The Shadow of the Moon

"Yes, I am the princess. It's nice to formally meet you Blue." I say to the flustered Prince. Blue clears his throat and bows. "And it is nice to see you on two legs Princess." I flash him a grin and then greet King Eric. "King Eric!, How nice to see you again! Are you here for more treaty discussions?" He smiles and replies, "Yes but I'm also here to talk to your parents about marriage."
"Oh, but King Eric, my sister Skye is already being courted by the Falcon Prince Gideon." I reply confused. "Yes dear Luna, I know. Any many blessings on their courtships. But I've brought Blue here with me today, so that he can court you." King Eric says with a huge smile on his face. My own smile slips away and I can feel the color drain from my face. "M-marriage??" I manage to get out. I turn to my parents, angry. "I thought we talked about this! I don't need a husband to be a strong ruler! queen Eclipse doesn't have a spouse and look at how well her kingdom is getting along!!" I shout.
My father sighs and replies in his annoyingly calm voice, "Luna, Queen Eclipse is in the shadow Plains. They have different traditions than we do." I roll my eyes and start to walk away. "Again with the tradition dad! Why can't we just break away from tradition just this once!?"
"Luna! A kingdom is at it's strongest when there are unified leaders at it's head!" My mother says. Now that was a low blow. My mother knows how much the kingdom means to me. "Luna please wait." the Prince calls, following me. I growl and take off running, willing my body to Shift. Mid-stride the familiar caress of mist wraps around me, and i hit the ground paws first, the courtyard blurring beside me. I race across the drawbridge, the wood thundering like an army marching to war.
I dart into the forest, traveling a long-ago memorized path to the lake. As I burst out of the the bushes, I can see it. My beautiful Silver Mist Lake. Already just being here calms me down. Walking over to the shore I lay down next to the glass smooth waters, my head on my two fronts paws. I sigh as I think over the conversation that has just occurred.
~ ~ ~
I heard a sound behind me and I sit up, my ears twitching. The wind changes carrying the sent of whatever it is towards my nose. ^A fox?!^ I think recoiling. ^What is a fox doing here? In MY territory?^
I push myself up onto all fours, my mouth drawn up into a snarl, I'm not in the mood to be messed with. The fox emerges from the undergrowth. It is slightly larger than a normal foxes, which means it is a Shifter. I get into my pouncing stance, and growl at the fox. My throat rumbles as the sound travels through my body. The fox hesitates-at least it has a little sense-then walks forward. My growl gets audibly louder as the fox gets closer to me.
When it is only about five feet away, I pounce, pinning the fox to the ground easily. I open my jaws, and am about to close them around the fox's neck, when the fox Shifts back. A distinct scent of pine wafts through the air as pine needles surround the fox. Only now the fox is Blue. I growl in annoyance and apply pressure to his shoulders, pinning more firmly. I use this moment to study his features, which I have yet to do. He is about my height, maybe a little taller. He has messy dark brown hair, that reminds me of an oak tree, with it's branches spread out everywhere. His eyes are a beautiful evergreen.
. . . And I see fear in those eyes. ^Everyone is afraid of me... why is everyone afraid of me..?^ I think, my tail drooping as I relieve the pressure and walk away. "Luna?" Blue says hesitantly. I pause and look back over my shoulder. "Luna, please come back to the castle with me. Maybe we can talk about this whole marriage thing just between us, no parents breathing down our necks.." I sigh and sit back down, staring at the ground. "I'm really not that bad of a guy..." he says attempting at humor. I give him a flat look. ^Like that;t the only reason i do;t want to get married.^
"Luna, can you at least switch back so that we can talk? It's a little weird having a one-sided conversation with a wolf. . " Blue says, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.
^But what if I don't want to? Ever think of that?^ I grumble mentally, but I Shift back anyway. "This better be a good conversation Blue." I warn him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. He puts his hands up in a placating gesture, "Okay, Okay. I'll try." he replies. "So why should I marry you? What are your lame excuses?" I ask still annoyed.
