Valley Kingdom,the day before her birthday.
The Valley Kingdom was alive with preparation. Servants rushed through corridors carrying silks and flowers, musicians rehearsed in the great hall, chefs worked frantically in the kitchens creating elaborate dishes.
Tomorrow was Princess Nana's twenty-third birthday, and the King had insisted everything be perfect.
"Not tomorrow—today!" he'd commanded.
"I want everything ready today so tomorrow we can simply celebrate my daughter without worry!"
So the palace buzzed with organized chaos, everyone focused on making the princess's birthday spectacular.
Everyone except the princess herself, who had snuck away to the kingdom's forge.
"Careful, Princess," the elderly blacksmith cautioned as Nana worked carefully with silver and gold thread, weaving them into an intricate pattern.
"The metal can burn if you're not—"
"I know, Master Chen. You've taught me well."
Nana's tongue poked out slightly in concentration as she formed the threads into a star shape—five perfect points, the center hollow to attach to a sword.
"It has to be perfect. It's for someone important."
The blacksmith smiled knowingly.
"Your knight, I presume?"
Nana's cheeks flushed.
"He's protected me for three years without complaint. He deserves something special. And I noticed—"
She paused, examining her work.
"He has this old tassel on his sword. He keeps it so clean, so pristine, like it's the most precious thing he owns. I thought maybe... maybe I could make him a new one. Something to match."
"A thoughtful gift, Princess."
"I just hope he likes it."
Nana held up the finished tassel, watching it catch the forge's firelight. The star glimmered, silver and gold intertwined, beautiful and delicate and made with three days of secret work.
"There. Done!"
She thanked Master Chen and slipped out of the forge, the tassel carefully wrapped in silk. Her heart was racing—not from exertion this time, but from anticipation. She'd never given Xavier a gift before.
Would he accept it?
Would he understand what it meant?That you're important to me. That I see you. That you're not just my guard but my friend. Maybe... maybe something more.
Nana found him in the palace gardens, sitting on their usual bench near the fountain surrounded by red roses.
The sunset painted everything in shades of amber and gold, and Xavier sat still as a statue, his face turned toward the dying light.
He looked sad.
He always looked sad around her birthday. Nana had noticed it last year and the year before—how his expression would grow distant in the days leading up to the celebration.
How sometimes she'd catch him with red-rimmed eyes, like he'd been crying. But whenever she asked, he'd smile and insist everything was fine.
It wasn't fine. She could see that.
"Xavier,"
Nana called softly, not wanting to startle him.
He turned, and for just a moment before his expression smoothed into pleasant neutrality, she saw such raw anguish in his eyes that it stole her breath.
"Princess—Nana,"
he corrected himself when she shot him a look.
"Shouldn't you be inside? Your father is—"
"Father can wait."
She poked his arm playfully, then settled onto the bench beside him. Close enough that their shoulders touched.
Xavier stiffened slightly but didn't pull away. "The sunset is too beautiful to miss. And besides—"
She pulled out the silk-wrapped bundle.
"I wanted to give you something. Before tomorrow gets too chaotic."
Xavier's eyes dropped to the package in her hands.
"You didn't need to—"
"I wanted to." Nana held it out.
"Open it."
Xavier unwrapped the silk with careful hands, and Nana watched his expression shift through several emotions she couldn't name when he saw the star-shaped tassel.
His fingers trembled slightly as he lifted it, the silver and gold threads catching the sunset light.
"Nana, this is..." His voice was rough. "This is beautiful."
"I noticed you seem to like that star tassel so much,"
Nana said, gesturing to the one currently hanging from his sword—old and faded but meticulously maintained.
"I thought maybe you'd like a new one. I made it myself! Well, Master Chen helped with the metalwork, but I did most of it!"
Xavier's thumb traced over the star shape, and something in his expression cracked.
"It's not just a tassel,"
he said quietly.
"Oh?"
Nana leaned closer, curious.
"Does it have special meaning? Did someone important give it to you before?"
