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Sun And Moon


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Part VI

Spoiler

When the sun peeked its head over the horizon, and light began to filter through the trees, painting the snow orange, Phil asked if Kristin had to leave.

“No,” Kristin said, “I don’t have to leave for a long time.”

While Phil was happy it would be a long time he would have with his beloved, he now knew that it had to end. His face fell a little.

Kristin smiled, putting a hand to his cheek.

“But,” She said, “I have news that should help. When I next leave, you will be coming with me.”

Phil’s face lit up, just the same as when Kristin had agreed to marry him.

“We will never be apart again, sunflower,” She said, pressing her forehead against his.

Phil smiled.

That was some very good news.

“Come,” He said, rising. “There is much to show you.”

He took her into his arms, and flew away with her. Away from the sunrise, towards his home.

“It’s been so long since I’ve felt the sun,” Kristin said, “It’s warmer than I remember.”

“It’s also cold here,” Phil said.

Kristin laughed.

The pair landed softly in front of the pond. Kristin looked up at the two houses.

She asked who lived with him. He answered that his son Alexander lived with him.

“You have a son?” Kristin asked.

“Three,” Phil said, “All adopted. Alexander, my oldest. Will, who is… not here. And Tommy, who’s off doing only the Gods know what.”

“...Are they mine too?” Kristin asked softly.

“Do you want them to be?” Phil asked.

“Yes,” She said immediately.

“Then they are.”

Kristin smiled.

And Phil simply looked at her. He never quite could get enough of that smile. How nice it was to see again.

“Come,” He said, waving her up the steps towards his abode, “I’ll introduce you to mine and Alexander's many friends.”

And so he did, introducing her to many of the animal friends they’d collected and that they cared for now. Foxes, polar bears, birds, cats and dogs.

Kristin greeted all of them warmly, as she did with many other creatures all those years ago.

When she was done speaking to all of them, Phil showed her around his house, then Alexander's house.

Eventually, they decided to sit on the roof and watch the sunset.

“Do you and Alexander get many visitors?” Kristin asked from her head’s spot on his shoulder.

“Sometimes,” Phil said, “But now that Will is gone, and Tommy’s off doing his own thing, it’s pretty much just me, Alexander, and the animals.”

“Does it get lonely?”

“Sometimes. The past few days have been lonely, what with Alexander off finding materials for our projects. And I missed you. A lot.”
Kristin laughed, and settled into his shoulder. Phil smiled.

They watched the sun set.

And it was good.

@Mr. Misting @The Wandering Wizard @Morningtide @Shallan Stormblessed @Sequence

I pinged everyone who's responded.

There's two more parts, in case you hadn't noticed.

it's also really confidence boosting when people compliment my work sooo

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Part VII

Spoiler

Some may think that over time, a bond will relax, that a bond will fade. They think it a simple case of time wearing down the bond, as it would everything else.

This is not the case.

A bond simply grows stronger as time goes on.

As was the case after Kristin’s return.

They spent many weeks together, living in peace, waiting for Alexander to return home.

When he finally did, he was wary of this strange new woman that had appeared, and that Phil for some reason adored.

“Is there a reason you never told me about your apparent wife?” Alexander asked.

Kristin laughed, and Phil smiled at his son.

“A man is allowed some secrets,” He said.

Kristin strove to create a bond with Alexander, as a mother should with her son.

Alexander, though wary, did eventually accept this as a bond that would benefit both of them.

And the bond between Phil and Kristin only grew stronger each day. Kristin joined Phil and Alexander on their projects, and added some much appreciated insight on how to make them even better. That wasn’t to say that the projects weren’t good at their inception; they were.

It was just that Kristin gave some ideas that turned out to make them even better.

And Phil took Kristin to see the sights of the world, things he had discovered, and that she had not seen, and things that she had seen, but forgotten and missed. It was as if nothing had changed from before, and when the sun set each night, the pair would lay under the stars, and Phil would listen as Kristin recounted her adventures amongst the stars. The stories of the personality that lay in the vast expanse of everything that was above them.

“Phil,” She asked after a lull in her stories, “Do you ever think about what would have happened, had we not met in the swamp?”
Phil thought back to that day, when he had nearly died, and when Kristin had embedded in him the life force of that swamp and the energy of the sun.

“No,” He said, “I don’t feel the need to.”

“Why not?”

Phil looked at his wife. “Because,” He said, “I have you, and you have me. And that is all that matters to me. That’s all that I need to know to be okay.”

