The Choice's Moonlight

Chapter 1: Best Friends and Secret Crushes

Within the castle walls, the family of Paige resides in peace, a few years after 20 years after the bloodshed in Quecolane. Tall hallways, filled with shiny iron armour and beautiful paintings of fields and rivers that flow off the islands.

Vibrant colours on the fields outside. The beautiful fields of lavender and daisies, bring colour and the little life needed to make the castle seem more like home.

Within the music room Prince Alastair and Princess Alice are conversating about the castle. "Life in the castle is so boring, I was so disappointed when I realized how sad and lonely it was. I wish to go to the woods, to see my best friend!" Prince Alastair Lucio Paige, the king's son, exclaimed. "Oh, come on! Stop complaining! The castle is wonderful and beautiful." His faerie sister, Alice Sarnai-Paige, replied. "I don't understand how you can like this. I mean, there's nothing to see or do!" he reasoned. "No, you're just stubborn." She insisted as the Queen came in.

"Hello my dear children." She says as she kisses their heads. "Mother? Would you allow me to go to the woods?" Alastair asks, with puppy-dog eyes. "ummm... fine! But stop looking at me like that!"

She laughs as the prince runs quickly out the music room and down the tall hallways filled with "boring" paintings and armour. He runs down the hundreds of stairs and hallways until finally reaching the arched doorways leading to the outside, his escape from the world.

He runs through the fields, picking up lavender and daisies on the way, until he reaches the edge of the seemingly evil forest, but if you know the forest like he does, it's a warm, welcoming, peaceful place.

He runs through a dimly lit pathway, many animals, and plants, greet him with a warm welcome. The plants smiling with their little faces, happily swaying in the slight breeze. He continues on, until he reaches his 'hidey hole' where he keeps some books and a few weapons, even though he hates violence, he grabs his favourite romance book and sits down where they usually meet, sitting in silence, the only sound to be heard were the animals moving around and the slight rustling of leaves as the slight breeze blows, like the steady breathing of a human, soft and gentle.

He sat there reading until Azrael Idris Morningstar, his best friend, jumps out at him making him jump at least a few feet in the air, landing with a hard thump. "That's not funny Az! I could have hit you!" he shouted laughing a little, hitting Azrael's head gently in a playful way. Azrael sits down next to him. "What are you reading?" Azrael says grabbing the book and running off with it, winding around the trees. "Oh, come on Az!" Alastair shouts jokingly chasing him around, not looking even the slightest bit tired.

Although Alastair isn't very muscular or strong, he has the agility and speed of a full-grown hunter or woodland elf. On the other hand, Azrael can lift at least fifty times his own weight, it comes with the demon territory. Azrael being very tall, holds the book above his head, while Alastair jumps for it, but is too short to reach it.

As Alastair tries to reach for the book, he loses balance grabbing Azrael's shirt and falls causing Azrael to fall to. Azrael and Alastair fall to the ground laughing and smiling, as Alastair thinks that he might in fact be gaining feelings of love for Azrael, but he isn't aware of it.

Alastair sits next to Azrael, leaning on his strong shoulders. "Az?" He asks. "Why is your heart beating so fast?". "Oh, I'm just tired," Azrael hesitates quickly adding "It's probably from running around" hoping that Alastair wouldn't pick up on his crush. "I forgot that you get tired from running." Alastair said laughing a little bit, at his silliness. Soon it was getting a little late in the afternoon, so Alastair decided to say goodbye and walk home

"I wish he knew how much I liked him, no not like, loved him" Azrael says sadly as soon as Alastair is out of earshot, and far enough down the path that he was the size of an ant. "You know he likes you too, it's quite obvious." A girl dropped out of a tree, still holding on with her knees, in front of Azrael. "What the heck Adelaide!" Azrael said, almost jumping out of his skin. "You can't do that! I could have killed you!". "Oh, come on Azrael. Lighten up!" She says rolling her eyes. "I'm just trying to be the best younger sister I can be.". Azrael tries to walk away, rolling his eyes, but Adelaide grabs his shirt flipping him up into the air, he lands swiftly on a branch as Adelaide then pushes him out of the tree. Miraculously he lands swiftly on his feet, kind of like a cat, he always lands in his feet.

