• Once Long ago, in a land that was not far away but long forgotten, a place that existed before humans were known and before beast were cursed to roam on all fours. Long ago, in a place of magic and wonders, there were two warring kingdoms. The first was a beautiful place of peace and prosperity. It was The Kingdom of the Moon, and it's rulers were the Jade Rabbit Family, and all creatures that lived under their rule were gentle and loving. The heir to this small portion of paradise was a young prince, who despite a rebellious nature, was thought to make a great leader of his people when the time would come.

    The second kingdom wasn't so peaceful. The Kingdom of the Embers was a warrior's kingdom. Their leadership was not determined by birth or merit, their leader was chosen through a trail of blood. The Embers throne was drenced with the blood of it's kings. The newest in the blood thirsty line was a young fox with cunning eyes, a brillant mind, and a smirk that spoke of pure malevolence. Even in this darkest of places he was feared, and it was very clear that nothing short of a natural death would remove him from power. Under him the Kingdom of the Embers was aflame with the hedonistic joys that only violence and death could bring.

    Now, while these two kingdoms were drastically different, they were not far away from each other. In fact, they were as close to one another as two sides of a coin. So it may come to no surprise to you reading that the people of both these lands often interacted with each other. What would surprise you would be that the Kingdom of Embers, despite it's people and it's king, maintained a gruding level of peace with the Kingdome of the Moon. Besides the occasional tale of a Moon peasant wandering too far into the forest that separated the two rival lands, and as a result going forever missing, the peace was fairly solid. This peace was what led to the tragic events that would follow.

    On a day like any other the little prince of the Moon Kingdom had, in one of his more troublesome moods, had evaded his guards and teachers and ran away into the forest. This was intended to show that he was a brave warrior, despite his rather innocent and youthful looks. The prince, not thinking that there was any real danger in the forests, fought against imaginary villians and monsters. This led him further and further into the darkness of the woods. Eventually he had wandered too far into the woods, unintentally crossing the border between his land and the Land of Embers. The prince didn't notice his horrendeous error until it was far too late, and he found himself irreversibly lost. He instantly began to panic as horror stories of what happened to his people that stepped foot into the land of embers, there had never been a survivor. No one who'd come this far had managed the return trip, at least...not whole...

    "Heh...Lookie here, a baby rabbit, and we thought all we'd catch was a cold out here."

    The prince nearly jumped out of his skin at the words. Collecting himself as best he could, he turned and glared. Three dogs, all a good deal bigger than him, circled him. Each smirking and grinning as they circled closer. The single flame that was stiched to the shoulder of their clothes, marked them as 'knights' of the Ember country. Straightening to his full height the prince looked down on them as best he could.

    "I am the heir of the Moon Kingdom's crown, the future king of your neighbor. As warriors of your kingdom your are honor bound to assist me, any action other than that seen as beneficial to my aide will be seen as an act of war by my family."

    The biggest of the dogs stopped his circling and laughed at this, while the other two snickered to themselves.

    "Did you hear that? We're 'Honor bound' to assist the baby rabbit."

    "Little boy must've forgotten this ain't his precious little clover field."

    "This the woods boy, honor ain't a characteristic we brag about out here."

    The big dog moved closer still to the little rabbit and snapped his teeth so close to the prince's ear, that they had left a shallow cut in his flesh.

    "War isn't something we fear."

    The prince closed his eyes in terror, hoping against hope that they'd simply kill him quickly. He knew the stories, there were worst things then death in these woods. He felt hot breath on his face and braced himself for the pain, instead he was surprised when there was a yelp to his left and the air infront of him was suddenly empty of the foul presence. Opening his eyes he saw the leader of the dogs laying on his stomach in the dirt. The other two had turned tail and ran as fast as their legs could take them. The dog on the ground was shaking uncontrollably and, unless he had completely lost his mind, it appeared that he'd relieved himself out of fear. Finally, and with great difficulty, the prince forced himself to look up at this new threat. There standing proudly in the waning light of the sun was a lone fox. He was dressed smartly in clothes that spoke volumes about his rank in this god forsaken place, and while his hair was a bit wild, his tail and ears were emaculatedly groomed. He was fairly young, maybe not but a few weeks or months older than himself, and much to the prince's confusion he wasn't very tall. Maybe a half foot taller than him, which beside anyone of the scrambled and scared dogs wasn't much of anything. In fact, there wasn't anything about the fox that looked like it could inspire this level of pure fright. Even his sword, while well made, was flared with a rose pulling away from, if any, threat it may inspire. In spite of this the dog still cowered on the ground, whimpering like a kicked pup. The fox moved closer to the two, stopping at the dogs prone form.

