The Moonlight Pegasus, #1

by C. A. Sabol

  Etoileon shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess both, in a way. Still, though, I can’t imagine doing something like that for anyone. I mean, isn’t life the most important thing you can give up? I just can’t see it happening.”

  “Me either,” she admitted softly. As much as everyone meant to her, she could not imagine placing a person’s life, his entire life, up against her own life, her own entire life. It was just unheard of.

  “But then again,” Selene added a moment later, “I can’t see a woman giving up her laughter for her husband or boyfriend or whatever it was to get well again, either.” She laughed at the thought. It just sounded so silly, so unbelievable.

  Etoileon looked over at her and laughed, too, his first true laugh in a long time. Selene was startled, however pleased, to hear his short laugh. She decided that she liked this boy a lot. He was so ... familiar to her, in a way. Like she’d met him before somewhere.

  She scooted over to him a bit more and took his hand in hers. He shrunk back a bit and then looked at her questioningly. “Etoileon ... Etoileon, I just wanted you to know this has been the best day I’ve ever had. Thanks for sticking around,” she smiled at him. “I’ve never had a friend like you before.”

  He didn’t know how to respond to her tender gratitude. He was hardly used to it. So he just nodded and looked away, his face starting to turn a bright red.

  After a few moments of a deafening silence, Etoileon spoke up. “Look,” he said, his voice an awed hush. “You can see a lunar rainbow.” His eyes were on the end of the waterfall, only a few yards away. The gentle mist splaying up from the water basin caught the light of the two moons and shimmered indeed, creating a darkened rainbow effect across the night.

  Selene looked down and felt her eyes widen, and her world lose focus as her gaze held steady on the beautiful sight. The rainbow arched up, seeming to dance in the moonlight.

  “Wow. It’s so amazing,” she whispered. “I’ve never even heard of a lunar rainbow before.”

  “It’s quite a sight,” Etoileon agreed. “I almost never see it when I come here. I guess two moons have to be up for there to be enough light for it. Every time I do see it, though, I’m always surprised. It always seems to look ... I don’t know ... it’s hard to explain.”

  Selene’s eyes traveled back to Etoileon’s. “Do you mean that it looks more beautiful than the last time you saw it?”

  He shrugged. “Let’s go back down there,” he suggested, changing the subject. “I could use another ice cone.”

  “Sure,” Selene agreed, a tiny smile starting to come to life on her face despite her concerns. “My treat.”

  Selene thought that maybe everything was going to be okay then. There were practically no Royal guards around now—still, just enough to make her nervous. So Selene put on a grin and ordered the two cones for her and Etoileon. Instead of climbing back up to the precipice, they decided to sit on a bench in front of the stand. It was right in the heart of the Gemstone Oasis, full of music and dancing. Selene couldn’t resist staying to watch some of the local talent.

  “Selene?” Etoileon came up to the bench. She felt the warm night air coming off of him as he sat down next to her. “Do you like this place so far?”

  She nodded. “It’s the first time I ever came here,” she said. And I think that while it is vastly different from the Palace, it has a certain charm all to itself, she thought. “It was accurately named, I think.”

  It was a glorious night. The music was rustically lively, her ice cream was scrumptious, and she had made a new friend, not to mention she hadn’t been caught. She looked up and saw the stars twinkle and the moons shine; it was as if there was nothing to worry about, as if the world was at peace. Selene sneaked a glance over at her new friend, and felt the breath in her body rush out. The moonlight reflected off of his face, causing Selene to appreciate for the first time how handsome he really was. She felt the color rise in her cheeks, but for the quick second she had, she let it go. Wow, she thought, Etoileon is really handsome ... I wonder what he thinks of me? Then she turned away, as the rush of emotions that were inside her began fluttering away. The feelings were unfamiliar to her; suddenly she felt that there must be something different about Etoileon that had caused these strange feelings to arise in her. It was something exciting, but at the same time more than a little frightening.

