Tides

by itsmisspretty

Summary:

"From the puppeteer to the puppet, the strings that are controlled by the law of the land and its overseers have strangled me...but now I have no strings on me." Luna's morals are tested in a world of corrupted by nobles, politics, and piracy. OC-centric for development. OC-centric for development. Summary update 7/7/2021.

Chapter 1: Tides

Garp,

This will be my last letter. I feel that leaving you empty handed with no answers would be as cruel as what has been done to me.

I need one person to hear my thoughts. I only need one person to listen to what I have to say for me to have any chance of a peaceful life.

I can no longer cope with the injustices of the world that have been left on the backs of people undeserving of such a punishment. They in turn are left to ask for help from no one who is willing to put their own belongings or beings at stake. The strings that are controlled by the law of the land and its overseers have strangled me...but now I have no strings on me.

I’ve stood at the top as the puppeteer, with all the money and power in the world to do anything, looking down at all the “lesser” races and only seen suffering. The suffering that was born from hate. The hate that was born from anger. The anger that was born from fear. The fear that was born from those at the top of the food chain with nowhere to go but down. I’ve stood at the top and have only felt disgust for myself, for the people around me, and disgust at this failed puppet show, failed world.

I don’t care about the one piece, the ancient weapons, or the void century. I only cared about four things on this earth, three of which are now out of my grasp. Am I at fault for their fates? Perhaps I will only know when it’s my time to meet my maker.

Eleven years ago my life found meaning. My life found purpose that I didn’t know I needed until recently. As fate would have it, my purpose was cruelly ripped away and again, I am left with questions. Why? Was it worth it? What will I do now? Am I better off alive or dead?

You’ve lived a longer life than I, but have you lived one as blessed and cursed as mine? Has my lineage been the key to unlocking my shackles or is it the ball and chain that will inevitably drown me? I believe the answers to both of my questions are debatable.

How many people will ever live to experience what I have seen, felt, and heard? To have the powers I do yet fail to help the weak asking for it and only succeed when the goal is to maim, manipulate, or cheat is a life wasted. I truly feel in my heart that I am capable of good, I have to continue to believe this.

Human life is so precious but so fragile. So short but so impactful. I have been a witness to both of these facts. And despite the suffering, war, greed, and fear that plagues this world, people of lesser statuses have achieved remarkable feats such seemingly curing once thought to be incurable ailments, worked with each other to achieve common goals despite differences, and worked towards peace in their communities despite opposing forces. Human life is capable of both destruction and creation. Illness and the medicine to cure it.

Despite all of the impressive actions humans are capable of, Ace is still dead. And for that, there is no remedy.

I don’t bear any ill will towards you. I am grateful for all you have shown and given me. At the very least, remember this as I suspect that we will not be meeting again in this life.

Yours,
Luna

---

Notes:

This story is going through a revision, I last updated in 2022 and thoughts about where I want this story to go have wormed their way into my brain once again. I'm very sorry for the wait but after rereading what I wrote, I'm glad I took time off. I feel like I am a very different person than who I was 4 years ago. The main story isn't different, I'm just adjusting some things here and there with the ongoing development of the manga.

Chapter 2: Beginnings

14 Years Ago (Chapter revised August 2025)

She distracted herself by creating shadow puppets against the tall white walls that encompassed her room. After attempting a wonky looking bird and then a cute dog, moving her fingers to make it bark, she heard shuffling that signaled the rest of the residents in the building were beginning to wake up for the day. She quickly turned off the light and covered herself with the silk bed sheets as shadows started appearing in the crack under the bedroom door. Tucking herself in tightly in a caccoon, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed sleep to come back.

After a few moments of uninterrupted silence, the front door to the room opened with a quiet click from the doorknob. Her room's invader had immaculately coiled golden hair that didn't move an inch and she silently made her way over to her bed, unaware she was being watched by a squinted eye, opened only as much as the small actor dared.

"Time to wake up for school Lady Luna, you mustn't be late," whispered her nanny, servant, slave, maid, and closest ally shook her shoulders and attempted to detangle her from her warm cocoon. "Today is the first day and thus, the most important day where you must make the best impression on your peers. You cannot be late or fail," rushed the woman as the child she was tending to finally gave into the elder's demands to get up.

Akasuki-san was the nicest adult Luna knew. However, considering who they were and their positions, neither was delusional enough to think they would ever be real friends as much as Luna wished for it.

It was just the way things were.

The obviously expensive dress that was laid over a chair by the vanity on the other side of the room was chosen out of dozens of dresses weeks prior. Not too much and not too little, just right. Enough to show others who she was and not too much that it would anger her classmates or their parents. Akasuki-san helped her undress and slipped the beaded, white knee-length dress over her head. She fussed over Luna's hair and placed a barrette while the child stared at the vanitys mirror and thought about how much of a pain this would be.

Akasuki-san noticed the glumness that was emanating from the child and cradled her face. "You must do this for your mother, at the very least. Just like playing pretend with me alright? The driver will be waiting for you as soon as class ends and I will be waiting for you with freshly prepared lunch before we take you to your appointment with the doctor. You wont be gone long," Akasuki-san said as she attempted to pacify the child.

Luna fought against the tears that threatened to escape, stiffened her shoulders, and promised to "be a big girl" to Akasuki-san before marching into the connected bathroom suite and closing the door with another click. Now peering over the marble countertop and staring into the large mirror, Luna could only focus on her own thoughts. She would be going to a preliminary meeting where she would meet other members of her first grade class. While she had completed her kindergarten course the year prior, she had little interaction with the nobles' children that were at her education level. There had been additional meetings between families but with other things taking up room on her schedule, Luna had fallen behind in building connections with kids close to her age. Akasuki-san had explained to her that while the nobles weren't required to get an education, it was encouraged to "build relationships and future alliances between the different families," or something along those lines.

Luna didn't really understand what Akasuki-san was saying at that point but she had made it clear that it was important to her family, especially her mother, that she do well. With the reminder that her mother depended on her and the possible wrath she'd face from her grandfather should she do badly, she opened the bathroom door and made her way over to Akasuki-san who was waiting by the front door with Luna's shoes.

"I think I'm ready, " she told Akasuki-san as she grasped the hand that was offered to her and held it as Luna was led down the sparkling white hallways. The taps her small shoes made in the mostly empty hallway only added to the cold atmosphere the castle had. Her schedule typically went in this order: Akasuki-san would come wake her up and dress her first thing in the morning, they would both walk down to the dining room for breakfast which doubled as an early morning lesson on dining etiquette, and then they would head off to school and then whatever schedule was planned for Luna for the rest of day.

As they both approached the dining room, the smells of eggs, bacon, and what Luna believed to be a mix of bananas and strawberries waft over. Today's breakfast would be a tasty one, that's for sure. She quickened her steps and began to tug Akasuki-san as they got closer to the entrance.

"Please calm yourself Luna, it's improper to walk at such a pace," scolded Akasuki-san, but as Luna looked embarrassed at being called out, she added " the food isn't going to grow legs and run away silly girl". This caused Luna to giggle and the momentarily tense atmosphere to dissipate. They finally entered the dining hall and another servant pulled out Luna's chair while Akasuki-san was left to seat herself.

It was only a moment later that two plates were placed in front of them and their utensils were settled by their plates as well. Luna noticed Akasuki-san shifting uncomfortably in her seat and pointedly looking at anything other than the servers and other servants. As Akasuki-san caught Luna's gaze, she cut off any questions Luna could have asked by clearing her throat. Miffed by this, Luna sighed, which earned her another pointed look by Akasuki-san. In order to make up for her behavior, Luna began to mentally recite the proper etiquette and took the handkerchief that was neatly tucked around her utensils, placing it over the collar of the dress.

She looked to Akasuki-san for approval and received a nod in response. They ate their meals quietly as the other workers in the room stood as still as the stone statues that decorated the hall leading to the dining room.

Even though every meal was supposed to be a lesson on etiquette, Luna was grateful that Akasuki-san was the one teaching her. Her last mentor, as her mom liked to refer to her as, was so strict she never let Luna make any mistakes. It was so unfair. Akasuki-san was way nicer, prettier, and played with Luna. She was the best. Dreading the thought of going to school, Luna thought to herself about how much she would rather stay at home with Akasuki-san and play.

"But he would never allow something like that to pass, this sucks," Luna thought bitterly.

As Luna mulled over the fact that she hardly got a say in what she did throughout the day even though she would be turning 6 years old this year, a balding man with just a few remaining hairs left on his head walked through the entryway to the room. He was a tall, slender man, wore a black three piece suit, and walked at a definite and brisk pace that showed others he had business to attend to. Luna referred to him as Baldtolf in her mind but his actual name was Botolf.

"More like Baldtolf the boring," Luna thought bitterly once again, remembering all the times he had stopped her from wandering off and exploring the city. He had stopped her from checking out a cute cafe that was next to the kindergarten she had attended, he had interrupted a conversation she was having with another girl who Luna hoped would be her first friend, he had pulled her away and into the carriage waiting for them as she tried to talk to other kids the first time she got a chance to talk to anyone other than the people who live in the same building as her. To put it bluntly, Luna hated him. She knew that was a strong word but there was no other way to describe how she felt toward the man. In her childlike mind, she knew he was only doing his job, something he had repeatedly told her, but it didn't stop the emotions she felt toward him and his actions.

Baldtolf interrupted her thoughts as he spoke, "it is now 7:30 in the morning and time to take Miss to the academy, Akasuki-san. The carriage is out front". With that, Baldtolf turned and walked out of the room, the sound of his footsteps decreasing as he made his way out of the castle.

"Is it really necessary to go today, Akasuki-san?" Luna asked as if she would suddenly be allowed to stay home another year.

"Yes. Now come along now, " Akasuki-san tugged Luna up and they walked out of the dining hall toward the front entrance of the castle. Another servant quickly rushed over to them and handed Akasuki-san Luna's bag and a small tin container before bowing and backing up, only pausing to open the door to let them. Luna recognized the container as she had become familiar with its contents as well as the person who had supplied them to her.

They walked outside and were greeted with pleasant weather, a striking contrast to what Luna would be going through today. Akasuki-san made a comment about the pretty weather as they made their way down the castle’s long steps to where Baldtolf would be waiting for them. “It’s always pretty here I supposed, it’s not like I’ve been anywhere else thanks to Botolf, ” Luna thought to herself as she watched Akasuki-san breathe in the fresh air. Akasuki-san had once made a comment under her breath about how she hardly got to go outside other than to run errands and Luna had never asked her about it.

