There is something haunting and alluring, maybe even frightening, about walking through gardens after dark. If you are alone that is. Should you be with someone who causes your heart to tremble, well. It becomes a beautiful experience, a memory to be treasured in the future. Eithne wasnt sure how far they had walked and made a pretense of observing her surroundings, when in reality she was taking every opportunity to gaze at the man walking next to her, admiring his face, his steely eyes.

"You are making me blush Lady Eithne. Do you always so closely observe the men who you?" JB turned his face to catch her gaze, his eyes deeply burning and fierce, his lips turning up into a faint teasing smile, fusing into a deadly combination that caused Eithne to catch her breath and drop her head as she blushed. She heard him give a soft low chuckle next to her as he continued to guide her down the long winding paths of well kept and manicured floral and shrubbery collections. 

At a loss for words and unable to reply to his question, Eithne continued alongside JB, eyes firmly fixed on the pathway and not daring to raise her head, lest he again perceive her as observing him. All at once he stopped, and raising her head Eithne realized they were standing before a large pool of water, encased in stones and raised almost to waist height, in the center of which was a large, elaborate water fountain, softly spilling its contents into the pool below. 

"Do you know what this is my lady?" JB asked, his voice breaking the silence.

"No." Eithne whispered softly, her eyes glued to the reflection of the moon shimmering on the rippling water.

"It is said that this was the first creation of the moon gods when they came down to earth, and from its watering came all of the rest of the gardens and green things known to mankind. Legend has it that any mortal man who drinks of the fountain will live forever, the proverbial fountain of youth."

Eithne let out a soft laugh of disbelief and turned to look at JB. "My great grandmother told me many legends and stories about the family manor that was told her by her great grandmother, but never once did she think of something so wild to spin for me. I suppose that is a legend that has sprung up since my branch of the family left the manor?"

JB turned his eyes to hers, and for a brief moment Eithne could have sworn that his dark brown eyes flashed blue and silver as they made contact with hers, causing her to tighten her grip on his arm almost instinctively.

"There are many legends that have been lost to your family it seems my lady, but there is time aplenty to rectify that." he said, his gaze turning to the fountain, then to the reflection of the moon in the pool.

"JB."

It was the first time she had said his name. Somehow it came out sounding so soft and tender, and Eithne felt a tremor pass through his body as he turned to her in reponse to his name, his eyes deeper and more breath taking as they bore into her, his aura suddenly becoming one of possessiveness and fierceness that was both equally alluring and terrifying.

"Yes, my lady." his sultry voice replied, dropping several octaves to become a step away from a growl.

"JB, I'm not royalty, please. Just call me Eithne." 

There was a long pause, during which time he gazed steadily into her eyes, unflinching and unblinking. Finally he spoke. "My lady, do you know the story of your family, why you are here today." it seemed more of a statement than a question, so Eithne simply waited for him to continue as his eyes shifted from her to the moon itself. "The gods of ancient dying stars came together when earth was formed, before man and animal kind had appeared, and together they elected the high king and queen of Alhudra to be the rulers and gatekeepers of the new planet, their guardians and protectors were to be the eldest sons of the seven lesser moon gods, well known for their fierce loyalty and non surpassed fighting skills. These seven lesser gods were granted great physical and supernatural powers wherewith which to protect the new rulers of earth and their offspring. Mankind came to be, and they revered the gods, paid homage, and were granted their own kingdoms to rule over. All was peaceful so long as the secret of the fountain of youth lay undiscovered by man, the kings and the normal personages oft came to these open ungated gardens to stroll and enjoy the delights, to converse and mingle with the gods and godesses, it was a time of peace. 

"Then there rose a man, Brenhin ap Bedwyr, the newly crowned king of the Althinian peoples, a greedy brute who aspired to be a god himself. He courted the daughter of the ruling king and queen, seducing her with flattery and fair words, and discovered the secret of their powers and long life lay within drinking of the fountain of youth on the night of the full moon. He did so, and not only he, but his entire military force did as well, and having done thus they fell upon the cities and villages, conquering countries and overpowering all resistance, forming alliances and becoming so powerful that the gods began to realize that something was wrong and they were under threat themselves.

"Before the Manor house that you see here existed, there was a great and majestic castle that stood where it now stands, more as a symbol of status and power than a bulwark for defense. By the time the gods began to enquire into why the land had been thrown into sudden terror and war it was too late, they found themselves under attack, beseiged, and, whats more, cut off from the source of their power. On the night of the summer solstice Bedwyr attacked. The fight was long and bloody, the king and queen and many of their followers perished, only the princess remained alive in the last untaken portion of the tower walls, surrounded by the seven wearied and bloodied warrior sons of the moon gods. Bedwyr attempted to entice the girl to marriage with him, wanting to then have the mantle of legitimacy before the rest of man, but the princess, having realized now how much she had misjudged the man, drew a sword and stood fearlessly alongside her warrios, vowing to die fighting rather than marry him.

