Valley of Shadows and Roses | ONC 2024

Chapter 15

One day, an unknown prince from afar, far away land appeared in the kingdom of the Rose Valley. No one has heard of them yet.

This mysterious prince introduced himself as Prince Ragnan from a kingdom far to the north where eternal winter reigns. He told them about how shadows once dwelt in their kingdom as well. They ravaged their land. They killed innocent people. They fought them. In vain. But eventually, they figured out how to banish the shadows beyond the borders of their kingdom.

He told them about a mysterious man who once appeared right in their throne room and offered his help. He didn't introduce himself. He did not tell them who he was or where he came from. He only granted them the power to kill shadows in exchange for their souls not finding peace until they kill the Shadow Lord.

"To this day, the souls of my ancestors roam our kingdom restlessly, trying to find who did this to them. They will not find peace as long as the Shadow Lord lives," said Prince Ragnan. "And now it is my turn to live up to my honor and secure the passage for my father and my ancestors to the other side of asphodel meadows."

And that was why he was here. Not even because of Princess Luna, but because of revenge. He came to kill the Shadow Lord, so that he would not end up like his ancestors.

Ragnan bragged about his sword, which gave him the power to kill shadows. It had been passed down in their family from father to son for several generations. Originally there were more of them; the shadows and their master deprived them of all but one.

King and the whole court were excited by the arrival of Prince Ragnan. After years of failure and suffering, they felt real hope for the first time. Prince Ragnan of the Shadowhunter family could save them. The commander of the guards did not like the prince. He found him as arrogant and frivolous. He played a great hero, but how sure are they that he can do what he says?

Father King ordered Princess Luna to take care of their special guest. Luna was annoyed by the prince's presence. It irritated her that she had to smile and be nice to him. She wanted to drag him into the Dark forest, tie him to a tree and leave him to the shadows. Maybe she would even watch him being torn to pieces. But instead, she pretended to be the sweet princess everyone thought she was. She pretended to be an innocent victim who craved salvation. Prince Ragnan was a fool. He was fooled by her pretense like everyone else. After all, she was just a pretty face that he didn't expect to be able to do more than a smile.

"I swear to my honor and honor of my ancestors, I will save your princess and this kingdom," said drunken Prince Ragnan. "

"To Prince Ragnan!" exclaimed Luna's father, who had also drunk more wine than he should have. "May the gods be with you, Prince Ragnan. We place our trust in you. And if you can fulfill your promise, I will be honored to call you son."

Luna shuddered at those words. No way, she thought. She won't marry that prideful bastard. Even if she should end it by her own hand.

The feast in honor of their guest lasted until the early hours of the morning. Everyone wanted to hear about his heroic deeds, and how he fought the shadows. They looked up to him as a god. They drank and feasted. They were celebrating that their misery would finally end. They believed in him. The whole court believed that he would free them from the dominion of the shadows.

For the first time, Luna was excited about the curse that would kill her or, rather make her kill herself every night, exactly at midnight. It excused her from leaving the exuberant celebrations. She could no longer listen to the talk that was going around there. Prince Ragnan is awesome. Prince Ragnan is divine. Blah ... Blah ... Blah ... While the others saw him as a hero, Luna saw an evil in him that she didn't even see in the Shadow Lord.