Everytime she worked up the courage to ask her to explain something she didn’t think she was meant to hear, she lost her nerve when Akasuki-san looked at her. It’s not that Akasuki-san was offstandish, Luna just felt that perhaps it was too nosy of her to ask. Everyone treated her like a kid with certain expectations but also like an outsider. Luna wasn’t blind to some of the looks she got from the servants or the atmosphere that filled the room when her whole family was together. She just didn’t know why it was the way it was. Things were so much better when it was just her mom and her. Even when it was just her mom and grandfather, things were good. Things just changed when her stepfather came into the picture and her siblings were born.

The steps leading down to the courtyard were pristine and white, just like the rest of the castle. There wasn’t a leaf or blade of grass out of place in the garden that surrounded the courtyard. Not even a speck of dirt was anywhere to be seen. While the scene was peaceful and pure of any imperfections, the large sweaty man that was on his hands and knees in the center of it created an image that no one other than Luna seemed to think was odd. She had shelves full of story books that came from all over the world and while her caretakers preferred her reading more “educational material”, they were usually lenient over the fact that she was a child, so she was typically allowed to sneak in a story before going to bed. And if she thought back to all of the stories she had read, none of them had abnormally large people carrying others on their back.

The man that was in the courtyard was sweating profusely and had several deep marks on whatever skin was visible. On his back was attached a platform that was white and gold and had plushy cushions attached to the seats. Baldtolf was waiting for them next to the grizzly man and had one arm raised to help them up and another tucked behind his back. If Luna tilted her head up just a bit, she would see what some people could call a riding crop and others call a whip. She didn’t know why it had two names.

Akasuki-san nudged her a bit, pressing her forward and toward Baldtolf. Once close enough Baldtolf offered her his arm and she carefully made her way onto the carriage. As she made herself comfortable, the man carrying the carriage let out a grunt as Akasuki-san made her way up. Baldtolf gave him a quick strike with the crop but other than that, neither Akasuki-san nor Baldtolf gave much of a reaction to the whimper the man underneath them released.

Akasuki-san smiled at Luna as Luna smiled back nervously. She had been in these carriages countless times but as she got older she realized she really didn’t find them enjoyable. From the heavy breathing from the man carrying them to the way the carriage jostled from side to side, Luna truly found the whole experience unpleasant. However, when she had suggested they take another form of transportation, Baldtolf looked aghast at what she had said. The day after her comment, Luna was told by Baldtolf that the situation had been rectified and would be more accommodating for her. At first Luna was glad to finally stop feeling like her weight was crushing someone but as soon as Akasuki-san and her went out to meet Baldtolf the following day after she made that comment, they were met with a new man with a different carriage strapped to his back. This man was very unlike the one that carried Luna the day she complained to Baldtolf and had a pinched look on his face like he was fighting to suppress any expression that showed discomfort. His expression was unfamiliar to her and disturbed her so much, was the last time Luna complained about their transportation.

Luna shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she thought back to the conversation she had with Akasuki-san regarding the previous man who no longer carried them.

“What happened to the man who carried us to the doctor yesterday?” asked Luna, who was eyeing Akasuki-san to see if her expression gave anything away. However, Akasuki-san kept her expression blank and replied, “He was relieved of his services and will no longer be serving you.”

The way Akasuki-san had replied to her that day was weirdly robotic. When Luna tried to press her for more information, Akasuki-san simply told her that their duty was to tend to her every need and she shouldn’t bother herself with the fates of her servants.

“Lady Luna, you are one of the most important people in this household, no - in this country, you shouldn’t be worried about lower races such as ourselves,” said Akasuki-san in a toneless voice that sounded rehearsed, much different than her usual voice that she used with Luna everyday. “The man that caused you discomfort was disposed of and the newer slave will take his place”.

Luna was young, but she wasn’t blind or stupid. She knew not to press for more information lest she get in trouble. From that day on, Luna learned that unless she wanted to live with the feeling of a stone settling deep in her stomach, she shouldn't complain about anything that the servants contributed to, lest they were also “disposed of”.

Akasuki-san brought Luna’s attention back to her as she opened the tin container and took out a prescription pill bottle, a water bottle, and a vial containing a pinkish liquid that Luna recoiled at. As Luna’s expression, Akasuki-san laughed, “Are you really going to complain about this? You’ve been taking these for years, I would have thought a big girl like you would be used to taking medication.”

Luna puffed up her cheeks and looked away, “It’s not like that and you know it, it just tastes gross.” Akasuki-san chuckled and took Luna’s hand, depositing the prescribed pills in it. Swallowing them quickly and taking the bottle offered to her by Akasuki-san, Luna gulped the pink syrup as well before she had time to think about the taste. The bitterness still filled her mouth and attacked her taste buds. Luna failed at keeping the pinched expression off her face, making Akasuki-san rub her back sympathetically. Luna missed Akasuki-san telling Baldtolf, “We’re ready to go, Botolf '' as the carriage gave a small lurch and the grizzly man began crawling out of the courtyard and past the boundaries of the castle.

Luna looked over the side of the carriage as they made their way to one of the three main gates that would lead them to the academy building located in the main town. There were no people mingling around outside, only servants sweeping stray leaves and guards watching the castles.
After some minutes, they finally came upon another gate and a heavily armoured guard came to verify their identity. Once he got a look at Luna, Akasuki-san and Botolf, he quickly ran back to open the gate while apologising for not recognizing them immediately.

Luna thought his behavior was funny and giggled but after they passed through the steel gate that creaked closed just as quickly as it opened for them, Baldtolf grumbled under her breath, “how could they forget, we come and go all the time…”.

The remaining journey to the academy building was in silence as Luna watched other slaves carrying nobles make their way to the same building they were heading toward. Most of the slaves held the same expression the grizzly man had, pinched but unwilling to show any discomfort no matter how much they were sweating.

Angry yelling cut through the air as Luna and Akasuki-san noticed one of their neighbors that had arrived before them, Saint Rosward, throwing a fit and pointing angrily at his slave who was looking at the ground and staying very still. The hand he was using to point angrily at his slave dropped down to his side and before Luna could watch anymore, Akasuki-san turned her away and rushed her to leave the carriage.

“Come on now, you know how the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm,” Akasuki-san muttered quickly while pushing Luna towards the large white front doors of the building they had arrived at. Just as they entered and the doors swung closed behind them, Luna could have sworn she heard a loud bang outside. Akasuki-san brushed some invisible hair off her forehead and smiled at Luna.

“My, that’s what I would call a morning rush,” she chuckled lightly while looking nervously behind them. Before Luna could ask what that earlier bang sound was, a couple of sharply dressed maids came up to them and asked if they could take their bags. Akasuki-san flashed Luna’s ID at them and handed her bag over to one of the maids while taking Luna’s hand and began following the other maid.

Luna continued to look over her shoulder at the closed front doors, eyeballing the intricate designs engraved in them, still thinking about the ruckus earlier. She desperately wanted to ask about what happened but before she could find a moment to ask, they approached another set of doors. The hall they had walked down had a plush red carpet that led them to the doors that looked big enough for a giant to walk through. The snow white double doors had crystal knobs and a guard standing right outside of them. He had been standing still enough to just look like an empty suit of armour but once he noticed their approach, moved his gloved hands and prepared to open the doors for them by laying his hands on the knobs.

Here, Akasuki-san paused and took a breath.

“Alright, do you remember what I told you earlier Lady Luna?” Akasuki-san asked as she knelt next to her and looked into her eyes.

Luna couldn’t stop the sudden invasion of butterflies that moved in her stomach at the thought of what was waiting on the other side of the white doors, “Yes. I know. I can do it”. The words sounded like lies to Luna but Akasuki-san seemed to believe them.

Akasuki-san smiled at her display of false confidence, “I know you can. Like I said earlier, I will be waiting for you after the meeting so at least look forward to that”.

Luna fought the urge to cling onto Akasuki-san knowing it would be very inappropriate and tried her best to relax. She turned toward the guard and nodded her head letting him know she was ready to enter.

Akasuki-san let go of her hand and Luna walked through the doorway into the sparking white room where other young nobles were mingling.

Chapter 3: Dawn I

(Revised August 2025)


Luna couldn’t stop the sudden invasion of butterflies that moved in her stomach at the thought of what was waiting on the other side of the white doors, “Yes. I know. I can do it”. The words sounded like lies to Luna but Akasuki-san seemed to believe them.  

Akasuki-san smiled at her display of false confidence, “I know you can. Like I said earlier, I will be waiting for you after the meeting so at least look forward to that”.

Luna fought the urge to cling onto Akasuki-san knowing it would be very inappropriate and tried her best to relax. She turned toward the guard and nodded her head letting him know she was ready to enter.

Akasuki-san let go of her hand and Luna walked through the doorway into the sparking white room where other young nobles were mingling.

---

The room, like most of the architecture in her town, was almost pure white. Luna thought the color was almost sterile, like a hospital, which was no surprise since she frequented that place more than most five ( “five and a half almost six!” ) year olds. She wasn’t alone in the room since she had arrived at the same time as most young nobles had.  There were already small groups forming around the small tables that were placed around the room. On the tables lay beautiful vases full of flowers while butlers made their way around the room offering small foods like hors d'oeuvres, calamari, and foie gras on chips. Akasuki-san had mentioned that while the get-together was meant to be for people in her class, older nobles were welcome too due to how few of them there actually were. 

Luna spotted a few nobles who were clearly older than her holding flutes of what appeared to be  cider. Luna loved the taste of cider but Akasuki-san rarely let her have any. She always claimed, “there will always be time to drink sugary beverages when you get older.” This didn’t make sense to Luna as other kids got to drink these beverages but bringing this up to Akasuki-san would bring on a lecture from her mother so Luna let it go.


Luna hesitantly approached one of the groups that was forming near the door she had entered, she was too nervous to enter the room any further and wanted to have a way out in case she really couldn’t do this whole socializing, as Akasuki-san put it, thing. A boy that looked at least a few years older than her was holding a glass flute while waving his hands in the air, appearing to be very much into the conversation going on at the table.


“ -said no to gettin’ the gun I wanted. He’s worried over nothin’ I don’t understand, we have the best doctors available. A little lead will do nothing against us and these suits,” exclaimed the boy, clearly irate over the fact he had been denied something.

Sympathizing with him, a snooty looking girl standing at the nearby table replied, “He obviously knows it’s cheaply made. Imagine walking around Mary Geoise with something that looks like a commoner could own. Let those people hoard that lead while we use the real stuff, gold and silver.”

The people around them let out a series of chuckles and agreements. Luna didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking about. She reached up to nervously touch the necklace she was wearing. Everything she owned was “made from the finest material”, as explained by all her servants. The jewelry she wore to important events were strictly gold and went to professional jewelers for cleanings every month or so.

