prologue

Humans experience love. It's normal; our brains produce more serotonin when we laid our eyes on someone we loved - or at least liked- which gives us a sense of well-being, therefore it's called love.

♠

The town was left in wrecks. Anything that was supposed to resemble a building wasn't to be seen anymore. Everywhere, all that was left to see was what was supposed to be the town of Ganymede. Children rushes for their parents, teenagers seek for their friends. Shelter was not to be found, as smokes from previous fire had licked everything on its path. The locals' weapons from the previous battle just lay down on the ground, looking up at the grey skies as it cries for its owners. Everything was left in dust and ashes, it was almost impossible to revive the town back.

Almost.

♠

"Mother, where are we going to live?" a little boy in torn school uniform sobbed in his mother's stomach. "What are we going to eat? How are we going to find Sugar Street Sweets if the town is ruined?"

His mother curved a sweet smile and stroked her frail fingers on the boy's wavy chestnut hair. Everyone would agree that he's a beautiful, tiny angel in blue uniform if everything wasn't in wrecks. "Everything will be alright, dear. Maybe it will take time for us to find a new place to live, maybe it will be hard to find food, and maybe there won't be any sweets for the day, dear. But it will be alright, Elio," His mother reassured him by kissing his forehead. "As long as the sky tomorrow is still blue, everything will be alright."

Elio gave a bright smile and giggled as the smoke clouds clear off. "I know everything is going be alright if mamá is here." He turned his head and looked up to the sky as the sun started to radiate between the clouds.

♠

"Oh, Flint, just hand it over, will ya? All the burning and the battle don't need to happen in the first place if you just hand it over. All we ask for is The Northern Star and we'll leave all of you alone," some chuckles gave away as five henchmen drew closer to Flint with their spears pointed on his neck since the guards had already been killed. As Flint took his place in the royal throne, silence fell upon the room. Royal advisers, bishops, chamberlains, even maids hung in the tension in the room. A man behind a rather elegant cloak entered the throne room. Everyone had their eyes on the man hiding beneath the crimson cloak, trying to figure out what his face may look like, while waited for the answer from the king's mouth. "Or of course, we could proceed with the other alternative." More chuckles.

Did I hear that right? Bernadette thought, as she peered from one of the gigantic column supporting the throne room. The words weren't too clear, it was more like murmurs to her little ears. She was determined to take one more step, but a hand interrupted her as a soft whisper ran through her ears. "Oh, Bernadette dear, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping in your room, dear?" Halona knelt down as she spoke to the tiny thing.

Bernadette drew a slight sigh as she spoke, "But mother, I heard a man mentioned 'other alternatives' to father and they sounded scary; what could that mean mother? What's going to happen to father?" She started acting jumpy as she attempted to release herself from her mother's tender grip to eavesdrop on her father.

"Bernadette, you don't need to listen to this; it's adult talk, alright?" Her mother looked at Bernadette's face as she stroked her cheeks. "Now, go back to bed." She spoke as softly as she could. Bernadette hugged her mother tightly and headed to her bedroom. Halona then turned around to join her husband to discuss the deal. As she stood beside her beloved king, the man in the cloak spoke again, this time with a distinctive, sharp tone.

"Come on, I don't have forever," he tapped his foot impatiently. "Otherwise, Bernadette won't be saved." Both the king and the queen were stunned at this statement - they stared at each other, tried to negotiate with the man in the cloak.

"What do you want from the Northern Star? Is there something else that we can do other than this?" But, it seemed that he wasn't interested. Fifteen minutes of arguments had passed and he was getting annoyed, enraged, and all fumed as he clicked his fingers, giving orders to his henchmen.

Halona became curious as the man didn't mention anything of his name; even his henchmen didn't say a word about it. Softly, but stern, she said, "Who are you?"

Three words that hit him as hard as the Excalibur. He crinkled his faced a little, tried to hide his disgust. "Looks like she's coming with me." He then rounded a corner between the columns. Marching away from the king with a heavy laughter, he ordered half his henchman to come with him, half to guard the king.

Flint, of course, became very uneasy then followed the man behind the cloak along with Halona. "W-wait, where are you going?" he stuttered as the man behind the cloak marched faster towards Bernadette's room. "No, what are you going to do to Bernadette?" He tried to grab the man's arm, but without success, he was cruelly pushed away by him. The king began ordering his men to arrest the man behind the cloak as they all arrived in Bernadette's room.

