Chapter- 1
A Royal Absence
A King's roar shattered the morning calm of palace. "Find her or lose your heads!" At his command, the guards scrambled to begin the search. The entire security team seemed to scramble in circles, baffled by Princess Luna's disappearance. Meanwhile ,the palace staff stood shivering before him. A heavy silence filled the halls, but it was not the silence of peace; the very walls seemed to echo the King's fury.
The King turned his range towards Secretary and the Chamberlain. "What the hell were you are doing in my absence? How is tshe missing? Can you people not look after my beloved daughter for even an hour? What were you doing?"
The Chamberlain and the Secretary were drenched in a cold sweat, terrified to answer. The Chamberlain stepped forward, bowing his head in guilt. "Your Majesty, the Princess was right there in her room, getting ready to go out. She was so happy for her twenty- first birthday. But when her dresser arrived to finish her preparation, till then she… she was gone, my sovereign."
"How? How is that possible?" the King demanded. "She was in her room! Then where is my daughter now?"
"We are deeply sorry, Sir, but no stranger entered the palace. No one was seen entering the Princess's suite". The staff was in guilt. The Secretary was drenched in cold sweat she was speechless. The King's blood got boiled.
The day bled into night, but the Princess remained lost.
Inside the throne room, the King paced like a caged predator. His eyes were bloodshot and his voice had grown hoarse from shouting.When the captain of the guard entered, bowing with low, the King didn't wait for him to speak.
"Where is she?" the King thundered. "I told you not to show your faces until my daughter was not found! Why are you standing here empty- handed?"
"Sir", the Captain stammered, his face drenched with sweat. " We have searched every cellar, every stable, and the entire forest perimeter. But there is no sign of Princess Luna. It is as if she vanished into thin air."
" Get out!" the King roared, grabbing a glass goblet from the table and hurling it against the wall. It shattered into a thousand glittering shards. "You Useless fools! Get out of my sight before I have you all thrown in the dungeon!"
The guards scrambled backward, tripping over their own cloaks in their haste to escape. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence–until the heavy oak doors creaked open once more.
"Enough, my King."
The Queen stood in the doorway. She was pale, her hand trembling as she leaned against the doorframe for support, but her eyes remained steady. Behind her, the King's mother followed, her face etched with worry.
The King, his expression softening for a fleeting second before his features twisting with grief. "Why are you out of bed? You are weak you should be resting."
"How can I rest when my heart is missing?" The Queen replied softly, stepping into the room.She walked towards him , ignoring the shattered glass on the floor. "Your anger will not bring her back. It only frightens the people who are trying to help us."
The King sank into his throne, burying his face in his hands. "It is her twenty- first birthday," he whispered, his voice finally breaking . "She should be dancing, not lose in the dark."
The Queen placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Then we must be her light. Stop shouting on the guards . Give the people reason to look harder."
The King looked up, a spark of resolve returning to his eyes. The advisors… they suggested an announcement. A reward.
"Then do it," the Queen urged. "Offer a bounty that no man can refuse. Turn every eye in this kingdom in a searchlight for our daughter."
The grand oak doors of the throne room creaked open. The Royal Chamberlain Hurried in, his face pale and his hands trembling as he held with a silver staff.
"Your Majesty!" the Chamberlain gasped, bowing so low. "The announcement to the kingdom it must wait."
King Frederick turned, his eyes glowing with dangerous light. "Wait ? My daughter is gone and my Queen is dying with a broken heart and you ask me to wait?"
"It is the palace sweeper, Sire," the Chamberlain whispered, his voice shaking. "Our staff sweeper entered Princess Luna's chamber just before she vanished. She claims to have seen something - something that will unlock the mystery of Princess Luna's disappearance."
The throne room went deathly silent.