Sometimes, Aster wondered if growing up in the Lethea Labyrinth had warped his common sense. In particular, his sense of danger. As a child, his brothers and sisters had teased him for their amusement at times.

  His eldest sister Serenadelys delighted in terrifying him as she hid behind every dark shadow as a tall, looming figure that would suddenly reach out and grab him as if he were some little morsel to be eaten.

  His older brother Nacht would always know when to appear, as if his eyes were everywhere, like some kind of unnerving all-seeing gaze that would be staring at you at all times. Right when you least expected, he would be there.

  Not to mention his other siblings, like his big sister Lhakti, who all enjoyed helping him in one way or another. Even if their definition of helping was a bit different than others. Lhakti, who had helped him get his footing around things like personal combat as a child, had seemed to enjoy messing with him as much as she liked helping him. He guessed that his sister thought it was hilarious that she got to beat him up so much. She had helped him become stronger, but being beaten to an inch of his life wasn’t something he’d like to experience that often.

  Nor were his brothers and sisters' various dispositions and inclinations any less worrisome. Lhakti always laughed at how other people reacted when she chopped off parts of them and ate them in front of them, like their fingers. He had that happen to him several times when Lhakti helped him train as he grew. Bodily harm wasn’t something she was too concerned about during their training sessions.

  But it wasn’t as if his brothers and sisters didn’t have their good sides. For all that they seemed like they didn’t…

  After all, his big sister Lhakti always treated him to ice cream afterwards, after helping him regrow his fingers, after those training sessions.

  All in all, he guessed he had grown up rather accustomed to things. Though his travels around the world had shown him that perhaps his childhood growing up was rather… unique.

  And well…

  As he saw Selenia hyperventilate, he wondered if that was how he had been as a child. His eldest sister Serenadelys had caused him no shortage of fear of the darkness. His older brother Nacht caused him no shortage of anxiety. He always wondered if he would be there, looming over him if he so much as glanced over his shoulder. And he always ran away whenever his other siblings came to him, like Lhakti, insisting that they help train him.

  Aster supposed he just sometimes forgot how scary his brothers and sisters were. But weren’t brothers and sisters meant to be scary sometimes? Wasn’t that how family was?

  Aster saw Selenia's eyes nearly pop out as she tried to steady herself with calm breaths. How her hands seemed to grip the blankets that lay over her legs with a death-like grip.

  And well, it wasn’t as if you had a choice as to who your family was…

  Aster saw Selenia look at him, and he gave her an embarrassed smile in return.

  Aster coughed. “Hey Nacht, big bro, how about you not try and glare her to death,” Aster said.

  Aster saw hostility in Nacht’s eyes. Something akin to disdain. He could see Selenia saw it too.

  Nacht glanced over to Aster. “Ah yes, my little brother Aster. What did you say to him again?” Nacht said. “Something about being a princess from a certain land?"

  “I… I…” Selenia said as she continued to hyperventilate.

  A splash of water hit Selenia, drenching her. She blinked in stunned shock as she saw Nacht with an empty cup in his hand. As Nacht refilled the cup and attempted to splash her again, Aster jumped in front of her, taking the hit for her.

  Aster glanced behind himself at Selenia with a wry smile.

  Selenia felt the cool water drip from her face, and her terror somewhat lessened. But guilt replaced it as she refused to meet Aster’s eyes.

  Aster had saved her. He had shielded her against the monster that had nearly killed her in the forest. He was standing in front of her again and protecting her. Her terror faded somewhat as the cool water dripped from her face.

  Aster quickly grabbed a small towel and handed it to her.

  As Selenia dried herself off, she could see that Aster’s big brother Nacht looked human enough. He was dressed in a black and dark red uniform styled with various utilitarian markings and insignia that reminded her of the military back home. She noticed his collar had several star-shaped chevrons. His dark hair flowed down and around his shoulders. She could almost forget that he wasn’t human. Almost…

  Selenia wondered why Nacht wore glasses, considering that his eyes looked like they were just empty sockets with burning crimson light in them.

  “Yes. That’s right. I am… a princess from the Melon Kingdom from the Melon Continent…” Selenia said, forcing down her embarrassment.

  “Let’s say I believe you for a single second,” Nacht said. “What else were you going to say?”

  “I… uhh…” Selenia choked out.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Please, explain everything,” Nacht said as he gestured at her. “Keep in mind that we haven’t decided what to do with you yet. If anything, your survival depends on it.”

  Selenia felt a chill wash over her as she glanced at Aster. He looked at her seriously. She could feel the urge to hyperventilate again. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster and—

  Nacht sighed and rolled his eyes. “Girl from Selenar,” Nacht interjected.

  Selenia stilled at the word Selenar.

  “The only reason why you’re here in this place,” Nacht continued as he gestured around the cosy room, “is because Aster pleaded for your sake that we treat you as a guest instead of some unknown foreign agent from Selenar.”

  Nacht glared at her. “You should thank him. So the least you could do is properly explain yourself,” he said.

  Selenia shrank within herself and the blankets. She looked at the two before her. Then steeled herself. “I-I’m… I’m a princess of the Selenar family. Selenia Res Selenar. I’m from the Selenar Union. From the moons.”

