The Crippled Luna Of The North

CHAPTER 01: THE CRIPPLED PRINCESS

VIRIDALIS EMPIRETAON 1142

REVIENNE

October seventh. The first day snow fell across the Viridalis Empire, the same day the royal army was coming home. Leading them was the Emperor's mad dog, Kyros Caelun Mooncrest, the newly appointed Duke of the North.

Today is also my last day in the palace. I'm the payment for the Empire's victory. That's what they said.

It's almost laughable. How did I become the price for the Mad Dog's triumph? He risked his life at the front, bled and fought, and somehow I'm the baggage—something to carry and drag along that will only slow him down.

I looked at the cane in my hand. It's been with me for ten years. Without this piece of wood, I couldn't walk on my own.

A lame princess, crippled, useless to the royal family.

They'd hand me to the Duke of the North so he could "keep him in check," a chain the Emperor could put around his neck and tug whenever he pleased. Tied to a man, the Emperor wanted only power.

The longer the war goes on, the stronger the Mad Dog's power becomes. He grows bolder, fiercer, more unrestrained with every passing breath. It's something his master—no, the Emperor—will never allow.

And that's where I stand. I am the leash between them, the lone thread keeping the Mad Dog from breaking free. Because if he ever decides to sink his teeth into me and snap that leash in two, nothing will stop him from slipping out of the Emperor's grip forever.

*knock knock*

"Revie? It's your brother Theodore." The voice at the door made my lips twitch. Why was he here? What could he possibly have to say?

His voice alone made me flinch. My chest tightened, and sweat prickled at my brow, even though snow was falling outside.

I had no choice but to let him in— he was the crown prince and my stepbrother, after all.

"Come in," I said. Theo opened the door, and there he was: that wavy blonde hair that fit his handsome, well-proportioned face. He was already in his formal attire, a navy suit with a black shirt underneath. The suit was covered with the badges of honors he'd earned across the Empire, proof that he was, officially, the crown prince.

It always struck me as strange. He was my stepbrother, not the Emperor's true son, so why was he the one set to inherit the throne?

He carries no Driftmoor blood. He isn't part of the royal line, yet somehow he inherited my father's name… while I was given my mother's. How does that make sense?

Why is he the one destined to inherit the Empire when his very blood marks him as a b*st*rd?

"I still can't accept that Imperial Majesty would marry you off to that rabid dog," he said, worry thick in his voice. "What are you supposed to do in the North? It's barren there. The sun barely reaches that land; you'll freeze or starve."

He stepped closer and pressed his warm hand to my cheek, then leaned in to whisper words that sent a chill crawling through my entire system.

"Just wait," Theodore whispered, close enough that I could hear the rough scrape of his breath. "When I sit on the throne, I'll take you away from that Duke and make you my concubine. No one will be able to do anything about it because I'll be the one in power. Wait for me. I'll save you. Promise me no one else will touch your body but me."

I had no choice but to squeeze my eyes shut and turn my face away.

"Be a good girl. Do whatever the Duke wants for two years, and I'll find a way to bring you back." He smiled then, like everything was a game, and planted a kiss on my cheek. I wanted to wipe it off. I wanted to tell him I'd rather the Duke kill me outright than end up in his hands.

"Theo! Revie! Ceremony's about to start!" Morwenna's voice cut through the room, bright and sharp. She swept in, all excitement, like she'd been waiting to shove me out of the palace herself.

Her emerald eyes glittered, matching the pretty pink dress she wore. Her blonde hair was braided and threaded with tiny gold ornaments that caught the light.

She hooked her arm through my right and leaned on me with a smile so practiced it hurt. Her weight made my cane shift in my hand. She loved doing this, loved making my limp show more— as if anyone could forget.

"Revie, aren't you excited? You'll finally meet the one you're to marry! You're leaving the palace," she said, voice sugary sweet. I could feel the double meaning under every word. She was practically bouncing with joy because she'd be the Emperor's only princess now.

"Morwenna, how can she be excited to leave her family? Aren't you sad your sister is going?" Theodore asked, all concern on his face. I knew that look. He sounded concerned, but I could see the edge in him; it stung that the Emperor had given away his toy.

"Of course I'll be sad. I'll lose the half-sister who's always been there for me. Right, Revie?" She turned to me, eyes the same color as mine. When she smiled, I could see the Emperor's features in her— that same careful, cunning tilt.

"I'll be sad too," I said, and swallowed the bitter taste that came with those words.

"But I think you'll be happy there," Morwenna murmured, leaning in like she was sharing a secret. "After all, the Duke is the one you'll marry. They say he never rests. He doesn't sleep. He kills day and night. In the morning, it's his enemies, and at night, it's the women he wants to destroy in his bed. If he doesn't like you, you'll wake up dead tomorrow."

Her voice was small, but the words hit me like ice. I widened my eyes because what was supposed to make me feel happy?

"Where did you even hear that?" Theodore snapped, sounding irritated, like the gossip actually bothered him. "Looks like you won't be attending the next tea party for a while with the things you keep knowing, Morwenna."

"Hahaha! He's all anyone can talk about now that he won the war again. The Viridalis Empire's grown so much because of the Duke of the North, and since he's coming home, he'll be the topic of every tea party and every gathering," Morwenna said, breezy and proud.

