"Sing me a song of a lass that is gone. Say, could that lass be I? Merry of soul she sailed on a day. Over the sea to Skye. Billow and breeze, islands and seas. Mountains of rain and sun. All that was good, all that was fair. All that was me is gone. Sing me a song of a lass that is gone. Say, could that lass be I? Merry of soul she sailed on a day. Over the sea to Skye."
A young girl, no older than three, was curled up on a woman's lap, playing with a lock of h/c hair as it fell from the woman's head in front of the little girl. Her eyes were wide awake, despite the soothing song that her aunt had just sung, and though the rest of her body felt tired, her mind was still wiring with the thoughts of the day.
"Auntie Luna," Y/N asked quietly, turning her gaze toward her great-aunt's kind face. "Can you tell me about the world beyond this kingdom?" Her eyes pleaded for her aunt to disclose any sort of information, and of course, the aunt gave it willingly.
"Of course, I can, my little moon. How about I tell you the time that I met with the great Merida of DunBroch!" Luna's eyes grew wide with excitement, and as she took her niece's hands in hers, Y/N's little e/c eyes lit up as well, reflecting the excitement in her aunt's eyes.
"But I thought she was a legend," Y/N stuttered out. "Mama read me a story about her but..."
Luna chuckled. "Oh, I assure you, my little moon, she is was as real as you or I. And since our lives are longer than most," she tapped the small girl's nose gently, "I was allowed to meet her." Luna ran a hand through her hair, watching the grey streaks as they danced in the firelight. It was true that she was getting on in years, especially since she had already lived for a few centuries. She hoped that her darling little grand-niece would be able to live as grand of life as the one that she had been blessed to live.
"Can you tell me about her, Auntie Luna?"
The words from her niece brought Luna out of nostalgic memory, making the woman chuckle. "Of course, I can. Now, where to start? Ah, yes. I suppose I should tell you about the time that she managed to turn her mother into a bear." Luna raised her hands like they were claws and she snarled playfully at the young girl. She suddenly shot her hands out and started tickling her niece's sides, making the younger of the two burst out laughing.
"Auntie Luna," Y/N squealed, batting away her aunt's hands. "S-stop it! That tickles!"
"Would a bear give up the pleasure of tickling a little truffle such as you," Luna laughed. She gently grabbed Y/N by the waist and pulled her closer, gently pretending to nibble on the young girl. "I'm gonna eat you! I'm gonna eat you!"
"Luna!"
Both girls stopped what they were doing and turned to the door to see another elderly woman standing in the door, looking furious.
Luna sighed and shifted so that Y/N could sit comfortably on her lap. "Hello, sister. What brings you to my corner of the castle this late at night?"
The current queen of Luneza sighed and stepped into the room. "Cassiopeia asked me to check in on Y/N, and when I found her missing, I came looking for her." The queen glared at her younger sister. "I thought I told you that she was supposed to be left alone once she was in bed. Cassiopeia told you as well, did she not?"
Luna sighed. "Yes. I suppose you both did tell me that I wasn't supposed to disturb Y/N." She glanced down at Y/N. "But the little one was having a nightmare and sought me out."
The queen scoffed. "She should have sought out her mother. I am less inclined to listen to you, sister."
"Believe what you will." Luna picked Y/N up and stood up, holding the young princess close to her. "Now, excuse me. I believe that I have a little darling to get back to bed." She pushed past the queen, clearly uncaring about her sister's rank in the kingdom, and walked in silence as she searched for Y/N's room.
"Auntie Luna," Y/N asked, her head resting on her great-aunt's clavicle. "Can you tell me more about Merida?"
Luna sighed. "I'm afraid not tonight, little one. My sister will have my head if I keep you up any later. And besides. You have a royal playdate tomorrow with some of your friends, do you not? We need you up and energized so that you can cause all the mayhem that you want."
Y/N nodded with a long yawn and as the two entered her room, she slipped out of her aunt's arms and waddled over to her bed. She pulled back the covers and slipped underneath them, out almost as soon as she hit the pillow.
"Night night, Auntie Luna," Y/N whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.
"Goodnight, my little moon," Luna whispered. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to her niece's forehead, running a gentle hand down the girl's face. Before she left, she picked up the princess's stuffed dragon, adjusting one of the horns before tucking it in with the little girl.
