Ep. 1 Where it All Began

September 22nd, 2011

   The wind blew gently across Speedy's face, moving his spiked dark blue bangs over his forehead. It was a good early autumn day for a walk. The forest smelled of sweet pine, and luxurious tinted leaves falling hinted the change of the season coming inward the more time flew by. The squirrels quarreled for the chest nuts, some stuck, some fell. The forest felt alive as it whistled against the trees.

   What were Speedy and his son doing out on this fine morning? They were hunting, looking for a deer or two to take home to the family. Sometimes, they felt like bears in wolves' bodies when they hunt. A few rabbits would please his wife, maybe a beaver for his brothers, and whatever else they could spare or catch.

   Together, they scouted the area looking for their prizes. They do not hunt with guns, knives, or bows. All they need are their senses, teeth, and bodies, for they are half Human and half animal. They have no name. They just know what they are.

   Minding their own business, they thought they were alone. However, they picked up on a suspicious smell that intruded the normal aroma of the forest. It did not smell of them, it did not smell animal, and it did not smell of Human, so what was the mysterious scent? Getting closer to the area it was coming from, they started to recognize the scent though it was hard to tell if it matched because it did not completely replicate the scent of a Guardian.

   After a minute or two, the scent was much stronger. They were close. It brought them to an unknown area to the forest. This particular area was a small circle with no trees, and the morning pink sky could be seen as clear as freshly cleaned glass. Looking around, the dead, yellow grass crunched beneath their steps as they hesitatingly walked towards an old worn down barn.

   The old structure smelled of deceasing wood, and it was a dark shade of red that seemed to be slowly dying away. It looked to be maybe sixty or seventy years old. It was abandoned oh so long ago by the webs that dangled around it. However, the grass around the barn was very much alive, freshly green with small dandelions across it. The trees were trying to swallow the barn, to make it lost to time itself.

   Speedy thought it was the wind that dashed past him, but he caught the scent of one of the Guardians. They were here somewhere. Perhaps hiding in the thick layers of the forest? Was this a trap? It is not like the Guardians to play such harsh cards on the table of surviving.

   But there amongst the barn's casted shadow, a small body laid in the grass. It was half in the shadow of the barn, and the other vertically had sunlight on it. Speedy and his son glanced at each other, for this was the scent they picked up on.

He took a wild guess that it was a girl probably three or four years old. She had short light pink, curly hair, and she was poorly dressed. Abandoned, he concluded.

What was a Guardian doing here around a child?

August 21st, 2023

The sun shown brightly even though it was early morning. Summer officially ends in about a month, which is also when Nature's birthday is. She should be in school, but a student got murdered the other day. Instead, she is on her way to the gates of Equality, her home land, on a mission for the queen. One of her jobs are introducing new people to the kingdom before they make their stay.

Nature has been assigned a teenager her age( She is turning sixteen. Her name is all Nature knows at the moment, for it is also her job to record everything she learns about the person. For example, their name, cultures, religion, etc. This teen's name is Salona, which is Indian Sanskrit for beautiful.

   The stone walls that surround Equality are about fifteen meters high, and the big gate is equally that tall. No one really leaves Equality, but not very many people enter either. It has a population of about one hundred six thousand and rarely get new comers, reporters, or traders.

Nature nodded at the royal guard in front of the gate when he halted her. The Royal Guard is dressed in shiny tin armor with the Equalian symbol, a purple diamond. They also carry around spears with them just in case.

Backing up from him, she began to reach in her pocket for the letter Queen Sun sent her. You would think by now they know why she goes out, but they have orders as do she.

"Someone new?" He asked. Her head shot up at the question. Usually, they don't do much talking with this. Being the one who keeps track of everyone for the queen, Nature recognized him as Jack. His eyes are dark purple, and his hair is dark pink, almost a purple. He has purple feathered wings too.

"Yes," Nature confidently answered. At last, she found the piece of paper and showed it to him.

"Okay," he nodded. She put the letter back as he opened the gate a bit, so she could get through. Nature thanked him and walked through.

The outside of Equality's walls are much different compared to the kingdom. To her right, she acknowledged the forest in the distance was growing out of hand again. She will have to report that. To her left, in the distance, she saw the Villaina Ocean.

They call it the Villaina Ocean because a two days trip from here in that direction is the Villain Empire. Their neighboring kingdoms have peace with Equality but not the Villain Empire. No one messes with them. They have such a force, any kingdom that becomes their target is sure to fall. Thankfully, they do not battle often.

Although, about ten years ago, Equality did go to war against them and won. It cost them a fortune though, and they are still recovering. Many lives were lost, including the best general Queen Sun had. It was an awful time. How did they win? Well, it was thanks to the Guardians.

The Guardians.

It's not that Nature does not like them, but they are the most mysterious part about Equality. They rarely come around at all. But when they do, all attention is immediately passed over to them. The Equalians know so little, yet the Guardians say enough. Enough to say hi, goodbye, warnings about problems, and... talk... to Nature specifically. Why? She doesn't know.

Nature is just an ordinary girl trying to do her part. What would possibly so interesting about her compared to their height of power? She swears they are Equality's religion or something!

Nature shook her head to pass the idea aside. Good thing she did too because a woman was walking on the dirt path towards her. Her hair was straight blond with pink highlights in it. Time to start her checklist!

Step one: say hi.

"Hi!" Nature waved invitingly to her. She smiled and quickened her paste to Nature.

"Hello, I wasn't expecting to meet anyone yet...," she said shyly.

Step two: introduce yourself.

"Oh, well, I was assigned to show you around. My name is Nature, and I work for the queen."

"Okay, I am Salona. How old are you?"

"Same as you. Well, sorta. I'll be sixteen in a month."

"Oh, happy early birthday."

"Thanks," she blushed.

Step three: ask required questions.

Nature pulled her notepad and a pencil out of her hair. Before she started flipping through it, Nature saw Salona give her a freaked out look.

"What? Oh, this?" Nature questioned, putting them back into her light pink, curly hair. Then, she pulled them back out.

"How-?" She trailed off.

"It's just something I can do," Nature shrugged. "Basically, I can store things in it without a limit."

"I don't understand," Salona shook her head in astonishment.

