Soul Snatching
Van Fanel watched as a dark haired girl bow before him. The calmest sea blue eyes stared at him in total silence. She was a fair skinned girl with a well-toned body and angelic blue tipped wings. She was what they called an angel, but she was not. She was from an aerial race called the Eagles, and her name was Sky Clouri. Vaun tilted his head slightly and awaited her demand. He noticed a small creature stood next to her. It was one foot-four and had the ears, tail, and whiskers like a cat. That species were known as Katarians. The little creature held a steady gaze at the prince. After a long silent space Vaun finally broke it.
" What is it you want Sky Clouri?" He asked a little agitated by the cool stare from the Katarian.
" She wishes to stay here with you, sir." The Katarian spoke for her.
" I asked Sky, not you, Tris." Vaun said testily.
" Sorry, I was only …" he was halted by Sky's hand. It shook with fear and that meant that a dragon was near by. Vaun stood from his throne and drew his sword.
" Stay here and keep guard over her. I'll deal with this dragon myself." He snorted and ran out.
A feathery white dragon flew gracefully over the land. Enjoying the fresh wind against her face. She yawned and looked around the area with her large brown eyes. It's a lot easier to find a needle in a haystack than it is to find one prince in a castle. I hope this form will drag him out. She fluttered down to the ground and stretched her wings out in weariness. It has been a couple of days since she has actually slept. Snapping to attention, she heard the muffled sounds of feet running through the woods. Finally!
Vaun reached a clearing and saw the strangest dragon in his entire life. It was huge and covered in white feathers than the usual shinny scales that he was accustomed to see. Underneath the large, powerful wings were three rows of different colored feathers; white at the outer rim, jade green in the middle, and pale rose at the top lining of the magnificent appendages. Returning to his thought of killing the beast he felt a sudden pain of regret pushing it aside he lunged at the dragon. Thinking that he saw a faint smile on its face he pushed that away as well. Vaun thought that he had killed the dragon with a powerful blow to the shoulder opening his eyes he saw his sword plowed into thick green grass. He looked up and his face flushed as he heard a feminine laughter.
" Well, if it isn't the mighty Prince Vaun Fanel." Her tone was light and insulting. " I never knew that you hated the grass so much." More laughter followed that comment. Vaun's face turned bright red he couldn't stand someone laughing at him.
" I'll make you pay for laughing at me!" He lunged at her again and she disappeared. His eyes grew wide. Who is this girl? Her laughter reached his ears again. He gritted his teeth and searched for her. He couldn't believe that this peasant was making fun of him.
" Up here." She said mildly. " And I am not a peasant. I do not work to feed your belly." She snapped angrily.
" What?" She read his mind somehow and she was able to fly.
" Who are you or what are you?" He demanded.
" I am none of your concern. All I want to do is play and talk to your father." She said simply. " I think that I will play first. What do you say? My blade against yours?" She held up a necklace that had a sword trinket on its chain. This made Vaun laugh.
" How can that little thing come against my blade?" He laughed pointing at the trinket. It was his turn to laugh but not for long. Her eyes narrowed. Calm down Diana, hold your pride until you reach the king and tell him what you know. She took off the necklace and held it in front of her.
" Moon Power Enlarge!" She commanded to the small sword. It glowed with a silver light and grew ten times its size. It looked too big for her to handle but she held it pretty well - for a girl. " Now my blade will be able to stand up to yours." She smiled and landed lightly on the grass. " To make it fair, I will not fly, disappear, or use any of my powers. I will be just like you, a human." Fanel nodded and prepared to attack. " And one more thing," she said sweetly, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. " Don't go soft on me just because I'm a girl." Diana attacked him and they fought fiercely in the wood clearing.
A whole four hours went by, Vaun feel to one knee and Diana fought to maintain balance, both panting and sweating. Diana's tail fell limply to the ground, too tired to stay wrapped around her waist. Out of pure exhaustion, Diana collapsed and Vaun won the match. He picked her up and walked back to the castle with the girl in his arms unconscious.
