Rory took a deep breath in, his hands tightened into fists at his side. “You waited until my 19th birthday to tell me I had a wife?” he spoke in a low, even tone. Never had the king felt such hot, potent anger, and never directed at his mother of all people. “Not a wife,” Seraphine corrected, leaning on her cane for support. They stood in the palace rose garden, a gift from the ancient goddess Terra to Lune. “Will Lunar law let me choose a new wife?” Rory questioned, his patience wearing thin. The queen mother pursed her lips as if tasting something sour. She couldn’t understand what troubled him so. “It’s strictly an arrangement, Rory. There’s no need to complicate matters with love. This isn’t the earth kingdom.” Rory glared at his mother. “Is that what you and Dad had? An arrangement?” Rory growled the word with distaste, but his mother seemed to travel to another time and place at the mention of her late husband.
“I loved your father, as much as Lune could place in my heart to love him.” Rory sighed, taking his mother’s hands in his own. “Is it too much to wish that I could have the same chance? To love whoever becomes queen from the start?” Seraphine searched his eyes. “I’ve never heard you speak on such matters as strongly as you do now. Here I was led to believe no one suited your fancy.” Rory’s hands slipped from his mother’s weak grip as he pieced everything together. “Are you saying you made a secret arrangement with the Venus monarchy because you believed me to be…indifferent? Mother.” Seraphine reached for her son, but Rory paced away from her. “I had La Lune to think of,” she argued, but Rory silenced her with a hand.
“As do I. I always have, you’ve drilled it into me! I want to do what’s right by our people, but did you consider my happiness in your decision making?” Rory plucked a thorn from a rose stem, letting it drop from his fingers. He picked another, and another, mindless activity for his fingers to calm his mind. Agitating his mother wouldn’t help her condition, but he had to make his thoughts known to her. “No one suited my fancy, as you so eloquently put it, because none of them were Meghan.” The queen mother stared blankly at Rory. “Meghan? Who is that?” Rory rolled his eye, plucking the petals now. “Meghan. The moon kingdom guardian. Their leader,” he sighed but Seraphine was already shaking her head. “She’s pledged her life to serving the kingdom, Rory.” Rory stopped mid reach for another flower petal when he turned over his mother’s words in his head.
“As king, I too have pledged my life. So have you and all those who’ve come before us. What makes her different from us?” When Seraphine didn’t answer, Rory felt his anger rush up again.
“So Meghan’s good enough to fight and protect La Lune, but not good enough to rule by my side?”
“Rory—”
“I don’t believe this! My own mother!” Hurt flashed in and out of Rory’s eyes as Seraphine hurried to explain. “I have nothing against earth. But we do not answer to Terra, do you understand?” Rory shook his head, as guardian Erin entered the garden searching for him. “No, I don’t understand.” He turned to Erin who immediately bowed when she was close enough. “The Venus Princess has arrived.” As Rory thanked her and sent her away, Rory grabbed one last flower, cutting his hand as he shook it in Seraphine’s face. The pain was temporary as his Lunar skin healed instantly. He was only focused on the face of the woman he didn’t know if he could trust anymore. “We may not answer to Terra, but you have no problem accepting her gifts.” Tossing the flower aside, Rory stomped away, not bothering to look behind him at Seraphine’s crestfallen face.
** ** **
Five of the moon guardians sat around a table at the Cantine. Clint sobbed wet, sloppy tears into Natalie’s shoulder, much to Erin and Skye’s chagrin. They shared a look that communicated more than words could. The news of King Rory’s upcoming nuptials had upset quite a few young Lunars. “Clint, give it a rest! Everyone’s staring at us,” Skye snapped, still keeping an eye out for Meghan. Erin had told her about the transmission and how upset Meghan was as she rushed out their room. Skye thought back to the night of the coronation when the king and her friend slipped out, how stunned but happy Meghan had been. Skye had masked her true feelings with a smirk and done her best to leave the two their privacy. Not that Skye had dared to hope anything could happen; Meghan loved Rory, and Malcolm was still hung up on Amber. Skye ran a tired hand through her hair, sitting forward so her forehead grazed the table. Earthens; how had she managed to fall for the two people her uptight Lunar parents would never approve of? They barely approved of Skye herself.
