The Broken Rules

Chapter 1: The Broken Rules

           The fresh breeze of a summer morning is quite relaxing especially after a night's work in the palace. Being a servant is harder than it looks, you might be wandering about watching the knights practise with the sword or mace and hear a maid complain about how hard her work is and laugh at her because it doesn't seem as harsh as the knights' daily practice. Nevertheless, it is complicated: we tend to the King, the horrible prince, the knights and guards, we clean, cook, serve and at the end of the day, we do the same but for ourselves, a daily horror routine.

           Frankly, I sometimes dozed off imagining them doing all of our work then came back to reality when I heard my name being screamed out by the Lord. I am Luna of Nightenghale, the main maid of Prince Gwaine of Claribel.

           Here we are now and again, in the Kingdom of Claribel, a beautiful place next to the sea with the sun rising and the birds chirping and singing. This Kingdom has been peaceful for many years thanks to the strict rules set by the laws of King Derek. By now, the sun had risen in the sky and I was required to attend to the arrogant prince: he might have the beauty of an Angel and the courage of a lion but he acts like a child, he thinks only for himself and has no traits of a King. Even my dear friend Lincon who is serving him as a knight dislikes him despite his loyalty, the golden rule of the knights' code: absolute loyalty to your superiors.

           Although he is loyal, I fear that our friendship must be kept silent or he might be demoted from his position for being close to a servant. What kind of knight would want to be demoted because of a mere servant?

           The church bells went off, I walked down the castle corridors to tend to the prince, I felt a sudden uneasiness as I realised that the doors to his chambers were slightly opened when he was supposed to be sleeping. A nudging feeling in my gut warned me to run away or to not go closer, but I ignored it. As I approached, I started to hear voices: one belonged to Gwaine, another was Derek's and two others were unrecognisable to my ears. I couldn't help but stand there like a flower in a flowerpot, I couldn't help but keep quiet. I eavesdropped... There were many words that I could not hear correctly yet I did understand the last phrase "Nobody must know that troops are coming, especially not the citizens".

           I felt a sudden icy breeze run down my spine and conquer my body, I moved aside and accidentally knocked a vase. I tried to catch it to prevent the crashing noise from happening but it was too late, the vase had shattered onto the ground, I turned around whilst being on the floor, frightened, to see the King and the Lord staring down at me. My mind and heart went blank, I shouldn't have listened to them, I desperately tried to speak to avoid sanction but I was unable to utter a single word, tears started to roll down my cheeks:

-Your Majesty, she overheard our conversation, it is clearly visible.

This was said by one of the strangers, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I recognised him from somewhere from a locked memory.

- I can see that Alfred, call the guards and take her to the dungeons.

-Wait, no, please! It was an accident, I didn't hear anything!

I had begged as I was being dragged away. I was not ready to face the consequences.

-Please, I beg of you!

Whilst I was being pulled, I saw Gwaine staring at me with a shocked yet worried face, as if he was trying to tell me why Luna, why? or saying with his eyes that I should prepare for the sentence that awaited me.

           I was near the passageway to the dungeons. It was when I had recognised my location that I had started to scream and fight back more reluctantly when I suddenly heard my name in a reassuring voice: Lincon. I lost all hope as I understood that I could not run if he was there.

           Instead, he ordered the guards to release me and refused to let me go to the dungeons so I stared and watched him with stupefaction. The guards answered that it was an order from the King and would need to report to him if they handed me over. Lincon raised his sword to take me by force and free me, I felt unharmed but I knew his actions would cause his demotion. However, in these circumstances, he would be banished from Claribel. I had shed another tear when realising that I was the cause of everything: if I hadn't run away from my home in an enemy Kingdom, if I hadn't become friends with Lincon or become a servant, none of this would've happened... Was I really the one to have made Lincon break the golden rule of the knights' code? I closed my eyes in despair hoping this was all a dream or a nightmare but deep down I knew it wasn't. My life flashed through my mind, my heart rate rose, and while refusing to open my eyes:

-LUNA!

           My eyes opened, nothing else was around, there was only darkness. Or so it seemed. At that moment, I heard a scream from my mind, I had understood that I broke the rule: the rule set in time. I was supposed to die at the age of seven and defied it by running away. I broke the rule of life and death and in consequence, everyone in Claribel and the neighbouring Kingdoms had to pay for my actions, by pain or by death.