Tainted Light

TWO

" There you are Aurora! " Luna greets me as I enter the dining hall, " Late as usual." Servants bow as I enter and I give them a small smile before turning to Luna.

" Sorry, " I reply. " I was reading and got caught up in the story I guess." I glance around and see my other friends in a small group and their families sitting with my own at the dining table. A smile grows wide on my face and I walk over to my friends.

" Aurora finally!"

" Reading again I bet? "

" Ah, finally the future queen has arrived "

My friends talk over each other and greet me with bright smiles. I just roll my eyes and hug them one by one. First is Karson Rife, the oldest out of all of us and the older brother I never had. Then Eren Vice, the joker out of our group and the one that loves to mention the small fact that I would be queen one day. Finally, I hugged Mason even though I saw him earlier that day. It's been months since I've seen all of them but it's like nothing has changed. We all walk together to a separate table and get seated.

During the dinner our parents all talk about whatever adults talk about on their table while we make jokes and talk about what's been going on in each other's lives.

" I'm getting close to this boy in my village. " Luna says, blushing a little, " We haven't really made things official but we're always going on walks in the garden and he's just so sweet and perfect." I nudge her shoulder with mines, teasing.

" I'm so happy for you Luna. It must be nice to have something like that " I sigh a little trying to be happy for her. There's not really time for me to be dating when my life is full of lessons and training.

"Boy? I haven't heard anything about a boy?" Mason exclaims. I look at the annoyance on his face and laugh a little. Our table grows quiet though when I shift my head a little to look at the expression on Eren's face and in the place of his usual playful smirk is a blank expression. My heart clenches at the sight of him and I turn away. It's no secret in our group that Eren and Luna have always had feelings for each other. Since we were kids they were always drawn to each other. Luna would run around and Eren would chase after her to make sure she wouldn't fall and get hurt. As we got older though Eren would date a lot of girls and Luna would pretend not to care. I thought that they would finally get together after they seemed closer on Mason's birthday last year but something happened and when I saw them together again four months ago they wouldn't even look at each other. Everytime I would ask Luna what happened she would close off so eventually I left her alone and didn't ask about it again. She would tell me when she was ready.

" I didn't approve anything about a boyfriend. " Karson breaks the awkward silence. I laugh trying to brighten the mood and it seems to work as the others join in. We go back to talking about different things and I try not to notice the pained stares Eren is giving Luna as she tries to ignore him laughing at something Karson says. He eventually gives up and joins the conversation. I lean back in my chair taking in the moment between us all. We aren't the children of the famous Dreamlight families, I'm not the future queen, we are just a group of friends enjoying the time we have with each other and that's all that matters.

Later that night the families retreat to their bed chambers to sleep before the welcoming party we're hosting for the families and citizens tomorrow. I stay up afraid to sleep in case I see my little sister burning in my dreams again. I watch the moon and wish upon it. May Brilliance shine brightly in the vast night sky and in the years to come. I hear soft footsteps outside of my room and peak outside. I open my door and the dimly lit hallways are empty. A chill runs down my spine and I close my door. Something isn't right, I feel it. I take a deep breath before working up the courage to go outside. I walk until I hear a bunch of hushed voices. The sound of the voices are coming from the library, and as I get closer the voices get clearer. The library is one of the biggest rooms in the castle as I have had a passion for reading since I was young so I open the library door slightly to get a clearer look, at the middle of the room sitting on a round table are my parents and their friends. Their faces looked troubled and I felt a pit in my stomach. What could they be talking about at this hour? And why are they meeting secretly?

" I told you that they would be back." says Karson's dad, Uncle Kyson. He stands up and leans on the round table they're all sitting at. My dad sighs and stands up to walk over to Karson's. My dad puts a hand on his friend's shoulder and pats it in an reassuring way.

" We must strategize and figure out how to fight against them. How close are they? " My mother joins the conversation. Uncle Kyson locks eyes with Eren's parents and they nod. " We were attacked on our journey here by a group of them. " Eren's mom,  Aunt Jenna reveals. "Luckily we were able to defeat them easily but the fact that they have even dared to confront us means that something is coming. And soon." Uncle Kyson adds. The room grows quiet and my mother's face fills with an emotion that rarely shows. Fear. Who are they talking about? Are these people behind the rumors? Are they so powerful that my mom is scared of them?

" Then we will fight, we are the four families. Direct descendents of the Regals themselves. " My dad announces, " No Shadow will bring down the Dreamlights. " I can't help but let out a small gasp at the last sentence and their heads snap towards the sound of it. I lock eyes with my father's angry eyes and stand up, opening the door fully.

" I-I'm sorry for eavesdropping but I couldn't sleep and heard voices, but shadows?! " I try to explain and save myself before my parents kill me, "They're back?" My dad sighs and plomps down on his seat with his head in his hands. The other parents just stare at me in disbelief before sitting down too.

" It's okay honey, " My mom says, " We should've told you about all of this sooner "

" Eleanor! " My dad interrupts her. " No, Arson. She will be the future queen soon and she should know things like this. " My mom bites out. "She still has a long way to go before she knows what it takes to rule a country." My dad argues back. I have never seen my parents argue like this. Sure it isn't a full blown argument but they have always been so soft with each other so seeing them disagree is new to me.

" She is right here. " I interrupt their mini argument with a remark of my own. The others just watch and fidget awkwardly, the sight of their royal family at odds doesn't make them feel very comfortable. We may be like family to each other but we are still their leaders. " I am 18 years old and I can handle things like this. I am not a child any more, I am the future queen." My voice wavers a bit but it is full of confidence and conviction. My mom looks at me with a loving and proud look in her eyes and I turn to look at my dad after giving her a slight smile. I'm expecting more of a fight from my dad but instead he just lets out a small sigh and stares at me with an expression that I can't really explain. He's been sighing a lot lately. He comes closer to me and hugs me tightly like I would disappear in front of his eyes. I stand still in confusion when he pulls away and gives me a smile.

" I'm sorry Aurora, " My dad explains, " I didn't mean to talk down on you but news like this is very heavy and I didn't want you to worry, plus you're still my little girl. "

" It's okay dad, I understand. " I assure him. I grab my parents hands and squeeze them tight. " I love you guys, and I will always be your little girl dad but I will also be the leader of our country. " My mom's eyes swell up with tears but she wipes them away quickly.

" We love you too, our brightest light." My mom says softly, holding my cheek affectionately. My dad nods at me and squeezes my hand once more before letting go. I open my mouth to add something but I'm interrupted by a small sneeze. My eyes drift over to the culprit and see Eren's mom with a sheepish look on her face. We were so caught up in our conversation and mini family moment that I forgot that we had an audience watching the whole ordeal. I blush a bit and clear my throat.

" Okay so what now? " Mason and Luna's dad asked. Everyone looks towards us and waits patiently for an answer.

" We wait for them to come to us and their leader to show themselves, then we fight. For now we use our time to round up as many dreamlights that we can find because the palace army won't be enough." My dad orders. This isn't a gathering between friends anymore, it's now a strategic meeting between some of the most powerful Dreamlights and the Royal family.

" You don't have to wait for us to come, because we are already here. " A deep voice says. Everyone shoots out of their seats and my mom moves to stand next to me and my dad. I look for the source of the voice and see that it's coming from the corner of the room. I squint my eyes and stare at the corner of the room waiting for the person to show themselves. Emerging from the darkness is a hooded figure and I don't need anyone to tell me that it's a Shadow.