She felt the sun kiss her tan skin as she opened her eyes slowly. It was still morning, She could tell from the breeze that passed her by. She took in all of the scenery that was before her, the lakes, the field of greenery and it left her mesmerized. She began to wonder how she got there in the first place and whose lap she felt so safe in. "Are you awake my love?" a familiar husky voice whispered into her ear as she felt his soft touch caress her cheek. She couldn't see his face clearly but by Emris was she so sure that she had known him for more than a century. She kept gazing up at his tall figure trying to remember who this man was. The man who ignited the flame in her cold blistered heart. But before she could even utter a single word, she woke up.

This was a recurring dream Luna Archwood had. Always the same place, the same voice, and the same sensation of finally feeling belonged. She never knew the man in her dream. His warmth felt like a thousand little fires, his embrace felt so close yet far. The same voice would wake her up each time, and every time she would pray to Emris that she would meet him soon.

She shook herself awake. I need to get ready. People need me, no time to waste mana on fantasies she thought to herself. It's been four years since she graduated. She was now the Sentinel mage of the princess. Although her title was prestigious she couldn't help but ask for more. Her days began to feel monotonous. Her duties were to protect the princess and the king's barrier from shadow monsters and it holds a lot of responsibility. But she couldn't help feeling that there must be more to her life than these endless battles.

As soon as she stepped out of the dorm wearing her armor, a scout from the academia came running towards her with sweat dripping down his forehead, "Mage Luna the king awaits your presence for the council gathering." He's clearly anxious, it must be his first day in the palace grounds, Luna thought to herself. "Yes, I will present myself for today's duty. But by any chance have you seen my cousin Sentinel mage Helene? White hair, short, obnoxious attitude, and likes waving a giant sword at everyone she meets?" She said with a sarcastic tone, her cousin had quite the reputation around the kingdom. "It has appeared that she has not yet arrived from her night duty," said a sweet voice from behind. "Your Highness apologies.. I- I mean, I, scout Theo was here as a mere messenger for Sentinel mage Luna, your gracious I did no-" The poor scout began to shiver in the presence of Lillian the princess of Otos.

To say the princess was a beauty would be an understatement. Her locks of golden hair reached to her waist, her skin was pale and yet had a subtle flush of pink, and a mere smile from her princess made the guards of Otos quiver in shyness. "Go along boy I have matters to discuss with mage Luna " the princess uttered and without a moment to spare, the scout ran away quickly hiding his face.

"Lily, you gave the poor boy a heart attack," Luna said looking at the 16 year old princess who was clearly amused. "Aw, he reminded me of that deer, the kingdom of Vilatrin gifted me once... except the deer was dead, and the boy is pretty much alive... you get what I mean?" She said gleefully as she gained a concerned look from Luna. "Anyway, let's stop talking about the dead deer and focus on why your dad wants to hold the council gathering this early," Luna said, annoyed. "Who knows really? He never invites me to those gatherings unless it's absolutely mandatory for me to be there.. But more importantly, I wonder what's the hold up with Mage Helene? I mean she promised to give me sword lessons today" said Lillian letting out a sigh. "You know what? I can't believe you actually like her lessons. I mean, I love her but her methods are quite strange to say the least..." As Luna was going on and on about her cousin, she began to notice that the princess was too busy trying to get noticed by a certain mage. "I mean it's not like anyone else is gonna teach me... My father forbade me from holding a sword. Guess being able to protect myself is considered unladylike. I mean no offense...''She said, still having no luck with the young mage. "You sure you didn't come here to just drool on Kayan in his new mage uniform. I must say yellow does suit him better than blue" Luna said, teasing the princess which let Lillian snort a laugh. "Oh for Draven's sake if he looks at me now! I mean not like that, it's important. I just came to greet my favorite mages! let's attend that council gathering together shall we?" the princess said, yanking Luna by force. "Ohh come on I didn't even eat yet or... congratulate Kayan on his graduation " Luna whined while Lillian desperately tried to escape to the throne room.

After being compelled to arrive early for the council gathering, she kept trying to contact Helene through her mindlink "For goodness! Helene answer me for this once.. the gathering has been moved to today..." Just then she felt her cousin gasping for breath. "Lulu, give me a few minutes. I have been chasing this vengeful spirit all night and my god isn't she the best."

It was no secret to anyone that the kingdom of Otos was facing more and more monster attacks over the passing years. The barrier that separated the kingdom from the no man's land seemed to have grown weaker and weaker. The elder's council searched for a solution for years but every trail only led them to a dead end. Amidst this dire situation, the King of Otos grew restless and paranoid. Hence the duties of mages and hunters multiplied every week. It was a stopgap measure against the looming threat to the kingdom.

Otos just wasn't what it used to be... the streets were now gloomy and dark, and the silence would linger as the faint flicker of dimly lit lamps accompanied the people through the night. With time their faces which were once filled with joy, grew weary and tired, they were living ration to ration barely surviving. And with the increasing monster attacks, people were starting to lose hope and that was truly dangerous.

