Chapter 1: Disobedience

Prostatévo - a kingdom where the legend of the moon lives. It is located on the eastern side of Magia.

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Everyone in the kingdom of Prostatévo and the people under it rejoiced in celebration of the princess's birthday. The princess is now eight years old and has been protected by the palace for two years in a very high tower, where no one can see or reach her.

She was lying on her arm while gazing at the scene below, not very visible but obviously everyone was having fun.

The door of her hiding place which she considered to be her bedroom opened. She looked at it and saw that her friend Arayan had just entered. It was hiding something in his back so Luna sat down properly and a smile drew on her face as if she already knew what was there.

Arayan bowed to show respect to the princess. "Good day Luna and happy birthday, I hope you are having a good time. I have a gift for you but you need to close your eyes first."

Luna nodded and closed her eyes as it said.

"Can I open my eyes now?" the princess asked, the excitement of seeing the gift was obvious in her smile. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a bracelet.

"I'm sorry but this is all I can give you. Don't worry because I made it myself and it came from my heart." Arayan showed a genuine smile. 

Luna held out her hand in front of Arayan, "I will accept everything from you."

For some unknown reason Arayan's heart suddenly beat fast, he didn't know if it was because he was nervous about putting the bracelet on the princess's wrist or because of what he felt for her.

Arayan is a year older than Luna. They were still young but Arayan already loved her, this is what his father taught him. To love and protect the princess, they all love it but who can say…that maybe this love will grow and the love his father taught him would change.

Luna looked at the gray bracelet that resembled the color of a moon in the sky, just like her eyes. It has a half moon pendant, "Thank you, I am so thankful because I have a friend like you. I love you, Arayan."

Arayan scratched his head and smiled. "I love you too, Luna. There are many of us who loves you, but always remember that I love you more than they do." Despite the nervousness he felt he was still able to wink at the princess.

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Several years passed until the princess celebrated her birthday again and she is now eighteen years old. Like her previous birthdays, she was only here in her room where she had been hiding for a long time, she still did not fully understand why she had to hide here for so long even though it had been explained to her by her father.

She was just looking at the door as if waiting for someone to come, in her past birthdays she had only been with Arayan the whole day while her father seemed to be just passing by her room and leaving a gift for she had something to focus on, such as painting and sewing equipment. 

While looking out the window, she kept wondering why her friend took so long. The vast town outside their kingdom, were celebrating her birthday even though they hadn't seen her for a long time.

The princess who was only six years old was seen by some before. Now she is of the right age, they are wondering what she looks like.

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"No one can approach the princess anymore, even Arayan. I will forbid him to go to her."

"But Your Majesty, I can't harm Luna," Arayan insisted. They are here now on the balcony of the King’s room, while the representatives of the kingdom are in the hall and celebrating the princess’s birthday. 

The King's gaze fell on him.

"Sorry for what my son did, I am very much asking for forgiveness," Edmondo apologized, the father of Arayan. 

"Father, I'm a good friend, I can't hurt Luna- Ouch!" Arayan complained when he was secretly stepped on by his Father.

"I'm really sorry, your majesty." Edmondo apologized again and bowed for the life of his son.

"Why are you apologizing, father? I'm just telling the truth. Luna is my best friend! Ouch!" Arayan grabbed his shoe as his Father stepped on it again.

"I sincerely apologize," Edmondo bowed several times but what he wanted to convey still did not reach Arayan.

"Father!"

"Stop it," the King's command caused Edmondo to stand up straight, "I just want to protect my daughter, you understand that Edmondo. When Luna was only six years old, she almost perished when someone tried to take her life…"

( Six-year-old Luna was excited as she ran with Arayan up in a hill.

"Got you!" Arayan hugged Luna from behind. 

They stopped running and lay on the grass. Different shapes of clouds are in the calm and relaxing blue sky, each strand of the grass moves in the summer breeze as easily as Luna's hair, with the chorus of the birds above, this chill day already feels as if it has a touch of magic.

"I always want us like this, Arayan." Luna held Arayan's hand.

"Always lying on the grass?" he asked innocently, he could feel Luna's hand caressing each of his fingers, his cheek was red as if all his blood had risen to his face.

"No, I mean I want us to always play. I want us to always be together. You and I, the two of us."

"Ah?" Arayan nodded while gaping. 

The smile on Luna's lips and Arayan's gaping mouth gradually disappeared when they saw a big shadow. They stand up in no time to look back at the big creature that blocked the blue sky.

"Arayan!" Luna immediately hid behind Arayan when they saw a werewolf.

He tried to protect the princess but the werewolf repelled him and grabbed Luna by the clothes to lift her into the air.

"Let her go!" Arayan shouted while beating the werewolf on its body. 

The wolf retaliated with a loud shout, almost sweeping him away with the force of the wind that came out with saliva.

"Please, take this sweet and let me go!" Luna presented her food thinking the werewolf would accept it.

A woman with a black hood came, with just a flick of her finger her former ferocious wolf turned into a gentle little creature. Luna fell on the grass so Arayan immediately accompanied her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." This is all the woman said before leaving in front of them. )

"But only the woman who gave birth to the former queen did that to us, because it's important that we keep an eye on Luna-" Before Edmondo stepped on him again, he immediately avoided it and continued what he was going to say.

"Because when the time comes that the woman says where the blood will be shed, Luna-ah the princess will be damned because she can be used for evil."

The king raised an eyebrow at him.

"All I want to say is that I can't hurt the princess. I'm here to protect her, I won't let others use him for evil. As long as I live, I will not let them carry out their evil plan." Arayan almost begged for the king to show his good intention to his daughter.

"I still won't allow it," the king disagreed.