Luna approached a girl who hadn’t said anything in the conversation that was slowly becoming a loud debate on the worth of lead. Her brown hair was in what appeared to be an uncomfortably tight ballet bun and what little makeup she wore was flawless. She was dressed as impeccably as Luna was but had an air of self importance, not that her pig-like nose helped her at all. She gave off the aura that she had better things to do other than debate with other kids about jewelry. Normally Luna wouldn’t approach such a person but she didn’t know anyone in the room and  Akasuki-san’s earlier words were still ringing in the back of her head.

“Hello, my name is Luna, this is my first formal meeting, may I know your name?” Luna asked as politely as she could, her brain scrambling through all the lessons she’d had on etiquette.

The girl looked her dead in the eye for a moment before giving her a quick up and down glance and turning her head away. 

At first Luna thought the girl was going to ignore her but after a moment and letting out a sigh, the girl looked back at Luna and nodded her head. “First of all, if you’re a real noble then you should be familiar with the rest, but I’ll let it go since you're obviously new to this,” she said with a nasally voice.  

Luna was beginning to regret approaching the girl and was just about to apologize and go be a wallflower when the girl spoke again, “anyway my name is Elizabeth and this is my third annual meeting. I’ll show you the ropes if you’re not an idiot.”

Luna gulped and briefly internally debated if disappointing her family would be a better option here, “I would appreciate learning from someone with experience and I won’t forget your kindness,” Luna replied with extra fluff as she was taught. She already couldn’t wait for this to be over.

When Luna had asked Akasuki-san what to do if she felt uncomfortable with any noble she talked to, Akasuki-san had simply told her to add extra praise and to make them feel as if Luna was glad for their presence, even though Luna was just as important of an individual as any noble. She hoped this worked now since she really didn’t want to fail with the first person she talked to.

Elizabeth seemed happy to be hearing Luna’s subtle praise and nodded her head once again, “It’s a favor for a favor then. Listen carefully, I’m going to point out who’s who and give you advice as to who you should avoid.”


Luna nodded her head eagerly and wished she had a notebook to write such valuable information. Maybe socializing with this girl would be easy? It was a better option that approaching other kids who were already wrapped up in their own conversations.


“First and foremost, you should avoid any blubbering fools like that Charlos imbecile over there,” she pointed at the boy who was still complaining over the gun he wasn’t allowed to have. 

“He has a little sister who was too young to come to this event but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s just a copy of the idiot, her name is Shalria,” she continued as she focused on the loudest  noble in the room. 

“Their father is Saint Rosward who I sometimes question if he’s even related to them,” Elizabeth went on.


“What do you mean?” Luna asked, Elizabeth’s statement confused her, she knew no family was perfect but the way Elizabeth seemed to dislike the family overall made it seem like Elizabeth had juicy gossip to share.          


“I said what I said,” Elizabeth snorted as she picked up a flute of cider off a tray one of the butlers had as he walked by. “Their father has more going on upstairs than his kids do, I mean look at Charlos, he’s practically an invalid,” Elizabeth said before taking a sip.


Luna wasn’t sure what to say to that statement without coming off as extremely rude to Charlos or disagreeable to Elizabeth, so she just hummed.


“We’re kids but we’re not idiots,” Elizabeth continued, “at least most of us aren’t”, she said while giving another glance over at Luna. 

“Charlos looks nothing like his mother or his sister, and I definitely remember my parents laughing about how that family was suspected to have had a tiff years ago because of the disappearance of one the lanky house maids that used to follow Rosward around. My parents said she disappeared a few months before Charlos was born and looked like she was getting fat,” Elizabeth explained while swirling the contents of her glass.  


“Maybe it was just a coincidence?” Luna asked, not wanting to insinuate anything. 


This made Elizabeth laugh, “Oh you’re so naive Luna, but don’t worry, you’ll catch up with the rest of us.” She chuckled some more at Luna’s now flustered face, “there’s only two possible reasons that could explain why Charlos turned out the way he did. Either he really did fail the genetic lottery, which I doubt since we’re all descendents of the gods, or-”, Elizabeth cut herself off here as she noticed Luna was leaning in due to the suspense.


“Or?” Luna hated that she loved this gossip so much, her mother and Akasuki-san had told her multiple times what a terrible character trait that was to have. However, Elizabeth was so good at getting her to latch onto every word she said.


“ - or, his father messed around with the easy human that the maid probably was. It would explain why he came out so stupid. Tainted blood is worthless. And everything we put out to the world is based on appearances so either way, we’ll never know I guess,” Elizabeth concluded with a sip of her drink.


Not wanting to be the only one standing around not drinking or contributing to the conversation, Luna took a flute from a butler that walked past them again. Copying Elizabeth, Luna brought the glass to her lips and took a large sip. However, what entered her mouth was not cider, it tasted horrifically bitter and for a moment, Luna felt panic growing inside her and thought she had been poisoned. She had overheard some chefs back at home talking about testing food for poison and now she had taken a drink that hadn’t been taste tested by one of her servants.

A sharp slap to her back brought her back down to earth. Luna sputtered pathetically while Elizabeth looked at her in disbelief. “Have you never had a drink before or something? How old did you say you were?” Elizabeth sneered at how Luna was quickly wiping her mouth.


Ignoring her questions, Luna grimaced at the lingering taste, “what on earth did I just drink?” she asked Elizabeth. It was so bitter, Luna would rather not drink anything during than go through that again.     


Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth turned her head to observe the party while replying. “It’s champagne, dummy, haven’t you had it before?” She took another sip of her glass all while looking like she always drank like this.


Luna was too embarrassed to reply to that with a truthful answer so she responded with a, “it’s not to my taste”, a response Elizabeth thankfully accepted. Wanting to move on from the drinking, Luna went back to a safer topic, Charlos. 

She cleared her throat, “so a commoner huh?”


Elizabeth snickered, “Yes, a commoner, human, bottom feeders, whatever you wish to call them.” Luna didn’t know how to respond to that but luckily Elizabeth continued, “I wouldn’t be surprised if his father did go after the maid, she was somewhat pretty. Pity her lineage was trash. I suppose it could have been worse, she could have been a criminal or a lowly fish creature.”


Elizabeth spoke as if what she was saying was fact. If Luna wasn’t as close to her servants like Akasuki-san as she was, she would have been tempted to vocally agree with Elizabeth. But she was still too afraid to speak up and oppose anything Elizabeth was saying. Did that mean Luna herself did agree? Shouldn’t she be more confident if she was sure about how she felt about Akasuki-san and her kind?

As the chatter in the room continued and Elizabeth made a remark about how the butlers weren’t walking around enough with snacks, Luna continued to focus on what Elizabeth had said regarding their ancestry and the slaves they had. 


“This is too difficult to think about, maybe she’s right. There’s a reason they’re slaves and we aren’t. . .but why don’t they just leave or run away if they don’t like it here?” There was a growing list of questions in Luna’s head that she couldn’t wait to ask Akasuki-san about once the meeting was over. 

Glancing over at the grandfather clock that stood by the fireplace on one side of the room, Luna mentally noted time had flown by and there was only about ten minutes left before the party was supposed to end. Technically they could stay as long or go whenever they wanted, but since this was Luna’s first year in an official meet and greet with other noble families, she thought she should stay for the full event.

Elizabeth nudged her with her elbow to get her attention over the loud conversations that were happening around them. “We better go pretend to be friends with the others and do our duties for our families, I know you have to do this too,” Elizabeth said and grimaced when she looked over in Charlos’ direction again. With that, Luna followed Elizabeth over to the closest group to introduce themselves, or in Elizabeth’s case, remind them of her presence. 

The other kids they spoke to were fairly forgettable to Luna, she had nothing against them but unlike with Elizabeth, she didn’t feel as encouraged to talk. Whenever they joined a group, the conversations usually revolved about the wealth their families had and what things they were hoping to buy. One group was debating about the uses of different slaves which was a conversation Luna had zero interest in contributing to. Sometimes they would say things she felt were unnecessarily cruel or rude and while Elizabeth laughed along with them, Luna only felt alienated. She found herself glancing at the clock more often now, willing the hands to move faster.

Deciding to be brave and knowing she couldn’t hang onto Elizabeth forever, Luna wandered off to the initial group she had been listening in on when she entered the room. The group was still debating the worth of different types of metals and jewels but right now, anything was better than the topics raising moral questions in her head.         


“I’m telling you, gold is always going to have value, hell, even silver is more precious than whatever trash you want from that town,” said a green haired boy with beady eyes and a sneer on his face.


“I don’t know why you’re so bothered over the type of metal. It’s no more than a background for what’s important, the jewel. Y’know, I’ll bet Elbaf has the best jewels in the world. Those giant oafs on the island are probably hoarding them, they wouldn’t be so closed off if they didn’t have something to hide,” said another boy next to him in a nasally tone, this one with blonde hair and round, bug shaped eyes.


Glancing at Charlos, who had been silent during Luna’s re-joining of the group, Luna noticed he was growing to be an unhealthy shade of red and looked ready to yell.


“I don’t care what you think about gold or whatever those creatures in the New World are up to, don’t you care that we aren’t allowed to have something dumb humans can have?” he said with a loud voice, spit flying over the table that the group was standing around. The commotion made some of the butlers that were making their way towards the table make sharp u-turns towards the opposite sides of the room and avoid risking eye contact with Charlos.


“Aren’t you listening you imbecile, that lead is worthless to us, let the humans kill themselves with it. We have the real goods here in Mary Geoise,” yelled back the girl from earlier. The argument escalated and guards wearing black suits and ear pieces ran into the room to break up the fights between the parties involved.


Luna backed away and felt herself bump into someone. She quickly turned around and saw a butler who had been trying to sneak around the group to escape, dropping his serving tray and its contents on the ground. Luna tried to bend down to help but the butler had already thrown himself on the ground and was showering her with apologies ranging from, “forgive my idiocy” to “that was my mistake, I apologize for my lack of care”. His mouth moved at such a rapid pace while his hands collected all the plates and cups that had spilled, that Luna was impressed.


“Just clean up and get out of here you floundering thing,” spoke Elizabeth, who had come over to check out what the commotion was about.  


“Well, it was my fault for-” Luna never got to finish her sentence since the butler gave a louder apology that drowned her out while bowing deeply. A couple of other butlers quickly strode by and ushered him out the room.


“What were you saying?” asked Elizabeth who looked at her questioningly.


“I-nothing,” replied Luna, now noticing how many other kids were staring in her direction in a mixture of disbelief and disgust. 


“Good. Anyway, what were they going on about,” Elizabeth gestured toward Charlos and the other nobles who had now cooled down but continued to debate the worth of lead to royalty.


Luna briefed her on the issue and finally asked one question that had been bugging her. She hated feeling left out but what she hated even more was feeling dumber than other kids. Luna prided herself on educating herself on the matters of the outside world but this topic in particular was beyond her. “What lead are they talking about? My family says we have the finest jewelry but I’ve never heard of that?” asked Luna in a hushed voice in case anyone was eavesdropping.


