Starlight Reverie

The ice-cold wind bit at Eiran’s face, digging in its nails and tearing through his skin, chilling him to the bone. He stared at his hands, gripping the gleaming, silver-veined marble of the balcony railing. Under the sprawling night sky, his tears splattered against the cool marble like drops of starlight. He had not spoken to the stars since he was a boy. Now, following the death of his best friend, and the last living person in the kingdom of Nightfell, he felt more alone than ever. The stars were all he had left.

Nehrio had been his companion since childhood, following him as he ascended the ranks of the dying kingdom; servant, guard, general, king. The Curse had taken everything from him. His parents, his people, and now, the last remnant of a life he would never have again.

He tilted his face upward, roving his eyes over the expanse of the sky. It was a brilliant violet, the glittering stars filling every edge of its canvas. It was as beautiful as it was haunting. The moon hung high in the sky, spilling its cold light over the dominion of his kingdom. It taunted him, daring him to question its authority.

All the previous rulers of Nightfell had spent their lives believing the moon had cursed them to a life of fleeing from the inevitable. Eiran used to believe they were insane. Now he was not so sure. He, too, had spent his life running from the inevitable— from a life destined for solitude and silence. Yet, no matter how much he ran, the Curse was always there, a hound nipping at his heels, gnashing its teeth in anticipation of sinking them into his flesh. After twenty-six years, it had finally caught him.

The memory of Nehrio’s glass of wine slipping from his grasp and shattering across the floor of their shared dining hall invaded his mind. They had been discussing what the future would look like, the last two people left in a kingdom devoured by the clutches of night. Would they flee in search of a future? Or would they stay and face their impending deaths head-on? They hadn’t been given the chance to decide.

Nehrio had sputtered, clutching at his chest with his right hand. His indigo eyes had glossed over, fading to a cloudy white. The sickness coursing through his veins had caught up with him, consuming him. The dark complexion of his skin paled by a few shades, and his body went cold instantly. He had collapsed into Eiran’s arms. Fear was permanently engraved in his features when he took his last breath. A single, silver tear had slipped from his eye, falling to the floor, and mixing with his spilled wine.

Eiran glared up at the moon, tears streaming down his face.

“Take me too,” he yelled, though there was not a soul left in Nightfell to hear him.

The moon seemed to shine even brighter, mocking him, laughing at him as he fell into the jagged claws of grief. He collapsed to the ground, drawing in on himself, clutching his head in his hands. Sobs raked through his body, his shoulders shuddering under the weight of failing the only person he had left to protect. He hadn’t broken the Curse. He hadn’t saved his kingdom. Every last one of his promises lie shattered like the wine glass Nehrio had dropped.

He also knew the moon wouldn’t take him and lay him to rest with the rest of his people. He had been born after the Moonlight Knights had cursed Nightfell. They had poisoned the kingdom with moondust thirty years ago, injecting it into the land itself. It seeped into the blood of every person in Nightfell, taking over their body until it reached their hearts. Streaking scars of moondust ran rampant throughout the land, snaking their way through the desolate kingdom, seeking to devour anything that came too close.

“I don’t want the rest of this miserable life,” he choked out between rasping, painful sobs, “What do I even have to live for?”

He gave up. The stars would not answer him. They never had before. They chose to sit in the heavens, watching cruelly as his kingdom crumbled into nothing but dust. He once loved them, their warm, twinkling light guiding him through his life. Now, there was nothing but cold, unforgiving resentment between him and the heavens. He lay on his back, watching them as they shifted slowly through the hours. They danced gleefully throughout the sky, likely giggling amongst themselves, reveling in the fact that they did not lead the short, meaningless lives that humans were bound to. The hours passed. Eiran drifted in and out of consciousness. Then, a flash across the sky. A falling star.

How fitting, he mused, they deserve to fall the way my people have.

He ignored the star as it shot across the sky, deeming it unimportant in the midst of his suffering. Until he noticed it seemed to be coming straight for him. He sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. The light grew brighter, a brilliant blue, pulsing as it increased in intensity. It doused the balcony, and the palace, in its glow. He threw an arm over his face, shielding his eyes. Seconds later, a crash resounded throughout the kingdom, shaking the land as if there had been an earthquake.

The desolate, crumbling palace groaned as its foundations strained against the rippling vibrations coursing through the earth. Bits of loose rubble and debris clattered down from the exterior palace walls, rolling in tiny pebbles across the balcony. A blanket of dust coated everything within a mile radius of the palace, stirring violently in the air before settling against any surface it could cling to.

