Moon Dale: An Excerpt

Excerpt of Moon Dale

"How old were you when you entered the academy?"

"I was five years old," is his answer. I look at his mahogany colored eyes and saw sadness in them.

"Five! Whatever for?" I ask him. He sighs as he sticks out his elbow for me to take. I grab his elbow reluctantly this time around. We walk away from the dancing area silently as I feel my eyebrows furrow with impatience. "You don't have to tell me why, you know. Just, forget I said anything."

"Sorry, I can't do that," he says with a sidelong look at me. "You see, you're the first person to take a genuine interest in my story."

"What makes you say I'm genuinely interested in your story." Both of us sit on a bench located closer to the rides. He stands next to me and I think he's going to walk again. Till, he gestures for me to sit on the bench. I do so and he sits next to me after that.

With a grin he says to me, "You really don't want to know how I know."

"Why?"

That's when his grin turns into a wan smile. "Because, you'll lose." I feel myself frown a little as I'm surprised by his expression.

"Sorry? You think I'll lose. That's funny. I thought I was winning." I look around the bench as I see ladies passing by. Ladies, who can't stop glancing at the person I'm with. "It looks to me like I'm with the belle of the ball right now." Tolver looks very confused right now. "I shall elaborate...you must be very sought out this evening, Magistrate."

Tolver sighs as he says, "Tolver will do for now, Miss...?"

"Saturna," I reply.

His smile goes from wan to breathtaking as he says, "Ah, so you're named after the flattened planet. How interesting."

"Hmm. It might be the flattened planet, but most people remember Saturn for its rings. My mom however, remembered it to represent time."

"Wrong. Father time, correct?" I look at him for a moment before I nod.

"Very good. Did they teach you mythology at the academy?" I ask him sarcastically.

He shakes his head and ignores my sarcasm. "No. My caretaker used to read me those stories when I was a child. In his pastime he used to read up on mythology from the old world."

"Your caretaker must have been very nostalgic," I reply as I look at two little kids running towards the Ferris Wheel shrieking in delight.

"Not really. He was interested in the way people thought and also how empires were built. Kind of boring if you ask me; I liked the stories more. Do you still want to hear mine?" For a moment, Tolver's face looks vulnerable, but only for a second before he went back into "soldier mode".

Shrugging my shoulders I said, "Sure. I have no idea where my mom is, but until I see her, I have time."