** ** **
Meghan planned to join her friends at the Cantine. She knew Erin would want an explanation for her strange behavior that morning. Instead she found herself back to back with her brother, both quiet and reflective as they looked out at the moon palace from the roof of their parent’s home. “Remember when we used to beg our parents for an Earthen dog?” Malcolm turned his face just enough to talk behind him. “I remember you begging for the dog, I wanted the spiky creature,” Meghan rolled her eyes.
“A hedgehog? Meg, we have those on Lunar too.”
“And yet neither of us got our dream pet.” They lingered in the past for a moment, their souls just as much twins as their bodies. “The Lunar girl,” Meghan said after a while. “You didn’t mention it was serious.” Malcolm leaned forward, hugging his knees to his chest. “Apparently it wasn’t,” he exhaled slowly. When Malcolm didn’t continue, his sister realized there was no more to be said. “I’m sorry about Rory,” he swung his legs out in front of him so he sat beside his sister. She did the same. “It was silly of me to think he wouldn’t keep secrets. He’s the king of La Lune!” Meghan shook her head. “I’m sorry for Skye. She’s probably stuck right now with Clint and Nat sobbing over their lost prospects.”
Malcolm let out a laugh, and soon Meghan joined in. “What’s so funny?” The siblings turned to see their father poke his head out the window. His beautiful face was covered in flour, causing the twins to laugh harder. “Nothing, Dad,” Malcolm assured him as the Lunar squeezed himself in between his children. “We didn’t even hear when you came in! Or should I address you as both as Moon Kingdom Guardians?” he grinned, and Meghan shrugged, snuggling into her father’s embrace. Malcolm’s wrist band beeped then, and when he glanced at the screen to read the sender, his eyes narrowed, and he snapped it off quickly. Meghan noticed but their father’s attention stayed on the palace, the sky a pretty purplish-pink.
“We watched the transmission of the ceremony. I’ve never seen your mother so proud, she took so many screen stills. We’re both proud, really.” Malcolm snorted, feeling two pairs of eyes suddenly on him. “Malcolm,” Meghan warned but her father put a hand firm on Malcolm’s shoulder. “We thought about going back and raising you on earth.” Malcolm met his father’s eyes with surprise. “You never told us that,” Meghan looked between the two guys. “Your mother couldn’t in good conscious raise you away from your home. And we’d lived on La Lune long enough to have great-grand children, we wouldn’t be missing a thing.
“Right after your third moon year, we packed up all our things, sold the cottage, but before we could get to the interplanetary station, Malcolm started crying.” Meghan giggled, but her father gave her a wry smile. “And Meghan, you were quite fussy too.” Malcolm snickered in response and she stuck her tongue out at him. “We tried everything to calm you two down. You weren’t hungry, you hadn’t wet yourselves, you’d had your naps…
“And then it hit me. You and Meghan were right where you were meant to be. That’s not to say forget earth,” their father cupped both of Malcolm cheeks, his expression serious. “Make no mistake, you don’t need Lunar blood to prove anything. Seeing you before the king in front of the entire court wasn’t a fluke.” He pressed his forehead to Malcolm’s in Lunar fashion and turned to do the same to Meghan. She closed her eyes, taking in his calming presence. The happy moment was interrupted by a foul stench. “Dad…something’s burning,” Malcolm turned to the open window, catching sight of the smoke. The twins’ father jumped up in alarm, remembering. A yelp of surprise followed by the crash of dishes led all three to quickly climb back through the window. “We’re coming, Mom!” Meghan yelled, the last one inside.
** ** **
Her brown hair tumbled across her shoulders in waves. Face and hands sparkled, marking her as Venusian royalty. He was determined not to like her. “Welcome to La Lune,” Rory greeted her with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He took Princess Danielle’s hand and kissed it, before releasing her and placing his arms behind his back. “Follow me,” he spoke again, not bothering to check if the Princess was behind him. Rory took her to the Great Hall of Goddesses, shortened to “great hall” by most Lunars. Danielle’s gaze paused on the goddess, Lune. The silver and blue cloaks of the guardians mimicked her physical form, her eyes entrancing anyone who happened to look at the mural of her, Terra, and Solla.