Eiran wiped the dust from his face, spitting out the bits that had ended up in his mouth. He stood, peering over the edge of the balcony. Whatever had just fallen from the heavens had landed right on the steps leading to the palace. He threw open the glass doors behind him, entering his personal chambers. The room was cold and empty, much like the rest of his palace. A four poster bed with a canopy sat pushed against the far wall. A deep blue, threadbare rug covered the old, creaky wood floors. He had a sorry excuse of a wardrobe thrown up on another wall, and a small collection of swords and daggers hanging next to it. He grabbed his sharpest blade, grunting at the weight of it in his hands.

He jogged through the winding corridors, making his way to the first floor. If the Moonlight Knights were attacking again, he would be ready to defend his home. He laughed to himself. He wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t stand the barest whisper of a chance, but he owed it to his people to die an honorable death, one where he would defend their home until his last breath.

When he reached the entrance to the palace, he saw the doors had been blown slightly ajar by the blast. A thin, blue smoke wafted through the gap. In a few places, it burst into sparks. He slipped through the doors, and hesitated at the sight before him.

A woman was standing on the crumbling, charred steps of his palace. Or, at least, what he assumed was a woman. Her skin was a gleaming, powdery blue that faded into silver further down her limbs. Her hair spilled down the entire length of her body in loose, wild, waves, as white as the moon shining above them. Her large, watery eyes were an iridescent silver as well. She looked as if she had fallen from the night sky.

Eiran blinked slowly, his gaze trailing the ruined steps of his palace. Perhaps she had fallen from the sky. He didn’t lower his sword, though he suspected she wasn’t going to bring him harm.

“Who are you?”

She spoke in a language he couldn’t understand, but the tone of her voice was watery and uncertain, as if she had never spoken before.

“I don’t understand.”

The woman huffed, rolling her eyes. A soft glow radiated from her skin, and her feet left the ground. She floated toward him, her hand outstretched, as if she meant to touch him. He backed away from her touch, a bewildered expression taking over his features.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” He cried, dodging more of her attempts to make contact. He swung his sword at her, lazily arcing it in her general vicinity. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, just create some distance. She artfully evaded every slice of his sword, giggling as if this were some sort of game to her. She seemed just as crazy as he apparently was for entertaining her presence in the first place.

After a few moments of the silly back and forth game, she out-paced him, reaching out to press her hand against his forehead before he could try again to stop her. He winced at the heat radiating from her skin. It was polarizing, considering her cool complexion. Eiran waited for something to happen, for his heart to stop, or his lungs to seize up, or darkness to overtake him. She removed her hand after only a few quick seconds, settling back onto the steps before him.

“Iliana.”

He blinked in confusion.

“Iliana… my name.” She spoke to him in an unsure, broken version of his own language. Her voice seemed to echo within itself, but it was still beautifully smooth and pleasant. It had been many days since he’d heard another voice outside of his own.

“Oh, uh… Eiran. I’m Eiran.”

Another giggle, melodic and sweet, as if he were the funniest person she had ever met. Eiran liked the sound of it, though he figured he was likely the only person she’d ever met. They regarded each other for a few long moments. Why was she here? Was she intending to stay? What did she want with him?

“Iliana, where did you come from? How did you get here?”

She beamed, her skin glowing even brighter. Her light seemed connected to her emotions.

“Stars sent me,” she paused, seemingly searching for the right words, “Company.”

He frowned, not knowing if he was understanding her properly.

“The stars sent you to keep me company?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s nobody else.”

Eiran’s gaze flicked up to the night sky. Had they heard him? Were they truly listening, even to the desires that never left the confines of his heart? He smiled, partially in disbelief and partially in amusement. They could have listened to him this whole time, he’d been speaking to them since he was a boy. Why start now?

“So… You’re a star?”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

Truthfully, he was reeling, but he didn’t want to risk his astonishment offending her by mistake. Instead, he reached out his hand, hoping she would take it. He had nothing to offer the peculiar creature before him. There were no people to meet, no livelihoods she might revel in. There was nothing of interest left in Nightfell. However, they could tour the palace— or what was left of it.

“Do you want to see the palace?”

She shook her head, taking his hand and allowing him to guide them up the steps and through the doors. He risked occasional glances at her feet, ones that never managed to touch the ground as they moved throughout the palace. He kept his bewilderment to himself.

