In the vast territory of Parycia there lived King Nicolas and his seventeen year old daughter, the Princess Annalise. The dark, stone castle stood tall above the numerous villages of the lower class where peasants lived in peace with the royal family. Parycia is bordered on all sides by lush forests where nymphs roam the mossy floors. The population included the normal humans and the undead. A race inclusive of vampires, werewolves, and other beings of the darkness. A good portion of the undead live in peace with the humans, though issues exist between them. While many would be loathe to admit it, a lot of people unconsciously see undead in a negative light. If an intelligent undead walks past them in the street, they clutch their belonging and move away as inconspicuously as possible. While the Unliving Person's Union, the key figure of undead representation in Parycia tries their best, a lot of issues crop up that require their attention.

Parycia's attitude towards the undead is actually quite forward-thinking. While other countries at least accept on principle that 'undead aren't all mindless kill-them-all creatures', most of them don't treat the undead as fairly

~~~

It was late September when Annalise's father told her of the suitor he had lined up to marry her. Being a princess has it's perks, however, love was not in the cards for her. King Nicolas, her father, holds complete power over Parycia and some adjoining territories. He has friends in all the right places- the folks with riches beyond belief.

His name is Leonard.

Leonard is a kind gentleman and in line for the throne of Etrias. Annalise had met him only once before she was told that he was to be her future husband. His hair fell in tresses of ginger curls down his back and he had a golden spray of freckles across his nose. He looked like a child, to her, trapped within the confines of a man's body. Leonard attempted to kiss Annalise only once on the cheek, but she rejected him ruthlessly. Not because he wasn't a kind man, but because she had no interest in being romantic with him. The only way she benefited from the marriage is the joining of Etrias and Parycia. Their alliance with each other will grow even stronger against their enemies, no matter how few they had.

It was evening when her father dismissed her from the courtroom so his men could have a few drinks in the company of only other powerful men. She retreated to her chambers and collapsed on the canopy bed in the middle of the room. It was late and the moon was full. She wished that she could sleep, but Annalise craved some company. Her father only let her associate with those of high status, like them, but other princesses were snobs and couldn't fathom why Annalise preferred exploring to doing her hair many times over. She tried to explain that she needed beautiful scenery to write her poetry, but they never understood.

Annalise wandered towards the large, wooden doors that kept her chambers separate from the winding corridors of the castle. She knew she would have a guard posted outside, so there was no way she could escape to the woods to write. Annalise shoved the doors open anyways only to come face to face with someone only faintly familiar. Her hair was the color of ash and her eyes a blood red. She was strangely beautiful despite her skin that seemed to crawl on it's own and the sharp bones in place of her fingers.

"Uh..." She whispered, "Who are you?"

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The cracks in your lips open with the books

The words were rehearsed to the undeath.

"Your Highness, my name is Ash."

An excellent start. Greeting the royal girl first, Ash would introduce herself second.

"I am placed, on a provisional basis, to be your replacement royal guard."

The last one died a violent death. Ash was there when she saw him get shot with a crossbow bolt. The princess was unconscious when that happened, and such a fact was better left out of the introduction.

"If you're unsatisfied by anything, just say the word to the Royal Guard Commander."

This would be a formal, proper introduction to a formal, potentially long-term employment contract with the Kingdom of Parycia. Ash wanted the gold, and she wanted a stable job.

It's too bad her rotting brain cells tossed out the entire introduction the moment Ash saw the princess. She held her in her arms, once, during the incident at the town of Hilden two weeks ago. The princess would remember too little of the event, mainly because she was most likely drugged. It was by this chance that Ash managed to save the day and fend off her assassins. Royalty took note, and after an interview, she landed this job.

But seeing Annalise with open, conscious eyes, was a lot more different. Ash had a boyfriend once (when she was alive), and would girls with boyfriends think that girls could be that beautiful?

It was at this moment that Ash realised something. A minute had passed, and she had not said anything. With a flustered expression, her brain cobbled together an introduction, but her mouth worked faster.

"I... uh... I... I'm Ash, Your Highness. Your Royal Guard for now. Unless you say no."