Kristin smiled.

“I want to go back there,” She said, “We could have a picnic there, underneath that umbrella tree. Like when you found me.”

Phil smiled.

“Sounds like a plan,” He said, “When do we leave?”

 

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Part VIII

Spoiler

“Goodbye,” Phil said, bringing Alexander in for a hug, “I will see you again. If Tommy comes by, tell him I’m off with his mother.”

Alexander smiled ruefully. “Mhm,” Alexander said in his drawling tone, “I’ll get right on telling him he has a mom now.”

Phil laughed, clapping his oldest son on the shoulder. “In all seriousness, though,” He said, “If he does come by, tell him I-”

“I know,” Alexander said, “I will.”

Phil smiled, squeezing his son’s shoulder.

He turned, and walked over to Kristin, who stood a short distance away.

“It’ll be just like old times, if not better,” She said, smiling and taking his hand.

“Better,” Phil said.

He picked her up in his arms, spread his wings wide, breathed in deep, and launched himself into the air. He spiraled up, holding on tight to a jubilant Kristin, who shrieked and laughed at every turn. Eventually, he spun up and through into the clouds, then above them, where the pair could glide peacefully, a soft headwind at their backs, the sun high in the sky, casting a warmth that made the cold of height more than tolerable. The sky was of the clearest blue, the clouds puffy and white; it was serene.

Phil glided, holding on tightly to his wife, who dipped her hand into the clouds.

She turned to him, a mischievous smile on her face.

“What?” Phil shouted above the wind, returning a confused smile.

Kristin leaned in. “Watch this,” She said.

And then she leaped out of Phil’s arms, tumbling with a laugh into the clouds.

Phil stared in shock, suddenly gliding alone.

“What-” He said, preparing to dive for her, before a massive black form shot out of the clouds just behind and below him. A shadow overtook him from above, and he looked up.

And saw a crow, of massive size, gliding silently above him. It slowly arced down and to the side, leveling out next to him.

He looked, and saw a very human eye staring at him.

“Kristin?!” He shouted.

The crow cawed, a loud, powerful sound.

Phil motioned downward, and they both dipped beneath the fluffy top of the clouds, vanishing from each other's sight. They reappeared, then slowly spiraled down to a cliff overlooking the sea.

The crow landed softly at the edge, and Phil landed, gliding softly to a stop in front of his wife, who was now apparently a huge bird.

The crow spread its wings, then the feathers, wings, and body of the crow began to change, shrinking and retreating into itself, becoming his wife again.

She looked at Phil, smiled, then immediately doubled over with laughter.

“You should have seen your face,” She shoved out between laughs, “It was hilarious.”

“Alright, alright,” Phil said, walking up to her, “But, since when could you do that?”

“When you’re the Goddess of the Moon, you pick up a couple of things,” She said slyly, pressing a finger onto Phil’s nose.

“How come I can’t do that??” Phil said.

“Your wings are more localized and permanent,” Kristin said, “The magic in them is connected to your brooch. My ability to turn into a crow is part of my goddesshood.”

Phil leaned in close, smiling. “Should have told me earlier, because I’ve always wanted to do this.”

He kissed her, slowly, then forcefully shoved her off the cliff, right as she was melting into the kiss.

She tumbled, shooting a look of betrayal at Phil, before shooting up over the cliffside with a loud whooshing sound, in her crow form once more.

She landed, going back to her human form, before marching up to Phil and glaring at him.

Phil, who could no longer hold back, simply started laughing. He laughed long and hard, toppling back onto the grass.

“Are you done?” Kristin asked after a minute or two of Phil laughing.

“Yeah, yeah,” Phil said, trying to calm himself down with a few deep breaths, “Yeah, I just- you’ve done that to me so many times, I had to do it back.”

Kristin, despite her mock anger, slowly smiled. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Kristin walked a bit past Phil, before laying down, her head touching his.

“Rest for a moment?” She asked, reaching behind her and taking Phil’s hand.

“Yes,” He said, “We’ve got time. Time’s all we’ve got.”

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Part IX:

Spoiler

On they flew, this lovesick, starstruck pair, into the night and into the day.

Passing over bustling cities, empty towns, ruined villages, and vast grasslands and forests.

They flew for a long time, eventually stopping at the border of a wide forest. The forest, the one from before.

The vast swamp Phil once called home. His cottage must be near, and his family too.

