Tale 13- The Brightest Star

 The sea breeze pulled at the cloak of the Traveler, who breathed in the fresh air. The ocean air was always clean, and breathing it made her feel as if any sin was being washed away by the wind, leaving her reborn. But, she knew this was just fantasy. Scanning the dock, her eyes rested on a lone fisherman, lost in his own mind as he waited for any signs of life in the water. Finding a spare fishing rod nearby, she decided blending in might be the best approach, and sat down near him, throwing the hook into the water and waiting. Suddenly, something began pulling at it, hard, and she gritted her teeth, trying to use what little strength she had, but it was futile, and the rod was snatched by whatever fish was down below the pier. “You know, it’s said that mermaids steal fishing rods?” the man behind her suddenly spoke, startling the Traveler, before she realized what this could mean. He turned to face her, reeling in his own rod and placing it down beside him, the two sitting cross-legged on the dock as the wind played a little with the Traveler’s cloak. The man stared at her, unable to fully see her face, as she opened up her book and pulled out her quill, ready to write whatever he told her. The man gave a slight chuckle. “You wish to hear more?” he asked, and she nodded a little, nervousness setting in. After all, he was the only one here, and she still had 88 more stories to collect. He smiled, before beginning the tale of ‘the Brightest Star’.

‘Many years ago, in an underwater kingdom, there lived the ruler of all mermaids, Antillius. A gentle and humble ruler, he was adored by his subjects and kept them safe, using his strong sceptre which was capable of manipulating the flow of water. One evening, he decided to swim toward the surface to observe humans, who he was curious about. Unfortunately, though, there were none on the beach that night, so he found himself sitting on a rock and staring upwards at the billions of stars above. One in particular caught his eye, a beautiful star by the name of Dertainia, who shone the brightest of all yet was the furthest away, her glow flickering multiple colours and twinkling high above. Using his sceptre, he propelled himself upward, until he was the same height as her, and discovered her radiance was even more astounding up close. Unfortunately, Antillius couldn’t keep the height up for long, and found himself slowly falling away from her, only able to wave goodnight to the star he had grown such intense feelings for. Descending into the depths, he decided that it should be possible for every creature to see her beauty as close as he had, and began searching for a spell that would achieve this desire. After many days and nights, he found his spell, but it came with a cost- he had to give up his magical sceptre in exchange. That night, Antillius raised his scepter to the sky for the final time, and cast his spell, Dertainia being pulled toward the earth. Due to the spell, her size diminished, but her brightness remained, leaving her orbiting the earth, becoming known as the moon. Satisfied that he could forever see her, Antillius told her of his love, how he had thought of her for days on end and how radiant she was. Dertainia shone the brightest she could in response, Antillius in awe of her brightness and feeling the love flow through both of them. Now, he visits her every night, to bask in her rays and ensure she’s well, with the promise that he shall forever love her.’

The fisherman gave a smile as the Traveler sketched the king and the moon, the man taking a look at her detailed illustrations. Finishing, she closed the book and put it back under her cloak, staring off at the horizon. Even despite the distance, the king of all mermaids and the moon were in love. She sighed a little. Would they still love her even despite the distance between them? It had been a long time since she’d seen them, but she missed them sorely, a wound beyond healing. The fisherman stared up in surprise as she hurried off, before turning back to the water and believing for a moment he saw the flash of a fin. He chuckled, it wasn’t impossible.