Prologue

Verendus, the ruling alpha of the realm burned his dear wife's body together with their stillborn son earlier today. Hours after that, while his heart still breaks for his lost and tears still up on the corners of his swelling eyes. He now sits on the middle of the long table. Lending an ear to realm's parliament.

"The Alpha must marry as soon as possible to strenghten the crown. We can't go on for days with this kind of uncertainty," said by Zuiveren, Verendus' advisor and honorable hand.

The alpha opened his eyes. His ocean blue eyes met Zuiveren's raven black orbs. Verendus stopped playing with his ring. He positioned the ends of his elbow on top of the table, his eyes roaming to the members of the parliament whose mouth are tightly shut now as of this moment.

"And what kind of uncertainty it is that we are talking about?"

"Heir. With your first son's death and Luna Khalla's. Who can no longer bears another son for you. Everyone wonders who'll sit on the great throne after you. Rumors will eventually form and when a rumor spreads, it usually gets out of hand," Zuiveren answered without even bating an eye. In the table where all the high men of Refulgent sits. He is the only one who dares to speak at the owner of the crown in such manner.

Verendus narrowed his eyes on the double door of the parliament's hall as it opened. Worry fills his face as he watch his daughter, Kalon with her head held up high.

Two steps away from Verendus. Kalon stood still and lower her head to pay her respect for her father. Everyone's eyes are running back and forth to her and the Alpha. She couldn't care less, like how they never care about her existence. To Kalon, these men are just men sitting on the chairs of powers that are handed down to them by their ancestors. To her eyes, they will remain nothing but as someone whom she wants to replace all if she ever get a chance to do so.

"Please pardon me for being late," she said, with her eyes pasted on the ancient brick floor of the realm. For the first time today. Verendus finds a reason to smile a little.

"It's okay. You shouldn't have come today," Verendus muttered for the two of them to hear. Kalon straightened her back.

"How can I not? A cup bearer is much needed when there's an assembly in the parliament," she whispers back before she flashes a reassuring smile for her father. On the left side of the long table, a meter away from it. Kalon grabs a pitcher made of stainless from a foreign land.

The parliament is back at discussing the topic that they left untouched for a few seconds as her late arrival disturbs the Alpha's focus from the assembly.

Kalon poured the alpha's favorite wine on his goblet. She once again bow her head and move closer to the next member of the parliament.

Kalon tilted the pitcher, preparing herself

to pour some in Zuiveren's goblet but his palm lands on the mouth of his cup. Covering it, denying her service without even looking in her direction. Kalon quietly steps away from him and moves to Valor.

"Marrying another lady from a clan of wealth and power will certainly put an end to rumors before someone dares to start it."

"Whoever dares to start a rumor against the Alpha and the crown. We can simply execute them in public. In front of people. No one would dares to start another rumor if we do that," Valor from the house of Caiden suggested.

If Kalon's lips weren't press against each other. It's a sure thing that she'd be smirking and shaking her head in disappointment right now.

Valor's suggestion reflects his character and the house of Caiden where he came from. He thinks that bloodshed will solve all the problem in this world. His hand always craves for the warmth of blood.

"The execution of those who'll start the rumor against the king and the crown won't solve the problem," Zuiveren said, taunting Valor and his idea. His eyes crawls back to the Alpha. He's filled with hope that Verendus will soon see his point and agrees to the plan that he proposed to solve the incoming crisis that the crown won't be able to dodge.

Murmurs and suggestions from the member of the parliament soon fills his ears, as those all came at the same time, overwhelming him.

"Enough!" Verendus shouted. The alpha, no matter how angry he is never shouts. Kalon dares to glance at the spot where her father is sitting. He was eyeing her already and with a subtle movement of his pupil and a bit of turns on his lip, leading to the door way. Kalon was dismissed by Verendus.

She left the pitcher back on the table where she got it and leave the assembly hall. Her personal knight that was appointed for her protection immediately follows her but she wanted to be alone.

She halts her incoming step and slightly tilt her head to his direction. The Sire stood straight holding the handle of his sword.

"I would like to be left alone."

"But princess..."

Kalon snaps. She loses her control as she turns to the man who is standing a step away from her. She couldn't hide the evidence of her irritation, her twitching lips and her arched brows. At the moment, it's impossible for her to straighten them out.

"I will stay within the realm's wall. If I make sure to keep myself safe so your head will remain intact to your body. Will you let me be on my own?" Kalon asked her knight but he was too stunned to reply and she took his silence as a yes.