" Prince Vaun, you captured the outlaw Diana!" A minister said excitedly as Vaun walked in, exhausted and tired from the long walk. A guard took the girl and Vaun dropped on the spot. The last thing he heard was the cries of the town people and others before everything went silent.
Diana woke up in a lovely room, red velvet pillows, satin blankets, and luxurious furniture. Where am I? Am I at home? She looked around and saw a photo of Vaun hanging on the wall. She heard the door open and her hand flew to the sword necklace. A guard walked in.
" Prince Vaun Fanel wishes to see you." He said. Diana narrowed her eyes.
" I wish to see the king, not his arrogant son." She snorted.
" I suggest you watch your words, Prince Vaun is the ruling person in this kingdom." He growled back. Her eyes shot open. The boy she fought was the ' king '? She got up and followed the guard to the throne room. Before she entered she magically changed into her princess gown. Her moon star symbol shone brightly on her forehead. A small smirk touched her lips as the guard opened the doors.
" Your highness." She bowed and looked into his face. It was a look of confusion.
" Who is this? I asked for the girl I had brought in the day before." He demanded the guard stood there shocked and speechless. Diana decided it was time to speak and clear things up.
" I am Princess Diana Serenity Moon and the outlaw known and Diana of the Moon. I know this is a bit wild but this was the only way to get into your kingdom. I know that our kinds are enemies and I am trying to make us allies with your kingdom. What I wanted to tell your father is that your kingdom is in great danger, they could already be here."
" Who could already be here?" Vaun demanded. He was upset for the deception.
" I'm about to get to that." She said between gritted teeth. " They are called The Soul Snatchers, and they intend to create being that look like the souls they snatch but the only thing is that they control the ' clones '." Diana said. She had Vaun's full attention. " Now I was hoping that I would be able to fight along side you and protect your kingdom. I want to prove that not all Lyonians are bad." Diana was truly sincere now. Vaun stepped down from the throne and approached her. Her hands balled into small fists, she could feel her face getting warm as he neared her. What does he want? I only asked for a little trust. He now stood in front of her. He was a little taller than she and his brown eyes stared deep into hers. She gulped. A hand touched her chin and brought it closer to him, Diana's eyes widened as his lips touched hers, her mind raced as of what to do, it settled on one conclusion, enjoy the kiss. She closed her eyes and lavished the warmth that his body gave off. He pulled away.
" I guess I could allow you to fight." He smiled. Diana felt like melting. She said nothing but only nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder and walked by, leaving the stunned princess to think on the kiss. " I'm hoping that you will come to dinner." She nodded again.
Diana stood in her room and thought about his kiss, his warmth, and his eyes, his … everything. She put her hands to her face and felt that her cheeks were still warm. What am I going to do? I can't make a fool of myself at dinner. What am I going to wear? Oh, stop this Diana! Look at yourself you're turning into what your mother wants, a refined princess. Diana sighed and flopped onto her bed and hugged a pillow. She didn't hear the door open and close. She froze when she felt warm soft hands touch her back. She rolled over to face the intruder. It was Fanel.
" What?" She asked very unprincess like. He smiled.
" Do you always have to be so rude?" He snickered. Diana turned away, feeling her face get hot again. Why do you have to be so handsome? Why? Vaun turned her head towards him. " I asked a question and I expect to be answered."
" Life's full of disappointments, get used to it." She snapped looking away from the brown eyes that made her feel weak and vulnerable. To her surprise Vaun laughed. She looked at him, curious if he had eaten something that made him act this way. " Are you sick?"
" No, I feel just fine." He said quietly. " When I'm around you." That made her blush even more.
" Ok. Out. Get out." She pushed him off and out the door. He stopped her from closing it.
" Will you be at dinner?" He asked. She nodded. " I want verbal confirmation."
" Yes, I'll be there." She sighed and shut the door slowly. " I just hope that nothing happens during that time." She said after he left the door.
Diana came down the stairs in a regal blue gown and a silver tiara. Vaun looked at her and smiled, she didn't smile back. Diana focused on a dark figure that seemed invisible to the others around it. Vaun traced her gaze and saw nothing. " Is there something troubling you?"
