Who Am I?

I watched the clock as the hours passed. I usually pay more attention to my studies, but today was different. Today is my sixteenth birthday, the day I get my knighthood and be one step closer to being king and do away with the old traditions that forbid me from marrying the woman I love. "Ryan?" I jerk my head from the lock to my privet teacher, she looked unhappy. "Yes?" I said hoping what she asked was a yes or no question. "I understand today is a big day for you. But you're not going to get your knighthood if you don't pass this exam." "I'm sorry Mrs. Lois." "I will let it slide this one time Ryan. My granddaughter gets easily distracted as well when I'm helping her with her studies." "How is Luna?" "Now Ryan, it is time to focus." "Yes ma'am." The mention of Luna makes my mind go in a million different directions, she's the woman I want to choose to be my wife. Nobody can compare to her beauty. Her plump ruby lips always drawn into a smile even when she's hurt. and her ice blue eyes shine when she let's her ash gray hair fall in tangles by her face. Luna stayed on my mind the rest of the session. The questions on the exam were simple and easy, I passed like I knew I would. I went to my room after to get ready. As I looked over myself in the royal knight armor, my black hair usually messy slicked back neat on top of my head, my blue eyes shined a little brighter with the thought I was going to see Luna after, I wasn't the same scrawny kid anymore. My muscles grew with every training. I have mastered sword, hand to hand, you name it I have mastered it. All for her. Even though its been awhile since I last saw her, I was ready to confess my love for her tonight. I have studied hard to get where I am waiting for her to finally agree to meet me again. I wondered what she would say tonight, after what happened the last time we met up. Would she be happy to see me again? My excitement quickly turned to nervousness as my thoughts took a huge turn. I was thankfully snapped out if my thoughts when I heard a soft knocked on my bedroom door. "Ryan dear, are you ready?" The soft voice of my grandmother said through the door. "Yes grandmother. You can come in." She opened the door and covered her mouth. Her blue eyes started to Glisten with tears. "Oh honey, look at you!" she said with excitement as she pulled me into a hug. My grandmother helped my father raise me after my mother passed away, we were always so close. My father was never around much while I was growing up, his kingly duties always came before everything else. That is until he found out about Luna, then keeping us apart was his main priority. I can still remember his words when he found out I was seeing her. 'We have traditions son! Ones we have to follow, if you ever want to be king one day, you will end this now. I will not stand for you to embarrass our family name by being with someone like her do you understand?' I planned to do what he asked, just until I became king to end the stupid traditions that are set in place. I want to be with someone I love not have someone scared for their life to disappoint me, that's no life to live. My grandmother pulled out of the hug and wiped a stray tear off of her cheek, then smiled. Her short dirty blonde hair was curled by her face, it was familiar to me. Her smile was the only since of home I have ever felt. "Your mother would have been so proud of you my dear." Her voice cracked, as it always did when she mentioned my mother. "You really think so?" I didn't really remember my mother, just old pictures and stories everyone tells me about her. "I know so, you were her pride and joy dear. She's up in the highest realm smiling down on you right now." "Thank you for everything grandmother. I wouldn't be where I am now without you." "Hush child, you're going to make me cry." She laughed then hugged me again before leaving. The walk to the grand hall where my knighthood would take place felt like hours. it wasn't that I was worried about though, Luna would br here. It would be the first time I saw her since out argument, what if she didn't show up at all and changed her mind about talking with me after. That's what had my hands sweating and my mind racing. I tried ti destract my thought bg watching the murals on the wall as I walked. They dances so beautifully like a moving picture as I walked. As I got to the double doors at the end of the hall, I took one more deep breath before pushing them open. The hall was full of people from all the realms. My eyes fell on my grandmother Peggy sitting next ti Lois. They both smiled at me, but my heart fell when I noticed Luna wasn't with her grandmother. I walked to the stage where my uncle Daniel stood. He was the head if the knight, the one who trained me to get where I am today. I stood next to him as he spoke to the people, but my mind was elsewhere. My father was suppose yi be here, next to me. Where could he be? I looked over yi mu uncle and as if he could read my mind he said "King Jack wishes he could be here but he has other matters to attend at the moment." Then he leaned down ti me and whispered. "He wishes to speak ti you as soon as were finished here." I nodded. The ceremony went by fast, I talked yi the head of the realms and their families some introduced their daughters hoping they would get chosen to be my wife. As I got to my grandmother, she