Authoress's Notes: I didn't even know that I could write something this long when I've been so busy the last few days. I hope you like this, Diego! I'm not good at fluff or romance, so I tried to put the romance in my own niche. I did a lot of research for this 'cause I haven't played the game. I did, however, enjoy writing this because, for me, this is a breakthrough. This a bit different from my usual style. I hope the different perspectives don't confuse you though! And if anyone's wondering, the songs for this song are "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from Phantom Of The Opera, "Love" by Sugarland and "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift.
Disclaimer: Yes. We all know this. Let's get to it then.
Stars In the Snow
It seems like a distant memory now… walking in these woods. Everything's so vague and blurry. I used to go here every day just before the sun reaches its peak at the sky, and I knew the trees lining the path like the back of my hand. Even before I reached the end of my destination, the scent of warm herbs always surrounds the atmosphere in the forest.
I could hardly remember the path now. When was the last time I even walked here? Five years? Ten? I don't remember. Time hasn't been kind to me lately, and time hasn't been well in this path, too.
It's winter now and it's quite hard to recognize with all the snow. What was once my second home now lay a desolate path in the middle of nowhere. What once filled my days of warmth and joy now leaves me with sadness and grief.
I take a deep breath, taking in the cold winter breeze and the slight minty scent of the air. Only a few more hours and the sun will surely set soon. My boots crunch in the snow as I hurry my pace.
"I need to get home early. Sierra will surely not want to have a lonely Christmas at home now, won't she?" I mutter to myself as I wrap a mauve scarf around my neck.
It's going to be a long walk.
You used to be my one companion; you were all that mattered…
"Witch, are you even sure this is going to work?"
The silver-haired immortal gave me an icy, disbelieving look before placing one of her potions into my hand.
"Don't you trust me, Molly?" She asked tentatively, raising one eyebrow as she looked into my eyes.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Witch. It's just that… how am I supposed to know that the potion's working at that very moment? Or if the potion's been working and I haven't even noticed or—"
She silenced me with a look. The witch fixed her ruby-colored orbs on me, piercing daggers through my soul with that focused and stern gaze.
"It will work, I assure you," she said, "It's the least I can do after you gave me all those Fugue mushrooms." She turned her head to fix the pot we've just used. It was empty a while ago, now it's filled with all kinds of ingredients and mixtures that it might not even be safe to be near it.
I closed my eyes and breathed in a deep sigh before nodding towards her for me to leave.
"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
I left her place with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.
"I just hope that my husband will understand what my intentions are for doing this."
It was almost dark when I returned home. The potion must have taken us hours to make without me realizing. It's hard to remember the fact that I'm friends with an immortal who often acts like a child.
Once I stepped on the porch, I noticed that there was something glittering upon the door. Taking a few steps back, I realize that it was a note from my husband in the form of stars upon the door. He only makes the note if he wants to go stargazing tonight.
"It's probably a nice time to watch the stars again."
I skipped off back to the field where I know he'll be there. Out in the open, far away from the people, a place just right for the two of us.
I felt like walking for years as I passed down the forest, then to the farm, then finally reaching Flute Fields. Out in the grassy meadows, I spotted him with his silver hair and exotic two-toned eyes.
"Gale…"
I rushed into his arms for a tight embrace, taking in the scent of leaves and exotic plants I haven't known before. Being in his presence made all the hard work and sacrifices pay off in the end. His calming aura just seemed to envelope me right away without him even trying to.
He pulled away and led me to the picnic basket he prepared near the apex of a hill where we could get a beautiful look of the town all the while getting a great angle of the starry sky. It's just so him to pick a perfect spot under the night sky.
He offered me a cup of… tea. I laughed while I gobbled down on all the food he prepared. It wasn't much really, but the brilliance of the stars made the night a bit more memorable and the food more scrumptious.
He stood up to fix his telescope in one corner where I haven't noticed before. Before he could look back, I took his cup and poured in a few drops of the potion in his tea before placing it back in its original spot. He was still fixing his telescope though.
"Molly, do you… want to… see the stars?" He asked shyly.
Gale is just too precious for words.
Too precious for my life.
Stars. Stars that are shining so brightly.
It is definitely a beautiful sight. I never understood why he spent all those years studying those celestial bodies up in the sky. Looking at it now, I can actually see his point.
I slow down my pace as to catch my breath from all the walking. My body's never been the same as it was before, yet it still manages to walk deep enough in the forest. Even though I'm surrounded by trees and shrubbery everywhere, I can still clearly see the bright lights in the sky.
