Princess Astra of Armonia was supposed to choose a husband on her fifteenth birthday in order to reclaim her kingdom when her father eventually died. But the young princess did not want to get married so she fled her kingdom. The King in his despair called upon the Gods to send him help to find his daughter. The king was a strong and loyal worshipper of the Gods so they listened to him. Zeus sent is half mortal daughter Chroma, a young painter, to help the King search for his child. Chroma did not want to go find the princess but she could not decline a avor for Zeus so she set out the next night to find her.
Before she left Zeus granted her with a gift of a compass that would help her find her direction and heat up when she was nearing the object of her desire. Chroma spent five days and five nights searching for the princess before she finally found her by a willow tree singing the most lovely song she had ever heard. Astra had sheets of long hair, as black as night, her eyes seemed to shine light gold. Chroma had never seen anyone so beautiful. Astra did not appreciate being found, she begged and begged or Chroma not to take her back to the kingdom, she said that she did not love any of the men her father wanted her to marry.
Chroma spoke of bravery and honour to the strong-willed princess, she told her that everyone had to do things they did not want to do, everyone had to make sacrifices. The princess considered that and realised what she had to do. She accepted that Chroma had to take her home. The two girls started to walk toward the kingdom, it would take them days to get back home. They walked all day until the sun slipped passed the horizon. They laid down on grass as soft as silk. Astra looked up at the night sky, the moon was not up that night leaving the sky pure black.
Do you ever wonder silly things? ” Astra asked, staring into the black sky. “All the time. What kinds of things do you wonder princess? ” Chroma said. “I wonder what it would be like to paint the night sky. ” Astra said. Chroma thought about this. “I would love to paint the sky with you. ” she said in response. Neither one of them said anything for the rest of the night as they drifted off into sleep. In the morning they woke rather unpleasantly to a cyclops looming over them his large head locked the sun from their view his single eye in the middle of his face glared down at them.
He moved to pick Astra up with his colossal hand but Chroma stabbed it with her sword. The cyclops jumped back and cursed at her. Astra and Chroma tried to run away but cyclops continued to catch up to them. Finally Chroma realised what she had to do she stopped running, she yelled for Astra to run but the princess refused to leave her side. Chroma turned to face the beast and when he came running to toward them she called upon her power of the sky, her birthright from her father and jumped high into the air pushing er blade through the monster’s heart. He fell to the ground and the earth reached up to claim his body.
Astra through herself into Chroma’s arms and thanked her for saving her life. “Anytime. ” Chroma said. They continued to walk toward the kingdom and Astra had hardly taken her eyes off of Chroma all day. That second night after the sun had set the girls sat together underneath a mighty tree. Astra leaned her head down upon Chroma’s shoulder and when she did not object she took her hand in her own and intertwined their fingers, they fell asleep like that. The third day of their journey was pleasant and went by quickly, they told stories to each other of their lives and of the Gods.
On the fourth day of their journey Astra asked if they truly had to go back. “Of course we do, you have a kingdom to get back to. ” Chroma told her. “I do not want the kingdom. ” Astra said. ” Of course you do, you do not mean that. ” Chroma said. Astra stopped walking then “I know what I want and it is not the throne or riches. ” Astra said and there was not a single hint of doubt in her voice. “Then what do you want? ” Chroma asked to humor her. Astra took a few steps to get closer to Chroma before she whispered “You. ” Astral leaned in a pressed her lips against Chroma’s.
Chroma wanted nothing more than to stand there with Astra for the rest of eternity, but then she remembered what she spoke of bravery and sacrifice and she knew she could not have Astra. Tears ran down Chroma’s face glistening when she said “You cannot have me. ” ” | Know that you want me too we don’t have to go back we could stay here and grow old in the forest together, please. ” Astra said. “We cannot, your people need you I cannot have you all to myself I annot steal you from your kingdom, I will not speak of this further. ” Chroma said her voice was sad but left no room for arguments.
And so they walked in silence the rest of the way both of them wanted to say something but didn’t. When they finally arrived at the castle the king was thrilled to have his daughter back. He felt sorry that he was going to force her to marry someone she did not want, he promised to let her marry the person of her choice in exchange that she never ran away again, elated by the news Astra told Chroma that they could marry. “I am yours my love if you will have me we can be ogether we can marry and we will rule the city! ” Astra said throwing her arms around Chroma. Chroma agreed to marry Astra.
They had a wedding and were married for the rest of Astra’s mortal life, together they ruled Armonia and they lived long happy lives. But Astra was merely a mortal and Chroma, being half god was immortal she would live forever and of course she knew that Astra would one day parrish but she had always pushed the thought from her mind. So one day many years after their adventure Astra died. In Chroma’s grief she was lost, she wanted to honor her lover one last time. She remembered what Astra had said to her that first day the met all those years ago, how Astra wanted to paint the night sky.
So that night Chroma picked out all of her favorite paints and called on her power of the sky as she had only done one time before, in forest with her love that second day. She soared up into the air and painted the sky to her wife’s likeness, bright golds to match her eyes that shined in the night sky whose colour was once the same shade of Astras hair. By the end of the night the black sky was no longer completely dark but filled with billions f bright circles lighting up the night surrounding the moon.
Chroma was satisfied with her work she was pleased to know that a piece of Astra would be left on the Earth so that maybe one day someone’s life could be lit up by them in a similar way that Astra lit up her life. Chroma was overtaken by sorrow for the loss of her lover and could not bear the thought of walking the world without her so she flung herself into the night sky and she was never seen again. The billions of glowing circles Chroma painted into the night sky are what we know as stars, the only reminder of Princess Astra.
