NINE YEARS OLD NOAH didn't enjoy parties all that much. Very unlike his best friend Cami, who loved them with all her might.

Now why shouldn't she? Girls get to dress up pretty on parties afterall. And she had way too many dresses to flaunt anyways.

So as all the royal kids attended the wedding ceremony of the siren queen and the demon king, Noah sat next to Cami with a bored look on his face while everyone had their eyes glued to the bride and the groom on the alter.

"Noah." Cami's voice snapped Noah out of his boredom making the boy turn to her with sparkling green eyes like that of his father's.

"What, Cam?" He asked the werewolf princess.

"What if I never find my mate?" Cami's big blue eyes settled on her friend with worry marring her face, "Will I never get married? Or get to dress up like that?" She pointed a finger at the siren queen.

Noah's eyes sweeps from Cami to the bride on the altar dressed up in her all bridal glory from head to toe. For him, the gown his friend wore and the bride wore looked all the same. Gowns and tulle and flowery headbands. Just the veil was missing. But it could be bought, no? Was marriage necessary?

Noah tilts his head in confusion as they snap back to his best friend, "Can't you dress up like that without having to marry?" He was genuinely curious.

Cami rolled her eyes at his words, "No, I can't. There would be no emotion!"

"And it is bad?" Noah asked with wide eyes.

Seeing Cami nod vehemently made Noah fear her head would pop out of her neck with the effort she put.

Bringing his hand forward, he held her face so she'd stopping shaking her head so brutally. Cami stared at him before her eyes widened as an idea popped into her head.

She held Noah's face the same way he did and leveled her eyes straight to his, "Will you marry me?"

Noah blinked and then blinked again. He heard someone choke on water behind him but his shocked eyes were set on Cami.

"What?" He asked staring back at her blue eyes.

Cami's eyes were googly as she said, "If I don't find my mate, will you marry me?"

This time, Noah finally understood her words so he took his hands off Cami's face and inched back.

"Why not?" He shrugged, "It's not like I have a mate to wait for anyways. I'm cursed, remember?"

As if to emphasize his point, he gestured at his ashen white hair which used to be midnight coloured once, before he'd accidentally released a spirit and gotten cursed.

Cami took into his hair. She actually liked the new colour. It suited her friend. But she also knew her friend well enough to know he hated it. Not because of the colour but because it reminded him of what danger he'd caused by releasing the spirit in his stupidity. Although she didn't consider it stupid. He'd done it out of goodwill and a soft heart, only it didn't turn out the way it should have.

Slowly in understanding, she nodded her before grabbing his hand and placing it on his chest. Noah looked at her in a confuzzled state.

"It's a best friends promise then." Cami grinned up at him, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Noah's own lips pulled into a slow smile, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

He laughed as Cami patted his head appreciatively and flanked her arm over his shoulder in a side hug.

Behind the two, Andrea and Charles sat staring at their friends with big wide eyes.

When Andrea noticed Charles' drink all over his shirt and his mouth open like a fish, gaping at Cami and Noah in the front, she rolled her eyes.

"Bug will enter in." Andrea shut his mouth making the boy's teeth clatter at the force of it.

Charles rubbed at his chin and then turned to Andrea in question, "Do we need to make this promise too?"

He was confused. Andrea and him were best friends too afterall. But a marriage sentence seemed crazy.

Andrea gave Charles a heavenwards look, "Our plan is to never get married."

Charles brown eyes sparkled like light bulbs, "I like this idea!"

"I know I'm a great advisor." Andrea flipped her hair dramatically.

Although Charles didn't get what 'advise' she'd given here, he nodded along enthusiastically and fist-bumped with Andrea saying 'deal' together.

Afterall, who'd want to be tied in a marriage? Surely not him.

"Where's Nora, by the way?" Andrea asked to no one in particular, her hazel eyes searching for the girl.

Noah turned to Andrea at the mention of his twin, "She's resting upstairs. She wasn't feeling alright so Dad told her to lay down for a while."

◇◇◇

Upstairs, Nora stood outside in the balcony of the room she was supposed to be slumbering in.

