Chapter II
Wander was sitting up against a tall pillar at the edge of the hall, looking out into the gardens and the lake beyond it with his piercing gray-blue eyes. The moonlight painted the tips of the dewy grass a faint shimmering blue, highlighting the dark waters that lapped beside it. He could just barely see a slim, white figure standing close to the waters edge, her black hair flowing down past her shoulders to the middle of her back. Curious, he left the hall and strolled down to get a better look. The closer he came, the more familiar she began to seem. As he drew nearer, the girl whipped around, a startled gasp escaping her lips.
"Who's there?" she cried.
"I meant no harm," said Wander, "I came with Lord Emon," the girl nodded in understanding, then turned back to face the lake. She seemed to be a wisp of a memory he couldn't place. Wander stood beside her, looking at her for some clue that would help jog his memory. She was a slight little thing, a mere slip of a girl. Not at all like the village girls back home, who were built for farming and bearing children. At home a girl like her wouldn't last a day, he thought, chuckling to himself. Home…
"How came you here," the girl said suddenly, almost making Wander jump. Her voice was soft, but there was a slight sternness to it that made him think of her upbringing. She must have been raised within these walls, he thought grimly, not knowing the warmth of a family hearth or the pleasantries of country life.
"Lord Emon chose me to become a Guardian," he said, almost remorseful at his fate. She turned to him and their eyes met briefly. It was a moment that seemed to last forever, making the both of them blush for they had forgotten themselves entirely. Embarrassed, they turned away from each other, Wander could feel his heart pounding inside his chest and it was so loud he thought she might hear it. He could feel an electrified energy between them for which he dared not disturb, for fear of hindering it.
"I see," she said, turning her back to the lake, "I must go, or the Head Priestess will punish me." She began to make her way off to the compound beyond the courtyard walls, then Wander stopped her, his hand gently resting on her arm.
"Wait!" he cried fervently, not wanting her to leave just yet. She stared down upon his hand as he removed it from her arm, albeit a little hesitantly.
"What is your name?" there was a faint glimpse of warmth in those gray eyes. For a time she stood there, not knowing whether she should answer him or not, never having had a youth ask her before she was apprehensive. But then she looked at him once more, and with an almost-smile she uttered, "Mono."