Fortunately, Elizabeth didn’t look at her like she was dumb or tell her it should be obvious. She explained after seeing how everyone’s attention had re-focussed on the group still debating, “they’re referring to a white type stuff that is produced in Flevance, an island in North Blue. Supposedly it glitters in the sun and is very beautiful in person. It’s actual name is amber lead and it’s super popular to use in stuff like jewelry, makeup, and other things you’d want to show off. Of course, because it’s banned here I can only repeat what my parents have told me, I’ve never seen it for myself.”


“Why is it banned here if it’s so popular? Shouldn’t we be the first ones to get something so sought after?” replied Luna. She had not once heard of this substance and felt like she was being let in on a secret. Anytime she read books on other islands and the material and customs they had, she felt like she was reading a fictional story. All she really knew was what Mary Geoise and her family provided.


“Supposedly, now this is mostly a guess since the adults are keeping the real info to themselves, amber lead causes an illness that can kill you. I don’t have any more information than that but if the government recommends that we stay away from it then maybe that means it’s so toxic, they don’t have a way to keep us safe from its effects. Yet. It’s way better to see how humans react to it before we use it. I’m sure some nobles have things made from Flevance but I’ve never seen anyone walk around with something that could look like it. Probably keeping that stuff isolated until the government gives us the okay,” Elizabeth explained.


Luna nodded her head as Elizabeth spoke, perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing to come to these events. Although the other nobles such as Charlos repulsed her, Elizabeth was a fountain of information, Even though Luna didn’t feel entirely comfortable around her, she wanted to build a friendship with at least one person here.


A final glance at the grandfather clock told Luna that the meeting was officially over even though nobles were still talking to each other and butlers were still serving snacks and refreshments. She caught Elizabeth glancing at the clock as well and re-adjust a diamond pin in her hair.

“Well, it was. . .nice meeting you Luna. I’ll be seeing you around,” said Elizabeth, who was looking around the room like she was searching for someone.


“I’ll be goi-”


Not wanting her to just run off and never see her again, Luna quickly interjected, “where could I find you? I did enjoy our conversations and you’ve been very helpful. I want to learn more from someone so knowledgeable.” She made sure to lather on more praise in case Elizabeth really didn’t like her and had just been putting on a front for the past hour.


Unexpectedly, Elizabeth looked flattered and for a brief moment, happy, before responding to Luna.


“I live by the grove near the second gate entrance. It’s impossible to miss the mansion but if your driver does, ask the guards by the gates for directions to the Donquixotes,” she responded quickly as she eyed a tall man dressed in a similar fashion to the guards from earlier that had broken up the jewelry argument.

“Where do you live? I’ll send someone out to collect you so we can talk some more.”

“Pangaea Castle,” replied Luna, who was then confused at the suddenly bug eyed expression Elizabeth gave her. She didn’t think about it too much since Elizabeth quickly recovered after clearing her throat and putting on her neutral face.    


Giving one last look to Luna, Elizabeth began walking away. She did however take a pause to look over her shoulder and call out to Luna one last time, “don’t you forget about our favor for a favor talk earlier”. She quickly walked off to join the man who was now waiting by the door.


Relieved that she had something to tell her mother and Akasuki-san, Luna put down the mostly untouched glass she was still holding and started making her way to the doors she originally came through. She was glad that she had made at least one connection and had an idea of what the rest of the noble members were like. She didn’t feel like she had let down her mother today.


Letting out a sigh of relief and feeling a little pride as the heavily armoured guards opened the doors, Luna immediately made eye contact with Akasuki-san who was standing right where she left her. She smiled as Luna approached her and Luna nodded to her after Akasuki-san bowed slightly to her.


“Botolf is waiting outside for us Lady Luna,” Akasuki-san told her and they both began to make their way to the building’s front door.


Once they made their way out the doors and found Botolf waiting for them just as he had been that morning, with one arm offered out to them and the other tucked behind him.


There was no evidence left from the commotion this morning other than a suspicious looking rusty colored skid mark that Luna didn't recall being there before. There were a few people  nearby with buckets and mops. The smell of bleach wafted over when a gentle breeze passed.


Luna flinched at the harsh scent and looked at Akasuki-san who ignored her look, choosing to gently guide her over to Baldtolf. After guiding her and Akasuki-san onto the grizzly man from earlier, Akasuki-san let Baldtolf know they were ready to go.


The ride was just as unpleasant as it was earlier, Luna was convinced she was never going to get used to this form of transportation. She greatly preferred carriages pulled by horses or even walking but the animals require more maintenance than slaves and her mother looked scared when she had told her that she would rather walk.


A tickle appeared in the back of her throat and Luna did her best to suppress it. The meeting had taken a toll on her and she was beginning to feel fatigued. She took a deep breath to try and stay calm but the urge to cough was too great. Her hands squeezed her knees in an attempt to suppress the coughs.


A hand began rubbing her back as Luna was forced to lean over the edge of the carriage to let out a series of dry coughs that were followed by wheezes when she would try and breathe in. It took a few minutes for the cough attack to pass but Akasuki-san continued to rub circles on her back. The maid who had also been holding Luna’s hair from falling over her shoulder, stopped only when Luna sat back against the cushions in exhaustion.


Akasuki-san opened up the bag she was carrying and pulled out an inhaler and placed it over Luna’s  mouth. The minty taste of vapor entered Luna’s mouth and provided quick relief as she leaned into the opening of the device.   
         

Baldtolf threw a worrying glance back at them and gave a kick to the man under them to move faster but Luna didn’t notice in the cloud of panic that gripped her. 


“You’re fine. Don’t worry, we’re headed to the doctor now and your dose will probably be increased. Just stay calm,” Akasuki-san reassured her.


Although Akasuki-san was trying to make her feel better, her words only made Luna feel worse. While the doctor entertained Luna by teaching her the uses of different medical instruments he carried and explaining any procedure he was doing to her, Luna hated the reason she was even there.  She couldn’t remember a time where she didn’t have a doctor's appointment scheduled in the near future. Everytime she went she was poked and prodded and never given a reason as to why was as sick as she was.


Luna often had good days where she felt physically fine, but whenever she did anything that required extra energy, such as standing around talking to strangers (which in turn heightened her anxiety), her body would take a one eighty and remind her how normal she wasn’t.  


Luna had closed her eyes and hadn’t noticed how much time had passed but the ceasing of movement told her they had stopped. She heard shuffling and Baldtolf unmount. When Akasuki-san began to stand, Luna opened her eyes and saw they had arrived back at the castle.


“We aren’t going to the hospital?” Luna questioned.


“No. Come on now, he’s waiting inside for you,” Akasuki-san urged Luna, offering a hand to help her stand.


Luna gladly took her hand and got off the carriage with the help of Baldtolf who was waiting on the ground for her. Once Baldtolf made sure she was standing safely, he helped Akasuki-san down. Without another word, he nodded at Akasuki-san and bowed at Luna, turned and yanked the reins attached to the slave. Luna didn’t watch them leave as Akasuki-san was urging her along the staircase that led to the castle’s front doors.

The journey seemed to take an eternity. The staircases weren’t even that long but Luna needed to take a few breaks to catch her breath.

 “This is humiliating, I was fine this morning,” Luna thought to herself as she leaned over again to breathe in while Akasuki-san dutifully stood next to her.


Eventually the two made it to the tall white doors where a couple of servants opened them before they had a chance to get close enough to reach the knobs. As Luna and Akasuki-san walked inside they heard a quiet conversation going on between the doctor and Luna’s mother.


Her mothers waist length hair was down today and although she had likely been caring for her younger siblings all day, not a hair looked out of place. While Luna resembled her mother in many ways. hair color wasn’t a trait they shared. Her mother had told her that once upon a time, she’d had golden hair,it had just faded to the snow white color it was now due to stress. She’d also said she’d tell her all about it when Luna got older but perhaps since Luna had gone to the meeting and made a noble friend, her mother would tell her today. The possibility of finding out more about her mothers unspoken past excited her despite the chill atmosphere in the hallway they just walked into.

Despite admiring her mothers beauty and thinking about what stories she could hear later, Luna  noticed her mother had a concerned look on her face as she listened to what the physician was telling her. Her youthful face was marred by the wrinkles forming between her eyebrows and the frown her mouth was in. She had one hand held up to the dainty gold necklace she always wore and was fiddling with the pendant. The other hand was grasping the elbow of her other arm.


Luna, who had finally read the atmosphere, was hesitant to speak up and greet her mother. Akasuki-san had similar feelings judging by how she wasn’t saying anything but luckily the doctor noticed them before they stood there long enough to be awkward bystanders.  

“Aah look who it is! Luna, how are you feeling? You’re looking taller and more beautiful every time I see you!” The doctor joyfully said, his voice booming throughout the room. He was a tall and plump old man, Luna thought of him as being similar to Santa Clause due to his appearance. He was bald but had a long white beard. His bright red nose peaked out over his bushy mustache and his cheery eyes always made Luna comfortable. It also helped that he was supposedly one of the best physicians in the world, at least that’s what everyone seemed to tell her. Luna wasn’t sure what to think since she’d been his dartboard for his syringes as long as she could remember.


“Hello, I’m doing well, how are you Dr. La Clerc?” Luna asked, minding her manners and being careful with what she gave away since her mother was standing right there watching her.


“I’m doing well young lady, thank you for asking! Now today will be an easy day for you, I just need a few samples and to sit down with you and your mother to talk about what the next step for us is. Are you up for it? I even brought Spud for you today,” Dr. La Clerc said, pulling out a brown fuzzy stuffed bear from one of his enormous pockets. 

Luna didn’t have the heart to tell him she thought she was older and had outgrown stuffed animals and just took the bear with a smile on her face to show her appreciation. 


The group of four made their way to the right wing of the castle. There were hardly any servants that tended to this area that mostly had rooms that contained documents and expensive artifacts that served as trophies for the nobles. One of the rooms had been cleared out for the doctor's use and served as a makeshift clinic just for Luna. Other than her mother, La Clerc, and Luna, the only people who regularly came to this section of the castle were guards that patrolled the area.


When asked why the doctor would examine her on this side castle, Luna’s mother told her that there was less of a chance someone would be listening in and because she was a noble, she had to be private about her health.


Since the situation was so private, Akasuki-san was usually waved away before they got to the hallway with the room.  Even though her maid was privy to the fact that Luna had health issues that plagued her, she wasn’t aware of the specifics. If anything, she knew less than Luna did about her illness.

As usual, after they turned the first corner, Luna’s mother turned to Akasuki-san, “The kitchens require your assistance, your duties to Luna are finished for today,” she said with a cold tone.

Akasuki-san bowed to the group and walked away, disappearing around the corner they had just walked by. 

