“You know how this ends, 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦,” Raelyn said, motioning the all too familiar presence of Kieran away.

He only edged closer, and just for a moment, his confident facade fell. Desperation, fear, and desire clawed to the surface of his eyes, and it was as if Raelyn could see his very soul.

And then it was gone.

“It doesn’t 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to end the same. Don’t you think that after centuries of serving this world, 𝘸𝘦 deserve happiness?” Kieran asked, losing the light tone he had before.

“I 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 we deserve happiness— we do. But people do not always get what they deserve. We are not wreaking havoc on the universe, not now, and not ever, just to get what we desire,” Raelyn responded.

Kieran sighed, looking to the cities below him. “The humans can live in an eclipse for a little while. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦. Give me one year of your time, and I swear I will never try again,” He pleaded, stretching his hand out to hers.

She kept her hand firmly at her side, avoiding his touch.

“One year is too long. Perhaps not for us, but to the mortals it is longer. They would think the world was ending,”.

“Let them. Let them have some hysteria. It brings out the true nature of people,” He added, taking Raelyn’s hand when she did not offer it freely.

“It brings out the 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 in people,” She declared, withdrawing her fingers from his after a few seconds. She couldn’t bare for him to touch her. Not when she knew it would only be temporary.

“I don’t 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. I don’t want to do this anymore. The darkness is driving me mad. The constant dreaming, the constant dragging of the dreary moon across the sky. All I want is a little light. Light to guide me for awhile. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 light,” he pleaded.

“For 𝘢𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦. And then you will come back begging once more. There’s been too many incidents. Too many conflicts. You must go. 𝘕𝘰𝘸.” Raelyn ordered, turning away.

“You are trying to get me gone as soon as possible. I can see it. The desire is eating at you too. There is fear in your eyes. Fear that if I stay a second longer, you you will never let me go again. Never let me leave,“ Kieran replied.

Raelyn fell into silence, continuing to drag the sun across the sky, a heavy weight against her back as she did it. She tried to ignore his all consuming presence.

She failed.

“If you do not leave right this instant-“

“You will 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? Mess up the blance of nature by kissing me? …I will wait here forever,” Kieran stated, far too close, and far too loving for Raelyn’s taste.

Raelyn clenched her fists in annoyance at his persistence. “If you truly care about me at all, leave. You know this will only give us both more agony,”.

His eyes fell at that, and as she knew he would, he gave in. The only thing he despised more than their seperation was him hurting her.

“𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺. I will leave if you wish for me to. 𝘉𝘶𝘵... Just for a few seconds… could we…?”. The unfinished question makes Raelyn’s heart ache. Ache to be loved.

Her eyes shut closed, and it took her more willpower to push him away than to drag the sun across the sky.

“Last time, Father was very angry. The mortals started questioning things. The only way we could ever be together again, is if he found people to replace us with. But he refuses to. I am sorry Kieran, you know I am unhappy living like this, but it must be done,”.

Kieran looked away, brused yet again by Raelyn’s rejection. He started to move away, when he stepped too close to Raelyn’s reigns.

“Move!” She shouted, but it was too late. Kieran tripped over Raelyn’s thick rope, that was tied to the sun, and got burned by it’s heat.

He fell to his knees, dropping before Raelyn in agony. He let out a howl of pain, his once tender gaze crushed by fire.

Raelyn fell before him, desperate to save his dying soul.

“I-I’ll bring you to father. He can save you,” Raelyn declared as she leaned over his dying figure.

He grimaced in pain as he looked at the burns all along his body, thankful they were killing him quickly rather than slowly.

“It’s too late, love. I am going to die,”.

“I’m so sorry Kieran. I should’ve told father I didn’t want to do it anymore. I should’ve ran away with you when we were young,”.

“It’s okay,” he breathed, reaching for Raelyn’s hands once again. This time, she took his hands, and leaned down above him.

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and when he did not wince in reply, she brought her lips to his, giving him what he had so desperately wanted.

𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦.

“I love you Kieran. You are all I’ve ever wanted, all I’ve ever known,”.

“I love you too Rae,”.

She bent down again to kiss him as his eyes closed.

The immortal prince was dead. He was gone.

Raelyn leaned back, gasping for air. It was as if the oxygen had fled her lungs, and all the stars had fallen from the sky. It felt as if her heart was on fire, and all the life was being squeezed out of it.

She layed beside her lover, closing her eyes.

She did not open them again.

Far below, the mortals stared up at the sky, awed by the sight of the moon and sun together.

In the Castle of Sinda, Raelyn’s father knocked on Kieran’s bedroom door. “Kieran! I have news! I have found someone to guide the celestial movements! You and Raelyn may stop your duties and stay in the castle together!” The king said cheerily, showing off a toothy smile too bright for the grey stone walls around him.

He had felt horrible keeping the two apart for so long, but he had a responsibility to take care of the mortals. Now, his daughter and her lover could be free.

“Kieran?” He asked, opening the bedroom door. The bed lay vacant, with covers lain messily on the floor.

“Your Majesty! Something has happened! It is dark outside when it is meant to be day! The mortals are asking what’s going on, and I cannot find your daughter,”.

The king turned around in suprise, gaping at the servant before him. His daughter had promised no more eclipses would happen. Her and Kieran would no longer stay in the same place together too long. In the worst of cases, when the two were far too close, the queen called it a midnight kiss.

“Go look for Raelyn-“ the king ordered, but was interrupted by yet another servant running forward.

“Your majesty! It’s your daughter…” The servant trailed off. The king followed the boy to the courtyard, where two figures lay lifeless on the ground.

The king ran forward, letting out a howl of grief when he saw the two broken bodies. Kieran, with brutal burns down his side, and Raelyn, with devastation written across her still features.

“We found them up at the cloud reef… We think Raelyn died from heartbreak syndrome. Kieran must have died from his burns, and it caused too much emotional stress on her-“ The servents began to explain before the crowd gathering.

“Leave. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦,” The king ordered the crowd of civillians and castle hosts, leaning over his only daughter. When the crowd left, he broke into sobs, filled with shame. He should have set them free sooner.

Hours passed by, perhaps days even, and the King still sat by his daughter, grief stuck to him like glue.

A woman with bright blonde curls came to him, her eyes filled with grief too. “Darling… please come inside. You’ve been out here for awhile. I know you are sad… we all are. But I have an idea,”.

The king followed his wife inside, tired from his sobbing. Days passed, months. The new bearer of sun and moon began duty, driving the sun and moon across the sky.

One winter morning, in the bitter cold of January, the King spoke to his kingdom of his grief. “My daughter, bearer of the Sun, was in love with the bearer of the moon. They could not be together due to their responsibilities. To honor their love, we will have eclipses more often. Not once in a millenia, but multiple times a year. The moon and Sun shall never be apart for too long ever again,” The King proclaimed, as his city cheered. Down below their kingdom, the mortals gazed up at the sky, seeing their third eclipse ever.

And they would see many more.