"Well, finish her up quickly.. you know how much I hate these royal pricks... Tobias seriously needs more duties." Luna told her cousin as her eyes followed 'Tobias Thorne'. The financial minister's son, he was popular throughout the kingdom as he had his way with the ladies and gents. As always he was too busy flirting with the servant girls rather than finding his own seat. 'Ooh I've got her now!' and then after a few minutes 'oh freaking shit! she bled over my suit! ugh, I have to clean it again today.'

'Hells forget the suit, just come here quickly the king's about to start-' just then Luna was cut short as the king arrived. The most favored man by the nation, King Alastair was an uptight yet a kind man. He took care of his council and subjects well. Upon his rule, the kingdom became wealthier but as shame would have been the barriers had left his efforts gone to waste. Hence the weekly council gatherings with the court of Otos commenced. Only the most important ministers and the king's mages were allowed to attend as the king likes to keep his circle of courtmen close and smaller in quantity.

"Greetings my council... I have gathered all of you on such short notice to make a special announcement. But first, I would like to know how the kingdom is functioning. Igor, are there any financial issues I should worry about?" the king spoke to his council with a sense of pride.

" No, Your Grace, everything in my sector is going well as you see, my son Tobias is already helping me with my work" Igor said with a grin. Igor was a man of many secrets but he made Otos rich so many respected him. No one really knew how he operated yet no one dared to question him, for people feared him more than they respected him.

"Where are the archwood sisters? I would like to know about the status of the king's barrier?" Said the king as Luna went towards him and knelt. "My lord there have been more breaches in the barrier but do not be worried, as the high council is taking precautions and sending more mages to conceal the barrier." She said, just as she rehearsed with her grandmother.

As her grandmother is an archmage, she always made sure the girls were properly ready for their duties. This of course included what the king should know and what he shouldn't. Truthfully, there has been an overwhelming amount of power that was forbidden within the kingdom. Most mages have been feeling it growing since the shadow prince first arrived. Although the location of the mysterious man is not known, it had been made clear that he was responsible for the withering of the sole thing that protected them from the danger of no man's land.

"Where's Helene? What did the little devil get into this time?" the king said, Helene's mother Theodora used to be one of the king's best friends whilst training in the army. So naturally he was quite taken by the archerwoods.

Just then in came the snow haired mage still holding a sword. Her golden armor had stains of blackened thick blood, showing that her recent battle did not end quite nicely. "You requested me, my king," she said, walking in her heavy armor as her mother looked at her with a concerned look. "Apologies for the court and the king, I was being held up by an uninvited guest" she said gesturing her armor. "Looks like you have already taken care of it. Very well, return to your positions." The king dismissed the mage.

"Don't worry Mom it's not my blood" Helene whispered to her mother as she walked past her. Although her mother shook her head with disapproval from the corner of her eyes she saw her mother's subtle smile. "Took you long enough.. and might I recommend a shower after the meeting is done, you reek monster" said Luna looking at her cousin. "Ohh I was faster than Tobias swinging another servant girl, '' Helene said with a sly smile. "Ohh he's looking at you Luna... do I sense a future affair" Helene teased Luna knowing very well that he disgusted her. "Oh please Helene I'd rather find a man who sticks to his partners, not the ones who forget them faster than emris's lightning" said Luna ignoring Tobias's attempt to get noticed.

As the meeting went on, it finally came to an end " Now for the celebratory announcement I have recently discussed with my advisors and decided that Lilian has come to age. When the next full moon rises, we shall hold a banquet and choose the future king of Otos" As the king declared the announcement, the room erupted into applause and cheer.

Luna and Helene were baffled. They looked at the princess who was shocked as much as they were "Lulu what the f__k! Celebratory! Shouldn't he say surprise?".

"I don't think the princess even knew hells. We talked today and she was completely unaware. Ohh, look at her," the princess looked so helpless as her eyes were glued on Kayan who left the room in almost a hurry. "I knew he liked her. Thank God you didn't cast a spell on him," said Helene looking as the doors closed. "Kayan must be crushed! Also since when don't you trust my spellcasting. I was the paladin, remember?!". "Since we are stuck in the mind link because of a certain person... I somehow feel safer when you're not inside someone's mind." Before Luna could reply, Theodora came before them "girls, anything you wanna share with the rest of us" as both of them looked up to her disappointed face. "Aunt she started it but more importantly did you know about this" asked her niece who was clearly fuming. "Sadly yes, but only in the morning I hope the princess is well... I assumed he brought it up with her daughter but clearly he forgot." She said with a rather wilted look. Theodora has taken care of the princess since she was young. As she made a promise to the late queen she brought her up as her own daughter.

"Hopefully she meets someone like Kayan. Oh Lulu I'm going to check up on her. Are you on duty now ?"

''Yes, but will you please tell her that I will always be there for her, and if any selfish prick comes near her that I will personally escort him to the Draven's den myself" she said and stormed off.

After strolling near the end of the king's barrier worrying that she could not be there for the princess she finally heard the monster siren. It was coming near the nursery outside the king's gate. She ran towards the stables using all her might and prayed she got there before anyone would get hurt.