Luna felt her hand now being grasped by her mother. When she looked up at her mothers cerulean eyes that matched her own, her mother gave a small smile before refocusing on the doctor who had continued to walk ahead.   

Comforted in the warmth her mothers hand gave and the way it enveloped her smaller one, she followed suit.  

Chapter 4: Death I

Revised August 2025

One of the rooms had been cleared out for the doctor's use and served as a makeshift clinic just for Luna. Other than her mother, La Clerc, and Luna, the only people who regularly came to this section of the castle were guards that patrolled the area.

When asked why the doctor would examine her on this side castle, Luna’s mother told her that there was less of a chance someone would be listening in and because she was a noble, she had to be private about her health.

Since the situation was so private, Akasuki-san was usually waved away before they got to the hallway with the room.  Even though her maid was privy to the fact that Luna had health issues that plagued her, she wasn’t aware of the specifics. If anything, she knew less than Luna did about her illness.

As usual, after they turned the first corner, Luna’s mother turned to Akasuki-san, “The kitchens require your assistance, your duties to Luna are finished for today,” she said with a cold tone.

Akasuki-san bowed to the group and walked away, disappearing around the corner they had just walked by. 

Luna felt her hand now being grasped by her mother. When she looked up at her mothers cerulean eyes that matched her own, her mother gave a small smile before refocusing on the doctor who had continued to walk ahead.   

Comforted in the warmth her mothers hand gave and the way it enveloped her smaller one, she followed suit.  

 

---

They continued down the hall and made a few more turns before coming upon a large white door, not unlike the rest that led to different rooms in the hallways of the castle. The only difference between this door and the rest was that it was locked. Once the front door was opened, it immediately led to another door with a den den mushi near the door handle that required further verification that the individual entering was actually permitted to be there.

The first door they walked through gave a small click as the doctor locked it behind them, as they all stopped at the next door, Luna looked around to examine the small space they were in while the adults fiddled with the den den mushi.

The room was mostly dark with the exception of a couple of small ceiling lights above the door they needed to go through next. Looking at the floor, there were grooves along the edges of the floor they were standing on, a promise to drop any intruders to their deaths. Luna didn't know exactly what awaited anyone who tried to break into this room but she'd been told the floor would give way the first time she'd asked about it. Any failure to successfully undo the den den mushi's security system would also trigger an alarm to go off and cause the rest of the castle to be on alert for intruders.

A small *ka-chack* sound broke the silence in the room and the gears inside the door could be heard turning, eventually stopping after a final click. The doctor held open the door for them to walk through.

At first glance, the second room didn't look any different than a typical examination room someone could  find in any hospital. Luna knew better though, the computers in the room and the cabinets that lined one of the walls held the results for every test that she'd had. Data collected from every blood sample, sleep study, body scan, and other procedure was held in this room and the hospital.

Of course, there was no way the room was filled with just her data, her mother and grandfather also had examinations done and eventually their files were moved here as Luna grew older and her procedures just kept increasing in frequency.

Her mother led her over to the examination table and helped her up the steps on the end of the table. The paper film that lined the top of the foam topper on the table gave a crinkling sound as Luna sat down and tried not to shiver from the sterile chill in the room.  

Once again grasping one of Luna’s hands firmly in between her own, Luna's mother stood closer to the head of the table while Dr. La Clerc walked over, pausing only to grab a stethoscope off a hook near the table.

The physical proceeded as it normally did, Luna would take deep breaths while the doctor closed his eyes and focused on the sounds. Her mother would squeeze her hand and rub her thumb over her small knuckles while staring at the wall behind Luna's head, jaw clenched.

Snapping her out of her thoughts, Dr. La Clerc said, "Alrighty, you can hop off now, I just need your height and weight," his usual voice sounding a bit tired.

Luna, however, didn't notice. She had always been a little shorter than other people her age, not abnormally so but just enough for her to notice there weren't many people she physically looked down at.

“Maybe I grew taller this time . It hasn't been that long since my last checkup but you never know” she thought hopefully to herself.  

Luna tried to control her expression and nerves as she slid off the table and stood on a nearby metal box contraption and watched Dr. La Clerc start balancing the weights on the metal bar above her face.   

He sighed through his nose before writing her weight and brought down a plate that was attached to the wall on a track to the top of her head that would tell him her height. Luna stood as straight as she could, keeping her shoulders square and resisting the urge to tip toe. While he was busy writing down numbers on a clipboard he’d pulled out of nowhere, Luna glanced at the wall to see if she’d grown.

“Rats. Still 99 cm. I know I shouldn't have expected much but how long is it gonna take to catch up to everyone else…”, she was so close to breaking the 100 cm barrier she could taste it.  

Luna pouted and hopped off the scale as her mother and Dr. La Clerc guided her to two chairs that were placed in front of a desk on one side of the room. The desk had little knick knacks on it as well as folders stacked on top of each other, no doubt containing information Dr. La Clerc had yet to go over again.

He took a seat on the other side or the desk while Luna and her mother sat opposite of him. She once again took her hand and gently squeezed it.

La Clerc began after stroking his beard, “As I mentioned to you before, I will refer you to a colleague who I believe is much more capable of treating Luna and finding out exactly what’s going on with her body, or rather what isn’t,” he spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

“I’ve reached the end of what’s possible for me to do for you and as you are aware, this isn’t a normal case of child development. Our lord trusts this man and -” he held up his hand as Luna’s mother opened her mouth to say something, stopping her before continuing, “ I know you don’t trust someone anyone but he IS the best in the world at what he does, and he would stop at nothing to treat every patient.”


There was a moment of silence after that as Dr. La Clerc allowed his words to sink in. Luna’s mother had tightened her grip on Luna’s hand and Luna was beginning to get uncomfortable. Her hands were getting sweaty and she wanted to pull her hand away and leave the room but the atmosphere of the room made her very uncomfortable and unwilling to make any movements that could draw attention to her. 

The way they were discussing her as if she wasn’t there made her feel as if she was being kept out of the loop but she was also afraid as to what she would find out if she pushed for answers.


“I understand. Thank you for all your help, you’ve always been kind to us knowing what and who Luna and I are when you didn’t need to be. I know it’s not easy coming here and even though you didn’t have much of a choice, you’ve still at least acted like you care,” Luna’s mother said in a calm tone, even though her grip on Luna’s hand said she was anything but.


“You’ve treated Luna like she was just another child and I can’t thank you enough for that. I will go along with your referral because I trust you with my daughter and if that man is the kind of person you say he is, then I trust him too, “ this time Luna’s mother was more confident and she relaxed the hold she had on her daughter’s hand.   


Luna tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as her blood flow resumed in her poor hand, Dr. LaClerc gave a jolly smile.


“I am happy to hear that. Treating Luna has been a privilege and although there wasn’t much I could do for her other than monitor her progress, I am grateful for the opportunity. You’ve got a wonderful little girl there, she’s gonna grow up to be a smart woman one day!” Dr. La Clerc told her mother with a light chuckle, prompting her to give a small laugh in response.


“And you young lady,” Luna stopped looking at her squished hand and looked at the doctor to see him leaning over his desk to peer at her, “I fully expect you to never lose that willingness to learn and eventually grow into a lovely woman like your mother here. Don’t you go stressing out your mother and the boys your age you hear me?”


Luna nodded her head rapidly as the adults laughed at her reaction. They continued to have small talk and Luna felt her eyelids growing heavier, the activities she’s gone through today had worn her out. The scraping of chair legs woke her up and she turned her head to see her mother getting  out of her chair, gently pulling up Luna as Dr. LaClerc got out of his and walked over to the door, opening it for them.


At the doorway, Dr. LaClerc stuck out his hand and shook her mothers hand and then squatted a bit to shake Luna’s. His overly large hand completely enveloped hers and made her feel as if she was wearing a baseball glove. But it was soft and had a warmth similar to her mothers. 

Suddenly Luna began to feel tears gathering in the backs of her eyes and a knot forming in her throat. She didn’t understand what was happening and why she was suddenly feeling this way but she had the feeling that she would not be seeing Dr. La Clerc again. It’s not like he was her friend or anything but he was familiar. He was a kind, type of familiar. It took most of Luna’s concentration to fight the tears and look as calm as her mother did at the moment.


“I’ll send the bloodwork and files to Dr. Exquemelin right away, he should get in contact with you soon after. I’ve always found Lionel to be quick with these sorts of things, no matter where he is. Last I heard from him he was in Sabaody Archipelago so he should be able to see you soon as well,” Dr. La Clerk told her mother.


Luna’s mother nodded, “Thank you again. Take your time finishing up whatever you need here and I’ll send some people to take you back to the hospital.”


And with those final words, Luna’s mother began to walk through the doors and into the hallway. Luna was pulled along by her hand but looked back over her shoulder at the doctor just in case her fears were correct and she never would see him again. As they walked further away from the makeshift exam room, Luna briefly locked eyes with the doctor as he was closing the door. He had a tired look about him, like he had a large burden on his shoulders that he was too weak to carry. He looked very different from the joyful man that often spoke to her as she was put through unforgettable and often painful procedures. However, as soon as the doctor realized Luna was looking at him, Dr. La Clerc gave her a small smile that made his eyes twinkle and gave her a short salute which Luna returned as best as she could while walking away. Dr. La Cerc gave her a wink and then closed the door as Luna and her mother walked around the corner and out of view of the room.

____


The walk back to the main hall was quiet. The slaves that were busy dusting and tidying up the castle were the only ones making noise as Luna and her mother walked. It was like the castle had become colder, colder than how it usually felt. Luna was confused on what the past hour meant for her but she was sure it wasn’t good news.


They made their way up a staircase and towards Luna’s room. Her mother usually asked her how her day was and Luna expected her to ask if she met anyone at the meet but her mother said nothing. It was like she was waiting until they were behind closed doors, and Luna was correct. When they got to Luna’s bedroom door, her mother sighed again before opening it, letting her daughter in first before closing the door behind her.


She walked over to the bed and patted the spot next to her. Luna, who had been standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, quickly walked over and sat next to her mother.


“You know how I told you last year there was a reason you had to see the doctor more often than other kids your age, right?” Luna’s mother had turned and looked at her as she said this, bumping their knees together.


Luna hummed as she thought back to their conversation last year. She remembered her mother telling her how she wasn’t growing as normally as other kids and that because of their ancestors, it caused issues for her inside her body. She had explained that other kids didn’t feel tired as much as she did, nor did they have coughing fits that appeared out of nowhere. They also didn’t have to have surgeries or exams to look at their insides to see what was wrong.


“I remember. You said there was something wrong in here,“ Luna gestured towards her chest with one of her hands. “You said that you and grandpa are special but because my daddy wasn’t, that made something inside you go wrong. You said that I shouldn’t be scared because this has happened before.”