"There's the Archer, and the unicorn and… the celestial circle, if I'm correct." I giggle having no control as to how giddy I feel on remembering those constellations after all these years.
It takes me back to that very same night where I first got a chance to use his telescope to see a world I've never dreamed of having a glimpse at.
…sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here…
"Gale, this is amazing!"
I was taken completely by surprise as to what I may see once I peeked in through his telescope. I expected it to be complicated and hard for me to understand. Turns out it's a lot simpler than most mundane telescopes we even have here.
"This is what you do for your free time? I can actually see why." I take another peek as I tried to see all the different constellations he taught me before. There were also solar lines and all kinds of planet formations you could study with this thing.
"I feel… happy… when I see… the stars."
I looked up and saw him smile. A faint and shy one, but a smile none the less.
I took him by the hand and led him through the hill and pointed to him at the sky.
"When I was a kid, my father used to tell me that by looking at the stars, you can see the future." He nods, unsure of where I'm going with this conversation.
"I never believed in what he said. All I know is that every time I look at the lights in the sky, I can see beautiful pictures painted there just for me to see," I turned to him, smiling as bright as I could, "But you showed me there's more to it than just by looking at it. Stargazing… has a whole new meaning in my life because of you. What once my past is now my present and future."
I'm not sure if he understood what I said, I'm not even sure if I understood myself. It's just hard to be into words what your heart's feeling right now. Gale must have been feeling this for a long time…
"Molly…"
"Yes?"
"What is love?"
Well, that took me by surprise.
"Why the sudden question, Gale?" I asked curiously. This was the first time he ever asked me something of this kind.
"I… never understood… it."
I took a look around at my surroundings and noticed a small bunch of circles of light appearing in meadow. Strange, but I may be able to use that to my advantage.
"I don't completely understand it myself, Gale. Everybody has their own opinion to what love is. It's a pretty simple feeling, yet it's us that make it a lot more complicated than it seems." I stopped to collect my thoughts. He gives me a tight squeeze by the shoulder before I continue, "Love is, for me anyway, opening up your eyes to the world before you. I think no one will be ever able to understand what love is until you learn to explore somewhere outside your comfort zone and to the world unknown. It's common yet so rare, so near yet so far."
I took another deep breath. "And that's why love can be found anywhere we wish to look at. And learning to appreciate what we have, too." I smiled and at that exact same time, I feel the warm, bright lights surround us. Little circles of glowing yellow circling us around the snow.
"What… are these… Molly?"
"Snow fireflies, Gale. They're fireflies that only come during the winter. A rarity that it happens, too."
We sat down by the blanket, mesmerized by the sight of so many little insects floating along the air, like little celestial bodies before us. One landed in Gale's palm before floating back to their formation, bathing us once more with a soft, golden glow.
"They're beautiful…" He muttered. His eyes bounced from once small firefly to another, never taking his eyes off of them as they slowly rise to the sky. He was giddy, like a little child, and the sight of it makes me truly happy.
I grabbed the cups we drank from a while ago and poured in some juice for the two of use, careful that I don't mix mine with his.
"How about a small drink?" I offered his cup and he drank it all the down.
He drank the potion. He didn't even notice it.
I sighed in relief.
My husband then took my hand in his and looked at me with his eyes, so full of love and happiness.
"I love stargazing with you, Molly. I've been enjoying these nights more and more because you're always beside me. I've never been happier… having two of the things I love most right here in front of me."
I blushed, unable to speak for a while, until he broke the ice and looked at the sky.
"Oh… A shooting star."
We both closed our eyes. I wished for my farm to flourish again this year, and that I continue to have a peaceful life with Gale. Though I know in my heart that I won't be in his life forever, I can still wish for our eternal bliss someday.
"Did you… make a wish?" He asked.
"I do." I sighed, closing my eyes and clutching my knees closer to my chest.
"Is there… something wrong, Molly?" He asked again, his eyes now filled with worry and his tone unsure.
"I'm fine, really. No need to worry."
He sat nearer beside me and wrapped his arm around me. I rested my head in his shoulder, relaxing myself under the moonlight.
"Molly…"
"Yes, Gale?"
"Are you happy?"
Well, this had to be the second question that caught me off-guard.
"Of course, I'm happy, Gale! What makes you think I'm not?"
"No… I mean…. Are you happy being with me?" We stared at each other for a while in mutual silence, neither having the courage to speak up. I giggled and he gave me another inquisitive look.
"You know, it's a good thing I'm actually friends with Harvest." I took out a small orb from my pocket and held it out in my palm. She gave this to me for my birthday. Knowing her, she'd find the perfect gift for me. And a perfect gift it is.