"What?!" He accidentally shouted at the king, "Uh…spare my life." He immediately apologized as well as his father.

"I still cannot be sure if you will be as faithful as your father," the king replied.

"But we're all loyal to you, I'm loyal to you, especially with Luna...the princess." But he still didn't convince the king. He just decided to leave in front of them and locked himself in the room while his father stayed by the king's side.

"I'm sorry but my son can't hurt the dear princess, I know you're just protecting your child but don't you think that the princess just becomes happy every time she is with Arayan?" Edmondo asked, they were the only two left in the room.

"Every time I visit the princess to bring her something to eat, I always see her staring into absence. Is that what you want to happen to her? How long will you keep her?" he added.

"I will keep her until the time the woman says comes."

Twelve years have passed since the woman appeared again to warn the king of what could happen if they let Luna leave the kingdom, especially since they are not the only ones who know about the legend of the full moon.

As long as the princess is not of the right age and knows nothing about fighting especially in her ability they should take care of it.

"But the woman said the princess has a hidden ability. How do we know that if we just hide her?"

"Don't question my decisions."

"Yes, your majesty."

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Luna's birthday ended and Arayan didn't even visit her. She understands that she needs to be protected but what she doesn't understand now is why even on her birthday her father didn't let her only friend enter her room.

The king visited the princess but only for a moment, he just gave the gift to her and left immediately.

Luna watches the half moon, surrounded by gleaming stars. Its color is blood as if something bad happens every day.

"When will I be able to go down to see the ground up close? It's not that I'm tired of looking at the sky, I just really want to feel the feeling of stepping on the grass again," she said as if someone would listen to her rants in life.

"Mom…will I be safe if I go out?" she asked as she looked up at the sky. "I'm so anxious to see you mom, I haven't even seen you. Maybe you're as beautiful as I am?"

"Who said you're beautiful?" 

The princess turned her head spontaneously when she heard that voice, she had been looking forward to it before so she couldn't hide her excitement. Big smile drew on her face when she saw Arayan leaning against the door.

The princess's footsteps hit the floor several times until she reached the young man, she hugged Arayan tightly and he did the same.

"I thought you weren't coming," Luna said tearfully, it was as if they had not seen each other for a long time because of their tight hug of each other.

"I can't do that," Arayan said with a smile. 

The princess moved away to look at him, "Do you have a gift for me? Even if my birthday is over?" Tears welled up in her eyes, she had been holding it back earlier but she didn't know if she could stop it from dripping now that the man she had been waiting for was in front of her.

The corners of Arayan's lips turned upwards. "Sorry but this is all I can give you right now," he whispered. 

The princess nodded and closed her eyes: they always do it every birthday, she has to close her eyes before getting her gift.

Arayan brought his face close to the princess to kiss her on the lips but when he was close to his destination he stopped and closed his eyes. 

He shouldn’t do it if he wants to live any longer.

Arayan's lips touched the princess's forehead causing it to open her eyes in shock.

"What's that for?" Luna swallowed as she watched Arayan look at her seriously.

"That's all I can give now. I am ready to accept the punishment you will inflict on me, your highness." 

Luna bent down and played with her fingers. "It's not that I don't like your gift but is that all?" She couldn't look Arayan in the eyes, her cheeks were red and her heart was beating fast.

"Why? Do you want me to add more?"

Luna looked the other way and nodded shyly.

"If that's what you want." He carefully held Luna's neck where it tickled a little. He kissed her on both cheeks as well as on the nose. 

Luna just smiled and hugged him tightly, "You don't know how sad I was earlier, I thought you weren't really going. My father visited me, but also left right away."

Arayan hugged the princess tightly when he heard her sobbing.

"I'm already here. Stop crying,"

"Why did you go at this time? It's already midnight."

"Actually…your father did not allow me to go to you but because seeing me is the way for you to be happy I disobeyed his order."

Luna let go of his hug and punched him softly for what she found out.

"Ah!" Arayan complained, he grabbed his left arm because of the pain he felt even the princess's punching was only weakly done.

"Why? Did I hurt you? I just punched you a little, didn't I?" Luna asked worriedly. She tried to hold Arayan's arm but he immediately moved away from her.

"Just kidding," he smiled. 

Luna rolled her eyes, she would have punched Arayan but his arm immediately went in the other direction, guarding that the princess might hurt him again.

"Why did you disobey the king's order? He can punish you and it could be death. Aren't you scared?"

"I want to see you, you want to see me. Basically, we need to see each other. Like you said, you’re sad when I’m not around and so am I. If I obeyed the king, we would both be sad," Arayan pouted, "You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Luna sighed heavily, "I want to be with you but I don't want you to perish because of me."

"I've done it, so don't think about it anymore. Go to sleep, your highness. Just always remember that I love you, all right?" He gently held the princess's hand.

"Yeah…I love you too, Arayan," she said sincerely. 

He held her hand tightly when he heard those words.

"I-I love you so much and you're so important to me because you're my b-best friend." Luna bit her lip and looked the other direction. It was as if she was restraining herself from saying something that would not be good for the two of them.

Arayan's grip on Luna's hand loosened, he felt disappointed but what did he expect? They are really just friends.

Until he came out of the room, he still couldn't forget what the princess said.

( "I-I love you so much and you're so important to me because you're my best friend." )

He left the princess sound asleep, on the days he was here, he had to stay until the princess was already feeling drowsy. They only meet once so they spend their time together.

After looking at the princess's door and saying goodbye to it from his mind, he decided to leave, but a well built man who glared at him blocked his way.

His whole being was shaken when he saw the glorious king of Prostatévo, he bowed to show respect.

"Follow me."