Her mother sighed a breath of relief, “Yes, that’s what I said. Sometimes I underestimate how much you actually remember.” She cleared her throat and leaned back so she was lying on Luna’s bed. Luna copied her and snuggled up to her side, cherishing the opportunity as her mother was often busy with other duties and her younger brother and sister.   

Luna relaxed as her mother put an arm over her shoulder, letting her rest her head on her mothers shoulder.“But why are you asking me about what you said last year?” Luna asked her mother, peering up at her. 


“Shh, I’m getting to that,” gently chided her mother, who began to stroke her hair. “Dr. La Clerc was your doctor for years but he doesn’t really know how to solve the problems you have, but that doesn’t mean no one else can either.”


“So am I getting a new doctor?”

“Yes. He is actually someone your grandfather trusts very much and perhaps one day you will too.” Her mothers voice trailed off as she kept her face facing the canopy of her bed, not giving Luna an opportunity to read her face. “He’s special like us but he’s also not like us if that makes sense.”

“...It doesn’t make sense.”

At Luna’s blunt reply, her mother let out a laugh, “I meant that he has a power that allows him to be the best at his job but it’s not like ours because we were born with our powers, they weren’t found. You’ll understand when you get older, don’t worry too much.”

Luna furrowed her brow, not understanding a word. “What power? I know my mother can do things others can’t because she says so but I don’t understand what she means with the doctor.”


“I’m still confused,” Luna grumbled, now frustrated. “Does that have anything to do with your hair?” She decided to just ask her mother since it seemed like she rarely got the opportunity to ask her mother about her past and her power.

Her mothers chuckles faded and she lowered her hand to squeeze her shoulder. “Like I told you before, stress is what changed my hair...but I guess my power had its part in the color as well. I want you to understand that the reason I may seem like I’m leaving certain things out isn’t because I think you’re too young, but because your skills aren’t where they need to be to hear such a story.”

Luna hummed as she tried to process what her mother was saying.

“So, tell me, how did your meet and greet today go?” her mother turned to her side to look at Luna better.

Excited to show off the connection she’d made today and the people she’d been told about, she spoke in a rushed pace about Elizabeth and the other nobles Elizabeth told her about. Her mother nodded as Luna  mentioned her dislike of Charlos and the conversation on the worth of metals she had listened to.

Luna’s eyes wandered around her room as she wondered if she should mention the gossip Elizabeth had shared with her today about Charlos’ lineage but the comment about “dirty blood” had been bothering her for reasons she wasn’t sure of.

“You look like you have something more to say?” Her mother questioned in a quiet voice, bringing Luna’s gaze back up to her own face.  


“...Is it true that people can have dirty blood? Elizabeth mentioned rumors about Charlos’ true parents and she said that because we’re supposed to be descendants of gods, anything lower would taint us.” Luna didn’t say much more because her mother’s tan face went from curious to angry and back to calm in what seemed a second.

“First of all, the idea of dirty blood is ridiculous, not to mention insulting to the majority of the world. It’s just untrue.” Her mother continued, “the society we’re in encourages this kind of thinking because we are at the top of the world in terms of who holds power and that means we can’t let anyone take that from us. I never want to hear you think that way, you understand?”

“Yes mother,” Luna sighed internally, she shouldn't have mentioned anything. She didn’t share the same opinion as Elizabeth but she just wanted her mother's opinion, not a lecture.   


“Besides, you shouldn’t even be thinking of such things. Your father was a good man who was killed by pirates because the marines couldn’t do their jobs properly.” Her mother went on with a huff, “Dirty blood? What a joke. Don’t let anyone try to accuse you of the that.”


Luna stayed quiet, her mother always had more liberal views and was clearly bothered by the term so in order to avoid another lecture she just stayed quiet. No point poking an angry bear.


Her mother sat herself up and stretched her arms over her head, turning her head to glance at the clock on one side of the room. They had been talking for longer than they realized and it was now almost dinnertime.

Luna wasn’t particularly hungry but  she knew she wouldn’t be excused from the table just because she didn’t have an appetite. Especially after the events earlier and the doctor appointment.


“Well then, let’s go to dinner now, no point in making Akasuki or anyone else walk all the way here just to fetch us,” and with that her mother got off Luna’s bed and watched Luna do the same, eyes looking for any dizziness or signs her body was giving out. Luna appreciated that her mother cared so much but sometimes it was mentally draining, to always feel as if she was being watched as if she would suddenly fall over and die.


The two made their way to the dining room to find her stepfather and siblings just getting seated. Akasuki-san was making her way to the front door Luna and her mother had walked through, stopping abruptly when she saw them. No longer needing to go find them, she gave Luna a small smile and bowed to her mother before turning around and heading back to the kitchens.


Her mother ignored Akasuki-san and made her way to the table, sitting on one of the chairs on the sides. The chair at the end was still empty, signalling that her grandfather hadn’t arrived.


Her siblings, Akuno and Himiko were sitting side by side looking like a perfect pair of fraternal twins, dressed impeccably for dinner, backs straight, and hands on their laps. They were only 3 years old but manners had been drilled into them at an early age, something her stepfather liked to bring up whenever he thought Luna wasn’t acting properly, “ whatever that’s supposed to mean”, she always thought to herself.


The twins were sitting across from their parents so she sat down next to Himiko, the twin she thought was easier to get along with. Her and Akuno’s relationship was always a little uncomfortable, maybe he thought girls were icky. Seeing her mother sitting directly across Himiko and her stepfather sitting directly across Akuno made her feel like she was standing out as the 5th member. The chair across from her remained empty and she was sitting the furthest from the chair her grandfather would sit in if he decided to be present. 

“Oh the curse of being the eldest”,  she comforted herself.


“So Luna, how did your job this morning go?” her stepfather asked. Luna knew what he was really fishing for. He just wanted to know if she’d made any valuable connections. He never asked the questions he wanted to ask outright. Whenever he was blunt, it was always to hurt others, something she’d experienced and seen.


So Luna reiterated what she’d told her mother, only with a more neutral and straight to the point sort of way. There was no point in sharing some of the things she’d found interesting as he would likely ignore them. When she mentioned the family Elizabeth was from, he scoffed.


“That’s as expected from you, I shouldn’t be surprised.” He said in a condescending way, which Luna wasn’t sure she should take personally. “That family isn’t normal so of course you’d be drawn to them”, he continued. 

While her siblings snickered, Luna looked down at her place mat, feeling embarrassed for some reason. She didn’t think Elizabeth was strange and she never gave her a reason to think the Donquixote family “isn’t normal”, as her stepfather put it.  


Her mother shushed the twins and turned to her husband, “Thomas, you shouldn’t speak of any noble families like that. Even with the positions we have, it wouldn’t be good to stir the pot.”


Luna was grateful for her intervention but her stepfather's response dampened that feeling.


“You’re too easy on her, Luca. She should show how grateful she is to be a part of this family by actually putting in the work and making valuable connections, not faux friendships with  nutcases.” His words were cold and Luna never felt as angry at him as she did today. She had prepared so much for today and her mother made her feel as if she accomplished something. Now, her mother’s lack of response to that only made her mood plummet as she continued to stare at the table and fisted the tablecloth that had bunched on her knees when she took a seat.    

The sound of a door opening broke the awkward silence as her grandfather’s servant made his way into the room, black robes flowing behind him as he walked briskly into the room. Luna had no idea what his name was, only that he would frequently appear in her grandfathers place. She rarely spoke to him. 


Although he was not her grandfather, he was treated as if he were at the same respectable level, everyone at the table got up as he made his way to the chair at the end and only sat down again after he took a seat. The servants in the kitchen quickly came out with silver platters stacked with food and bottles of wine. Before Luna had much time to linger on what her stepfather had said, food was placed in front of her and a hand appeared beside her, placing a glass of juice, mixed just for her. Luna glanced up at the hands’ owner and saw Akasuki-san hurrying back to the kitchen.  

Soon the clinging of forks and chewing filled the rooms as everyone began eating. Luna dared a glance at her grandfather's servant to find him exchanging glances with her mother. She quickly looked back down at her full plate and got to work, taking as large bites as she could without being rude, wanting to leave the dining room as soon as possible. She knew that if the children finished their food first, they would be sent away so the adults could talk amongst themselves. Glancing over at the twins, she saw that they were already about halfway done with their dinners, clearly wanting to leave as well.


The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Luna’s attention back to the end of the table. The servants piercing eyes locked on her own and froze her in place, “I received word that Dr. Exquemelin would be seen around here more often”, he said with a cold, deep voice.


“Yes, Dr. La Clerc believed that he had reached a wall in his progress and Dr. Exquemelin would be the better fit for Luna,” her mother replied, even though the question seemed like it was aimed at Luna to answer. He dragged his eyes off her and focused on her mother.


“Is that so? Well, Dr. Exquemelin is always welcome around these parts of the world,” her step father said, before taking a sip of wine.


The man at the end of the table ignored Thomas’ comment and looked back at Luna. “You will go back to your room after dinner and prepare for someone to come fetch you soon after. Our Lord may as well start on your lessons now. He feels you are ready,” his voice gave nothing away.


Luna had been told by her mother that she would be receiving lessons at some point but had no idea what they would pertain to. A glance at her mother told her that her mother disagreed with her grandfather's decision.


“Is there no way he will reconsider, she’s still too young. The lessons wouldn’t benefit her or us at this point,” her mother argued, face no longer resembling the relaxed look she had when she was talking with Luna in her room earlier. 

“On the contrary, this is the perfect time to see if she has any potential. If she’s going to die anyway, why bother waiting? May as well take advantage of Dr. Exquemelin’s presence as well,” he countered, knowing that no matter what, he would get his way.


Meanwhile, Luna’s blood had run cold. What was he saying? “I’m going to die?” She felt her stomach twist dangerously at the thought. But her mother had told her earlier she would be fine. She glanced at her mother for confirmation but she pointedly avoided making eye contact with her.


Luna barely noticed the other servants that came by picking up her and her siblings’ plates, Luna having finished her food earlier while the adults were talking. With a wave of his hand, her grandfather’s servant dismissed them. Akasuki-san and the other assigned servants helped pull out the childrens chairs and began escorting them back to their rooms.


Mind in a fog, Luna was in her room before she realized it. Akasuki-san was pushing her into the bathroom to change into more appropriate clothes for her lessons.


“You aren’t going to die. Don’t let those words get to you, you won’t die,” Akasuki-san’s quiet words of reassurance did little to make Luna feel better. She felt as if someone had dumped cold water on her head. Her grandfather was blunt but he had never ordered his servant to say that in front of her before. The thought of having to be around him again was making her feel so ill she thought her dinner was going to come back up.


“Luna!” Akasuki-san’s shout woke her up from her mental fog. She had been trying to push a comfy sweater and joggers in her hands while Luna had stood frozen.


