Series Title: Le Storie Del Sole e Dalla Luna

(Stories of the Sun and the Moon)

Book III: Chiaro di Luna e Sole

(Moonlight and Sunshine)

Chapter Number: One

“Immortal Tale”

Author: D. Sanders

=============================

 

“I just don’t get that one. If he wasn’t so gifted with my gardens, I’d swear he’d be one of yours Yoru.” Sol said as he sat with his Brother and Endymion on a rock outcropping watching the daily hustle and bustle of life in the country order they all preferred to visit most.

 

“What makes you say that?” Endymion asked looking the young sun priest, newly out of his novice robes working dutifully in the earth. Weeding a stubborn herb garden with meticulous care. He was quite a lovely youth, sun bleached and streaked light brown almost blond hair, large hazel eyes and a nose still dusted with freckles the sunlight never let fade from his nose. He was as pretty and fresh as the earth he tilled with long graceful fingers.

 

“Nineteen and still a bloody virgin, he’s so shy it cripples him socially and he’s been fixated on the same boy for years and he won’t say anything. He drives me crazy to the point I want to shake some confidence into him.” Sol never did have much patience where love was concerned. Mane chuckled.

 

“He does sound like one of mine. I have one I’d swear was yours too. See that large handsome brute over there with the eye patch? He’s had a dozen lovers looking for his match, I’ve never seen any of mine go through as many heartbreaks as he has looking for love. He keeps confusing affection with love and hurts himself repeatedly.”

 

“I’ll be damned. That’s the boy mine makes eyes at whenever he comes into a room. I just wish I could lock them both up in a room together to force mine to actually SAY something to him.”

 

“So do it.” Endymion grinned impishly and both Mane and Sol reeled.

 

“And have mother down our necks for interfering in mortal lives? Are you crazy?” Sol said aghast at the thought.

 

“No, I’m just saying arrange a way they can at least meet longer than in just passing. We’re not making their choices for them, just giving a little push in the right direction.” Endymion smiled and Mane scratched his chin.

 

“He’s technically right, that’s not really interfering, it’s just making sure they at least run across each other’s paths.” Mane said and Sol threw up his hands.

 

“Leave me out of your match-making. My boy is all yours, I don’t understand this business and I have no desire too. Just get him to lose his virginity sometime before he dies and I’ll be happy. I will never understand terminal shyness from mortals.” Sol flopped back on the rock on his back with a sigh and Endymion leaned over and pinched his nose.

 

“You do understand it, you just don’t like it, you’re too straight forward.” Endymion was once again correct. Mane just chuckled at his brother’s expense. Sol just leveled them both an irritated look.

 

Sudden shouts erupted in the garden as a wild cart drawn by a spooked horse came careening into the gardens; people began leaping out of the way. The young solar priest scrambled to get to his feet, he’d been on his knees all morning and they tripped him up as he tried to get out of the way. He escaped a serious injury, but the cart did manage to knock him clear off his feet.

 

The large lunar priest raced to his side and began feeling around for broken bones. “Brother Danya are you injured?” He asked concerned, he was the order’s resident healer and he took to his calling well.

 

“Nay, I just caught my shoulder Brother Adrik.” Came the soft timid voice an involuntary blush creeping up his cheeks.

 

“Let me see.” Adrik, oblivious to the blush pulled open golden robes to begin inspecting a shoulder already growing purple. “Ouch. Nothing broken, but this I can see already hurts.” Adrik said digging into his belt pouch and he began rubbing a thick pungent cream into the abused shoulder.

 

“I know it stinks, but it will dull the pain and keep this monster of a bruise at bay.” Adrik said gingerly working the salve into sun tanned and freckled skin. “You’ve got sun-spots everywhere don’t you?” Adrik chuckled noticing the hundreds of freckles dotting Danya’s skin.

 

“A-a-ye.” Danya’s voice cracked, he wanted to be anywhere but here. Adrik was far too close and noticing far too much. He’d had a crush on the young healer since he’d first discovered the joys and sorrows of puberty. Now several years later, that crush was well cemented and Danya was too timid to say anything and he knew from observation, Adrik liked the more outward personality types.