" No, nothing I can't handle." She smiled modestly. Fanel led her to her seat and he sat next to her. " Fanel, I need to talk to you in private." She whispered to him quietly. He nodded and excused himself and the princess. The walked to the terrace and Vaun looked at her, she turned away to avoid the soft brown eyes that questioned her. " Fanel, I saw one of the soul snatchers. I purposely kept this information from you thinking that it was of no concern to you, but …" She looked down at the ground.
" But?" He encouraged her to go on. Diana looked at him with tears in her eyes.
" I didn't tell you that they were after me. They want to duplicate me because of my unimaginable powers." Tears rolled down her cheeks. Vaun hugged her, trying to calm her. She cried into his chest.
" I'll protect you, I promise." He said softly. Diana pulled away.
" You can't. There's no way that you can fight these people!" She sounded a little hysterical. " They are not your normal type of people, Fanel. They can move through walls and see into the depths of your soul. Fanel, I can't have you fall in love with me, there's too much at risk."
" I guess it's too late." He said in a near whisper. Diana looked at him.
" What do you mean by that?" She said pulling his face to look at her square in the eyes.
" I fell in love with you the first moment we met, when we fought in the woods." Diana's face flushed and she backed away. Vaun held his gaze on her, waiting for her to explode in a fit of anger or to run off in embarrassment. She did none of these. She only stared at him in wonder and amazement.
" How could you have fallen for an outlaw like me?" She asked, the tears gone but a hint of fear for his life hung in her eyes.
" If you look into a mirror, you'll see what I mean. Let's go in and eat something." He took her arm and led the again stunned princess in. How is it that he is always finding a way to surprise me or make me feel funny? They sat at the table and she ate quietly, her ears open to any unusual sounds. This is extremely weird. I can sense the soul snatchers but I cannot see them. I have to get out of here before Fanel gets hurt. She excused herself and walked quietly out of the main dining hall. She didn't notice Vaun follow her. Stealing away to her room she quickly changed into her
'outlaw' uniform. Slipping out the window she ran into the dark night.
A dark figure followed the running princess and floated silently through the woods as he traced her path. He would soon think that he would have her soul and create the world's most dangerous weapon.
Vaun followed quickly when he saw the figure follow her path. " Oh no you don't." He said and leaped out the window. The figure turned around and fired a blast of bright blue waves. Vaun was caught up in the middle of these waves and was thrown into unconsciousness.
Diana felt a psychic wave and turned to see Vaun be thrown backwards by a cloaked figure. " Hey, you want me come get me!" She shouted, attracting the man's attention. " Oh boy." Diana turned and ran further into the bushes and trees. The figure followed.
" Do you have to run so fast?" The man shouted after her. Diana stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. A branch knocked the hood off to reveal her brother, Starcrest. He stopped and fell to his knees panting.
" You need to work out more." Diana walked over to him and laughed.
" You work out too much." He panted in return. " Diana, why do you bring other people into things?"
" It's a habit I just can't break." She laughed. " So any news on those soul snatchers?"
" No. When you left they left." Starcrest stood and looked down at his younger sister. " I'm afraid they want your soul. I've heard that they are going to make a weapon that can and will destroy everything and only follow the orders of the creator."
Diana looked down and sighed. " There are very little places that I can run to. I've got to face them and defeat them."
" Luna," he used her old nickname. " There is no possible way that you will survive. Others will miss you dearly."
" I agree." They turned to see Vaun Fanel. He looked at Diana, his eyes pleading for her to stay with him.
" Who …"
" I am Vaun Fanel, ruler of Fanellia." Vaun said to clear up the confused Starcrest.
" Oh, Diana's boyfriend."
" ' Crest!!!!!!!" Diana shouted angrily. Starcrest laughed and Vaun blushed. " And you! I told you not to follow me. You could get killed Fanel."
" You like him, just admit it." Starcrest joked. He received a hard blow to the arm, he just laughed harder.