“You need to listen to me. Dr. Exquemelin is the expert here, no one else is better than him. You can’t give up so easily when he isn’t giving up on you.” Akasuki-san’s words made sense but emotions weren’t so rational.  


“He doesn’t even know me, what if he does give up? What if my grandfather is right?” Luna could feel her throat closing and her eyes sting.


“Everyone dies, I’ll die, the other servants will die, your family, your friends will all die one day. It’s the one thing everyone, poor and rich, will experience at one point in their lives. That was nothing more than a scare tactic, you already went through so much today and even made a friend, are you really going to give up now because of some mean words?” Akasuki-san’s pep talk was getting through to Luna as she felt herself relax a bit.


“No, I’m not…” Luna replied quietly. She took the clothes Akasuki-san was pushing at her and began to change. Like the meeting, the lessons that awaited her would be just another job for her today.

Chapter 5: Red I

Revised August 2025


“Everyone dies, I’ll die, the other servants will die, your family, your friends will all die one day. It’s the one thing everyone, poor and rich, will experience at one point in their lives. That was nothing more than a scare tactic, you already went through so much today and even made a friend, are you really going to give up now because of some mean words?” Akasuki-san’s pep talk was getting through to Luna as she felt herself relax a bit.

“No, I’m not…” Luna replied quietly. She took the clothes Akasuki-san was pushing at her and began to change. Like the meeting, the lessons that awaited her would be just another job for her today.

---

The gray cotton sweatpants and hoodie made her comfortable and after the tense meal she’d gone through, the softness enveloped her and tempted her to curl up on her bed for some much needed sleep. Unfortunately, the peace the room had after Akasuki-san’s talk shattered when a knock tapped three times on the bedroom door. 

Akasuki-san walked over and opened the door, revealing a man (at least what Luna believed was a man), wearing a full suit of armor. He was carrying a spear made of silver and had no unique features that distinguished him from the other guards that walked the castle's halls. Luna could only guess whether she had met the man before or not by the sound of his voice.


“I have come on the behalf of our lord to collect Lady Luna,” said the figure in a stern tone. His gravelly voice gave no emotions away, Luna hated speaking to the guards precisely for this reason. She could never read them by their voices and since their faces were covered by their helmets and face guards, she couldn’t see their expressions either. It was like talking to a robot.


“She is ready,” Akasuki-san nodded to the guard and turned to give a short bow to Luna, her queue to leave with the guard. 

Luna stepped out of her room and into the hall following the armored man who had begun to walk away the moment she stepped past her bedroom door frame.  

She had to quicken her steps to keep up with the larger ones the guard was taking, unlike the majority of servants in the castle, a select few didn’t seem to care who she was. These few were all members of her grandfather's inner circle.  

It seemed like the guard was one of the people closely involved with her grandfather as the guard didn’t bother checking behind him to see if she was keeping up.

After what felt like eons, they arrived at a door that was quickly opened by the guard. The door opened up to a room that made it seem as if they were going to go outside to the gardens.


Instead, the room they had entered was the room of flowers, as it was referred to by the guards that watched the entrance. Luna had only been inside once before but she could barely recall the memory as she had been much younger and had been brought by her mother because she didn’t feel safe leaving Luna unattended in her room. Over the years her mother had grown more confident in Luna’s ability to take care of herself and not mindlessly walk into danger. Even though the castle was her home, Luna knew she was restricted from certain areas that either her grandfather kept to himself or areas that the government used.    

The guard stood off to the side and gestured that she continue down the stone path that led further into the room. The stone path had moss, grass, and weeds growing in the crevices between each block. The unmaintained wildness of the path matched the vibes of the foliage that grew in the room. Luna couldn’t even begin to identify the flowers and other plants that grew in the room, They were beyond anything she’d ever seen. Whenever she was allowed to go out in the city, the only wildlife she saw were the plants that hung outside of boutiques. At home, flowers were always fresh and trimmed perfectly. They were always tidy and wrapped securely inside a vase with a ribbon to finish the look.

As Luna continued her way down the path, she allowed her fingers on both hands to ghost along the leaves and flowers that grew in tall shrubs that lined the path on either side. She felt like she was in the fairytale story her mother read her once, about a princess that lived on an island called Verde but dreamed of being a warrior despite her small size.


Luna already knew she was short and while that wasn’t something she constantly thought about, she felt dwarfed by the massive greenery that surrounded her.


She imagined herself running through the wild with plants like this surrounding her. She imagined she was running, healthy, and not out of breath as she usually was, after fighting some large creature with her friends and saving a village. She liked to imagine herself as the hero in the stories her mother read to her. To have a life full of adventure, to have a life where she could do anything she wanted. She knew they were just stories and as Luna looked up, the glowing white ceiling served as a stark reminder of reality. She was in a cage made of gold, silver, and precious jewels. But at the end of the day,  a cage is still a cage. She truly wanted to know what the world was like, she knew her mother, and likely her grandfather, had left the safety of their country. The last time she had mentioned the possibility of going on an excursion to another country like other nobles had, her mother and Akasuki-san looked distressed and told her that the journey was completely unnecessary. Everything she could ever need or want was right here, in this country. 


Luna sighed out loud as she remembered those words and as the shrubbery grew shorter and shorter the more she walked. She came to the end of the path that led to an open area that exposed the center of the room. There she could see a larger variety of plants; trees, flowers, weeds, grass, vines, bushes, all of different species. Something tickled her head and Luna reached one hand up to flick away whatever had touched her. A brief fluttering feeling, like tissue paper rapidly tapping her fingers startled her before she saw a butterfly flying away. Its baby pink wings flapped quickly as it disappeared behind some hanging vines nearby.


The sound of crunching grass made her turn as she spotted her grandfather, dressed in a black cloak as he always was, making his way over to her. 

 

“Rather than look around like a lost animal, shouldn’t you sit down?” he quipped as soon as he was close enough for him to hear.

Luna quickly made her way over to a couple of chairs that she hadn’t noticed nearby. She remembered her mothers words, “He has both a gentle and horrible temperament. It would be wise to just stay out of his way and avoid being a nuisance.” 

Luna took the advice to heart, her grandfather was someone so powerful, he didn’t find it fitting to get very close to her parents or her siblings. The few times he ever did show himself were so rare, she could count them on one hand.


Now seated in one of the two pure white wooden chairs that were in the middle of the clearing, she nestled her butt in the seat more comfortably as she glanced over at her grandfather taking slower and more patient steps. The look on his eery youthful face was blank but his eyes were different. They were focussed on her in a creepy way that made Luna break eye contact with him and glance at some flowers nearby.

The look in his eyes didn’t have the same appearance her mother’s, step father’s, or even Akasuki-san’s did. His eyes looked like they were seeking prey. Luna had seen drawings of wild animals eyeing down smaller creatures before they pounced and her grandfather’s eyes greatly reminded her of them.

She swallowed as his footsteps came around and paused behind her chair. He didn’t bother taking a seat in the other white chair next to her. 


“Do you know why I asked you to come here?” he asked her tonelessly.


Luna didn’t want to give him the wrong answer but she was scared that if she took too long to say anything, he would assume she ignored him and get angry.


“Because I’m ready for your lessons”, she said, attempting to sound more confident than she felt.

“Yes and no. You are ready in the fact that if we wait any longer, any results your training has will be pointless if Dr. Exquemelin is unable to help you”. Luna was so confused by his words. 

Luna knew he was a good foot or so away from the back of her chair but his voice sounded like he  may as well be leaning over her and speaking right into her ears. Nothing about this man was comforting and thinking about what Akasuki-san had said before Luna left her room was about all she could do to keep herself calm.


“ He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying to scare me. He’s just trying -”


“Well, anyway”, he placed his gloved hands on her shoulders, long bony fingers curling around them. They were cold and may as well have belonged to a skeleton. His pointed nails curled into her skin near her collarbone, promising pain if she moved away. “Let’s get started. Close your eyes.”

Luna squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands into fists on her lap.


Nothing happened for several moments, Luna could only hear herself breathing. As there was no wind in the room of flowers, she couldn’t even hear the leaves of the trees rustling. A sharp stinging pain appeared in her left arm and Luna quickly raised her right hand to cover the area, still not willing to open her eyes as her grandfather hadn’t given her the okay yet. Not long after she raised her hand to cover the area affected, the same hand felt two quick pricks of pain on the back of it. Luna couldn’t stop the quick hiss that escaped her mouth.

“Pain is the fastest way humans can learn. Naturally, human instinct influences the way you react to it. If you have the survival instinct anything worthy of being alive has, you will avoid it. Unless you are a masochist that actively seeks it, you will actively learn how to effectively avoid it.” Her grandfather's cold voice spoke out, this time sounding like it came from in front of her. Luna could barely understand what he was talking about, even less, understand what had just happened.


“Put your hand down, shut up, and learn.” His cold voice spoke out once more as she yanked her hand down to her lap and another prick of pain hit the top of her left shoulder.


The flashes of pain went on for what felt like forever. Normally Luna wouldn’t complain over such small sensations but the pain from all the pricks she was feeling was accumulating. She couldn't feel her fingers anymore as she had been clenching her fists for an unknown amount of time. 

Breaking the silence, her grandfather’s voice snapped with a tinge of annoyance showing through his words, “Open your eyes and look at yourself you useless thing,”


Hesitantly Luna opened her eyes, her grandfather was sitting in front of her with his legs crossed. Again, his face gave nothing away but his eyes and voice were good indicators at showing how displeased he felt with her. Knowing that she had upset him made Luna’s stomach twist and caused her to stiffen. She quickly looked down at her arms and legs to prevent her grandfather from having to repeat himself. The sight that was waiting for her nearly made her scream out, it was only the possibility that such a reaction might push her grandfather's patience past its limit, that stopped her. 


The clothes that she came into the room wearing were originally a light gray color. Now they had several spots where red was bleeding through. Luna knew what blood looked like as Dr. LeClerc had always wanted her to know how her body worked and why he needed samples from her. The soreness that emanated from her arms, hands, and legs was similar to the needle pricks Dr. LaClerk would give her when he had to do a blood draw. Except this time, she wasn’t holding her mothers hand or a stuffed animal while she was being poked.  Except this time, the pain and soreness wasn’t just coming from one spot. She could hear someone nearby gasping for breath but couldn’t focus on where it was coming from as the horror she felt was building and quiet panic was causing her throat to close the longer she stared at her now blood stained clothes. 