“My grandmother visited La Lune when she was a child,” Danielle spoke to the mural. “She told me how the goddess Lune seeped herself in every aspect of a Lunar life. How the moon guardians were a considered a sacred gift from her.” Danielle turned to Rory, hopeful. “Venus has no connection to the goddesses, not even Solla. But being here…makes me want to believe there’s more to this galaxy than what we see.”
Rory took her to the rose garden next, and the two sat side by side on a marble bench. “Princess, forgive my prying but, how long have you known?” Danielle tilted her head to the side, not comprehending. “About the…arrangement. Between Venus and La Lune,” he clarified. Danielle bit the inside of her cheek, eyes looking far off in thought. “How many moon years…I guess for you, it would be four? Four moon years.” Rory stood suddenly, rubbing his temples. “Danielle, I’m sure you’re a lovely girl but you’ve had years to get used to the idea of a, um, marriage between us. I’ve become king a year before my time, and now I’m expected to…” Rory chewed his lip, his mind jumbled and stomach in knots. He still hadn’t been able to talk to Meghan, and it weighed heavily on his mind. “Rory,” Danielle waited until the king looked up to continue. “I know it’s not the best situation. But please know I’m only doing what’s right for my people. Or, what I hope is right.” Rory studied her features. He couldn’t ignore the sincerity in her eyes, something her Venusian shimmer couldn’t detract from. Rory hated to compare the two, but while Meghan was a skilled fighter, and a sharp strategist, Danielle knew what it was like to make the tough decisions outside of the battle field. “Then we have a common goal,” Rory responded, earning a beam from the princess. She placed her head on his shoulder, and together they took in the beauty of the garden. Lune, goddess of strength, peace, and courage, I don’t know—
Rory’s prayer was interrupted by the Lunar bell. In his haste to stand, Danielle was thrown off the bench, and he hurried to help her up. Queen Seraphine.
“My King, what’s wrong?”
“That’s the Lunar bell! It means we’re under attack.”
“Attack?” Danielle’s face paled as Rory hurried them both out of the rose garden. “We haven’t heard the bell in a very long time.” The princess gathered her skirts in one hand, using her other to hang on to Rory for dear life. An explosion from somewhere nearby shook the ground, and both royals struggled to stay up right as they ran. “I have to get you to the moon bunkers!” Rory entered the palace with Danielle in tow, stopping in his tracks. A being made of pure, blazing fire stood with his back to Rory and Danielle, who shook with terror. “Oh my,” she whimpered, but her noise caught the attention of the fire being. He gave them a wicked grin. “Danielle, I’ve got the Mars Raider, RUN!” Rory held his palms up, stunning the raider with short beams of light. When he turned around, Danielle was still there. “Princess, now!” he screamed, and she ran off, tripping over her skirt and landing on the ground with a hard thud. The Mars Raider whipped his head to her vulnerable figure, but Rory was faster, shooting a bigger blast from his hands, and temporarily disabling the raider. The ground shook more with the battle growing outside the palace doors.
Two cloaked guardians came rushing in, weapons at the ready. “Skye, Natalie,” Rory croaked, his strength waning. “Your Majesty,” Natalie ran, star chain gripped tightly in her hand. “My mother,” Rory groaned and pushed Danielle into her open arms. “I must protect the Queen,” Rory pointed to the upstairs room. “She wasn’t there,” Skye ran to catch Rory as he stumbled. “Find her!” Rory shook her off, fear and anger fighting for space in his heart. “Take Danielle to the moon bunkers with the rest of the staff,” he ordered to Natalie who nodded firmly before taking off with the princess. Rory turned to Skye, who returned his grim look. “Let’s go,” he commanded, fighting back his fatigue as Skye wrapped a hand around him and they teleported.