"Heh, welcome to Equality. Anyway, before you can come in, I have to ask a few questions."

"Hm, alright. Fire away."

"What is your religion?"

"The Guardians of course. That's why I'm here."

"Okay.... Talents?"

"I have a green thumb for trees. Especially cherry trees."

"Cultures?"

"I'm from across the Villaina Ocean. Is that enough?"

Nature's suspicions grew, but she nodded. "Allergies?"

"None."

"Medical conditions?"

"None."

"Okay, is there anything we should know about you?"

"I'm bipolar."

"That's a medical condition," she pointed out, erasing 'none' to 'bipolar'.

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine. Anything else?"

"No."

"Alright then. Follow me."

Nature turned around and knocked a specific code on the gate, signaling it was safe. Jack opened it back up and let her and Salona in. He eyed her but retreated when Nature caught him, closing the gate. She turned to Salona.

"I know I already said it, but welcome to Equality!" She chanted. Salona gazed about in wonder and awe.

Step four: show them around.

"This is Hillville. It's the medium part of the population of about one hundred six thousand in total. Hillville has an average of five thousand five hundred residents. It's considered a small town though, so close your jaw," Nature chuckled at her reaction.

First, she took her to the three groups of neighborhoods. Then, to Town Hall. Next, was the Sport's Field and Hillville's School. Before leaving the school, she had her follow her to a path with pine trees around it.

"Why did we stop?" Salona asked.

"This is the borderline to the Hunters Territory. They're apart of the land too, just not very many Humans go over this line," Nature explained.

"Why?"

"They're half Human, half animal, but the Humans have a hard time excepting that."

"Oh."

Fourth, to the library, hospital, the shop, and spa. Fifth, the pet shop and party area. For lunch, Nature took her to the Bakery and the picnic area that has cherry trees around it. After, theyvwent to the Orphanage and Sunny Gazette. Then, to the Cemetery and Camping Grounds. Finally, they watched a concert over at the Amphitheater and Flower Hill.

There were more places to go, but those places are mostly homes in the forests. Since she was done showing her Hillville, they went to the train station to ride up the mountain to Settle Sun.

   After getting their tickets, they settled down in seats. Salona was looking out the window watching the country side go by. In a few moments, she turned to Nature.

   "Why does the country look like a farm?" She asked.

   "It is. I don't usually tour it though."

   "How come?"

   "Well, for one, the farmers are busy, so I don't like to distract them."

   "I see.... So, why did you speak of us Humans about the... Hunters like you're not one of us?"

   Nature stopped dead in her tracks writing a report in her notepad when she commented on that. To be honest, she was not sure what to say. Still, it would be rude not to answer.

   "It's...hard to explain," Nature hesitated.

   "Is it personal?"

   "Sorta.... I guess you could say that, but not really...."

   "Can you at least tell me about the Hunters, or is all I need to know is that they're half animal?"

   She sighed, thinking of how to answer. If you can't tell, she's never had this problem before. Even though she is still suspicious of Salona, it cannot hurt to open up a little bit.

   Can it?

   "There's plenty to know about the Hunters like their population is five hundred. I'm probably your best resource to ask to about them."

   "Why?"

   "Well, how do I put this? It's not that I'm not a Human, but a really long time ago I got... adopted by them."

   "Adopted?"

   "Like you said, 'personal'."

   "If you're adopted to them, then what are you doing around us Humans now?"

   "...It's a long story."

   "We have time."

   "Hm, okay, I guess. So the Hunters have an enemy called "Dr. Stitches", and they were in the process of getting ahead of him. For once, they were letting me tag along, but they forgot about the Human's Territory. Here's the thing: they knew the Humans existed, but the Humans did not know about them. However, by the time they realized where they were, it was too late.

   They happened to accidentally come across Queen Sun at the time. Of course, I'm sure you can imagine what her reaction was seeing Humans with tails and animal-like ears, but the main problem was me.

   It was bad. Queen Sun wanted to take me from them, and they weren't having it- AT ALL. They started arguing and going off onto each other. The last thing you want to do is upset a Hunter. Believe me, it's not a pretty sight. Unfortunately, Dr. Stitches caught up and stopped the commotion.

   To make a long fight sort, the Hunters gained Queen Sun's trust because they helped protect the kingdom. Dr. Stitches was forced to retreat back to his hideout. We returned home after that.

   About a year later, they got a letter from her. She was inviting me to Hillville's School. They were crazy nervous about letting me go though."

   "Why?"

   "I'm practically raised by wolves, Salona," Nature giggled. "They were afraid I would get bullied because of it."

   "Did you?"

   "No," she shook her head. "Not exactly, at least. They let me go but they had to take me, so my "father" and "brother", trembling the whole time, did do it. I swear as Queen Sun was happy to take me with her to show me around, they were sure they would never see me again.

   It really wasn't long before everyone caught on to my difference."

   "What happened?"

   "Well, that little trick I showed you is a start, but I can also talk to animals, run really fast, solve problems quickly, balance well, and many other things. I was looked at as strange, and I still am," she shrugged. "The students constantly avoided me."

   "What did you do about it?"

   "Pft, nothing."

   "Nothing?"

   "Yup. I didn't know what else to do but wait it out. Eventually, they did warm up to me, but it took a few lonely months."

   "Sounds cruel."

   "Mm, that was a long time ago though. It's not a big deal now. Now that I think about it, how much money for a place to live do you have?"

   "Quite a bit. I was thinking about finding an apartment to stay at."

   "Oh, where do you want to stay? Hillville or Settle Sun?"

   "Not sure yet. I'll see what Settle Sun is like first."

   "Okay."

   After twenty minutes or so, the train stopped in Settle Sun. They got out, and Nature continued to show Salona around. Settle Sun is the richy part of Equality. Theyvwent to the libraries, the Magic Academy, Settle Sun's School, a restaurant, the selling stands, the ice cream shop, the neighborhoods, the community gardens, the lookouts, and, finally, the castle.

   The castle is basically Equality's capital and is always under heavy protection with the Royal Guard swarming around. The castle itself is quartz white with blue banners hanging from it along with the Equalian flag. The pointed tops of the towers are a dark pink. Nature approached the guards standing at the entrance pillars.

