1 Prologue

The 23rd hour of Year 1XXX in the Manor of Marquess Falcon

"This is unacceptable!" Marchioness Eva slammed her hands on the oak study table of her husband, an expression of distraught marred her otherwise flawless features. The moon's pale light peeked through the velvet drapes and outlined the worry wrinkling her forehead with lips turning downwards in a frustrated frown. "They are both too young!"

Quite a contrast to his wife, the Marquess merely continued to read a scroll about an upcoming ball that the Earl of Wes would be hosting. He sighed and finally returned his gaze to his beloved, "It gives me much more reason to have them leave and gain necessary familiarity and experience of our kingdom and beyond it." He gazed into Eva's eyes and cared not for the abyss within, "the earlier the better."

"How can you do this to me!" The Marchioness' hair becoming more disheveled at every passing second,"I hate you!" Despite her frustrations, he pushed through the matter without wavering. "I hate you!"

When did his wife become an earful?

"Despise me all you want, I will not disobey our Majesty's order." The Marquess' tone was clipped as he sifted through the other documents that was of greater importance.

This was infuriating; she could feel her blood boil. "Do you not love our children?" her voice edges on cracking as she tried to keep her lips from trembling. "They could die."

After a period of silence, Eva felt ready to storm out of the room. The woman turned around to leave while the Marquess finally heaved a heavy sigh, his gaze finally lifted upon his wife."Augustus Fauns shall accompany them." He spoke quietly but his wife merely let out a laugh that edged on madness.

"Am I supposed to be relieved and humbled by this? What can one man do against the land of death?" She continued to walk away, her tone expressing disbelief.

"But it is not only he — your son is experienced in wielding both sword and bow while his sister has shown an affinity with magic… It would be a pity to let those talents go to waste."The Marquess couldn't believe that he even had to explain to anyone but the King, alas this was the woman he dearly loved.

"Waste them?! You'd want our children to die by the hands of these creatures? Even a platoon of soldiers would not cease my trembling heart." Marchioness Eva paused in front of the door, clutching it as if it was the only thing that helped her from falling.

"I thought that you would have much more faith in our children's skills." The Marquess shook his head.

The woman closed her eyes and held back tears, "They shouldn't have to be tested in a manner like this…"

* * *

The onset of night was to be period for slumber and rest but alas things were not so.

A figure dove past two frantic guards trying to hold him off the hallway, their yells waning as he picked up his pace through the familiar corridors.

"Ah good evening-"

He rushed through the maids, nearly toppled the green crystalline dragon decorated on a stand and with one final swerve he finally reached his destination. Two majestic doors stood as the only obstruction. Should he knock?

"This is unbelievable!" The young man called out as he bursts into his sister's chamber. He glanced around for his sibling and peeked at the closest room. Well, she was nowhere at her study room. She would have stood out from those books despite digging her face in them.

"Hello? You in the loo?"

He doubted she would be taking a bath at such a cold weather so he'd cut the bathroom; he didn't want to risk any chance to see her naked.

He finally popped his head inside her bedchamber, "Rhine!" he grinned at her, "Have you heard Rhine? Have you heard of it?" His face is almost as red as his spiky hair, he rested a hand on the wall as he caught his breath. To maintain the security of the location it meant numerous hallways to get lost in.

The ginger haired woman seated in front of her dresser nearly dropped her hairbrush, at the realization of who it was...she narrowed her blue eyes at the intruder, "Hyde, I was aware of it before you even had the slightest idea." She held back a sigh and returned to brushing her hair, "How did you even figure it out?" the young woman shared nearly identical traits to her sibling but they fared differently in terms of character.

Hyde's expression formed something that should have been too childish for a young man of seventeen years of age, a pout etched its way to his lips, "If not for Gus telling me to prepare my archery set for hunting, I would have never guessed we would be leaving for somewhere. I assumed we would be attending another tiring ball party." He walked up to his sister and rested a hand on his hip. "That's not cool you know?"

"Mother and Father would have never told you, for this very reason. Now you'll be pestering me about the details non-stop." Rhine heaved a heavy sigh and laid the back of her hand against her forehead.

"Now, now, it's already late as it is and you're still brushing your hair… don't tell me we would be going to find you a betrothed for you to fuss so much." A dark grimace fell upon the wary man.

"We shall be going to the Kingdom of Zourian for diplomatic envoys, it is only right that I do my best to look good enough for the both of us." Rhine lifted her head up and donned a haughty demeanor, but you could see she was acting in the way her smirk twitched while saying this.

"That's rather mean of you," Hyde crossed his arms and continued to pout.

"I only speak of truth; now get out of my room." Rhine swatted her sibling with her hairbrush.

"Now that's cold! I'm your brother!"

"Guards!" A triumphant smile formed on his sister's lips.

"I'm kicking myself out, you're such a royal pain."