"Hold this with me," I instructed, "and never let go."
He nodded and touched the small orb at the palms of my hand. It gave off a small ray of light before bursting into a huge aurora only the two of us can see. I still felt his warm hand clutching the orb tightly, as if he was never letting it go.
Once we have adjusted to the aurora's light, I saw images flash by before it.
Two figures walking in the Church at night, proclaiming their vows to each other as they shared a kiss….
A silver-haired wizard proposing to a red-haired girl in the garden…
The pair walking to the fields, gazing at the stars in the sky…
The wizard blushing as the girl confesses the same feelings she had for him…
The two watching the fireflies light up the lake one evening…
A smiling girl as she reads a letter from her mailbox…
A red-haired farmer getting lost in the forest in the middle of the night until she sees a pair of eyes, looking at her from far away…
I blinked to see that those same eyes are staring right back at me once more.
"Do I need to explain how happy I am when I'm with you, Gale?" I whispered softly.
He smiled, this time warm and welcoming, and pulled me again for a tight embrace. I shifted my head in his direction as he pulled me in for a soft kiss. His lips were like a breath of fresh air that calms me every time I feel him. He soothes my soul and I couldn't have asked for anything better from him.
"Let's go home." We both smiled and I knew that words were not needed here anymore.
Yet I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face.
…wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never would…
I smile as I take in the memory of that life-changing night.
I realized a lot of things during that night with Gale. That love can be felt from everyone even though it is hard to explain, that stargazing has taken us to a deeper understanding of what our life has been, and… and that we would love each other to our very last breath. It seems only yesterday that I stared back into his eyes when I got lost in the woods. It seems only yesterday that everything we've been through has been done.
I stop walking when I finally laid my eyes on the sight before.
Two weeping angels stood across each other, a tombstone placed between them. Engraved a star in the center, frost has covered much of the text set in them. The sun is quickly setting as the trees cast a dark shadow upon the cemetery.
"Too many tears fighting back tears…" I cried in softly, kneeling just right in front of his grave, my fingers touching the cold granite for the first time in years.
"Why can't the past just die?"
I take in a deep breath before letting all of the tears flow from my eyes. I miss him so much. I can't even believe that I've been the one to end his life short. How selfish of me for to do that. If only he knew my true intentions…
"Molly, what are you doing in here?"
I look up to see Witch standing right beside the trees circling his grave. She still had her silver locks intact and her fire-red eyes still hold that hint of mischief I used to notice before. She's wearing her usual ensemble, except that she was wearing a black cloak that reached down to her ankles.
"I didn't notice you, sorry. I was just… reminiscing about the past, that's all." I say, trying to compose myself before her.
"Doesn't sound like you're happy with the memories you're reminiscing at."
Her words held a lot of power that I couldn't help sobbing again. She approached me, wrapping her cloak around me.
"Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but we can always talk about it in your place. Not out HERE in the cold, Molly. Of all places!"
"No, I need to, Witch. I just need someone to talk it over with."
I run my hands, now old and wrinkly with age, through my now silvering hair. "It's been ten…twenty years since his death, hasn't it, Witch?"
She opened her mouth to speak yet she closed it again, weighing down on what she's supposed to say. "You can say that his departure took us, too, by surprise. I never knew that you were going to use my potion of reversal to strip away his immortality, not make yourself one like him instead."
"I don't regret that choice one bit. I, however, regret not being able to explain to him why I did what I did."
"I'm generally curious myself. I was just afraid of asking you since you've become so… fragile lately."
I nod. "I love him; you of all people should know that. And what he wanted most was to end his days with me. And so, I thought, why not? Why not make him human like me?" I took a shaky breath, "But it seemed that it wasn't as simple as that."
"Yeah. The King sure got mad at that. Good thing he actually liked you enough to lighten your sentence though."
"He aged faster than any human I've ever seen. Still, he didn't complain because he was finally getting his wish to be by my side until the end."
"Such a shame he only got a chance to be with you and your daughter until she was 5."
"Beggars can't be choosers now, right?"
The witch snorts, helping me up to my feet. "You still have your daughter. Try to have a happy family life in his name."
"I will. Thank you, Witch."
"Hey, I'll only be good to you now. But when you're daughter takes over the farm, expect that I'll be back to wreak havoc."
I give a small nod, careful not to waste any more of my strength for the journey back home.
"Help me say goodbye…" I whispered to myself. I let the last of my tears flow from my eyes. It's time to finally move on from all the hurt. It's time to start anew with my daughter.
Stars slowly twinkle up the sky. They seem to be smiling at me.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~ Lao Tzu