Reborn: The Rejected Luna

#2 - Mate

"Move, you stupid creature!"

Irabel got pushed and she stumbled, almost falling flat on her behind. She was fuming and wanted nothing more than the soldier's head for pushing her so violently.

It wasn't exactly her fault that she was in the soldier's way. Come to think of it, she had no idea why she was even there in the first place.

She hated crowded markets. All the thronging by the crowds, the sweat, the loud sounds, the smells that she couldn't stomach usually kept her away. So she wasn't sure why she thought to come here, and that so early in the morning. She was no early riser either and yet she seemed to have forgotten all that and surprisingly found herself in the busy market at its busiest hour.

However she put her wish to know what in the world she was doing there aside, and decided to focus on the sentry that stood towering over her.

"Did you not hear me, you ungrateful dog?"

"Ungrateful dog?!"

Irabel raged. She had never been so insulted in her whole entire life and her blood boiled. It seemed the guard had a death wish.

"I'll have your head for that, you insolent--"

"What was that you stupid girl?!" The soldier bellowed, cutting her off and Irabel could only stare at the soldier incredulously.

She was at a loss for words. The soldier was fuming and she was totally caught off guard by his demeanour. No one of her father's soldiers in Belmont would ever dare to speak to her that way.

"Wait, Belmont…" She frowned at the soldier this time. when she noticed that his armour didn't exactly match that of her father's men. She could have sworn that the inner side of their soldier's cloaks was definitely not red.

She took a step closer to make sure her orbs were not deceiving her.

"Red." She noted to herself. Her eyes were right, this man was definitely not of Belmont. But even then, it didn't give him the right to insult her. She was a princess after all and each kingdom and pack that surrounded Belmont knew that and was expected to honour her accordingly.

"What are you doing?" The soldier hissed when she tried to go even closer to check which kingdom he was from. "Get out of my sight, peasant!"

"Peasant?!"

"How dare you! I'll have your head for that!" She stood to her full height as she tried to intimidate the man but the soldier merely laughed while he made gestures showing that Irabel was crazy or at least had a few screws loose. That infuriated her and she hated being dismissed like that and she wanted to give the soldier a piece of her mind but a voice of a young boy distracted her.

"Mama, she's forgetting again."

A poorly dressed boy came and stood by her side.

"Please sir, you have to forgive her." The boy pleaded.

"Get away from me." Irabel hissed at the boy for standing up for her. She wasn't about to let the soldier think that she needed a little boy to defend her, but the little person only stared at her with understanding in his eyes. That made Irabel regret snapping at him altogether and something in those tiny eyes felt awfully familiar. She ignored the little tug at her heart though and chose to put the soldier in his place instead.

"Sister!"

"Sister?" Irabel frowned at the boy this time. It seemed he was bent on keeping her away from her quarrel and she wondered why he called her sister.

"Look, I'm not your sister and--"

"But you are my big sister. You just forgot." The boy was on the verge of tears and weirdly his sadness tugged at her heart some more but she shook the feeling away right after. She was an only child after all.

"I am not forgetting anything." Irabel swatted the boy's hand away that he had slipped into hers.

"My god! Not again. Irabella you can't do this. Not now baby."

A woman Irabel didn't know walked up to her, worry evident on her face.

"Forgive my daughter, my lord."

"Daughter?" Irabel stared as the woman bowed all so respectfully towards the soldier. And even though Irabel didn't know this woman she hated that she gave all that respect to a mere soldier who waved her away with distaste. Irabel wanted to scold the soldier for behaving like he was the king himself. She made a note to tell her father about it.

"Come Irabella." The woman took her hand gently and the touch was the most comforting feeling she had ever had. It was the strangest feeling too, something that was very familiar yet coming from someone she did not know.

"My name is Irabel." She stressed the 'bel' at the end of her name. She hated being called Irabella, everyone knew that.

"And who are you?" Irabel took her hand back and curled an eyebrow at the woman. She seemed friendly and Irabel chose to excuse her mistake.

"I thought you hated being called Irabel." The woman stared at her amused and Irabel frowned at her. She didn't understand why the woman thought she was her daughter or why her own heart felt drawn to her either. It was like her heart was battling between those two states.

"I am princess Irabel." Irabel said, more to herself than the woman.

"Of course you are." The woman smiled, but something else in her eyes made Irabel think she did not believe her. If anything she seemed to be only playing along.

"And I hate being called Irabella, so please call me Irabel." She added, though she didn't understand why she felt the need to or why the woman was still hanging around.

"Okay." The woman nodded and with nothing left to say Irabel decided to look around, wanting to head back to the castle. She had endured enough weird things and people and she wanted to soak away in a very warm bath.

"What am I wearing?" She realized that something more was wrong when a cold breeze swept through her legs. She looked down at herself and frowned when she laid her eyes on her bare legs. She felt naked instantly and could hear her nanny's voice scolding her for leaving the castle like that. But she frowned even more at the rug that made her dress.

"What happened to my gown?"

This time it was the woman's turn to frown but she masked it a second later and smiled.

"Nothing's wrong with your dress." She replied but before Irabel could say anymore, a strange feeling washed over her confused self, making her wonder what it was.

"Mate…" She stiffened, her complaints about her clothes long forgotten. The voice in her head was faint but she heard it still and she couldn't keep calm anymore.

"Mate!" She exclaimed while searching the crowds frantically. His woody scent mixed with a hint of citrus and rain was everything she had dreamed her mate would smell like. It reminded her of her favourite place. The castle's wild orchard.

She rushed into the crowd seeking him out, but a hand stopped her.

"What are you doing?" She glared at the woman that was beginning to get on her nerves now.

"Keeping you from getting into trouble."

"Trouble? I only want to find my mate."

The woman only smiled, an understanding smile that made Irabel frown. "Of course you will sweety. Once you turn eighteen."

"But I already turned eighteen and…I did find my mate."

Irabel froze as her past memories rushed to her head, hitting her like a massive wave hammering into a rock. Memories she wished she could forget. Memories that unearthed the worst pain she had ever known.

Her hands flew to her throat and she immediately started choking.

"Irabella?" The woman's voice filled with panic when she flew to her side and screamed for her to breathe.

Irabel wanted to, but everything was already getting too much.

"Maxith…" Memories of her beloved mate assaulted her poor heart.

"We were never meant to be."

The red liquid that oozes down her fingers choked the life out of her. It was just a memory but the pain was not and she could feel herself slipping away.

"Breathe baby." The woman was distraught. "My princess." She cried out, making Irabel smile at her painfully.

She was indeed a princess, but a dead one and for the first time she believed the woman. It was insane but it was the only way she could think of to keep from going insane herself.

"Mom?" She uttered one of two words that she never thought would ever leave her mouth ever again.