  She was just taking another bite of her chocolatti supreme ice cream cone when Etoileon nudged her shoulder. “Hey, look,” he whispered. “The Royal Guards are about to go into action.”

  “What?” Selene jumped up. She turned to face Etoileon. “We have to get out of here!”

  “No, it’s okay, Selene, these guys are professionals,” he tried to assure her. “They’re going to get the people in trouble and drag them away. We shouldn’t have a problem.”

  Her ice cream fell to the ground. The music stopped, and a fire shoot was thrown into the sky. Music and laughter was quickly replaced by screaming and worried whimpering. Selene felt her heart stop and her hands go numb.

  “Please, let’s go!” Selene begged Etoileon. She grabbed his hand and started pulling on him. He stood up, and attempted to begin trying to calm her down as she pleaded with him to get moving. He wondered what was wrong with her all of a sudden. Why was she afraid of the Palace guards?

  Suddenly a guard came up and stood behind Selene. “Give it up, Your Highness.” His voice was deep and carried a warning in its tone. Everyone around them were trying to scramble away, trying to hide in small corners to get the gossip, or screaming and yelling here and there; but Selene retained her Princess manner, standing perfectly tall and straight, not moving an inch. The slightest movement of her body caught Etoileon’s attention—she’d tightened her grip on his hand.

  A voice came over the local sound system. “Attention, attention every one: Put your hands up, and step away from the Princess. No body moves, nobody gets hurt!”

  She felt her eyes fall to the ground as her body was paralyzed with indecision. Already she knew it was too late.

  They’d found her.

  ETOILEON FELT THE SHOCK of disbelief flood through his body as though he were suddenly standing under the icy waterfall. What? This was the princess?

  This girl, this one who had, in the short hours they’d spent together, become one of his few friends? And those feelings ... those feelings that had stirred in him, the ones that he would deny even came at all, they were for the Princess of the Entire World?

  Selene. When he’d first heard her name, and saw the walking palace robe, he’d assumed that her parents had named their child after the Princess in order to gain favor in court. But he’d been wrong, apparently.

  Now, he found himself looking at the Princess, her back turned to him, his eyes wide with shock and confusion and uncertainly leaking throughout his whole body. “Selene?” his voice was a quiet whisper. His hands, he realized a moment later, were shaking slightly.

  “Yes,” she whispered back. She’d sensed the surprise in him and felt both happy and sad. Someone had become her friend without seeing the benefits of her title. But now, it looked like he was going to be unable to deal with the truth.

  A royal guard came forth and broke the two apart. It was the commander, the leader of the search party. “Hands off the Princess, sir!” he announced to Etoileon. Two more royal guards came up behind Etoileon and began to hold him back, grabbing onto his shoulders. One of them nodded to their commander. “Who do you think you are, holding onto her like that? You have some nerve!” He turned to the Princess and bowed. “Your Highness, your presence has been demanded by the King.”

  “Commander,” she started, unsure of which commander he was; she wished briefly that Dorian would make them wear nametags. She was about to continue when the guards holding Etoileon interrupted her words.

  Or rather, the guards who had been holding Etoileon back had interrupted her. Etoileon, in a typical reaction from a child from the streets, had counte
rattacked in order to escape their clutches. He’d landed a roundhouse back kick off of the one, and had punched the other with the freed arm he’d gotten from the kick. Other guards came up, but Etoileon was well versed in how to defeat an enemy. He launched out several attacks, leaving Selene silent as she watched in horror as the guards tried to get him settled.

  He propelled himself through the guards, looking for a way to get away from them, driven by the anger burning inside him. It wasn’t that he was angry with these guards, but he was angry with himself, for not recognizing the Princess when he’d met her, and he was also angry for being held like a prisoner, as though he had done something wrong, when he’d in fact saved her from a bully and a fall. He had only tried to be nice to her. With the emotions raging through his blood, he punched here and there, lashing out his kicks with tremendous skill and precision. The guards advanced, also landing a few good shots to the boy and causing Etoileon to struggle on his way through the mass of them. The battle went on for a long, almost heartbreaking moment.

