Chapter 2: 5 years in the past
"What?" Prince Daniel was sitting at the table eating his dinner when his guard had said that he had urgent news to tell him. "Can't you see that I'm eating? Cody, you know that I don't like to talk while I'm eating."
"I know sire but You will want to hear this."
"Good or bad?" Daniel knew by the tone in his voice that it probably wasn't good.
"Bad Sire. I'm sorry."
"Then it can wait. I don't want to be-" He was cut off by Cody.
"Sire, it's about Princess Clair." Cody said urgently enough to convince the Prince in front of him.
Prince Daniel slowly placed his fork down. His head racing with both thoughts and feelings that he had tried to hide for 5 years now. Then it occurred to him that his guard said that it was bad news that was about to be given. "What about her?" He asked hesitantly, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.
"Her body has been found. I'm sorry Your highness, she was found dead. People say that it looked like her body had been put there. She had only recently died."
"Where was she found?"
"At the front gates of the reconstructed palace." The Prince's eyes opened wide and then he stood up. "Sire, What are we to do?"
"We are to give her a proper Aqua funeral." He said as he walked quickly to his room. She was dead. That meant that there was no hope of him finding her alive and well. All hope was lost in marrying her. She was now taken away and he could no longer see her beautiful, ocean like eyes that started into his sole and only saw the best in him. Ever since that morning that he had found out about her disappearance, he had had troops go out and look for her. For five years they had been looking and now she had just been found, recently killed, and so she had been waiting for him to come and rescue her for five years. He had gone out on many search missions himself and never wanted to go back to the castle until they found her. He had held it all in until he got to his room and closed the door on his guard's face. He had fallen there, with his back against the wall, he put his head in the palms of his hands and tears flowed down his face. They were silent tears and so he didn't make a noise but that was only because he was in such a shock. He couldn't make noise. When he found the ability to control his feelings again, he had gone further into his room and then flopped down on his bed and didn't ever want to get up. No one could make him get up until it was time for her funeral. He hoped that he could control himself there so he wouldn't break down in front of everyone. Not many people would be allowed there but he still didn't want anyone to see him like this. He had been in the military for years now and had seen many of his men die in combat and he didn't cry. He had seen fallen warriors of the enemy and didn't cry. He had seen the soldiers that survived but were permanently wounded and had to live the rest of their life and didn't cry for anyone but he was crying for her. The girl who had made his life interesting. The princess that had seen him for both good and bad and challenged him both mentally and physically. He would always remember the blue haired princess that had made an imprint on his life. He would give her the proper funeral of her people. She would be turned into ashes and then there would be a ceremony and then her ashes would be spread along the coast of the sea. He didn't know if any of her relatives were still alive and so he would have his guard Jack look at all of the records of any relatives that the princess may have now though, he would mourn the loss of his princess.
The next day, The prince had ordered that her funeral would be in a week. When her body arrived, he took one look and saw that she had changed in the five years. She would have been fourteen and time had been good to her. He had only taken that look. He hadn't said anything in fear that he would break down again but when he left, he had begun the preparations for her funeral. Right now, he was sitting on one of the many roofs of the castle. He had dismissed his guards for the next two days and in the mean time, he would have the substitute guards. They weren't going to report to him till morning and so he was alone. He felt more alone right now than ever but his guards wouldn't fix it. It would only make him feel even more lonely. "Daniel?" He heard a small voice say in almost a whisper. "What are you doing up here?"
"I must ask you the same."
"I was looking for you." The owner of the voice sat down next to him.
"Jess, you know that for 5 years now I've been troubled." The little girl nodded. "They found her body. The princess that disappeared a few months before you were born." The little girl wrapped her arms around the older boy next to her.
"If you need me, I'll always be here for you." She knew that the prince had been obsessed with finding this 'lost princess'. She only had heard stories. Princess Jessica looked up at her older brother. "Daniel?"
"Jess?" He asked, not turning to her.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. There is one thing that I do know though."
"What's that?"
"I'm never going to let anyone take my little sister away like they did Clair." He leaned over to his younger sister. "Promise me Jess, if you ever get in a situation like that, you will try and find your way back to me as soon as you could. I don't want to lose you."
"I will." She didn't question what he was saying because she knew that the 'lost princess' didn't know that she was to wed her older brother. Jess didn't know much about the 'lost princess of Aqua' but she had heard the stories of their castle getting demolished and then rebuilt in a new name. She had even met the new king and Queen for that kingdom that now stands where the Kingdom of Aqua once was. The new Kingdom was called Fira She didn't like them and she knew that her brother didn't like them either.
