Her room was a time capsule of their lives together. They had chosen the red couch in the corner a couple of years back so that it would match the color in Terra’s room. The rumpled blankets spoke of their last sleepover together - a tradition that had been going on since they were children. The palace staff was never shocked to see Terra in Celeste’s room when they came to stoke the fire. They spent hours gossiping while cross-legged on the floor. The stuffed bear resting on her desk was a gift Terra had gotten her for one of the first birthdays they had spent together. Its faded colors and missing eye spoke of how many times it had laid within Celeste’s arms.
Yet this night would be the end of that symbiotic relationship. Soon, she was to meet her future husband, the prince of the moon. Their union would ensure a favorable relationship between the Earth and the skies. It was a role Celeste had been preparing her for since her youth. She was taught their customs and mannerisms. Their history and legends. Her mother molded her like a master artisan. Celeste took to her studies well. Devouring each document and novel handed to her like a starving man. The fascinating world she was to step into occupied her mind constantly.
The moon was high in the sky in the hours before the prince was to arrive. It would be the last time she would have to look up to see its brilliance. However, on that fateful night, she realized there was one thing her mother had not prepared her for. After all, not even the masters are perfect. There was one detail of their union that had been lauded as the greatest gift to be bestowed upon the young woman. The people of the moon were immortal. As a bride, Celeste would attain that longevity. It was the thing of legends. Though, to Celeste, the thought of it was like poison working its way to her heart.
She wanted to cry. To kick. To scream. She could feel the phantom sensations of bloody nails and a scratchy voice. The battle wounds of an alternate version of herself, willing to wade through an hourglass and take on time itself. Still, she sat demurely in her seat as Terra prepared her to meet her prince. A white dress. Glittering jewels. A small girl in a large room. For a woman who would live forever, she certainly felt like she was drowning.
“Are you ready?” Terra's voice pulled her out of the water.
“I should be.”
Terra tossed her a look over her shoulder as she pulled a string of pearls from an ornate jewelry box. The small beads clattered together as they swung. Celeste sighed and fiddled with her fingers. She shuffled slightly as Terra started working the pearls through twists of brown hair. Her eyes closed as she listened to Terra chatter on. Her voice was a soothing rhythm that was as familiar as Celeste’s own heartbeat.
How many times had they been in this position before? Young girls braiding each other’s hair, laughing at the top of their lungs as they vibrated with energy. They’d laugh until their sides hurt, marveling at their creations until they would fall asleep curled around each other. It already seemed so long ago and yet in the scheme of the life Celeste was to inherit, those warm memories would one day be ancient history. Human memory is incredibly fragile. She knew that she never wanted to forget Terra’s laugh or the way her eyes would sparkle. She wanted to remember all the times her friend would come barging into her room and flop onto the bed. Everything about her was precious to Celeste, and she knew that in time she would have to live without her.
She blinked back to herself as she realized Terra’s voice had faded away. Celeste looked at the vanity mirror to see the young woman’s hands were frozen in her hair. A thin ribbon hung loosely in her grip, but her eyes were also focused on their joint reflection. The bright face Celeste knew was pulled into a wobbly smile as their eyes met. For a minute, there was only silence as they stared at each other, their breaths syncing as they watched each other. Maybe both of them were imagining their younger selves - Terra bouncing on her knees as Celeste reported all she learned that day. Perhaps they were thinking of the future average friends would have - wrinkles women reminiscing about their youth. Maybe their brains were focused on this night - creating walls around it to protect it from decay. All that mattered was that at that moment they were of one mind.
Slowly, Celeste reached her hand behind her head to grasp Terra’s. She took a deep breath, her nose filling with the lavender scent wafting from the perfume bottles. Her voice broke as she whispered, “I’m going to miss you.”
“I know.” Terra tried to laugh, but the sound was warbled and thin. She looked like a puppy who had just left its mother, wide-eyed and oh-so-dear.
“I’ll do my best to remember you.” Celeste put all she could into the words, and although they were shaky, the sentiment was firm.
“I know.”
Terra moved to squeeze Celeste’s hand. As always, she twinged at the ever-present chill of Celeste’s hands. They seemed to remain cold no matter the situation, as if in defiance of their humid climate. Her smile became a hair brighter.
The two girls sat there for a moment, gaining strength through being by the other’s side. Still, eventually, Terra pulled away and continued working on Celeste’s hair. Silence reigned after that, only broken occasionally by a sniffle or a shaky breath.
Both of them focused on the familiarity of the movements and allowed themselves to be swept away by the flow of time. Terra’s black shoes tapped across the ground as she moved around her friend. The pattern was never consistent. The rhythm changed as Terra hopped from foot to foot, twisting and turning. She was always in motion. Her puffy green dress bounced around her as if it was a fluffy cloud. She was like a dandelion, floating from place to place, twisting and turning at the wind’s behest.