    "Commander, I believe we were hunting for vipers and frogs. I didn't give you or your men orders to improvise with tonights dinner."

    The fox spoke with a calm and collected voice, but the threat was clear. The prince did not envy the dogs fate. Apparently, neither did the dog. He swallowed hard, and put on a nervous smile before backing away.

    "I...I'm so..so sorry Pr..KING, King Alexander, I...I...I came upon this intruder, and was...was interrogating him. He...He's from the Moon. He threatened war your highness!"

    "War? Is this true little one? You bring a message of war to my people?"

    The fox didn't sound very convinced of this, but he still turned his gaze to the rabbit, an eyebrow raised in curiousity. Eyes sparkling with interest and not danger. At this the moon lander crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. First glaring at the dog on the ground then at the curious fox king.

    "No. I was simply asking for the help of YOUR men. They presented a threat so I reminded them of their place when it comes to the royal family of their neighbor."

    Alexander blinked at this before letting out a dry chuckle and shaking his head lightly. He turned his attention back to the dog on the ground, still smiling slightly at the rabbit's brashness.

    "You are very lucky our guest is amusing. Otherwise my mood would be much less in your favor captain."

    "Yes, sir, thank you sir!"

    "However as a true sign of your gratefulness tonight, along with the regular 'delicatessens' I would like you to bring me those other two soliders who were with you. A coward who would run from his own lord isn't good for much more than food and slave labor. I'm in such a good mood I'll even allow you to choose which one will be served as tonight's main course, and which will be tortured until my birthday celebration."

    The dog's eyes widened, before he broke into a cold sweat and a stutter.

    "Bu...but...Th...They're....Um...My lord, the other two were...were your...your half brother and...and your war advisor. It...It would be..."

    The fox turned and glared at his captain. The calm of his face never broken, but his eyes promising nothing less than hell. The dog scrambled to his feet, never once taking his eyes off of his king. He bowed once and backed away in the direction the others had gone. The rabbit noticed that he didn't once turn his back until he was sure he was a safe enough distance away to do so. The rabbit, a bit more frightened now, turned his attention to the fox, who was smirking at him in a manner that would otherwise be considered friendly.

    "Well little bunny, you know who I am, but you have yet to inform me of your own identity."

    The Moon Prince straightened his posture once more, and threw back his golden head in challenge.

    "I am Prince Lentil Lagomorpha Creme D'Argent of the royal familia Leporidae."

    The fox took in the overly pompous and obviously false self-assurance with a good bit of humor. He bowed low to the little rabbit and reply to his pride in his heritage with a tone that was dripping with condescension.

    "Well well, that is quite a pedigree. Maybe I should fully introduce myself. I am King Alexander Vulpes Corsac of the family Canidae. It is a pleasure to meet you, and if I may offer you a small bit of advice?"

    Lentil was a bit weary, but nodded in acceptance of the offered advice. No sooner had his head dipped then he found himself pinned hard against a tree, the point of that 'not so scary' blade at his throat. The fox was still smiling, almost as if he hadn't moved an inch to trap the rabbit.

    "You have no authority here. In fact by the articles that YOUR father signed I have ever right to kill you, as do my men. It would do you well to remember your own perilious position when in MY territory. You maybe a prince, but even my mongrels have more power here than you do."

    Alexander leaned in closer and licked at the neck of the younger creature. Lentil's eyes went wide. It finally hit him why the dogs had been so scared. This. Guy. Was. NUTS. The fanged smile was enough to confirm this, or at least it was until he was smacked over the head with the blunt end of a sword. For a moment everything was spinning around him until at last his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted onto the ground. The last thing he heard before he was totally lost to the world was the King's still mocking voice.

    "Good knight sweet prince, and don't worry I'll take good care of you."
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    The prince woke hours later to the loud and obnixous chirping of his attendants. He groaned into his pillow, trying to bury his aching head further into its softness.

    "Go away! 'sh too early for this madness."

    There was a loud ruffling of feathers and squawking as the servants continued to fret and argue about leaving him to rest.

    "Now, now, that's no way to treat such...tasty little chickies is it?"

    That voice was enough to snap Lentil out of any sleep he thought he'd been able to grasp onto. He sat up and stared wide eyed at the King of the Embers, who was sitting nonchalantly on his window sill. The servants, to now completely flustered and always useless robins, were both giggling nervously. Lentil crossed his arms in annoyance when he noticed his birds weren't just nervous because of fear.

    "What exactly are you doing in MY room. You're taking some liberties, especially after you viciously attacked me!"

    The fox gave another of his infuriating chuckles and just shrugged.

