Prologue
The sun was warm that morning and little Princess Charlotte played alone in the royal garden, chasing butterflies between the rose bushes. Her soft laughter carried through the air like tiny bells.
Hidden behind a tall cluster of red lilies, a young boy watched her. He was about three years older than the princess, dressed in simple clothes, his dark hair falling over his brow. His father had warned him never to wander near the castle. Never be seen. Never be noticed.
But here he was.
Charlotte paused, tilting her head, for she had sensed him. Her bright eyes fixed on the flowers where he hid.
“Oh! You farmer boy,” she said, stepping closer with a curious smile. “Who are you?”
Slowly, the boy stepped out from behind the lilies. Even at his young age, he had a striking, handsome face, and his eyes held a quiet strength.
“I… was only passing by,” he said softly. “I saw you.”
“Well, I am only playing in my garden,” she replied proudly, brushing dirt from her dress. “Do you have any special ability?”
He looked at her, startled. “Do… do you?”
“Oh, yes!” Charlotte said cheerfully. “I can sing.”
And with no warning, she lifted her small chin and sang loudly, far louder than necessary, her voice echoing across the garden. When she finished, she giggled. “Now you. Do you have one?”
The boy hesitated, his fingers curling at his sides. Then he shook his head.
“My father forbids me to show mine,” he whispered.
“What ability is that?” Charlotte asked, stepping closer. “You can trust me.”
The boy, Ares gave a long, troubled sigh. Then he looked at her, truly looked and something inside him slipped. His eyes changed. Slowly, the brown faded away, replaced by a glowing, molten gold.
Charlotte froze. Her mouth opened in a long, trembling scream.
“FATHER! FATHER!” she cried, running as fast as her tiny feet could carry her.
Terrified, Ares turned and fled as well.
Moments later, the great warning bell of the castle rang across the entire village. Clang… Clang… Clang…
Ares’ father burst out of their small house, his face pale. He grabbed the boy and pulled him inside.
“What have you done, son?” he demanded, voice shaking with fear.
“I did not mean to, Papa,” Ares whispered, tears gathering in his golden tinted eyes.
“We shall all be damned,” his father muttered. “Stay inside. Do not move.”
He rushed outside as the king’s guards arrived in the village square.
One of the king’s men stepped forward and raised his voice.
“Someone has disturbed the little princess! Her Highness has seen something foul from a young boy. If it is one of your sons, bring him forth now, else we shall find him ourselves and he shall be put to death!”
Villagers gasped. Mothers held their children close.
“Sorcery is forbidden!” the guard shouted. “Dragons are forbidden!”
Ares’ father felt his blood run cold. If they found Ares… there would be no mercy.
He returned home swiftly, locking the door behind him.
“Come, boy,” he said, grabbing Ares’ arm. “We must hide you.”
He pulled aside a wooden plank and revealed a small underground shelter he had built long ago, just in case.
“You must stay here,” his father said, his voice breaking. “Until it is safe.”
From that day, Ares lived under the earth, hidden from the world. Seasons passed. He grew older, taller, stronger. His ability stayed a secret known only to his father.
But one winter’s night, his father fell ill. The older man grew weaker with every passing day, until he finally whispered his last words to his son:
“You must live… out there.”
When his father died, Ares left the underground shelter and sought a place in the kingdom where he could survive. He joined the knights. And with every year that passed, he trained harder than any other, faster, stronger, sharper. No one knew what he truly was.
One morning, after years of service, the aging king called the knights to the great hall. In front of nobles, soldiers and servants, he placed a firm hand on Ares’ shoulder.
“From this day forth,” the king announced, “Sir Ares shall stand as the personal knight of Princess Charlotte. Her shield, her sword and her sworn protector.”
Whispers filled the hall.
Charlotte, now a young woman, lifted her gaze to him.
The moment her eyes met his, she felt it, an instant pull, a strange warmth spreading through her chest.
And Ares…
Though she did not recognize him, he remembered her clearly.
The little princess in the garden.
The first girl he ever trusted.
And now, the girl he must protect,
even from himself.
