Valley of Shadows and Roses | ONC 2024

Chapter 2

In the morning, Princess Luna awoke freaked out, like a person waking from a nightmare. It seemed like it was just a bad dream. Her heart was beating nervously. She couldn't catch her breath. Standing by her bed were figures with tearful faces. Luna noticed her father. His eyes were red. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"What's going on?" the princess asked the king, not understanding the scene.

There was a shock in the king's eyes and the eyes of everyone present. They could not believe what they had just witnessed.

"You... you... you live," the disbelieving king blurted out. "How is it possible?"

Luna tried to absorb her father's words. Did he really just say she is alive as if it were some sort of mirage? Why was everyone looking at her like she was a ghost?

"What are you talking about, dear father? I feel alive enough." Luna said, amused.

Worried whispers were carried around the room. They didn't know how to tell her. Young Luna doesn't seem to remember anything that happened that night. And they also still didn't believe her breath at all. Is she a ghost? Are they crazy? Is it just a dream they will wake up from any second? However, no one counted on the shadows.

Finally, it was the commander of the guards, tasked with keeping the king and princess safe, who dared to speak. "Your Highness, Princess Luna, I don't know how to tell you, but you have died."

At first, Luna started laughing out loud, like it was the best joke she'd ever heard, but then froze in horror. Not because it sounded absurd but because a memory flashed through her mind. She remembered. She remembered that night. Every moment. Every second. The warm breeze of the ending summer caressed her skin. Shimmering moonlight illuminated the rose garden. She stood in the highest tower and looked at the mute beauty. She felt someone approach her from behind. His hands gently slid down her waist. Luna trembled at the touch. He brushed his lips softly against the tips of her ear. A captivating voice whispered to her: "I will wait for you, Princess Luna. Even if it takes forever." He gave a silent command, and she jumped.

She felt a sharp pain inside her. It was as if her fragile soul was falling apart, and the shards were tearing her from the inside.

"No, no, no," she repeated." That cannot be true."

It seemed like a dream, but she knew it was real. It happened. She lived through it. And he, the Shadow Lord whom she rejected, is to blame. It tore her apart, but she was strong. Princess Luna didn't cry. She decided not to let him see that it broke her.

The king stroked his daughter's hair lovingly. "Everything will be fine, my dearest Luna. You'll see." he gave her an empty promise. "We'll find out what he did to you and fix it. I swear."

But what would that remedy look like? She died. It wasn't just a dream or an illusion. She is dead. Truly dead. She knew it. She felt it. The only thing keeping her alive at the moment was the power of the Shadow Lord, whatever it was. She felt it flowing through her veins and her entire body. It was something new and unknown. Amazing and scary at the same time. It was him. So what will the remedy look like? She doesn't want to die.

"Let's send the best men into the forest and find that warlock. He will pay for what he did to you, princess." declared the guard commander. "I will lead the expedition myself."

"Yes," agreed the king. "Find him!" he ordered, sending everyone away with a wave of his hand. They know their roles.

"But the most important thing right now is that you're alive." the king stated one last time before he, too, left, leaving Luna alone.

But she knew something was wrong. She didn't feel the warmth of the blankets or her father's gentle touch. Something was wrong. It was her, but wasn't. She felt an emptiness inside her trying to take control. The bars that had kept it locked away for years disappeared. Death awakened something terrible in her. It unlocked the locks on the doors she was afraid to open.

At that time, they had no idea what the future would bring. They had no idea what the Shadow Lord had brought with him.

However, they were to find out very soon.