   "Hello, is Queen Sun busy?" She asked him. By the way, she is short so all the guards tower over her.

   "No," he replied. "What's your business for her?"

   "I have a report to make because I have finished my task."

   He nodded and lead Salona and her into the castle. The throne room is the first place you walk into. The walls have stained glass on the sides, representing the Royal Family members. The carpet is red and leads to the golden throne. Behind the throne is a double staircase that goes to the rest of the castle. To her right, the treasury is visible, and to the left is Queen Sun's rose maze. Upon the throne, Queen Sun was already there with a few servants. She seemed to be in the middle of signing papers.

   Equality's majestic queen has white hair with light purple highlights. Her eyes are crystal blue, and she prefers to wear proper attire like female suits rather than dresses. She also has white wings that would remind you of angels. Her personality is kind, patient, and a true leader. Her crown is golden with a purple diamond at the tip. Queen Sun has been the queen for one thousand years.

   "Your majesty," the soldier bowed a few meters from the throne steps.

   Queen Sun and looked up, a bit irritated but she softened. "Nature, I was wondering where you were," she smiled gently. "Is this Salona?"

   "Yes, I am," Salona answered for Nature with a bow.

   "What a pleasure to see a new face," she nodded in approval at Nature. She turned to one of her servants. "I will finish this in a little while, so I can speak with Nature. One of you please help Salona find a place to stay." She turned back to them. "Or did you already take care of that?"

   "I did not get that far, no, but we did speak of it," Nature replied.

   "Alright then, the stage is yours for whoever would like to do it."

   One of them started to walk towards Salona and lead her out. The guard bowed, and he took his leave too along with the remaining servants. It was just Nature and her now. Well, some guards were around too, standing at entrances. Queen Sun slowly walked down to Nature with her red long mantle dragging on the steps.

   "So, how did it go?" She asked.

   "It was great. She seemed nice...."

   "But?"

   "Hm? What do you mean?"

   "Nature, I trust your judgment better than anyone else's. I've known you long enough to know now that you are leaving something out."

   "Well, there was one thing that threw me off. She said she was from across the Villaina Ocean."

   "Why is that a problem?"

   "What if she's a Villain? I let her in and-," she began.

   "Nature, I think you're paranoid. You did good today, so go home and get some sleep."

   "But-!"

   She gave Nature a reassuring smile which made her stop. What was she even thinking? You're not suppose to argue with the queen. Sometimes, like now, she appreciates her life to be able to have such an advantage of having Queen Sun as her friend.

   Choosing to listen to her request, Nature turned away, ready to leave. But no sooner than taking  a step, she put a hand on her left shoulder. Nature twirled around back to her.

   "By the way, I sent a letter to your family earlier, so they'll probably want to talk to you about it."

   "Um, okay?" She reacted, not expecting that.

"Good night, Nature."

"Good night, your highness."

It was a chilly night, but Nature managed to get home before seven o' clock. Her home is dark blue with a black roof. Her "mother" decorated the front of the house with red roses. She walked up to the brown wooden door and walked into the house.

What was the first thing she saw? Her family members: Speedy, Rose, Foxy, Emos, Grey, Ember, Ignite, Fit, Skate, and Boxy. It seemed they had been waiting for her.

Her dad has dark blue spiky hair and green eyes. He is fast and protective of the family. Foxy is her "brother" who is only a year older than her. He has brown curly hair and has hazel eyes. He is a major nerd when it comes to science and technology, but Hillville's school will not let him in. Twelve years ago, they found Nature abandoned in a forest not far from here.

   Her mom has curly, light pink hair and brown eyes. She is "queen of Hunters". Rose is not fully a real queen like Queen Sun, but maybe some day. She, Speedy, and Foxy are all wolves.

   Emos has also been in Space before. Awesome, right? He has black spiky hair and covers his right eye with it for some reason. He has grey eyes, and, not going to lie, he is gothic. Emos prefers to wear suits and ties though. He is also a wolf like her father.

   Grey is a different story. He can levitate objects and he travels with his girlfriend, Ignite. He is shy and a caring person. His hair is messy and, well, grey. He also has shining blue eyes. He is Emos and her dad's brother, so he is also a wolf.

   Fit has red, spiked hair and hazel eyes. He would remind anyone of someone from a biker's club because of his leather jacket. Fit is a fox, and he's very strong.

   Ignite is a cat with a fiery personality. She has long purple hair with half of it up in a bun. Her eyes are light pink, and she likes crock tops with skirts. She also has a necklace with a bell at the end of it.

   Skate is the "psychopath" of the family only because he was created by Dr. Stitches. Skate can look into the future and travel into the past. He looks like a twin of her dad, but Skate has bleeding black eyes and an irresistible personality. He would remind you of a creepy pasta theory. 

   Boxy was also created by Dr. Stitches and is also a twin of Foxy. He has white eyes and a hallow black mouth. Boxy is also small like a fairy because of his size.

   Finally, Ember is the mysterious one in the family. Also a sister of Ignite, she is a cat, yet very different from her. She has grey eyes, a blank expression as always, and beautiful long, purple hair with pink highlights. It is very rare for her to show expression at all, but when she does, it truly is a magical moment. Ember wears cardigans with knitted leaves on them. It makes her look like a model from another world.

   "So, do you know about this?" Speedy asked, waving a piece of paper around.

   "Uh, no? What is it?" Nature questioned, studying their unreadable faces.

   "Queen Sun wants you to learn defense classes," Rose answered.

   "Uh ha, what?" She said in disbelief. "Why?"

   Speedy moved the letter from the air to his face. "You're pretty much the only one who goes out of Equality the most."

   "So?"

   "SO, you do this alone with no defense."

   "Is this a joke?"

   "No."

   "But- I -can't take classes like that!"

   "What not?" Fit questioned.

   "I didn't let you guys teach me anything like that. What makes you think I'll let them?" I debated. Speedy then approached her face to face.

   "How long ago was that?" He remained calm.

   "...Um, a few years?"

   "Exactly. A few years, Nature. You're plenty old enough to take care of yourself and part of that is learning defense. Especially with the types of work you do."

   "I don't want to hurt anyone," she shook her head.

   "There's a difference between fighting for fun and fighting for your life. Why can't you understand that?"

