Chapter 1

The young lady in the white sundress burrowed her feet in the sand as she sensed the coarse, sharp soil shifting its temperature when she tunneled deeper within. With every movement she adjusts, the water comes with a jolt of coldness. While her raven hair flies in the air, the strands of her hair wisp in front of her vision. When the sun hits her hair, shades of purple pop out. Using one hand, she firmly grasps her hat; she turns and examines the birds conversing in the air, the water dancing with the sunlight, and the creatures living in the ocean.

Warmth.

That is the delight she adores when he is near. The devotion and loyalty he resonates with every little moment they spend together. There is so much doubt and malice circling her life. Sometimes, she cannot breathe the thick air of negativity oozing through the palace walls nowadays; he is her new air to live.

It was pleasant, with a certain glow in the blend.

Accompanying the sun as it kisses the skin when evening arrives for the moon to climb, it never appeared as alluring for just that brief time. The current was peaceful, and the white sand felt tender as they walked along the shore. The sweet breeze of the sky dissolved the weight they'd been carrying. It was the most fitting day where there were no expectations for worse to come that was peaking nor the drops of showers in the sky. It is just here, and now that was important to them.

For him, she is a shard in his life that he can not imagine living without. Living within the darkness is all he knows; the people in his life have cursed him for even existing. When he thought that life was just a shroud of coldness, she came along. The complexity of being she is, to have the amount of optimism and hope with what is happening intrigues him.

The smile only she can revel in gives her a sense of specialty.

While he sees her true self, having the space to breathe out of the suffocation of who they are, it is all he can ask for the lady he treasures.

This place was discovered amongst themselves that had yet to be found by the mainland. Between them, this little island of light vegetation and others was perfect for eliminating the world's worries and being the beating heart of who they were. They are genuinely two individuals who desire to relish one another's company, nothing more for now.

The moon and stars appeared in the sky while they gained warmth around the campfire. The air formed to have a cool breeze. There was a brief silence among them as he was maintaining the fire. He instinctively placed his cloak on top of her shoulders. She was beside him, grasping the blanket around her while gazing as the wood popped and cracked. They can only hear the branches from the palm and trees dancing in the wind, nothing more.

"Do you think we will ever have a chance?" She clenches her shoulders, gritting her teeth. Her posture becomes stiffer as she ponders the storm of thoughts that is storming in her mind. Her gaze did not move away from the fire.

"In what way?" He continued to move the logs. He suspects the topic that has been troubling her for the past few days. She has become too obsessed with finding out a solution.

"With the strange attacks on our kingdom, the disappearances of our citizens, and this… new party that has been gaining recognition to the wrong masses! Do you think this "simple skirmish," as my father described, will lead to something more? I can't help but disagree with my father that something is wrong. I do not even want to dare to think of this escalation. We have been living in peace for centuries. However, with these recent activities, "She burrows her face within the cloak; fear and anxiousness dwell within her eyes.

"Are you implying a war?"

"I am afraid even to think this… but all the events start adding up. Even though my father is not saying so out loud, from where we stand, there is no negotiation with the Chevrots, who use only force. We have ignored them for long enough, and the people are suffering. Even the opposing organization, the Azureal Council, presses us to declare war on the Chevrots. I do not want us to play whatever scheme they are playing. I have a foul feeling about this."

"Where's that positiveness that you always carry?', he leans closer to hug her. He tries to comfort and ease the pent-up feelings she might be feeling right now.

"You will feel better if you let it out. I can see the dams in your eyes can not hold any longer. I'm here to lend an ear."

She starts to tear up. He caresses her head while he lets her vent everything out of her. It pains him to see her suffering silently.

"It is complicated to smile at everyone, you know. How can you "uplift the citizens and others" if you are not feeling so? This moment in history was supposed to be our time. When we had the engagement ceremony, it all went downhill from there, my love. My mother is ill nowadays, and I can't grasp my father's attention anymore. The advisor that my father has always clung to him like a leech seemed to separate my time from my father. I try to give my opinions to help the kingdom better and alleviate my father's troubles, but that advisor stops me. The unnerving advisor makes me uncomfortable with how he examines me. He treats me like one of his experiments, like those butterflies on his walls." She attempts to wipe some tears off her face.

