Note: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Nicole. Sorry Nicole, but I didn't kill him, against my better judgment! I hope you like it girl! I hope you readers like it too!

When the moon rises

Chapter four: Star Light, Star Bright, Silvery Light

"Tara?" someone called, but it was so far away. I couldn't take my eyes off the book. What if someone found out? I couldn't pry my fingers off of it. What if I wanted to write my name in it? It wouldn't be all that hard. Just a blue heron feather, and a drop of…

"TARA!" they shouted, lightly slapping my cheek. I snapped out of my dark thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked quietly looking at Torin's face. He looked at me, concern written in his eyes and etched onto his face.

"Nothing, it was like you weren't there anymore." he said, looking at me oddly.

"Yes, yes," I said vaguely, "I just read something that got me thinking." He nodded his head.

"I understand that, makes you suddenly wonder if everything everyone has ever told you is wrong." he said quietly. I nodded my head, staring into space. The air felt cooler, shifting almost. The room looked awfully dark. And the seat cushion under my butt was hard like rock. And why was there a baby in the back round? Crying. I drifted. What was this?

She sat on the cave floor looking at her child lovingly. Only two years old. How could such innocence ever experience this? She should be playing with plush toys, sitting in clean clothing, and playing with other children her age. Not sitting here, on the dirty cave floor, a refugee of war.

"Ana." some one called. The woman looked up. Her sharp green eyes looked up toward the sound. A tall lean man with haggard cheeks and black circles under his piercing blue eyes walked aver to her. He sat wearily down on the stone of the floor, almost as if the simple action caused him great pain.

"Philip." she said softly running her hands through his shaggy and ill kept black hair in a vain effort to smooth it or to reassure herself that he was there, she was not sure. "You really must stop going out! It is dangerous, someone could see you." she said. Looking into his eyes. She had been so worried. The little girl toddled over to her father. Her face lit up in joy. Did she have any conception of what was going on?

"Dada." she said, stretching her arms out to him and clenching her tiny little fists. The man smiled and took his daughter into his arms.

"My little pearl." he said, kissing her forehead lightly. The woman wrapped her arm around her husband. The family sharing one last moment before the inevitable happened…suddenly the little child stiffened. Then she clawed fiercely trying to get out of her father's embrace. She panicked like a dog before a storm, a particularly horrible storm. And then the clanking of armor was heard. The little child looked up at her mother and father with sad, sad eyes.

"Where?" she uttered in her little child's voice, it was only hide-and-go-seek, right? Her mother silently pointed to a nook where the little girl wouldn't be noticed. She ran and hid, but toddled quickly back to her mother and father. She hugged them and kissed them and then running back to her spot saying,

"Love you mama, papa." Then she crouched down and was hidden out of sight. The man and woman turned to face the oncoming. The clanking stopped and a loud voice filled the little cave.

"Prince Philippe and Princess Annelise, you are under arrest." the little child watch with a sense of foreboding.

"What are the charges?" her father demanded.

"Revolt against the new regime." the man said. "You can come freely, or forcefully." the man said.

"Please sir, we shall leave country go far, far away, just spare us. Please." her mother pleaded. The man looked at her and sneered,

"You are irrelevant, woman." he nodded to his guards. The prince and princess were not even going to leave the cave, so why even offer the choice? Other than to torment them with the small hope that they would escape. Inhumane.

The little girl watched as the soldiers drew their swords. A horrible clashing sounded. She shut her eyes and plugged her ears, trying to drown out the noise. Her mothers scream of anguish down out her own…she sat and waited, rocking her self back and forth.

It was just part of the game, right? Where was her mother, or father? Her mother was going to come around the corner and say "Boo!" and tickle her while her father would pick her up and hug her.

But when she turned her head around the corner the little girl saw her mother and father, laying beside each other, their faces twisted in pain, blood oozing slowly out of their cold bodies. Her mother's arm was outstretched towards her. The little girl walked over and closed their eyes and moved her mother's hand to her side. She place the tiny bear she had in between her parents.