    "I really am sorry about that, but it seemed to be the only way to quietly get you back to your own lands. If what these nice ladies have been telling me is true, you can be quite stubborn at times. That would not have helped the situation at all."

    "No, not at all!"

    Lentil cringed at the squawking unison of the robins. Honestly, birds could be so flightly when presented with a pretty face. Not that the fox had a pretty face. Nope, no sir. There's was no way Len would think of the Ember ruler as anything but evil, pure and simple. Growling, well a growl as far as rabbits are concerned, he glared at the two women in the room until they finally got the hint and bowed to the two gentlemen before falling all over themselves to leave the room. Finally rid of one nuisance, Lentil decided to work on riding his room, his castle, and his kingdom of another. Pulling back the covers he moved to get to his feet, planning on commanding the fox to leave. His plans were ruined however when, as soon as getting to his feet, he legs gave out on him and he started his descent to the floor. He winced waiting for impact, but was surprised when he landed on something soft. Soft and...furry? He opened his eyes to meet the green ones of the fox.

    "You should be careful little one. I...must apologize. I underestimated my own strength and struck you harder than I had intended. You may still be a bit...off center."

    "Uh..huh..."

    The prince was mesmerized by the king's almost glowing eyes. It was so strange. Even though they'd been this close in the forest, it hadn't felt anything like this. He could feel each breath that the man under him took in, and if he listened hard enough he could almost hear his heart beat. There were strong arms holding him close, making no move to let go. This was an amazingly intimate position, and if his brain wasn't so rattled by the closeness of what was supposed to be a ferocious predator, he'd have broken lose by now. Instead the only thought running through his mind was...

    'I was wrong. He's damn pretty.'

    He was brought out of his reverie by the sudden sigh from the man underneath him. The fox had closed his eyes and leaned back to lay fully on the floor.

    "I'm usually not one to complain when a cute bit of prey decides to straddle me, however, this may look a bit...what's that word your people love to throw around? Ah yes! This may look a bit inappropriate if we were suddenly interrupted."

    Suddenly coming back to his senses Lentil blushed bodily before bolting upright. He cleared his throat and turned away from the fox, still laying on his floor as relaxed as anything. Summoning up all of his righteous indignation he pointed towards the door, and tried not to sound as flustered as he looked.

    "As...As the future ruler of this land, I order you to...to leave."

    The fox just remained on the floor, putting his arms under his head as a pillow he closed his eyes. He smiled knowingly and swished his long tail infront of the rabbits face.

    "Ah, as much as it pains me to tell you this highness, even in this little meadow of yours I outrank you. You can't really order me. After all, your kingdom has how many princes in the Leporidae family? You're replacable. While, as of last night thanks to you, I am not. Only had the one brother, and well...he's being force feed for my birthday. Besides, I'm a guest here until the end of summer. I did 'save' the prince after all."

    He sat up and leaned his chin into his hands as he faced the bunny again.
    "Do you think it's still considered foie gras if it's a foxdog liver? Or does it become fox gras?"
    At the totally blank and wided eyed silence he got from the herbivore he just shrugged and stood up.
    "It doesn't matter much to me really. Meat's meat after all, just an interesting thing to know."
    The fox waved once before heading to the room and exiting. Lentil relaxed a little when he thought he'd left, only to jump a foot into the air when the door was opened once more.
    "I can't WAIT to see what we'll be having for dinner."
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    And that was the way things went. For two months the fox would come into his room, put him in situations that would leave him panting and flustered, then leave with some snide comment or another. It was slowly begining to wear on the young prince. Finally after another ackward dinner it just become too much. He finally decided that it was time for him to get the upper hand. He took in a deep breath and got out of his bed, dressing quickly he poked his head out of his door. Checking around quickly to make sure there were no guards around, he snuck out of the room and walked quickly down the hall. He'd not known where they'd put the 'honored guest' but he'd heard rumors that late at night the fox would step outside of the castle and haunt through the gardens. There were whispers that he wasn't just taking an evening stroll, but was actually hunting the residence. Of course this didn't keep the court woman from swooning over him.

    'It's disgusting how easily women can be swayed.'

    He shook his head at the silliness he'd been witness to over the past couple of months. Letting it go, he slipped out of the castle and into the gardens.

    The Moon Gardens were renowned far and wide for their beauty. The soil was quite rich in the Moon Kingdom, so it was not surprising that a wide variety of plants and flowers grew in the garden. There was a legend that said that anything planted in the Moon Garden would blossom and grow. There were sakura trees and willows everywhere. Wild yellow roses grew in abundance throughout the entire land. It was beautiful and even haunting in the glow of the full moon. It always took Lentil's breath away when he laid eyes on it. Forgetting why he'd come out in the garden in the first place he just continued to stare out over the glory of the Gardens at night.

