Hey! Welcome to chapter 4,

Hmm... so I was thinking. This story can't go on and on about Cinder's love life without proper action and proper plot. Levana is not in the story anymore so why not create a new antagonist? Hope you enjoy this new development. He will have a handful POVs scattered in the story. Not as many as Cinder and Kai, but it will hopefully make things... more interesting.

Enjoy!

He used to be her best friend when they were children. He, a smug little six year old boy, the son of the most powerful man on the Luna council, she, the beloved princess of Luna, hated by the regent queen Levana.

When he was younger he often saw her wandering the palace halls on her chubby little legs with her guards. She never noticed him. Why would she? Princess Selene was a royal and he was just another shadow, another spectator to the failure that was the crown princess. Regent Levana told her that frequently, just to make her cry, to suffer. Selene was so alone. So utterly alone. Levana loathed her with every inch of her being, but poor, miserable Selene always tried her hardest to please. She never talked back, ever constantly helping, always obedient.

It was never enough for Levana. To the regent, her niece would always be her older sister's daughter, the true heir to the throne and Levana would always be second best.

He remembered the first time they ever exchanged words. At the funeral, three days after Queen Channary had been killed. The whole country was in mourning for the lost queen. He remembered the sickly sweet scent of the midnight black roses to commemorate their dead sovereign which barely concealed the iron tang of dried blood. He heard rumours that the late queen was murdered so viciously that her blood painted the walls of her room red. So much blood had drained out that it took hours to wash and ready her body in preparation for the funeral.

Even then, the funeral was exclusively closed casket. He wasn't even sure he wanted to see the queen's dead body anyway. She had always freaked him out.

There was no noise save for the rustle of pressed suits and stiff high collared black dresses and the drone of eulogies. Everyone was eerily silent and he remembered being afraid, clutching his father's large hand. It was a sea of blank white faces. There were no cries, no wails, not even from little Selene. He doubted she even knew what was happening. After all, she was only three. He watched her, bored out of his mind. The dead body was cool, but speeches? Not so much. Princess Selene stared stonily into the distance. She didn't cry, or throw a tantrum, or even move. He remembered being surprised at her indifference to her own mother's death.

She wore a black dress inlaid with onyx shards. Shards. He wondered if she requested the creation of the dress or if the Princess Levana forced her to wear it. He wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case. The dress shimmered in the dim light, like the twinkling stars above them.

After the funeral, Princess Levana invited the funeral-goers to the reception. Selene refused to move and her aunt didn't try to convince her. She knew Selene would make a scene if she prodded further. It must have been the first time he witnessed Selene disobey Levana directly. Her guards tried to persuade her to go back into the palace but Selene wouldn't have it. She brushed them off and dismissed them. "You may go, leave me," she commanded. Her guards protested, but even though they were charged with the princess's safety they could not disregard a direct order.

His father nudged him forward. "Talk to her. Make friends." He stepped forward, slowly, reluctantly. He didn't want to. Not at that moment. He wanted to go back to the warm palace and eat the delicious food that was certainly going to be there, not talk to a anti-social princess that clearly wanted to be left alone. He stepped behind her and bowed, as it was custom.

"Your Highness," he muttered. When she didn't respond, he cleared his throat. Selene cocked her head to the side, but still gave no indication of hearing him. She continued to gaze at the pink-veined marble gravestone.

"She killed her, you know that?" she said softly, so softly that even he could barely here her. He blinked in surprise and said nothing. "My aunt murdered her sister." He was taken back. Everyone had obviously known. Nobody said it aloud of course, but it was in the thoughts of everyone who attended the funeral. It was a recognized fact that Princess Levana wanted the throne.

"You think Princess Levana killed Her Majesty?" he asked carefully. Selene finally turned to him, her expression strangely savage.

"Oh, I don't just think, I know." His face must have showed his shock. "What? You don't think so?"

"I- i-I think..." he stammered. "Umm." Princess Selene covered a smile.

"You don't have to answer that. Of course you would want to avoid treason." The six year old him stared in admiration at the smart, beautiful princess. Her eyes showed her weariness, her wisdom and experience way beyond her years. Only three years of age, but was now responsible for the wellbeing of the country, perhaps even the whole universe. Everything depended on her actions. She looked at him, her starlit eyes glinting with hope. "Will you be my friend? Will you help me?"

It was supposed to be an honor, but the young boy didn't think of it as one. To him, it was a gift of companionship. She became his everything. His life revolved around the princess. He was her confidant, guard, and advisor. But even he couldn't prevent the petty taunts and derisive comments streaming from Regent Levana. She knew her rule was limited, that there was an expiry date to the length of time she spent on Selene's throne.