"It was in the midst of this that the caretaker of the gardens of the gods, the young Gruffydd Breathnach, returned from visiting his ill mother, and, upon seeing what had happened to the inhabitants of the castle, the danger the princess was in, and hearing the arrogant presumptions made by Bedwyr, he flew into a rage, drew his bow and arrows thus far reserved only for threatening wild beasts and shot Bedwyr and his remaining warriors dead on the spot where they stood. His passionate and single handed defense of the princess without care to the possible harm he could incur to himself won him favor from all, including the heart of the princess, and when the other gods came to reclaim the bodies of the deceased star gods to take to the heavenly realms they knighted Gruffydd, bestowing on him the title of king and gave him the hand of the princess godess in marriage.

"The gods used magic to construct this manor house in place of the castle, putting up the great iron wall and gates to prevent the unbidden entrance of any more such people as Bedwyr. Their last act before the left the planet was to cast a spell over mankind, causing the memory of all that had occured to be wiped away, becoming a mere legend and story overnight. Only the descendants of Gruffydd and the seven warriors would remember and guard the secrets. Peace was once again restored, and man lived in blissful ignorance of war and violence for nearly two millennia. Kingdoms morphed and kings were born and died, lands were traded for titles and wealth, but through it all this land and the villages surrounding the castle belonged to the Breathnach monarchs, who by some blessing of the gods would have a single son, who would then choose for himself a wife of the lesser nobles in the surrounding villages, have a son, and the cycle would continue so until King Arwel of Breathnach chose for himself for wife the goddaughter and adopted orphan child of the leader and fiercest of the seven warriors who now served as protectors of the kingdom. Her parents had also been descendants of the ancient gods and lesser noblemen of the village, and the child had become ward to the great warrior, her parents closest friend, on their accidental demise. With the joining of two bloodlines that descended from powerful gods it shouldnt have surprised anyone that the queen should bare twin sons.

"The eldest of the two was Cedwyn, a gentle kind man without guile, destined to rule the land with compassion as had his father, with whom he was very close and regularly sought out for counsel in regarding his future reign. He often went down to the villages to converse with the lay people, hear of their concerns, and ask what they needed for their well being. He was greatly loved by all but one, his twin brother Delwyn. Delwyn was opposite in all respects to his brother, he was ambitious, driven, and deeply bitter that the only thing which seperated him from being king was the two minutes wherein his brother proceeded him in birth. He was close to his mother's adopted grandfather, resembling him greatly in temperment, so when Delwyn confided to the great warrior that he wished to become the king in his brothers place the leader of the king's protectors hatched a treacherous plot to depose of the king and the eldest son in favor of the younger.

"The plot centered around Cedwyn's upcoming marriage to a local nobleman's daughter, as after three days of drinking and celebrating all those involved would be merry with wine and security would be lax. It was the third night of feasting, all of the immediate family and nobles were gathered in the great hall, singing, telling tales and filling their bellies with food and wine, until the moment that the clock struck nine at night, and Delwyn and the great warrior arose, striking down King Arwel and Crown Prince Cedwyn. The instant it occurred the six other great warriors, screaming out in anger over the betrayal, drew their swords and a great fight ensued, and it wasnt until the moment that the queen cried out in anguish for the fighting to cease immediately, for the warriors to not kill her last remaining son that the warriors drew back from Delwyn. However they could not forgive their leader, the great warrior for his treachery, and with swift cuts they pierced him through, he expiring on the spot. 

"Delwyn was crowned king, and none but those who had been present knew of how the king and his eldest son had died, as the queen, fearing that the kingdom would fall into war and ruination should the villagers find out, swore all to secrecy, and they, more out of loyalty to the queen then to Delwyn, swore to never reveal what had happened. A story was concocted, the king and the crown prince had sparred together, and in some sad twist of fate had wounded each other beyond the point of recovery. A lavish funeral was held, Delwyn outdoing all others in a show of grief before the villagers. The six great warriors, unable to swear their allegiance to the new king, retired and each gave his eldest son to take his place, the eldest son of the deceased warrior leader taking the place of his father as leader of the seven. All returned to a semblance of normal, in some ways. The villagers continued their daily lives, paid thier dues. But Delwyn wasnt satisfied, he ordered the building of storehouses and cellars, and for the taxes to be doubled. Life became hard. Then suddenly rumors began to circulate that the late Cedwyn's bride, who had been sent back to her father's house upon the death of the groom, had given birth to a son.