“Th-theres so much of it.” The gasping she was hearing sounded more like wheezes now, but it was just background noise. “That is blood but why is it on me? Am I hurt? But all I’m doing is sitting here?There’s no way that’s mine, my body hurts but it has to be because I’ve been sitting here for hours, there no w-”


Her head snapped to the side and pain exploded on her left cheek, the sound of a slap ringing throughout the room. Tears filled her eyes and Luna swallowed several times to prevent sobs from escaping her mouth. The foliage she had her eyes trained on that brought her comfort earlier now mocked her. It continued to be beautiful and grow, the flowers continued to radiate vibrant colors and were still homes for the cute butterflies that landed on them. It looked like it belonged in another world, totally safe from what she was experiencing now. Instead of feeling like she was in a fairytale where she was the main character, she felt like she was looking through a glass at something pure and untouched, far out of her reach.


“Weak. The only advantage you have is that you seem to have some degree of control over your emotions. I expected you to be crying on the floor,” the chuckle that left her grandfather gave her chills. He continued, “At the very least, perhaps having a visual example of what happens when you don’t protect yourself will build your will.”


Luna still didn't understand what he was talking about. She didn’t  understand what he wanted her to do. She kept her eyes focused on the rest of the garden that looked far more peaceful than it should have. 

A stinging feeling around the cuticles of her thumbs had her glancing down once again at her lap, where her hands were resting. She had been picking at the flesh around her nails subconsciously from the stress. The skin was pink in several places and droplets of blood were beginning to form in areas where the skin had torn. She tucked her thumbs into her fists and squeezed them, willing the stinging to go away. To at least rid her of that pain. 

She was able to calm herself as much as she felt was possible and carefully glanced at the chair in front of her, seeing her grandfather calmly sitting in it. 

He sighed, “As unsurprising as this experience was, there was at least something for me to take from this.” He stood up out of his chair and adjusted his cloak as Luna cautiously looked on, expecting another strike. 

“You will be receiving more lessons, albeit not from myself every time. There is much to do and not much time left for you. I may as well gather whatever findings I can while you’re still breathing.”


He began to walk off, the grass under his shoes now not making any sounds, as if he wasn’t putting pressure on the ground at all. 

She looked away, focusing her eyes on the garden again. The fading sound of his cloak rustling the grass was the only indication that he was getting further away. Once she could no longer hear anything, she chanced a look and saw that she was alone in the room. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, she started counting back from 100 to ease her shaky breath. 

She had so many questions. “ Did I anger my grandfather recently? Did mother anger my grandfather?” She immediately wanted to smack herself at the thought. Her mother always looked out for her, she always tried to warn Luna about angering her grandfather, there’s no way she would risk having him take out his anger on Luna.
         

Luna gingerly stood up after reaching 0. She felt much better after spending some time in the safety of her own mind. As she put weight onto her legs, she felt the sting in her muscles due to her injuries. 

She slowly made her way to the door she entered and saw that no one was waiting for her. “ Strange, where is the guard?”, she thought to herself before deciding she wasn’t going to wait for someone to come get her, this room that was once a sanctuary for earth’s pure creations, was tainted. 

She placed her hand on the door’s knob and turned, leaving small streaks of blood on the gold handle. In any other situation she would have been embarrassed but at that moment, she couldn’t care less. All she wanted was to go back to the safety of her room. 

Right after pushing the door open, she almost screamed at the sight of a metal suit that blocked her vision as soon as she opened the door. The guard that was standing on the other side of the door didn’t flinch at the sight of her. 

“ Why is he out here? He didn’t try to come inside?” The list of questions Luna had in the back of her mind to ask her mother and Akasuki-san later kept growing. Usually the guards were protective to the point where it was a nuisance. Luna thought they were stifling, whenever she was anywhere outside of her own room, they were there. They weren’t always in arms reach, but Luna knew they were always there, watching hers as well as everyone else’s movements. Her mother had explained to her that the guards were supposed to protect them with their lives, which explained the paranoid behavior. All the rooms in the castle were soundproof to prevent eavesdropping maids from gossiping which is why when rooms like the Butterfly room were used, there was always at least one guard standing inside with the occupants.


“My lady,” was all the guard said before he made an abrupt turn and began to walk off in the direction Luna remembered walking from when she was first brought to the Butterfly Room. 

After hearing the quiet click of the door behind her shutting, she followed the strange guard.


The walk back to her room was quiet and as uneventful as the walk from it, however it gave her time to think about how much had happened.

“...How long was I in that room? I left my room after dinner so it couldn't have been much later than 6pm.”  As they walked down a hallway, Luna looked out the windows in the hallway that overlooked the inner courtyard of the castle. Although the windows were situated quite high, she could just barely see the streaks of light made by the lamp posts through the windows, the sky looked pitch black, it was still early summer so she must have been away for some time.    

After a few more minutes of silence, only broken by the clinking of the guards armor, they arrived in front of Luna’s bedroom doors. The guard abruptly stopped, making Luna crash into his back, crushing her nose against the metal plate covering him. The guard did not budge or acknowledge her as she gingerly clutched her throbbing nose. He simply clicked his heels and made a sharp turn to face away from the door, pressing his back against the wall to the left of her bedroom doors. He placed the butt of his lance on the floor and stood as still as an empty suit of armor, signaling that his task of escorting her was done.

“Tank you” Luna murmured while covering her nose with one hand and using the other to open one of the doors to enter her room. After closing it behind her, she let out a sigh and leaned against the closed doors, dropping her hand away from her face. The room was dark except for the light that streamed in through the window on the other side. Knowing there was a guard on the other side of the door, she reluctantly pushed herself away and made her way to the bathroom. Her hand paused on the button that would turn on the light.


“I don't want to see”, the memories of what she saw in the Butterfly room were still too fresh and now she had to clean herself up. But without the bathroom light turned on, all she could see was a faded silhouette of her reflection in the mirror. The hint of light provided through the window gave her just enough sight to make out the shapes of objects on the counter and the bath. Letting her hand drop from the wall again, deciding against turning on the light, Luna began to undress. It was dark outside so it was probably late enough that Akasuki-san wouldn’t come in to check on her.


Her top came off fairly easily, with the occasional sting here and there from lifting her arms above her head. Her pants however were an issue. “ Come on Luna, be strong”, she tried to encourage herself. Inch by inch she peeled off her joggers. The blood had dried and crusted, her skin glued to the fabric of her pants. The more she peeled the cotton off her skin, the more fresh scabs became irritated or just ripped off. She held her breath as she slowly finished removing the now ruined article of clothing, tears collecting in her eyes again. 

She balled up her clothes and placed them on the counter, unsure of what to do with them. She couldn’t help but feel like she was going to get in trouble and needed to hide them from her mother and Akasuki-san. “Whatever, I’ll deal with them later,” She thought to herself and she felt her way around the bathroom to the large tub that sat several feet away under a large window. There was a long and wide windowsill on the other side with various flowers to prevent any wandering eyes that may be outside. The moon light that came through the window gave the tub an almost eerie glow. 

Luna grabbed the edge of the tub to steady herself while she reached out with one hand to grab one of the knobs and turned it on, releasing a gush of streaming water into the tub. She tapped a silver button near the knob to stop the tub from draining and carefully pulled one leg up over the edge and into the slowly rising water. She gripped the edge with both hands as her muscles protested the action, sliding her other leg over as well. She let out an audible sigh of relief as she allowed her legs to stretch out in the tub, water sloshing the sides. Her back slightly slid down but her head remained above the water. 

She lazily lifted one hand and turned the knob the other way to stop the flow of water. Her eyes trailed the water as she pulled her hand back under the water, small ripples forming from the disturbance. She finally allowed herself to just lay there, staring blankly at the water. 

“What happened?”, she asked herself. She knew her grandfather wasn't one to be crossed but she had done nothing to anger him lately. She thought hard about what she could have done these past few days that may have triggered him. 

“The meeting of nobles? No, it's not like I caused a scene and I did make connections with Elizabeth...I could have tried talking to more people but if Grandfather wanted me to meet a specific person he would have said something. Does it have to do with my doctors?” Luna felt herself trembling, remembering her grandfather's cold words at dinner. “Maybe he’s just jealous that I'll be seen by the best doctor from now on”, Luna immediately snorted at the thought, there's no way her grandfather was that immature.    

She used her hands to gently rub at her skin, the water sloshing slightly at the movement. There was stinging here and there but the pain felt minimal compared to what she had just been through earlier. She eyed the small bottle of soap that sat near the edge of the tub, daring herself to use it. It would hurt but it was better than answering Akasuki-sans questions in the morning. She willed herself up and pumped  a couple handfuls of before vigorously rubbing her body. 

More tears filled her eyes once more as she grinded her teeth, pushing past the burning sensation the soap caused her injuries. The moonlight did little to help her see whether all the blood had come off but she was too afraid to turn on the light. 

After the water felt bubbly and her body smooth, she drained the tub of the water. Turning the knobs again to let fresh water in, she rinsed herself off the best she could.


Turning the knobs to cut the stream of water, she pulled herself over the edge of the tub and slowly made her way to a nearby closet that was stocked with fresh towels. She opened the door and blindly grabbed one that felt particularly thick. Just as she was about to throw it around her shoulders, she paused. 

“What if I get blood on the towel? Someone is going to notice…” but she had no choice, she couldn’t go to bed soaking wet. Quickly patting herself dry, she vigorously rubbed her hair and balled up the towel before shoving it as far back into the closet  as she could. Before forgetting, she grabbed the clothes she left on the counter and shoved them beside the towel. She used the lowest shelf as it was the least used and  she rearranged the unused towels to sit in front of her soiled things. No one should notice.


She gently closed the closet door and used the moonlight to guide herself out of the bathroom. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the soft padding of her feet as Luna made her way over to the dresser where her pajamas and other casual clothes were found. She blindly grabbed any soft nightgown and threw it over her head, forcing her arms through the armholes. 

After taking a second to smooth out the dress, she made her way over to her bed. Crawling under the covers and bundling herself as tightly as she could, she took deep breaths before counting down from 100, a technique her mother taught her to do whenever she felt scared or nervous. 

The exhaustion she experienced from the day completely sank in and she was asleep before she reached 90.

 

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Note: There IS another chapter on the way, it's 1/5 done. It sucks when you know how you want the middle and end of the story to go but the beginning has a lot of gaps. 

The love of my life encouraged me to keep working on this story so I revisited it, brainstormed, and edited the chapters I have. I will be making shorter chapters because I feel the length was a major obstacle that caused me to procrastinate with updates, to the point I didn't update for YEARS. Another major challenge with this story is the POV of a child. Children have some degree of critical thinking but its obviously not like an adult. I haven't been a kid for a long time so it's hard to think like one. Luna is supposed to be intelligent but I don't want her to seem like a genius or adult stuck in the body of a child.

Anyway, I am very sorry to people who waited for an update. This story has been sitting on my mind the past few years. It's like I have a story in my brain but the moment I start typing, the story disappears. I don't want to be an author that just never updates again.