They arrived in a dark room, and Rory noticed at once the palace chef, his mother’s doctor, and two of her maids. “Skye, why am I in a bunker? I need to find my mother, she’s in trouble.” The guardian gave him a dark look, one Rory couldn’t decipher. “Let us guardians do our job. I think you’ve done quite enough, King Rory.” Before Rory could mull over the double meaning, Skye was gone. Shortly after, Natalie arrived with Princess Danielle. When she’d gone, Rory waited a beat before escaping the way the guardian entered. “King Rory!” Danielle exclaimed in alarm, but he ignored her. Without hesitation, the princess followed behind him. He climbed the raider-free staircase. Rory realized that there was one place the guardians might not know to check and ran to the queen mother’s chambers, his exhaustion making each step harder than the last. He burst into the room to find himself face to face with a raider. “Seems we’ve been after the wrong Lunar,” the being spoke, voice silky and at odds with his combustible self. He bowed in mock respect. “Where’s Queen Seraphine?” Rory snarled, raising his palms to defend himself. The raider laughed, revealing his mother’s unconscious form. “As far as Belluma is concerned, that title doesn’t belong to her anymore.” Rory blanched, hardly registering Danielle’s gasp and unaware of her proximity. “B-Belluma?” Had the moon goddess forsaken them all?
In the thick of it all, close to the palace, Meghan and Malcolm alternated between attacks as they faced off the horde of Mars Raiders. Her sword slashed through raider after raider, but when one was down, another would appear in its place. “What are these things?” Meghan yelled to be heard over the destruction and slain heads of fire that dissipated into smoke the moment they touched the ground. “I know just as much as you do, Meg!” Malcolm yelled back taking out the fire being that lunged for his sister. Suddenly a line of raiders was consumed by a large beam of light. “Skye!” the twins yelled in relief, as their fellow guardian appeared. “King Rory is safe in the moon bunkers, along with the Venus princess. Still no word on the queen mother,” Skye answered their unspoken questions. “YAH!” she wrapped Malcolm in her arms, tackling him to the ground as a flame burst headed straight for where his torso stood. He gave her a grateful nod.
“We need to all come together! We’re spread too thin,” Malcolm grunted as he let Skye help him up. Meghan nodded sharply and lifted her sword to the sky, eyes closed, and eyelids illuminated with light. “Guardians!” One by one, each of their essences ascended from their scattered bodies and flew into Meghan’s sword. Malcolm, Skye, Erin, Clint, and Natalie combined their energies with Meghan as she slammed her blade into the ground. “Goddess Lune, heed our warrior cry! For La Lune!” Like a row of dominos, the raiders toppled over, exploding into fiery blasts of heat and energy. Meghan held on to her sword with all her might though it brought her to her knees. Eyes clenched tight, Meghan saw an image of the king’s lifeless body with a female figure bent over him. Her eyes flew open, and the combined power of the guardians instantly seeped from her body. “RORY!” Meghan turned to Malcolm and Skye, a crazed look in her eyes. They’d seen the bleak image too. Meghan took off for the castle, cloak flying behind her, deaf to their calls for her.
Rory placed a hand on his mother’s forehead, tears in his eyes. He brought the hand down the length of her body, happy to see the rise and fall of her chest. The only reminder of the Mars Raider was the charred stain on Seraphine’s carpet. “Rory!” The king’s ears perked up at the sound of Meghan’s call, and he turned, hardly catching the guardian as she tumbled into his arms. “I thought you were…” she stiffened when she caught sight of the queen mother. “She lives,” Rory sighed in relief, sagging under the weight of everything. Meghan threw her arms around him, and he returned her embrace, hugging her tightly. “We have to get her to a healing chamber, find a doctor for you both,” Meghan tried to pull him up, but he didn’t budge, keeping a firm but gentle grip on her. “Please…don’t go just yet.” Meghan nodded, bringing her forehead to his.
Silently watching this all unfold stood Princess Danielle, unable to deny the connection the between the moon guardian and Lunar king. Her eyes narrowed, and she cleared her throat, startling them both. The guardian looked from her to the king and quickly backed away, standing to bow before the princess. “The queen mother needs to be in a healing chamber, and you’re wasting time.” Danielle glowered while Rory watched Meghan leave to find help. His words said his people came first, but Danielle wasn’t foolish enough to think this guardian didn’t have a place in his heart.