Midnight Station - Part 01: Twilight faces the Dark Martial March

by Khampostel

Epilogue - Dana from Cunabula

A dense fog enveloped the horizon that morning, spreading a gray veil over the landscape. From the balcony of the majestic royal castle of Cunabula, King Dal observed the scene with sorrow. Although the fog did not surprise him, given the season, a part of him had hoped for a brighter morning.

"Where do you hide, great sun? Why do you abandon us?" whispered the King bitterly as he watched how the darkness of the fog spread over the great city unfolding beneath his feet. Those same shadows evoked the danger lurking over the kingdom.

Cunabula was facing the greatest threat to have emerged in the past thousand years.

The change...

Midnight had descended upon Cunabula. The kingdom he had inherited from his father lay dying, and there was nothing Dal could do to stop the impending end.

The thousand years of peace that had characterized the kingdom would come to an end with the last breath of that day. At dawn, there would be no more king to rule, no constitution to follow, and above all, no more Tree of Harmony to protect them.

"The sunset of my kingdom... the end of Cunabula..." murmured Dal. Although he still wore the crown, at that moment, he felt as desolate as any other inhabitant of the kingdom. A part of him longed to set aside the mask of security he always showed to his subjects; he simply wished to sit down and allow himself to cry...

Just as sadness began to cloud his eyes, a voice resonated from the room behind him.

"Your Majesty, Primado Dana has arrived at your quarters and wishes to meet with you," announced a maid reverently.

"Yes, of course. Have her wait in the hall; I will receive her immediately," replied Dal without turning around. Once the maid had left, Dal took a nearby towel and wiped his tired face. After a moment of vigorously rubbing his face, he let out a deep exhale, releasing the accumulated tension.

As he removed the towel, Dal became King Dal once again, sovereign of Cunabula.

With renewed calm, King Dal returned to his quarters. The newly arrived guest represented all the hope he needed in his heart.

---

Dana waited impatiently in the room for the arrival of King Dal. The space, usually reserved for the monarch's breakfasts with other prominent members of Cunabula's society, took on a different air at that moment. Although the meetings typically had a purely ceremonial nature, without sentimental connotations, that day promised to be different.

She had not come that morning to discuss matters with the King of Cunabula but to meet with her brother.

Soon, the figure of an elderly leoponi revealed itself on the other side of the room. His mane, marked by red and orange lines, evidenced the shades he would have worn in his youth. His proud demeanor was enhanced by a sky-blue cloak with white edges, adorned with a beautiful brooch in the shape of the sun and the moon. Resting on his head was a crown of golden leaves.

On other occasions, the guest would have bowed to the king, but that formality would have been excessive for the intense feelings of young Dana.

"DAL!" exclaimed Dana excitedly, approaching her brother and leaning on him affectionately.

"Dana, please, if sleep hasn't taken me down, you will," Dal replied joyfully upon receiving his sister.

"Don't joke like that, brother. Have you managed to rest?"

"Not much, just an hour."

"I'm so sorry. Perhaps I should have come later."

"Not at all, little sister. I've had tougher days. What really worries me is that my advisors haven't slept more than I have."

"Knowing them, they're probably still in bed."

"I hope not," replied Dal with a fresh laugh, although inside he harbored genuine concern. The day had barely begun, and without his advisors, he didn't feel capable of facing it.

"Let's go, brother, let's have breakfast before the morning comes to an end."

"Yes, sounds good."

Both headed to the spacious table in the room, where a delicious breakfast awaited. The table was stocked with all kinds of food, like cherry blossoms with honey, sea nuts, and crispy centipede cookies. But none of those delights caught the attention of King Dal, who only had eyes for his young sister.

Leaving his crown aside, he took a seat while Dana elegantly served him eucalyptus tea and talked to him about various trivial matters. Dal began to recall several good moments from the past when she was younger and their father was still alive.

"Sister!" Dana spoke forcefully, pulling Dal out of his nostalgia.

"Oh, Dana, sorry, I'm still a bit sleepy this morning. You, on the other hand, have you been able to sleep?"

"Well, I have no problem with sleep. I'm a Primado, remember?"

"Oh, right, the training," Dal said, distractedly and asking without thinking. The Primados, members of the Cunabula temple, had special training that allowed them to conserve energy and remain without fatigue for several consecutive days. Dana, being one of the most relevant among all the Primados in the kingdom, undoubtedly possessed those qualities.

Dal then remembered those days when his sister trained, and he just wasted time on his excursions into the dream world.

A bitter expression appeared on Dal's face, and his sister noticed it. But before Dana could ask, he began to speak.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you during those days."

"Dal, it's okay, we've already discussed it. I don't hold any grudge against you for that."

"It's not about that. As your older brother, I should have been there for your graduation, but I wasn't. Nor was I there for our father when he needed me the most. I feel like I've failed the family many times, especially you," Dal responded bitterly.

Dana left her seat and approached her brother, taking him by the hooves as sadness began to overtake him.