"Delwyn called for the one warrior of the seven that he trusted, the son of the man who had fought and died at his side, entrusting him with the mission of finding his brothers son and doing away with him, but he was overheard by three of the other warriors, who reached the noblemans house to give warning before their leader could carry out his dasterdly mission, and these three warriors secretly aided the crown prince's bride and newborn son in escaping the kingdom. Upon arriving and discovering that he was too late, the new leader of the seven wariors flew into a rage, murdering all of the nobleman's household, servants, relatives, even the livestock, returning to report to the king that all relatives of the crown prince's marriage were now deceased, including the late wife and son. Delwyn believed him, and did not search for Cedwyn's bride and son. 

"Delwyn married, but as if cursed by the gods, he was unable to have a child. Thinking it was his wife, he had her put away and married another, and another and yet another, but not one of his six successive wives were able to conceive, and he died a bitter old man, without a heir. This kingdom and the villages came under the jurisdiction of new kingdoms, countries. Several royals attempted to claim the manor as their rightful inheritance, but the rumors and sightings of the tortured ghosts of wrongfully murdered royals haunted all who entered and gradually it was left well alone, the manor claimed only by the warriors and ther eldest sons who successively took their places in looking after and guarding until the time that Cedwyn's rightful heir should return and claim her place."

At this moment JB turned to stare straight into Eithne's eyes. "You understand why I address you as my lady now, do you not. Rightfully your title should be queen, but in the hundreds of years that have passed since, that title has been remade into one of a lesser noble so as not to threaten the kingdom in which this manor now resides. My lady, I know you made plans to visit only for the summer, but this manor rightfully belongs to you. This is your home, your inheritance, and we seven are descendants of all those gone before who have sworn allegiance to your ancestors and given them protection. It is the same now as it was then."

Too overwhelmed to think of what to say in response, Eithne only managed to say, "Ah." Gently releasing her hold from his arm, JB then knelt down in front of her, holding her hand softly in his, and bowing his head so that his forehead rested against the back of her hand he said, "My lady, I swear my allegiance to you. I will do all that is in my power to protect you from all harm and see that your smallest wishes are fulfilled. I shall remain loyal to you and only you until the time comes for me to retire and for my son to take my place." And having sworn his allegiance, JB then pressed his lips in a soft lingering kiss of promise on her hand.

Something in Eithne snapped at that moment, and snatching her hand out of his she fled down the paths back to the manor. It was all too wild, too unbelivable. She was here to research the legends of her family, not inherit a manor in which to be trapped with seven so called warriors to keep her captive. The darkness felt looming, overwhelming, overpowering, and Eithne could feel a panic attack coming on from all the perceived dangers lurking in the shadows. She was sure she took the long way back, there were far too many twists and turns compared to earlier. With a loud crash she barged through the back doors of the manor, fleeing through the halls as one would from a possessed being until she reached her room. Slamming the door shut behind herself, she locked and bolted it shut.

 

 

 

The loud frantic sounds echoed through the manor, and the six boys lounging around in the livingroom stopped doing whatever it was they were doing to look at each other.

"He told her, didnt he." Mark said, breaking the silence.

"I'm going to say yes, in all its gory details." replied Jackson, tossing his gameboy onto the coffee table.

"What about us, do you think he told her about our powers." Youngjae wondered aloud, pursing his lips as he looked up to the ceiling and furrowed his brows.

"I doubt he got the chance." Jinyoung said, turning the page of his book and adjusting his sitting position to one that was more comfortable. "The real question is, does she have powers, and if so, does she know it."

There was a low collective gasp on the part of the others as they contemplated that possibility. The back door opened, then shut. 

"JB's here, time for us to get to work." Yugeom said, dropping the magazine he had been flipping through on top of the coffee table.

"Be alert lads, not only is it approaching the time of the full moon, but the rightful heir has returned to the manor. Certainly those who consider us enemies will feel something is different, it wont take them long to realize what has happened." JB said, striding into the room and tossing an assortment of black fingerless gloves and elaborate black masquerade masks onto the table while simultaneously slipping his hands into a pair of before mentioned gloves. 

"Did you tell her about our powers, what we do here?" Youngjae asked, and JB shook his head. "Only the basic history of her family huh." Youngjae continued, and JB nodded, slipping the mask over his head and adjusting it around his eyes as he at the same time reached down to grab a pair of gloves and toss it to Youngjae. Within moments, the boys were finished with donning their accessories, and with nods to each other they simultaneously morphed from wearing white suits to black, hair and eye colors changed, and various weapons of an ancient and magical sort appeared in their hands. JB gave a glance over each of them then nodded.

"Right then, remember what I said about being on the alert. Mark, you and Bambam watch the manor, guard our lady with your lives, the rest of you with me, we need to learn some things if we are to have an edge over those who might wish us harm."