Yes, Xavier wanted to say. You did. In another lifetime, in another world, you gave me this exact gift. Star-shaped because I'm a star and you're my starlight. You've given me variations of this tassel in every lifetime, like it's our secret tradition, our connection across time itself.
"Someone very important,"
Xavier said instead, his voice barely audible. "Someone I... someone I lost."
Nana's expression softened with sympathy. "I'm sorry. They must have meant a lot to you, if you've kept their gift so carefully all these years."
You have no idea.
"They did. They do."
Xavier carefully removed the old, faded tassel from his sword—one from another lifetime, another death, another heartbreak—and attached Nana's new one in its place.
The star glimmered against the blade, beautiful and cruel and inevitable.
Nana's face lit up with pure joy.
"You're actually using it! I thought you might just... keep it somewhere safe. Not actually replace the old one."
"This one is better,"
Xavier said, which wasn't a lie. Every tassel she made him was precious. Every version a treasure.
"The craftsmanship is excellent. You've learned well from Master Chen."
"Hehehe, does that mean I'm important too?" Nana asked, a teasing lilt in her voice but genuine hope in her eyes.
"Since you're keeping my tassel on your sword now?"
Xavier looked at her—really looked at her.
The way the sunset painted her face in warm light. The way her eyes sparkled with happiness at such a simple thing.
The way she leaned against his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Yes," he said, his voice raw with everything he couldn't say.
"You're important. More important than you know."
Nana's smile could have rivaled the sun.
She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly.
"This is nice. Peaceful. I wish we could stay like this forever."
Forever, Xavier thought bitterly. We don't even have until tomorrow.
They sat in silence as the sun set completely, as stars began to appear in the darkening sky—cold and distant and judging.
Xavier memorized this moment: her warmth against his side, her breathing slowly evening out as exhaustion from making his gift caught up with her, the weight of her trust that he didn't deserve.
"Xavier?" Nana mumbled sleepily.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. For always being here. For treating me like a person instead of a fragile princess. For—"
She yawned. "For being you."
Xavier's arm came around her shoulders, holding her close.
"Rest. I'll wake you before the servants come looking."
But he wouldn't. He'd let her sleep peacefully for as long as possible, stealing every moment he could before fate came to collect its due.
The new tassel swayed gently from his sword, catching starlight.
I'm sorry, Xavier thought desperately. I'm so sorry I can't save you. Not this time. Not any time. I'm cursed to watch you die forever, and I—
His thoughts cut off as shouting erupted from the palace.
Then screams.
Then the unmistakable clash of steel on steel.
.
.
.
.
.
The Attack
Xavier was on his feet instantly, his light evol flaring, his sword—with its new star tassel—already drawn. Nana jerked awake with a startled gasp.
"What—Xavier, what's happening?"
"Stay behind me."
His voice had shifted into something hard and commanding—not the gentle knight but the warrior, the Crown Star, the prince who'd once led armies.
"Don't move unless I tell you to."
Palace guards were running through the gardens, some toward the main gates, others herding servants to safety. In the distance, flames painted the night sky orange and red.
A guard captain rushed up to them, his face grim.
"Sir Xavier! The Northern Kingdom has breached the gates! It's a full assault—hundreds of soldiers! The King orders you to take Princess Nana and flee to the Summer Palace immediately!"
"How did they breach—"
"Traitors in the guard, sir. They opened the gates from inside. We're overrun. You need to go NOW!"
More screams. Closer this time. The sound of fighting was moving toward them.
Xavier didn't hesitate.
He sheathed his sword, turned to Nana—whose face had gone pale with shock and fear—and scooped her into his arms like she weighed nothing.
"Hold on tight," he commanded.
"Xavier, wait, my father—my sisters—"
"Will be protected by the royal guard.
I was ordered to save you. So that's what I'm doing."
Xavier was already moving, his light evol propelling them faster than any normal run. "Put your arms around my neck. Don't let go".
Nana obeyed automatically, wrapping her arms around his neck as Xavier raced through the gardens toward the stables.
