NOVEL WEB Chapter 22: Princess of The Stars
"You most likely know already, Elara, but my mother was a dancer from Ithatica. It was there she met the king, my father. He was visiting Ithatica as an envoy and she was there as a performer. The Moonlit Swan, the Ithaticans called her. They say he fell in love with her the moment he watched her dance, just like every other man. But the only difference this time was that she fell back."
Elara nodded. "Yeah, I, um, I read about that. On the author's forum. She made a side story out of it, too, actually. It was called The Starlit Beauty of Ithatica."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "That's what the people of Isyndor called her. It was fitting. Mother hailed from Ithatica, a land where the moonlight is said to shine brighter than anywhere else. Mother often said the goddesses Lunara and Astrielle lived there. She said the very air there tasted like magic.
"Before meeting the king, she traveled all over Ithatica, performing for nobles and commoners alike. People were drawn to her like moths to a flame." He paused, as if caught in a memory. "One night, she happened across an abandoned temple of Astrielle and decided to practice her upcoming routine there. She said it was after her performance was done that Astrielle herself appeared to her."
Elara listened with bated breath, captivated. This was not a part of the novel, which was quickly becoming the norm, but she felt she could almost picture it—a young woman twirling beneath the moonlight at the ruins of a long abandoned temple, her steps echoing across the sands of Ithatica. "What did the goddess say?"
"She said my mother's dancing was the most pleasing thing she'd ever witnessed a mortal do," Caspian murmured, a faraway look in his eyes. "Mother said the goddess reached inside her own chest and blessed her with a gift—a thread of fate that could be woven through time itself."
"Oh, I know of that. Astrielle creates tapestries of people's lives; she has the power to manipulate those threads as she pleases."
Caspian's lips quirked up in one of those small smiles of his again. "I assume it was in the book?"
She shook her head. "It was side information, in the forum. But wow, your mother must have been an amazing dancer for a goddess to come down and give her a Thread of Fate."
"She was," Caspian agreed. The smile drained from his face and Elara knew what was coming. "You know how my mother died?"
"Ah, yes. The books say she was poisoned."
"On the day my mother died, the queen had kicked up some fuss. She often did. She hated my mother for she had won the king's heart and in turn, she punished her and me, the product of their affair, whenever she had the opportunity. This particular day, the king had gone off to inspect the lands, and he wasn't there for Mother to use as a shield to protect us. The queen found some minuscule fault in me, I don't even remember what for now, it was so long ago. She had me taken to the training grounds and flogged."
Elara gasped, and Caspian cut a look at her, almost puzzled as he continued, "I was hurt quite badly. Well, more than quite, it was pretty obvious I was probably going to die. The wounds had started to fester and were growing an infection, but the queen refused to call a healer no matter how much Mother begged. In the end, Mother made the choice to use the Thread of Fate to save my life, but there was a price. A life must be given for a life to be saved, there must be balance. And so, when time had turned back, Mother took a vial of poison and ended her life."
A lump was in Elara's throat and tears were stinging at her eyes.
"On the fifth loop, I entered a temple of Astrielle. I don't remember why I was there, but I do remember coming into some kind of contact with the goddess. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember her mentioning her fondness for my Mother and her sadness over her death. She admired her strength, choosing to save me at the cost of her own life, and said she would honor my Mother's final wish: she would do all in her power to keep me safe. So long as I asked, the power of time would forever be on my side."
They fell into a long silence, the fire crackling between them. Elara wanted to say something, but she didn't know what she should say in a moment like this. She didn't want to say sorry, she'd hated it when people said that to her after her father had died, even if they meant well. So she reached over and placed her hand over his. Startled, he looked down at their hands and gingerly, moving as if she would flee if he made any sudden moves, he placed his other hand over hers.
Finally, Caspian broke it with a soft sigh. "I plan to visit Astrielle's temple tomorrow. I believe she'll help us, transport us to the borders of the capital."
"Do you really think she'll intervene?" Elara asked.
"I believe so. Gods don't break promises."
Elara hesitated, then voiced the question that had been on her mind. "Do you think the blessing is why you've been able to... regress? To live your lives over and over?"
"It's possible. I've considered it. Perhaps it's her way of giving me a chance to change fate, to find the path that eluded me before."
If Astrielle had granted him this power, then the goddess's reach was far greater than anyone could comprehend. She supposed that made sense; a goddess should be able to do mind-bending things. But if that were true... was it the goddess who had brought her here, into this world? Caspian had said the priests of Lunara had performed the ceremony, but when Elara remembered their shocked faces as they looked at her, it was clear there was a bigger hand at play where her arrival was concerned. And who would have such power but Astrielle, Mistress of The Tapestry of Fates, she who lords over stars and time?
After Elara had taken her first bath in a whole day, she dressed in one of the nightdresses left on the bathroom racks. When Caspian was done with his bath he climbed into bed with her and they lay together, side by side, the fire's warmth slowly ebbing away. The night was quiet, save for the gentle rustle of the wind through the leaves. Caspian turned his head, looking at her. "My mother used to sing to me," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "A lullaby from Ithatica. I can still remember the words."