Wind brushed away the girl's hair in different directions as she stared down at the hard muddy ground a floor below. Her feet were planted on the railing balancing her over it such that she wouldn't fall down.

'Do you want to jump down, moya kukla?' A voice spoke serenely in her head, it's soothing waves making her want to just oblige to it.

But the girl shook her head, "No, I don't want to."

Nora knew she'd be hurt if she did jump down and her Mommy and Daddy would be sad then. Even her twin brother would be sad if she got hurt.

The voice in her head let out a soft laugh, 'Do you want to try once? You won't die you know that, right? I would never let you.'

Nora smiled, "I know." She said into the open air.

The voice would never hurt her, she knew that much. It'd always saved her.

"Do you think I should try?" She looked down at the ground and suddenly it felt very compelling.

She didn't know whether it was because of the voices comfort that it would save her or her slipping sanity, but suddenly the thought of jumping seemed very intriguing.

'Do it if you want, moya kukla. I'll hold you back. Always.' The voice assured.

As if her body had a mind of its own, her right feet lifted off the railing and in the open air. Her mind was too numb and in a daze to register her body loosing balance.

But before she could fall off the railing, like a whisp of air, a body clashed into hers out of nowhere pushing her back onto the balcony tiles.

Rubbing her elbows which had gotten hurt due to the force the man pushed her with, her brows furrowed in annoyance as she looked up at the figure that had clashed into her.

'The man was tall. Taller than her father. Chocolate brown eyes, dark hair,' Nora thought.

His dark brooding eyes were staring down at her with a bored look in them.

Nora's frown grew deeper as she saw the man place his hands on his hips and roll his eyes at her.

"I go on a trip to the itty bitty immortal land and what do I find? Kids plan suicide these days. Fantastic! What has this world come to?" The man tsked and then as if he was bored from his own words, he waved his hands in front of his face before pointing his long finger at Nora.

"Listen here, you pesky little thing," He lowered his face to the girl's, "Your Daddy annoyed my ass to keep you alive, so you better stay alive. Man, emotional blackmail really got me that day, otherwise you'd be dead. So you better live the life I gave you and not throw it away and make my efforts go in vain. I have a reputation to hold."

Nora blinked up at the man with a blank look which made him raise a brow at the lack of interest on her face.

"You think I'm kidding? Do you even know who I am? People fear me." He pointed to himself, "I am-"

"Annoying." Nora rebuked cutting the man as she got off the tiled floor and dusted her floral gown.

When she looked back at the tall man, she could bet he looked like he'd just been delivered the shock of his life.

"Kids these days. So infuriatingly disrespectful." He huffed.

Nora tilted her head, "You speak like those nagging relatives from the soap operas."

"Soap what now?" He asked, perplexed.

"So older than that Era too? How old are you, old man?" Nora wanted to know.

"Old man? Me?" The dark-haired man pointed to himself in stark bewilderment.

He knew really well he could charm a thousand mortals with just a look their way and here there she was, the pesky little thing who could be crumpled under his thumb, dare call him old. Unbelievable! So much for saving her life. Twice. Once at birth and the other one right now from falling off the rails.

"You know what?" He released a long dramatic sigh lifting his hands up in surrender, "I'm done with this conversation."

Before Nora could tell him she didn't mean to be rude without a reason and was only so because he'd pushed her down really hard making her elbows hurt, the man vanished into air.

Nora blinked in shock as he moved through the air without any wings like her father or her. He just. . .floated.

Just as she'd thought he'd left, she heard a whisper in her ear, "Don't go suicide planning again."

And then he was gone.

Age of characters : All of them are 9 years old here.

So....got any hints on the Kingston twins' story in the chapter?

Aren't Noah and Cami cute?

Isn't Nora a bit creepy-ish? And the voice inside her head even more creepier?👀

Who do you think the man who saved her is? He'll be introduced in THE ASSASIN AND THE KING soon tho👀

Nora's story is something really different from all the other stories I have in my mind and so is her character. I can't wait to complete the first series and start with the second generation🤧