*:°• Cleo's Lycan •°:*

Chapter 1 •°:*

"Miss Alkai...Miss Alkai, I'm here to wake you up, dear." Nani, Cleo's personal caretaker calls from the hallway waiting patiently for the princess to answer. She came in every day at this time to wake Cleo and get her ready for the day.

Cleo's mother was constantly kept busy, so she gave Nani the task to assist Cleo in her day-to-day activities.

Carefully slipping her things into their proper nooks, Cleo raced to her seagrass ledge resting near the far corner of her room. She then lied down turning her back to the doorway in order to make herself look more believable. 

Cleo was supposed to be sleeping, which she was, until the early hours of the morning. She heard a pod of dolphins swimming in the distance just ways past the castle. Their clicking and whistles were calling out to her like delicious plankton to a hungry fish. She took the invitation with welcoming arms, leaving the castle in her wake as she sped out to the beautiful song of the pygmy dolphins. 

However, last night was no different from any other. Sneaking out from her bedroom balcony became the norm for Cleo, as she never got the chance when the sun would illuminate the sunken reef. 

And like any other night, she was caught. Before she could cross the bright patches of brain coral littering the sand outside her balcony, her bodyguard and best friend, Kai, would be waiting. She had a theory that he slept right outside her balcony awaiting her nightly escapades, but she could never prove herself right.   

Cleo didn't mind that Kai caught her every night because she enjoyed his presence. Kai and Cleo grew up together, and since birth, they've done everything with one another. Practically inseparable, they were trained and taught together every day. This all thanks to Cleo's unwanted burden.

Even their parents were close friends before Kai and Cleo were born. Both families lived with each other in the expansive palace walls. Kai's mother, Saroia, is the caretaker of the palace. She dealt with the numerous maids that worked within the halls as well as planning events that annually took place in the mer realm. Most importantly, Saroia helped Queen Alkai with her royal duty; a good friend in every sense of the word. Her husband, Khol, was appointed head of the warriors who protected the royal family as well as the entire mer realm. He assists in policing the borders which, at the moment, is a hard and important task. He and his men constantly watch for humans who search for the veiled kingdom and protect the merpeople from any potential threats. 

Kai's duty, on the other hand, was to look out for and protect Cleo at all costs. He always thought his job was pointless due to the circumstances, but he loved being around Cleo so he didn't mind fulfilling the task. 

Cleo also had an important job tasked to her by her loving and overprotective parents. Her job was to remain cooped up in her room, hidden from the outside world for the rest of her life. In fact, very few people know about Cleo's existence outside of Kai's family and those who served in the palace. That of course and the sea witch only Cleo and Kai secretly know about.

"Miss Alkai.." Nani quietly swam into the princess's room. Princess-" Nani rubbed Cleo's shoulder gently in an attempt to wake her. Little did she know, Cleo was already wide awake. Pretending to rise from her slumber, Cleo greeted Nani with a sweet smile, "good morning Nani thank you for waking me."  

Nani gave the princess a slight bow before reminding Cleo of the routine tasks of the morning. "Your parents are waiting for you in the mess hall for breakfast and after, you will join Kai for another training session." Cleo gave her a nod and swam off her grassy ledge to find her royal garments.