"And just like that I never stepped another foot into the night ever again," Loque Bella said.
"Oh my Loque Bella I am so sorry," Prince Callum said.
"I don't even like to look into the night through the window. My family knows it too. We close the curtains and lock the doors just when the sun is going down and then we all stay in until the sun comes back up again."
"Wow, what happened that night really changed your life."
"It did. Now just that the mere sight of the sun setting in the sky brings a coldness to my skin," she said.
"Have you ever tried to face your fear?"
"Go out into the night? No. The thought of it shrinks me back to that little girl and I get scared all over again. I know I should do something about it, I'm a big girl for goodness sake, I can't be afraid of the dark. I wake up every morning feeling brave to take on anything but when the sun begins to go down, I become that little girl and all the bravery I had leaves me and I am right back where I started," she said. "It's stupid isn't it?"
"No it's not. What happened to you that night was very traumatic, and you are dealing with it the best way you can, there's nothing stupid about that."
"But I should be doing something to get over my fear and I'm not. I don't want to be afraid of the night for the rest of my life."
"You won't. A time will come when you will be brave enough to face your fear and overcome it. We must never push ourselves beyond what we can do, that's how we end up making the problem worse instead of making it better. We must accept that we are only human and that we're not perfect and that sometimes we have the strength to do things and sometimes we don't. We must not be too hard on ourselves; we owe it to ourselves to take life one day at a time because in the end, that's all we truly have. You're doing what you can to get by and that is all that matters. But always remember that you are a lot stronger than you think you are and one day this fear will be overcome and you will once again enjoy the wonder that is the night."
"You love the night?"
"I do," he responded.
"I used to love it too."
"What did you love the most about it?"
"The moon," Loque Bella answered and faintly smiled to herself, remembering the sight of the last moon she saw. "The full moon. Round and shining bright, goodness, I absolutely loved the sight of it. I would sit by the window for hours just staring at it. It's light captivated me so much I felt like it was speaking to me."
"When was the last time you saw the moon?"
"When I was seven. That's when the attack happened and little did I know that that was the last full moon I would see for twelve whole years."
"Wow," Prince Callum said.
"I miss it and I want to see it. I would even go as far as going to stand by the window but the courage to slide the curtains open and gaze upon the night is one I just cannot harness. I thought I was going to die that night. I never knew the fear of death until that night and every night after that has rebirthed that fear. How is someone to move on like that? When their fear gets reborn every single night? I know I have what it takes. I know I have that strength within me to overcome this but I get so scared."
"And it's o.k. to be scared, we all get scared sometimes. You want to know what scares me?"
"Oh please nothing scares you," she said.
"Oh on the contrary. I do have fears of my own."
"Really?"
"Oh yes," he responded.
"What is your fear?"
"Failing at being king."
"Ooh that's a big one," Loque Bella said.
"It's pretty big. Especially with the huge shoes my father left me to fill."
"He was a great man and he was an even greater king."
"He was and I fear that I will never amount to what he was," Prince Callum said.
"You are your father's son, if he did it then so will you."
"How do I follow a king like that?"
"Simple . . . You be less like him and more like you," she said.
"What if who I am is not good enough?"
"Impossible. We are just enough for what we have been called to do. You were born a prince which means you were called to be king and have everything it takes to not just be that king but to be a good one. I've seen all the things that you do in the kingdom; visiting the orphanages and making sure the orphans always have food and a warm place to sleep, taking trips to the hospitals and reading stories to the children, running the Hampshen Guard to ensure your people are well protected and giving aid to all those in need. It takes a good heart to do things like that and you have that good heart. If that is not a quality of a great king in the making then I don't know what is." They shared a warm smile. "I think you are going to be the greatest king Hampshen has ever seen."
"That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me . . . Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said and they sat on watching the stream as inside they both could not imagine themselves being anywhere else. Strangers in the physical but with their souls feeling like they had known each other their whole lives.
The memory faded and Loque Bella was back in her room with her sisters.
“Oh gosh look at me, I’ve got goose bumps all over me. I have been completely smitten over him since the day we met and now I am going to spend my life with him, as queen of Hampshen. Oh dear goodness is this what it feels like to finally have your dreams come true? Because it feels absolutely amazing; I feel like screaming to the skies," Loque Bella said and Ida screamed, then Kima, then Miro and then Loque Bella and when they were done they laughed and hugged each other as father in his room heard them and just shook his head smiling.
A moment later a concerned look came over his face as he then stood up, walked to the window and looked out at the half moon. He looked to be going back and forth over something in his mind. He was clearly happy that one of his daughters was going to become queen but then there was something holding him back from being completely happy; something that he was concerned if came out would drastically change his life and that of his daughters.
