The yawn of a bear shook the walls on the Snessler household, early in the dawn of the morning. The tip of the sun was barely poking its head over the horizon when the sound erupted from a large, burly man sitting at a wooden table in the center of a cobblestone house. The man was known as Eric Snessler, the top Knight of the 29th brigade. Right-hand guard to the King and designated watcher of the Heiress... the young Princess Elizabeth. It wasn't often that Eric got to be home like this, since most nights he had to sleep in the barracks at the castle. But as there has been many years of peace among kingdoms, he was granted the pleasure of going home once a week to sleep with his wife and visit his only son, Fein. Speaking of which, the slight pitter patter of tiptoes could be heard across the cold cobblestone floors. "You know, your mother would not be happy hearing you awake at this hour." The man's deep voice rumbled, as he continued to chow on a breakfast of bread and brisket.

From around a corner, a messy, brown haired boy stuck his face out, watching his bear of a father eat breakfast. He wore a silver tunic with dark blue trousers, and a long wooden sword was swung over his back, much like how a two-handed sword would be on a normal man. At a quick pace, the sneaky boy ran to the table and held firmly onto his father's arm. "I wish you didn't have to go back so soon. You didn't even get to practice fighting with me! How will I become a knight without training?" The father watched his son fondly, playing with his messy hair as he spoke. "You will have plenty of time for that when you are older... But today is a special day, Son. There will be a large festival at the castle in honor of the princess today! Food! Music! Dancing! The Princess is having her 8th birthday and, well, the King has given me permission to bring you to the castle." Fein's eyes lit up as if fireworks were going off. The room was becoming a brighter orange as the young boy began to spring around the kitchen before hurrying off to the front door, throwing it wide open to let in the warm air. "Well, what are we waiting for, dad! Let's go!"

Going to the castle was a huge trip that Fein had only done a few times before. The castle was massive, ornate, and anyone's dream to live in one day. Fein wanted to learn every hallway, room, and secret passage in order to traverse through it with ease. In his mind, these were important things any knight needed to know in order to protect who they serve, the King, Queen, and Princess.

It didn't take too long to arrive at the castle's main gates. The Snessler home was just a ways away and over a small hill. Eric waved to the outside guards so the large, wooden bridge could be lowered leading to the main entryway. There were knights everywhere, wearing the same shinny, iron uniform that Fein's father wore everyday. The only difference was the large rose engraved on the chest plate of Eric's armor. This was the sign of a higher-ranked knight. Every knight that Fein and Eric walked by, who only wore plain iron armor, would all salute Fein's father in respect to his position. Fein's heart felt like it would leap from his chest every time one of the guards saluted him and his father. One day, it would be Fein they would be saluting... he just knew it.

"I know this is exciting for you, Fein. But I need you on good behavior. I don't want the king thinking I raise a delinquent of a son." Fein nodded obediantly to his father and stayed close to his side as they walked through different marbled hallways. Fein was trying to keep a mental map of each walkway, each door, and each room as they passed. But it was difficult for him to concentrate as several servants and cooks ran pass them or in front of them. Everyone was in a hurry to prepare for the banquet tonight in honor of the Princess. Fein stepped behind his father, staying close on his tail, as to avoid getting in anyone's way.

"You were almost late today, Eric!" Fein heard an almost shrill voice speak up. "I'm just going to wake the Princess now and get her dressed and ready." Fein peered around his father to see an Old Maid. Her face was full of wrinkles, and it was hard to tell if she was glaring at his father, or that was just her normal resting face. Her eyes quickly darted from Eric to Fein, and a toothy, yellow smile erupted on her face. "Oh, this must be your son. What a cutie." She reached down and pinched his cheek so hard it left a red mark. Fein rubbed it as the woman turned around and walked through a pair of doors with roses engraved in the door frame. "You are going to be assisting me today, Fein. Watching the Princess that is. It is difficult to watch her highness and fill out my reports for the King. After her breakfast I'll take you both to the garden to play. But don't play rough with her, Fein. She isn't like your friends back in the hills." Fein nodded in recognition of his father, and stood still and patiently by his side, swaying slightly on his feet to feel the shifting weight of his wooden sword on his back.

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Elizabeth slowly opened up her eyes and groaned slightly as she heard a maid coming into her room, she was her personal maid who was always by her side everyday who was also assigned to teach her everything, teaching her how to read, write, and even how to be a proper lady. This was going to be her 8th birthday which Elizabeth was really looking forward to as well, and she was excited. "C'mon young lady time for you to get up." The elderly woman said, as Elizabeth slowly sat up and stretched out slightly and gave her a nod. "I know Anna.." Elizabeth wasn't really looking forward to the party, her father already had gotten some potential future suitors for her already. Which Elizabeth didn't really care for.