 

He’d watched forlornly as Adrik went through several failed relationships, wishing every time that he was the one that could ease Adrik’s heartbreaks in those times when yet another lover was lost.

 

He’d known Adrik most of his life and all of his life spent in the order after he’d been brought to the temples as a small boy. Adrik had been a few years his senior, so while they never shared classes growing up, there had been a few moments where their paths had crossed and Danya admired his healing touch and skills greatly. He remembered the horrible day Adrik had lost the sight in his left eye, which had left a nasty scar and that now lay hidden under a leather patch.

 

Danya was out in the orchard when he’d spied Adrik and his friends climbing one of the trees when Adrik slipped and fell. The branches had pierced his eye and left the gash across the lid. It had been a ten-year-old, Danya that had held a weeping Adrik while his friends raced to get help. That had been the day Danya remembered losing his heart to Adrik all those years ago.

 

While he wept with pain, he wasn’t angry. Adrik’s temper and ire was slow to burn, Danya remembered vividly Adrik saying that ‘all things happened for a reason and that some lessons cost more than others’. For a thirteen-year-old boy who had just lost an eye, he had been remarkably calm about the whole thing.

 

Danya admired that in Adrik immensely. He was a pillar of inner strength that Danya wished he could emulate and always failed miserably at gaining.

 

Danya flinched as Adrik touched an extremely sensitive point on the bruise. “Sorry, Danya. This hit you really hard; I’m surprised you didn’t break anything. I don’t want you working for at least a few days, no lifting anything. But do move your arm as much as you can so it doesn’t stiffen up on you. If you think this hurts now, tonight it’s going to be on fire.” Adrik said as he tied a compress saturated in the smelly ointment on Danya’s shoulder then pulled Danya’s robe back up over his shoulder.

 

Danya only nodded as brother Gavril knelt beside Danya and laid a hand on his good arm. “Yes, take it easy, a few inches more and we could have lost you. Don’t worry about helping with the blessings tonight over the cups; just take care of yourself tonight. It’s high time we gave you respite from that duty anyway, you’re long past the age now.” Gavril said meaning to be kind but he only managed to horrify Danya in front of Adrik.

 

Adrik for his part gave no outward appearance of shock at the words, but indeed they registered like a sledgehammer. Danya was still a virgin? A sun-priest at his age never having indulged just for the pleasure of the moment, the concept was almost foreign. He could see the mortification in Danya’s eyes and Adrik only smiled and adjusted the robe on Danya’s shoulders. “This will certainly put a damper on your evening Danya. I’m sorry I cannot do more for you.” Adrik spoke softly, surely Danya had someone by now he was going to offer his cup to, and he was far too lovely not to have at least a dozen admirers just waiting for the offer.

 

“I had no plans for after the blessings. Thank you both.” Danya said almost near tears as he hurried off mortally embarrassed. Adrik reached over and slapped Gavril on the back of the head.

 

“What was that for?” Gavril asked rubbing his skull.

 

“You boob. You embarrassed him.”

 

“How? Everyone knows Danya is a virgin still.”

 

“Not everyone, I certainly didn’t. Could you not see it troubles him?”

 

“Everything troubles Danya. He’s fine in the garden, take him out of it and you might as well have a statue, they talk more.”

 

Adrik slapped Gavril again. “He’s shy, last I looked that’s not criminal. By Mane’s crown, I’ll never understand boorish Solars! He should have been a lunar, he’s got a lunar temperament.” Adrik grumbled heading off shaking his head.

 

“See! I told you! Even your boy agrees with me!” Sol laughed as Mane and Endymion watched Adrik stalk off until he was out of sight.

 

“That didn’t go well at all. Poor little Danya, how embarrassing.” Endymion sighed and Mane nodded.

 

“He’s off crying in his room now. I do hate when my favorite night of the year sees someone alone in heartbreak.” Mane stated scratching his chin.

 

“So what do you suggest? I’m all ears if you have ideas.” Sol said knowing that look on his brother’s face meant he was considering meddling.

 

“It’s too soon for pushing them into each other’s beds. This could very well be just what they both need, but rushing things will do them no service. Adrik was definitely interested, I picked that much up off him.” Endymion said and Mane nodded.

