And the Stars Blinked out

A big, wooden cottage was nestled amongst the tall pines and grass stems of a forest. A slim dirt path wound through the forest and into the humble village surrounding the Zosea Empire’s central kingdom, Prin.

Prin was a tall and brooding structure. It was carved into shape from an obsidian stone, sitting on a jutting out plateau of Mount. Galileo. Prin was full of fire and brimstone, flares coming through the dark windows occasionally, metals clashing together in time to an unheard beat.

Back in the cottage, a small boy sat in a small, rickety old bed. Let’s call him Rin. Rin was covered from the cold by a singular blanket, staring out the window at the stars. They were beautiful, silver-sewn masses that dotted the sky. And the moon. It was so big, and so very bright. He wondered if he could curl up into it, and watch from above, as the world carried on.

This was what he’d done for endless days, maybe even months. Every night, Rin would look at the stars for a while, and wonder, as starlight reflected from his hazel eyes and glossed over his dusty white hair with a silvery sheen of light. It made him feel safe, away from the Empire, and its cold, cruel ways. That was, until one night, the stars disappeared. Shadows with wings came from Prin, diving and screeching, a hot orange flickering and dying from their forms.

Rin had cried, then. Screamed and kicked, begging the lady that ran this place to not let them take him away. She had just smiled sadly, soothing the boy before walking away hurriedly. Then they started to come here. Men, and even women too, marched into the cottage, clad in black amour. Dragon scales varying from black to red to gold decorated the amour. Trophies, of a sort. Horned black helmets hid their features, also lined in those metallic colors. Mighty swords were attached to belts among other trinkets, no doubt to be used if none came peacefully. Rin would always hide, even as he knew the consequences. The carer could do nothing to stop the boy, only wait until there were no others left.

*     *     *     *     *     *

This night, like any others, he refused to sleep. Maybe out of hope that the stars would come back, maybe out of fear that they would get to him. “Rin,” The lady would say, “There’s no point anymore… Just go.” Rin would refuse, staring out the window at the Dragons, they were called. Giant, scaly beasts with wings, bloodred eyes, and a gaping mouth that shot out fire like a leaping greatsword. Rin bit his bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “Why did they leave?’ He whispered to no one in particular. “Where did the stars go?”

The carer’s face crumpled as she sat on the small wooden bed next to Rin, wrapping her dark-skinned arm around his shoulder in a shaky embrace. Long locks of black hair cascaded over the lady’s shoulders and eyes, breaking away from the messy bun it’d been in.

“Rin. I’m going to tell you a story, ok?” And, before the boy could object, the lady had started.

“Once Upon A Time, there was a mighty kingdom that ruled a small village hidden in the pine forest surrounding the palace. The kingdom was called the Zosea Dynasty.”

A girl of about 17 came tearing through the halls of a prestigious castle, silky red and gold lined curtains disrupted from their slumbers, puffs of dust rushing to fill the space she’d been. Her dress was simple yet elegant, a white base with swirls of greens and blues and purples. Rose petals of all colors were tangled in her waist-length blonde hair like an unthreaded flower crown, and a few fell out, leading a trail after her. Bare feet met polished marble, cool and clean. The girl was laughing, a melodic sound that mingled with the unheard song of the palace and its people.

“Princess Celine!” A guard of some sort stormed after the girl now known as Celine. Only young, too. Perhaps 18. And a woman, she was. Tall and thin, wearing lightweight amour that consisted of a chest plate, arm and leg protectors. Strawberry blonde bangs cascaded over her face, to which the woman had to constantly brush to the sides. Her name was Lilith.

Celine climbed the stairs at the end of the hallway, jumping into the looming chair on top. Otherwise known as a throne. It was royal red, Flourished and swirls of gold lining its puffy cloth, newly polished and not a wrinkle in sight. Lilith stopped at the foot of the stairs, crossing her arms and glowering. Those in the throne room that weren’t of the royal family must always bow at the foot of the stairs when a Prince, Princess, King or Queen was present in the throne. But Lilith was new, and she was different. That’s why Celine liked her.

“Princess, please come down from there so I can personally drag you by the ear through the whole castle to your father.” Celine just laughed. She loved to mess with Lilith. Not to be mean though, not at all. It was to keep Lilith chasing after her. Because, in truth, the princess was scared. She was scared that she’d turn into the cold and crippled shell her mother was. Lilith was the only one who was different, in a way, to anyone else. Celine liked that.

“Then come and get me.” Celine said simply, a smirk on her face.

Lilith hesitated. “You’re trying to make me lose my job, making me do this.” She muttered under her breath, before stomping up the red carpeted stairs and looming over the princess in her throne. Celine took the young guard’s hand, and they walked down the stairs. Lilith would never actually do anything to hurt the princess, like taking her to her father, who was a very serious man. As they walked, Celine wondered how long it would last. And if maybe, just maybe something magical could happen between them.

*     *     *     *     *     *

“I know nothing could ever work out,” Lilith murmured to the princess, who was sitting with the guard in a grassy clearing, moonlight reflecting in both of their eyes. Celine looked at Lilith expectantly when she stopped. “But… Just this once, could we pretend that…” No more needed to be said after that. Celine just smiled, and leaned closer to Lilith, until their lips locked. It would never happen, not in the real world.

“But tonight, they could pretend all they wanted.” The lady finished, smiling softly. Rin looked confused, and yet there was a small sparkle in his eyes, and they were starting to droop.

“Why did you tell me that story? I’ve never heard it before.”

“Well, that story isn’t very liked by some people, and very few know it. But for me, it’s one of my favorites.” She replied, before continuing, “If you listened closely, you’ll know the other reason I told you that one.” When Rin looked at her to keep going, the lady shook her head and laughed quietly. “It’s because of that last part of the story. Even when they knew that it was very unlikely it would be able to work out between them, the guard and the princess had imagination. They were able to push everything away and pretend that for just one night, it was all ok.”

And then a miracle happened. Rin smiled, and closed his eyes. The lady tucked him in, walked a few meters away to a feeble rocking chair, and sagged down into it in relief. The feeling didn’t last long though. Guilt overcame her. Because that hadn’t been the whole story.

Princess Celine, no, Queen Celine, now a little over 30, was crying. She was in her chambers, curled in on herself as she wept. The Queen was sitting in a plush armchair next to a window in her room that looked over the central courtyard of the palace. It was once a beautiful clearing with grass and flowers, moonlight filtering through the glass roof. Now it was all gone. The only thing resembling it still was the memory Celine held close to her heart. Now a tall, brooding man in a crown that he didn’t deserve stood there with a dozen soldiers and… Something else. They were bigger than normal, maybe about half the height of the man out there, whose royal sapphire blue cape billowed in the wind. Those eggs were of dragons.

It was so long ago this kingdom had been a sanctuary. It was now a stronghold. That man Celine once loved had turned into a bloodthirsty monster. Turning a Dynasty, an Era, into an Empire. And now that man was going to train and meld and unleash a force he didn’t know he could not control. Zosea had been a beautiful place. Prin had been a majestic pillar of peace. Now it was all gone. The day was filled with smoke and shadows. The stars couldn’t be seen from Prin. Celine wondered if she went down to the village, would they be any better. Well, not for long. Soon those blazing beasts would blot them out, and everything would be dark.

Celine dried her eyes, staring out the window further, looking to the village, and wishing she was there, even if it was just for one night.