"Well you get right to the point."
"I don't see the point in stalling on important matters."
"Fair enough. You do know that the wedding doesn't have to be right away right?"
"But I don't know that for sure!"
"But you would have if you didn't run away."
"I didn't run away!"
"Oh yeah? Then what did you do?"
"I simply performed a strategic retreat."
Blue laughs and it's a rich tenor. "Strategic retreat?" he repeats, still laughing. My face burns with heated embarrassment as I retort, "That's right!" Blue finally gets his laughter under control, and gives me a smile."Luna, your amazing." he finally says. I give him a smile of my own, and say primly, "I know I am."
Blue walks closer to me and holds out his hand. "Come on Luna. Are you ready to go home?" I look at his hand, then at his face-earnest and innocent. I sigh then place my hand in his. "All right Blue. I'll go with you." I say quietly. He smiles at my answer.
~ ~ ~
We were still holding hands as we walk back into the courtyard. The sun sets behind us, painting the courtyard in pinks and oranges. "Come on, we're probably late for dinner. . ." I say, pulling Blue along behind me. "Oh no, not dinner!" he exclaims jokingly. We both laugh as we enter the Great Hall.
Our parents are standing in the doorway of our informal dining room. "Come on Blue! I told you we were late." I say still tugging on his hand. "Yeah well it's not my fault we got lost." Blue retorts.
"Your the one who wanted to stray from the path! It's a good thing we weren't going to my Grandmother's house!"
"Hey! This is not Little Silver Hood!!"
"Anyway, aren't you a Tracker? Able to find anything or anyone?"
"See you said it yourself! Able to find anything or anyone! Not anyPLACE!" Blue says triumphantly. I smile and lead him into the dining room.
It's a medium sized room with a medium sized circular table that seats about eight people. Beautiful stained glass windows line the walls. Each window has a moon, blue wolf, a silver lake, or all three. As we sit down, servants begin to bring out dinner. Dinner consisted of a light salad, a rack of lamb covered in a sweet sauce, rich, creamy potatoes and broccoli covered in melted cheese, with a very nice vintage wine.
While we eat, my mother starts off the conversation-like always. "So Blue, I see that you and Luna are getting along quite nicely." Now Blue had just shoved a whole forkful of food into his mouth, and freezes, staring at my mom. An awkward silence stretches out for a moment as Blue, face flushed with embarrassment, hurries to chew and swallow his food.
When he is finally able to talk, he says, "Apologies your Highness, but could you repeat your question please?" Unable to hold it in any longer, I burst out into laughter. After a few seconds, everyone else joins me. "Well Blue, my question was actually a statement. I commented on your budding relationship with Luna." my mother replies with a soft smile.
"Oh yes Your Highness, your daughter is a very unique lady." Blue says, returning her smile. "So Luna, now that we know that you approve of my son, will you accept his marriage proposal?" King Eric asks me. I pretend to think about it for a moment, then say very seriously, "Well Your Majesty, if I refuse, every other suitor will pale in comparison, so I'm afraid that I must accept his attempts, as charming as they are."
My parents smile at me, my father looks so very proud. King Eric is ecstatic and Blue. . He is staring at me with a look of pure amazement. I have astounded them all with my answer.
Dinner passes quite quickly after that, and before I know it, servants are leading Blue and his father to the guest chambers. My parents and I help the servants clear the table. (It is for this very reason that our servants are happier than most.) Once the dining room is clean, I walk up to my bedroom.
It's in the East Wing, with a beautiful balcony. As I climb the stairs, my thoughts wander to Blue. He was quite attractive. "Hmm..." I sigh. "Maybe I could take Blue out around the kingdom. ."
I open my door to my room. It's already quite warm in here, so I don't bother with the fireplace. I flop down on my bed, not bothering to change, and slowly fall asleep, watching the moon through my balcony doors.