    "For all that big bag of useless that your people are, they do know how to raise a beautiful green house."

    Lentil let out a scream and fell down on his butt right there. His eyes shifted around until they finally landed on the swishing fox tail above him. Following the tail, Lentil made out the shape of the King sitting in the willow above his head. Despite the fact that he'd spoken to the prince he made no move to look at him. His gaze was steadily set on the stars above them. Lentil relaxed a bit, and blushing, moved to be sitting against the trunk of the tree.

    "Hmph. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was a compliment."

    There was only silence to this comment. Prince Lentil didn't know how to feel about this though. He fidgeted slightly before settling again and following the fox's lead and staring up at the sky.

    "Your eyes are strange."

    Lentil tilted his head to the side at this comment and looked at the fox questioningly. Alexander didn't look down at him, but just spoke as matter of factly as he always did.

    "Your eyes. They're two different colors. Gold and Blue. It's unusual."

    "Oh. Um...It's a...a gift."

    That got the fox's attention. Using his tail he hung upside down so that he was eye to eye with the prince.

    "A gift?"

    Shivering at the whispered tone, the prince cleared his throat and nodded hurriedly.

    "Y..Yeah. A gift. The royal family...our royal family is protected by the jade rabbit. He watches after us and makes sure that we all find our way to the flowing fields of gold that are on the moon. Once in every tenth generation a heir is born who has the mark of the rabbits blessing. The gift to see the fields of gold before we're born. Of course it's forgotten afterwards, but we're marked to show what we've seen."

    After finishing his tale the two rulers sat in silence for a long long time. The silence was suddenly broken by a loud snort. The snorting became a giggle, and the giggle evolved into a full blown uncontrollable laugh. Lentil looked up at the fox startled, before he glared at him and bopped him squarely on the nose. This along with the laughing fit caused the fox's tail to let go of the branch it was keeping him up in. He feel hard onto the ground groaning in pain and clutching his ribs. He glared up at the rabbit who was trying and failing to keep his own giggling hidden. The flood gate was completely shattered when the 'big and terrible fox king' childishly stuck out his tounge at the younger prince. He was laughing hysterically at this point, and the fox was grinning at him.

    "You..ha..You..hahahaha...It's...It's...Oh forget it...hahahaha"

    "You know, when you're not being stuck up, you're very cute."

    Finally forcing himself to calm down Lentil, tussled the fox's already messy hair.

    "I'm sure. You can be surprisingly cuddly yourself King Alexander."

    For the first time in their short company, the prince saw the king frown. He opened his mouth to question what he'd did wrong, but was cut off by a pair of lips against his. Almost by instinct he responded. It was overly eager, and more teeth, tounge, and spit than a truly romantic kiss, but somehow, in its own way, it was just as sweet and tender as any cliche story book kiss. After what felt like forever, Alexander finally pulled back. At that point Lentil was gasping and light headed. Where as Alexander, except for a slight change in breathing, was no worse for the wear.

    "Alex."

    "Huh?"

    Alexander chuckled and gently grazed Lentil's cheek with his knuckles.

    "I want you to call me Alex, and would you care if I called you Len?"

    Still dazed and off in his own little world Lentil simply grunted to the affirmative. Smiling to himself Alexander continued to stroke the rabbit's cheek.

    "Len..."

    "Uh-huh."

    "You're drooling."

    "Uh-huh..."

    Alex blinked at that response before giving him another toothy smirk. He took his hand away from the other male's face and forced himself to his feet. Len whimpered slighly at the loss of contact and stared longingly up at the fox. Alex bent down once more and took the rabbit into his arms, hugging him to his chest.

    "Come along, I think it's time you were in bed."

    Lentil hadn't heard any of this, and simply sighed and lay his head against Alex's shoulder, already heading off into a deep slumber.

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    The summer passed, day in and day out the two youths courted each other. Sometimes with an almost violent heat and at other times they were almost shy in their touches and quickly diverted glances. It was a slowly built romance that ran deep for the both of them. When the summer began its slow death into winter, and the time came for Alex to leave, Lentil was beside himself with anguish over his lovers leaving. They met once more in the Moon Garden for a last goodbye. As on the night of their first kiss, the moon was full and the Jade rabbit seemed to bless them both as Lentil clung crying to Alex's neck, the fox's own arms wrapped securely around his rabbit. That night under the stars and the ever watching moon, they loved each other until the rising of the sun. Before he was torn from his hearts desire, Alex lifted Len's head so that they were looking at each other, and made a vow to him.

