Geoffrey was in his living room, reading a random book to pass the time.
Knock! Knock!
"Darling!" a soft feminine voice called through the bedroom door. "May I come in?"
"Of course! Come in, my love!" The king closed the book and placed it on the nightstand beside his bed.
The door opened, revealing his wife. She was a relatively tall woman, with blond hair, which was already losing its color due to age, and eyes of a magnificent golden hue, like liquid gold. Despite her age, she had almost no wrinkles, and she had a relaxing and welcoming voice.
"Are you finishing this book already, dear?" Elise noticed Geoffrey putting the book aside.
"Yes, it's been a while since I've had time to read something in peace," he said with pure contempt on his face. "It hasn't even been a week since we expelled that cursed race from this world, and I already feel much calmer."
"But they taught us too..."
"Only to annihilate us later..."
Elise just smiled bitterly at her husband's complaints and said nothing more.
"Anyway, do you need anything, my love?"
"Yes, what do you think about going to the Singing Forest for a picnic now? It's been a while since we've done that..."
"Oh, of course! I'll ask some guards to accompany us."
"It's not necessary, you know that place is safe."
"Well... it is indeed, but safety is never too much."
"Even if we meet someone, they won't do anything to us, you know how much the people love us."
"Alright then, let's get ready!" Geoffrey said after remaining silent for a few seconds.
After informing the guards and getting ready, the king and queen left the palace and headed to the Singing Forest. This forest was the couple's favorite place, as it was where they had both met when they were just children, and the birds always sang a sweet melody.
It was also the place where Geoffrey had asked Elise to marry him, which was why she insisted that they both go alone, as that day was the thirtieth anniversary of their wedding.
The king had forgotten about it, but he couldn't be blamed, he had been stressed since becoming the king of Fordurn and had to deal with the war.
As always, the birds blessed the couple's ears with a beautiful song.
The forest was very well cared for, although few people frequented the place lately, as they still feared that they would find an angel there, even though that place had been free from battles for some time.
Sunlight found its way through the leaves and treetops, illuminating the place enough for everything to be visible, but not so much as to strain the eyes. Despite this, the day was stuffy, as they were in the middle of summer.
They both walked for a while until they finally reached their favorite spot. A clearing with a small river with clear and crystalline waters running nearby, the exact place where they had both met.
They spread a luxurious white cloth on the ground and began to place bread, fruit, jam, and wine on it. They were ready to eat, however, Elise had something else planned.
"I have a surprise!" She was excited. "Take this here, and when it glows, come find me!" She offered a small brown stone to Geoffrey.
"An Alteration Stone? What are you planning?"
"You'll see! Just wait for my signal."
With that, Elise left the place with a sweet smile on her face and disappeared into the vegetation of the forest.
The minutes passed slowly, and the king waited patiently as he watched expectantly for the stone to glow. However, time passed without any sign of it lighting up, and the minutes soon accumulated and turned into a half an hour without any news of his wife.
The king became anxious, imagining that, whatever the surprise was, it had to be something big, but he continued to wait, as he didn't want to spoil his beloved's preparation.
Time passed, and the king finally decided that all that delay was not normal and went looking for his wife.
He walked slowly and carelessly to where she had gone, but he didn't find her, so he continued walking, imagining that, perhaps, the stone was just to deceive him and that he should look for her alone.
"Where are you?" he asked in a singing voice.
After a long time searching unsuccessfully, a restlessness took hold of him. His heart raced and he began to walk quickly.
As he searched, he noticed something that alarmed him completely: The forest had fallen silent.
There was a reason this place was called the "Singing Forest", because the animals always sang the suite of nature, day and night. That forest was a relatively unique place, as several peaceful creatures inhabited it.
However, at this moment, it was completely silent.
Geoffrey hurried even more, abandoning his walking and adopting a running speed.
After running for several minutes and finding nothing, his concern evolved into despair as he searched everywhere.
"Elise! Where are you?" he shouted all the time.
After almost an hour, the king was still searching when he saw the entrance to a small cave. He had never seen that place before, which caught his attention, since he knew this place like no one else.
As he approached the entrance, he saw something that chilled his heart.
Blood.
A small pool of red stained the earth and extended into the cave in a thin red line, as if something had been dragged inside.
Hesitating, Geoffrey entered the cave as he shouted his beloved's name.
"Elise? " His voice echoed through the long stone corridor.
He could barely see due to the darkness; however, the red trail became increasingly thick and voluminous as he walked.
After walking a little more, he saw a figure fallen at the end of the cave, surrounded by a large pool of blood.
It could be anyone, but Geoffrey feared the worst.
With a heavy heart, he approached and, upon seeing the clothes of that person, he instantly knew that his worst nightmare had come true.
"What!?" He ran to his beloved. "ELISE! WAKE UP, PLEASE! ELISE!"
The king turned Elise's body, who was facing the ground, and noticed a dagger piercing her chest, right in the heart. Her eyes were open, and the gold had lost its shine.
"Elise..."
It wasn't long before tears escaped his eyes. Elise was the only person close to him who had survived the war, both his friends and family had perished to the cursed race, and now his only refuge from the hell that had been his life in recent years had been destroyed.
Geoffrey cried for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't know if he had been there for just a few minutes, hours or days.
After some time, a single drop fell on his head, awakening him from his misery. That's how he noticed something resembling a cradle, a few meters ahead of where he was.
"What?"
Approaching, he noticed a newborn baby with a few strands of silver hair. At first, he was confused as to why a child would be abandoned there, but as soon as she opened her eyes, a deep anger took hold of him.