   She stared long and hardly at them to make a decision. "I'll sleep on it-."

   "Yeeeeah, about that," Rose started. "We, uh, already signed the paper to let them."

   "WHAT?"

   KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

   "Nature, get up! You slept in again!" Foxy complained from the other side of Nature's bedroom door. She groaned but threw mher covers off of herself. "Nature!"

   "I'm up! I'm up!" She snapped. She is not a morning person. Quickly, she got dressed into jeans and a yellow hoodie. Then, she put white sneakers on.

   When she came out into the living room, Rose was at the front door speaking to someone. She shrugged it off, not knowing who it was.

   Big mistake.

   "Nature, come here, please," Rose requested. So she, thinking it was just a neighbor or something, listened and headed to her.

   It was not a neighbor.

   The person before her was a Royal Guard. She quickly recognized him as Freedom, Jack's youngest brother. The only reason she knew him right off the bat is because he's in all of her classes. Freedom's hair is golden blonde, and his eyes are ocean blue. He has grey wings and wears an orange scarf around his neck. He is her age, though they've only talked once, yet that was countless moons ago. Why is he here?

   "Why is he here?" Nature copied her thought.

   "Do you seriously not remember last night's conversation?" Rose frowned.

   "Oh," Nature said in disgust. So they were serious after all. They were not going to take her so easily though. "I won't go."

   "Nature-." 

   "I. Will. Not. Go."

   Rose and Freedom exchanged looks, and before she knew it, Freedom had picked her up like a rag doll and slung her over his shoulder. Welp, so much for standing her ground. Since she had not expected the sudden movement, her first reaction was to squirm around, trying to get down.

   "Have fun, Nature," Rose waved, closing the door.

   "No, wait! Come on!" She growled. She heard Freedom chuckle. "What's so funny?"

   "Nothing, nothing," he stopped. "I was just expecting a challenge, not a stubborn cinnamon roll."

   "Cinnamon roll?" Nature snapped. "Well, I guess BOTH of our expectations were not meant! Who sent you anyway?"

   "Queen Sun. No one else wanted to go pry you to our training place mostly because no one wanted to cross into the Hunter's Territory."

   "And why are you any different?"

   "I was looking for a challenge, and Queen Sun  said you're as stubborn as a mule. Besides, I thought it as an honor to carry around my favorite muffin baker."

   She blushed at his remark. Was it mentioned she works at the Bakery in Hillville? Everyone loves and cannot resist her pastries. Freedom occasionally comes and goes at least once a week for a muffin or two. Always saying something about sharing with his older sister.

   Sighing in defeat, she knew she wasn't getting out of this one. She decided to settle a bit since there was no reason to go off on Freedom. He's just doing a task as a guard. Instead, she distracted herself acknowledging he did not even have a full grip on her back. He was being gentle, and it made Nature feel bad.

   "Why the sudden quietness?" He asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

   "No reason, really," she said lightly.

   "Why would've I expected a challenge, anyway?" He said, trying to make a conversation.

   "...I don't like fighting."

   "Oh, hm. You know, we don't do much fighting. In fact, we're taught there's a fine line between fighting our enemies and defending the kingdom. Don't think, just do."

   Don't think, just do? What does that even mean?

   After a little while, a mountain appeared past the castle. Nature knew very well it was the Royal Guard's dojo sort of thing. The dojo is on the top of the mountain, and it's huge. It does not have a roof though. Stone steps lead all the way up to it, yet somehow Freedom carried her the whole way. He opened the big wooden gates, shut them, and placed her down, so she landed on her feet. The floor is a honey skinned color. The walls are stone, and there were a few pairs of wooden bleachers against the walls.

   Queen Sun, the Royal Guard, and their general(Queen Sun's son) were already there. Queen Sun seemed distracted away from her son and military though. She quickly noticed Nature and Freedom and hurried over, catching her son's attention in the process.

   "Wow, that took a lot sooner than I thought it would!" She commented, pleased. "How did you do it?"

   "I just carried her over my shoulder the whole time," Freedom replied. "She did not fight me much."

   Nature wanted to stomp on his toe for the joke, but, instead, she glared at him. "Why couldn't you give me a heads up at least?"

   "Calm down, Nature. What is the problem?" Queen Sun asked.

   "I didn't even get a say in this!"

   "I know you didn't. We both knew you would refuse, so I improvised."

   Nature gave her a disappointed expression and shook her head, dumbfounded that she was drug into this by two sides of a coin except she is the middle slab. How could they do this to her?

"Yeah, well this has been fun, but I'm just gonna-," she began.

"Nature, no," Queen Sun sighed. "Luckily, I prepared for this. Lets take a little walk. "Night, I will be back."

She motioned Nature to follow her, but Nature sighed. They went outside the dojo and started to walk around its ruff walls.

"Did they tell you why I did this?" She asked.

"...Not really. Even if they did, I was too frustrated to care."

"Can you think of why though? Do you understand your position in this land at all?"

"Why does it matter? I'm fine any other time!"

She stopped and made serious eye contact. "Not everyone you're going to meet is going to not attack you. I'll use yesterday as an example. What would you have done if Salona was actually a Villain? What would you have done if she tricked you inside or outside these walls? It can happen anywhere."

"...Uh, nothing?"

"Exactly! If you can know the answer yourself, then you should at least have the common sense do to something about it!" She stressed to her. Her head fell in shame, but Queen Sun lifted it back up from her chin with her left hand. "You know pretty much every piece of this land's heritage, secrets, treasures, plans, and much more. If the enemy got ahold of you, we would be doomed! You are important. Please, just give it a chance."

She knew she was right, and it was time for her to make a difficult decision. Fight or flight? There were pros and cons to this, but sometimes, no matter what your heart desires, you must do the right thing.

"Okay," Nature exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath in. "But I don't like it."

"I know, but thank you for at least considering," she said gratefully.

   She guided her back into the dojo and had to physically push her towards the Royal Guard. She knew she said she would do it, but her shyness kicked in. How is this explained? The Royal Guard is made up of males. Nature is the only female other than Queen Sun here, but she's going to go away soon. One female to over a hundred males. Think about that.