Celeste was draped in jewels, minutes from meeting her betrothed, yet she could only stare at her best friend's face. If her mother could read her mind, she would scold her for lacking focus. Normally that would matter to her. Today, though, she had other priorities.
So, as her hair was twisted into fashionable braids and glittering powders were patted into her skin, she memorized every inch of Terra’s face. Honey-colored curly hair that framed her head like a halo. Those shining brown eyes. The way she seemed to quiver with unspent energy. The freckles that dotted her entire form like snowflakes in winter. Everything that Celeste had come to cherish over their years as confidants. Pieces of her friend that she would hold dear long after Terra’s death.
The somber trance only broke when a knock at the door was heard. The hollow sound seemed all the louder in the silent room. “Come in,” Celeste said as she hurriedly wiped at her eyes. Her long sleeves fluttered with the movement.
A footman pushed open the wooden door and bowed. His long blue coat wrinkled as he moved. “He’s here, my lady.”
“Alright, I will be out in a minute.” The footman nodded and closed the door. She stood and adjusted her light skirts around her legs. Then she turned to Terra and lifted her arms. “How will I do?”
Terra raised a brow. “Hmm, do a spin.” Celeste rolled her eyes but complied. Her white dress flowed around her legs like water as she turned in a circle. When she was facing Terra again, she smiled at the faux serious expression on her friend’s face. “You’ll do.”
Celeste chuckled and put her hand on her forehead and said in the high-pitched tone of the court, “There simply aren’t enough diamonds!”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Terra snorted and clasped Celeste on the shoulder as they fell into a fit of laughter. The merry sound of their humor bounced off the wallpapered walls. Yet, as amber eyes met blue, tears tracked down their beaming faces.
Celeste’s grasp on her friend tightened as she pulled her in for a hug, burying her face in the mass of curls draped over Terra’s shoulder. They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it. “Thank you for everything.”
Terra pulled her in even closer. “You really do look every inch a princess.” Then she took a deep breath and pulled away. “But you really should get going. They're liable to come in and search your rooms.” The light tone of her voice was ruined by the melancholic sound interwoven within.
Celeste nodded and pulled away fully. She squeezed her friend's hand before quickly readjusting her skirt and opening the door. She stepped through, her hand grasping the brass door handle tightly. With one final glance at her friend, she left the room with her head held high. Terra watched as Celeste’s steps became measured and slow as she disappeared from view.
~~~
The full moon glowed in the sky as Celeste made her way down to the pavilion where she would meet her future husband. It was a beautiful night with a light breeze. The scent of the ocean and fragrant flowers wrapped around her. She breathed it in deeply. Pale fingers trailed lightly along the blossoms on her path. Small droplets dripped from the petals as they moved.
She looked every bit like the queen that she would one day become. Her dress dragged along the cobblestone path. Its white fabric sparkled like freshly fallen snow under the moonlight. Even the flowers seemed to bow slightly in her presence. Her head was held high, and her shoulders pulled back, but her heart was beating like a drum in her chest.
In the distance, staring up at the whimsical sky, was her future husband. Atop his head was a thin gold circlet. His skin glowed with a blue-tinted light and as he turned to her, she noted the bright gold flecks in his eyes. This was the man she was meant to spend forever with. The man who she would one day rule alongside. He was smiling, that was a good sign. At least they would not start their eternity with a bloodbath.
“Hello, Prince Rakesh,” Celeste said as she curtsied. Her blue eyes dipped momentarily to the floor before she stood tall once more.
“Ah, Lady Celeste, it is good to finally meet you.” The prince bowed slightly. His hand came to press over the red sash covering his heart before he rose. His soft smile exposed brilliant white teeth and caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle.
~~~
They spoke of many things in the hours that followed. Their voices flowed and faltered as confidence and anxiety battled for supremacy. There was much to discuss. Simple pleasantries and deep considerations. Discussion of the people who had gotten them to where they were. Thoughts on the life they would lead and the pasts they had built. Soon the torrent of half-finished sentences turned into a steady stream of easy conversation. They found themselves sitting in the pavilion, knee to knee, surrounded by flowers.
“Is it hard?” Celeste asked in a moment of silence. Her fingers trailed along the cold stone of the bench they were sitting on, her nails catching on small divots. The white fabric of her dress sounded like rustling leaves as she moved.
“What, particularly?”
“Living so long.”
Rakesh took a moment to consider. His fingers drummed against his thigh as he thought. “Not to me. My people have always been long-lived.”