Behind them, the palace erupted in chaos—the clash of weapons, the screams of the wounded, the roar of flames consuming centuries-old buildings.
Xavier's horse—a massive black destrier he'd selected years ago for exactly this kind of emergency—was already saddled and ready. He'd learned to always be prepared for disaster.
He swung onto the horse with Nana still in his arms, then adjusted her so she sat in front of him, his arms caging her protectively as he grabbed the reins.
"Hold onto my waist," he ordered. "If you feel faint, tell me immediately."
"Xavier, I—"
"Now, Nana!"
She grabbed his waist as the horse launched into a gallop, racing away from the burning palace, away from the screaming and fighting, into the darkness beyond the kingdom walls.
Nana clung to Xavier's waist—the position so familiar it made her dizzy.
Why did this feel like it had happened before? This desperate flight, these strong arms protecting her, this overwhelming sense of déjà vu...
They rode for what felt like hours but was probably less than one.
Xavier pushed the horse hard, taking paths through the forest that avoided main roads. His light evol provided illumination, turning the darkness into manageable twilight.
Finally, when Xavier was certain they'd put enough distance between themselves and any pursuers, he slowed the horse and guided it off the path to a small clearing near a stream.
"We'll rest here briefly,"
he said, dismounting and helping Nana down. "Just long enough to let the horse recover. Then we'll continue to the Summer Palace."
Nana's legs nearly gave out when her feet hit the ground.
Xavier caught her automatically, and she sagged against him, her mind still reeling.
"I don't... I don't understand,"
she whispered.
"Why would the Northern Kingdom attack? We have a peace treaty. We—" Her voice cracked.
"My father. My sisters. Are they—"
"They're protected,"
Xavier said firmly, though he had no way of knowing if it was true.
"Your father has the best guards in the kingdom. They'll keep him safe."
"But the fire. The screaming. Xavier, there was so much blood—"
She was shaking now, the shock and trauma catching up with her.
Xavier guided her to sit on a fallen log, then knelt in front of her, taking her trembling hands in his.
"Breathe," he commanded gently.
"Slow breaths. In and out. Focus on my voice."
Nana tried, but her breathing was coming too fast, too shallow.
The images wouldn't stop—guards being cut down, buildings burning, that horrible moment when she'd seen a servant she knew collapse with an arrow in his chest.
Too much. It was all too much. Her heart was racing, pounding against her ribs like it was trying to escape. And then—
Pain.
Sharp, stabbing pain in her chest that made her gasp and clutch at her robes.
"Nana?"
Xavier's voice sharpened with alarm.
"What's wrong? Your heart—"
"It hurts,"
she managed, her fingers digging into the fabric over her chest.
"Xavier, it hurts—it feels like—like someone's ripping me apart—"
No. Not yet. Not now. We just escaped. She's supposed to have until tomorrow. Until her actual birthday. Why is it happening early—
But Xavier knew why.
The shock, the trauma, the physical exertion—it had triggered her heart condition, accelerated whatever cruel mechanism the curse used to claim her.
"Look at me,"
Xavier commanded, cupping her face, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"Nana, look at me. Focus on me. Nothing else. Just me."
She tried, but her vision was blurring. The pain in her chest was spreading, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to—
Those eyes....
Blue eyes, pale as starlight, filled with tears and anguish and something that looked like recognition.
She knew those eyes.
Suddenly, without warning, images flooded Nana's mind:
A forest at night. Fireflies dancing. Those same blue eyes smiling down at her as she fell out of a tree.
A throne room. A crown being placed on a seat. Those eyes defiant as a young man chose her over a kingdom.
A meadow on an alien world. Those eyes crying as he held her, as she died in his arms the first time.
"Xavier..."
Nana's voice was barely a whisper, her hand rising unconsciously to touch his face.
"Why... why do I know you? Why does this feel like... like we've done this before?"
Xavier's composure shattered completely. Tears streamed down his face as he pulled her into his arms, holding her like she was the only thing anchoring him to reality.
"Because we have," he sobbed.
