Morg: Heyo! A nice blank document means a new story!

Ikuto: But why!?

Amu: Didn't you just start a different new one?

Morg: I can have as many stories as I want.

Ikuto: True, I guess.

Amu: Well, we don't own you.

Morg: And I don't own you. So no complaints about my writing!

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: Don't count on it.

~Queen's Decree~

The sun had not yet risen high into the sky. From where she was standing on the wall, the morning rays lit up the garden below. Amu loved the sight. If faeries and magic were real then surely that was where they'd be. The stones laid for a path through the garden below her glowed in the morning light, causing them to look as if they were a magical pathway leading to a magical kingdom.

Her father didn't allow for Amu to stay within her daydreams for long. He never did and she didn't blame him for that. King Hinamori was a busy man. Amu knew that he was only doing what he thought best for his eldest child and the princess of the kingdom. Amu had things to learn and stuff to do. She couldn't stand at the wall and watch the sun play with the air.

"Come, Amu. We must see to the guard."

With one last glance, Amu turned. Her skirts swished around her legs as she bowed slightly to her father before dropping into step behind him. Even for a day of doing small duties around the castle, Amu had to be perfectly dressed, as a princess should be.

Striding purposefully, King Hinamori didn't glance back at his young daughter. He knew that she was following him as she should be. "We have new trainees to oversee today, Amu. Someday, one of them might become your knight."

The thought didn't do much to make Amu excited. There were knights all around the castle. Her father and mother had plenty of them. Some of them were stern and always gave her angry looks as if she was doing something she shouldn't be. Others were nice and slipped her bits of candy or food when no one else was looking. Amu liked those knights better.

Still, if her father was considering a knight for her then Amu knew that she should pay attention to the trainees. He would assign a knight to her in a few years' time when Amu took on more and more responsibilities. They would be the right age for becoming her knight and would have the right amount of training.

The training yard was full of men of all ages going about their morning. They went through drills and sparred with one another. An older man taught some of the younger ones how to hold different types of weapons. Another put a younger group through paces. There was one, however, that caught the king's eye. He was younger than the others by several years. He was also holding his own against a man probably twice his age.

Moving forward a step, the king raised his hand to bring everyone to a halt. The men in the square below instantly dropped to one knee in respect to the king. "You there, boy. What is your name and how old are you?"

Knowing that he was being called, Ikuto dropped his head further before responding. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Sixteen summers have passed since I was birthed."

Frowning at that, King Hinamori looked over toward the head guard. "What is the meaning of this? Boys this young should not join the guard."

Shrugging at the king, because he knew he wouldn't get into trouble for it, the head guard scratched at his neck before gesturing towards the boy. "I told him no and he asked for a chance to prove his skill. He was training with a lord before he was sent away. He has nowhere to go and nothing to his name. When he proved his skill, I allowed him to come and show it to you."

"The men before me are all candidates to become my daughter's first knight. Why should one so young have such a chance at that honor?"

The yard was silent. There were none below that had an answer.

Amu did. She was paying attention and felt a bit sorry for the boy down in the yard. He was forced to leave his home for a reason unknown to her. And he was working hard to find a new one. Stepping forward, she placed her hand on her father's arm. "Father, a word?"

Turning, the king looked down at his daughter in acceptance to her request.

Amu had been raised through her eleven years of life to be a diplomat. She was better spoken than any other child her age. She knew it to be so because her mother still attempted to get her to be around other children. Amu didn't like them as much. They liked to play dirty tricks and lie, while she was raised to do the right thing by her father. "He has no chance anywhere else, father. Why not give him one here? He is not to be decreed a knight today. Let him try the training. If you are right and he is too young, then he will fail. If he does not, then we will be lucky to have someone with his skill already in our service."

Raising his eyebrow at his well-spoken daughter, King Hinamori couldn't help but be proud of her. "You would give him a chance?"

Nodding, Amu bowed her head to show her deference to her father. "If you wish it so."

Turning back to the yard, the king motioned for the boy in question to stand. "You, Tsukiyomi, do you know the position for which you are working toward?"

