A bit earlier.
Luna was in the royal palace's main mess hall. She was surrounded by other children saying goodbye to their parents. Anyone under 16 would not take part in the upcoming battle. A few elderly people, as well. Instead, while their families fought, they would stay here.
The mess hall wasn't the only room where the people who wouldn't fight stayed, though. While it was the biggest one, many groups of children and elderly were scattered throughout the many rooms.
Since the palace was right in the middle of the city, it was the perfect palace to keep them safe. Provided the rest of their people didn't perish at the hands of the horrors. If that happened, there was no building that could keep them safe.
Luna sat down on one of the many circular tables. This one was quite close to the large room's entrance. As she peered over her shoulder to look into the corridor, she saw the king standing there, looking at a painting.
He seemed to be deep in thought when a large man wearing armor made from black steel walked up to him.
It was strange. The man bore no significant resemblance, and yet, Luna couldn't help but be reminded of her father when looking at him.
"I wonder how dad is doing right now," Luna said, looking as her mother sat down next to her.
Her mother smiled. "I'm sure he's fine. He's safe on top of the wall."
Luna smiled as she leaned against her mother.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of children playing next to her table. They were passing around a leather ball to each other.
Seems fun…
"Do you want to join them?" Charlotte asked.
Luna shrugged. "Yeah… but I want to stay with you, too."
"It's okay, go play with them! I'll be right here."
With a nod and a smile, Luna stood up and walked over to the group. They were 6 children of varying ages; The youngest seemed to be 7 years old, and the oldest 14. There were four boys and two girls.
Forming a wide circle, they passed around a ball while talking to each other and laughing.
Hesitant to interrupt them, Luna took a deep breath and asked loudly: "C- Can I play with you?"
The group stopped kicking the ball as they looked back at her. The oldest boy smiled.
"Of course! Guys, make some room for her over there," he said, pointing to the people in front of him.
The two he pointed at—a boy and a girl—parted to give her space.
"Thank you," Luna said, bowing her head slightly as she stood between them.
The circle grew a little wider. Kicking the ball around, they talked and got to know each other.
Luna found out the oldest boy was the son of a baker, who was the owner of a bakery her family frequents. He was learning all about the family business from his father, with the hope of one day inheriting it.
Luna admired his dedication.
I wish I had his discipline.
Two boys in the group were brothers. They spoke about leaving the city one day and becoming sailors. "Riding giant waves and braving the powerful storms! What could be cooler than that?" they said.
Luna giggled at their enthusiasm.
I want to have that much fun in my future job!
The oldest girl wished to become a scholar. She dreamed of traveling the world, amassing all the knowledge she could and immersing herself in all the different cultures. She spoke a lot about the stories of various books she'd read. When one brother asked her why she enjoyed learning so much, she simply said: "Because I want to know."
Her knowledge fascinated Luna.
Maybe I should read more…
The youngest girl wanted to become a cook. Taking lessons from her mother and grandmother, she was currently learning to cook traditional Pragan dishes. She said her greatest joy was seeing the smiles on people's faces as they ate her food. She wanted to open a restaurant where she could see her customers from the kitchen.
Luna felt engulfed by her passion.
I want to eat at that restaurant
Meanwhile, the youngest boy—who was also the youngest of the group—said that he hadn't thought about what he wanted to do. He was simply enjoying life, going to class, playing with his neighbors every day. The boy didn't want to think about such things for now.
Luna found herself smitten with his innocence.
He's so cute!
When they finally asked Luna what her dream was, she hesitated. This was her first time speaking about it. In truth, she wasn't even sure if it was what she really wanted. Maybe it wasn't… However, when she laid in bed every night, her thoughts always seemed to turn back to the same thing.
"If I had to say something… I want to travel. Travel around the world and explore it all. Traverse snow-covered mountains, take sail through the ocean, experience the overwhelming heat of the desert, move through muddy swamps… I want to see what the night sky looks like from all those places…" Luna's voice slowly lowered without her realizing it.
Her pale gray eyes cast downward as she grabbed the sides of her dress.
"That's so cool!" One brother said. The rest of the group echoed his sentiment as they continued playing.
Yes, it is. That's the problem. In this situation, who knows if I'll be able to fulfill that cool dream. If I couldn't, then…
Luna looked back at her mother. Sitting down with her elbows on her knees and her head resting on her hands, Charlotte looked at Luna with a warm smile.
Luna smiled back.