What Binds

Celestia had always been more of the diplomat than her sister, and so she traveled more often away from the castle, home not only to the celestial sisters, but also to the spirit of chaos.

The disorder channeler and the princess of the night were not unaccustomed to spending an evening together, with or without the sun mover present. They were all childhood friends, raised in the very castle they still called home.

It was on the afternoon of a particular ambassadorial leave that the two ventured to the private lands just beyond the dense of trees.

Duties were cast aside for the day, but it had been a slow month regardless. The two planned a picnic on their favorite spot, and talked about anything that came to their minds.

The trickster performed for his company, manipulating whatnots from their pack and conjuring up what hadn’t been present before. The moon child joined the act and transformed objects into this and that.

They ate a meal prepared by the chiefs and shared a dessert that wouldn’t have been missed by their absent third point. She preferred cake to most other things anyway.

It was nice spending time with someone who knew you so well. To know that they were your friend and accepted you no matter what was a true gift. It was even more so when that person truly cared for you, and not the wealth and power you possessed.

These friends, all three of them, had lived for a long time and had seen generations pass. The friends and faces they knew were gone. The caretakers who ran their baths and tucked them in now slept beneath the soil. But they still had each other.

From familiarity and proximity sprang affection and attraction. Even so, only one had known the sting of lost lovers.

Their triangle scalened as two points were close together. The bringer of day and the confusion studier seemed fated in their love. The three got along well, though their dynamic was twisted at odd ends. One point refused to see the potential for damage in an uneven balance of affection. Another didn’t complain although insecurities crept in her mind. The last noticed and thought of one way to solve the problem.

The days when the sun was moved by its princess in another region, he found it fit to do more than just watch the clouds roll in sluggish trails or reminisce on older days.

He held the moon herald’s hand as they strolled and kissed her quickly but kindly on the lips whenever he bid her farewell. Some days she was sad, and he would simply sit with her until she felt better. He knew that they had a deep bond all their own.

They shared secrets and dreams, but more than just friends would. One night he truely kissed her, but had timed it so well that she didn’t think to pull away. Not for a stretch of time, at least. When she finally jerked her head back she could only look into his eyes.

While she tried to read him, he read her like an unwound scroll. She wanted to do it again, so he kissed her again, and again, and again until all they could do was hold each other tight and sway to the rhythm in their hearts. When they woke up clothes were gathered and bed heads were patted down.

There had been no awkward in the air, just the perfume of passion and revealed emotions.

They only joined themselves together once, because the guilt ate away at the younger sister.

But it didn’t stop her from allowing him to steal kisses while the sun’s eyes were turned, nor did it stop the electric looks that sent shivers down his back when he caught her staring from across the room.

It seemed as though the sun princess was none the wiser. Then time passed and the younger girl realized that if her sister did find out their whole relationship would be ruined. The guilt clung to her like shadows and she realized they needed to stop.

The sun trailed lower and the sky above the open field painted the evening in a honey glow. But the pair on the blanket hadn’t noticed the beauty.

“Discord…” She hummed. “Discord we can’t… You and,” she shuttered as he found her favorite spot on her neck, “Tia-“

“You and me,” he interrupted before continuing to press his lips along more of her skin.

“There can’t be you and me! You have Tia.” Luna pushed him away to clear her mind. Her eyes narrowed in frustration of his advances and her weakness.

“And you?” She couldn’t look into his eyes.

“What about me?”

He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him with a stern stare. “Who do you have?”

“Tia loves you,” She tried weakly.

“And you?”

She stood and walked a few paces away, her back now to him. She only heard him stand.  “Why do you always do this, Discord? Why- Couldn’t we have just enjoyed the moment together without all this? Just once?”

“And why do you always do this, Luna? When will you stop lying to yourself? When will you stop trying to placate your big sister and do something that will make you happy?”

“By cheating?!” She swirled back around and scolded with incredulous but didn’t move a step in his direction. “How could you think going behind her back with the one man she loves most in the world could make me happy?”

“Because,” he took a step forward, “she’s not the only one who’s in love.”

“You’re just full of yourself. You always have been, and greedy too. You can’t be happy with one princess so yo-“

There wasn’t much room between them, but he was standing before her so quickly she had barely blinked. His grip was tight around her wrists which ended up caught between the space between their chests.

“Look at me Luna. Really look at me, then tell me that you don’t love me. And look and tell me I don’t honestly love you too.”

She was stuck staring into those blazing ruby eyes. Her breath came quickly and her expression looked angry and concentrated. Luna wanted to run, to fly far away, but his grip was too sturdy. She could only clench her fists.

“Let me go.”

“Answer me.

“Discord, let me go.”

“Luna.”

He was determined to hold her there until she answered. Just as determined as he was to hold her until the end of time. He told her that through his eyes.

“Please, for everyone’s sake, let me go.” Her voice was quite, pained, as she spoke. It became too much to even hold her head up. She let her forehead rest against his chest.

“Never.” His tone was so gentle, but so firm that Luna had to look back up. His lips found hers and she couldn’t back away.

They flew back to the castle in time for Luna to raise the moon.

_-_-_-_-_

Then they found themselves in her room panting into each other’s ears as they came for the umpteenth time, only catching their breath. His hands were tangled in her hair and her hands were wrapped around his back. Flesh pressed against flesh and sweat mingled with sweat. They were joined as one in an age old tie and natural as the moon and sun in the sky. He was on her, she was on him, they rolled on the bed lost in the other’s essences. They could taste each other in the air that was thick and consuming. His hips rose to meet her and her eyes saw nothing but his.

They collapsed, spent and comfily holding each other.

“Do you know what my favorite time of day is?”

“What?” Luna asked softly.

“The night. When it has settled and the stars can be seen in their full glory against the dark purple canvas you layout.”

“Why?” She snuggled closer to him, listening to the sound of his heart through is bare chest.

“To a scholarly man, the night sky is an elegant assortment of fixed twinkling constellations. Chartable and constant in pattern and cycle. But, to a simple man, it is a random array of shimmering beauty. Immeasurable and humbling. Two perspectives of one opinion does not distract from the aesthetics and sentiment. The night is the most wonderful example of truly balanced chaos I can certainly think of.”

He felt her smile against him, and that was all the thanks he needed.

They listened to the rhythms that their bodies set. His inhale her exhale his heart beat her pulse. They didn’t match and they didn’t mind. They were two different people bound by choice and love.