Sunlight shone through the windows, hitting the old wooden stairs. Of all the places in her house, this was undoubtedly Luna's favorite spot. The way the sun enveloped her always made her feel warm and relaxed.
Today, Luna was once again sitting on the stairs as she played with her dolls. Her eyes crinkled as she imagined they were on a fantastical journey through the Icefell Mountains. It never snowed in Bram, so she longed to explore the snow-covered mountain range in the north.
Maybe I will someday… Luna thought.
Luna smiled at the thought before being distracted by the creaking of the kitchen door. Her parents were having a conversation inside. She couldn't recognize any of what they were saying, but she noticed concern in her mother's voice.
Creeping down the stairs with her favorite doll in hand, Luna tiptoed towards the kitchen. She leaned quietly to see through the cracked door and saw her mother, Charlotte, pacing back and forth.
"The king is gathering troops to lead an expedition to the Uega village. I spoke to their messenger the other day. He seemed pretty shaken up." Her father's voice came from inside. Luna wasn't able to see him from that angle, but he sounded strangely forlorn and distant, as if he was thinking of a thousand scenarios at once.
Charlotte stopped walking and looked at her father. "Will-will you be going on that expedition?"
Her father—Magnus—sighed. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe. I mean, we don't even know what we're up against. All the reports just describe them as man-eating horrors, but each one describes their appearance differently."
Luna's face paled as gripped her doll tighter. Man-eating horrors…? What are they talking about?
As she thought that, Luna accidentally shifted against the door, causing it to creak open slightly. Charlotte noticed and walked over before opening the door, nearly making Luna fall over.
Ah, they caught me!
"Luna? Were you listening to us?" Magnus asked.
Luna lowered her head. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I just… heard you talking and got curious, so…" Luna's eyes darted around before looking at her father. "Is it true? Are there really strange creatures attacking the villages and cities?"
Charlotte patted her daughter's head. "Oh, sweetie. You don't have to worry about that. You heard your father, didn't you? The king is already preparing soldiers to fight them," she said with a light smile.
To someone else, her mother might've sounded confident in her statement. Luna, however, noticed how worried and unsure her mother actually was.
Magnus chuckled from his chair. "Yeah, don't worry. Your daddy will beat them all up, you'll see!" he said, tapping his chest twice.
Luna and her mother chuckled. Then, Charlotte knelt down and looked into her eyes.
"Trust us, Luna. We won't let anything bad happen to you."
Luna opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sound of high-pitched bells coming from outside. After they rang 3 times, Magnus's face shifted to a tone of confusion.
There were bell towers situated all around the city. Their ringing 3 times signified an emergency, meaning that all the citizens were to gather at the plaza immediately.
"Why all of a sudden?" The sounds of activity coming from outside nearly drowned Magnus's voice.
All of their neighbors—or the entire city, really—were leaving their houses in a hurry and stampeding to the plaza. Their conversations were muffled through the walls of Luna's house, yet she could clearly register the worry in their voices as they spoke to each other.
Luna clutched her doll tighter as she heard a knock at the door. Her gaze followed her father as he opened the door, revealing a man in a suit of armor standing on the other side. Luna vaguely recognized him from a few military galas she had attended, accompanying her father, of course.
Without wasting time on greetings, the soldier looked into Magnus's eyes and said. "Put on your armor and grab your sword and bow. I need you to come with me to the northern wall."
Sword, bow… Are we being attacked?! Luna shrunk back as her gaze alternated between both of her parents.
Charlotte's face paled. Her right hand grabbed Luna's own and squeezed tightly, while her left hand came up to cover her mouth. Meanwhile, Magnus's body tensed, his breathing pausing for a second.
Looking at her parents' reactions, Luna's vision blurred as she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Magnus was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke, his voice dry. "Alright. You go ahead. I'll catch up right away."
The soldier nodded and left, heading north.
"Dad?" Luna said, looking at her father as he walked up to her and knelt down.
Magnus looked into his daughter's eyes and smiled. "I need you to go with your mother to the plaza, alright?"
Squeezing her doll tighter against her, Luna looked down. "Okay…" she said, before being surprised by a tight hug from her father. Luna's face crinkled as she held back tears and hugged him back.
After a few moments, Magnus let go of his daughter and pulled away. As he did, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver pendant. It was a circle that hung from a thin chain. And in the circle, the image of a pale moon shining on a beautiful tree was embroidered.
"Your grandmother gave this to me the day I moved out. She told me it symbolizes exploration and protection. I want you to have it," he said, extending his hand forward.
Luna gazed at the pendant in his hand before looking at her father. "If it's for protection… shouldn't you have it?" After all, if there was really a battle about to occur, it would not be her fighting, it would be her father. Therefore, he'd need all the protection he could get.
Magnus's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I don't need it," he said, putting the silver pendant around her neck.
With that, Magnus stood up and looked at Charlotte. "You two go to the plaza. I'll go to the wall and see what's going on."
Charlotte stared at him for a few seconds before pulling him in for a hug. "I love you," she said, clutching the back of his shirt.
"I love you too. Both of you," he responded, pulling Luna in for the hug and holding them both.
After the hug, Magnus went to leave the kitchen in order to go grab his armor and weapons. Before he walked through the door, however, he stopped and looked back at his family. "I'll see you later," he said, walking through the door and going upstairs.
"Come, Luna. Let's see what the king has to say." Charlotte grabbed Luna's hand as they turned and left the house.