Van Fanel watched as a dark haired girl bow before him. The calmest sea blue eyes stared at him in total silence. She was a fair skinned girl with a well-toned body and angelic blue tipped wings. She was what they called an angel, but she was not. She was from an aerial race called the Eagles, and her name was Sky Clouri. Vaun tilted his head slightly and awaited her demand. He noticed a small creature stood next to her. It was one foot-four and had the ears, tail, and whiskers like a cat. That species were known as Katarians. The little creature held a steady gaze at the prince. After a long silent space Vaun finally broke it.
" What is it you want Sky Clouri?" He asked a little agitated by the cool stare from the Katarian.
" She wishes to stay here with you, sir." The Katarian spoke for her.
" I asked Sky, not you, Tris." Vaun said testily.
" Sorry, I was only …" he was halted by Sky's hand. It shook with fear and that meant that a dragon was near by. Vaun stood from his throne and drew his sword.
" Stay here and keep guard over her. I'll deal with this dragon myself." He snorted and ran out.
A feathery white dragon flew gracefully over the land. Enjoying the fresh wind against her face. She yawned and looked around the area with her large brown eyes. It's a lot easier to find a needle in a haystack than it is to find one prince in a castle. I hope this form will drag him out. She fluttered down to the ground and stretched her wings out in weariness. It has been a couple of days since she has actually slept. Snapping to attention, she heard the muffled sounds of feet running through the woods. Finally!
Vaun reached a clearing and saw the strangest dragon in his entire life. It was huge and covered in white feathers than the usual shinny scales that he was accustomed to see. Underneath the large, powerful wings were three rows of different colored feathers; white at the outer rim, jade green in the middle, and pale rose at the top lining of the magnificent appendages. Returning to his thought of killing the beast he felt a sudden pain of regret pushing it aside he lunged at the dragon. Thinking that he saw a faint smile on its face he pushed that away as well. Vaun thought that he had killed the dragon with a powerful blow to the shoulder opening his eyes he saw his sword plowed into thick green grass. He looked up and his face flushed as he heard a feminine laughter.
" Well, if it isn't the mighty Prince Vaun Fanel." Her tone was light and insulting. " I never knew that you hated the grass so much." More laughter followed that comment. Vaun's face turned bright red he couldn't stand someone laughing at him.
" I'll make you pay for laughing at me!" He lunged at her again and she disappeared. His eyes grew wide. Who is this girl? Her laughter reached his ears again. He gritted his teeth and searched for her. He couldn't believe that this peasant was making fun of him.
" Up here." She said mildly. " And I am not a peasant. I do not work to feed your belly." She snapped angrily.
" What?" She read his mind somehow and she was able to fly.
" Who are you or what are you?" He demanded.
" I am none of your concern. All I want to do is play and talk to your father." She said simply. " I think that I will play first. What do you say? My blade against yours?" She held up a necklace that had a sword trinket on its chain. This made Vaun laugh.
" How can that little thing come against my blade?" He laughed pointing at the trinket. It was his turn to laugh but not for long. Her eyes narrowed. Calm down Diana, hold your pride until you reach the king and tell him what you know. She took off the necklace and held it in front of her.
" Moon Power Enlarge!" She commanded to the small sword. It glowed with a silver light and grew ten times its size. It looked too big for her to handle but she held it pretty well - for a girl. " Now my blade will be able to stand up to yours." She smiled and landed lightly on the grass. " To make it fair, I will not fly, disappear, or use any of my powers. I will be just like you, a human." Fanel nodded and prepared to attack. " And one more thing," she said sweetly, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. " Don't go soft on me just because I'm a girl." Diana attacked him and they fought fiercely in the wood clearing.
A whole four hours went by, Vaun feel to one knee and Diana fought to maintain balance, both panting and sweating. Diana's tail fell limply to the ground, too tired to stay wrapped around her waist. Out of pure exhaustion, Diana collapsed and Vaun won the match. He picked her up and walked back to the castle with the girl in his arms unconscious.