It was a beautiful sight. The moon shone down on the young girl as she slept, her small arm closed tightly around her little stuffed toy, and her h/c tresses spread out across the pillow.
"Stay safe, my little moon," Luna whispered, a look of dread falling over her face. She sighed and quickly left the room, and as soon as she shut the door, she was walking off at a brisk pace down the hall. Her boots were surprisingly quiet as she walked down the hall, as were the chains around her belt. It seemed as if someone had cast a silencing charm on her as she walked.
Outside of the castle, the clouds covered the path that Luna walked on. The cobblestones were as dark as the night around her, and as she pulled on a dark midnight cloak, it seemed like she vanished into the night around her. She fled quietly to the stables where she found her trusty steed already waiting for her.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting girl," Luna whispered, raising a hand and pressing it to the mare's nose. "You ready to get out of here?"
The horse pawed the ground anxiously and impatiently shook her head. She was just as excited as her rider to leave. Luna jumped up onto her horse's back and the two sped out of the stable at top speed, soaring down the streets of the village beyond the castle and into the forest that lined the village.
The night brought a cold kiss of deceit and malice with it, and as Luna rode, she felt her hood being ripped from her head, and as trees lashed out at her with their branches, she felt the blood start to trickle down her cheeks. But this was nothing compared to the pain that she felt in her heart, knowing what was coming to her at the end of this forest.
What the royal family didn't know, that while Luna had been travelling around the world, she had discovered that there was a plot against her family. Darkness had been growing in the shadows of the kingdoms around the world, wishing to own some of the power that had been given to the Artem family. And those dark souls, haunted by the lies and promises of power, had set their eyes on the youngest daughter of the Artem family, dearest little Y/N. Luna's darling princess. Luna had tried to warn the others about the plot, but of course, her sister preferred to stick her head in the sand and not face the problems of life head-on.
On the crest of the hill, Luna turned back to the castle that she had just come from, a single crystalline tear falling from her eye. When she blinked, the tear slipped down her cheek and fell to the ground where it sprouted into a single crystal flower. Luna smiled sorrowfully at the beautiful flower.
"Beauty in the hatred," Luna sighed. This was her gift. Her unique magic. Her tears would form things of beauty, depending on what they touched. Once, when Luna's tears had hit the edge of the ocean, they had created swords of pure crystal, allowing her to vanquish the enemy who had taken the love of her life and light away from her, by drowning him in the depths of the Coral Sea.
Now, knowing that she would be unable to return to her darling princess, Luna dismounted her mare and crouched down next to the flower. She gently picked it up from the ground and kissed the petals.
"Bring this to her," she whispered to the wind as it embraced her, knowing that it would be the last time that it would feel her warm embrace. It seemed to cry out to her in agony, but it graciously picked up the flower and brought it away from the woman, taking it back to the castle where it was set gently in a vase, along with a note from Luna. She did not need to write the letter. The wind would do that for her.
Luna turned back to the other side of the hill, steeling herself as she saw the force stretched out in front of her. No one else had been willing to listen to her, and she knew that now, she would be forced to sacrifice herself for her darling princess.
"Know this, Y/N," she whispered as she mounted her mare once again. "I love you. You were given to me when the hope in my life had failed, and now you are the light and love of my life. I hope you will remember how much I love you, even when I am no longer there to protect you."
Luna pulled out the dual crystal blades from her back, staring at her reflection in one of the blades. More tears were starting to fall from her face, landing on the ground around her and creating an impenetrable wall of crystal thorns, enchanted never to break, or allow anyone with impure intentions to pass through.
"You shall always be safe, my little moon," Luna whispered, urging her mare forward. Despite her protection, she knew that her niece would never be safe, as long as the head was still on the snake. So to kill the snake, one must cut off its head.
A/N: On my goodness, we are FINALLY finished with the prologue. Thank you to everyone who has read my story so far, I hope you enjoy it. There is much more to come, hopefully with more details and a little more of a peek into the Artem family and Y/N herself. I am also hoping to start writing other fanfics soon (Harry Potter, Legend of Zelda, Tolkien, HTTYD, etc.) including one for Howl's Moving Castle! I hope if you like my writing, you will consider reading the other books once they come out. Once again, thank you to everyone who has read this so far!
A/N: I will be away from wifi tomorrow and the day after, (for the most part) so tomorrow's update will come in the morning. :)