Fairy tales for young and old ~ English version

The Eclipse Kingdom

(Storytober - Day 25 - Eclipse)

Once, in a realm named Soloria, the sun hung golden in the sky, casting light upon fields and forests, rivers and mountains. But that time had passed. For over a hundred years, the kingdom had languished under the shadow of an unending eclipse. The moon had slid before the sun and stayed, veiling the world in a dim twilight. In the gloom, the trees withered, crops failed, and the rivers ran slow and cold.

The people spoke of a legend—that the day the eclipse began, the Sun Princess had vanished, and only she could bring the light back. Some said the sun had hidden its face out of grief for her loss. Others believed the moon, jealous of the sun's radiance, had trapped her behind its shadow.

Prince Surun, youngest son of the old king, was born during the eclipse, knowing nothing of the sun's warmth save through tales sung by minstrels or whispered by the wind. Yet he dreamed of light as though it called to him from beyond the dark sky. When his father fell ill and hope flickered low in Soloria, Surun resolved to seek out the missing sun and restore it to the heavens.

"Where will you go, my son?" asked the weary king. His eyes, dimmed by years and sorrow, searched the prince's face for answers.

"I will follow the path of the eclipse," replied Surun. "The legends speak of a place where the sun and moon meet—there, I shall find the key to ending this shadow."

The old king gave him a blade forged from the last gleam of daylight, a bright steel that had grown cold in the endless dusk. "May it guide your way through the dark," he said.

With the blade at his side and hope burning in his heart, Surun set forth. He journeyed for days through forests where the trees were blackened husks, their leaves fallen and forgotten. He crossed fields where the earth lay frozen beneath a thin coat of frost, though no winter had come.

In time, Surun reached the borderlands, where the eclipse's shadow thickened into night. There, he met a fox as white as moonlight, its fur gleaming faintly in the twilight.

"Little prince," the fox spoke, "where do you wander, so far from the lands of men?"

"I seek the sun, which has been hidden away for far too long," Surun answered. "Do you know where I might find it?"

The fox's eyes glinted like stars. "The way is perilous," it warned, "but if you have courage, I shall guide you."

And so, the fox led him onward, to the far reaches of Soloria where the mountains stood like ancient sentinels against the sky. There, in the heart of a hollow peak, lay a cave whose entrance was veiled by shadows as thick as velvet. "In that darkness," said the fox, "you will find the Sun Princess's prison. But beware, for not all that dwells within is kind."

Surun entered the cave, where no light could reach, not even a flicker. He walked for what seemed like hours, guided only by the chill air that whispered through the tunnels. At last, he came to a great cavern, and at its center, upon a dais of stone, lay a figure asleep—her hair like molten gold spilling over the rock, her skin pale as dawn.

"The Sun Princess," Surun breathed.

Yet as he drew near, the shadows stirred, gathering into the shape of a woman cloaked in dark robes. Her eyes glowed silver, cold and sharp as the moon itself. "You trespass in my realm, little prince," she said, her voice soft and cruel. "Why do you seek to wake the sun?"

"Soloria withers in darkness," Surun replied. "I seek only to end the eclipse and restore the light."

The moon-spirit laughed, a sound like shattering ice. "You wish to undo what I have wrought? Then prove your worth, young prince. Here is my challenge: slay me, and the sun shall rise again."

Surun hesitated, his hand upon the hilt of his blade. He looked to the sleeping princess, whose breath was faint as a sigh, and then to the moon-spirit, whose gaze burned with ancient spite. The choice was clear yet cruel.

He lowered his sword. "I will not trade one life for another," he said. "There must be another way."

The moon-spirit's eyes widened, her expression twisting from triumph to uncertainty. "You would spare me? Then take her heart, if you dare." She reached within her breast, and drew forth a glowing orb, brighter than any star. It pulsed with warmth and light—an echo of the sun itself. "Return it to her," she said, "if you can."

As Surun reached for the orb, the shadows around it grew thick, trying to choke the light. He drew his father's blade and sliced through them, but they closed upon his arm, pulling him toward the darkness. The fox's voice echoed in his mind: Courage, little prince.

Surun gripped the orb tightly, pressing it against the Sun Princess's chest. Her eyes fluttered open, and with a gasp, she drew breath. The light grew, filling the cavern, driving the moon-spirit's form to waver and dissolve like mist.

As the first rays of sunlight burst forth, the Sun Princess rose, her golden hair radiant, her voice clear and bright. "You have freed me, brave prince," she said, "and in doing so, restored the light to Soloria."

The eclipse ended, and the kingdom awoke as though from a long and troubled sleep. Trees stretched toward the sky, rivers shimmered, and fields grew green once more. The people rejoiced as sunlight bathed the land in warmth, a gift long forgotten.

Prince Surun returned to his father's side, the sun now gleaming high above. The old king saw the glow of daylight upon his son's brow and smiled, for he knew that the time of shadow had passed.

And so, it was said that Surun's courage had broken the eclipse, not by slaying the darkness, but by choosing to spare what others would have destroyed. For sometimes, to mend a world, one must heal the rift between light and shadow.