   "Mom, you can't be serious about this," Prince Night rubbed his temples.  General of the Royal Guard, he trains all these males. Obviously, he has never dealt with a female before. His hair is dark blue, and he has violet eyes. He is the only member of the Royal Family who does not have wings.

   "I know Nature looks like a small twig, but trust me. She is as hard as a rock if you give her a chance. Oh, and she's a handful and might try to escape, so keep an eye on her. She is slick and smart. Don't let her fool you," she tipped him.

   "Insulting much?" Nature groaned.

   "I just know how you are. You are not an easy person to work around. Good luck, Night."

   After she left, Nature looked up to him. He said nothing at first, probably searching for words. She wanted to question why the guards were not wearing their armor, but she kept to herself.

   "Well, I'm sure you're not that much of a problem to tame," he said. She threw a pebble at his shoulder that she had picked up from the floor. "Ow! What in the-?"

   "What? You don't think she's serious?" Nature grinned, trying to keep him in balance of listening to their queen(and his mother, if it must be added.

"Control yourself," he huffed. "What are you? An animal?"

   "Yeah, actually. I'm a homo sapien like you."

   "Okay, that's enough!" Prince Night barked at the giggling soldiers. They immediately stopped and straightened back up. "My mother dragged you into this at a good time. We're reviewing for the newer soldiers from last week. Why don't you go stand beside... Freedom? Maybe he will keep you under control."

   Walking slowly to Freedom, who had an empty space on the end next to him, She chose to not comment on the last remark. Apparently he thinks a man needs to control a woman, but not her! She may not like this, but she will not be pushed around while she's here. At least she can be beside someone she knew.

   "Alright, so who can tell our newer recruits what the first lesson was?"

   "Sir," one guard volunteered. "The first lesson is appreciate your friends."

   "Good. We are all standing here for a reason. We are here to learn, protect, and sacrifice," Prince Night nodded. "The second lesson?"

   "Sir, you always have something more to give," another guard replied.

   "Good job. When life pushes you, you will push harder. Someone give me the third."

   "Sir, there are worst things than being bored."

   "Correct. After all the war and blood you would witness, you won't be saying the worst thing in the Universe is boredom! Where's the fourth?"

   "Sir, learn from the experience of others."

   "Nicely done. Everyone here has different experiences, so everyone can be each other's guidance, inspiration. Fifth?"

   "Sir, confidence is key."

   "Good. There's a line between arrogance and confidence as much as between stupidity and bravery, but there's no place for uncertainty or hesitance on the battlefield. Sixth?"

   "Value your sleep, sir."

   "Correct. After a long day, you are not going to want anything but sleep. If you are not tired by the end of the day, you did not work hard enough! Every second of sleep counts because once you're out there, there is no turning back. Seventh lesson?"

   "Sir," Freedom began. "You can't do everything on your own."

   "Good answer, Freedom! We are not only the military and Royal Guard. We are a team, a family. We stick together no matter the situation. That being said, some tasks involve partnership. What is the Eighth?"

Blah blah blah!

Nature pretty much zoned out at that point. Leadership, respect, and consideration. Check. Is it time to go yet?

Day one of Nature's sorry excuse for existence, and she's already practically dragging herself up against those stone stairs to the dojo. Thank goodness Prince Night let them leave yesterday after the discussion! However, here she is trying to make her way up the blasted steps wearing a hot robe made for karate.

   Going into the dojo, Nature noticed the older soldiers were selecting partners. The newer ones and second years were surrounding Prince Night, so she guessed that is where she was suppose to go. Prince Night did not look happy to see her. However, Nature ignored that and payed attention to who was around her. It pleased her to see Freedom.

   "Are you a second year?" She asked him. She must have caught him off guard because he flinched and turned around.

   "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize it was you," he apologized. "Yeah, I'm a second year...."

   "You sound incredibly happy about that," she remarked sarcastically.

   "...I guess I'm just disappointed," Freedom shrugged.

   "Why?"

   "My brothers have so many years ahead of me, but I'm suppose to be like my father...."

   Ah, yes. The old general mentioned earlier. His name was Justice, and he was Freedom, Jack, and their brother's father. He's been dead since the war, yet you can see Freedom is still taking it with difficulty.

   "Everyone has to start at some low point, right?" Nature encouraged him.

   "Hm, I guess so...maybe."

Prince Night had them select their own partners, and Freedom insisted on being hers. The whole morning was lessons, kicks, punches, blocks, and more that just gave her a headache. On a good side, Freedom was not too hard on her. Honesty, Nature only learned she cannot fight well.

Freedom delivered another punch that she failed to block, so she was sent to the floor on her back. It was then Prince Night announced a break for lunch. Nature was relieved to hear she could leave. Although, she would have to come back.

Freedom held a hand out to her to help her up. "Do you mind if I tag along to lunch with you?"

"Why? Is it to take sure I won't run away?" She joked, starting to develop a respect for him.

"Pft, no. I know you won't do that."

A sudden thought came to mind as she was lifted onto her feet. What was with the urge for him to keep up with her? Curiosity killed the cat.

"I don't mind. Have any preferences here in Settle Sun?"

"No, not really. I'm good with whatever."

"Okay, then pick a place," she tested him.

"Um, a café?" He panicked.

"Okay, lets go!" She exclaimed, heading toward the gate.

Outside, going down the stairs is a better experience than going up. Nature hurried down them with Freedom struggling to keep up with her eagerness. At last, they reached the bottom, but Freedom had to catch his breath.

Then, they continued through the forest to get to the city part of Settle Sun. She dragged Freedom to a nearby café. They went in, observed the menu, made a few choices, got their lunch, and chose their seats.

Nature personally loves this particular café because of their salads. It's so fresh and can make your day a whole lot better. It took some convincing, but she had Freedom get a salad too to try it. He did not look disappointed, quietly eating.

"So, how's karate treating you?" He asked.

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes since he should know the answer. "I'm going to be sore for weeks."

"I tried to go easy on you."

"I know.... I'm never going to get the hang of this."

"We all start at some low point, right?" He used her known advice against her. She looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Hm, nothing," Nature retreated. "I guess I just wasn't expecting to hear my own advice."

"Fair enough."

"Freedom, do you have a girlfriend now?" One of the guards teased, sitting down at their table.