Then kneeling in between them-she screamed. A high kneeing sound of pure anguish and lost…

But after all, it was only a game of hide-and-go-seek right? A terribly twisted game…that never seemed to end…

I blinked my eyes rapidly. Everything was blurry. My chest ached from lack of air. The past? Why the past? Why did I see my parents die. I didn't want to see that. Not at all…

"Oh thank God." someone said above me. I became aware of the rocking motion. I looked up at Torin. His eyes shone with concern. I bit my lip. I would not cry anymore. The scream from my mothers throat echoed through my head, the very last noise that she had ever made. My throat felt hoarse, almost as if I had really screamed like I did all those years ago. I closed my eyes, my fingers twisting into Torin's shirt as I cried into his chest.

"Shh." he said, rocking me back and forth again, brushing the hair back from my forehead.

"Why?" I asked quietly. "Why did they even kill them? They left when it all started." I whispered.

"Tara, what are you talking about." Torin was worried, I could hear as much in his voice. He probably thought that I had gone crazy. I do not know.

Is crazy when you start to see the future and the past? When you hear your mothers anguished scream as they kill first you farther and then her? I had to laugh. Maybe I was crazy? But laughter, it cleaned my soul. Made me feel carefree again.

I put off my mother's and father's deaths. That belong to Princess Tara. Not Tara. And I was just Tara. A regular farm girl that was hopelessly in love with Torin. I sighed and sat up.

"Sorry." I said quietly. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Its fine." he replied. "But what did you even see to make you so sad?" he asked. Not asking me what I saw, but how I saw it.

"If I told you, you'd run away from me." I said. How would I ever, ever find out about this odd ability I had? I put it off. That like everything else belonged to the princess not me. And so, my heritage was covered in dust once more…

XoxOoX

-two months later-

As much I as tried to ignore my heritage, I couldn't.

Every morning I would go into the library and read my mother's diary over and over 'til I could remember every entry by heart. I marked my favorites, I underlined my favorite lines she wrote, I read eagerly about my father. But the things that I wouldn't touch were the Book, the letters or the history book. There was something wrong with them, so very wrong. But every morning after those days, for I only allowed myself that small please once or twice a week, I left it all behind.

I was Tara the farm girl that dressed up like a man to earn money for her family.

But try as I might it never left me. I was always falling into trances, about the past, my mothers wedding, my father, banquets, people, my grandmother and grandfather, odd places. Everything. At the worst possible times. When I was with Torin, in the fields, in the woods, when working at home. Raelin and Birkita teased me constantly about it. But I comforted myself with the fact that I was royalty, and they weren't.

But eventually my visits became few an far in between. And with in a month, I stopped going at all. And my past was forgotten, I lived for the here and now.

And slowly life became a routine. One that I actually liked…

In the mornings I would rise early so I could steal some of father's work clothing so that I could go to working in the fields. I grabbed a piece of bread for breakfast and scribbling in horrible handwriting with misspellings that told of an awkward hand or illegible person, where I was.

But I had nice handwriting. When I was a child I spent the days in the library, well when I wasn't with Torin. And Maxim taught me to read and write, quiet against the law I'm sure.

Then, I would progress to the fields. Work my plot, but at lunch I would run as fast as I could to a secluded area and then change into my simplest dress and walk back to the fields with a basket with lunch for me and Torin. And then when lunch was over, I'd run and change back into my field clothing.

On the rare occasions that I had my plot next to Torin's I would try to be as quiet as possible, but some-days it was like he was trying to annoy me until I hit him over the head. He talked and asked me questions, and it was becoming very rough on my throat to pitch my voice so I sounded like a man.

Then after field work I'd go to the stream and bathe, change into something more becoming, run home and prepare dinner for my family. Then after clearing the table and washing and cleaning up I'd run to my room and change, then meet Torin to walk around where we'd just talk.

But of course these activities left me with a lack of sleep that greatly hindered my work. Naturally, I plowed through. I was used to little or no sleep, but oddly enough I couldn't remember a night when I hadn't gotten eight hours before my routine began to develop.

Abruptly the daily…visions, though it wasn't the right word, stopped. I was puzzled. But I couldn't ask anyone to explain this to me, my secret could very well lock me out of society forever.

About two months after my visit to the library, things in town started to change…for better or worse, I would never know.

XoxOoX

I was walking with Torin in the woods. Like we usually did after we ate dinner with our respected families.

"So Torin, what is the news on this mysterious young man I have been hearing about?" I asked, listening to what Torin said about Ronan, or me was always fun.

"Nothing much. He never seems to talk to me, and has become even more mysterious than before, disappearing at lunch and then reappearing after it is over, I do believe that he found himself a woman, or a lover."