"I've failed as a brother, I've also failed as a king," Dal spoke intensely as his eyes reddened.

"That's not true, Dal. You've given a lot to the kingdom and to me."

"You were so young, I should have—"

"I wasn't that young, brother, I wasn't a child. I could take care of myself pretty well back then, and I still can now," Dana said, embracing her brother. The warmth emanating from her calmed Dal's pained heart; it was a balm of peace in that moment of anguish. Dal gradually calmed down.

After an emotional interval of silence, Dana stepped away from her brother. She had appeared serene before, but now she had a more serious expression on her face.

"We will overcome this crisis, brother. You are strong, and no matter what happens, you will always be a king to me," Dana spoke firmly.

Upon hearing these words of encouragement, Dal regained some of his confidence. His sister always gave him the strength to carry on.

"Yes, that's true. We can't give up so easily. There is still much to do," Dal said after wiping his face with a towel. Although he was still tired, his eyes now shone with a brighter light. Dana felt relieved to see this change.

"That's right, brother. Also, there's something I wanted to share with you..."

Then, interrupting that moment, someone knocked on the door, surprising Dana and Dal. While the maid greeted the guest, Dana immediately returned to her seat, and the king placed the crown of golden leaves on his head.

"Excuse the interruption, my King, but the Grand Chancellor Mashal is here and wishes to speak with your majesty immediately," announced the maid.

"Does the chancellor also intend to deprive my brother of his rest?" Dana responded annoyed.

"No. It's okay, Dana. I can imagine why the newly appointed Grand Chancellor Mashal is so eager to see me..."

"Brother..." Dana responded, concerned.

"Don't worry, Dana," Dal repeated to his sister. Then he turned back to the maid, "Yes, that's fine. The Grand Chancellor may come in."

A moment later, the doors of the grand hall opened, and there stood Grand Chancellor Mashal, wearing his characteristic turban, accompanied by a small group of his supporters. Without waiting for the doors to fully open, that group of individuals, with Mashal at the forefront, entered the hall with a solemn but proud step.

"Greetings, King Dal, Primado Dana. First of all, I apologize for interrupting your very pleasant meeting, however, given the extraordinary situation our kingdom is facing, I am compelled to perform these rather rude acts. I hope you forgive me," said Mashal as he reached the table. Dana noticed that Mashal still addressed her brother as King, probably because they were still in a transition...

"I understand, Grand Chancellor Mashal. I forgive you. Now, tell me, what is the matter that brings you here so early?"

"It's about the current state of the members of the Order of Chivalry. As you know, your majesty, my authority over them has already been announced; however, many have sent me letters expressing their doubts about this transfer of power. I require your advice to reconcile these disagreements."

"If that's the case... you have my support, Grand Chancellor," replied King Dal, sounding weary.

"I appreciate it, your majesty," responded Mashal with a bow.

Dana, who remained on the sidelines of the conversation, did not view Mashal favorably. She did not know him personally because she was always busy with temple duties or missions abroad, so she would hardly have had time to establish a relationship with any council member. Moreover, there was the fact that the Grand Patriarch had asked her to stay away from those matters.

"Oh, right, Primado Dana," said Mashal, turning to her. "The temple members have informed me that they are having trouble activating the kingdom's magic storage prisms. I consider that they will require your talent to successfully carry out this important task."

"Yes, I am aware of that," replied Dana coldly to Mashal. Then she turned to her brother, "Your majesty, if you allow me to retire now."

"Yes, that's fine, Primado Dana. I permit you, but before that, I must thank you for the time you have spent accompanying this ordinary citizen during this dark morning," Dal said with a bright smile.

"I am just fulfilling my duty to care for the kingdom's citizens," Dana replied, also with a smile, understanding her brother's joke.

"That's true," the king replied, still cheerful, but his gaze soon changed to a more serious one. "Now, go fulfill your duty. Cunabula is counting on you."

"Thank you very much, your majesty," Dana replied, bid farewell to Mashal, and immediately left the room.

---

With the doors closed and Dana gone, the old King turned his gaze towards the guest who had just taken a seat.

"Stay away from my sister, Mashal. I won't tolerate you taking advantage of her," said King Dal with a highly severe look.

"Don't worry, your majesty. I have no intention of doing anything of the sort... for the moment," Mashal responded with a calm demeanor before taking a sip of tea. Behind Mashal, his companions began to clear a table and take out several sheets of documents.

---

At the top of one of the watchtowers, far from the royal chambers, Dana gazed at the gray atmosphere that covered the entire island that morning.

"Don't worry, brother. I'll find Danu and the rest of the knights. We'll change the destiny..." Dana murmured hopefully before launching herself towards the clouds. In the midst of her descent, golden wings emerged from her sides, along with a brilliant horn on her forehead.

Determined not to continue hiding, Dana soared through the skies, descending towards the great city that stretched beneath her, a city that now, more than ever, needed her.