"Isn't she lovely, Flint?" he looked at the sleeping angel from between the jamb, and then strolled quietly beside Bernadette's bed. A beautiful star ornament was carved in one of the posts, as he took a notice at it. He peered behind the white linen canopy that was hiding her face, a little young girl with caramel hair. Long eyelashes framed her eyelids that hid her grey eyes that were from her mother. Her lips, ruby and moist from the kiss of red wine, which was supposedly a touch from Aphrodite. Skin pale as the winter's snow, but soft as wax on a summer day. Her face safely tucked in the sheets. She's going to grow as a beautiful lady, he thought. "How do you suppose if she's not able to see you tomorrow?" he said as he was looking at both the king and queen.

Halona was struck by these words; anxiety had taken over her as tears started welling up on her grey eyes. "No, please, don't do this! What are you going to do with her?" Her words were shaky as she ran to Bernadette's bed and tried to grab her from the wicked hands. Alas, she failed as the man was swift with his hand and he snatched Bernadette quietly from her bed so he won't wake her up, then he handed her to one of his henchmen, or rather a nurse-in-disguise. The nurse took a step back to cradle Bernadette to sleep. "Please, give her back." She pleaded and knelt down to the man's feet and sobbed.

Flint was fumed up and he sternly and unfortunately, quite loudly, said to the man, "Give Bernadette back."

It was enough to wake Bernadette up that she tugged the nurse's collar. "What's going on? Why are they shouting at mother and father?" Her eyelids were half opened as she tried to perceive her surroundings. From the other side of the room, she peered in the eternal darkness. "Mother? Father?"

The man was stunned; he turned slowly and glared at Bernadette with a look that can make anybody run for their life, even the nurse's arm was shaking. "You," he pointed his fragile finger towards her. "Go back to your beauty sleep. I'm having a little fun chat with mommy and daddy. Oh, I know a great idea! Why don't you say your last goodnight and goodbye to your mommy and daddy?" His other hand was groping his sword, ready to ambush the king and queen.

As an innocent and pure child, she bade her parents' goodnight and goodbye as the man had told her to do. She carved a sweet smile to her parents, enough to make her mother cry.

"Please, don't do anything to her," the voice of the queen was not as firm as before, this time it sounded nothing but bleak. Tears were shed and shoulders were rounded and shuddered. "Don't..."

The atmosphere was pathetic. Some henchmen were a little moved; little tears were falling and noses were stuffed by the motherly love for Bernadette. Even the king sniffled as he placed his hands on the queen's shoulder. The man behind the cloak? He looked like he just won an exclusive stack of money. Heart as cold as the Pole, mind tough as stone, he was enfolded with his malicious thoughts. He began with a snort, then a round of chuckles, the finished off with a shrill laugh. "Do anything to her? Oh, what interest do I have to hurt such a tiny being?" A low whisper as he reassured his grip on the sword handle. "Didn't I ask for The Northern Star? Wasn't that as much as precious as your lives?"

As if it was scripted in a movie, every henchman drew their sword, some of which scurried towards the maids, the bishops, and the chamberlain, and killed them mercilessly. After drawing the sword from their corpses, the henchmen stepped back and returned to their spot. Everyone glowered at the royalty who were frozen on the spot, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Stutters and stammers were slipped from the king's mouth. He stepped back, but of course, the henchmen were pointing spears at the king from the back. "Cats got your tongue?"

The king's highly-trained soldiers were also ready to defend; all of them assaulted the man's henchmen and the nurse, and killed them profusely. One of them grabbed sleeping Bernadette from the dead nurse and returned it to the crying Halona. It was just the man, Bernadette, and her parents.

The man was in shook, but that didn't last long when his rage took over him and began slashing his sword mid-air and confronted the king. They were both in a fiery spirit. Halona took the chance to rescue her daughter; she slipped out a necklace with a tiny locket-a shape of a star-and placed it on Bernadette's neck. "I love you, dear." she kissed her tiny forehead. Her tears dropped to the locket as she bade her own final goodbye. What happened next was like a miracle - the dark bedroom suddenly was filled with a blinding light that was coming from her necklace. Bernadette disappeared.