"Very funny, Louis," Freedom scoffed and slightly blushed. Two other spots were open next to Louis' sides, so two others guards took them.

"Louis, you're embarrassing Freedom," the one on Louis' right snickered. "What you mean to say is way to pick up a girlfriend just because he brought her here."

"Shut up, John, it's not like that!" Freedom yelled at him.

"Is it, Freedom?" The other one asked. "Because actions say otherwise."

"Haven't you guys ever heard of making friends?" Freedom snapped.

"Friend zone, huh?" John nudged his other two companions. "Louis, Steve, we should tell general-!"

"For goodness sake! Why are you three doing this?"

"We're just curious," Steve shrugged. "So, are you sure about friends-?"

"Okay, well, this has been...interesting, but goodbye!" Nature interrupted, getting up. She didn't think she's ever been more uncomfortable!

"Wait, Nature!" Freedom called after her. There was no stopping her though as she left the café.

   In truth, she was not angry at Freedom. Some people are disrespectful and interrupt a good lunch. Some guards they are.

   Walking around for a bit, there was not very many places to go considering she needed to stay a curtain distance close to the dojo. She ended up at a park and climbed up into a tall tree. She pulled her journal and a pen out of her hair to write.

   'August 23rd, 2023

   Today has been... interesting. I have learned not all the Royal Guard is what everyone claims it to be. Some of them do not know how to keep to themselves! It sounds bad, but it could be worse. Despite his eagerness to keep up with me, Freedom has been a pleasure to have around.'

   Nature stopped writing when she felt a bump on the tree stump. Looking down, she saw Freedom leaning against it. Technically, she did abandon him on the spot to deal with his "friends". So she sighed and put her book and pen away. She was about to hop down, but Freedom said something before I moved.

   "Why is she so hard to keep track of?" He said, scratching his head. She jumped down and landed on her feet. "Aa! What are you? A cat?" He tried to act angry, but laughter came instead.

   "Why do you want to be my friend so much?" She blurted out, realizing how rude it sounded after it was too late.

   He stopped and just stood there with an expression she could not read. Should she apologize? As she waited, he was fiddling his fingers.

   "It's... kinda embarrassing," he finally mumbled. How old is he? Sixteen technically like her, right?

   "No judging!" She threw her hands up in defense. "I would just like to know."

   "Well, doyourememberthatboyyouknockedintoonyourfirstdayofschool?" He said quickly.

   "Woah, slow down! What did you say?"

   He sighed, "Do you remember the boy you ran into on your first day of school at recess?"

   "You mean in first grade? Yeah, what about it?"

   "Well, that was me, and I ran away."

   "So?"

   "I never got to apologize...."

   "Why would you need to apologize? I wasn't watching where I was going either," Nature shook her head. "What does this have to do with being friends?"

   "I thought maybe I could make it up to you. I told you it was embarrassing...," he blushed.

   The boy has no father, three older siblings, and expectations to meet as a guard, yet he's worried about something from seven years ago! Honestly, she pitied him, but there was something else pulling her to him. Something that made her want to be friends. Maybe it's his personality or kind and gentle gestures. Whatever it may be, she was not ready to let go of it over a past event she had long forgotten about.

   "Tell you what," she began. "Let's be friends just for the heck of it."

   "What?"

   "I said I want to be friends. It doesn't matter what happened years ago! If you're that worried, we can start over."

   "Like now?"

   "When else?" She giggled.

   "Okay, but first, I think I got my challenge after all."

   "What do you mean?"

   "Woman, you're hard to keep up with!"

They burst out laughing about that. It was true! She really was a challenge! After a few minutes, they settled down a bit.

"Okay, let's renter the park and meet like it's the first time," Nature suggested.

"Pft, okay," he agreed.

They hurried into opposite directions, got to each end, and casually walked toward one another. They tried to not make eye contact on the way to each other. A red cardinal flew by Nature, so her attention was raised to its beauty.

THUNCK!

She slammed into Freedom, but, instead of falling, he caught her by her waist.

"Well, so much for restarting," Freedom chuckled. She blushed as she realized what position they were in. He also acknowledged this and let go of her. She waved it off to continue.

"Oh, what a lovely day! Sorry for bumping into you," Nature acted out.

"I am also sorry," Freedom played along. "Not sure I've seen you around before. Where are you from?"

"Deep into the forests of the Hunters' Territory!"

"Oh, so you're a wild girl, eh? I also live in a forest not far from the Hunters' Territory, but it's in Hillville."

"Country boy, I see? What's your name?"

"Sir Freedom of kingdom Equality," he said, doing a little bow. "May I have your name, madam?"

"Lady Nature of queen's scribes," she copied his act. "We both seem to be of high ranking."

"Tell me, Lady Nature, what brings you to this part of Settle Sun dressed in such unscribing clothes?"

"I was sent by her majesty to learn the arts of defense. Perhaps you can help me?"

"Of course! Sir Freedom at your service."

   They giggled like two children on their way back to the dojo. Climbing the mountain again wasn't even tiring when being busy with a new friend. Freedom's presence just made everything easier.

   "Here we are at the finest dojo we train at," he swung his arm around to express like it was a grand place.

   "Sir Freedom, I am looking for defense. Not a battle ground."

   "Ah, but the first you'll learn is defense with karate!"

   "Interesting-."

   "What the hell are you two doing?" Jack asked behind them. Of course John, Louis, and Steve were not far behind, trying to hide their snickers.

   "Um...training?" Freedom hesitated.

   "Riiiiight," Jack replied, full of suspicion.

   "Yeah, nothing to see here, bro," he waved it off.

   "Yeah, okay," his brother rolled his eyes and walked away.

   "We should probably stop," he sighed. "Everyone will be back soon."

   "Okay, but I thought Jack was way more nicer than that," she pointed out. They hurried away from the trio of dummies coming toward them from lunch.

   "He's been a little moody lately...."

   "How come?"

   "I don't know. He's Jack," Freedom shrugged. "He barely even comes home anymore anyway."

   "Oh.... How many years does he have here?"

   "Eight years. He's pretty advanced."

   "Wow! What about your second brother, Karlos?"

   "Six years."

"Ahem," Prince Night "coughed" to get their attention.

"Yes, sir?" Freedom asked.