    "Len, my prince, I swear by my sword and my kingdom that I will return to you."

    Len's eyes watered at the sincerity in those words. He buried his head in the chest of his lover, hoping to somehow keep even his scent close to him.

    "No. Don't promise such important things on silly steel and mortar. You told me...You told me once that a promise...A promise made on steel and rock won't last. Empire's fall and Swords rust. They're not forever, not even a blink of an eye."

    "Then what would you have me put my promise on? What would you value as much as my word?"

    Pulling away for a moment, Lentil plucked a single yellow rose from the many growing near him. He pressed it into Alexander's hands, before softly kissing the petals of the flower.

    "Place your word on the roses. The roses of this garden will grow even under the winter snows, every year and every season. As long as they grow, as long as you keep at least one near to you, I will know that you will keep your word to me."

    Alex pulled the younger boy to him and pressed a kiss into his blond hair. He nuzzled into his hair and agreed.

    "Very well. As long as the roses shall grow, I will return. Each summer I will come to be by your side."

    With much regret, and heavy hearts, the two were separated. Left to wait for summer's fury heat to once more return. Alas, as much as I would like for that to have been the end of their tale, as much as I am moved to tell you that they met year after year in this way. To speak of the day that Lentil took the throne, and the two lovers were free to forever join their kingdoms but each other as well. That is the story I wanted to present to you, however, that would not be doing justice to the bravery of both children.

    The days passed slowly, and Lentil often passed each day in the garden, eyes unfocused and gazing longingly towards the forest. His father and mother were not blind to the heartache their son felt, but were vexed as to what they should do to stop it. The fall was bitter sweet for the Kingdome of the Moon. While there were many festivals and celebrations during this time, there was always a gloom that hung over them. The people of the Moon were solemn and saddened over their prince's condition. As winter came, bringing with it the thick blankets of snow that made the fields of the kingdom sparkle, Lentil still refused to leave the garden for any long stretch of time. It had reached the point that his father was finally forced to make a decision. Forcing Lentil out of the snow, he spoke to him alone in his chambers. The little rabbit prince didn't once take his eyes away from the carpet as his father spoke to him.

    "Lentil, I know it was difficult to let go of your...erm...friend, however it is not something to be mourned over. You would have eventually had to part paths with him."

    This got Lentil's attention. He looked up at his father curiously. The man was everything he was expected to grow into. Despite being a 'rodent' as Alex had called him once, Lentil's father radiated nobility and pride. It was something Len had always respected about the king of the moon. His father, still radiating that nobility and pride, laid his hands on his son's shoulders.

    "You are a proud member of the Leporidae family, you were blessed by our family spirit, and it would only be a matter of time before you'd have to part ways with him. He was raised in the violence and perpetual hedonism that is the Kingdome of Embers. That name was given to that land because nothing is left there, not even enough to burn. The Canidae will eventually die, and it's likely not that he will succumb to the natural state. Even if he did keep his promise to you, which would not fit the character of his people, he wouldn't be able to always be by your side. There are things that a king must do, and taking a mate and bearing sons is one of them."

    Lentil narrowed his eyes at this, and scoffed lightly at the not so subtle hint.

    "That is not the way his kingdom works father. Their leader is chosen by strength and intelligence, not by some silly hierarchy."

    "They're chosen by murder."

    At this the younger of the two stood up and slammed his hands down hard on the table between them.

    "NO! They are chosen through fire! Alexander told me himself, told me the truth about how the Kingdom of Embers got it's name. It's called Embers because each time the city is brought to almost absolute ruin, there are still ashes and from those ashes a small spark of life can turn once more into something great."

    His father was quickly growing frustrated with his son's behavior. He closed his eyes and let his authority ring out in his voice.

    "There is nothing 'great' about them. They are all killers and theives. If on the off chance this one was truly sincere with you, what then? Would you allow this kingdom, the place you were born in, the only place you've ever known, would you allow them to slowly die for your love. Would you allow all of your people to fade away without a king. Answer me this Lentil Lagomorpha Creme D'Argent would you give up your name for him?"

    There was a hard ache in Lentil's chest as he was asked the question. To give up his name would mean not only to give up his title as heir, but to leave the kingdom without a leader. With so many eligible in the family to take the thrown there was no doubt that civil war would break out for the coveted seat. He'd be basically dooming thousands to death. He stared at his father, mouth hanging open in amazment at the audacity of the question. There was no way to answer such a question. The king of the moon shook his head solemnly before he spoke again.

    "I know of your promise to the fox. As of tomorrow every rose in the garden will be razed and in their place we will grow something more appropriate. Lillies maybe, yes, I'll make sure your future mate will enjoy lillies. How does that sound?"