"Will you sing it?" Elara asked, her own voice soft, as if speaking any louder would shatter the fragile peace between them.
He was still for a moment, but then he nodded, closing his eyes. He began to sing, a low, haunting melody that drifted on the wind like a lost prayer:
"A princess weeps in the skies above,
Her tears never reaching the one that she loves.
He waits by the shore, the horizon, the tide,
For a glimpse of her light in the unending sky
"The shadows they danced in weep and sigh,
For they warned her not to give him her heart
Under the dark, starry sky.
"But she gave him her smile, her laughter, her tears,
Ignoring the whispers that spoke of their fears.
A mortal's short life, like a fleeting flame,
Would leave her alone, calling his name.
"The night winds carried their secrets away,
As the stars turned to mist at the break of day.
She kissed his brow with a comet's breath,
A promise of love that would outlast death.
"But the dawn, it was cruel, as it stole him from her side,
Leaving the princess adrift in the sky's endless tide.
She sings her soft sorrow to the moon's gentle gleam,
A lullaby lost to the world of a dream.
"And the man on the shore, he still waits for her call,
In the waves that whisper and the night's velvet thrall.
For though time has passed, and the tides may change,
The love of a star and a man will remain."
Elara's eyes fluttered shut as the song washed over her. Caspian's voice, though low and quiet, was nice to listen to. He carried a tune better than she did. She felt as if she could see the princess of the stars, falling with a man she never should have only for it to end with them parting, yearning for each other for the rest of time.
As she drifted into sleep at the sound of his voice, a final thought crossed her mind—if the goddess of space and time had truly intervened, then perhaps there was truly a chance to help him overcome all of this. Perhaps Astrielle had guided her to Caspian's side for a reason, threading their fates together like the strands of a delicate tapestry.
But before she could think too much about it, sleep claimed her, carrying her away on the gentle strains of Caspian's lullaby.
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"Good morning, my lady," Crisseda greeted, her voice gentle as she laid the dress across the bed. "I thought this color would suit you."
Elara offered her a sleepy smile. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Crisseda."
Once she was dressed, Elara made her way downstairs. The dining hall buzzed with activity; Chirovan, Edris, and several of the other knights were already seated, enjoying their breakfast and engaging in lively conversation. As Elara entered, their voices quieted, and a series of curious glances were exchanged.
Elara took her usual seat at Caspian's side. He poured her tea for her as he did whenever they dined at taverns.
Edris, who was sitting further down the table with the other knights, moved seats to sit right next to Elara. "Miss. Elara, we were all just talking about you."
Elara raised an eyebrow, amused. "Should I be worried?"
"Not at all," said Chirovan, grinning as he came to sit closer. "We're just… curious. About your world. We told the others about the strange things you described, these lads are so curious, they don't know what to do with themselves."
Edris nodded in agreement, his piercing blue eyes gleaming. "Before we were so rudely interrupted, you mentioned you come from a place without magic," he said. "How does that work? How do you live without spells or enchantments? I can't imagine it."
The knights fell silent, all of them watching her now, expectant and curious. Elara felt a small pang of nervousness under the weight of their attention, but Caspian's gaze, though intense, held a flicker of encouragement. He wanted to hear her answer, to understand the place she came from.
"Well," Elara began, grabbing a sunfire plum to keep her hands busy. "It's very different from here. We don't have magic, but we've found other ways to make life easier. We use technology—machines and inventions powered by something we call electricity."
Chirovan tilted his head. "Electricity? What sort of magic is that?"
"It's not magic," she corrected with a small smile. "It's a form of energy. We use it to power lights, heat our homes, and even communicate with each other across great distances."
The knights exchanged looks of wonder. It was funny to think that as fantastical as she found their world, they thought the same of hers. The everyday monotony of her life was something interesting to be spoken of in their eyes.
"What about fires, then?" Edris asked, incredulous. "Surely, you cook. And when the cold months come, surely you need firewood. Does your firewood just burn down easily since it's not enchanted to last a week like ours?"
"No, electricity takes care of that," Elara explained. "Heat travels through the vents in our homes during the cold months, and during the hot months, we have cool air blow through them."
Chirovan whistled, clearly impressed. "Your world sounds like quite the place, Miss. Elara."
Elara smiled at him. "To be honest, I like your world a lot better." She tore into the sunfire plum, easily peeling the bright yellow skin. "Your foods and your customs are so interesting. It's all just so...different. In a good way."
Chirovan grinned back. "In that case, stay and become Grand Duchess." He raised his cup, not minding the flush that came across Elara's face. "Don't you want her as your Grand Duchess, lads."
"Aye," they shouted back loudly.
Caspian sighed, shaking his head. "In the name of the gods, what am I to do with you all?" But she caught the small quirk of his lips as he struggled to fight a smile.
At that moment, Melanova walked in. Melanova's lips curved into a smile, her ink-colored brows shooting up to her hairline. "Good morning, everyone," she said, taking a seat next to Chirovan. "I could hear the lot of you harassing Miss. Elara from my room."