Her claws went to her back to adjust her sarashi.

"You'll sag if you don't wear support, Ash." She recalled the voice of a friendly necromantic doctor. And her reply.

"I'm too flat to sag."

Annalise stared wide eyed at her new royal guard. She didn't look like a guard at all. Ash didn't wear the uniform or even the family crest, which unsettled her slightly. There was an air of mystery around this girl, however, that calmed Annalise's nerves.

"Welcome to the worst job in Parycia." Annalise murmured, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder.

Her skin tingled and instantly warmed at the contact. She felt her heartbeat grow rapid and her cheeks flushed a violent red. Annalise pulled her hand back into her body and cradled it against her chest.


"I can be quite a handful, I'll admit..." She grinned, ignoring her sudden change of aura, "But I won't give you too much trouble." Annalise motioned for Ash to join her in her chambers.

"Come keep me company, Ash."

She turned and wandered back into her room, secretly hoping that Ash would follow her. Why wouldn't she? Annalise is the princess after all.

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The cracks in your lips open with the books

With a sigh she kept in her mind, Ash stepped into the room. She knew little of the princess, but hoped she wasn't capricious enough.

Closing the door herself, she quickly glanced around the room. Were there any places to hide in, for a potential assassin. There was the window, covered with what looked like silky, light pink curtains. An assassin could hide in there, but his feet would show.

Ash glanced back to the princess, finally aware of her presence in the midst of all the security evaluations. Clearing her throat, Ash thought of an appropriately polite phrase to address Annalise.

"Understood, Your Highness. If you wish to turn in for the night, I will stand guard."

Annalise fell backwards onto her bed, running her fingers along the satin sheets. Something about Ash fascinated her. The way that she surveyed the room with a stiff back comforted her. She would have to thank her father later for giving her such a gift- someone she felt that she could speak to.

"Please don't go." She murmured, sitting up straight. She admired the way Ash stood with perfect posture and she tried to mimic it. Her father had always got on her about slouching. "It's very rare that father gives me female guards. I mean, the attendants are all girls, but they're afraid of me. Maybe it's because they're afraid of messing up my hair or my dress. I've tried on numerous occasions to speak to them but they just scurry off like timid little mice."

Annalise sighed. She was sleepy but she didn't want to admit it to Ash.

"Tell me about yourself? Where do you come from? I can see what you are... I mean.. you're one of the undead. No offense, but how did you manage to convince my father to get this position?"

Suddenly she recalled a time in Hilden. It was a terrifying moment of her life where she was abducted. The doctors tried a plethora of medicines to calm her but they only affected her memory. Since then, she couldn't remember small details of things from her past. Her father believed they had cured her of her fearful history, when in reality they messed up part of her brain.

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The cracks in your lips open with the books

Ash twiddled her slightly pointy half-elven ears. A habit she kept from when she lived. Elves were a little rare in Parycia, so an undead half-elf was a sight to see.

It's true that there weren't many female guards, but mainly because they didn't really considering the art of combat a career choice. Even Ash had trouble when she was alive. Weaker upper-body strength (compensated by lots of training), and a need to train more simply to keep up with the men. She was kind of glad she was about as tall as the average guy, but the average guy didn't cramp once a month.

Undeath was both a curse and a blessing. Sure, there were the new undead instincts like hunger that created a dampener on her sanity every time she went without food. But she loved the increased strength she received.

Ash took in a deep breath. New undead occasionally suffered from 'Post-Living Habits', a polite term referring to unnecessary habits that hung on even after the transition from life to undeath. Ash often acted like she needed to breathe.

"I'm a local, Your Highness. I came from the village of Timurlane. I'm both undead and half-elf, as you can see." She pointed the slightly pointy end of her ear to Annalise for a moment.

The princess wouldn't remember the incident, anyway. She was mostly unconscious in Hilden, and whatever she remembered would probably be scrubbed out of her mind.

"I was at Hilden, Your Highness. I am not sure if you remember, but I did my best to save you. They hired me based on that."

