The Moon Ring

Chapter 1

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A single sliver of silver moonlight shone between the cracks of a tattered old roof of a derelict house in the middle of an ancient forest.  The dilapidated building hadn’t had a visitor in many a year and if some poor lost soul had happened to wander by it, they would never have guessed the significance it held in the world.

Within the room that could have once been known as the living room were many loose floorboards, but beneath one of them was a crudely carved box that the long dead occupants had never discovered.

Not a single being still alive knew of the existence of that box.  No-one knew that while it was unskilfully constructed and completely unremarkable on the outside, on the inside it was lined with plush, maroon velvet cushions.  Nobody knew that sitting daintily within the box was a ring.  A ring that many thought long lost.

It wasn’t extremely remarkable on its own.  It was shaped like a rounded diamond, and instead of being a solid piece, was made up of twelve smaller shapes, made out of pure silver, three at each point, and all impregnated with a miniscule diamond.  They all surrounded a large, perfectly carved moonstone and were enclosed by another band holding twenty-four more diamonds.  Anyone could have easily guessed its worth if they ever managed to stumble upon it, but very few would recognise its true value, would be able to identify it as the long sought after Moon Ring

The Moon Ring was commissioned by a young Elf named Xenon, the crown prince of Ashlenair, millennia before, for him to present to his beloved on the night of his wedding proposal.  The moonstone was said to have been gifted by the Moon Goddess herself after he freed a few of her captured children – Undines – from a group of Dwarven hunters.  He apparently refused the gift at first as, seeing as though Dwarves were Elves’ mortal enemies, it was gift enough to slay them, but she had insisted.  When the ring was made, he insisted it was made out of pure silver, in reverence to the Moon Goddess.

Xenon and his bride, who wore her ring proudly, ruled Ashlenair for many years and Xenon was considered Ashlenair’s greatest king, and when his heir took the throne, the Moon Ring was passed on to the next generation.

The Moon Ring remained in Xenon’s bloodline for centuries, becoming a symbol of hope and honour, and every succeeding king whose bride wore the treasure was hailed just as great as Xenon himself.  Twelve generations down, however, the crown prince, Calsim, took a woman by the name of Sarhess as his bride.  Sarhess was considered to be the most beautiful woman in all of Ashlenair, but because of that she was very prideful and arrogant.  She lied and cheated her way into Caslim’s heart, even after they were married she played the part of the perfect bride while strutting around the palace, abusing her power as queen and boasting of her precious Moon Ring behind his back.

Word of the Moon Ring eventually spread.  What was once held a reverential secret amongst the Elves became known to the other races, and soon, news of the Moon Ring reached the Goblins.

The Goblins were known for their greed and violence; unlike all the other races, which lived together in harmony, the Goblins fought amongst themselves and therefore never lived in gangs bigger than seven or eight.  Many a village had been ransacked by a gang of Goblins for their riches, so when they heard of this priceless treasure they banded together and headed east from their home in Dead Forest and raided the Elven Castle.

They killed everyone they came into contact with and eventually four of them surrounded Calsim and Sarhess’s bed.  Two held daggers to Calsim, a third held a short sword to Sarhess’s throat while the fourth fought to free the Moon Ring.  Sarhess had clenched her hand into a fist as soon as she had realised what was happening and, despite the countless threats the Goblins threw at her, refused to relinquish her hold on her most prized possession.