" Prince Vaun, you captured the outlaw Diana!" A minister said excitedly as Vaun walked in, exhausted and tired from the long walk. A guard took the girl and Vaun dropped on the spot. The last thing he heard was the cries of the town people and others before everything went silent.
Diana woke up in a lovely room, red velvet pillows, satin blankets, and luxurious furniture. Where am I? Am I at home? She looked around and saw a photo of Vaun hanging on the wall. She heard the door open and her hand flew to the sword necklace. A guard walked in.
" Prince Vaun Fanel wishes to see you." He said. Diana narrowed her eyes.
" I wish to see the king, not his arrogant son." She snorted.
" I suggest you watch your words, Prince Vaun is the ruling person in this kingdom." He growled back. Her eyes shot open. The boy she fought was the ' king '? She got up and followed the guard to the throne room. Before she entered she magically changed into her princess gown. Her moon star symbol shone brightly on her forehead. A small smirk touched her lips as the guard opened the doors.
" Your highness." She bowed and looked into his face. It was a look of confusion.
" Who is this? I asked for the girl I had brought in the day before." He demanded the guard stood there shocked and speechless. Diana decided it was time to speak and clear things up.
" I am Princess Diana Serenity Moon and the outlaw known and Diana of the Moon. I know this is a bit wild but this was the only way to get into your kingdom. I know that our kinds are enemies and I am trying to make us allies with your kingdom. What I wanted to tell your father is that your kingdom is in great danger, they could already be here."
" Who could already be here?" Vaun demanded. He was upset for the deception.
" I'm about to get to that." She said between gritted teeth. " They are called The Soul Snatchers, and they intend to create being that look like the souls they snatch but the only thing is that they control the ' clones '." Diana said. She had Vaun's full attention. " Now I was hoping that I would be able to fight along side you and protect your kingdom. I want to prove that not all Lyonians are bad." Diana was truly sincere now. Vaun stepped down from the throne and approached her. Her hands balled into small fists, she could feel her face getting warm as he neared her. What does he want? I only asked for a little trust. He now stood in front of her. He was a little taller than she and his brown eyes stared deep into hers. She gulped. A hand touched her chin and brought it closer to him, Diana's eyes widened as his lips touched hers, her mind raced as of what to do, it settled on one conclusion, enjoy the kiss. She closed her eyes and lavished the warmth that his body gave off. He pulled away.
" I guess I could allow you to fight." He smiled. Diana felt like melting. She said nothing but only nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder and walked by, leaving the stunned princess to think on the kiss. " I'm hoping that you will come to dinner." She nodded again.
Diana stood in her room and thought about his kiss, his warmth, and his eyes, his … everything. She put her hands to her face and felt that her cheeks were still warm. What am I going to do? I can't make a fool of myself at dinner. What am I going to wear? Oh, stop this Diana! Look at yourself you're turning into what your mother wants, a refined princess. Diana sighed and flopped onto her bed and hugged a pillow. She didn't hear the door open and close. She froze when she felt warm soft hands touch her back. She rolled over to face the intruder. It was Fanel.
" What?" She asked very unprincess like. He smiled.
" Do you always have to be so rude?" He snickered. Diana turned away, feeling her face get hot again. Why do you have to be so handsome? Why? Vaun turned her head towards him. " I asked a question and I expect to be answered."
" Life's full of disappointments, get used to it." She snapped looking away from the brown eyes that made her feel weak and vulnerable. To her surprise Vaun laughed. She looked at him, curious if he had eaten something that made him act this way. " Are you sick?"
" No, I feel just fine." He said quietly. " When I'm around you." That made her blush even more.
" Ok. Out. Get out." She pushed him off and out the door. He stopped her from closing it.
" Will you be at dinner?" He asked. She nodded. " I want verbal confirmation."
" Yes, I'll be there." She sighed and shut the door slowly. " I just hope that nothing happens during that time." She said after he left the door.
Diana came down the stairs in a regal blue gown and a silver tiara. Vaun looked at her and smiled, she didn't smile back. Diana focused on a dark figure that seemed invisible to the others around it. Vaun traced her gaze and saw nothing. " Is there something troubling you?"
