I glance up from my book quietly and out the window, my glimmering reflection hazy in the glass of the mirror. My mother, The Queen of the Order of Starlight, used to say I shone like a star, but she told my two older sisters the same thing. Of course, they truly do shine like stars. They are the First and Second Born of the Order of Starlight. I am Tauri, the Third daughter of the Order Starlight. And I'm supposed to be studying.
Sighing, I look down at my book again and study the images slightly. I had already read this book, the history of the stars and constellations, but that had been hundreds of years ago, so I am supposed to be reading it again. It is incredibly boring, however, except for one story. I skip ahead a few pages until I see the title The Tragedy of Orion. Settling back into my window seat, I slowly delve into the story.
It is a simple, but sad story. According to myth, a great hunter named Orion fell in love with someone important, but he was murdered before the wedding and supposedly his wife-to-be died of a broken heart. After their death, Orion became a constellation, and the broken heart of his love became the heart of the constellation and the stars it is comprised of shine as the brightest stars in the universe.
I look wistfully and out of the window up at the stars. I wonder if Orion still remembers how he came to be, or if it's just a dim memory to him now. I will have to ask when he comes by again. I like to read the story in my free time, and it's probably the only part of the book I'll remember, but it's easier to remember things when they are about Orion. He's my companion constellation, and we've been inseparable ever since I was born, 400 years ago in the star Rigel.
I close the book and set it aside before sitting up on my knees and gently pushing open my window. It peers out into the richest part of the galaxy and from it, I can see almost every star, nebula, constellation, or cluster there is. I'm only concerned about one, however, and I quietly poke my head out of the window some.
"Orion?" I ask in a soft voice, knowing he will hear me. I see the stars begin to shift and swirl those in his constellation slowly pull away from the sky into the hazy form of Orion, the great hunter. He steps down on invisible stairs until he is standing beside my window. A smile grows on my face and I reach out a hand to pull him inside, but he doesn't take it.
My face falls immediately and I try to grab his hand, but he won't take my help, just stands there. I search his starry face for an answer and see that the stars he has for eyes are dim, in fact, he's not nearly as brilliant and bright as he should be.
"Orion, what's going on?" I ask and lean on the windowsill, worry dulling my eyes. Orion's gaze falls some and he looks away. I resist the urge to reach for his hand again, but my heart aches for my friend. I want to help, but I must know what's wrong first. I open my mouth again to repeat the question, but he answer's before I can speak.
"Tauri, I...I am dying. The stars of my heart are too weak, they cannot last any longer," he says softly, his head down slightly. I want to throw myself out of the window and hug him, but I know better. Mother says I'm not allowed to go outside the palace. So instead, I reach for his hand and tug for him to come inside. This time, he complies, and once he is inside, I grip him in a tight embrace, feeling tears springing to my eyes.
I am still in a bit of shock and don't know what to say, just hug him and cry silently until my brain catches up.
"I-I'll find a way to save you, my mother is the Queen, she can do something," I promise and press into him until I feel his arms wrap around me. Golden tears are streaming down my cheeks, but I refuse to accept what I have heard. Orion is shaking his head, though, as I look up, and he brushes my hair back some.
"Tauri..." he begins. I already know what he will say, though, and shake my head.
"No, you will not die. I'll find a way!" I yell, growing hysterical. My grip loosens, and I turn in a teary haze. I have to find a way, I have to talk to my mother. Breaking from Orion's grip, I turn and pelt out of the door, running to my mother's chambers. I burst in without a second thought and run to her.
"Mother, please, I need your help!" I cry as I grab her hands and tug her to the door. "You must save Orion, save his heart, please," I begin to beg as fresh tears start down my cheeks. She resists my pull, though, and I whirl around to face her, my knees feeling weak.
"Mother?" I ask, my voice and body trembling. She pulls me closer and wraps her arms around me, holding me close as I try to pull back.
"I'm sorry my child, but you know there is nothing I can do. The laws are clear, I have no power to save Orion."