…How long had it been since he’d left? Since all this had happened? Would his family actually still be alive?

He waved Kristin onwards, and they walked along the border of the swamp. Eventually, they reached a small cottage, overgrown with rose bushes and vines, that sat comfortably on the edge of the swamp.

His old home.

“Gods…” Phil said, “How long have I been gone?”

He stepped up to the door, clearing gently away the vines and thorns, then stepped inside.

Light shone through the dusty window in a very clear beam, illuminating the dusty, yet cozy interior of the cottage. His bed still sat in the corner, and a small pot was on a shelf, surrounded by bits of dirt and small gardening tools.

Kristin looked around. “You lived here before you found me? What a dump.”

Phil glared at her. “It wasn’t always like this,” He said, “I took care of it.”

Kristin nodded, looking around. “I would’ve liked to come and visit you, if we had stayed in this area a bit longer,” She said, “We could’ve gardened together.”

Phil smiled, imagining such a thing. He found it quite easy.

“I’d like to check on my family,” He said, “Or perhaps their descendants. Come, we’ll go into town.”

They walked a bit farther, before coming upon a small town. If one could call it that.

What once had been a bustling town was now some piles of rubble.

Phil paled.

“Oh no..” He said, and Kristin slipped her hand into his. Only for a second, as Phil dashed off towards where his parents house was.

He arrived shortly, breathing hard, and reached for the door; This house was still standing, but already, Phil could see that strength failing, and hear the creaks in the old wooden walls.

He opened the door, gingerly stepping inside, and saw bones.

He saw bones, and he immediately knew: someone had murdered his family.

And he hadn’t been there to save them. He sank to his knees, staring at the faint outlines of his family, made by skeletons.

Kristin arrived a short time later, only to see Phil fly out the side of the house, the wall smashed to bits.

She looked at the floor, and saw the skeletons.

She frowned, then flew off in search of her husband.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Part X:

Spoiler

Kristin flew for a while, shouting her love's name. So long that the sun had long since sank below the horizon by the time she saw a soft glow from underneath the canopy of the swamp.

Phil, being imbued with the power of the sun, had a slight glow about him.

Kristin dove, tucking her wings around her to shield her from the leaves and branches, and landed with a thump on the ground. She looked up.

It was the spot where they’d first met.

The wide umbrella tree had only gotten older, seeming to grow more firm in its age. The vines shielding this paradise in the swamp had gotten unruly, covered in wildflowers.

But it was still the spot where they’d first met.

Where Phil had joined with the Sun.

Phil was sitting, back against the umbrella tree, one knee propped up, and his hand rested on it, twirling a small stone.

“Phillip,” She said, stepping up to him angrily. Her voice was hoarse from her shouting his name, but it was still her voice.

But she paused, allowing her voice a bit more rest, when she saw his face.

Pained. Guilt ridden.

“Phil,” She said, the anger immediately evaporating.

“I wasn’t there for them,” He said softly, not looking up.

Kristin didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say.

“Instead,” Phil said, “I was gallivanting through flower fields with you!” He ended with a shout, throwing the small stone. It vanished through the vines.

“Do you regret that?” Kristin asked immediately.

Phil looked up at her. He looked back down again, face growing red.

“No,” He muttered, but then said more firmly, “I could never regret that. But I do regret not being there for them. They were my family.”

Kristin nodded, “But they’ve clearly been gone for… a while now. Why dwell on the past? It’s happened, and whoever did it surely is gone as well.”

“You don’t know that…” Phil mumbled.

“Yes, I do,” She said.

Phil glanced up at her.

“What do you suggest we do?” Kristin asked.

“Bury them,” Phil said without hesitation, “With dignity. With the honors of the Sun, and the glories of the Moon.”

Kristin nodded. “Sounds like a plan,” She said, and together they walked back to town, and began the grueling process of digging the graves, meticulously arranging the bodies, and gently placing them in the graves. After the final shovelful of dirt was thrown, they each said a few words.

Phil spoke about all his family had done for him. The ways his mother had loved him. The things his father had taught him. The games he used to play with his siblings.

He cried as he spoke.

Kristin watched, reverently caught up in this whirlwind of emotions and stories of Phil’s past with his family.

After he was done, she walked up to him, and gave him a hug.

He returned it, with the desperation of a man wondering what happened now.

“You have me,” She whispered, answering the unspoken question, “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Phil nodded into her hair.

“Okay,” Was all he said.

 

Edited by CalanoCorvus
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