𝐒𝐔𝐍&𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 ━━━ ✧ ⋆ （ avatar the last airbender ）

━━━━━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎. celebrations

"Once upon a time, night and day coexisted as one body, one mind, and one soul. For there was no love quite as bright as the love of the Sun and the Moon. For centuries, they danced in each other's light, but the mortal realm was quickly growing into unrest, for without the visible difference between day and night, the world had been thrown out of balance. Crops no longer grew, the tides no longer brought sailors to their desired destination, and the most powerful of the Spirits domains were ransacked by constant storm.

Angered by this, the Spirits separated them. The Sun wept for his lover, and swore to do everything in his power to bring the Moon back to his side. The Sun chased the Moon, and the Moon chased the Sun━━━ but they were destined to never meet outside of the four days of the year the Spirits allowed. But as the years passed, the Moon fell into the temptation of the Morningstar, and forgot about the Sun's promise to her. Her betrayal broke his heart, and Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned. He stopped meeting the Moon in eclipse, and the world was thrown out of balance once more.

The Moon realized her mistake too late, and tried to reach him once more. Countless nights were spent chasing after her ex-lover, but it was no use. For their love and its end was written in the stars, and the Sun had always been destined to shine his light among the mortal realm, while the Moon was destined to shine hers among the Spirits." I roll up the tome as I finish the fairytale, amusement settling on my face as I catch wind of the dissatisfaction in the room.

"But that wasn't a good ending!" one child whines, clutching his hair.

"Yeah!" Another girl nods enthusiastically, her eyes gleaming with fantasy. "They're supposed to be together again and live happily ever after. That's how love stories are supposed to end!"

Part of me envies their childish innocence. Not every story has a happy ending in the real world, which they'd learn as they grew older and experienced more. But I know better than to crush their hopes and dreams, for it would shape them into the better future I plan to make for them.

"It wouldn't be called 'The Doomed Love of the Sun and Moon' if it had a happy ending, you guys." Aimi huffs, before looking at me with those doe eyes of hers. "Right, Xingxing?"

Helplessly, I glance at Hikaru, who had looked up from her mixing bowl as I finished the story to listen in on the turn of the conversation. She claps her hands together after wiping the flour on them onto her apron. "Alright, everyone. Go ready yourselves for supper." Several whines of dissatisfaction ring out through the orphanage, most begging for another story, and she chuckles. "Princess Xing Hua has duties of her own to attend to. I'm sure she'd stay if she could."

When she turns to me for confirmation, I nod and aim a fond smile to the children. "I'll be back again next week, remember? We'll read about lovers Oma and Shu, or perhaps the story of Avatar Makkari and Princess Qiana's victory in the Qai'leki Rebellion."

The words do their intended job, and I laugh softly as the children race to their shared rooms with renewed energy. Aimi makes sure to hug my legs before quickly joining her friends.

After bidding farewell to Hikaru, I step back out into the frosty cold of the North Pole. The sun is beginning its descent in the sky, making way for vibrant shades of pumpkin and perriwinkle, and I take a moment to admire it, the sight like a painted canvas radiating warmth and melancholy.

Yue had been whisked away by sudden Spiritual duties, no doubt presented due to the Avatar's arrival. She'd asked me to say hello to the children for her, which I had done as soon as they all greeted me in excitement. Some, like Aimi, had been in awe that I was close with one of the Princesses. It's not like they hadn't been told either, as Hikaru refuses to address me simply by my name no matter how many times I ask her to.