Writer's note: Hi everyone! I just wanted you to know that this book is not done! It's been a long time since the last chapter, but I promise that it's coming back. I'm sad to tell you, however, that EmTheMinecraftTurd won't be co-writing with me anymore. She has given me permission to take over this book, and continue with it as I please. She will be helping me out with it behind the scenes with little things, but other than that, it's mostly up to me.

 Anyway, I just wanted to make that clear. Enjoy! --Lex

Bright rays of sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of a young Prince's bedroom, stirring him awake. His eyes fluttered open, lazily spotting a small beast sprawled out across his covers. He smiled to himself for a moment before lifting his hand to stroke it's soft fur. The beast stretched out long, but never even opened it's eyes despite the Prince's scratches moving from it's stomach to it's chin. He sat up in his bed after a pleasant few minutes of peace, before ultimately forcing himself to rise. And conveniently timed too, as a knock could be heard at his door just a moment later, followed by a voice.

"My Prince, may I come in?" A woman's voice asked politely.

"Yes, of course. As always, Rosemary." He replied. Rosemary was one of his two personal servants, she being his morning servant. But he'd much rather consider her a friend instead.

Rosemary walked in and curtsied, before walking over to his closet to pick out his wardrobe for the day, as she usually did. He made it clear to her several times that he was perfectly capable of picking out his own clothes every morning, but she always insisted, saying that not only was it a part of her job, but that she enjoyed it. He eventually gave up. But Rosemary's search was interrupted by yet another knock at the door.

"Are you awake, my prince?" A familiar voice called out. He hoisted himself off his bed and walked open his birch bedroom door. There, stood a young, strong woman with fiery red hair. Her posture was pristine, as was her blue uniform and leather armor. He greeted her with a simple "Good Morning, Petra."

"To you, too, my prince. We must get going soon. Can you be ready and meet me by the front gate in an hour?" She said with a neutral expression. He agreed, and with that, she nodded, then turned on her heel to leave. He closed the door behind him, but could still hear the fading of the soles of her leather boots against the stone floors as she walked away.

After a minute or two of friendly conversation with Rosemary, she finally stepped out of his closet, holding a neatly folded pair of clothes in her hands. Looking at the fabric, he immediately recognized the pattern, and smiled. She had knowingly picked out his favorite outfit for the day, which brought a smile to his face. This is why he loved his maid, among other things. He grabbed the clothes with a quick thank you before ducking away to go change while Rosemary tidied up a bit. After a swift costume change, he came out wearing a pristinely white dress shirt, with a skin tight, orange vest over top of it. The vest had elegant red embroidery and an embroidered sun emblem on each shoulder. And with leather boots and terra cotta colored trousers, his outfit was complete.

"Rosemary, do you know if breakfast is ready?" He asked over her shoulder, watching her put some calligraphy pens he had been using the night before into a small vase on his desk.

"Oh, yes. It's waiting for you downstairs." She answered. "You might even be able to catch your mother."

Upon hearing that, he rushed out the door, leaving it wide open. Seconds later, a "thank you!" could be heard echoing through the stone corridor, the boy's voice pouncing off the walls. Rosemary merely smiled to herself and shook her head.

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The dining table was beautifully decorated, as usual, and a hot plate laid before his chair. Yet a small, disappointed sigh escaped him as he looked at the opposite end of the table, where the only other chair rested, only to find that it, too, was empty. Disappointed, but not surprised, unfortunately. Sitting down in his chair, he slowly ate the full plate of breakfast that was specially prepared for him, as it was every morning. Once he was done, he excused himself from the table, and thanked no one in particular for the meal, thanking them out loud, despite him being the only one in the room. While pulling out his chair from the table, a heavy mass suddenly dropped onto his boot. Leaning over, he found that an incredibly lazy, though very familiar, female ocelot was half asleep on his shoe. He let out a small laugh at the sight of his silly pet, but still stood from his chair, forcing the cat to move.

A blinding amount of daylight came crashing trough the main gate as he stepped outside to meet Petra as he had promised. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked around the stairs for only a second before immediately spotting his friend, perhaps his best friend. She turned to look at him.

"Are you ready, sparky?" She teased him, calling him by his nickname now that they were alone. 'Sparky' has been his new nickname, exclusively used and given to him by Petra ever since she got promoted to be his bodyguard. It was neither clever nor funny, but he didn't care. He only rolled his eyes and continued walking down the staircase, where a carriage waited for the two of them. Petra opened the wooden door for the prince, but was a bit off putted when he stopped in his tracks and stared into the interior of the carriage.

