Nocturne watched the people fall to their knees on the dark earth, white cotton and yellow silk covering the ground like so many fallen butterflies. She saw their tears, heard their cries, felt the pain that comes when everything one has believed is proven false. Many did not believe. They could not.
She didn't blame them for it.
High Priestess Nocturne didn't know how she felt either. The pain in Sol's voice- it was true and clear through the memory, His horror shaking a part of her that hadn't thought such a brash and cheerful god as He could feel such an agony. And she knew that Luna had forgiven Him. She knew He hadn't meant any of it.
But how? How could a queen of Apollo defy the wishes of its god? More than that, worse than that, how could she have ordered a genocide based on nothing but falsehoods and fears buried in anger?
Something wet dripped down Nocturne's cheek. She reached up and brushed away a tear, perfect crystalline saltwater, so far from any ocean.
Her horse whinnied concernedly, his warm brown eye turning up to meet her watery purple ones.
She reached over and hugged the gelding. Nocturne kissed him on the forehead and turned back to the city, now gleaming with dark glory. Water-worn buildings of three or four storeys, once ragged and tumbling, now stood tall and proud, the black stone of the buildings as iridescent and glorious as those of Apollo. Four spires scraped the dusk sky, the onyx silhouettes haloed by the sky, which was bedecked in more dazzling shades of purple and blue than an angel's feathers. The only part of Artemis that had not been fully restored was the wall, and its rubble still dug painfully into Nocturne's feet.
The moon was invisible, and likely already beneath the horizon with the sun, yet Nocturne could still feel its presence, its energy and magic filling her with hope for new beginnings, for her, for Asa, for Luna, for all the people gathered around them that dawning night, some still lifting themselves to their feet. And for most of all, a new beginning for the twins, Artemis and Apollo, Nyx and Hemera.
Diane rubbed against Nocturne's leg once more. She scooped the moonfox into her arms, but she scrambled upwards again, her claws digging painfully into Nocturne's shoulder, back, and neck before the cat-like creature finally settled herself onto the girl's shoulders.
Nocturne laughed softly to herself and her friend. "Ow, Diane, that hurts, baby!" The fluffy furball only purred and rubbed her head against Nocturne's cheek. She was clearly happy to see her.
Smiling and shaking her head, Nocturne took a few steps forward and leaned down, careful not to upset the little creature, and helped an elderly lady to her feet. "Thank you, dearie," the woman said, smiling broadly at the maiden in that way older women seemed to specialize in, that vast and welcoming smile that hugged you tight and fed you warm food and unconditional love.
Nocturne wondered why she hadn't been as affected by the memories as the others. Aurora had fallen, as had all those who had been standing. Even Asa was slumped confusedly against her horse.
She shook her head and busied herself in helping the people on the ground. The ancient city longed to be explored, and vines and trailing flowers filling the air with a seductive sweetness, but her curiosity would have to wait for now.
No one had been seriously hurt, it seemed, though Nocturne's father had earned a scraped knee- which he refused to acknowledge to her, much less let her help. Ravi had been incapable of meeting Nocturne's eyes, retreating into her long faux blonde hair. She tended to Cyrus' scrape, letting his curses and insults slide off of her like water. But how long will it take for those waters to drown her? Nocturne wondered sorrowfully, watching the two she had once called her parents.
She knew who her family was now, but that did not mean it hurt any less as she turned away, and it did not stop the sensation of her heart splitting when they let her go. A piece of her heart would probably always stay with them, even if she never saw them again. Knowing her own parents were ashamed of her, maybe even hated her... It was the worst pain any child could experience. She had lost both her parents, but they were still there. They just didn't want her.
Aurora wrapped an arm around her and together they walked into Artemis, her home, where her new family waited.
And soon the moon would rise again.
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Nocturne
General FictionOnce upon a time, there were three gods. Sol, Lord of the Sun; Aster, Guardian of the Stars; and Luna, Lady of the Moon. Then war broke out between the Solars and the Lunars, and Aster sacrificed themself to stop it. To prevent such tragedy from oc...