They sat there in silence for an hour or so and then the Prince stood. "We best get to sleep. Come on." He said as he picked up his little sister that had no energy to argue with him. He took her to her room and then gave her to her nanny who put her to bed. He then went back to his room and fell on his bed and fell asleep. His only escape of the real world's problems were his dreams that were memories of him with princess Clair when they were young.
"I'm what?!" Moon asked as Cody had just told her what news would be spreading. He had just come home and had asked her to come to his study. He then began to explain that she would be declared dead. "Why?"
"Well, Princess Clair is no more right? She hasn't been for about 5 years now. Everyone thinks it anyway. You're not Princess Clair anymore and you know that. You are now Moon Hills. You have been for 5 years so why should it affect you that Princess Clair is pronounced dead?"
"Why do I have to hide that I am a Princess? I don't want to be declared Dead!" She yelled just as the door to Cody's study opened. Ju stood there wide-eyed. She hadn't known of Moon's real identity but now that she found out, moon began to wonder what would happen to her. And if Ju would be mad at her for not telling her.
"What do you want?" Cody asked becoming angry and the thought that he might have to get rid of his maid crossed his mind.
"I came in to tell you that dinner is ready." Ju said as she looked from Cody to who she thought to be Moon. Now she began to wonder.
"Go to your room and don't repeat anything you have heard from this room!" Moon looked at Ju and they held eye contact until Ju had to leave. "Now, you aren't going to tell anyone that you are the princess of the long gone and almost forgotten kingdom. Anyone that you were close to back then will now think that you are dead. You have gotten through 5 years of school now without anyone knowing who you are, it's better this way."
"Don't they need a body?"
"Apparently, they have found one that seemed to have enough resemblance to you that they thought that it was you. You may not go to that funeral and you aren't going to tell anyone. Now, thanks to your yelling, I must now go and explain to Ju what it was all about."
"No!" Moon grabbed his arm, which he shook off. "Please. Let me. I'll explain it to her and she won't tell anyone. Please!"
"Fine but if she does tell anyone-"
"She won't." She then left and went to where Ju was. She opened the door to their shared bedroom and saw Ju sitting on the bottom bunk with her head in her hands looking like she was thinking. "Ju?"
She looked up and then back down. "Who are you?"
"Come one Ju. You know me."
"No, I don't."
"Ju, I may have a different name but I'm the same person that you've known for 5 years."
"What's your real name?"
"I'm the lost princess of Aqua. My Name is Princess Clair Moon of the Aqua kingdom."
Ju's eyes widened. "We have to tell people. Oh my goodness, we've been hiding the princess here for 5 years. Wait, wait, wait. When I walked in, you said that you didn't want to be declared dead. Why? Are you in danger? Is Cody going to kill you?"
"Hold your horses. Ju," She said seriously, "We can't tell anyone. If we do, I will be killed by those people who killed my parents. Apparently, they found someone who looks a lot like me and about the same age. She died a few days ago and when people found the body, they thought it was me. I'm safest like this. They have been searching for me for the past 5 years. If we tell them that I'm still alive, they will kill me on the spot. Cody has kept me hidden for my safety."
Ju looked at her both with confusion and concern. Ju knew that Cody wasn't that nice. There had to be something that he would get out of hiding her from the public. It was true though, many soldiers have passed by, many times, over the past five years looking for her. Ju didn't want them to take her away now, and if Cody said that they were there to kill her, that's what was going on. Neither of the two females had any doubt that they would have taken her away permanently. Ju didn't know if she would be killed but Ju had grown to love this girl, almost as a daughter and didn't want to see her leave. "Ok. I won't tell anyone." Knowing that Moon, or Clair, or whatever she wanted to be called, was a princess, would change something's but Ju would try her best to act the same way she always had towards this girl. "So, what do you want to be called?"
"My name is now Moon Hills. You call me Moon. Thank you for understanding."
"If it's for your safety, I would do anything." Ju smiled at Moon and then they both went to eat. Cody would have most likely eaten his food by now, or at least he would have gone to his study with his food to eat there. The rest of the night, was mostly silent and Moon had woken up many times because of her dreams. She would dream about her funeral and how it wasn't really her and she showed up but no one believed her that she was still alive.