He crosses his arms and rolling his eyes annoyed by his little sister's idea of fun. "I'm leaving now" He says in a joking voice, rolling his eyes as he begins to stomp angrily out of the woods. "Oh, lighten up!" She says climbing down and following him to annoy him more, attempting to push all of his buttons.

Alastair sighs and walks off back to the castle, back through the forest, down the pathway stopping to greet the animals, creatures and plants that live in the forest. He tries to take his sweet time walking through the forest and the fields on his way home as he despises the castle.

Eventually he reaches the castle and immediately a strong sense of depression and of not belonging appear over him, like a dark, stormy cloud, about to rain on him at any moment. He walks up the staircases and down the tall decoration filled hallways, up to the library, which happens to be his only escape within the castle walls.

He reaches the tall library door, made of dark oak wood, polished, and shined, with patterns of the stars and constellations in the night sky. He walks in to smell the smell of parchment and ink, looking around he sees tall shelves, stacked with books, many hallways created by the shelves, multiple ladders leaning on the shelves to reach the books at the top of the shelves. The tall windows behind a long table, used for studying. In a corner of the library, a lit fireplace surrounded by armchairs, with soft blankets placed on top of them, and light wooden coffee table , that shines in the firelight, sits there, looking inviting as Alastair feels at home again as he walks towards the romance bookshelf as he picks up a romance book, sitting down in the armchair that rests close to the lit fireplace.

He sits there, entranced by the story and feeling of the book, for hours, realizing it's been a long time. He looks up realising its night-time already. "Oh no!" He exclaims, he gets up quickly running to the shelf, putting the book back gently, as he runs towards the door, his stress and anxiety levels raising higher because the library doors get locked at night. He runs towards the door; he tries to open the door, but the handle won't budge. He soon gives up realizing that the library doors have been locked for the night.

He sighs loudly and is forced to spend the night in the library. "Well at least I have many good books to read?" he says, looking on the bright side, as he slumps against the door. He gets up and moves towards the armchair again, picking up the blanket and falling asleep on the armchair.

Alastair gets violently woken up by the alarm bells being rung, the bells only rung which when someone important goes missing. "I wonder who's missing this time." He says getting up and yawning, shrugging it off because this is a normal occurrence. The library doors are unlocked now so he goes back down the staircases and down the hallways until he reaches the west wing.

Where the rooms and suits are. He reaches his room and goes into the room. It has a comfortable feel to it, as you walk in you see the four-poster bed with white and blue drapes over it.

Two white and gold bed-side tables placed on either side of the bed. Next to the bed, against the wall, is a white cabernet, which holds all his clothes. On the other end of the room, there's a small bookshelf with all of Alastair's favourite books. Next to the bookshelf is a white desk with gold accents, he uses is for studying so there's an open science textbook on the desk, because as his father said, 'You'll be even more stupid than now if you don't study', it's safe to say he didn't like his father very much. In the corner, a fireplace and blue and gold armchair sit, a warm, soft blanket hung over the armchair, a book on the coffee table.

A door next to his bed lead to a bathroom, you walk in, and it is a white and gold marble walls and counters. It has a shower and bath in it. He showers and gets dressed into a royal blue sweater, with jeans and a light blue bucket hat.

He goes down to the dining hall, where the staff and royals are running around frantically looking for someone as the bells are still ringing. "What's going on?" The prince asks one of the staff who are frantically looking for someone. "How do you not know? We're looking for the prince, he wasn't in his bed this morning, when we went to wake him up for the day." He says looking up. "Sir! I've found the Prince!" He shouts to the hall; they rush to stop the ringing of bells. The rest of the family comes towards him, "Where were you?!" The short stubby king James Paige, shouts at Alastair. "I'm sorry father. I was locked in the library." Alastair says looking at the ground guiltily. "You stupid invalid little-" He shouts as Queen Roxanne interrupts. "That's enough!" She shouts loudly making Alastair flinch. Alice comes towards Alastair taking him away as the king and queen begin to have a screaming match.