Ash's mind when back to the time.

It was almost just as dark that day. The only thing she recalled was a lot of slashing. Bodies fell around her, her claws stained with the blood of almost a dozen. She was squatting, and injured. Her guts were on the floor, and she was pretty sure a lung was lying in a corner.

Injured ghouls were hungry ghouls.

But Ash held herself at bay. She even feared opening her mouth, in case it led to a feeding frenzy. The dead were fair game, but there was an unconscious princess beside her.

The most clear thing she recalled was a man. A young man in shining armour. He bent down, and patted her on the head.

"You protected the princess, didn't you?"

Ash recalled nodding.

"I'll take over from here. Don't suppress your instincts like that, it's not healthy." With a genial smile, the man laughed. "Eat in moderation."

The next thing she recalled was letting loose her claws and teeth on the corpse of a dead assassin. Even the bones were gone when she finally snapped out of her feeding frenzy.

Annalise smiled. She had met her fair share of elves in the courtroom with her father, however, most were standing trial for a crime against the humans. She couldn't visualize Ash in the same mindset as the criminals. She seemed more peaceful and dedicated to her work.

The mention of Hilden bothered her slightly. She hated the fact that she couldn't remember. Annalise couldn't even recall being unconscious. She blamed the many doctors and their sickening potions. She felt as though she were a test subject- each potion making her feel some sort of sickness with each trial. She remembered the blood-red vial the most. It caused headaches, cramps, and incessant vomiting.

"I don't remember Hilden." Annalise stated. An obvious end to the subject. "I'm glad you're here, though, and thank you for saving my life." She blushed ever so slightly, "I owe you."

"I believe I've been to Timurlane once. As I recall, it was so beautiful. I wrote a lot of poetry there. Although, my attendants rushed me back to the castle at my father's whim. I believe we went in search for some new herbs for teas. Usually I don't join in those quests, but I begged my father to let me go. He can be quite stubborn sometimes, but I'm his single weakness."

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The cracks in your lips open with the books

"It is a pretty place. My mother and father still live there, and they run a flower shop."

Ash recalled the day her mother found out that Ash became undead. There was a lot of shouting. Vases were thrown. But her mother eventually came around to it, even though she still lamented that she could not have grandchildren.

"I used to do a few flower bouquets when I was still alive. But with my claws now, it's a little troublesome handling them without slicing them apart." Ash giggled. She still did girly things, it seemed. Her friends at the UPU called her the 'undead guy', but she thought she still had some girly traits.

Ash never did poetry. Hell, she only just began learning to read. Nights normally spent sleeping when alive were replaced with reading training.

"I don't read poetry, Your Highness. My reading skills aren't too good, yet."

Annalise smiled again, warmer this time.

"I'd be happy to assist you. I'm a very avid reader myself. I often find myself in my father's library reading his old war books and the," She leaned in closer to Ash, "banned poetry about rebellion and lust. It's beautiful stuff. I even found one about two princesses." She let out an exasperated sigh.

"It was beautiful, really. Made me question my future a little, to be honest with you." Annalise was immediately flustered. She regretting spilling that little bit of information. She had never told anyone before.

"Well," She yawned. "I think I'll be off to bed. Goodnight, Miss Ash."

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The cracks in your lips open with the books

"That... is very considerate, Your Highness." The princess seemed to get a little flustered over some of her own words. A little bit of an unguarded moment, perhaps. Ash tried to smile back, as if what the princess said wasn't something she'd focus on.

"Goodnight, Your Highness." replied Ash.

As the princess turned in, Ash looked into her belongings, plucking out a leather-bound book with a few scratches on it. (She got a little clumsy sometimes.) Undead could see supernaturally in the dark, so she was not restricted by the lack of light.

Her mouth moved as she read, even as no words came out of her mouth. She took in a deep breath every time a word she didn't understand appeared.

"It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of... uh..."

Ash skipped the word over. When dawn broke, Ash must have spent an hour, at least, on words she did not understand. And almost accidentally tore through a few pages on the books with her claws.