Rewrite the Stars

Well that’s weird.

Her father is supposed to lower the sun now.

Actually, he was supposed to lower the sun hours ago.

What’s going on?

Andromeda’s wings fluttered slightly as she stared up at the sky from her temple.

The blue skies were clear. Nothing obscures the sun from shining its light down upon the snow covered lands of Gwyneria. It felt foreboding in a strange way.

As if to confirm her suspicions, she hears the sound of flapping wings behind her. She doesn’t need to turn around to know who it is, her suspicions confirmed when they spoke.

“Hey ‘Dromy,~”

Andromeda turned to face Eris. “Hello Eris,” She said, hopping down from the ledge she stood on to get a better view of the sky. “Why’re you here? How can I help you?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Eris hummed, admiring dangerously sharp black claws, “Just here as a messenger girl.”

Andromeda tilted her head. “A messenger girl? I didn’t realize you held a domain over that as well.”

“Oh I don’t,” Eris hummed, finally looking away from her claws to send Andromeda her signature wicked grin. One that promised nothing but trouble. “In fact, your daddy dearest probably doesn’t even want me here, but since I was the one who snitched in the first place, I decided that it needed to be even and to give you a fighting chance.”

‘I was the one who snitched in the first place.’

That phrase never meant anything good.

Especially if it came from Eris.

“What did you do, Eris?” Andromeda asked, all the welcoming warmth draining from her voice.

Eris merely smirked at her.

“You may wanna go save your lover boy. Your daddy isn’t the happiest camper there is right now.”

-

“FATHER!!”

Andromeda’s voice boomed as she approached the radiant figure that she recognized as her father.

She had first gone to her father’s palace of the gods, normally being able to find him there. Instead, she only found her mother, seemingly preparing to send a message. It was from her that she had learned the whole story.

Eris had suddenly come by, claiming to know something that Dashinima would want to know. She teased him and danced around the subject before letting it slip that she had seen Andromeda with a male mortal at night. Her father was enraged and while her mother had tried to stop him, she was powerless to do anything.

Which led Andromeda to now.

She couldn’t let him do this.

She couldn’t let him hurt Horus.

She saw what he did to that water nymph that had fallen in love with her mother. And that was a child of Hali. One of the purest beings in the land. She didn’t dare begin to imagine what he would do to what he considered a ‘dirty mortal’.

“FATHER!!” She yelled again, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him away the moment she was close enough. “FATHER!! STOP!! PLEASE!! DON’T HURT HIM!!”

She felt hot tears run burning trails down her face. She could hardly see the writhing body of her lover as her father held him by the horn.

Dashinima shrugged her off.

“I apologize, my daughter,” He said, too calm as he pulled a blade from the robes he wore, pressing it to Horus’s horn as he flailed in his hold. “It’s clear I’ve become too negligent of you. So much so a pathetic mortal has managed to coerce you into doing such acts with him. I’ll deal with him and make an example of him for all others of his kind who dare look upon you with eyes of lust.”

“FATHER!!” She shrieked when she saw him cut Horus’s horn from his head. The horrible sound of agony that came from Horus broke her heart. “FATHER, PLEASE, NO!! STOP!! YOU MUST STOP!!”

She desperately tried to throw herself between them. She tried to protect Horus. Wings spread wide with her feathers puffed, she tried to stop Dashinima from hurting him anymore.

“My daughter,” He growled, “Move.”

“NO!!” She cried, “FATHER I LOVE HIM!!”

Dashinima stopped.

He stared at her like she had grown an extra six heads.

Then he glared.

“The disgusting mortal has infected your mind, Andromeda.” He glared at Horus behind her, “Move aside. I do not wish to harm you nor do I wish to risk your mother’s wrath. After I have dealt with him we can make sure that his foolish actions haven’t left you with a more permanent problem.”

Andromeda stared at him.

“…what do you mean?”

Dashinima sighed, “I’ll discuss it with you later, in a more appropriate setting. Now step aside.” And with that he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

Andromeda stumbled for a moment before whipping around, diving to stop him. It was too late though. With a swift movement, she watched as another horn was cut from Horus’s head. He fell to the ground as her father glared down at him with a quick ‘disgusting mortal’.

“HORUS!!” She shrieked, pain welling up in her chest at the amount of pain he was in. “HORUS!! FATHER LEAVE HIM ALONE!! HE’S SUFFERED ENOUGH!!”

Dashinima didn’t answer her. Instead he grabbed Horus’s tail as he severed it.

Andromeda hadn’t seen this much blood since the clash. It made her sick to the stomach. Almost made her hurt as much as Horus’s screams of agony hurt her.

She tried to run to him. To help him. Oh by the might of the Mother Goddess he needed help. He would bleed out if he didn’t get help. But her father stopped her. Every single time.

“Stop it, Andromeda!” He snapped, “Stand back, you need not messy yourself with this! We will discuss getting rid of any future problems later! Return to your mother!”

“NO!” She screamed and cried, still trying to reach for Horus, “NO I WON’T LEAVE HIM!!”

Then she saw it.

His pain filled gaze.

Blood dripping down his face.

And the shake of his head.

Dashinima gently pushed her back. He moved his attention back to Horus. He glared down at him as he spoke in common.

“If you can manage to speak worm, then I suggest you voice any regrets you have.”

Horus wisely kept his eyes shut and head down as he yelled.

“ONLY ONE!… THAT I ONLY SAW HER AS MY WORLD!… WHEN SHE WAS MY STARS!…”

Andromeda knew that her father wouldn’t let that slide. She knew he wouldn’t. But she knew that these words weren’t meant for him alone. No. They were meant for her. And that broke her heart more. Horus risked himself to let her know of his love and devotion.

Sobs of agony broke free from her chest as her father leaned down to pick up Horus.

“Death is too good for you.”

She watched in horror as it happened.

As her father’s hand hovered over Horus’s face. As a bright light surrounded it. Then, as a metal helm was placed upon his head.

But it was far from normal.

She could smell the burning flesh.

She could hear his screams.

She barely processed her own. Crying and begging for her father to stop. That it was enough. That he had suffered enough. To let Horus go.

She watched it all with tear filled eyes.

It was a gory, gruesome display.

One that ended with Horus collapsing into the dirt, writhing in agony.

She hardly processed a slender hand on her shoulder, followed by a cool embrace.

“I’m sorry, my daughter,” Her mother whispered to her, voice full of pain. “I tried to hide it for as long as I could.”

And that made Andromeda cry harder.

She screamed and cried even as Horus’s sounds of agony came to a close. Even as her father approached. Even as he knelt down to help her up.

“Don’t worry, my daughter, you’ll never see him again.”