The Shattered Court

Pelle~Luna Mallory

"Why is it I'm not surprised?" I hear Luna Mallory say as she walks up to me all dressed and ready for our usual afternoon in the flowerbeds, but this time I came hours early and all the pruning is done.

And well the rest she doesn't need to know about... "Luna" I bow my head, "I got stressed and finished the rose bushes early, but I have some lilies we can plant in the new flower bed that I dug and prepped yesterday" I state with a smile. Luna Mallory reminds me so much of my mother the late queen, beautiful, strong, graceful, and kind to everyone.... They would've made fast friends.

"Sweetie, what am I going to do with you?" she laughs as she shakes her head. "If you continue to turn the backgrounds of my pack house in the flower beds, my Gardens will rival that of the Royal Palace!!"

I freeze up and look at the ground... any reminders of the Palace... of home brings nothing but an empty hole that no amount of wishing, working, or distraction can fill. I dearly miss helping out in the Royal Gardens with Henrik not too far away.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry!! You must miss your parents so much..." Luna Mallory's voice trails off. She may be a strong and amazing Luna, but she's never known true loss and though vampires could come knocking any day, being located in the northern forests of California rather than near the Royal Palace in Greece has its perks.

"Every single day Luna" I say quietly, missing the palace by the sea more than I realized.

"Is that why you're always in the flowers? Does it help you feel close to them somehow?" The Luna asks gently.

It does make me feel the lost calling presence of Heinrick and the Royal florists I used to spend all of my free time with between my constant lessons of being a Queen from my mom. The only way that I ever feel close to Mom and Dad is when I run in my wolf form. And even then I never miss them more than when Glacier looks into a pond and we see our reflection. Mom and Dad were so excited to meet my wolf... I was so close to being thirteen... So close to gaining all of my werewolf senses, the only good my extremely heightened senses count for now is scenting and hearing every wolf all at once. Ensuring my secret stays a secret.

"Yes, I used to work in the gardens with the Royal Florist's and never too far away my dad would be guarding the princess while on her afternoon walks with the late Queen... The Kingdom used to be at peace, I always loved gardening. So whenever I work in the flower beds, it brings me back to when joy and contentment were my normal... I miss it" I say quietly, and although most of what I said was true... I still felt terrible for lying about my identity.

"I know that since your father refused to follow the king and sacrificed himself for... uh for... well you know..."

ME, he sacrificed himself for me.... not a single day goes by where I don't feel like if he saw me now... I would be nothing but a raging disappointment... A shame stain on the royal name.

"the princess, " Luna Mallory continues softly. "that you were banished from the palace as a daughter of the traitor. The princess, wherever she is, when she finds her mate and challenges the king she'll restore our kingdom!! You'll be welcome back at the Palace, and you'd make the best Head Royal Florist that that Royal family will see in years!! I mean, look at everything you've taught me in five years!! My packhouse is beautiful and lovely, these gardens help represent the save Haven and peace that the werewolf kingdom lacks. I am proud to refer to you as my friend and florist!"

I feel even worse for lying to Luna Mallory because there is no way that I could restore the entire Kingdom or even dream about seeing my brother face to face, let alone fighting him. So I decide to tell her the truth, well to a minor extent...

"No," I say on a harsh whisper. "She's gone, Princess Cadence will never save anyone... She's dead, I'm sure of it..." I look to the ground and avoid eye contact I can't outright lie to Luna Mallory's face! Everytime I do, I have to pretend to be who I've been pretending to be, and I always have to look away I can never seem to look her in the eyes...

"Oh honey, don't lose hope!! She'll be eighteen anytime, it's been five years since anyone has seen her... but she will save us all."

Oh how empty her words fall, because there's nothing I'll ever be able to do to save anyone, not against an army of Vampire's... But the unexpected weight that yet another expectation has been voiced is absolutely suffocating...

If you really didn't care about the kingdom, it wouldn't feel so heavy Glacy mutters before fading in my mind again. Way to make me feel the heat girl...

"Look I don't know if she's ever going to come to the surface or if she really has been hiding all these years but all I know is that I can't keep holding on to hope for something to get better when I know that it's not." I say frustrated turning away from the Luna and grab the mulch and the seeds for the lilies and the other flowers that we're going to plant that day.

I can't have this conversation any longer it's too painful and continued effort she adds to make me feel better is only going to make things harder for me...

Mallory reaches her hand on my shoulder and she looks me in the eyes. "Sweetheart, I know you've been through a lot but I want you to understand that you are appreciated here. Even if the rest of the wolves never pay you any heed... I enjoy your company more than I ever expected!! You will always have a safe place in this pack, and I'm sure my son would like you to.

We begin working and talk of brighter and easier things, with Mallory being a mother I doubt that she will ever forget thing conversation.