The terrified screams came in the middle of the night coming from the royal apartments. Selene had given him a room in the guest wing which was just around the corner. He was the first to recognize her voice. He leapt out of bed and ran to her nursery. It was on fire. Selene was inside! Smoke poured from under the double doors and he could hear Selene's panicked cries from within.

"Selene!" he shouted pounded on the door. "Where is the fire? Open up!" He whimpered as he heard his best friend's sobs. He tried to open the door and hissed as the hot metal scorched into his exposed flesh. He tugged and jiggled the knob impervious to the burn. Locked. "Guards! Guards!" he ran up and down the corridor calling. Why weren't there any people around? The princess was never unguarded. But the hallways were empty. Frighteningly and terrifyingly deserted, devoid of life. The queen had planned this.

He almost howled his anger, his rage. Selene didn't deserve to die like this. She didn't deserve to suffer through her short, miserable life like this just to come to an abrupt end. Crying, he ran back to his friend's bedroom. Choking on the smoke that had coalesced at the ceiling, he slammed his small body into the door. "Selene! Selene! Hold on okay? I'm coming! Do you hear me?" There was no answer. His eyes watered from the heat and fumes. "Please, Selene." He stifled a sob and beat the door with his tiny fists. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

He woke up in the infirmary to the murmur of voices. Regent Levana smiled down at him. "Are you feeling better, darling?" she purred. He bolted upright.

"Where's Selene? Daddy?" his voice rasped and he coughed.

"Selene? Are you two really that close? She cannot be addressed as just 'Selene', dear boy. She was the princess, after all," she laughed a tinkling laugh. He froze.

"What do you mean was? You saved her didn't you?" Levana laughed again.

"How delightful naive you are. Much better to play with then." A light haired thaumaturge approached.

"Your Majesty," he said, eyes respectfully averted from her form. The boy's eyes widened in disbelief at the title.

"Yes, my dear boy, I am the new queen of Luna. Princess Selene, I'm afraid, was killed in a most unfortunate fire a week ago. You are lucky you survived smoke inhalation at all." she grinned. "Your persistence and determination was most amusing. I think to have you in my employment would be a great thing indeed, if you can manage to bestow upon me the same loyalty you extended to my niece." He launched out of the bed intending to squeeze, wring her powdered, glamoured neck until her head popped out, but the thaumaturge got in the way. "Restrain him," the queen said waving a careless hand, "and do as you will. He is not much use to me if he cannot get rid of his trivial obsession with the princess." The boy spat on her face.

"Murderer! You killed her! I will never work for you! You can't make me, you can't!" Levana wiped the saliva off her face with a handkerchief and curled her lip in disgust.

"That's where you're wrong, boy. There are many ways I can get you to change your mind. It's just a matter of time. I can make you suffer, so much that you will beg for death." She shook her head."But I will not give it to you. I will make you mine. You will adore me as you adored Selene."

"You're sick," he snarled at her, "only wanting to possess what little Selene had. You will never make me. Never!" Levana sighed and gave him an indulgent smirk.

"Gag him. He is boring me." He felt fingers clamp onto his mouth and he sank his teeth into flesh. Warm blood spilt into his mouth and the thaumaturge howled in pain. "Strap him to the bed!" Levana shouted. Iron cuffs secured his arms and legs. He writhe on the bed, back arching, but the unforgiving hardness of cold metal and the hopelessness of his surroundings weighed him down.

"Never!" he snarled. "You will never make me betray her." The queen stared down at him. Bright lights shone into his eyes, various drills humming, sharp objects glinting in the hospital light. "Never," he whispered. And then the pain began.

The queen did end up winning. He caved after a week of electroconvulsive therapy. The torture left no permanent damage. Not ones that people could see, but rather emotional damage in the way where he almost forgot her. His princess. The reason why he went through this in the first place. He pretended to be dumb. Pretended that all the therapy had wiped his memory, made him mentally defective.

Anger and outrage crammed his mind. Not a day went by without him reflecting on his days in Levana's hands. She made him into this. Selene had backed him into this. He should have never trusted her in the first place. All the Lunar queens were the same. She had abandoned him, abandoned her best friend to the wolves. But he had always been a good actor. He concealed his anger with blank nothingness. A perfect mask for a one of the living dead. He'd died the day Selene left. Father took him back in and Levana never bothered with him again. She had no use for a retarded servant. But he never forgot her. Selene. It was she who made him like this. She who subjected him to such treatment.

Then, Levana died and Selene came back. Selene came back and gave him a chance to take his revenge. She had the audacity to forget who he was, what he went through for her. Always surrounded by her bright circle of friends, the red-haired witch, naive little blonde, wolf mutant and the flashy flight commander. He bared his teeth into a smile. He'll get his revenge, and Selene will sing. The little birdie will sing until she had nothing left and then he'll burn the rest of the world down with her. After all, fire started the whole thing, once upon a lifetime.

What do you think? Reviews, please.

-Silverleaf