The Lunar Guardians

Chapter 1

I stared at my older sister, Zorya as she brushed through her hair in front of the vanity table. She's the mirror image of me. Or am I the mirror image of her? I always wondered whether the Moon Goddess Selene ran out of ideas when she formed Zorya and I. It's said on Lunare that twins were rare, more so if they were identical.

Zorya and I had white hair as pale as the moonlight itself. I watched as Zorya sectioned the front part of her hair into two. "You know you could help me with my hair. You always were the better twin when it came to all of this," her brow furrowed in concentration as she did her best to get a good enough sectioning.

I sighed but I rolled off the bed and walked up to her, "Or you could just practice braiding until you get it," I replied as I placed my hands on her shoulders.

"You know we don't have much time," Zorya rolled her eyes. They were emerald green like mine. "We have to be at the Crescent Court before Twilight ends."

"Why not just tie it up in a high ponytail?" I took the Zorya's sectioned hair and started braiding. "It's not like people will take note of our appearance."

"Are you kidding me?" Zorya threw her hands up. I dodged them as I tugged on her hair a little bit more to make sure all that movement from Zorya doesn't mess up my handiwork.

I rolled my eyes. Growing up, Zorya was always the one who had first pick on clothing. It didn't matter if she was the older one, she would be the very first to snatch it up. It didn't really mattered to me on what I wore. I was fine with wearing a simple linen button up and a pair of jeans.

"Prince Leveret would be there. If we ever want to see Mom again, we need to make more friends with the the royal fakes of the Crescent Court," she said as she twirled her hair brush on the vanity table.

"I know but how can you stand him? He's so pompous and narcistic. All he ever talks is how amazing he is."

"You forgot he's good looking too," Zorya winked, "Besides, if it's weren't for Mom's friendship with Queen Twyla and Mom's bargain with King Ciaran, we would never be here living as comfortably as we are now."

Zorya always reminded me that we were lucky. That we were lucky that King Ciaran kept his word. He took us in and let us stay at the Moon Palace. That we were lucky that we were not separated. That we were lucky we got new clothing every month. That we were lucky we were well fed.

After we were taken away from our home. King Ciaran had Mom put on trial for the mistakes of someone else. She was stripped of her title and responsibilities as leader of the Lunar Guardians and then whipped publicly before being imprisoned for life. King Ciaran forbidden Zorya and I from ever seeing her, part of his punishment for her.

That was ten years ago.

We were six years of age when it happened but I never forgot the way my mother screamed as the whip tore away at her flesh. Zorya and I were placed right in front of our mother. We were forced to watch the entire thing. I remembered the metallic smell of her blood and her blood splattering on us as the whip came down on her over and over again.

I remembered Zorya and I crying out for her. We cried for the scary man to stop hurting our mother. But it was no use. He carried on until Mom had passed out from the pain but he refused to let it end there. He forced Mom awake with icy cold water and then continued whipping her again. They whipped her 50 times. I didn't count but Mandze told us that King Ciaran had declared that Mom was to be whipped 50 times.

Mandze was the man who had carried Zorya and I out from our rooms and held us until we stopped crying. Mandze is the Crescent Court War General. For a man who looked so imposing, he was the kindest to us. He protected us in the Crescent Court and tried to shield us as much as possible from the courtiers.