    Lentil didn't reply. He simply walked away from his father and back to his room. He lay down and stared blankly out of his window. Sleep did not come to him that night or when the sun rose. He was fully awake when as promised by his father, the wild roses of the garden were each and everyone gathered and set ablaze outside of his window.

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    As with the Kingdom of the Moon, the Kingdom of Embers also experienced the cold chill of winter. They were not as bountiful as the moon landers. The fall was bitter for the kingdom. The majority of its citizens were hunters, not farmers, so it was no surprise when tensions grew high and tempers started to hit their boiling points as the winter set in and there was less and less food for the kingdom's people. Alexander had come home for that very reason, and had made sure that the stores of food they'd gathered were tallied and monitored correctly. He was no fool and knew that a store keep would lie to his face given the chance. The problem was, even with all of his hard work to regulate and supervise the division of food there was always a way for those in higher positions to steal and greedily take from the hungry mouths of the people. It didn't help matters that he was obviously distracted during much of his duties. His mind would wander at the most inappropriate times, leading him back to the shades of a willow or an open glade where he'd pulled his rabbit into play. As hard as he worked to hide his minute distractions, they were becoming more and more frequent, and those around him were taking notice. One of his soliders had even guessed the cause of their kings distraction, and had only been waiting to use the information against him.

    Days passed in this way. The people's unrest continued to grow as less and less food could be found. Alexander was becoming tired of this and as was his nature he was becoming agitated with being practically entombed in his castle's walls. He wanted to run through the snow, to hunt the nomad deer that often walked the trails through his lands. He wanted to leave this den of whining whelps to their fate. He was sick of the almost blaton threats to his person, the line of 'innocent' girls that were marched infront of him almost daily, and more than that he was sick of the distance. The screaming pain in his heart and soul he had to so coldly ignore. Alex was slowly starting to lose his mind, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. Sadly, he would not have to worry himself for too long about when his breaking point would come.

    The day had been like any other. Alexander had sat on his throne, surrounded by women who at one time were his only joy, now only served as a means to stink up his throne room with perfume and pleasure his men. He had been contemplating yet another goblet of wine in one hand, while twirling the rose between his fingers. The petals had long since browned and began to slip away one after another, but he still could not find the heart to discard the thing. His last thoughts before the news was brought to him were,

    'Maybe I should press it. It would last longer that way.'

    The news came to him from the smiling face of his former commander, a dog that had held scorn for this man since the day that everything was set in motion. The words were a physical blow to the young fox, and even with his training and strength he was unable to hide the pain they caused him. The words that caused his heart to go numb and what little goodness he had to freeze over.

    The roses of the moon had been destroyed, with the arrival of spring Prince Lentil was expected to take a mate.
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    The woman was a twit. That was more or less the only thing that Lentil could think of his future 'mate'. She was pretty as far as that goes, but she was nothing short of an idiot. He sighed as she continued to yammer on and on about how she really hoped the garden would grow back quickly and asked him questions about how he'd like their wedding. Really if Lentil had been a bit less refined he would have simply shook the woman until her pretty head popped off of her pretty shoulders. The winter had truly set in by the time she'd arrived, which meant that he was pretty much confined inside...with her...He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm himself. All this did was bring him the scent of the forest, and with it the memory of his lover.

    "Oh wow! Would you look at that. It looks like the gardeners forgot one of those awful yellow things."

    'Awful...yellow things?'

    Lentil blinked and looked up to where she was pointing. Outside, just barley making it's way through the snow was a small bit of yellow. It could have just been a few petals that had escaped the fires, but...but what if it wasn't?

    "Well we can't have that now can we? Gonna have to tell the king about this. Fire the lazy oafs and make sure this time even the roots are pulled up. Awful ugly flowers. Never did like them."

    Lentil stared at her with open disgust before getting to his feet and jumping out of the window and into the snow. He could hear her calling for him through the wind, but ignored it, his sights set only on the little flower that was slowly dying in the snow. And it was a flower, even though its petals were tightly closed. It had probably only just started to sprout when the others had been burned. The ashes from the fire had allowed it to survive. Len laughed to himself, he laughed hard and long. Even as his eyes began to over flow with tears and the pain in his heart intensified twelve fold he couldn't help but continue to laugh. His father had tried to destroy them, to show that fire and ash only meant destruction, and in doing so he had kept even just this one little ember glowing and alive. Len held the flower close to himself and stared determinedly into the forest. He would not allow this little flower to die. He would take it to Alex, he would stand by his side this time, give up his name if he had to, but he would not let this flame go out.