  “And why were you in the Lethea Forest?” Nacht said.

  “I had to escape from Selenar. I was being pursued…” Selenia tightened her fists as she looked down. “They were after my life.”

  “And why were they after your life?” Aster asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Selenia looked up. “Please believe me,” she said as she looked between Aster and Nacht. “All I was told by Lute, my protector, was that the Raban family wanted me. We escaped from Granada, the capital city, just some days ago and managed to reach Gaia’s orbit when the vessel we escaped in was shot down.”

  Nacht stared at her wordlessly. “And who was it that you were meant to meet here on Gaia?” he said.

  “I don’t know,” Selenia said quietly.

  “Don’t lie to me girl,” Nacht replied.

  “I really don’t know!” Selenia said.

  “If your protector Lute made for Gaia, then I’m sure he had some plan, some person or people who he was to meet with. Do you know who they were?” Nacht said firmly.

  “I don’t,” Selenia breathed tiredly. “All this time, no one ever told me anything. Not about why people were after my life. What we were going to do after we reached Gaia. Or anything else.” Selenia looked downward. “It’s always been like that ever since I was a child.”

  Nacht held his gaze on her for several moments. Even looking away, Selenia felt a pressure from his gaze, which made her flinch. Selenia felt as if the seconds that passed were minutes.

  Then Nacht sighed. “In case you were curious, we already checked your crashed vessel. There were no survivors. The impact did not leave much in the wreckage.”

  “T-That’s… no way…” Selenia said as she shut her eyes tight.

  Aster watched quietly as a silence descended on the room.

  Nacht scowled as he looked at both Aster and Selenia. They were always busy enough as it was. It didn’t help that his sister Serenadelys had decided that she would throw this annoying mess his way and leave the matter of sorting out the details to him. She liked to do that from time to time when she didn’t feel like getting involved in troublesome things.

  Nacht stole a glance at Aster. The boy had grown well enough, and he was more intelligent than he let on, despite how he sometimes seemed. Though their family had done their part to keep things from him and the other younger ones of the Lethea Labyrinth as well, it wasn’t as if things could be kept from him or the other younger ones forever. And Aster and the others had probably been able to piece things together well enough over the years, even if they couldn’t put together the whole picture.

  Perhaps…

  Nacht’s gaze bore on the girl in front of him. She was an unknown variable.

  Nacht turned his attention to Aster. He was another unknown variable, if one less so now.

  The world kept turning whether one liked it or not.

  “Aster, listen to me closely. And you as well girl,” Nacht said.

  “We are Despar,” Nacht began. “The people of the Lethea continent. A long time ago, we and others of this world, united in common cause, brought civilization to great heights and left the boundaries of this planet, Mother Gaia. We colonized space, the orbit, the moons, and even further away in this star system. But Selenar, the nation that had formed from the moon colonies, had joined together with others and sought to break away from Mother Gaia. And a great and terrible war had been waged between those of Despar and those of Selenar. Even now, a thousand years later, the scars of that war still exist on Gaia. Even now, we of Despar and those of Selenar are still in a state of war despite a ceasefire.”

  Nacht saw Aster and Selenia listening closely.

  “Even time itself had been broken and shattered because of that war,” Nacht ended.

  Nacht felt a tiredness wash over him. He sighed. “This girl from Selenar, who claims to be a princess”—Nacht glanced towards Aster—“is an enemy to us. An enemy of Despar.”

  Nacht rose from where he sat and approached her. “So girl, what do you have to say for yourself? Although our little brother saved you, that doesn’t mean that the rest of us have decided to accept you.”

  Nacht loomed over her. “If necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of you myself,” Nacht said.

  Selenia shrank under Nacht’s withering gaze. “...I would like not to die… Please?” Selenia said sheepishly.

  Nacht stared at her for several moments, then chuckled without humor in it. “Well, threatening to kill you is what I would have liked to say. But fortunately for you, our mother and father have already decided to approve of your presence here,” Nacht said.

  Aster breathed a sigh of relief. They could see some tension leave Selenia’s body.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t trust you,” Nacht began. “Nor do a lot of us. But Aster here saved you and is willing to vouch for you despite knowing little to nothing about you, especially given your circumstances. You could be a threat even if you don’t realize it yourself.” Nacht scowled at her. “For the time being, your official status here is as our guest. But make no mistake, you’ll be closely monitored. Prove that you deserve the trust being given to you girl.”

  Nacht then turned to Aster. “As for you Aster, she’ll be your responsibility from here on,” Nacht continued.

  Aster blinked as he pointed at himself. “Me?” Aster asked.

  “You’re the one who saved her after all. So it is only proper that you take responsibility for it,” said Nacht as he sighed, then turned to Selenia. “I trust you’ll repay his kindness and generosity.”

  Selenia nodded wordlessly under Nacht’s scrutinizing gaze.

  Both Aster and Selenia sat in quiet silence as Nacht left without a further word.

  “Do you mind if you give me a warning when one of your scary siblings decides to show up?” Selenia said finally.

  “I’ll try,” Aster replied. “But no guarantees.”