" No, nothing I can't handle." She smiled modestly. Fanel led her to her seat and he sat next to her. " Fanel, I need to talk to you in private." She whispered to him quietly. He nodded and excused himself and the princess. The walked to the terrace and Vaun looked at her, she turned away to avoid the soft brown eyes that questioned her. " Fanel, I saw one of the soul snatchers. I purposely kept this information from you thinking that it was of no concern to you, but …" She looked down at the ground.
" But?" He encouraged her to go on. Diana looked at him with tears in her eyes.
" I didn't tell you that they were after me. They want to duplicate me because of my unimaginable powers." Tears rolled down her cheeks. Vaun hugged her, trying to calm her. She cried into his chest.
" I'll protect you, I promise." He said softly. Diana pulled away.
" You can't. There's no way that you can fight these people!" She sounded a little hysterical. " They are not your normal type of people, Fanel. They can move through walls and see into the depths of your soul. Fanel, I can't have you fall in love with me, there's too much at risk."
" I guess it's too late." He said in a near whisper. Diana looked at him.
" What do you mean by that?" She said pulling his face to look at her square in the eyes.
" I fell in love with you the first moment we met, when we fought in the woods." Diana's face flushed and she backed away. Vaun held his gaze on her, waiting for her to explode in a fit of anger or to run off in embarrassment. She did none of these. She only stared at him in wonder and amazement.
" How could you have fallen for an outlaw like me?" She asked, the tears gone but a hint of fear for his life hung in her eyes.
" If you look into a mirror, you'll see what I mean. Let's go in and eat something." He took her arm and led the again stunned princess in. How is it that he is always finding a way to surprise me or make me feel funny? They sat at the table and she ate quietly, her ears open to any unusual sounds. This is extremely weird. I can sense the soul snatchers but I cannot see them. I have to get out of here before Fanel gets hurt. She excused herself and walked quietly out of the main dining hall. She didn't notice Vaun follow her. Stealing away to her room she quickly changed into her
'outlaw' uniform. Slipping out the window she ran into the dark night.
A dark figure followed the running princess and floated silently through the woods as he traced her path. He would soon think that he would have her soul and create the world's most dangerous weapon.
Vaun followed quickly when he saw the figure follow her path. " Oh no you don't." He said and leaped out the window. The figure turned around and fired a blast of bright blue waves. Vaun was caught up in the middle of these waves and was thrown into unconsciousness.
Diana felt a psychic wave and turned to see Vaun be thrown backwards by a cloaked figure. " Hey, you want me come get me!" She shouted, attracting the man's attention. " Oh boy." Diana turned and ran further into the bushes and trees. The figure followed.
" Do you have to run so fast?" The man shouted after her. Diana stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. A branch knocked the hood off to reveal her brother, Starcrest. He stopped and fell to his knees panting.
" You need to work out more." Diana walked over to him and laughed.
" You work out too much." He panted in return. " Diana, why do you bring other people into things?"
" It's a habit I just can't break." She laughed. " So any news on those soul snatchers?"
" No. When you left they left." Starcrest stood and looked down at his younger sister. " I'm afraid they want your soul. I've heard that they are going to make a weapon that can and will destroy everything and only follow the orders of the creator."
Diana looked down and sighed. " There are very little places that I can run to. I've got to face them and defeat them."
" Luna," he used her old nickname. " There is no possible way that you will survive. Others will miss you dearly."
" I agree." They turned to see Vaun Fanel. He looked at Diana, his eyes pleading for her to stay with him.
" Who …"
" I am Vaun Fanel, ruler of Fanellia." Vaun said to clear up the confused Starcrest.
" Oh, Diana's boyfriend."
" ' Crest!!!!!!!" Diana shouted angrily. Starcrest laughed and Vaun blushed. " And you! I told you not to follow me. You could get killed Fanel."
" You like him, just admit it." Starcrest joked. He received a hard blow to the arm, he just laughed harder.