As she got out of her bed Anna had made her way towards her closet and pulled out two sets of dresses, one looked rather elegant and very pretty and very tight and uncomfortable, while the other one, looked more comfortable and practical. Elizabeth looked at both of them for awhile before pointing towards the practical looking dress for the day. "I'll take that one." Elizabeth said with a slight smile as Anna nodded and started to get it ready for the day. "Breakfast is ready as well." Anna said as she turned around and left, leaving Elizabeth to get changed.

It didn't take long until Elizabeth was fully dressed and made her way towards the giant mess hall, where everyone had their meals already her mother and father were seated at the table. King Johnathan and Queen Sophia turned their heads and spotted their eldest daughter along with her two younger siblings who were there. They hadn't eaten yet as they were waiting for her, she smiled brightly towards her family and quickly went to take her seat at the table with them.

"Sleep well sweety?" Queen Sophia asked as she turned to her daughter, her mother had bright blonde hair and blue eyes while her father had hard brown hair. "I did thank you." Elizabeth said brightly as she started to eat and everyone else started to as well, before her father ended up speaking. "I have asked Eric's son to be your personal guard for the day, while we get everything set up for your birthday and make sure you are safe for the day." He said, Elizabeth turned to look at her father, she didn't like the idea of being guarded all the time, but simply nodded. "Thank you father." Elizabeth said quietly as she took a drink from her water.

Fein tried his very hardest to stand still and honorable like a good knight as the Princess ate breakfast with her family. He watched her careful, and had his eyes darting around, imagining what he would do if an intruder were to suddenly appear in their presence. Servants and maids continued to come and go, setting up tables, chairs, and other such decorations. It all looked stunning and amazing in the eyes of the young boy, who had not watched such ornate things move around in his life. It was quite stunning. The Princess was finishing up her breakfast when Eric began to walk towards her and the King, Fein walking closly behind his father. "Good morning, your highness. I hope you slept well last night." Eric smiled kindly to the young princess, and reached around him to pull Fein in front of him. Fein watched the princess with his blue-gray eyes. "This is my son, Fein. He will be accompanying me around the castle today. And helping me as well. Introduce yourself, Fein." With that, Eric patted his son's shoulder and turned to the king, discussing some kind of politics having to do with the army.

Fein scratched the top of his head, not very sure what to say besides, "Hello..." Fein knew that he was supposed to behave differently around the Princess than how he did with his friends. But he didn't know how different he was supposed to be. This caused him to buckle up a bit and not be able to talk much. Instead of looking in her eyes, he just stared at the dress she was wearing. It looked comfortable to wear, but still expensive. Fein didn't have very many expensive things, but he didn't really mind it. His mother had raised him to be thankful for the things he had and not envious for the things he didn't. Besides, they were pretty well off, considering how much his father made as a personal guard to the King. "Alright, Your Highness. I think the best way to start off your birthday is with some fun in the garden, yeah?" With that, Eric escorted the Princess and Fein down a few more corridors, Fein being sure to add all this new information to his mental map of the castle, until reaching two large stain glass doors, decorated with roses of many different colors.

Upon entering the garden, Fein was taken away by the breathtaking sight. Nothing but blue skies, bright green grass, and a few cobblestone paths leading through different winding through the garden to observe just about any flower a person could imagine. In the center was a cement fountain that was spouting crystal clear water from the hands of a mermaid statue. Fein wanted to take off and explore, but after a few steps her heard a loud cough from his father, causing him to turn around. Fein remembered that he was asked to keep and eye on the Princess while his father worked on some more menial tasks. Fein turned back to the Princess, outstretching his arm to her. "Let's go explore, Princess! Where do you want to go first?"

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Elizabeth turned her head as she finished up eating her breakfast and gave Eric a very friendly smile towards her father's personal guard, she knew Eric pretty well. "Good morning to you as well Sir Eric." Elizabeth said acting all prim and proper like she had always been taught to by her various maids and teachers who taught her everything. Her eyes then wandered over towards Fein and gave him a very friendly smile and bowed her head somewhat towards him in a friendly way. "It's nice to meet you Fein." Elizabeth said happily as she stared at her father and nodded.

Elizbeth followed shortly behind Eric and her father, along with Fein as they made their way down the corridors of the castle until they were at the set of glass doors that led them to the outside. She turned her head to Fein as she noticed him staring at awe of the nearby fountain in front of them, the gardens were probably her favorite place to go to. Elizabeth started to walk alongside Fein wrapping her arm around his.

She hadn't really talked to many kids around her age, except for her brother and sister, but they were a lot younger than she was now as Elizabeth started to think about where they could go. She always wanted to explore the giant bush maze that they had in the yard as she looked over at Fein and smiled brightly towards him. "Lets go this way." Elizabeth said as she started to turn around and made her way towards the entrance of the maze and took his hand started to lead him deeper into the maze.