  Finally, Selene squeezed her eyes shut and cried out, “Stop it! He is my friend! Stop it!” The guards, under her command, stopped fighting. Etoileon, breathing hard, sweat starting to appear on his forehead, remained still on the ground after Selene had called the guards to stop fighting.

  Selene rushed to him and stood in front of him. “That’s enough! I came here of my own free will, and this boy has nothing to do with me getting out of the Palace. Leave him out of this!”

  She calmed down a bit and looked down at Etoileon. His breathing had returned to normal though he still looked like he wanted to fight. There was a stream of blood coming out from his shoulder. “Etoileon ... you’re bleeding,” she said softly, her eyes showing that she was concerned for him. “Come with me, please.”

  Etoileon had a good reason to say no. He couldn’t, for one thing. He was a poor, young, street urchin, an orphan. This was the Princess of the World! “Sel—Your Highness, I must decline,” he said back, standing up and looking her full in the face, maybe one last time. She would understand, and let him go. And that would be it. He was certain of it.

  “No, you may not,” Selene smiled back. Her smile faded as she continued. “But if you have no care for me at all, though I may be a Princess or a pauper, I would insist that you leave at once, and forget all about me. It is only then that you shall be free.”

  “I could never forget about you,” Etoileon whispered without thinking.

  Her expression softened, but then hardened a moment later as she caught sight of the royal guards around them. “Then we shall return to the Palace,” Selene announced, turning her attention back to the guards. “Let us go.” She straightened out her walking robe, and held her head up high, trying to regain some of her lost composure. It was not hard for one as well brought up as she.

  The guards filed in two lines beside them, and Selene beckoned for Etoileon to follow her. Normally, she would have reached out and taken his hand, but she could not. Selene sighed. She already missed the warmth.

  DORIAN WAS WAITING for her, not in a small, private receiving room, but in the large, empty Throne Room. There was still garbage thrown all over, gathering the corners of the floor, and everyone had been dismissed. Selene had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she’d been the reason for the early closing.

  Dorian was sitting regally, with his arms on the rests of the wooden throne. His kingly robes were straight and unbending, as though to simulate his approach to this matter. But if this was true the look of his robes—aloof and uncaring—was nothing compared to the look of barely contained anger he wore on his face.

  His eyes seemed to promise silently that punishment would not be averted, nor delayed. Dorian watched as his sister and his guards slowly made their way to the throne. Despite his anger, he also noticed that a young man was following Selene, freely, as if it was nothing to be in the house of the royal family. Dorian was suddenly very worried and overcome but a mixture of unwanted surprise and jealousy as he realized that Selene must be behind this kid’s appearance, or at very least, she was responsible for him not being bound. Dorian tried to place this kid’s face in his memory, trying to see if he recognized him to be a kitchen boy or a bellboy or something like that. But when he could not, and noticed the simple clothes the boy was wearing, he knew that he had come from the streets. What he did not know now from observations, the King was determined to find out.

  The Commander, whose name turned out to be Commander Kef, bowed low before him, and then everyone else followed the suit, except for Selene and Etoileon, Selene because she did not have to, and Etoileon because he did not like the look of this King, or how he had demanded that his sister stay outside of the city. Also, Etoileon did not know how to bow in correct form. He did not want to make a fool of himself here.

  “Your Royal Highness,” Commander Kef greeted him formally, “I have found your sister, Her Highness for you. She was at the Gemstone Oasis Plaza.”

  Dorian’s eye flashed anger even more, but he brought it under control. He was already upset and insulted that the strange looking kid who had also been brought to the palace had not bowed to him. But this news, that his sister had disobeyed his commands, was at the very place that he’d been so set against, was just adding fuel to the fire. “I see,” he said through gritted teeth. “Continue, Commander, if you will,” he ordered.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” the Commander complied. “Princess Selene was found with this young man. She claims he did not assist her out of the Palace, though I am not sure that is the entire truth here, Sire.”

  “Selene would not lie,” Dorian assured him. “But then again, I did not think that she would sneak out, either,” he added after a moment’s thought.