"Raelin will be very disappointed if that is the case." I said, feeling no sympathy for the little monster.

"Oh will she?" he asked, raising an eye brow. I nodded my head. He smiled slightly and then took my upper arm and pulled me behind him.

"Well, Tara I must say, you have quiet a muscle in that upper arm." I blushed, I knew what it was from, hours and hours of fielding crops.

"Yes," was all I said.

"Must be some extreme dough kneading." he murmured. I laughed at his small joke.

"Now, close your eyes." he said. I smiled but closed them.

"Alright, what is so important." I asked.

"That is for me to know and you to find out." he replied. I grimaced but kept my eyes tightly closed, letting Torin lead the way through twilight.

"Okay, open them." he said. I opened my eyes.

We stood in a small knoll with a sparkling stream the color of blood due to the sunset running through it. A small dark and weathered bridge crossed the river and the tress were covered with climbing vines that had flowers of a deep red to the softest pink on them, creating a wall almost. The flowers were draped and cut in an elegant arch through were we had entered the small knoll. In the center of the small area was a simple stone bench. I ran over and sat on it, relishing the last of the suns rays on my face.

"Do you like it?" Torin asked me.

"Mmm." I smiled. He laughed lightly and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck lightly.

"I'm glad." he said. We sat with each other in silence, enjoying the little knoll until the sun went down. Then I started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Torin asked me.

"well, the sun set, I thought that we were going to head back to the village." I said stupidly.

"Oh no! Silly girl, this is the best when the moon rises." When the moon rises. I shook my head. It wasn't that, it couldn't be, I did not even know what that was referring to! The moon rises every month, almost every day, except for when there is no moon, a black moon.

"Oh, well, I didn't realize that. What is so special when the moon comes up?" I asked, sitting down next to him on the little bench.

"You'll see." he said, twirling a flower from the vines in his hand. He placed it behind my ear, and kissed my lips lightly.

"It is one of the most beautiful sights though." he whispered against my skin. I smiled.

"I can't wait." I laid my head on his shoulder and watched the surrounding area. Slowly everything turned very dark. I gripped onto Torin's arm, I had never liked the dark, I always felt like something was lurking in it, waiting to get me.

"It's okay, the moon should be rising in a second." he said. I watched the tree line desperately, growing more uncomfortable with every passing second. Then sliver light crept over the tree line, turning the dark leaves to a sliver green that made me gasp in surprise.

"Oh! Its beautiful!" I told Torin. He smiled.

"That's not even it yet, be patient." I nodded my head and waited.

Soon the moon was directly over the clearing. I gasped as everything changed. Yhe stream that had been blood red earlier looked what could only be described as liquid diamond. The leaves were the lightest shade of emerald and moved lightly in the caressing wind. The trunks looked to be made of pure silver, but as I looked closer I relized that was the ivy and its leaves. I looked at the flowers closely.

"They are midnight blue!" I gasped in shock, looking at them. I got up and walked over, caressing the petal I between my fingers. They were so soft. Torin laughed. I looked at him carefully. His usually white hair looked sliver, so did his eyes and lashes, while his normally dark skin looked washed out. I widened my eyes.

"You look different!" I exclaimed. Torin laughed again.

"That is the magic of the full moon my dear, everything changes." he whispered in my ear. I shivered and leaned back against his chest.

"Tara?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something important?" I was puzzled, what could it be?

"Yes, Torin, you don't have to ask my permission."

"Tara." he paused and took a deep breath, he turned me to face him. "Tara, will you marry me?" he asked. I stood there numb, the words wouldn't penetrate under my skin. And when they did…

"Yes! Yes oh Torin I'd absolutely love to marry you!" I said, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him quickly.

"But what about our fathers?" I asked. Torin smiled.

"I got your father's blessing and my father's blessing." he told me. I smiled, suddenly all of the jealous looks from my sisters and then thrilled look of my parents made sense.

"This is perfect, exactly how things are supposed to be." I said, kissing my best friend, my lover, and my fiancée.

XoxOoX

-The Castle-

He looked out over the woods, the parapets of the castle providing a perfect view. He could see some smoke in the distance, smoke from the villagers' fires. He sighed and looked away. It really wasn't fair that they never saw him, or could ever take their complaints to him, but if he allowed that…things would be so much more complicated.

