October

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Leiah could hear the voices of people around her, all gathering together in the center of town to seek out decorations for the special celebration to come.

"Make sure we find the best Christmas ornaments," a woman close by spoke to her children, urging them forward as the crowd started to grow bigger, "It doesn't matter the price, just grab the biggest ones." Leiah watched the family make their way into the throng of people until they were no longer visible. She was safe where she was, looking over everyone chattering excitedly to one another.  Unlike them, the young dark-haired Leiah did not share their amusement. She was always a lover of darker things and although she did look forward to spending Christmas with her own family, the fact that everyone started to prepare for it 2 months before wore her out. It was barely the month of October and already the people around her were fumbling for presents and decorations to fill their houses with.

Leiah jumped off the boulder she was on and scurried off to an isolated part of town. The sound of excitement vanished away and only a few citizens here and there made their way past her. Rolling her tired shoulders, the young woman sighed and looked up at the bloody moon overhead. It brought a smile to her face as the cool wind sent a chill down her spine.

Yes, it was October, but unfortunately Halloween was no longer celebrated. The small kingdom began to slowly abandon the practice of trick or treating and dressing up as the years passed by. Ultimately, Halloween stopped all together. It appeared that people were no longer interested and preferred to focus their attention on the one time of the year that made everything glow- Christmas. Leiah herself had never gotten a chance to celebrate Halloween. It had been many years since the last time the Kingdom of Feria had placed a pumpkin in their garden. Now, the dark holiday was only a page in a history book.

Pulling on her light blue cloak, Leiah hurried down the streets, hoping that she would be able to finally spend some more time on the streets before getting caught.

A strong gust of wind blew through the dimly lit path, causing stray orange leaves to float in the air. Leiah's arms got goosebumps as she realized that the wind was even frostier than it was in the morning. With a defiant look in her eye, she walked over to a closed hat shop and positioned herself behind the building. Examining the rugged brick wall, she latched on to one indented part and began to climb her way up, never taking her eyes off the roof. The shop was not very tall, so she wasn't too concerned about hurting herself if she suddenly made a wrong step.

"Come on, almost there." She cheered herself on before grabbing on to the roof. Just as quick as a wave of victory rushed over her, a sudden feeling of disappointment took over as a familiar, annoyed voice broke through the silence below her.

"Ah, there you are, your highness."

Leiah felt her arms go limp as she looked down and forged a grin on her face, "Hello, Tyrell." She sighed dramatically, eyeing the castle guard beneath her. The tall man in armor shook his hooded head, holding up a gloved hand towards her, "Get down before you break a leg." Leiah chewed on the inside of her mouth, refocusing her attention on the roof before her.

Tyrell knew she wouldn't willingly go with him. As if sensing Leiah's next move, he took one step forward, "No, no. Don't you-."

"Sorry, Tyrell. I don't want to go home just yet." With that, she pulled herself up on the roof and began to run. From behind her, she could hear the guard yelling out her name as she jumped from shop to shop, a grin painted on her face.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she felt the breeze running through her hair, loose strands gently brushing against her ears. She continued to snicker playfully as the distance between her and Tyrell began to grow.

Leiah glanced behind her shoulder to check if she was still being pursued. It was an act that caused her to misstep and slam her face hard against the cement tiles.

A wave of darkness washed over her as she knelt down, resting a bloody hand on her forehead. She dizzily inspected her palm and noticed a large gash across her flesh. "Ow," the woman groaned and sat back up, unaware of Tyrell catching up with her now. 

He looked up at the injured, dazed looking woman on the roof and crossed his arms, "I told you you would get hurt, princess." Leiah frowned, brushing down her clothes and straightening up despite the pain, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." Realizing that the fun was over, she turned to the guard with a sad grin, "Guess we have to go home now. Is father-?"

"Yes. Good luck." Dread filled the young princess's heart as she slowly made her way down a flight of stairs attached to the side of the building she was on. Once Tyrell was sure she wouldn't run off like before, he took a few steps back and outstretched his arms in case she fell. 

Leiah still had a trick up her sleeve, however, and she decided to give the guard one last scare. With a yelp, she pretended to lose her balance and fell over the railing. Tyrell watched in shock as the princess went flying straight towards him.

Leiah closed her eyes as she felt herself land into a pair of strong arms. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked down at her mischievous face.

"You are troublesome," he muttered and tightly held her in his grasp, "No more incidents. Got it?" She pouted and crossed her arms defiantly, "Whatever you say."

Pleased, Tyrell turned and walked down the isolated path. For a while, they stayed quiet. The man wasn't the talkative type, and he only kept a close eye on Leiah because he was assigned to do so. Her father, the king, wasn't very fond of her sneaking out of the castle walls. No matter how many times she slipped past Tyrell's watchful eye, the old king knew the guard was a good one and that his youngest daughter was just too cunning.

"Tyrell?" Leiah finally asked as she played with a gold necklace on her neck, "Did your parents ever get to celebrate Halloween?" The guard glanced down at her beneath his hood, sighing softly, "By the time they were born, it was already dying down.  I don't think there was much to do at that point."

"How unfortunate."

Tyrell paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say to return the smile on Leiah's face. "But my great, great grandmother was able to celebrate it." Leiah clasped her hands around the clear gem hanging from her neck and squealed like a small child, "Oh, please tell me!" The man thought for a bit and smirked to himself, "Only if you promise not to leave the castle for a whole week." Leiah groaned, rolling her eyes and muttering a low, "Sure."

"I know when you're lying."

The young woman's face turned slightly red, and she let out a loud groan, throwing her arms out, "Okay, I promise." Tyrell straightened up with pride, then proceeded to speak, "It was many years ago. Halloween was the most anticipated celebration of the year. Everyone always prepared the decorations the first day of October."

"What kind of decorations?" Leiah cut in, though she was already well aware of what they were.

"Well, scary things. Stuffed dummies with missing limbs, pumpkins carved with devilish faces, hanging straw men- and lets not forget the food."

Leiah listened in awe as Tyrell spoke about the different sweet snacks that Feria once created: Dipped double chocolate swirl cake, candy corns, candied apples, pumpkin pie topped with roasted marshmallows. Her mouth watered as the list went on.

"How on earth could Feria possibly abandon Halloween?"

Tyrell didn't know the answer to that. Instead, he shrugged, deciding it was his turn to poke fun at the princess, "What I do know is that the great Hallow King will probably take revenge on all of us for not celebrating anymore." The hair on Leiah's arms stood up as she glared at Tyrell, "Don't say that out loud! What if he really does exist?" Tyrell chuckled quietly to himself, "He's just a myth. Besides, if a Halloween spirit really did exist, he would have already showed up."

"I know, but still..." Leiahs voice faded away as stories of the Hallow King began to fill her mind. He was both a naughty and deadly spirit that was said to feed off of the energy everyone gave off while participating in his celebration. Of course, no one knew where the Hallow King came from. It was said he had always been present since the beginning of time. Others said he came from the pits of hell and ruled the land between the living and the dead.

"Look alive. The kingdom awaits your arrival." Tyrell broke her thoughts as he set her down before a large, black gate. The princess looked up, frowning to herself as she noticed a wreath hanging from the entrance. From the other side of the gate, two guards quickly slid the entrance open, exclaiming how worried the king was. Fixing her long, blue cloak, she ignored the remarks and hurried inside, turning back to give one last look at Tyrell.

He bowed slightly, peering at her with solemn, brown eyes, "Good luck." She nodded in response, worriedly resuming her walk towards the tall castle before her. Hopefully her father wasn't too angry.

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