 

“He’s always been more than a little interested in Danya in just a purely physical sense. He’s not had the opportunity to get to know Danya beyond pleasantries and that’s the problem.” Mane began pacing in thought.

 

“Well then we get them together somehow where they can talk uninterrupted. My Danya is hurting, my little garden sprite deserves a little happiness.”

 

Endymion smiled. “See you do understand love when it suits you too.”

 

Sol glared and Endymion just chuckled. “Well we have a perfect excuse in the injury to get Adrik to pay a room visit.” Sol said turning his eyes to his brother.

 

“Try getting him there. He always has a queue of virgins offering him cups tonight.” Mane said and Endymion cleared his throat.

 

“It takes a flower to draw bees. Danya is definitely a rose in bloom, allow me to go have a chat with the drone?” Endymion grinned and Mane nodded.

 

“If you think you can do it without mother catching on, go right ahead beloved.” Mane winked and Endymion stood.

 

“I can be creative. I’m just going to have a chat.” Endymion said skipping off to Adrik’s healing rooms where the youth was currently banging things around in annoyance.

 

Endymion slipped into the room and closed the door. Adrik whirled around to see the door shut and nobody in the room, but he suddenly smelled nothing but lunar glories in full bloom. It was a heady, sweet fragrance that was overwhelming and Adrik’s jaw dropped as a figure slowly materialized in the room. The exact likeness of the ancient statue that still stood in the mess hall marking the spot where Brother Endys had been reborn into Endymion centuries before.

 

“Your eyes do not deceive you. Sit, I would like to talk to you.” Endymion said in a dual voice that sent shivers down Adrik’s spine. He immediately fell into a chair.

 

Endymion smiled and perched himself on the edge of the cluttered desk in the room. “My Lord Endymion! How may I serve you?” Adrik asked in shock.

 

“I am not here for me, but for you. I am breaking rules and meddling in mortal affairs. Well not so much meddling as offering some unsolicited advice.” Endymion winked, a wreath of lunar glories appearing in his hands.

 

“I will tell you a story. Of a time when I was mortal.” Endymion began placing the wreath on his head.

 

“This night was always a night I feared in my mortal youth. I will not lie and say I did not realize I was beautiful. I was. Did I have vanity? No, I hated my face because it brought unwanted attentions. I had love for only Mane even then and the only man I wanted to drink from my cup was that of my God and my beloved mentor. But there were others that would have forced upon me the loss of my virginity had I not been protected by my Mentor and Mane.” Endymion began turning to look at Adrik.

 

“I was rather shy of nature at times, often blind to the machinations of the minds of others. When Mane spoke to me, my world came alive with wonder and gave me confidence in my own self and my choices in life. Sometimes it just takes the person you love looking at you to give you confidence to do things you wouldn’t normally do.” Endymion said cryptically with a smile.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” Adrik asked and Endymion just grinned.

 

“I can’t tell you everything mortal. Just urging you to open your eyes and perhaps in awareness you may be Mane’s confidence to your own Endys’ needs.” Endymion winked and shimmered as he faded.

 

Adrik was dumbstruck, what was Endymion trying to tell him? Someone needed him? Someone loved him? That struck a chord and Adrik got up to pace in thought. Who loved him? Adrik pondered Endymion’s words when a single sentence made Adrik pause, the answer was crystal clear suddenly, who did he know that was shy and lacked confidence, who did he know that was sweet natured and kind and shockingly introverted… Danya.

 

“Oh Danya, I had no idea. No wonder you fled in practically tears this afternoon. I should have hit Gavril harder.” Adrik sighed but smiled. He always did think Danya was quite easy on the eyes but never had a chance to actually talk with the youth much.

 

“Perhaps it’s time I make some time to get to know you better.” Adrik said grabbing his salves to go pay an unexpected visit on a certain handsome youth probably in very poor spirits. “Besides if you get me out of tonight’s moon festivities and save me from attentions I don’t want, I’ll be your slave.” Adrik chuckled as he closed his rooms and went in search of Danya’s.

 

----