Betrayal and Trust Part II (different writer) - AU fanfic

Sun and Moon.

***

Spirits were at an all-time low around the fireplace. 

Rapunzel, Eugene and the rest were bummed that they still had no plan of attack. Things were starting to seem hopeless, since Cass could appear any moment and they weren't prepared at all. How were they even gonna survive this?

What Varian was thinking was unclear to everyone. After he'd sat down on a log, he hadn't spoken a single word, and had looked none of them directly in the eye. Rapunzel guessed he still blamed himself for not being able to help them.

Sagan observed. He was smart, smarter than anyone had ever given him credit for. The group trusted him and didn't try their absolute hardest to hide what was going on, but they still avoided speaking about the matter when he was around. He had actually guessed a great deal. Sagan knew there was something special about the kid with the blue hair stripe, a reason why the atmosphere tensed whenever he was there. It reminded the man of a story he had once heard, long, long ago. Sagan knew the group was up against someone with special powers, powers that, too, reminded him of that story he had read, long, long ago. 

"Sagan, do you have any more tales or legends you could tell us?" Oddly enough, the question came from Lance. He'd never been a good listener, but not even the greatest barbarian could deny the fine art of storytelling. Anyone who listened to a master in this craft, would want to hear more. 

Sagan grinned. "As a matter of fact, I have. I think this will be a very fitting last story before Rana, Kai and I leave tomorrow. And probably quite educational for some.

***

Oh, if only Varian had listened to the tale. It could have encouraged him, and made him feel a bit better about himself. But he was too distracted to hear Sagan.

If the moonstone messed with Cass's mind, it had to be evil. And if that power resided in him... How foolish he'd been to believe he could ever be on the good side. fifteen years of being an outcast, a danger to all, should have taught him that.

While he was lost in this destructive train of thought, Rapunzel did heed Sagan's words. 

It was the story of the Sun and the Moon. You see, long ago, when God created the sun and the moon to bring light to the earth, something didn't go quite as expected. For a long time, both sun and moon were content, taking turns in illuminating the sky. But the people of the earth started to become divided. There were those who loved the sun, and those who preferred the moonlight. As kingdoms arose and expanded, so did crime. This was the word for every action of mankind that should not see the light of day.

The sun was oblivious to everything that happened in the dark corners of the streets and alleys. But the moon saw it all, and started to lose her faith in humanity. She was confused, and angered that she couldn't do anything about it. All alone in the sky, she started to feel trapped and jealous, outshined by the sun who still had no idea what was actually going on.

Rapunzel almost felt the urge to laugh at the irony of this tale, which was actually an old bedtime story for childeren. In the back of her mind, she even thought she recognized parts of it, from when she used to take evening strolls through her city and passed open windows of houses. Of course the sun was her, and in the moon she recognized both Varian and Cassandra. The ones who suffered because she stubbornly believed her life was a fairytale. But she had never heard how the story ended.

The moon was furious at the sun for ignoring her plea, so she took action. She left her own orbit and came between the sun and the earth, resulting in an eclipse.

However, it was then that the moon saw that without the sun, she couldn't give any light to the earth at all. It was covered in darkness, and the people were frightened. That day, the moon learned that she couldn't save the world on her own, and that she could never be the most important light source for the earth. She needed the sun.
And so, everything went back to the way it was before.