Fein was slightly surprised when Princess Elizabeth wrapped her arm around his, interlocking. It caused him to stand up a little bit straighter. In that moment Fein felt like a true knight, guard, and escort to the Princess. Being a Knight was truly in his blood. It took a lot in his will not to run off with the Princess. But to his luck, she instantly started to take off towards the back of the garden, holding onto his hand tightly. At first he was practically dragged by her- He wanted to stare and take in every crack, flower, and bush they passed. It was almost overstimulating to him. But soon enough he focused back on the running, and eventually caught up with her pace, running side by side. He could see the labyrinth of bushes slowly approach them and they soon stood at the entrance.

Everything seemed a lot quieter at the Labyrinth entrance, as if the sounds of the wind and birds chirping were being absorbed into the bushes. Much like how Fein would squeeze pillows over his ears when it was storming badly, he determined. It wasn't until Fein came back to his senses that he realized he and the Princess had made quite a few random turns through the labyrinth, and now all he could hear was his and her own panting from running so much. The bushes felt like they were towering over their heads, and Fein was starting to get turned around. In fact, he couldn't remember which way they had came in through anymore.

There was a sudden rustling in the wall of bushes just to up ahead, and it caused Fein to jump slightly, and almost instantaneously pull out his wooden sword from his back, wielding it just like his father would wield a two-handed weapon. "Show yourself, coward!!" Fein screamed at the bushes. His heart was pounding at the though of a monster with sharp fangs, pointy claws, and several eyeballs suddenly popping out from the dark. His heart pounded so hard it was beating in his ear drums, and he thought that the more he yelled at it, the more scared this monster would be of him. Rather than vice versa. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!" Fein screamed at the top of his lungs, charging at the wall and swinging his sword violently. The monster was retreating! He couldn't let it escape. A monster couldn't roam freely through the garden while the princess was present. With that, Fein charged deeper into the labyrinth, yelling at the top of his lungs each time, chasing the monster further into the labyrinth, but leaving behind the poor princess.

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Elizabeth was smiling brightly she always liked exploring the massive bush labyrinth that was in the back of the castle grounds, she'd always follow one of her maids who always seemed to know the way to go. And to tend to the plants that were in there. Elizabeth wasn't sure what to say other than to simply wrap her arms around his tightly as they walked side by side. As Elizabeth took a few turns around she eventually stopped to hear some rustling in the bushes. Fein quickly jumped into protective mode and she hid behind him seeing his reaction she felt like she was endanger as well.

Then Fein went into the bushes leaving her completely alone in the path that they were standing, there she could hear him swinging his sword like mad and yelling. She was shaking as Elizabeth heard more rustling and eventually she screamed herself and made a run for it, she didn't care which way she ran. A few minutes of running Elizabeth found herself at the very center of the maze which had a beautiful big tree in the center of it.

She could feel her heart beating as she started to climb up the tree as quickly as she could until she was on a branch, as she heard the rustling once more Elizabeth looked down to see that there were a few cats there. She didn't know why but she wasn't scared anymore, but she was scared to climb down and fall.

In a fury of swinging his wooden sword, yelling at the top of his lungs, and chasing the monsters away from the princess, a black tabby cat suddenly jumped out of the bushes and scurried away in a lightning quick flash. Fein was left there in the rows, blinking wildly with his sword wielded above his head. Had he really run off screaming over some dumb cat? He sighed some and stuck his sword back in the sheath on his back. He really needed to focus better and keep his head on his shoulders. That’s how knights behaved! Cool, calm, collected. But Fein was still just a kid, and his imagination could run wild.

”No worries, Princess! It was just a kitty cat!” Fein turned around, a wide grin on his face. But his eyes quickly grew wide and he let in a sharp breath. ”PRINCESS?!” Oh no, he had lost him! Oh no, what would his father say? In a panic, Fein began to run back the way he came, although not completely sure he was still going the right way. How stupid! How stupid of him to leave the Princess alone and unattended like that! He grew more and more worried as he couldn’t find the Princess. What if something happened? He would definitely be in trouble with the King, and even his father. Oh no, his dad. His dad trusted him with the responsibility of watching the Princess. And what did he do? Lose her!

Fein kept hitting his head. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Fein clenched his eyes in frustration and didn’t open them until he felt the heat of the sun on his face. He hadn’t felt that since they entered the labyrinth, since the walls were so tall. Fein opened his eyes and came face to face with a large open area. He assumed he must have reached the center of the labyrinth. The tree was beautiful, and looked like it was blooming a few flowers. ”Princess!! Where are you?” Fein continued to call out as he slowly approached the tree. It only took a few more steps when he could see the end of her dress poking down from one of the branches. His heart leaped in his chest, and he darted to the trunk of the tree, looking up at the Princess as she sat on one of the branches. ”You’re okay! He called up as he began to climb the tree as well. He plopped onto the branch beside her, his weight barely causing the branch to shift. Wow the view was amazing. He imagined if he were a little bit taller he could probably see past the horizon and to the end of the world.

Fein turned his attention back to the Princess and smiled. ”I got rid of those monsters for you, my Princess! I promise you, as one of your future Knights, I will always keep you safe!” He was being very honest with her. It was his dream to serve the King in the same way his father did.