"It's time to begin! Line up!" He barked. They quickly understood why because everyone was waiting for them to join their spots. Nature chuckled nervously and followed Freedom to the lines. Prince Night started to pace back and forth. "Alright, open your ears wide and loud! Now that we're done with our morning warmups, it's time for the real training!

I want first and second years at carrying, third and fourth years at target practice, fifth and sixth years at sword training, seventh and eighth years at balance, ninth and tenth at climbing, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth at defense, and fifteenth and sixteenth at water breathing. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The guards shouted in unison.

When they were at the bottom of the mountain, Nature had a question for Freedom. "Why are there so many activities?"

"It's like I said before," he shrugged. "We do more than fighting."

"What are we going to do now?"

He did not need to answer though. Prince Night was setting large sticks on the ground with bags full of sand. Also, she spotted him cutting rope. He was making carrying poles.

"Why is he making carrying poles?" She asked as he started to make one by picking up a stick.

"We carry heavy loads up the mountain. It makes you stronger."

Nature felt queazy just at the thought. She can balance things well on her head but not her shoulders. How is she going to be able to do this?

After he showed them how to make one, they made one themselves and slung the heavy sand bagged carrying poles over their shoulders. It was a real challenge for her. She occasionally tripped and lumbered the farther up they went. She also followed way behind the males in front of her. Prince Night sighed as he had to stay between her and males just to make sure she was still coming.

Next, they did some targeting practice. Half was archery, and the other half was with guns. She accidentally shot an arrow at Prince Night's helmet during archery. If things could not get worse, she had not held a gun tight enough, and it shot back and hit Prince Night in the head. Finally, just when she thought she was doing better, she bruised her right bicep by not shooting correctly. She was glad they got a ten minute break.

"How's that shoulder treating you?" Freedom chuckled.

"It hurts like hell," Nature mumbled, rubbing it.

"Look over at the stone bleachers," he requested.

"Why-?" She began to say as she looked. "Is that-?"

"Sure is."

"Oh no."

It was her old nemesis, Princess Guardians. Oh, does she have a history with her! It was always rivalry between them when she use to go to Hillville's school. Then, she left to go to Settle Sun's Magic school. Nature had not seen her since, yet here she is with a notebook taking notes of their progress it seemed.

Princess Guardians' hair is dark purple with violet highlights. Her eyes are a crystal purple, and her skin is light brown. She has violet wings and a golden crown with a red crystal at the top. She wears half of her hair up in a bun, has a purple dress with a medium pink sheer fabric. She also wears a grey bow with a pink star in the center. It's a shame her personality is dreadful, otherwise she would be the most favored princess.

"Is she still the same?" Nature continued.

"I don't know. She just comes and goes without a word."

"Hey!" Prince Night got Nature's attention. "Are you ready to quit yet?" He had an ice pack over the place her gun had hit him.

"Uh...no?" She hesitated. "Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"You're slowing us down."

"Oh, well excuse me for not being top notch day one!" She said, offended.

"I want you outta here!"

"Tell that to your mom," She shrugged.

"Do you want to stay?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. If you can beat me in a sword fight, you can stay."

"Woah, woah, woah! I've never even picked up a sword in my life!" Nature scoffed.

"Well, who's fault is that?"

Then, he walked away with a grin. She grumbled and kicked a nearby stone. "Now what am I going to do?"

"Just try your best," Freedom encouraged her.

"Freedom, you don't understand! I don't know what I'm doing at all!"

He grabbed her shoulders which made her tense up. "Just try."

   Nature's only reaction was to gulp and nod. Is this a life or death situation? Nah, he would never go that far! Queen Sun would kill him, right? Right? ...Right? On top of this, Princess Guardians was around, so she felt very uncomfortable.

   At that moment, Prince Night came back with two swords. He threw one to her, which she did not catch successfully, and got into some weird position she tried to mimic by bending her ankles and drawing her sword. Freedom backed away quickly. He started without telling her, and, within seconds, she was knocked onto the concrete with a sword pointing to her throat. Nature knew she had lost.

   "Go," he firmly said. She groaned, but there was no point in arguing. He walked away satisfied, but Freedom came back to her as she got up.

   "I told you...," she mumbled.

   "At least you attempted-," he started.

   "Attempted?" Nature snapped. "I didn't even get a chance!"

   "Nature-."

   "Goodbye, Freedom," she mumbled and left the dojo with her inner demons laughing at her. Where did she go? Well, she was too lost in her thoughts to know where, so she ended up at the beach behind Settle Sun's mountains.

   It was still summer, but the breeze is always here. It's quite nice and calming. The ocean was a deep blue, and the waves rolled onto the sandy shore, leaving its white mist behind. A seagull flew by, joining a few others. Nature dipped her foot into the cool water.

"You're a long ways out," a voice said behind her. She turned around, shocked to hear another voice. It was... Princess Guardians?

"What do you want?" She asked, confused of out of all people she could see here, it was her.

"Curiosity," she replied with her hands folded to her stomach. She approached her suddenly. Why does she have to be so short that she feels intimidated all the time? They were face to face now. "My mother makes odd decisions."

"I didn't ask for this," Nature whispered.

"Geez, I have not seen you in years, and here I see you've become timid. Such a shame. Maybe I should have stayed to keep you on your toes, eh?"

"Why are you being so nice?" She asked in suspicion.

"Never mind, you choose to be shy when you want then," she grinned. "You know, I could drown you, and no one would ever know."

Nature knew there was a catch. Some things never change! What is wrong with Princess Guardians though?

"But I will not, because your "status" is important to the kingdom, and all the information you have would be lost. Plus, I have changed."

"I don't believe that."

"You want me to prove it?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"...Yeah," Nature replied, thinking about it. "Prove it."

"I'll be back in a hour. Don't move."

As promised, she did return in a hour. Why though threw Nature completely off guard. She came back with two swords! She told her she would teach her how to sword fight as a peace offering. Nature could have walked away, but, considering she's set to be queen after Queen Sun, Nature thought she had better make amends with the princess now.

   Still, she did not appreciate her looks of malice. When she told her how to stand, she had to restrain herself from slapping her away because she had to physically move Nature's limbs to show her. Nature swallowed thickly as she "so nicely" told her her mistakes.

