Noctarion's Tent____
Mirzand leaned casually against the table, a playful grin on his face.
"Nocta, I heard you brought a girl from the forest. Is she... beautiful?" he asked, his tone teasing.
Noctarion shot him a sharp look. "Yes. You just said she was."
Both Lolan and Mirzand blinked in confusion.
"Huh? What?" they asked in unison.
Noctarion sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, I found the princess. And you were right, Lolan-she's powerful. There's a lot of mystery surrounding her."
He turned his piercing gaze to Mirzand. "And yes, she's damn beautiful. More beautiful than in the picture."
Lolan and Mirzand exchanged glances, taking a moment to process his words.
"Then... we should take her to the king," Lolan suggested carefully.
"Not now," Noctarion said firmly, his voice cold but calculating. "I have a bigger plan."
Mirzand raised an eyebrow, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "A big plan? Are you planning to challenge the king?"
Noctarion's lips curled into a smirk. "If we just hand her over, what do we gain? Nothing."
Both Lolan and Mirzand fell silent, realizing the weight of his words.
"We should pretend we never found her," Noctarion continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Then... we use her as a pawn in our own game."
Lolan and Mirzand shared a brief look, thinking it over. Slowly, they both nodded in agreement.
"Sounds risky..." Lolan murmured.
"Sounds fun," Mirzand grinned.
Noctarion's smirk deepened. "Good. Let the game begin."
Lunastia entered the room, flanked by two guards on either side.
Mirzand's eyes widened in shock.
"Wow… holy moon, she's so…" he gasped, completely mesmerized.
Luna ignored him, walking forward with grace and confidence. But Mirzand wasn't done yet.
"Heyyy, you're such a beauty. How about coming to my tent tonight? Let's have some fun," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance as he looked at her in a disturbingly creepy way.
Luna stopped and stared at him, her golden eyes locking onto his. For a moment, a spark of fire flickered within them.
Mirzand took a step back in shock, feeling the intensity of her gaze.
Lolan stood up from his seat, surprised by the sudden tension. Noctarion, who had been silently observing the whole time, finally spoke.
"Sit, everyone."
Lolan and Mirzand quickly took their seats.
"I said, everyone."
Luna calmly sat down with them.
A heavy silence filled the air.
Lolan broke the silence, pulling out the letter from the palace and handing it to Luna.
"So… are you ready to go back?" he asked.
Luna read the letter slowly, then smirked confidently.
"No. And I know you're not going to send me back either. Am I right?"
Noctarion raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"What makes you think that?"
"Of course," Luna replied, her voice steady, "the Commander of the Shadow Masters is far too cunning for that."
She leaned forward, her eyes sharp.
"I don't believe you would waste such a valuable opportunity."
A small smile tugged at Noctarion's lips. "So, the Princess of Light is not a fool," Mirzand commented.
"Of course not," Luna replied without hesitation. "Now, let's talk about our deal."
"Deal?" Lolan questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"You've seen my power with your own eyes," Luna said. "I know you're planning something… dark. I'll support you, but in return, I want you to get all of us to the country of Molgarin within five days."
Mirzand and Lolan turned to Noctarion, waiting for his answer.
"Agreed," Noctarion said, his smirk widening.
Lolan leaned forward, his voice serious.
"We have a condition. This must be written as a contract on the Paper of Death."
Mirzand smirked. "I believe you know what the Paper of Death means, right?"
Luna looked at him, her expression calm but sharp.
"Paper of Death… any contract written on that paper, signed in the blood of all parties, must be followed. If anyone breaks the contract, they will face the punishment of thunder."
"Exactly," Noctarion said with a nod.
"I have some conditions," Luna stated firmly.
"First, as long as I stay here, I, my maid, and my fairies must be safe. Not even a Shadow Master creep should lay a finger on us." She shot a sharp glance at Mirzand.
Mirzand laughed lightly, raising his hands. "Fine, I won't even come near you."
"Second, you must get us to the country of Molgarin within six days. And once we arrive, you must leave us unharmed. No tricks."
"Fair enough," Noctarion said.
"Third," Luna continued, "don't treat us like prisoners. I am the Princess of Light. My maid and my fairies must stay by my side at all times."
Lolan rolled his eyes. "So demanding…"
Luna stopped talking, waiting for Noctarion's response.
"I agree to all your conditions," Noctarion said without hesitation.
"We will contact you when we need your help. No other conditions," he added.
Luna was slightly surprised by how quickly he accepted, but she simply nodded.
Without another word, they each pricked their fingers and let a drop of blood fall onto the contract.
The paper glowed faintly—the deal was sealed.
The curtain slid open, and Luna's fairies, along with Meli, rushed in just as the contract was sealed.
Floe quickly flew to Luna's side, her tiny hands glowing as she gently healed the small wound on Luna's finger.
Mirzand grinned and raised his own finger, where a drop of blood still lingered.
"Hey, little sparkles, I have one too!" he called out playfully, waving his finger at Floe.
Floe paused and looked at him, blinking innocently. Suddenly, she turned a soft shade of pink.
Mirzand smirked. "Hey! I didn't do anything! This thing—" he pointed to floe, "—it just turned pink on its own!"
Sole and Myra exchanged glances and burst into laughter, quickly catching on to what was happening.
Floe hesitated for a moment, then slowly floated towards Mirzand, ready to heal his small wound.
But before she could, Lira crossed her arms and scolded her sharply.
"Floe! What are you doing? Get back to your place now!"
