As I lay down to sleep after a long day, I looked over and saw Maria. She was sleeping and looking so beautiful in the moonlight of our room. Not many men can say they have a wife like her, I doubt even one. I still remember the first day I saw her and the crazy story of how I got to know her. As I drifted to sleep I let my mind wander to the day I first laid eyes on her …

I had just gotten back from my chore for that day, checking the traps. I was already in a sour mood because I had gotten the worst job in the entire clan. Checking traps is like pulling teeth, but it's more boring than painful. All the traps had been empty except two, but all they had were skinny little squirrels to thin to eat. I decided to take them anyway; we could always use the skin to make new boots for a little one. Although the older men would probably blame me for the animals being so skinny, I knew that Lucille's little boy next door would need new boots. He just learned to walk and is wearing out his brothers old beaver hide ones. As I enter the gate leading up to the castle I hear my name being called. I turn around and I see Amos, he was one of the junior hunters, a job that I wanted badly. "ROBIN!" he shouted as he ran up to me. I liked Amos, he was about four years older than me and as I was only fourteen he was my elder but despite the age difference he was still nice and treated me as a friend. He had dark hair, (a du Noir clan symbol) bright green eyes, and had a small nose with a few freckles here and there. All the girls thought he was the cutest guy in the clan and he always had some group of followers behind him; although as I looked to see which girls were following him today, there weren't any surprisingly. "Strange" I thought, as he ran up to me. As Amos finally reached he said "I have a message. " His usually tan face was pale and blank, and he looked very worried. "Well spit it out!" I say after a long awkward silence. Then he said the one thing I always hate hearing, "Your father wants you…now."

My father is Coeur du Noir, the du Noir clan leader. As his son I am going to take his place when he passes on. I climbed up the long stair way into my father's quarters; I was wondering what in the world he needed me for. See, my father has never really liked me. I'm his youngest child; I have an older sister though. Her name is Loveday. She doesn't live with us anymore because she has betrayed the du Noir clan, I don't really know the whole story but people still ask me what really happened. Besides me and Loveday father doesn't have any more children, people are always saying it's my fault too.

See when I was born, I was a month or so before my time. After delivering me my mother lost a lot of blood and was sick with the birthing fever. For a whole week she held me in her arms and wouldn't let go. She died after that, leaving father heartbroken and miserable. After the doctors announced that she was dead my father couldn't stand to look at me and tried to kill me, he pulled out his knife and cut my throat. Then my nurse grabbed me from him and took me away while his mates tried to hold him back. I still have the scar on my neck to prove it. I know that he blames me for my mother's death even though it isn't true. Lots of women birth early, or maybe he just hates me because I look like her. He didn't hate Loveday. Finally I get to fathers rooms, I opened the door and see him sitting in his favorite chair; formally my mum's favorite. "Yes father?" I ask as I'm coming thru the door, wondering what I did this time. "Quite boy" he bellows at me. I stand there hoping this will not take long. "A Meriwether has died" he says.

The Merewether's are our rival clan who lived across the valley. The old tale of the two clans was so old, not a person alive remembers those days. The story says that the Moon Princess, who was a du Noir, was to marry Sir Thomas Meriwether. The Princess was quite beautiful, she had pale white skin and her kindness as pure as the moon, hence the name Moon Princess. She was so pure that all of nature loved her and the moon took her as its own child. Then the day before the wedding, Mother Nature gave her a wedding gift, the moon pearls. The moon pearls held great power, and the ability to see into a man's heart to find his true desires. Then on the wedding day after she got a black lion from her father and a unicorn from her husband, in all the excitement of the wedding, the Princess decided to show the two families the pearls. She told the families all about the power, not knowing what would happen. The idea of power overcame William and Thomas, they both grabbed the pearls. Their true desire for power was so upsetting that the Moon Princess took the moon pearls and curse the valley, she said that on the 5000 moon the valley and everyone in it would perish for what William and Thomas did. Then she was never seen again.

There were other Moon Princess after her, but they all failed, some of them even died trying. Father thinks that after the 5000 moon comes that he can take over the valley, but everyone else can see that it is falling apart. "ROBIN you stupid boy are you listening?" he shouted at me, waking me from my little daydream. "A Meriwether has died!" he repeated. "Yes father, you already told me" I said, a little agitated that I was called up here for such a stupid reason. "But what has that got to do with me?" I asked. "Let me finish!" he screamed. "The stupid fellow was a gambler and lost everything, leaving his daughter with nothing. She is the new Moon Princess and is coming to live with her uncle, Sir Benjamin." he said with a nasty look on his face. "I am giving you a mission, go to London and kill the girl." He said. "Now go, I have a headache"

As I left I was jumping with excitement, missions were only for older men! Not even Amos had gotten one yet! I couldn't wait to tell him. I was so happy until I realized the objective of the mission, father just wanted me to do his bidding; but it was still a mission and I was bursting to tell someone. I was so busying thinking I bumped into Amos. "Amos there you are!" I said with excitement. "You will never guess what father gave me! A mission! Isn't that so amazing!"I said, almost yelling. "Wow I haven't even gotten one yet!" he said with a surprised look on his face. "Yes and I even get to pick who comes with me! Come on lets go get the boys" I said. "Wait I get to come?" he asked. "Of course! You are my friend and I trust you" I answered. As I started to walk to the tavern I told him the objective of my mission. He smiled as we went to go get the gang. "This is going to be fun" he smirked.