"I may know the rat living within our walls." She looks up at him with decisiveness in her eyes.

The one thing he knows about her is that she always tries to solve problems independently, a bad habit she must eliminate. He can not remember how often he had to save her from stretching to solve a problem alone. He understands that she does not want to get anybody hurt, but it pains him to see her coming back with bruises and cuts or, worse, her life on the line.

"Don't you dare do whatever plan that is scheming in that pretty head of yours and go on your own? I told you that we do this together, remember?" He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away to lock eyes with hers. He had a stern tone in his voice. He made sure to have direct eye contact with her to imply that he was not playing and this was not a game. She knew they had promised to do things together, but this time, it would risk everything, and she didn't want him to be involved. He worked hard to get where he needed to stand next to her. She doesn't want him to risk anymore. To alleviate the atmosphere, she tries to shed light on the topic.

"YES, yes, nanny." She replied in the off-tone voice of a pompous aristocrat.

"I will hold you by the hand, skip along the alley, and tell the big, crude boss to stop his evil-doing, give him a smack in the head, and go home." She mockingly replied and smiled at him. He was not amused by what she was trying to do. Damn, she thought that she could maybe lighten the mood a bit. She leaned in to kiss him on the lips passionately. He flushed like a spring tomato. She loves that shade of red on him. It matches well with his ebony hair. The campfire light sheds a beautiful highlight on his coat. They leaned their foreheads on one another. They stared at each other for a moment.

"I will be careful, my love. I want this to be over." She caresses his cheek softly.

"I want you to be alright. You are the only one that keeps me sane in this god-forsaken world. My dear, I don't know who I will be if you leave me behind." She can see the ache in his onyx eyes.

Abruptly, a flash of light passed through her side vision in the sky. She grabbed his attention to look up. She told him to keep gazing at the sky. She wants to ensure that her eyes are not playing tricks on her.

Then, another one passed by. Her violet eyes glistened to find out that a meteor shower was commencing.

"Oh, my word! Would you look at that?! We shouldn't miss this, my love!" With delight, she screamed.

"The last one is a rotten egg!" She pushed him in the sand as she tried to get a head start.

She yelled that she wouldn't forgive him if he didn't catch up to her.

"I'll meet you in the skies!"

She ran towards the highest cliff on the island, giggling on the way there; she did not care that her hat flew away and her cloak dragged her down. He was baffled by the sudden sprint, but he followed her nonetheless.

When he arrived at her destination, she was already gazing at the cliff's edge at the fallen stars. He was trying to catch his breath while she hummed and rocked her legs back and forth at the cliff's edge. She felt his presence behind her.

"Do you believe our lives are like those stars? In this life, we are destined to shine as brilliantly as possible, only to have ourselves fall suddenly. My mother once told me a story where the stars were the souls who had placed themselves in the sky to rest. When we see them fall, they are taking a glimpse of their loved ones from below. What a lovely sight indeed."

He accompanied her to the edge of the cliff. He can't help but become mesmerized by the loveliness he is seeing. The light emanating from the falling stars glistens at the magnificence that she already is. She senses his stare, and she gives him a soft smile. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Her hums transitioned into words.

"Even though separate~" She sang.

"Our love will keep us as one~" He followed, staring at the stars. He gravitates his view at her.

"I am here with you~" She looks at him.

"And you're here with me~" He is enchanted, gazing at her singing. He stood up and asked for her hand. While she accepted, the two began to waltz unhurriedly. They were both humming to the rhythm of their tune.

"The Stars have guided me here~" She grinned at the shooting stars.

"You're my Sun who shines my dear presence~" He smiles at her and leans in for an embrace. She places her head on his chest.

"And I'm the Moon who calms your life~."

"I wish that you and I would come together~."

"By fate, we are one~" They sang in unison. She sheds a single tear. She clings tightly as the stars begin to fade.

The last star fell in the sky. It is said within legends that if you sing this song with the one you love under the eyes of the fallen stars, you will bring forth forever life together. The stars are the ancient ones powerful enough to foresee the truth behind one's heart. One cannot lie underneath the stars.