“What’s it like? Being a star?”

For the first time since he had met her, Iliana frowned. He hadn’t been sure she was capable of such an expression. Her glittering aura dimmed and she worried that he had upset her.

“Is it bad?”

She shook her head no. “Boring.”

“How could it possibly be boring to be a star?”

Most of the people Eiran used to know would have given anything to have that kind of intrigue in their own lives.

“Princesses don’t get freedom.”

Oh. The stars had royal families? That was an interesting concept to him. He had never truly entertained the idea of stars being people, though he had never entirely believed they were simply lights to decorate the darkness of the night sky, either.

Eiran took her on a tour of the first floor, explaining what all the dark, empty rooms used to be used for. She listened intently, interrupting every so often to comment or ask a question. When they came across the ballroom his heart ached in his chest. There were cracks in the marbled floor, cobwebs strung in lattice-like patterns between each of the stone pillars circling the dance floor. The stairs winding up the corners had steps that were shattered in some places.

He remembered how warm and full of life this room used to be, back when it served an actual purpose. Now, it was as cold and lifeless as the rest of Nightfell. He saw no reason to stay, there was nothing to see, but Iliana floated to the center, lowering herself until her feet were firm on the floor. She held her hand out to him this time.

“Dance?”

“You like to dance?”

“Yes. No chances at home.”

He felt for the princess. He understood how suffocating and lonely it truly was to be royalty. The perks of it rarely outweighed the consequences, he had learned.

“We can fix that,” he chuckled, accepting the hand he had been offered.

He intertwined his left hand with her right one, and hovered his right hand over the small of her back. Before she placed her free hand on his shoulder, she closed it into a fist. He watched as a tiny, twinkling light emitted from the gaps. When she opened her hand, a small ball of blue light was resting on her palm. She threw it into the air above them and it burst into hundreds of the same orbs of light.

“That’s amazing,” Eiran mumbled.

“Not all,” a proud smirk replaced her signature smile.

The lights began to vibrate, a soft hum emitting from them. Each one had a slightly different tone, and together, they created a soft melody for them to dance to. Eiran stared back at her, entirely amazed by the woman before him. She was undeniably incredible, and he suspected she had only revealed the smallest pieces of her abilities.

She nudged him, breaking him out of his stupor. He shook his head as if it were going to chase away all the questions tumbling around in his hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and slowly they began to sway along to the music.

At first they stepped in slow circles, something akin to a waltz. When Iliana changed the music from the tiny stars to be something faster and more exhilarating, their dance changed as well. At one point, she sprinkled stardust over Eiran’s head, and his feet came off the ground in time with hers. She spun away from him, laughing gleefully, and he pulled her back into his chest. She flew away from him, at one point, making her chase him through the room. She glided through the air as if it was second nature, and he clumsily staggered after her.

They ducked and dove, bobbed and weaved around the pillars. They did full turns in the air, laughing until their stomachs hurt and tears pooled in their eyes. The sky outside the palace had begun to lighten, they had been dancing for hours. Slowly, they descended, standing in the center of the ballroom once more.

Eiran was smiling so widely it hurt. Pure, unadulterated joy sat comfortably in his chest. He had not been happy in a long time. This strange girl from the stars was nothing short of a blessing in his eyes. The faintest of pinks began to filter through the windows. The sun was rising. Panic flitted across Iliana’s face.

“You have to go, I presume?”

“Yes! Quickly.” She was tugging at his hand, already beginning to levitate, trying to escape back to the stars before they left her behind in the light of day.

“Will you come back?”

Eiran had never hated the thought of loneliness more than he did now. There were many times he had wished to not be trapped in the light of day himself.

“Of course,” she stuck her little finger out in a promise and he wrapped his own around hers. When he released her fingers she leaned in, pressing an innocent kiss to his cheek. With that as her farewell, Iliana zipped up toward the towering ceiling of the ballroom, and just when Eiran thought she was going to crash into it, she dissappeared, leaving only a shower of stardust and sparks behind. The humming stars vanished, one by one, until Eiran was left in the darkness he was most familiar with.

He smiled to himself as he sluggishly trekked the stairs to his chambers on the second floor, humming the tune Iliana had played for them. He hadn’t planned on seeing the sun rise and set another time, but now he looked forward to it. And when he crashed into the cerulean sheets of his bed, he found himself dreaming of the next time he’d see his new favorite star.