Standing with his head lowered and his hands held out in a show of respect, Ikuto forced himself to remain calm within the presence of the king and princess. "Yes, sir. We are here to begin training for the task of becoming a knight for the princess. We are to learn to protect her from all harm and guide her in her journeys through the kingdom and whenever she must travel beyond our borders."

The response was well-spoken. It made King Hinamori hum in thought. If Amu could give such a reason for Ikuto to stay, and then Ikuto could follow it up with an understanding of what it would be for him to stay, then the king didn't see a reason to make him leave. "It was said that you trained with a lord. Which one?"

Ducking his head in shame, Ikuto dropped back to his knees. "I am forbidden to speak of him, my king. He decreed when he cast me out that no mention of a connection between myself and his family should be allowed. On my honor, I cannot give you his name."

This was grave news. "And why were you cast out?"

With his chin almost touching his chest, Ikuto forced the words out. "The lady of the house thought me to be bad luck for the family and wished to keep me apart from her son. The Lord listened and did as his lady asked."

Amu was shocked. To think of someone as bad luck was outrageous. That kind of magic did not exist in their kingdom. No one was believed to be that superstitious any longer. To cast someone so young away for such a reason was a show of madness. "Father."

Holding up his hand to shush his daughter, the king showed his disappointment openly. "For whatever their reasons, they could turn you away. However, I will not do so. From this day on, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, I command that you train hard to become a knight of this kingdom. I pray that you would give your life to protect my daughter."

Ikuto spread his arms out in a formal bow to show the king that he would do as he was commanded. It was beyond his hope that he would be accepted at such a young age into the training for becoming a knight, but he would not allow himself to become distracted so that he would someday have the honor of protecting the princess.

Looking down at the young boy, Amu couldn't help but pray to their gods that Ikuto would succeed. He must have had a hard life already and she hoped that it would become easier for him. She would also be coming to watch some of the training to get to know some of the candidates better. It wouldn't do to have a knight that one did not know and trust completely.

Following her father's orders, Amu watched silently until he motioned that they should leave. She would be back. Once a week she and her father would make the same journey to stand at the top of the wall and watch as everyone worked hard.

XXX

The party that had been held to celebrate her thirteenth birthday was still going on when Amu retired to her rooms. The other people present could continue to have their fun. She knew that they weren't really there for her anyway. It was an excuse to come to the castle and enjoy free food and drink at the expense of her parents.

Even at such a young age, Amu knew everything about the court and how it worked. Her mother hadn't wanted that for her, but her father was insistent that she be trained right from a young age. He would not force her to marry if she did not wish it, which meant that one day she could be the sole ruler of their country. She had to be ready.

Sighing, Amu worked without the help of any maids to take off the gown she'd worn for the event. There were plenty of ladies that had shown up in the very expensive gowns, but none of them had outshone Amu's. Her mother had said that was the way that it was supposed to be since it was her birthday. Amu didn't care much for that sort of thing, but she trusted her mother. She was the queen after all.

Tired and ready to sleep, Amu moved to climb into her bed. It was then that she noticed that she wasn't alone within her room. There was someone in the shadows. Due to the fact that she'd ordered all of her servants to leave her, Amu knew that the person there shouldn't have been there. "Hello?"

The man stepped into her light. There was a wicked scar across his face and a small dagger in his hand. "I hope you're ready to sleep, your highness."

Swallowing, Amu stayed where she was on her bed. She knew that running would only make the man chase her. If provoked, he would only hurt her faster and she had to give herself time for someone to save her. "I have many duties that I must attend to tomorrow, so I would like to turn in early."

Despite the fact that the little princess before him was trying to keep her fear out of her voice, the assassin could hear it. "I'll make sure you don't have to worry about any duties ever again."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Amu reached for her own knife hidden within her bed. It wouldn't do her much good. It was clear that the man intent on killing her was much more skilled with a blade. The most that she would be able to do would be to stall him. "My duties aren't that troubling that I would wish to never have to deal with them again."

"They told me that for one so young you are very well spoken. I see they weren't wrong."

"And who are they?"