hugged me again and told me she was so proud. But we were interrupted. "Peggy, have you seen Luna? She was supposed to be here but I have not seen her all night." Lois said with panic in her voice. "No, I have not dear, is everything okay?" "Ryan did you happen to see her while you were on stage?" "No, but I have a meeting with my father. I will put the word out she is possibly missing." "Thank you, Ryan, dear. I am going to keep looking." And she disappeared in the crowd. I turned around to excuse myself from my grandmother and let her know I was going to go talk to my father, but she was already making her way through the crowd towards the doors that led to the hallway my father's study was on. I chased after her to see what she was doing. "Grandmother?" Where are you going?" With her face set and her pace fast she said, "To talk to that father of yours. There is no excuse to miss your knighthood ceremony. I only hope one day you become a better king then your father ever was." We got to my father's study and without knocking, she pushed the doors open. "Jackson!" She yelled. My grandmother was normally a very kind woman, but after my mother passed away, she hated the idea of my father ruling alone. She says he went against everything her and my grandfather wished fir the realms when they stepped down. "To what do i owe the pleaser to dear Peggy?" My dad asked calmly while he sat at his desk, looking over what looked like old papers. The room was lit only with the small lamp on his desk, and the fireplace blazing to the right of him. "Mind telling me what was so important that you missed your sons knighthood ceremony?" My father looked up from his papers, first at me then at her. His eyes told me to leave the room so him and my grandmother could talk in privet. "He is not leaving this room Jackson." My grandmother spoke knowing my father hated when someone addressed him by his real name, but my father dears nit to say anything out of line to her. She was the precious queen, and they wanted her to take the thrown back when my mother passed hntil I became of age. She turned it down to raise me, now that I'm sixteen, she can take it back whenever she wants to and my father knows that. "This conversation is not for children Peggy. " He said then looked me, "Ryan go wait for me in your bedroom, I will meet you up there after your grandmother and I are finished talking." "Absolutely not! You see Jackson, Ryan here is not a child anymore. He is a man, that's what this conversation is about. You missed the ceremony in which your only son became a man." I could tell it was hard for my grandmother to have this conversation with my father. "Come closer and take a look at these papers Peggy. They are old, and it took awhile fir me to find them. I got word that a young woman was found in the woods unresponsive, but before she was spotted something else was." I froze, was it Luna? Is she hurt? I said it before I realized who I was talking to. "Was it Luna?" My father looked puzzled. "Son, I sent out a team to see I'd she was alive. Who she was is not of importance right now, she should not have been in the woods at night alone to begin with. It was the dragon that needs to be dealt with immediately. " Dragon? But they were extinct, nobody has saw any signs of them in years what was he talking about? "Goodness Jackson. You really pulled that one out of your ass." I was shocked by my grandmother's words. She never cursed; does she think it was something else? "Really Peggy? Ask Daniel when he gets back then. u just sent him off to check it out." He waved his hand telling us to leave. "How long ago?" I asked before walking out of the door. "Right before you walked in. Why does it matter?" "I am a knight now father, I am going with them." I said, then ran out of the door but not before my grandmother put her head in her hands and said. "Dealing with you Jackson makes me want to drink. I have absolutely no idea why my daughter chose you." My heart raced as I ran down the hall to catch up with my uncle. Was this young woman Luna? Is that why she didn't show up tonight? Was she hurt? A million thoughts raced through my head when u noticed my uncle. He noticed me also and his face showed it. "What are you doing here Ryan?" his voice unusually cold. "I'm coming with you." "Look Ryan, I understand you're a knigh now. But you're not ready for a dragon. So, no you're not coming with us. Your father would have all our heads if something happened yi you, not even thinking what my mother would do." His face twisted thinking about it. "They know. and besides you said you taught me everything you know. I am either going with you, or without you. The choice is yours." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fine! But you're to stay next to me the whole time!" He turned to waln away when Lois started walking towards us. "Captain Daniel! That the highest realm I found you! My granddaughter is not anywhere yi be found and she was supposed to be here tonight." My uncle sighed and said. "Lois, a young woman was found in the woods, a dragon was also spotted nearby were going to see if she is okay. Stay here and indoors and do not come out until we return." Lois of course didn't listen to a single word Daniel had said to her. She bolted ti yhe woods and without thinking I ran after her. Lois was awfully fast for an older woman, finding out it was possibly Luna hurt in the woods must have made her adrenaline pump and fast. She was running about five feet in front of me when all of a sudden, she stopped, I slowed down next to her when my eyes caught a glimpse of what caused her ti stop. The trees and the ground were shaking. "Ryan I need you to do something for me." She whispered, but I couldn't find any words to reply. "You need to get back to the castle, if you runinyi your uncle or any other knights tell them I found Luna and she was fine. Tell them she said it was not a dragon, do you understand me?" I was shocked, we didn't find Luna, and what would cause the whole ground to shake other then something as big as a dragon? I was about to protest when something caught my eye on the ground about twenty feet away, my feet were moving before I could think. As I got closer, I recognized Lunas ash gray hair and pushed myself ti run faster. Out of nowhere, another Luna jumped out from behind yhe tree and tackled me to the ground. The only difference between the two was yhis one had bright red hair. "LUNA, STOP!" She was taken aback, "I'm not Luna! Don't call me that!" she yelled at me. "Ryan, what are you doing!? Get away from her!" My uncle grabbed my shoulder and pulled me behind him. "Captain, with all due respect...." I was interrupted by a very loud growl, so intense that the trees shook, and the leaves fell. I darted around my uncle to where Luna lie unconscious, I grabbed her in my arms and pulled her close. She started to mumble and pulled away. "Where is Sunny? Is she okay? She jumped up looking around panicked. "SUNNY!? YOU WERE JUST UNCONSCIOUS TEN SECONDS AGO!" I yelled at her not meaning to. "I'm sorry. I don't want to be an embarrassment ti your family." I was shocked by what she said. Is that why she was mad at me all this time? I was about ti respond when her face went pale, and her eyes wide with fear. She shoved past me and ran in front if the red headed girl. I was frozen in place when u saw my uncle with his sword drawn, ready to strike the girl. A huge gust if wind started around me, and I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head. Before I knew it, everything started going black, and I fell to the ground and before my eyes closed, I saw Luna fall in a pool of blood. I woke up in a daze with a pounding headache, as everything slowly came into focus, I realized u was in the hospital wing of the castle. "Ryan? Thank the highest realm you're awake!" Someone said, I couldn't make out who the voice was coming from. Everything was still slightly out of focus, but the voice made my blood boil. As my vision started to clear, I realized it was my uncle Daniel. I felt my anger start to rise and had no idea why. "What happened?" I asked. "All I remember was running into the woods and blacking out." I added. "You took off running, I chased you and found you talking to a girl.." "Luna! Where is she? Was she hurt!?" I started to panic but some of the pieces slowly started coming together. She was bleeding pretty badly! Then I remembered the knight standing over her with his sword drawn. Who was the knight? "WHO ELSE WAS THERE!?" I yelled, my anger finally bursting. "Ryan, you need to calm down. You hit your head pretty hard. I'm going to get the doctor and tell him you're awake." I needed ti talk to my father now! I waited until my uncle left the room, as I watched him disappear out of the door, I stood up out of bed. The room started spinning. fighting through it I made my way through the maze-like castle until I got to my father's study, I stood outside the door for a few seconds ti catch my breath and try and get my head to stop spinning. When everything started to slow down, I shoved the doors open without knocking. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" I yelled at my father without a second thought. "Ryan dear, you do not look well. You should go back to the hospital wing and lie down." My grandmother said, she sounded worried, but I didn't care. "This is between me and him." I said sternly while pointing at my father. "What did you do to her!?" My voice calming a little knowing my grandmother was in the room. "I did what had to be done. You will know when you are in my place one day son." I wanted nothing more then to hurt him, and I knew exactly how. "You are no father of mine! You are a monster; I will NEVER be like you. You don't deserve to call yourself a king!" I was shaking, my fists started clinching when I saw my father stand up. I knew I had hit a nerve when I saw his face red with anger. "You do not speak to me Luke that! It is time you learned a lesson in respect!" He spat. "Respect? I don't even know you anymore! Who would respect a false king? A true king protects ALL if his people! You clearly don't know what that means. Grandmother should have taken the thrown back the day mother died!" His eyes grew wide with what I had said. He knew what was about to happen, all my grandmother needed was a reason to take over again. As he swung I ducked out of the way and like Daniel had said I aimed high and connected with his jaw, and he went backwords over his desk. My adrenaline was drained after the hit, and the room started spinning again. The darkness started creeping uo in my vision, as I started to fall, I heard my grandmother say, "What did you do now Jackson?" Then the world went black.