Blessing Moon

Forty-Three: Golden Sky

Beanni felt lost in her grief, despite the angry whispers of the trapped darkness growing quieter and quieter, as it withered in its cage. The voices of her sorrows seemed much louder and brought her so much more discomfort than Noir-Astra ever could. Her mind was filled with her brother's face and the faces of all the lost opportunities of true redemption. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged her arms around her shaking body.

"Bay?" Beanni heard her father's voice call gently behind her bedroom door, it then slowly creaked open. "King Oslac, stars shine upon him, is here to see you."

"Please, Lorrus, stop with all the formalities, you're like family to me," Oslac said, cringing as Lorrus bowed his head towards him.

"I'll leave you two in peace," he said, moved out of Oslac's way and left, just as he said he would.

"Bay?"

Without saying a word, Beanni looked up towards her concerned friend.

"Oh Bay..." Oslac sighed, then reached up to wipe away her tears. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Beanni's bottom lip quivered as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"You should be happy," he said, taking a seat beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "You and Ethan have healed Dachan Terran. The war is over. Peace has finally come back to both lands."

"Has it?" Beanni muttered, then hid her face.

"Bay?"

"I couldn't save him," she said through bitter sobs. "Dillan is buried with the rest of the corrupt, with Genelle. He'll forever be lost to the dark, frozen in shame." Beanni leaned into her friend's side and felt his hand stroke her hair. He failed to think of something to say in response. He couldn't say anything because he knew she was right.

They sat in a sad embrace for a few minutes, until Oslac stirred.

"You know what we need to do?"

"What?" Beanni mumbled out a response to his sudden outburst.

"We need to say goodbye properly, give our lost ones a proper send off," Oslac announced. "King True saw how important respecting and remembering those who the darkness took, we need to do the same."

"But Thalla-Noir is not until next season," Beanni said with a frown.

"Yes, and we're not waiting till then. Come on, Bay! Come with me to Na Dèan Oblivi." Oslac got up off the bed and held out his hand towards her.

"What, now?"

"Yes, come on, get out of bed." Beanni couldn't help but do as she was told in response to Oslac's authoritative tone. She got up and watched Oslac raise his light orb between them. "We'll have our very own Thalla-Noir. Just the two of us."

He then sent violet ribbons around them and they vanished from Beanni's room.

When they materialised beside the covered cave where so many Natanstrelleans lay, the voices of depression within Beanni's mind screamed ever louder.

"This was a mistake!" Beanni began to panic and turned to run, but Oslac stopped her and held her still in his arms.

"I know this isn't easy," he said calmly. "But we need to do this. We need to say our goodbyes to Dillan and to my father."

"Your father?" A pang of guilt punched inside Beanni's stomach. "By the stars! I didn't even think about your father!"

"Yes, so I'm needing to do this too, for the darkness took my father from me. It forced me to grow up - to step up." He spoke whilst hugging his arms tighter around his friend. "But I do this with you Bay, not as the king, but as your friend who wants only the best for you."

Whispering voices then filled Beanni's mind telling her to approach the cave's blocked entrance. She could not ignore it, without a word of explanation to Oslac she made her way to the rock and pressed her hands against it. She felt the violet glow leave her through her palms. No longer did she feel the ancient magic inside her mind, it was now filling the grooves of the carved words "Na Dèan Oblivi", making them glow with a rich violet hue.

Suddenly a mighty tremor shook the earth beneath Beanni's feet, and with a mighty sound, the rock broke in two.

Golden rays of mighty power spilled out through many cracks that kept on forming as the rock crumbled away. Soon it was no more, and out from the blinding light stepped two shining figures. Beanni squinted to make out the figure's faces, and once she saw who the one standing on the left was, tears sprung to her eyes.

"Dillan!" she cried out and fell to her knees.

"Father?" she heard Oslac call to the other figure. He crossed Beanni's line of vision to join the late king, but Beanni couldn't move. It was as if she was rooted to the spot. Dillan's golden spirit walked towards her and bent down to her level.

"Hi Bay," his voice echoed through the air in a mixture of power and familiarity. Beanni looked up into his shining face, mouth agape.

"H-Hi Dil," she couldn't speak above a whisper and her lips began to quiver. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Waves of sobs crashed out of her as she hid her face from her brother's light.

"Hey, hey, stop," Dillan's echoing voice said in a comforting tone, and he held her tear-soaked face in his warm hand. "You have nothing to apologise for, Sis. You saved Natanstrelle."

"I was too late to save you though."

"You mustn't think that way," Dillan said calmly, whilst caressing his sister's cheek. "Yes, Noir-Astra had me, but look at me now. I'm shining in Illuminare-Trabem's light, and that's thanks to you. Illuminare-Trabem set you apart to wield Vidorea's magic and to bring back peace once and for all. You have not failed me or anyone else. It's thanks to you we are going home today. I am going home where we all truly belong - with our Sìthicris ancestors, and one day you'll join me amongst the stars."

Dillan then stood up and helped Beanni to her feet.

"I love you, Sis," he whispered in her ear, then in a blink of an eye, he turned into a mass of sparkling lights, and floated out from Beanni's arms, up into the twilight sky. The late king and countless others joined him from the shining mouth of the cave.

Beanni was so enthralled with the beauty of what she was seeing, she didn't notice that Oslac was now standing beside her. He took hold of her hand, gave it a squeeze and they shared a smiling glance. No words were needed, they watched the stars together as they congregated into the sky above them. Once they all found their place within their dark blue canvas they lit up Natanstrelle with a mighty golden glow. The land began to shine in vibrant colour that rivalled the glory of Troll land.

"By the stars! Do you feel that, Bay?" Oslac gasped in awe.

"Yes," Beanni sighed. She then let out a sudden laugh, as joy began to fill her heart. "Natanstrelle is finally free."

Her gaze was lost in the new sky above, her sapphire blue eyes no longer harbouring the violet glow. She also no longer felt the warmth of ancient magic within her mind, for now that power shone amongst the countless golden stars. Violet rays radiated out from Gealach Trabem, the powerful moon, which had finally found its rightful place above Natanstrelle. Seated on it's mighty throne high above the tallest àrdurum trees, the moon would shine its blessings now and forevermore upon all dwellers of the Terran below.