"Highness." some one said. The man over looking the forest refused to turn around see the other bow his head.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he growled. He sensed the man's hesitation. And then tentative step foreword.

"My apologies," he paused, seeming to swallow what he wanted to say, "it is habit, and somewhat regulation." the man said. The other shook his head.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"well," here the man paused again, bracing himself or swallowing what he was about to say, "Ceneth, as you have demanded for the astrologers to find out, the moon rises at-" the other man cut him off, spinning to face him, his blue eyes glinting with rage.

"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled. The other man cowered away.

"My lord," he tried.

"I do not want to hear it! All right? I honestly do not care! Not anymore, how much long 'til my birthday?" he asked suddenly, surprising the other man.

"About four months." he whispered. Ceneth smiled grimly.

"I need a wife by then." the other man was relived, they had been trying to get the prince to marry for months.

"I'll contact the surrounding countries-"

"No, I need one of the girls form the village." he said, looking over his shoulder at it.

"My Lord!" the man gasped out, appalled. A mere peasant in the castle?

"I have my reasons, they are quiet good ones too, now leave me. I am weary of your talk."

The other man nodded his head and escaped away from those unsettling blue eyes.

The Prince sighed. How he hated this! How he wanted to be free of his folly.

He knew what that man was thinking. It was what almost all of them thought. How could I let a twenty year old boss me around like that? Grant it, he's the prince, but still.

If only they knew!

Ceneth sighed again and rolled his shoulders. He needed to get away from here, the castle made him tense. He walked over to the east side of the parapet, no one knew about this. Looking around he jumped over the side, seemingly dropping off and disappearing, but he was hidden in the thick vines that scaled the castles walls.

He clambered down them and walked off into the woods without a second look back. As he walked he marveled at the color of the leaves, blood red and orange in the fading sunlight. He stopped to lean against a trunk, enjoying the light warming his face. He shivered as the sun disappeared and a sudden darkness took its place.

He continued to walk along.

Not long later he herd voices. Curious, he followed them.

He found himself outside a ring of trees, draped heavily with ivy.

The voices he heard were coming from inside the ring.

He crept closer, so quite that not even the best predator would have heard him.

He carefully parted the ivy, just enough so that he could see. And what he saw took his breath away.

The moon was directly over head, causing everything to become silvery.

In the middle of the small knoll was a girl. She was laughing and dancing around.

His breath caught.

She looked fey, dancing around with her white dress, a bright beckon in the night.

Her hair, which had been up obviously only minutes earlier from what he could tell, cascaded down her back-a thick cloak of gold and silver.

She twirled and stopped. Facing him. Her eyes seemed to search his face-but she could not know he was there! He stayed still, for she wouldn't see him.

Her eyes later haunted his sleep. That incredibly unsettling violet-silver color.

She turned, sauntering back to a man sitting on a stone bench on the edge of the premises.

So, she wasn't fey, just a village girl. He smiled, this would certainly be easy.

He could she her graceful figure through the thin fabric of her dress, his imagination got the better of him, but he diligently stood there, looking for something that he could recognize for when he set off in search of a wife. T

hen he saw it.

A glimmer of something on her neck.

His breath caught once again and his heart sped up, was it?

Could she possibly be?

No she couldn't it was the moon. And the moon played tricks on your eyes and soul.

He quietly crept away. He would have her soon...

XoxOoX

-Tara-

I sauntered back to Torin's waiting arms. He enveloped me in a hug.

"You certainly are quiet silly in the moonlight." he murmured into my hair.

"Hmm." I hummed, "it makes me feel…different, almost…young? It's like I can do anything I can want, it is an utter sense of freedom." I sat trying to explain that incredible bliss.

"I guess I can understand that." he said quietly, kissing my neck.

I fidgeted with my green dress.

Should I mention that I felt like I was being watched?

Or would that not be wise?

After all the moon does play tricks on your eyes and senses… The ultimate illusion...

XoxOoXoxOoX

A/N hey guys! So Welcome back the people that have been with me since chapter one and Welcome to the new readers just on bored! So this chapter was pretty much a filler, but I'm not gonna deny that I gave some VERY important stuff in here. Okay so, we met the prince, let me know what you think. I'll update soon, and as always, if you guys have any ideas shoot them to me in a review or e-mail! And also, I have a poll up on my home page, go and vote please? It wont kill ya! :D