Heaven's Gardens

Nyx

Slowly, the Stars began to congregate around their fallen brother on Nyx's home surface in the sky. And last to arrive was Nyx herself, gently touching each Star's shoulder as she moved past them. Seeing such a mass of silver glow, dimmed only by the fact they had all taken physical form for the gathering, made her heart feel full of warmth and love. Her Power had brought all this into being.

As she moved closer to Polaris's side, she notice small copies of the flower Polaris had made started to appear on the ground by her feet. The closer she drew to the Star's side, the larger and brighter the petals grew, as though instead of just resting to restore his own energy, Polaris had actually chosen to focus his power on creating the garden he had spoken of for her.

That thought was nearly too much for her to contain. Why would anyone do that for her?

Nyx expected to find Polaris still and pale, laying where she had left him on the blank surface. The spreading blossoms were enough to ruin that image right away, and yet, her heart gave an almost painful throb at the sight that greeted her when she finally made it through the thick mass of Stars.

"Nyx!" Polaris said warmly, a bright, innocent smile spread across his lips. He was no paler than his original shade, and his eyes were bright and alive with what looked like happiness. "I thought you would never return to see the wonder I have been working on for you!"

"I was meeting your brothers!" Nyx laughed, dropping to her knees to be right next to him. Without any other warning, she pulled him into a strong embrace, laughing with happiness. "If I had known you were awake, I would have come to fetch you so that we could travel together once more!"

A ripple of laughter ran through the Stars surrounding them before the large crowd began to break apart into smaller groups, lost in their own chatter. There were enough that all the words broke into just a hum of noise that faded into the background as Nyx turned her complete attention to Polaris. It was that moment she knew just how worried she had been for him, the traveling naught more than a way to distract herself from that feeling.

"That is what Rigel told me you had been doing," Polaris said, the wide smile not fading at all. If she did not know he had been laying so still and drained so recently, she would never have known that he had been in such dire straits at all. "So as they all came to visit me, to see if the words you spoke of me were the truth, I convinced them all to help me to start your gardens. The more that arrived here with me, the stronger we grew, and the more flowers blossomed at our will without us tiring nearly so quickly.

"I knew then this truth. We are stronger together than any of us could ever be alone. Together, we Stars can move the very Heavens themselves."

Those words brought amazement to Nyx's dark eyes. Where had her innocent Polaris gone? He seemed to have left her, leaving this leader behind and fulfilling her own predictions. She missed the naive Star that had stood between her and Tyr so protectively. And yet, this new man was fulfilling the potential she had seen in him at the very beginning.

"Not that we would move the Heavens," Polaris said, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently. Something in her reaction to the strength of his words must have unsettled him. "The Heavens are yours. We wish only to make them beautiful, so you have a fitting home for your beauty, Nyx."

"Having you all here with me is more than I knew to hope for, Polaris," Nyx assured the Star, drawing him back into another strong embrace. She had made such a strong Spirit when he sparked in the sky above. "And seeing just how you have drawn your brothers together around you is all that I hoped you would be able to do when I took you down to the surface with me. If Tyr could only see you all now, like this, using your Power just as he has. I doubt he would find a cause for his normal gruffness."