Aries
' POV: before meeting her

A/N: I know. I promised. So, be happy.

Merry Christmas! (It’s still Christmas Eve in my country as of now)

Taurus will be updated in twelve hours. If you have not picked it up yet, it would be a good time to.

*******

Life was bland. That was all I wished to say.

The females draped in red and cream silk danced perfectly to the drum beats making sure that the golden headgear something similar to fengguan did not fall down. Even that hauntingly beautiful dance could not entice me anymore.

I remembered how it was in the cosmos. The cosmic splay of colours and matter was something that would pull you in and never bore you out. I bet if I saw that now, I would replace it boring and uninteresting.

It was usually when a star found their life boring did they give up and burst. Was I going to finally fade? But I could not be that old. It was true that I was older than many stars, but being the first-generation, cosmos gave us a life span that was as long as hers. We could never have a simple life nor a simple fade.

“Bored already?” a familiar voice reached my ears.

I glanced to my side to see Sage eat her salad. While her face was emotionless and expressionless, her eyes gave it away. It could be because I was one of the three who shared the same flame and no one else could see it, but who cared?

“Don’t get me started,” I grunted, taking a spoon of that clear soup before me.

She simpered and glanced at our right to see the young king Atticus with his mate Queen Veiya. The couple exchanged a brief sweet glance before they focused on the dance. It was as it was ought to be. The loving couple. They had no worries.

Life was perfect. There was nothing exciting and to be honest it was boring. There was no drama, no scandals, no enemies and no females who caught my attention. As someone who was on the War council, the peacefulness was killing me.

A female who sat opposite to me dared to give me a coy smile and opened a button. I rolled my eyes. No matter how beautiful she was, I lost interest. These mortal females bored me. They wanted me because I was Warrior, I was handsome- all the stars were, and I was an easy way to enter the court.

No one apart from the Royal family knew that we Warriors were stars. Stars were a myth and that was all it would be to the common people.

“Regina set her eyes on you,” Leo whistled next to me. “Wonder what would happen.”

Sage snorted. “Aries here will either burn her with his eyes or with his flame.”

Leo shuddered. “Seriously, Aries. Learn to enjoy life a little. Perhaps she might help you to relieve? It’s been years since you gave a female another glance. What are you waiting for?”

I gave him a pointed look. “Look who is talking.”

Leo looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” Libra asked as she settled herself between Leo and I.

“Nothing,” Leo said.

At the same time, Sage said, “Leo is falling for a vampire.”

“Oooohh!” Libra grinned. “Tell me about her!”

Leo’s eyes crossed. “No! I won’t. She has a mate and you know right, we said we would be celibate?”

Libra sighed and gave him a long look. “Yes. We said. We did not swear. If we Soul-Bound, who can tell anything against us?”

Leo looked alarmed. “Soul-Bounds? She has a mate!”

“So?” I asked. “Soul-Bounds topple mate bonds.”

“Impossible,” Leo said.

Libra nudged him. “I am just asking because if we run into her, we will treat her right. Like a family.”

Leo frowned. “Why would you do that?”

Libra shrugged and took my wine glass. “Cause feelings are never wrong, Leo. You of all people know it. If you like her, then there must be no malicious intent in her. We twelve are family, Leo. Until your feelings change, she will be the thirteenth member of this family.”

Shaking his head, Leo got up. “I am out of here.”

Libra pulled his sleeve. “Tell us her name! At least a name!”

Without another word, Leo left us and sat next to Capricorn who was brooding.

“That boy got it bad,” Sage commented.

“Bad indeed,” Libra agreed.

At that point, I could not help but feel a tiny spark of jealousy. At least, Leo found someone for whom he could keep his heart beating even if she was not his Soul-Bound. When will I replace my anchor?

*************

Successfully the night was over and I stared at the constellation that shone brightly. I could spot the constellation that honoured me and the ones who honoured Taurus and Pisces next to me faintly. But what caught my eyes was Vega, the brightest star of the constellation Lyra. For some reason, I gazed at Lyra longer than I usually would have.

“Star-gazing?” Atticus asked me.

He stood next to me near the arch that led to the Royal garden.

I sighed. “Of course. Vega is glowing beautiful tonight.”

“Be careful, Aries,” Atticus said softly. “Vega might hear you. Lyra might hear you.”

I laughed. “I saw Vega grow up. She found her Soul-Bound, Atticus. She won’t be interested.”

“Sheliak is still single,” Atticus said. “That star might...”

“I was seeing Lyra as a whole.”

“True,” Atticus said. “Only one star out of all have a Soul-Bound. That was what I trying to say.”

I gave the young king a long look. “Impossible. You are impossible.”

“Even if just one bond ties,” Atticus said. “The rest of the stars will overweigh and that one bond might just die.”

********

“I am bored,” Gemini said. “Can we do something fun?”

“I am not into your idea of fun,” Sage said gritting her teeth.

Gemini pouted. “We have been in this castle for too long. I can literally feel my mortal bones grow old. Why does only Aqua, Leo, Pisces and Taurus gets to interact with the others? I want to have fun.”

“You create chaos,” Sage said. “I just wonder how you are born as a star and not as a -”

She held herself back. It was never safe for us to mention the presence of other races, especially the race of pulsars. If Cosmos heard, she would crush our existence. After all, she lost her daughter, Ophiucus to a pulsar.

Staying in the dining room after our lunch was not a good idea apparently. Listening to Gemini’s whining of how he wanted to do something fun, Sage lecturing him how to behave and Cancer lost in her mobile phone on a game was not my idea to do afternoon.

Sighing, I pushed my chair back and wandered the palace without an aim. The palace was peaceful as usual. The ones who hunted Arren, Luna’s son no longer possed a threat. It had been quiet for two thousand years. If that star wanted to kill the Royal family, she could have done it so many times. But after two thousand years, with Narah, Arren’s daughter defeating her? I did not think so.

Five more years we would be here. After that, we would leave Earth to its own. There were millions of other planets and systems waiting to be explored. As much as Earth was a place where it was connected to the universe, we could not sit and do nothing. It was killing us all. While two thousand years may not be much of time, for the twelve who saw the birth of many life, the twelve who constantly were in the front lines, this was shackling us.

But we would not leave the only lineage of Luna unattended. We would ask warriors picked by us, like Saiph to watch over them. If they felt something bigger was at play, they could summon us.

Are we okay with this? I asked.

Just five more years? One sighed.

At last! Another said.

Sounds good, another said. Thank the Cosmos. Just five more years. After that, I am roaming the uncharted parts of the universe with Zircon.

Zircon? Someone else exclaimed. If Cosmos hears it-

I smiled at the conversation. They were all in it. Perhaps except the one who asked if he had only five more years. He could come down to see her. He would have that freedom. He could protect the Royal family along with the warriors we would send.

Life was getting better.

But if only we knew. If only we knew what would happen after four years, we would have never planned to leave. We never would have.

A/N: The first two scenes are before twenty years. Meaning, that night when the banquet was held was the day Lyra was born. ;)

Want to know who is Zircon?

Anyway, there are a few more bonus content like this.

Let’s meet tomorrow in Taurus.

~Quill