Celeste wrapped her arms around her torso. “I’m terrified.”
The prince watched her with an inquisitive look. The blue light emanating from his skin combined with her white dress made it appear as if the pair were a star. She stared into his eyes. Their warmth encouraged her on.
“I think, like most people, I was terrified of death. Scared that I would miss out on doing things I wanted to accomplish.” She placed her hands in her lap, trying to remember not to fiddle with them as she spoke. “Afraid of the sensation or the lack thereof. Afraid of finding out what comes after.” She turned towards the prince again, taking in his furrowed brow, before turning away to watch the waves crash into the shore. “Yet, here I am, being offered immortality, from a prince of all things, and I can not help but wish to maintain my mortality.” She sighed, her shoulders curling in slightly. “Does that make me an awful person?”
The prince took a moment to collect his thoughts before he turned to his betrothed. “I do not think one should be judged for their feelings, for they are largely out of our control.”
Celeste shook her head. “Still, there are people who worked their whole lives to mimic the lifespan of the moon people.” She gestured toward him, the bracelets on her wrist glinted in the low light. “There are millions more who died too soon. Children who left grief-stricken parents. Mothers or fathers who died too soon. Warriors and victims and the like. All who would clamor for even a drop of the immortality I am to obtain.” Her voice shook slightly as she spoke and despite years of training, she could not completely get it under control. She felt like she was clinging to a precipice. Desperately hoping she would make it to stable ground but knowing in her heart of hearts that she would fall. “Yet, all I can think about is all the loved ones I will have to watch die. All the grief that will wrap around me like a funeral shroud. Until even the infants of today will be nothing but footnotes to the ever-insistent march of time.” She bit her lip, the last vestiges of the princess she was meant to be slipping away. “I will watch my best friend get older and older while I stay the same. Every grey hair, wrinkle, or lapse will be a reminder of the growing gap between us, until one day. . .” she took a deep breath, “until one day I’ll have to grieve the loss of my dearest friend.”
Prince Rakesh analyzed her, his golden eyes flickered across her trembling lips and shaking hands. Finally, his eyes turned to hers. “I can’t say I have any experience with death, so I can’t truly understand its anguish. However, I doubt most would fault you for sadness over having to say goodbye to someone you care for.” After a moment, the prince stood and offered her his hand. “Let us dance. Conversations such as these will benefit from movement.”
Celeste smiled and stood. Soon they were floating around the pavilion. Two angels glowing in the beauty of the night.
“What is grief like?” The prince asked as they twirled around the pavilion, their movements dictated only by nature’s music.
Celeste smiled at the childlike question. “It is painful. Contradictory, even.” Her wavy brown hair twisted around her shoulders as they moved. “At first, you live in a haze, unaware of the world. You become absolutely numb and also inexplicably sensitive to everything around you.” Her grasp on his warm hands tightened as she spoke. The words flowed out of her with surprising ease. Like reading a diary entry penned by her heart. “For a time you are dead exhausted and yet unable to sleep. You miss your loved one greatly and wish to spend your time focused on the pleasant memories you shared. Yet, you become angry. Whether at the deceased, another individual, or even the world at large.” Her head fell to his chest as they swayed. Content to enjoy nature’s orchestration. Water. Owls. Leaves. Perfection. “For all you are alive, your mind becomes awash of almost any sense. Yet, eventually, you pick yourself back up and learn to survive on the love you had for them.”
“Even knowing that it hurts?”
“Even knowing that it hurts.”
“Then I wish to experience grief.”
Celeste lifted her head as words spilled from her lips. “What? Why?” She felt like someone had just torn the ground out from under her. All her human instincts rallied in confusion at such a statement.
“Because I wish to grieve alongside you. That way, when your friend does die, there will be two people who carry on that love.” He smiled down at her as his thumb grazed her cheek. His glowing skin made the pink that flushed across her skin look lavender in tint. “It will be painful, as you say. However, we can pass that love onto her children and her children’s children. That way, even centuries after her demise, she will remain in the love people have for her.”
Tears glinted in Celeste’s eyes. “Thank you.” The words were a breathy whisper. The last of the tension slipped from her body. Finally, she felt like she was once again standing on solid ground. Armed with a plan to defeat time itself.
~~~
Years passed and Celeste became a princess and then a queen. She ruled the people of the moon with her husband by her side. Their union was peaceful, and they came to love each other in a way Celeste wouldn’t have dared to dream of. He was beside her at Terra’s deathbed. He held her while she cried at the funeral. They made sure to never let Terra disappear completely, even as the memory of her voice and the color of her hair faded away. Millennia passed and although Celeste could hardly remember the young girl of her youth, she cherished their bond and the love it contained forevermore.