Her tone is soft, but her words only deepen the black hole that is tearing at my heart and I shake my head, backing away from her. I refuse to give up so easily. Orion is my friend and my companion. When I call, he always answers, and we are connected. In all the universe that I am to someday become Keeper of, he is the only constellation that can capture my attention. I have no desire for any other, and to lose him would break my fragile heart.
I turn and run back to my room as fast as my shaky legs will carry me, but when I arrive the room is empty. The window is open, and Orion has left. I bolt to the window and look up. His constellation is still there, but it is faint in the light of the others. I can feel his strength, ebbing as the stars of his constellation flicker. Through our unique connection, I can feel his fear of death, his own heart aching with the pain of leaving, and it is too much too bear.
I cannot simply stand by and feel his pain. I cannot stand and watch him die. I know there is only one way to preserve his life, save it even.
Glancing back at my ornate room with paintings of stars dancing across the ceiling and walls. My bed, with stardust covers, my closet, drawers, books. I know that beyond my room are countless others for the countless daughters that may come. My sisters are studying in their rooms, my mother doing what knows what. They will grow up, become the keepers and Queen's of the stars, watching over the nebulas and constellations. That is their destiny. But I have never loved the universe as they did, I was never cut out to rule like them. My heart lies with one constellation only, and now, it is my heart, that will save him.
I turn to the window seat and climb up, then carefully plant my feet on the windowsill. I look down at the black hole that, like a window, separates our palace from the rest of the universe. The black abyss setting a boundary I was never to cross. But they say love knows no bounds.
Before I can dissuade myself from my plan, I shove myself forward and tumble, momentarily, into space. I feel a chilling cold surround me, and writhe for a moment, feeling weightless. I catch a glimpse of the palace as I struggle to move, having nothing to anchor myself too. I flail, helplessly struggling, trying to reach Orion.
Then I feel a hand grab mine and my head snaps around to see his hazy arm pulled down from the stars to grab me. He pulls me close cups his hand so that I don't float away.
"Tauri, you don't belong out here, go back before it's too late," he warns me, looking back to the palace. Stubbornly I shake my head and cling to his hand, afraid to let go.
"No, I have a plan, but you must let me see it through," I beg him and look up pleadingly. His eyes look pained and even dimmer, but he nods softly and holds me closer. I reach to place my hand near his heart and see the nebula of stars are fading, their light ebbing away. Only then do I realize why they are fading, because the story is all wrong. It's not the heart of his bride-to-be, it is his own broken heart and it's dying because he doesn't need it anymore. He's found a stronger, newer love.
I know that my delicate frame will not last much longer out here, and I grip his hand tightly. The black hole was meant to protect us from the harshness of space because our bodies are formed from stardust and will dissipate in space. I can already feel the tug of weightlessness, whisking away the particles of my hair. Orion seems to notice too and his grip on my hand becomes tighter. I'm not afraid of it, however. Instead, I remember the words of my mother when she told me as a child that when my body began to fade, I would become a star in the constellation of my companion.
I look up at Orion as I feel a stronger tug and I smile a bit sadly. His starry eyes meet mine and he wraps his arms around me again. I feel him press a gentle kiss on my head.
"I won't forget you Tauri. You shall forever be my heart, and I will make sure the Universe knows that while you never became Keeper of the Stars, you are Tauri, Third Daughter of the Order of Starlight, Keeper of the Heart of Ajs An'hlj--"
I finish the words for him with the last of my fading breath. "--The Heart of the Hunter."
I look up and smile softly, a golden tear streaking down my face before my body fades away and my stardust dissipates. I am whisked away on a quick journey and brought back together in a new form.
For, from a star I came, and to a star I return, but I have not become just any star. I shine brighter than any other in the universe, and from me ebbs the life of Orion. I'm no longer Tauri, but I have a new name. I am The Heart of Ajs An'hlj. I am the Heart of the Hunter.