"But you should prepare yourself, Revie," she continued, voice dipping into that dangerous, delighted tone. "They say it's true what they whisper about the Duke. He never takes off his helmet in public because his face is... distorted. People say it makes you sick to look at."

I let out a soft breath. Couldn't they just be quiet and escort me to the chapel so this could be over?

I wanted nothing more than distance from everything that had become my life. I'd heard enough rumors about the Duke and whatever fate waited for me.

They kept arguing about him while I kept walking, dragging my right foot along the floor.

When I entered the cathedral, I knew the whispers would be worse—titles thrown around like ornaments I never wanted.

"The crippled princess," they'd say. "The abandoned princess." "The princess with a cane." Now there would be one more: the crippled Duchess of the North.

"We have to sit in the front like Majesty ordered, right? They'll announce your marriage. Come on, hurry, I can't wait!" Morwenna urged, stepping up her pace.

"Wait, Morwenna—my leg—" I started, but she didn't listen. I wanted to call for Theo's help, but he wasn't behind me; he had to take his place beside the Emperor as crown prince.

What was I even supposed to do? I couldn't match her stride, and the heavy hem of my gown kept catching under my cane.

"Morwenna, hold—ah!"

A loud thud echoed through the cathedral. Pain shot up my knee and through my palm. I had fallen onto the red carpet and collapsed on the steps where everyone could see me, exactly where the crowd wanted to witness the Empire's blessing.

"Pfft, what's the princess doing?"

"How embarrassing. They're about to announce her marriage."

"Is she even a noble lady?"

Why is this happening to me? Why is everyone staring and laughing at me again? What did I do to deserve this life?

I wanted to disappear. I wanted to follow my mother.

My vision blurred as tears welled in the corners of my eyes. Please... someone, anyone, just pull me out of this humiliation.

"Your Highness."

The voice was deep, husky, and close. I saw the edge of a knee in front of my hand, and when I lifted my gaze, I was met with black armor streaked with battle grime and a crimson cape, once white, now soaked through with blood from war.

The Duke of the North, Kyros Caelun Mooncrest.

"Careful," he murmured, his voice surprisingly gentle. I could only nod.

I couldn't see his face through the helmet, but his eyes—icy, piercing blue—locked on mine.

"Hold on to me. I'll help you up."

He extended his hand toward me, and for the first time in ten years, I felt someone offer me something sincere. His grip was steady as he guided me to my feet and pressed my cane back into my hand.

"You're supposed to sit in the front, aren't you?" he asked. Embarrassed, I quickly lowered my head.

"Yes, Your Grace."

He didn't say anything more, just helped me to my place before bowing slightly in parting.

It was only a brief moment, a fleeting exchange, but my heart hammered wildly in my chest. Maybe it was nothing to him, but to me, it meant more than I could ever explain.

Were the rumors true that he was a man with no heart? To me... he didn't feel that way at all.

"Hmmm... so that's really the Duke everyone talks about? He does look terrifying, but he helped you," Morwenna whispered, as if she hadn't been the cause of my fall in the first place. She sat beside me without even the courtesy of an apology.

I kept my head bowed, the pain still burning in my thigh and knee. I couldn't lift my eyes to the grand cathedral arches like I once did. All I could see now was the marble tiles beneath my feet.

"The Blessing of the Empire will now begin!"

The pope's sermon lasted an hour. After that came the Emperor's words of thanks to the royal knights who fought in the war and to the families left behind. They handed out donations and aid, and then came the official crowning and the giving of titles to the Emperor's mad dog, who would now be called the Duke of the North.

"With the title of Duke, I also give you the hand of my eldest daughter, Princess Revienne Ebonhart, as thanks from the royal family for your sacrifice during these past six years of war." The Emperor looked at me. I had no choice but to stand beside him, gripping my cane so hard my knuckles hurt. I kept my lips pressed together and couldn't bring myself to meet anyone's eyes in the cathedral.

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty," Kyros said. He stayed kneeling, took my hand, and kissed it.

"Long live the new Duke of the North!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Viridalis Empire!"

They cheered and shouted with joy. Me? My stomach turned at everything happening around me.

What am I even supposed to be here for? A decoration no one cares about? A prize to be handed over?

Whatever else it was, it seemed this was my fate. My future was now in the hands of the Duke of the North.

TO BE CONTINUED

CHAPTER 02: THE RED MOON CEREMONY

REVIENNE

"Revienne, m-my sweetheart... You need to le-leave this place. Remember, you c-can't trust anyone but yourself. E-everyone in the royal palace is your e-e-nemy."

Every word she spoke trembled with fear, warning, and pain. Blood spilled from the corner of her lips as her shaking hands clung tightly to my thin arm.

"I won't leave without you, Mother! Please, just hold on a little longer. Sir Michael will come, I know he will. He'll save us... We'll both survive this!" My voice cracked, even though deep down I wasn't sure anyone was really coming. Not when we were trapped here, crushed beneath the wreckage of the carriage.

I wanted to run, to scream for help, but I couldn't feel my right leg anymore. It was pinned under the door and part of the roof that had caved in on us.

All I could see was blood. Shattered glass pierced both our skin, and I could feel my mo