"What the--?"

"What?" Petra asked plainly, confused. She followed his gaze, and found the royal ocelot lying carelessly on the velvet cushioned seats.

"How did--." He cut himself off, raising his hands in defense and closing his eyes. "You know what? I'm not even gonna try and guess." He said before climbing inside.

Petra followed his lead and sat down. She balled her hand into a fist and pounded it twice against the wood behind her, where the vehicle then started to move. They sat in a comfortable silence, the prince stroking his cat and he stared at the floor blankly, though clearly thinking. Petra eventually broke the silence.

"Did you get to see your mother today, Lukas?"

"No, not this time. But maybe tonight. Hopefully."

Petra said nothing in response, as nothing she could say would be anything but repetitive.

"Anyway, what do I have scheduled for today?"

"Miraculously, only one thing. Lucky you. Today is your meeting with the orphan kids, remember?"

Lukas had forgotten that he had scheduled that for himself, since it was scheduled months ago. It was a pleasant way to spend the day while still helping his people, after all.

He suddenly remembered why he decided to visit them; he and Petra were walking down the street outside the open market place, when a little boy came up to him. The boy was brimming with excitement upon seeing the prince casually out on the streets. He handed him a small, origami sun made of tanned parchment. The prince thanked him for the piece of art, and asked who he was with, bending down to meet the boy's height. "My Ablam. We're out getting spices for the head mistress" He replied. "Head mistress?" Lukas asked. "Evet, we live at the building over there. That's where the head mistress is too." He pointed at a large tan building in the near distance. The entrance could be seen, where a large sign that read "Orphanage/ Öksüzler Yurdu" hung outside the building. A sadness found it's way into Lukas' stomach.

"Uh, yes. It's a good thing Tessa is here then." He said, scratching the sleeping cat behind the ear, producing a purr. "The children will love her."

The coach stopped, and through the sheer curtains, the Orphanage could be seen.

Petra promptly exited the carriage and held the wooden door open for her prince. Lukas turned and gently picked up the ocelot by the rib cage and into his arms as he, too, exited the small space. For the first time, he got a good look at the building before them. It's two story walls were stacked tall of faded sandstone bricks, large, rusted wooden windows, and old wooden beams. A pathetic looking gate was hidden around the side of the building, leading to what he assumed to be a yard for the children to play in. To put it simply, it looked quite old and sad. Wordlessly, they approached the double birch doors, and Petra grabbed the handle of the knocker, pounding it against the wood for a moment. Immediately, a middle aged woman wearing a semi-formal, orange dress greeted them with a smile, and a curtesy to follow.

"Welcome, my prince. How wonderful of you to grace us with a visit. Please, do come in." She said, stepping aside to let them through. The interior looked worse than the exterior. Not that it was dirty or unkept, but that it was very...barren. The walls were plain as paper, and almost no furniture or decorations were in sight. Nearly all that was there was a brown carpet heading down the hall.

"Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Miss Willows, the head mistress. The children have been incredibly impatient about your arrival." She laughed.

"Well, I assure you, miss, the feeling is mutual." He replied. When they reached the end of the hall, a pair of doors stood in their way as bright rays of sunlight shone through the small panes of glass imbedded in the wood. Miss Willows turned to them.

"Pardon me, but I'll just be a moment. I'd like to speak with them before I introduce you."

Lukas only curtly nodded in response before she exited the room and out into what was clearly the yard. Children's laughter and excited chatter could be heard for a brief moment as she quickly opened and closed the door. The prince and his guard shared a glance, along with a smirk. Through the wooden door, Miss Willow's voice could be heard, added to the dozen(ish) voices of the kids, before they settled and her voice became clear.

"Settle down, settle down. Kaan! That's enough. Now children, you must be on your best behavior today, you understand me? Form a line now, nice and straight...The prince is finally here today, so when he walks in, I want the girls to curtsy and the boys to bow, tamam? And what do you all say? Raise your hand, just like yesterday when we practiced."

"Yes, Summer?"

" 'Good day, my prince.' "

Lukas chuckled from behind the door. He was very used to adults addressing him so curtly, but children typically never had the manners to do so. Not that he minded, by any means. Hearing the head mistress go through so much trouble to make sure he was addressed properly was slightly amusing to him.