"Helene there has been a monster sighting near the nursery. We can't put the children at risk. Let's go and see what type of monster came from the barrier now." "I just got off from night duty lulu... Do i have to come? Please can I stay with Lily just for today? She needs a bit of company. Promise I will come at a lightning speed if you need my help.''

" Very well then. Stay with lily hells. She needs all comfort she can get .'' Luna finished with a sigh.

She was riding towards the town with her horse arrow, she felt the familiar shift of the air. As mages they ought to feel whenever a monster is within their zone. Even Though she is familiar with the sudden changes of the air, the goosebumps never seem to go away. "Mage looking for me" she heard the shrilling words of the monster.'' I was about to feast on the younglings.. But you... YOU are interrupting my meal." Luna's eyes were wandering around like a hawk looking for its prey. She pulled out one of her arrows and was aiming at certain areas where she felt the energy lurking. "You are certainly good at hiding, I might add. But no matter where you hide, I will always find you." She infused the arrow with her mana and released it. 'This will lead to the source of the shadow energy', the arrow was moving forward fast until there was a screeching sound echoing through the whole town. Luna walked towards the monster and crouched down to its face. "Certainly not fast enough to run away from me." She got up unphased as the royal guards rushed and took away the bloodied monster.

"Lulu, I'm in town. Changed my mind.. Oh and heard the scream of the monster." Helene said through the mindlink. "Yeah, the scream was louder than I expected... but it will survive." Luna replied as she saw her cousin closing in on her.

" Lulu, can we just rest at our chambers tomorrow? I'm really not in the mindset to work." Helene said while throwing her head backwards. "Yes..we really need a break..but we have to find the shadow prince remember." As Luna finished talking she saw a little girl dancing around with a black flower. A black rose to be certain. The memories were rushing back into her mind as she and Helene walked towards the little girl.

Since the day she saw 'the shadow prince',he had visited the city almost every night.The villagers had named him the shadow prince as his sole purpose was to steal from the rich and give it back to the people who truly needed it. The common villagers were very fond of him. He would always leave a black rose wherever he stole as a sign to show the people that he was the culprit. Not even if the greatest knights were involved, none could capture him or his goons. "Hey love, can you tell me who gave you this flower?" Luna asked, crouching down, to get on the little girl's eye level. "Arew youw trying to tawke this flower away from me?" her eyes were tearing up with every word she lets out. "Oh no honey! We just want to know who gave it to you? Was it the shadow prince?" As soon as the name shadow prince came out of Helene's mouth, the little girl's eyes were shining bright as two diamonds. "Yes he gave me this yesterday while I was playing with my fwriends. He gives everyone a flower, Sowwy but you can't have mwine" she ran off to play with her friends before the two mages could ask her anything else. "Guess he loves kids!" Helene said admiring her precious 'belle' . "Although I quite admire him looking after the poor, I can't betray the king's orders. Also, do we have to include Belle in this conversation" Helene put a comforting hand on Luna's shoulder, " Well Belle and I agree to disagree. After all, we are here to protect everyone, not just the nobles." Luna always stood up for what's right. She and Helene had received quite the punishments for arguing in the court. Once when the former finance minister the old Jenkins was in power, they exposed his true self to the public. Only to receive punishment from the court for breaching their contract as they were his personal guards at the time. But to this day they never seem to regret anything they did. Now the old man himself was with Emris or the Draven himself for all they knew.

"You are right. The kids are safe, we should probably head back or even go to the king's barrier." Luna called out to her dear horse arrow whilst asking for her cousin's hand to get on. "How about you and I go for a walk?'' Helene was looking at the town with all the golden lights that glimmered Reminds me of before she closed her eyes letting the smell of food cover her nostrils. Since Luna also needed a get away, she agreed to stroll in the city with Helene as a normal person, not as a defender of her nation. But this thought was soon to be interrupted....

"Here ye' Here ye' Let it be known throughout the kingdom that His Majesty, King Alastair the First, has proclaimed a grand occasion. The sole heir to the throne of Otos Princess Lilian Alastair shall hold a splendid ball to welcome potential suitors to her side.

Mark your calendars, for the ball shall take place on the eve of the next full moon, a night destined for enchantment and romance. Prepare your finest attire and join us in rejoicing for the happiness and prosperity of our cherished Princess Lilian."

The crowd in the village started to mummer. All were ecstatic, it has been years since a royal ball had taken place. Villagers began to cheer and clap, except for Luna and Helene. Lilian always wanted to fall in love with someone she truly felt a connection to. And knowing her growing interest in the young mage, Luna and Helene couldn't help but feel sad for their princess. Because the king would never allow the princess to marry anyone aside from nobility. For that they both hated the king secretly.

" I'm tired Lulu, let's just head back." After just a second Helene finished her sentence the bell in the palace rang. And whenever the bell rang, it was either a wedding being held or some tragedy struck the kingdom. "God that was quick" Helene said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "ARROW COME HERE GIRL!" Luna jumped on the back of her horse. "SNOW!" A horse just like its name came running towards Helene as she ran and got on its back. It was certainly a majestic sight to see.

By Emris Can't we get a break...