Smirking, the man moved closer to Amu's bed. "I won't tell. Not even though you're going to die before being able to tell anyone else."

Amu hadn't exposed her blade yet. She was trying to keep the element of surprise by keeping it hidden. She knew that if the man came much closer then she would have to act.

Before anything else could be said or done, the window shattered as someone broke through it. The glass sprayed around the floor, but that didn't stop the second figure as he rolled up onto his hands and feet. His sword was already drawn and he was ready to fight.

Amu knew the second man. He was one that she'd been watching for two years as he trained. "Ikuto!"

"My lady, are you hurt?"

Shaking her head, Amu kept a firm hold on her knife. She still wasn't going to pull it out, but she was much more confident that she was going to survive this encounter. "He has not touched me."

Scowling, Ikuto took in the assassin before him. "Nor will he."

Watching in a mixture of awe and horror, Amu could do nothing as Ikuto launched himself toward the assassin. They fought for several minutes with hand to hand combat while both striking the other with their blades.

Bleeding and out of breath, Ikuto forced his knife into the throat of the man that had come to kill his princess. He would not allow anyone to take her life. Not now, not ever. When he was sure that the man was dead, he turned to Amu. "Your Highness, are you all right?"

Frightened yet relieved, Amu moved out of her bed with her dagger still in hand. She tried to smile but failed as she moved to the door and threw it open. "Guards! Guards! Alert the king!"

So much happened quickly. People were all over the place, but Amu ignored most of them as she went back to Ikuto and made him sit in her chair near the fire. He was still bleeding, but she didn't know how to help him. "Thank you."

The whispered words made Ikuto smile a bit. One that quickly left his face as the king and queen hurried into their daughter's room. Dropping quickly to one knee, Ikuto saluted his king. "Your majesty."

Looking around, the king took in the sight of the dead assassin, the broken window, the bloody but living Ikuto and his frightened daughter. "You saved her life?"

Ikuto didn't have the chance to answer.

"He did."

Turning to his daughter, the king moved to kneel before her. "Are you hurt?"

"No, he didn't have the chance to approach me. Ikuto intervened before he could. But he did admit to me that he was sent by someone to kill me."

The queen gasped before rushing to hug her daughter. "She must have protection at all times. I will not allow for our daughter to be left so open to these attacks again."

"My darling, we must not over-"

"No! She was almost killed! I will not allow it. You, boy! You are training to be a knight, yes?"

Nodding, Ikuto didn't lift his head to look at the queen. He knew that she was worried more than anything and prone to saying something rash. "Yes, my lady."

The king cut in before his wife could say anything else. "How did you know that Amu was in trouble?"

The room went silent at that. Ikuto sucked in a deep breath before ducking his head further. "On nights when there are strangers within the castle, I always sit on the wall outside the princess' chambers to make certain that she is safe."

"You were protecting her?"

Ikuto nodded in response to the queen's words.

With a sigh, the king motioned for the people within the room to quickly finish with what they were doing and leave. "You have done a great service tonight, Tsukiyomi. You will continue with your training and do great things. Is that understood?"

Bowing again, Ikuto didn't respond verbally. He knew that that wasn't what the king wanted. That and he was hurting from his injuries.

Taking his daughter under his arm and his wife's hand in his free one, the king looked down at the bleeding boy kneeling before them. "Go and see the doctor. Then rest tonight. Amu will stay with us. Her sister as well. They will not be in danger."

Ikuto was thankful for that. None of the others in training or those already in the guard thought to watch of the princess when there were strangers around. Some of them teased Ikuto for doing it, but he was certain that he could be of service to her. And tonight he was. Proud of himself and his skills, Ikuto bowed once more before leaving to have his wounds looked after.

Amu watched the male that was barely five years older than her leave. He would be her knight someday. She was sure of it.

.

Morg: Yeah! First chapter!

Ikuto: Whoo…

Amu: Don't bother trying to be excited. It isn't that exciting.

Morg: Yes it is!

Ikuto: Meh.

Amu: Just don't even write anything else.

Morg: Too bad! This story was a request and I'm finally writing it! Of course, I'm going to go all the way to the end!