I may have been a bit sore from magic training last night, however, I knew that I needed to get out of bed if anything got done. Stretching awake I let the morning moonlight brush against my skin as I sat up and stared out at the full moon and the starry night sky. One thing I loved about our kingdom, the moon always seemed full, brightening the sky even the darkest hours and the stars, ever so plentiful.

Have I ever told you, you look beautiful under moonlight? Théoden questioned through the bond. He seemed a bit amused as he watched me watch the moon.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. After all this time, he never failed to make me blush. Please.

I’m serious. Théoden told me. Do you know why the moon never seems to change phases?

That was a tale we all heard growing up. Long ago, after the war of the gods, those gods that were neutral to lawful good alignment swore to protect all of those that lived underneath the stars and moon. So, with the power of several deities, the moon was magically changed to always stay full and bright. Granting those even without dark vision a chance to see their path at all hours of the night.

That’s correct. Théoden told me. That’s why it’s always full and bright. Brilliants isn’t it?

Yeah. I responded.

I sighed and got out of bed and utilized the shower. Are we training this morning? I asked Theo.

Hmm.. I’ll give us a bit of a break this morning. We did do magic train last night. So a break is deserved.

I smiled softly at the thought. Good. Then should we enjoy this morning and go for a bit of a walk?

A walk would be nice. Théoden responded.

After five minutes in the shower I hopped out and quickly dried off. I slipped on a pair of black pants and a dressy top. I ran my brush through my hair and pinned part of it up.

Ready? I asked him.

Of course. I’m already outside by the gate. Théoden responded.

I quickly put on my wedge boots and slipped my belt on and hung my bag of holding from it. I walked out of my room, locking the door behind me and cautiously walked down my corridor, down the stairs and outside the castle. Where I saw Théoden waiting for me, already in his full blue and silver armor. With his weapons to his back and side.

“Always in armor.” I teased as I stepped beside him.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He looked down at me with a smile, “Always need to be prepared any more.”

I frowned a bit. That was the truth. Since Marcel arrived we always had to be ready in case we came across some of his army. One thing we had to look forward to was, the day of the wedding, our kingdom should be at peace. I had hoped.

“It will.” Théoden said as he took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The air was a bit chilly, but nothing I wasn’t used to by now. The kingdom was quiet, as most was still in bed as it was just after midnight. One of the positives of only needing four hours of sleep, we get more of the day to enjoy. Even if it meant our days were long.

We walked at our normal pace as we made our way to South Haven Beach. A beach with white sand and rocky shores, one Theo and I hold dear to our hearts as we have spent many nights here. This place was truly beautiful and I am glad that we have been able to enjoy it ourselves on countless occasions.

However, when we got there, Theo grew a bit tense. “Theo?” I asked as I looked up at him. I wasn’t sure what he had sensed. But considering the grip he had on my hand I could tell it wasn’t good. “My hand..” I whispered as the pain in my hand grew more and more.

He released it once the words left my lips, “Sorry.” He spoke. I watched as he began to scan the area around us. Something was out there.

“Theo?” I asked one more time as I moved in front of him in hopes to follow his eyes and see what he sees.

“Maria…” He looked down at me and then in an eastward direction. “I need to get you back to the castle.”

“What is it?” I asked as I began to feel more and more panicked. As he still hadn’t told me what was happening.

Théoden looked at me, then looked at his wrist. “A fiend or devil.” Théoden told me as he shown me the tracker. The ruby in the tracker was a bit brighter but not at its full capacity yet. Which meant there was something nearby.

“I can help.” I told him.

He shook his head, “You can help by being safe. Remember the three Marcel singled?”

As he mentioned it I counted back. This would technically mark the third day since that day. “Yeah…”

“This could be something in correlation. I won’t know until I go and investigate it. If I let you come with me…” Théoden's voice trembled a bit. I could sense he was worried as we had no idea how strong this thing was.

“Alright..” I said, “Take me back to the castle.”

Théoden smiled softly. He bent down and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips before utilizing one of his two abilities to teleport me back to the castle.

I wasn’t too thrilled with being teleported back to my room but I understood why he did it. If this had anything to do with what Marcel singled, this could become violent. Considering we had no idea what that meant and we had no idea what he was planning.

All Théoden knew was that he had to double staff the prison in the upcoming days as a precaution in case anything was tried. He also ordered Quinn and Brienne to be in and around the castle when he was not there. As a way to put extra protection on me.

What we did know out of this, that once three minutes and three hours had passed, that left us with three days or three weeks. Three weeks made sense to me considering three weeks until my wedding with Marcel. But three days also made sense as we knew Crimson was a big part in Marcel’s plan. We just never knew how big.

Théo… Be safe… I will be watching. I told Théoden through our shared bond. As there was no way I was going to leave him alone to deal with whatever was about to come.

I will. I…. I could tell he was hesitant to say I promise as I know he would do whatever it took to protect me and his kingdom. Promise. I love you.

I love you. I quickly pulled into his vision as I was curious to see what was happening.