She flashes a warning look at him for the last time before she carry on and do the thing that she wishes.

"The Alpha forbids you to ride your dragon today!" Her knight shouted as a follow up reminder. Kalon closes her eyes. Her finger tightens around the fabric of her gown as she walks down the hall, passing through each tall and proud pillars of the realm that stood there holding everything in place.

Kalon tasted a bitter-sweet smile on her lips as she remembers how she used to hide behind those pillars from her mother as she is on her way to sneak out and rode her dragon, Soleil.

Kalon continued to walk around, letting her feet bring her to a place where her heart could find a comfort. That is, only possible if the realm has a place like that. Right now, she is not so sure.

As she is walking down the stairs made of gray stone that will lead into the garden of the realm where a century old tree is planted. A tree that stood proudly even before the realm were built. Kalon heard a familiar music coming out from a wind instrument.

Inside of the realm. She only knows one person who is expert at that particular wind instrument that he invented himself.

Kalon tucks her sunset like orange hair behind her ears and walks as fast as she could to the side of the tree where her only friend in the realm is spending his late afternoon.

The Narra tree where she spends most of her afternoon whenever she is free is enormous and massive that a total of fifteen people is needed in order to cover its whole width with the use of their arm.

"You shouldn't be here," she commented. The young man who is about her age. A decade and seven years to be exact look up to her. The strands of her hair dances as the wind blew. It entertatined Zanth and distracted him at the same time that his playing went out of tune.

"Why are you here?" Kalon asked him again. Her eyes giving him a look like she is trying to subtly interrogate him and she'll only hopes to hear nothing but truth from his heart-shaped lips.

Instead of answering her directly through words. Zanth from the house of Daria showed her his wind instrument and looked up to the realm. He was eyeing the floor where the assembly hall is built and place.

"Well. I was hoping to lure you into watching the sun sets under this tree with the help of this wooden thing," he mumbled. Kalon, for a moment forgets the weight of the world that she has right on her shoulder and back. She chuckled after she playfully rolls her eyes at him.

She snatched the instrument from his hand, her fingers starts counting the hole on it, "What are you some sort of pied piper?" Kalon teased.

"You can say that. I'd take that as a compliment from you," Zanth murmurs back at her. Kalon starts blowing air through the instrument.

"At last," Zanth whispered to himself. He didn't mean it for her to hear and so when she did. He looked away and snatch the wind instrument from the softness of her royal hand.

"Everything angers me. You don't want me to vent all out on you, don't you? Tell me. What do you have in that head of yours?" she asked. Kalon looked around and when she found a leaf sitting next to her palm. She grabs it and gave it to Zanth, an offering for his thought.

"What do you have in yours?" Zanth asked back, pushing her hand near her chest so she'll keep the leaf that has fallen from the tree where they are leaning their back.

"I hate those men in the long table," Kalon said and she mean all of those words.

Zanth bit his lower lip. Uncertainty lies on his eyes and when she turned her head. Kalon saw it.

"That includes my father," he said, not as a question but a confirmation to the idea that he has on his head.

"I think I get it now."

"What?" Zanth gazes at her, there's this eagerness in his dark colored eyes to hear the word that Kalon's about to add from her previous statement.

"Why you hate your father, Zuiveren. I hate him more now. Because I have my own reason and not just because he is mean and ruthless to you. Not just to you, but to the Alpha too. He is proposing a marriage to the King. Hours after we burned..." Kalon stopped talking as she is suddenly reminded of Luna Khalla's death. She swallowed a lump in her throat and left her words hanging in mid-air.

Kalon lightly shakes her head, "If one day they make me the Alpha Queen of Refulgent. I will make sure to remove those who does not deserve to sit on the chairs of power," she said it both like a promise and a dream but of course. No one would let a woman rule the realm. Even if she is the Alpha's daughter. Being born a woman in a family that holds such power is both a blessing and curse. No one in the realm will trust her with such authority. Because she is a woman. They believe that the battle that she is capable of winning are in bed, when the time comes and she must give birth. Lucky her if it's a son but if it's a daughter. She will most probably suffer the same fate as her mother.

"If you promise me to vanish my father in the land of the unknown. I will whisper it to the sky for the Moon God to hear."

Kalon once again is laughing at his word.

"And you think he'll create some miracle that will put me in the great throne and be the Alpha Queen?" Zanth nodded his head.

"Who knows? He is a Moon God after all. He can do anything. I think you will look cool sitting on the great throne and I will be in the throne room kneeling to you."