Startled, Floe instantly flew back to Luna's side without a word.
Noctarion and Lolan observed the entire scene in silence, exchanging the smallest of glances but saying nothing.
Without another word, Luna turned and gracefully exited the tent, Meli and the fairies closely following her.
Luna's Tent_____
Luna was given a new, luxurious tent. As they settled in, Sira couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Luna, what did you do to them? They suddenly started treating us so nicely," Sira asked, eyes wide.
"Of course, our Luna must have shown them her darker side," Vina chimed in proudly, crossing her arms.
"Is that true, Luna?" Crysie asked, tilting her head with innocent curiosity.
Luna simply passed them a gentle smile.
"You're all out of line," Lira scolded them sharply. "She is the Princess of Light. How could she possibly have a dark side?"
Just then, Meli stepped forward, concern in her eyes.
"Are you okay, Luna?" she asked softly.
Luna gave her a small nod.
"Then what made them suddenly change their attitude toward us?" Sole asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
The others waited in silence for Luna's answer.
Luna sighed and finally said, "I made a deal with them."
"A deal?" Meli echoed, clearly surprised. "What kind of deal?"
Luna looked away, her expression tired.
"Let's talk about it later. I'm exhausted right now."
The others glanced at each other, half-satisfied, but respected her wish and slowly left the tent, their minds still filled with questions.
***************************
The Next Morning
The morning blue moon shone brightly over the camp, where everyone was busily preparing for the upcoming trip. Soldiers were packing bags, loading supplies, and giving hurried commands to one another.
Inside Luna's tent, the princess was still fast asleep, her breathing soft and peaceful.
Meli quietly stepped out to fetch breakfast from the camp's kitchen. Meanwhile, Lira carefully prepared Luna's dress for the day, making sure every fold and ribbon was perfect. The other fairies fluttered around the tent, laughing and playing, their tiny wings glimmering in the sunlight.
Some of the guards paused their work, staring in amazement at the fairies.
"I've never seen creatures like that before..." one whispered to another, his eyes wide.
"They're like living stars," the other murmured, captivated.
Not far from the scene, Lolan and Noctarion observed everything from a distance.
"She's still asleep?" Lolan asked, glancing at Noctarion.
Noctarion remained silent, his gaze fixed on the tent.
After a moment, Lolan spoke again. "Are you really going to help her?"
Without turning, Noctarion finally replied, "Yes." His voice was steady, leaving no room for doubt.
With that, he walked away, leaving Lolan behind, deep in thought.
Soon, Lira stepped out of the tent and called firmly,
"Luna, it's time to wake up!"
Hearing her voice, the fairies quickly gathered the flower crown they had worked on all morning. It was a beautiful, delicate creation, woven with tiny wildflowers, berries, herbs, and even a few shining dewdrops.
"Luna! Wake up! Wake up! We made something for you!" Crysie chirped excitedly as she floated near the tent flap.
"It's our special morning crown! It's full of tiny fruits and healing herbs, just for you!" Vina added, spinning in the air happily.
"We found the softest flowers with no thorns at all, see? It won't even hurt when you wear it!" Sole beamed, holding the crown carefully.
"You must wake up! You'll look so pretty with it, Luna!" Floe whispered softly, her cheeks glowing pink.
The fairies swarmed toward Luna's bed as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion.
"Good morning, Luna! We made this just for you!" the fairies chorused, holding up the flower crown as a symbol of their love and care.
A few minutes later, just outside Luna's luxurious new tent, Mirzand strolled over with his usual cocky grin. Guarding the entrance were two tiny fairies—Floe and Myra.
Mirzand leaned casually against the tent post, his voice soft and teasing as he called out,
"Heyyy, little sparkles, let me in?"
Before Floe could even react, Myra crossed her arms and snapped,
"NO!"
Her sharp, arrogant tone cut through the air like a blade.
Floe remained by the entrance, her face turning a deep shade of pink as she nervously fluttered her wings. Mirzand noticed her instantly, his amber eyes glimmering with curiosity.
"Hmm? Are you always pink in color, or is it just when you see me?" he asked, his voice light and genuinely curious.
Floe bit her lip, too shy to respond, her blush deepening.
But before the silence could linger, Myra flew between them like a little fireball.
"That's none of your business!" she snapped, her tiny face fuming.
Mirzand let out a long sigh but quickly masked his irritation with a playful smile. His eyes drifted over Myra from top to bottom, taking in her miniature, serious figure. She barely reached the size of his palm, yet her boldness was almost comedic.
"Will it fit?" he asked suddenly, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Both Floe and Myra blinked in confusion.
"Fit? What fit?" Floe asked innocently, tilting her head.
But Myra's expression quickly twisted in realization. Her cheeks burned red as she shouted,
"You… pervert! How dare you!"
Without hesitation, she pulled a tiny pouch from her side and flung sparkling white powder at Mirzand's face.
"Take that!" she screamed, grabbing Floe's hand and yanking her back into the tent.
Mirzand coughed and laughed, brushing the dust from his shoulders as he called out,
"Ah, little sparkles, you're really something else!"
From inside the tent, he could hear Myra's furious voice complaining loudly to Luna.
"He's a shameless brute! He was teasing me—no, he was teasing Floe! He's impossible! You have to tell him to stop, Luna!"
Mirzand leaned against the tent pole, still chuckling as he replayed the scene in his mind—the angry fairy, the fluttering wings, the powder clouding his face.
"What a feisty little spark," he muttered to himself, shaking his head with an amused smile.