"Because you die every time. Because I can't save you. Because I'm cursed to love you and lose you over and over and—"
His voice broke entirely.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I chose you. I'm so sorry I damned us both."
Nana's hand found the new tassel hanging from his sword—the star she'd made him, already bloodied from the brief fighting during their escape.
Her fingers traced its shape, and more memories crashed through her:
Making a tassel exactly like this on another world, giving it to him with a shy smile.
Him keeping it pristine through years of battle, a promise carved in metal and thread.
Dying in his arms as he whispered "Starlight" like a prayer.
"Starlight,,,"
she whispered, testing the word. It felt right. It felt like coming home.
"You call me Starlight."
"Yes."
Xavier's hands cradled her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears even as his own fell faster.
"You're my Starlight. You've always been my Starlight. In every life, every timeline, every—"
He stopped as Nana gasped, her body going rigid with pain.
Her hand pressed against her chest, over her heart that was beating too slow now, struggling against the curse that demanded her death.
"Xavier..."
Her breathing was shallow, labored.
"I'm scared."
"I know. I know. I'm here. I'm right here."
He gathered her fully into his arms, sitting on the forest floor and cradling her against his chest.
"I've got you. I'm not letting go."
Nana's head rested against his shoulder, her breathing becoming more and more labored. The pain was fading now, replaced by a strange numbness that was somehow worse.
She could feel her heartbeat slowing, could feel the darkness creeping in at the edges of her vision.
"The tassel," she managed, her voice barely audible.
"Xavier... would you keep the tassel I gave you?"
Xavier's body shook with silent sobs.
"I will, Starlight. I will keep it forever. Just like the others. Just like every gift you've ever given me."
"Every gift...?"
Nana's mind was getting foggy, but she tried to understand.
"How many times?"
"This is the second,"
Xavier whispered brokenly.
"The second time I've held you as you died. The second time I've failed to save you."
"Not your fault..."
Nana's hand rose weakly to touch his face, her palm pressed against his cheek. The star-shaped mark on her palm—their mark, their connection—glowed faintly even as her life faded.
"Xavier... why 'Starlight'?"
"Because I'm a star,"
Xavier said, his voice cracking.
"And you're the only light that's ever made me want to keep shining. You're my reason. My purpose. My—"
He couldn't finish. Couldn't voice how completely she owned his soul across every lifetime.
Nana's eyes were struggling to focus now, but she smiled—soft and gentle and heartbreaking.
"Then... then I'll be your Starlight... in the next life too..."
"You will," Xavier promised desperately. "You'll come back. You always come back. And I'll find you. I'll protect you. I'll try again to—"
"To save me?"
Nana's smile turned sad.
"Xavier... maybe... maybe you're not supposed to save me... Maybe we're just... supposed to love each other... for as long as we can..."
"That's not enough!"
Xavier's voice broke completely.
"It's never enough! I need more time! I need—"
But Nana's hand was falling from his face, her breathing slowing to almost nothing.
Xavier..."
One last whisper, soft as a dying breath.
"I love you... thank you for... loving me..."
Her eyes closed.
Her hand fell limply to her side.
Her heartbeat stopped.
"No."
Xavier's voice was a broken whisper.
"No, no, no—NANA!"
He pressed his hands to her chest, tried desperately to restart her heart with his light evol just like last time, just like it never worked, just like—
"Please," he sobbed, his power flowing into her in useless waves.
"Please wake up. Please don't leave me again. I can't—I can't do this again. I can't watch you die again. I can't—"
But she was gone.
His Starlight had gone dark for the second time.
Xavier pulled her close, burying his face in her hair, and screamed his grief into the uncaring night. The sound was raw and animal and utterly broken—the sound of a man who'd just lost everything for the second time and knew he'd have to live through it again and again and again.
The star tassel—new and bloodied and precious—swayed from his sword, glinting in the light of his fading evol.
Above them, the stars watched with cold indifference.
The curse had claimed her again.
Exactly one day before her twenty-third
birthday.
In Xavier's arms.
Just like it always would.
.
.
.
.
.
⭐⭐⭐
To be continued ___