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    Lentil traveled deeper and deeper into the forest. The winds and snow blew furiously around him the further he walked in, but he didn't let that stop him. He was determined to make it to Alex, determined to show him how much he really meant to him. As hard as he had tried, iron will along was not enough to help him make it through he storm. Exhausted and freezing his fingers lost their grip on the rose and it tumbled into the snow. Paniced and half delirious Lentil dropped to his knees, searching desprately through the snow for the little bud.

    'No, no no no no no! It can't be gone, I can't lose it! Not now! NOT NOW!'

    His heart dropped as the snow covered any trace that had been left of the flower. There was nothing he could do in that moment except put his face in his hands and cry. His anguish was cut short by a sudden noise in the bush. Lentil didn't raise his head to see what was there, whether it was friend or foe, it didn't matter. He'd lost the rose. He'd ended their promise. Alex...Alex would never...Something leapt high over his head, and on impulse he looked up. A wild deer ran out of the clearing as fast as its hoofs could carry it. He turned and watched the nomad curiously.

    "Hurry up! If you idiots let another one get away I swear it'll be your hides that feed the filthy peasants."

    Lentils ears perked up at that voice. He'd heard it before, only the last time he'd heard it it had been frightened and nervous. The voice and face came to his mind as the dog entered the clearing he was in. There were five of them this time, but the leader was the same as before. The cowardly commander. And by the glint in his eyes, he hadn't forgotten Lentil in the half year they had last met.

    "Ah ha! Well isn't this something. We meet again little one. It's almost like fate. We met once before under similar circumstances didn't we boy? Yeah. Yeah. Seems you like to be hunted don't it?"

    Lentil ignored the statement and simply glared at the dog. This didn't seem to faze the mongrel though and he chuckled darkly and whistled for his men. They circled the little rabbit on all sides, but remained a good bit away from him.

    "You know I should thank you. Oh you did cause the death of an ally or two, but thanks to you the people think Alexander is weak, that he's gone soft. It'll only be a matter of time before he's dragged off of that high seat of his. Who knows, maybe I'll take up the throne. How'd you like to be on my arm little bunny?"

    The dog put his fingers on Lentil's cheek, but withdrew them just as fast when Lentil bit down hard on the thumb on his lips. Growling the dog raised his hand and brought it down hard on Lentil's cheek. The prince fell to his side, cheek reddened and bruised. He glared up at the dog as he signalled towards his men.

    "This trash isn't even a mouthful. Do what you want with it, but leave me that pretty little head. Will make a good gift for our former king."

    The others snickered and laughed between each other before advancing on the downed creature. Lentil closed his eyes if he were to die, he would die like a man. He wouldn't plead or waste his time fighting. The closes mutt lunged at his him.

    'I'm sorry Alex...I tried.'

    There was a loud yelp from above him, followed by a sickening crunch somewhere to his side. Len's eyes snapped open as he followed the direction the sound had come from. In the snow over the dead body of the fallen dog, mouth covered in its blood was Alexander. He was dressed as he had been that first day, from head to toe refined and handsom, but this was much different than their first encounter. That charming coldness had been replaced by pure unfiltered cruelty. Alex bared his fangs at the commander and his men. The four remaining troops took a step back, but didn't turn tail like the others had. Their leader sneered at his king and stepped to the forefront. A challenge to Alex's authority.

    "Your Highness. The Prince has once more decided to grace our little hovel with his presence. This is his second offense, and our people are hungry. There's no reason he should be here, short of being a spy. It's within our rights to take him."

    Alex straightened to his full height but didn't stop growling low in his throat as he walked passed the other dog and to Lentil's side. He drew his sword from its place on his side and held it at his one time lovers throat. Lentil's eyes widened in fear and confusion, Alex had never drawn on him, or scowled at him like that. Never.

    "A...Alex..."

    "Your people are not welcome here in winter. My advisor is right Creme D'Argent, you are fair game."

    Lentil shook his head, trying to push away what Alex had just said. It wasn't possible. Alex would never...he'd...he'd called him by his last name. Tears began to over flow from his eyes. His father had been right all along. Alex...no...Corsac was nothing but scum.

    "I...I came for you. I came...."

    He stopped his whimpering and dropped his head to the ground. Alex stared at him for a few moment mores before turning his back to the prince and back towards his men.

    "The moon heir is fair game, and thus I can chose what we do with him. We will take him back to the palace. He will be my guest. No one will touch him."

    The dogs snarled and foamed at this. Alex didn't seemed effected by it, and simply stood his ground as they once more circled them. Their leader, the traitor, glared at the fox, a menacing smile stuck to his face.