  “I’m sorry, Brother,” Selene spoke up softly. “I will not ever do it again, I promise.”

  Dorian breathed in, trying to let go of his anger. “Do I have your word on that, Selene?” he asked gravely.

  She looked up at him, her eyes full of sincerity. “Please, believe me, Dorian,” she whispered earnestly. “I will not leave again, unless it is necessary.”

  Dorian nodded, satisfied with her promise. His eyes turned from hers to rest on the boy behind her. “Commander, step back, if you please. Guards, you are dismissed. Leave at once and resume your posts. You, Boy. Come forward.” The guards saluted the King and left, turning on their heels and brushing past Etoileon as he made his way in front of Selene, who had stepped off to the side. She looked anxious for some reason.

  Etoileon frowned at the King as he was called. Already he could sense that the King did not like him much. “Yes ... Your Majesty?” Etoileon wondered what the King was going to do to him. Though so far the King seemed to be arrogant and insane, Etoileon fervently hoped that the monarch would be as gracious and as kind as he was rumored to be.

  “You, boy, tell me your name, if you even have one,” the King’s tone rang with unspoken distain, and Etoileon knew at once that the King really did not like him and was not going to be as nice as Etoileon would have liked.

  “My name is Etoileon,” he answered, regardless.

  “Etoileon? What kind of name is that?” Dorian scoffed. “What island are your parents from, Imbecile Island? Or don’t you have any?”

  “No, I don’t have any,” Etoileon answered through gritted teeth. He was getting angry himself. He hated it when people made fun of his name.

  “Dorian, please stop!” Selene interjected. “That is not fair of you to judge him, or his parents for that matter. Please, Dorian, stop this. It is my fault he was brought here.” She turned red, her cheeks flushing over in unspoken affections as she whispered, “He is my friend, Dorian.”

  Dorian saw the reaction his sister had and could not believe it. She liked this ... this ... this orphan boy! Out of all the suitors he’d shown her, or all the bellboys that were running around the palace, or ... or any other boy she’d ever been in the presence of, this was the one that ha
d become special to her. He groaned silently. He was not going to enjoy this at all.

  “Selene, I do not approve of you being around this boy. Can’t you see he’s dangerous?” Dorian said. “The training he has received as a Fighter is proof enough!”

  “Huh?” Obviously, Selene had missed the fighter insignia on his cloak. When Dorian pointed this out, Selene just shrugged. “I know he would not hurt me, Dorian ... In fact, he protected me from some of the other people that were at the Oasis.”

  “He ... protected you?” The words seemed to hang eerily in the air.

  “Yes, he did,” Selene smiled after a moment. She’d been waiting for Etoileon to say something for himself, but he had not. “And he made sure I did not cause any more trouble, which I did not until your guards stirred up the entire Oasis with their entrance.”

  Dorian just looked down at her and sighed. “Selene, you are dismissed. Go to your room, and remain there. You, Boy ... Etoileon ... you are to wait here. We will discuss your position here.”

  “You mean he can stay?” Selene’s eyes were wide with happiness.

  “What else can I do with him? Send him into the streets, to stir up trouble? Send him to jail, with no just reason to imprison him?” Dorian said exasperatedly. “Not to mention ensuring a deep wrath in your heart against myself? I would be most unwise to do so.” He glanced at Selene and then said, “Go. Leave us. Now.”

  Selene bowed in thanks, and then caught Etoileon’s eye. In that moment, he suddenly knew that he was going to be okay.

  “YEAH, THAT WAS PRETTY much how it happened,” Etoileon agreed with her. “I still remember thinking you were crazy for hearing a horse.”

  “It was possible!” Selene huffed jokingly. “I never did find out what happened after I left the throne room, though. What did Dorian say to you?”

  “Well ... he wasn’t so bad,” Etoileon admitted, “but it did take me a while to come to respect him—you should know that. I still have days where I know he does not like me.” He saw the look of an oncoming denial on her face, and decided to continue before she could start.