   Seven hours later, she tolerated Princess Guardians and learned how to parry, slash, dodge, strike, stab, lounge, block, beat, thrust, cut, disarm, sequence, attack, disengage, caress, advance, En garde, and combat stance. The problem was still it was only the basics, and Prince Night is a freaking general. He's had thousands of hours of practice compared to her!

   Taking a break, Nature sat on the shore, touching the wet, crunchy, brown sand. Sometimes she forgets how smart she is,!being able to pick up on sword fighting quickly. She does not give herself enough credit.

   "I don't think you realize I respect you," Princess Guardians gently said, sitting down beside her. The water's waves barely touched their feet. Her doubts were slightly lowered since she had not been killed yet.

   "Is that so? Why?" Nature calmly asked.

   Princess Guardians picked up dry yellow sand with her left hand, then wet brown sand with her right hand. She held them up, clenched slightly.

   "Do you see their difference?"

   "Yes, but why does it matter?"

   "The yellow sand is you, and the brown sand is me. I am the brown sand because I am full of knowledge, or, in the sand's case, wet like a used sponge. You are the yellow sand because you are not educated as much as me, but you still have potential in your own way.

   I can build castles, and you can build glass. You're a masterpiece, and I am a protector of that masterpiece. We have many differences, but we can have similarities too. I can teach you," she said. Princess Guardians smushed the two sands together. "We can both be educated and help others to do the same. After all, in the end, we are both just sand."

   "What are you getting at?"

   "My point is I want to form an alliance. I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm sure I have plenty to learn from you as you do to me."

   Nature considered her words carefully. Though she is not putting full trust in her, she does like the sound of no more arguing or fighting.

   "Okay," she nodded. They rose onto their feet and shook hands.

   "I think you are ready to face my brother now."

   "Already?"

   "Yes. Now go. I will catch up with you later."

   "Okay," she nodded. She began to leave but stopped for a moment. "Princess Guardians?"

   "Hm?" She looked up from the sand.

   "Thank you."

   "Your welcome, Nature."

   Feeling confident and satisfied, she made her way back to the mountain. She tied her hair up in a low ponytail and marched up the stone steps. When she got to the big wooden gate, she could hear the males practicing karate and a few clash of swords. Feeling ready, she threw the doors open, instantly receiving all eyes on her.

   The dojo was slightly darker because it was about eight o' clock at night, but everything was still clearly visible. She looked out across the sea of soldiers before her, scanning for her target. She could see their confusion grow.

   "Where is Prince Night?" Nature asked loudly. They all moved to the sides to reveal him in her view.

   "You have a lot of guts to show back up," he scowled. "And to interrupt our work." He was tapping the edge of his sword against the floor.

   "You shouldn't do that. It will weaken the tip."

   "What do you know about a sword?" He scoffed.

   "I have come for a rematch," she ignored the question.

   "Why?"

   "I have a goal in mind. Do you accept or not?"

   His expression was unreadable for a second, but then he turned to his men. "How about a show, boys?" He called out. Prince Night looked back at her. "Fine. You will get your rematch, but it won't do much good."

   "Very well," she agreed. "May we proceed?" She pulled the sword out she was using with Princess Guardians which he looked shocked to see. He nodded.

   Just as Nature held the sword in a neutral position with her feet in combat stance, he advanced towards her and lunged. She quickly parried his attack which threw him completely off guard. They started a sequence of striking their swords together until he thrusted his sword at her side, but she blocked it, forming a lock. Their swords made the 'x' shape, and they started a sequence again, only to stop with a break but go right into a caress. The sound was deafening. He moved to retreat, but Nature saw it as an opportunity. So she advanced, thrusted, and cut, making him and his sword fall onto the ground. She put the tip of her sword up to his throat like he had done to her.

   Prince Night stared at her in disbelief. The soldiers were also lost for words on what happened, and she wondered where Freedom was amongst the crowd. There was a clapping of hands behind her. She turned to see Princess Guardians looking proud.

   "She learned that from me!" She announced joyfully. Prince Night scrambled onto his feet, still dumbfounded.

   "...But...it's been seven hours...," he trailed off. Princess Guardians walked up to beside Nature.

   "Not gonna lie, I cannot believe I just won that," Nature shook her head. "Am I dreaming?"

   "See? I told you we have a lot to learn from each other~," Princess Guardians sung.

   "Yeah.... I guess so."

   The next morning, Queen Sun came to check up on things. Princess Guardians was over the top excited to tell her a first year beat her brother from her help. Freedom and Nature talked majority of the night about her progress and experience.

   "Nature," Queen Sun said, walking to her.

   "Your highness," she bowed.

   "I am so proud of you! I feel better knowing you know how to protect yourself now."

   "Thank you, your highness."

   "But tell me, do you know the difference between fighting and defense now?"

   "Yes, I do. It's like Freedom said," she pointed behind herself to him. "There's a fine line between them."

   "Did he?" She playfully remarked. Nature called him over, so he nervously stood beside her.

   "Thanks to Freedom and Princess Guardians, I feel better about this."

   "Well, I'm glad, but you know I just wanted you to learn defense, not become a guard?"

   "Yes."

   "Does... does that mean you have to go?" Freedom asked. The question suddenly saddened me.

   "I am afraid so. I have scribe work to do, Sir Freedom," she tried to cheer him up.

   "Surly we will cross paths again, Lady Nature?" He smiled.

   "You know where to find me," she returned the expression. He bowed to Queen Sun and continued onto sharping his sword's blade.

   "What was that?" She chuckled.

   "Eh, long story. Anyway, what now?"

   "Well, I hereby declare you are free to return home and to your normal life."

   "Thank you, your majesty," Nature bowed and began to leave towards the gate. However, Prince Night stood in front of them, blocking her path. With his left hand on the scabbard, and his right on the blade tip, he pushed the sword she had used towards her.

   "You have my respects," he calmly said. "I'm sorry I underestimated you."

   "It is okay, Prince Night," she chuckled, gently picking the sword up with her palms. "Just don't be so quick to judge next time."

   Then, she left. Filled with accomplishment and pride, she returned home to her Hunter family. The sword felt as a symbol of hope and honor in her eyes.

   Her name is Nature, and her faith in Equality will never fade...

Forever.