Beautiful Fate

4 - The begining of the banquet

For three hours, the dainty deity waited and watched and feared and slowly grew more and more excited. He looked at the mirror that had replaced the previously shattered one across from him, watching as his injuries healed in a speed like never before. Slowly.

His white pale skin was marred all over, and his once vanished scars seemed to reappear before him. The moon was being merciful to Luna tonight. A skin filled with scars was skin that was no longer painfully perfect. No longer awaiting new ones go be added to the collection. No longer representing his divine gift of beauty.

While Luna remained as beautiful as ever, he had never before felt more terrified. Not even his mothers footsteps approaching during the day could scare him as he was at the moment. What would his lovers say? Had Killian or Quinn ever even seen his skin anything but flawless? Those who loved him only loved him for his fair beauty. His mother being those who loved him. In Lunas eyes, despite feeling more beautiful than ever to himself, he couldn't help but feel that to everyone else he would seem like a used doll.

His face was littered with cuts and gashes that scarred and appeared throughout 17 years. His hair was slightly more yellow than it usually would be day in and day out and his eyes were void of emotion, catching glints of gold around the irises. Not presenting any of the feelings he himself had felt in his heart. This is not what Luna looks like.

Luna had white hair soft as snow and smooth as silk. His skin is fair and has no darker nor lighter patches, no acne no texture no freckles no flaws. His eyes were always shining like the full moon in a start, light pollution free night.

Why today of all days must he look less?

The deity stands up from the sitting position he had taken by the window to view his lovers in the festival. He walks towards the mirror and allows the soul of the moon to heal him as it always does without his thought.

His yellow hair now back to the fair white along with his skin and eyes. His albino looks taking their place where they belong. He looks down to his wrist and admires the little birth mark that he was gifted as a sign of his divinity. A little moon shaped mark that rests below his palms, in the shade of a gray freckle contrasting against his white skin the way brown freckles do on cream skin. Scattered around his moon mark are 13 smaller dots. The most perfect imperfection on Lunas skin.

Luna looks up as the gong chimes, signifying that the zodiacs are to leave, now 30 minutes before they are to meet with Luna, it is required that they freshen up. To him, it was silly. The deity wanted nothing more than to see his lovely zodiacs and yet people continued to spare more and more time towards them being separated. But what could he do about it? Luna was just a mere boy.

Luna sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he shook with nerves and excitement, yet calmly sat on his sheets wearing his required robes. The pain he felt day in and day out vanquished with every passing minute as the clock neared 9.

And as slowly as it went by, the clock did eventually reach the time of 8:30, when the zodiacs left the platform in front of the commoners, and Luna entered the balcony that was almost always locked. He watched as the citizens of his kingdom looked at him in awe, before bowing down and making prayers to the moon goddess. But then of course, Lunas permit to remain outside lasted all of five minutes, before he felt the glare of his mother, and reentered the mansion.

Luna -

I wonder if they would like me

My mind rampaged through all the possibilities of the events awaiting me. To the 13 people who I cherished above all beings in existence. I'd only ever been around Killian and Quinn as they were the oldest. When I was younger, mother would assign them to take care of me as she went out and about. I remember hearing their cries of pain whenever she would return and I remember holding my own tears back as their hearts would scream out to me.

I glanced up to the clock, watching it tick away, ever so slowly approaching 9 o'clock.

Much, much too slowly.
The seconds felt no less than a days worth each and the minutes felt like years. But eventually, the clock reached 10 to 9 and I felt a breath of air release itself from my lungs.

I hear the chatter of zodiacs bouncing across the walls and I glance at the window to see all unnecessary presences in the mansion had already left the premises.

Including my mother of course.

The confirmation left my heart thundering with glee and relief.

A breath of fresh air entered my lungs as I took my first step out of my bedroom after a good 17 years.
My eyes roamed around the corridors glancing from one part of the wall to another. A strange sight to an outsider but one I had barely had the luxury of seeing. Walls of a corridor.

My steps were wary of the new space but my heart knew where it was going as it guided me down stairs. Stairs that had photos littering the walls on the sides. Photos of my beautiful disciples. The growth and the evolution of them and their spirits were displayed happily across the walls of the mansion. But their faces seemed glum.

The empty hallways whistled as I walked down with calculated and rushed steps towards the banquet hall. It felt as though a single mistake could make everything I was feeling disappear like darkness in the presence of light. As if I would suddenly wake up to the horrid sound of screaming and crying and yelling. But it wont happen, I'm sure.

I could feel the nerves of people other than myself shifting around the mansion. I could feel how much stronger they were getting with every step I took. How it would get quieter and quieter as if I was walking away from the chatter, when in reality, the chatter was silencing for me.

The banquet hall door stood in front of me. Whatever was behind this door would lead me to my future and grant me happiness like never before. This I am positive of.

I could feel my hand shake as I lifted it towards the handle. Even more so as I twisted it. And yet even more as I slowly opened the door. 

And let out the breath I had been holding.

And as the clock truck nine, a smile I had never felt forged its way on my mouth as I prepared to see behind the door what had been waiting for me for 19 year.

Finally...