Moon Palace Part 1

Yue made her way up to the palace that was tucked away by the huge tree. The roots to the tree fit perfectly over the parts of the palace they touched without damaging the structure at all. They acted almost like a shield, protecting the palace from harm. As Yue got closer, she noticed a few peculiar things about the palace. For one, the highest peak of the central tower had a large moon shaped window built into the roof. Just like the other buildings, it was most likely some kind of faith. She wondered if this was once a city that worshiped the same moon goddess who gave her the stupid system she could do nothing with. Of course, she had yet to really mess with it.

When she arrived at the gates to the palace, she slowly pushed them open. Surprisingly the gates were still in very good working order. They did not even creak as she pushed them open. They were also made of stone as well. But the hinges were made of metal and were not even close to being rusted.

But what surprised her more was the seemingly well kept flower garden that looked to have been well maintained even now. There was a clean white stone path that led to the main entrance of the palace. And on each side were small plots of grass in between the smaller paths leading around to other areas. Within those smaller plots were flower beds that all looked as if they had just been taken care of not too long ago.

As she looked around, she noticed a set of horns not too far off poking up from behind one of the bushes. Yue walked over and around the bush to find a young looking girl. She had black horns, short black hair, dark skin, and pointy ears. She even had a thin long pointed tail. She was busy at work trimming the bushes while humming what seemed to be a made up tune.

"Excuse me?" Yue called out softly, trying not to scare the girl but sadly, this was not meant to be so.

"Ahh!" The girl almost jumped out of her skin at Yue's voice. She turned and looked at Yue with aggrieved eyes that were tearing up, but as she continued looking at her, she suddenly dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "Your grace! I thought you would never appear again! Fillia has kept the Palace maintained all these years, making sure no monster or other being entered its grounds!"

The girl's sudden actions startled Yue and confused her even more. She had no idea who Fillia was, but the girl was acting as if she knew her. "Umm, Have we met before?"

"Your grace!?" Fillia raised her head and looked at Yue more carefully. "No… Not her grace, but this scent can not be denied. Are you the new moon goddess?"

"Ahh, this… I guess so? The lady I met kind of forced it on me..." Yue replied with a dry laugh.

"Then you are now my new master… Fillia greets the moon goddess." Fillia bowed her head once more, pressing it against the hard ground.

"Please get up. I do not need anyone bowing to me..." Yue hurriedly helped her up and even began dusting off her clothes that had gotten dirt on them.

Fillia looked at Yue, stunned. She had never expected to be treated so kindly. "Your grace?"

"Just Yue is fine. I do not know much about this whole moon goddess thing, but one thing is for sure I do not want anyone bowing to me. So please, there is no need to bow." Yue explained with a smile as she fixed the girl's hair.

Fillia's face flushed as she nodded her head. "Then let Fillia be the first to welcome you to the Moon Palace. This palace belongs to the moon goddess and is now yours to do with as you see fit. Fillia has worked hard over the years to keep the palace in tip top shape. Unfortunately, the city..." Fillia lowered her head. She was waiting to be yelled out.

"Then I must thank you for doing such an amazing job. I can see that this palace was well taken care of. But Fillia, how long have you been here for, and are you alone?" Yue asked. She did not sense anyone else around.

"Fillia has been here since the last moon goddess descended to the mortal world. She had found me half dead on her way to this place and graced me with immortality, and allowed me to live here as this palace's caretaker. I owe her so much, so Fillia has been here ever since, even after she left. I am not sure how many years ago that was. Fillia stopped counting when the years reached eight numbers." Fillia explained.

Yue really did not know what to say. To have to live a life of solitude for millions of years was just… Yue reached out her hand and pulled Fillia into a hug, and patted the top of her head. Fillia was only a head shorter than her and looked to be around ten years of age. Fillia was startled at first and was going to pull away. But the warm hug made all her grievances suddenly burst forth. She began crying like she had never cried before. She had been so alone all this time and now, here was her new master willing to treat her with such tender care.

Yue gently stroked the top of the girl's head, rocking her back and forth. While she had been left alone by her parents for most of her life she was never truly alone because Momo was by her side. To have to live for millions of years all alone, Yue could not even imagine it. But now that she was here she would not let Fillia feel alone again. She would make this city a place for people like Fillia, so they can live happy lives.