Two days later, father and his daughters went to the palace to meet with Queen Roselyn and Prince Callum for lunch. They were sitting down by the large table in the dining hall enjoying a wide variety of foods laid out on the table, as the guards stood spread out against the walls and at the door. “Thank you for having us your majesty,” father said. “Oh please the pleasure is all mine,” Queen Roselyn said. “And I must say you all look so wonderful,” she then said. “Yes you do,” Prince Callum said, with his eyes glued on Loque Bella. He knew of her beauty but with her hair bundled up opening her face and her navy blue dress complimenting how her skin shined underneath the light of the chandeliers, he was completely taken. “Thank you,” the girls said slightly bowing their heads. Loque Bella looked at Prince Callum and finding him looking at her, butterflies flooded her tummy and she looked down smiling to herself. He too smiled to himself and they carri
The following day and as planned Loque Bella and Prince Callum went to the stream to have a picnic; sitting on a blanket and enjoying delicious treats whilst enjoying the lovely day. They spent hours out there and in those hours they talked and got to know more about each other, deepening the bond that came to life the first day they met. They talked about how different they grew up and discovered that even though they lived two totally different lives they had so much in common. They talked about their lost parents; Loque Bella's mother and Prince Callum's father and shared wonderful memories about them. Prince Callum shared all the beautiful places he had travelled to and promised to take her to see each one and even took the opportunity to give her a gift he specifically had made for her; a small white box nicely wrapped with a pink ribbon. "What is this?" Loque Bella asked. "Open it," Prince Callum said and she removed the ribbon and pulled the li
Minutes later Loque Bella and her sister bridesmaids were ready to leave for the church. Covered with the veil falling over her face, she was helped into her white and flower decorated wedding carriage by her sisters and together they rode down the road to the church; with the village people, men, women and even children, standing in the sides of the road waving to the carriage and throwing petals into the air and Loque Bella inside the closed carriage waving back at them. A moment later they arrived at the church and Loque Bella's sisters helped her out of the carriage and up the steps of the church where father was standing nicely put together in a brown suit waiting for her. He saw her and his eyes immediately began to water. "My love," father said. "Hello father," Loque Bella said and they shared a warm hug. "Oh my goodness, it's like looking at an angel. My love, you look so beautiful." "Thank you father." "You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen," he said looking
The fayagan breathed out a black flames to the people and seeing the flames coming straight for them they ducked and the flames passed above them. It breathed on and the heat of the flames caused them to scream even louder as the walls, the ceiling and the double door caught fire and the windows burst; scattering the broken pieces into the streets and immediately startling the people that were waiting outside to see the married couple. Inside, the people had their heads down as just then the fayagan stopped breathing fire and looked down at Loque Bella; also on the floor and with her head low. It then gave out another spine chilling squeal and grabbed Loque Bella. It held her firm in its huge clawed hand that almost completely covered her and then leaped off the floor and flew out, flapping its massive wings and creating winds that raised the dust and debris of the broken wall off the floor and into the air, blinding their sight as the fagayan flew off further into the distance. "Loqu
Back in Hampshen, Prince Callum, Queen Roselyn, Mr. Braun and his daughters were in the queen's throne room talking about what just happened. Queen Roselyn was sitting on her throne with Prince Callum standing next to her and Mr. Braun and his daughters were standing before them. The throne room had two thrones all the way at the end of the large room; a throne for him and a bigger one for her, portraits on the walls of the queen and prince as well as the many kings and queens that had ruled Hampshen in the previous years, decorative pillars holding up ornaments and a red carpet that ran from the double door all the way to the two thrones that were sitting on a slightly elevated platform. "What is going on Mr. Braun?" Prince Callum asked. "What just happened?" Mr. Braun looked to his daughters and them at him and then back at the prince with his heart the heaviest it had ever been; whatever it was that had him looking like that it wasn't good. "Loque Bella is very special," Mr. Br
"I must protect her from the night, what does that mean?" Mr. Braun asked. "Fayagans. The fayagans of Monteg. Ever since they sensed that I was carrying the moon essence inside of me they have been coming after me. They fly the night searching for me and have burnt down so many villages just to get me but I have been escaping. This time I escaped barely but I had to keep moving, for her. I had to survive for her. And when she comes to be you must protect her from them," Hralda said. "They must not get their hands on her." "What are fayagans?" Kima asked. "They are vicious large winged creatures that are after her power. They want her because of her power." "What is she?" Miro asked. "She's a moon essence. A healing spirit that gets its power from the full moon. And they want that power. They will do anything and kill anyone to get it, you must protect her from them. Please. If they get their hands on her they will kill her." "Do not wo
Back in Hampshen Prince Callum was in the dining hall getting his weapons ready for the journey ahead. He sharpened and shined his long sword, the arrow heads for his bow and knives.Mr. Braun walking down the hallway stopped in front of the double door that led into the dinning hall and walked in as the prince carried on."I know I should have said something to you but it was our family secret and in order to keep her safe we had to keep it. I'm so sorry your highness," Mr. Braun said."Mr. Braun please, there is no reason for you to apologize. You did what you needed to do to protect her and your family and I respect you for that," Prince Callum answered."But I didn't protect her. The fayagan came and took her, I failed.""You did not fail Mr. Braun. She is still alive and we will get her back. No one has failed at anything.""What if they have already . . . ," Mr. Braun said but was interrupted."Nothing. They have done nothing to
Without saying anything, Princess Rada walked out of the room pulling the key out of the key hole and locked it from the outside. She then secured the key in her dress pocket and for a good while just stood there with more of a wondered look on her face than she had before. Could she have gotten the wrong person? Not possible, she could sense the essence on her. It had to be her but afraid of the night, that didn't make any sense at all. She then walked off and went back down the stairs and made her way to the dining hall. Her mother, Queen Gwen who looked just like an older version of her but had short black hair, was sitting at one end of the large ten chaired table and Princess Rada joined her, sitting at the other end. The table was empty and only had two plates on it; one in front of Queen Gwen and the other in front of the chair at the other end, both with a large piece of steak on it and a side of mushrooms. On the side of the plate was a glass of wine and on the othe