    "I'm afraid that won't do this time. Our people are hungry, and we won't deny them a meal just because you've found a new toy. This will be easier. Two meals for the price of one."

    Alex's green eyes glowed in the cool of the night. He raised a single eyebrow and waited. Time froze for all of them in that moment. The winds that had been wild up to this point were suddenly silent, and the forests sounds stopped. It felt like the entire wood was holding its breath. The only movement was the gently falling of the snow around them. Then it happened. The stillness was broken and everything began to move too quickly for Lentil to follow everything. The dogs attacked Alexander, snapping and tearing at his clothes trying to pull him down. Even surrounded Alexander proved his true strength. Lashing out at the mutts with his sword and his claws. Sending each and everyone of the grunts to the ground with a sinister ease that spoke of years of pratice. Finally there was only Alexander and his commander left. Alex had left his sword stuck deep into the heart of one of the other traitors, and was bleeding, but he still stood with a proud defiance that sent shivers down Lentils back. The dog attacked teeth aiming for Alexanders throat. Alex dodged the attack with only seconds to spare. He grabbed the dog by his shirt and tossed him bodily over his head. What he hadn't expected was for the dog to hang onto him and drag him with him. They stumbled together into a tree. The dog recovered first and wrapped his hands around his king's throat. Alex fought against the hold the best he could and they grappled along the ground rolling about the clearing. It was a true testiment of strength when Alex got the upper hand and had the dog pinned to the ground. Lentil let out a sigh, thinking that maybe now it could be over. Alex tightened his grip on the dog's throat and prepared to strangle him to death, but the dog was stronger than he had anticipated. He stopped scratching at Alex's arms and took a hard swipe at his face. Letting out a howl of pain Alex pulled away from the dog clutching at his face. Huffing the commander made it to his feet and grinned wildly as he made his way to the blinded pained fox.

    "You...You thought you actually had a chance there. HA!"

    He spat on the red fox as he stopped his writhing on the ground. The dog lifted the closes and heaviest thing he could find and held it high above his head.

    "This...This will teach you. This will teach you that a hound will always...always beat a fo...fo...fooo..."

    The dog never got the chance to finish his sentence. A bloody stain began to soak through his shirts. The blade of Alex's sword piercing his heart. He fell over backwards as Lentil pulled it free. Lentil stood stunned at the dead body at his feet. He'd...he'd killed someone....That thought was gone almost as soon as it'd come when he heard another pained groan from his lover. He rushed to the fox's side and fell to his knees, running his hands over the deep wounds that littered Alex's entire body. The fox's face was bloodied and his eyes, his eyes were...were...Lentil lifted the Embers king to his lips and kissed the clawed hand gently. Hoping for some response, some sign that the fox wasn't...hadn't. The lax hand took hold of his and gripped his tightly. Lentil look down into the face of Alexander and felt his heart break at the gentle smile directed towards him.

    "Len...Len. My...My pocket.."

    Lentil reluctantly let go of the fox's hand and opened the fox's coat. In the inside pocket he found a dying yellow rose. It was wilted and browning, but the center still held it's golden color. Lentil shook his head furiously. All this time...after everything, Alex had never forgotten. He hadn't given in to the same weakness that Lentil had. Lentil buried his head in Alex's shirt and cried hard and long, clinging to the cooling body. Alex closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the shaking bunny. He smiled and worked his mouth to say words that wouldn't come forth.

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    It didn't take long for the Kingdom of the moon or the Kingdom of Embers to realize their Prince and King had gone missing, but by the time they had found the two, it had been far too late. Those who had come upon the scene had said it was as if the two had frozen bodies had only been sleeping. That it seemed like at any moment the two lovers would wake up from some shared beautiful dream. Sadly, it was not likely that either would return to the world of the waking. Alex and Len were buried together, arms still entwined, on the border between the two lands. With the shared tragedy the dark forest was cut down and a true peace was established between the two kingdoms. In honor of the tragic duo they joined together under the shared name of the rose kingdom. Years passed, and over time the kingdom grew and changed and the two were sadly forgotten. That was until one day while playing in what had once been the forest two friends, a young fox kit and a small kindle (baby rabbit), came across a wide field of yellow flowers. The boys were estatic and grabbed arm fulls of the pretty plants, rushing back to the kingdom to show off their find. The people of the new Rose Kingdom were in wonder of the flowers and pressed the boys to show them the spot was. The boys refused the towns people though. When asked they both told the said the same thing.

    "'Cause they wouldn't be happy."

    And thus a new tale was started. The story of a hidden field of flowers and the spirit of two lovers, who were parted in one life, but not in the next.

    The End