The Eternal Flame

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Princess Lunatris!"

"We are in so much trouble because of you," Ula said as we ran from ruff top to ruff top in the market.

"Me? This was your idea." I said as I slowed, quickly looking back.

"I didn't expect for you to go along with it." Ula stopped at my side, panting.

"Getting fat from all that meat you've been eating?" I teased looking for the guards. She growled at me, not liking my teasing manner. My father, King Kenalie, had made sure that Ula and I had guarded so we could stay out of trouble, and well, to make sure we wouldn't run off and shake our duties. Not that it did any good really. I looked out into the market, watching the Sellers, children, parents, animals, ect., people who were going about their daily lives till I found the guards assigned to us.

They looked like they were arguing. I laughed, though it wasn't funny in the least. My father would lecture me and Ula again about us running off; again, and with the guards' not keeping better track of us. But what does he expect? We aren't children anymore. To be watched over every minute of every day.

"Are they still chasing us?" Ula asked as she laid down. Her head resting on her paws, her black and blue fur looked beautiful in the soft light of the sun.

"No. They've stopped and are now arguing with each other."

"It's only a matter of time before they go tell Father," Ula said lifting her head so she could look in the guards' direction. I nodded.

"Well let's have some practice in before we're dragged back." Ula nodded as she rose, and then took off, I stayed there for a moment, watching as a little girl was playing with the other children, I don't know what made me stop and watch her, but I did. Was it because of the look of innocence that I had once when I was the girl's age? Perhaps. Or maybe it was the fact that she was trying hard to prove herself to the children that were older than her. To prove that she was tough enough to stand her ground against anyone who would tell her that she wasn't strong enough to do anything. Perchance I was just thinking too much about it.

As if she could feel someone's eyes on her, she turns, and then she spots me, gives me a small wave and a grin before she goes on continuing the game with the other children. I can feel a soft small smile form on my face as I watch her for a little longer, then I headed after Ula. Ula had sat at the edge of the Sakloo Forest. I looked past her at the snow-covered trees.

They were simply stunning.

The bark on the trees was a dark white, but you couldn't tell with the thick snow that covered their branches. It looked as if the snow itself had become tree form. The Sakloo Forest was one of the rare forests that had one-part winter and one-part spring. Though Moon Mother, or Satara, loved winter as much as she possibly could, she still had drawn to spring like a child drawn to a new toy. So, when Moon Mother created our world, had created some forests to become half winter, half spring.

Though Sakloo Forest was not a forest that bared fruit, it did bare flowers. Frozen Lizas, a beautiful flower with light blue peddles that dripped down and the center was a vibrant blue. They were the only thing to kill a deadly poison that could kill a person in a matter of days. Both flower and poison were rare. They were almost invisible due to the snow and the way the frail peddles dripped, so you couldn't see the center of the flower.

"Are you just going to stare, or are we going to get going before we get in even more trouble?" Ula said after a moment. I nodded.

"Let's see who gets there first, Ula," I said and looked down at her. She grinned up at me and crouched low.

"One, two, thr- " She ran off. I rolled my eyes and took off. I duck tree branches and dodged trees and I ran through the forest, I ran right through a beautiful archway. The Kano. It was the doorway between winter and spring. It was covered in beautiful and delicate lines; in one word, it was simply stunning. The archways were almost impossible to find. But once we passed it, we were met with a lush green forest. It was as if I had passed an invisible line talking us into another world. This side of the forest also grew Frozen Lizas, but these pebbles did not drupe due to the sun. So now the vibrant blue center was on full display. When night hits, these flower's pebbles will droop and the others on the winter side of the forest will open.

"Can't catch up?" Ula called. I looked up; she was using the branches as support to give her a lead. Laughing, I vaguely wondered how she got up there still in her Wallee form. Stopping, I rocked on the balls of my feet and I took off, going as fast as my feet would allow me. Twisting and weaving out of the ways of the trees and branches. The sun was blocked by the thick treetops.

I could see a bright light in front of me, and when I entered it, the light almost blinded me for a moment, blinking I let my eyes adjust to the sudden light.

"You cheated," Ula, said as she landed next to me. I looked down at her.

"In what way, could I have done something so offensive?" I teased.

"I don't know, but you did." I rolled my eyes at her. Sure, I did.

I looked away from her and in front of us.

It was an ancient city. They were everywhere but rarely found. Ula and I had discovered this stunning ancient city, one day during our usual run. It was gorgeous. The walls where so large and thick that it was almost impossible to even attempt to claim them or jump them. The whole city was covered in thick vines, some with just leaves, and some with flowers.

I began to walk toward the entrance I stopped just before going inside. I bowed in respect to the ancient ones, a tradition that seemed to be lost these days, and went inside. Ula followed behind me in silence. Crumbled ruins of once massive buildings surrounded us. But it was still beautiful. It still held the power of the ancient ones, even if they were all gone. They're powered hummed in the still air. Like a mother's lullaby. Never truly forgot.

They were strong and brave, and their power was much stronger than ours now. When we had gone to war with one of our sister planets; Rinna, the Goddess found this as an insult and strip them of a lot of their strength and power. The ancient ones begged with the Goddess. But it was done. When the ancient ones were having children, they realized that their children were not as strong they were, they wept and most turned from the Goddess.

But even so, they did not end the war. After what seemed like forever, the war ended. Now it was nothing more than hostility towards planet Rinna.

We walked till we found the place where we would be training today. There were two places that we would go, a large hand to hand combat room or a large room filled with water. It was either them or we would fight, using the destroyed buildings to be agiler and work on our footing. Today it was the water room.

I stripped out of my dress and stood there in my underlings. I dipped my foot into the water, the cold water felt pleasant on my pale white skin. Taking my foot out, I bent my knees and dived into the water. I dived deeper and deeper into the water till I reached the bottom. I sat at the bottom of the water and folder my legs, hands on my knees, and closed my eyes.

Tapping into my power, I feel it move inside me like a steady river, moving through my veins. Moving the water around me, I begin to float up to the surface. I can feel the water swerving around me till I hit the surface. I can sense the light on my eyelids but, I did not open my eyes just yet. I took a deep breath and froze the water.

Finally, I open my eyes; I was surrounded by my frozen water. There I stood, surrounded by my creation, I had weaved the water to look like protective veins. Wrapping around me and surrounding me

like a shield. Then I released it, and I began to fall into the water, but before I fell into the water, I froze what was beneath my feet and gracefully landed.

"Luna, it's time to go." I looked over at Ula. She was sitting, panting slightly, and watching me without saying a word. Nodding, I walked over to her, freezing the water with every step I took. Picking up my dress, I quickly put it on and we headed back home.