It was a beautiful clear night. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were shining brightly. Below the sky was one of the most beautiful islands, an island with a great and loving King with a beautiful, intelligent Queen at his side. They had two beautiful children, one son and one daughter. During the day you could see the most beautiful green grass for miles, along with the tress and a beautiful variety of flowers that covered the land. The mountains seemed like they could reach the sky which was as blue and clear as the water that surrounded the island.  

During the night the island was totally calm as was the water and the sky above was so clear, if you had the time you could look up and count the millions beyond millions of stars. In the beautiful and wonderful kingdom the people were happy and they had peaceful times; this would seem to be an island of dreams for many people of Greece, of the world who sought a refuge like this every day, whether it be a place or in their minds. This island of dreams was called Ithaca and it was as real as the sun that rose every morning and set every evening. The King was named Julian and he had been king for as long as the people could remember; his Queen was named Marguerite and she was a beautiful, wise Queen who stood by her husband’s side and shared as much as she could in his burdens.  

Their two children; the oldest named Ulysses and the youngest named Camilla who was 16, both bright and strong in their own right, but only one would be called to rule when King Julian died or stepped down. Ulysses was a handsome young man at the age of 20, yet he seemed to be wise beyond his years. He was a strong young man; he was the best at the academy on Ithaca when it came to training and when it came to his studies. He was the type of man a father would be proud to call his son and King Julian was indeed proud, but Ulysses seemed to be a restless soul. It was on one of those clear nights that Ulysses sat on the railing of his balcony to his room and looked down at the kingdom that was just falling asleep. He let out a breath as he looked over the city then out at the island; he closed his eyes and let the breeze blow over his face and hair.