It was undeniable, it was an angel. His mind instantly attributed the death of his beloved to that child, so he didn't think twice, approached Elise's body and grabbed the hilt of the dagger, ready to use it to take revenge on that aberration.
However, the moment he touched the hilt of the weapon and saw his wife, his hatred dissipated in an instant. Looking at his beloved's face, he realized that it was ridiculous!
Although there was an angel there, it was just a newborn, and during the first years of life, a human baby and an angel were basically the same.
Not knowing how to deal with his feelings, he began to cry again.
He tried to touch his wife's hand, when he noticed something strange: his wife's right hand was firmly closed.
When he tried to pry her fingers open, he noticed her body was still warm. Moreover, her fingertips and nails were stained with blood. Upon opening her hand, he found a piece of black fabric.
The child behind him was wrapped in a white blanket with the name "Luna" on it, so it definitely couldn't have been her. Of course it couldn't have been! Her hands wouldn't have been strong enough to hold a dagger!
As he approached the child again, he realized how absurd the idea was that such a helpless being would have murdered his wife. Looking closely, she was no different from any human child he had ever seen. Those blue eyes, with a small ring of light in them, stared at him with innocence and curiosity, and the little creature's hands tried to touch his face.
Geoffrey and Elise had always tried to have children, but for some reason, despite all their efforts, every attempt had failed. When he paused to think, it was likely that his wife had fought a third person, perhaps to protect this child.
Overwhelmed by grief and his wife's will, who had died for this little creature, the king would make a decision that would forever change the fate of all humanity.
Unable to carry both back to the castle, he took the child in his arms. The first thing he did upon arriving at the palace, furtively, was to hide the child in the room that belonged to him and his wife, as no one could enter without prior permission. Later, that room would become only Luna's.
Then, he told everything that happened to the guards, who went to retrieve the body of the Queen. Her death shook the kingdom deeply, as everyone loved her, which was a great cause for speculation, as no one had anything against her to want to kill her.
Elise was buried in the palace and investigations were conducted. Of course, Geoffrey told everything that happened, except about when he found Luna; the conclusion they reached was that a criminal from some foreign kingdom had found her and killed her, fearing discovery and arrest, and the queen had tried to defend herself, tearing a piece of his clothing and scratching him somewhere.
The reason for this verdict was that the dagger was not of the standard shape of any blacksmith in Fordurn, and as it was midsummer, no one would wear black at that time.
The guards searched the entire kingdom and arrested a person who was wearing dark clothes and had scratch marks on the left side of his face. The man denied all the accusations, but was sentenced to life imprisonment by the king himself, who stated that that man should suffer for his whole life for having taken what was most important in his life.
Days after this incident, Sophia, one of the newly hired palace maids, was called to the king's chambers.
Sophia walked dejectedly to the king's chambers. The death of Elise had deeply shaken her, as if it weren't enough that her son had died a week after childbirth.
She was devastated, but she had to work to survive.
Arriving there, she knocked on the door.
"Your Majesty, I am here at your call."
"You may enter..." Geoffrey's tired voice sounded from the other side.
The maid was surprised to have been allowed to enter, as the king had made it very clear that absolutely no one should enter his room. No one questioned this order, as they believed it was due to mourning his wife.
"Are you sure, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, come in."
Upon entering, she found the room strangely tidy, which made her suspicious if someone had already cleaned the place. As soon as she entered, she closed the door, and the king stabbed her with a terrible question.
"You lost your child recently, didn't you?"
"Oh... Ye-Yes," she replied in a trembling voice, holding back her tears.
The king looked at her for a long time and with a contemplative expression.
"Tell me, if you had the opportunity to take care of another, would you take it?"
"I... If I could... I would do anything to make it live as long as possible..." The maid, confused and still holding back her tears, replied in a voice full of doubt.
Geoffrey watched her again with the same contemplative expression, then rose and walked to his bed.
"Come here," he commanded.
Hesitantly, the maid approached. When she was near, the king pulled back the covers, revealing a newborn baby girl sleeping soundly.
Sophia was taken aback. Geoffrey and Elise were well past childbearing age, so this child couldn't be theirs. Whose could it be?
"Her name is Luna, and she's an angel," he said.
"An angel?! She must be killed immediately!" she exclaimed.
"Look at her carefully. Do you think she could harm anyone?"
Sophia studied Luna closely. She did indeed seem harmless, but that alone couldn't erase the suffering caused by her kind.
"But... Your Majesty..."
"Ardos is also an angel, and he fought by our side." The king was desperate to convince her, for if she refused, he might have to end her life. "She can become someone like him."
"I..." Sophia looked at the child uncertainly.
That's when Luna awoke. Upon seeing Sophia, her tiny arms reached out towards her as she smiled innocently.
The maid was immediately reminded of her own lost child and, unconsciously, took Luna into her arms and began to play with her. A small smile played on her lips as tears streamed down her face.
Sophia held Luna for a long time, unable to let her go.
"You can count on me, Your Majesty!"
Hearing this, Geoffrey smiled gently.
"Keep this a secret, and never call her by her name, just Your Highness, okay?"
"Okay!"
It was all completely absurd, they both knew it, but they were emotionally scarred after having part of their lives taken away recently, and found solace in Luna, a decision made in a moment of desperation, when they couldn't think rationally.
Sophia was responsible not only for feeding her with breast milk but also for nurturing her whenever the king was occupied. She cared for her as if she were her own daughter, and the pain of losing her son gradually faded.
With time, Luna grew, and after many years, others whom Geoffrey fully trusted began to care for her, Raymond being one of them.
Even so, Geoffrey, Sophia, and Raymond were the only ones who knew her true identity.