stars with the love of his life, intent on drinking champagne and eating sandwiches.
If this wasn't progress, what else could that be? Exploitation? Yes, I bet on exploitation, since Dahlia had eaten almost everything, drank half the bottle, Phoenix had been the one who organized and paid for everything, and at the moment the girl was gazing at her nails and not paying the slightest attention to her suitor.
“I had never drunk champagne before... did you ever drink champagne?” Phoenix was trying to keep the conversation going. He had spent all his savings on that evening, and he wanted it to be meaningful.
“Yes, Doug took me to a very trendy inn yesterday. We finished two bottles” Dahlia replied, smiling flirtatiously at the thought, and looking at Phoenix and his only bottle with disappointment.
Phoenix frowned, and refilled her glass in an attempt to be more of a gentleman than Doug.
"You have been spending a lot of time with Doug lately," he observed, thinking about his greatest love rival.
He had many, which were still more lethal than Phoenix himself, but Doug was the main candidate for the girl's heart, therefore the main rival.
“Yes, we have fun. Besides, he's an adventurer, and a genius. A few days ago he went to London, and rumors say it was just to buy me a ring for my birthday” the girl boasted, shaking her long auburn hair.
Phoenix's heart seemed to sink into his stomach.
“A ring? Why a ring?” he asked, hoping that the obvious conclusion would not be proven right.
“Feenie, honey, why does a man buy a ring for a woman?” asked Dahlia, in an obvious tone, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
Phoenix looked down.
“He will ask your hand in marriage…” he whispered, unable to accept the idea “And... will you say yes?” he then asked, in an even lower tone. Her birthday was gonna be in a week. There was very little time.
“He went to London! Unfortunately I can't refuse, Phoenix. I'm sorry” with affection faker than the one Ami felt for her youngest daughter, Dahlia patted Phoenix's head, trying to make him realize that the future was already written.
“I would go as far as Paris, Rome, even China to ask your hand in marriage. I would go anywhere in the world, find the most precious jewels, gold, exotic animals. Magical artifacts. You are worth much more than a simple ring that comes from London” Phoenix took her hands and looked into her eyes to convey all the love he felt for her. The panic of the knowledge that he could lose the woman he loved within a week was quickly replaced by the determination to do everything in his power not to lose her.
Dahlia was impassive.
“How cute you are, but unfortunately if you don't come up with a better offer in a week, I won't be able to refuse Doug's in any way” the girl shook her head, pretending to be sorry, but actually with malevolent amusement.
He loved seeing his boys slaughtering each other.
Phoenix's reply was interrupted when their eyes were drawn to a shooting star. It was a rather rare sight around there, and that star, in particular, seemed to approach them, and was descending more slowly, brightly and blindingly.
“Wow” For the first time ever since Phoenix knew her, Dahlia seemed genuinely fascinated by the vision before her eyes. Her ambitious gaze seemed to acknowledge the immense power that that star carried with him.
And Phoenix was no exception.
That shooting star was wonderful.
And it seemed extremely close, a few miles beyond the impassable wall.
An idea flashed into his head.
“Dahlia…” he squeezed the girl's hand tightly, and she turned to look at him almost annoyed. That didn’t scare him “To have your hand in marriage, I'd cross the wall and bring you that star” he announced with determination and bright eyes.
Dahlia seemed really surprised by his proposal, but the surprise did not last long. She smiled and cocked her head, interested and maliciously amused.
“For real? Would you be able to do that in a week?” she challenged him, evaluating the possible options.
“Yes!” Phoenix, letting himself be conquered by hope, stood up, to show his determination “If I brought you the star by your birthday, would you marry me?” he asked, then getting down on his knee as if that were his proposal.
Dahlia hesitated for only a moment, then smiled broadly.
“Obviously, a personal star taken from beyond the impassable wall beats a London ring by a great amount, but I'm afraid it's dangerous for you” she feigned concern, but it did nothing but fill Phoenix with greater determination.
“As I said, to have your hand in marriage I would do this and more! I will cross the wall, take that star, and I will bring it to you by your birthday, I promise you!” he kissed the back of her hand, got up, and walked full of energy towards the entrance of the wall, without even thinking of getting supplies or warn his mother about his suicidal plan.
When he disappeared from sight, Dahlia's smile disappeared. She wiped the back of her hand that Phoenix had kissed as if it were infected, took the bottle with the leftover champagne, and chugged it, finishing it in one gulp.
In her mind, there were two possible outcomes, which she did not mind at all: the first possibility was that Phoenix could not even cross the wall, thus immediately failing the adventure and stop following her around. It was the most probable hypothesis;
The second possibility was that Phoenix would have managed to break through the wall and was killed in the process of taking the star by wild creatures. It was much more unlikely, but Dahlia hoped for it with sadistic amusement.
Of course, the chances of Phoenix returning with the star were even less than zero, so Dahlia didn't even bother thinking about marrying him someday. If it had been up to her, she wouldn't have married anyone, but Doug was a good option. He was rich, so she could kill him and get all the money. Phoenix couldn't give her that either, as he was poor and ragged.
Although, if he had brought her a star… nah, she would not have married him anyway, he was too insignificant.
And he was certainly gonna die trying.
Beyond the wall, several miles away from the forest where the star had fallen, a girl of about seventeen was talking to a person she called her father, but who looked like he was about a hundred years old, even if that wasn't the case at all.
…He was almost a thousand years old.
“I tell you that I saw it, while I was collecting wood for the fire. A shining star! Fallen west from here” the girl informed her father, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Are you sure, Franziska?” the man asked, taking his cane and trying to get up.
“Yes, I can go and retrieve it, I will bring it to you, and you can become younger and extend your life further!” the girl exclaimed, vehemently, holding the handle of the whip that she wore on her side.
“You? Why should I entrust such an important mission to a little girl?” Manfred shook his head, and hobbled over to a shelf, to get his magical medicines.
Franziska looked at him eloquently.
“Because you're a rag who can barely stand up” she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.
“What did you say?” Manfred stood to attention, offended, but seriously ignorant of what his daughter had said, since he was also hard of hearing.
“I will not disappoint you, father. I'll be swift as the wind, I'll bring you the heart of the star in a few days, and we'll keep in touch with the earrings” Franziska recovered, and pointed to the jewels they both wore in their ears.
“Days? Bah! It will take me a few minutes with the Babylon candle” Manfred, after taking the medicine, bent down with difficulty to fumble in a small drawer.
Franziska approached him, one eyebrow raised.
“Do we have another one? Didn't you use the last one to go to the market seven years ago?” she asked, confused.
Manfred paused, and thought carefully.
Then he turned to his daughter.
“I’ll give you a week maximum. I hope you take less if you don't want to disappoint me. I'll guide you with the runes” he finally gave her permission to leave the house.
Franziska did not hold back a smile full of joy, and hurriedly went up to her room to get ready before the long journey.
It was the first time she had been given such an important task, and she would have never let her father down.
The man who had given her a home and magic lessons, recognizing her extraordinary talent.
The man who had taught her that perfection was the only answer, and failure was never contemplated.
To sum up, three princesses and an old lady were looking for a necklace, which had fallen with a star, which was sought by a witch supported by her bicentennial father and a boy who just wanted a wedding gift.
Well... a funny treasure hunt.