Suddenly the doors swung open, and immediately, Miss Willows curtsied as him and Petra walked past the door frame, and then...

"Good day, my prince." The conjoined voices of 21 children greeted in unison in that childish tone, followed by a flurry of curtsies and bows. It was certainly a sight to behold. When the children all met back up to his gaze, contained excitement shone brightly in their eyes. Half of their eyes were on him, while the other ones didn't even seem to notice him as they stared in awe at the ocelot in his arms.

"Hahaha, and good day to you, too, children."

"Ve senin isminin neyi?" Miss Willows chimed in. And from left to right, they all briefly told him their names. Not that he could remember half of them.

"Well, you may call me Lukas. This is my guard, Petra..." He introduced, gesturing towards her. "...and this is my pet, and the Royal ocelot, Tessa." At that moment, Tessa jumped down from his owner's arms and pranced over to the orphans, looking at them curiously before rubbing up against a young girl's leg and purring. In the blink of an eye, the silence and their neat line vanished as they all pondered over the silly cat. They were clawing at each other to be the one hold and pet her. Lukas laughed.

He spent the rest of the day with the orphans, playing with them, talking with them, enjoying their time together. It was so nice for both parties, since the children obviously don't get to see their prince everyday, and Lukas never gets an easy-break day such as this. It was just....SO nice. But as nice as it all was, it came with its own pain. It reminded him of how truly lonely he was. A lonely Prince. How ironic.

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After saying goodbye to the kids, and thanking Miss Willows for her time, they made their way back to the palace. When they got back, Petra was greeted with a lower ranking guard. He whispered something in her ear, where then her face went stern. She curtly nodded before the guard scurried away.

"What was that about?" Lukas asked hesitantly.

"Her highness wishes to see you. Immediately." She answered, straightening her posture and folding her arms behind her back. This was clearing serious.

"...why?"

"You tell me. What'd you do?" She teased, a smug smirk on her face. Lukas face palmed, hiding a smile.

"No, seriously. Get in there." She shoved him towards the doors.

When he arrived in their lounge, a special room for him and his mother, it was completely empty; no guards, no guests. No one but his mother, staring at him as he walked in. Her curly blonde hair was pulled up in an elegant bun, adored with pearls. Pearls were always her favorite thing. She was dressed in a flowing, red satin dress, it's straps wrapping around her neck, and adored with even more pearls and sparkles. And on top of her head was a delicate gold crown. She was stunning.

"Mother?" He asked quietly, standing in the doorway.

"Lukas, my son. Sit with me." She called out, her cheerful tone suddenly making the room feel warmer. He beamed and ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she quickly embraced him back. It wasn't often he got moments like this with her. When they pulled away, Minerva sat her son and herself down on a lounge couch in front of a fire.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked.

Minerva folded her hands over her lap, and just like Petra, her posture changed and stiffened. That's when Lukas understood what kind of conversation this was gonna be. She stared off into the fireplace, watching it's flames flicker in deep thought.

"Yes. I have something to tell you. And it won't be pretty." She said, never looking away from the fire. Lukas stayed silent, unsure of how to respond at first, before just deciding to allow her to continue.

"Last night, the Captain of the Midnight Guards...was murdered in his tent. And a gory sun was carved into his chest. One of our soldiers, , climbed the wall and murdered him in cold blood. When I had it looked into, our reports tell us that the king is an unholy amount of furious. They were quite close. And this is a devastation.

"While we had no reason to believe that anything like this would ever happen, it was still one of our soldiers. And the consequences are still ours. I know not what punishment he will receive, but that is the least of my worries at the moment. This is the tipping act of the Dawn and the Midnight's relationship, which as you know, has always been shaky and full of tension.

Lukas had a hard time letting it all sink in. A murder? One of their soldiers? And the king...he must be fuming. What were they to do? The Midnight citizen will be frightened, threatened, scared. No amount of apologies or peace treaties can fix this.

"...what does this mean?" He asked softly, the hesitation in his voice clear as crystal. Minerva stayed silent. It was apparent that she had an answer up in her mind, but couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Seeing his mother like this, it made him fear the answer as well. The longer Minerva stayed silent, the more anxious the prince got.

But she couldn't stay silent forever. And with a terrifying amount of uncertainty, she gave her response:

"I don't know."