Astrid Blu: Orion's Curse

Rigel Star

She looks upwards. Unlike the sky on the way through which they came, it was clear without any trees blocking their view. Astrid's gaze follows to where Arthur's finger is pointing. And she sees the beautiful blue star, shining along with the other stars, but still easily overtaking the others. Astrid's small hand slowly falls out of Arthur's big one. Her hands lay freely on her sides. Rigel was definitely brighter than the others. Just like in the story. Gleaming with beauty and radiance. Clearly, any star would be jealous of her because of her beauty. Back in Portland, Astrid used to stargaze through the little window in her dorm room. But, never has she ever seen a star as beautiful as Rigel. Her eyes gets filled with the bright image of the beautiful blue star on the night sky. Her mouth gets slightly parted while her mind gets blinded by the view the star is giving. She doesn't know how much time she stood there with the boy, admiring the star. Her thoughts are cut off when Arthur clears his throat. She quickly looks at him, to the side.

"Well..." Arthur says, with a proud smile on his face. He was proud with the fact that he made her give off such a reaction.

"It's...it's... So beautiful..." Astrid can't find the proper words to express how she's feeling. She looks back at the star. It reminds her of the story Arthur told her. How Rigel casted away Aldebaran and how she no longer remains the princess, but still manages to shine brighter than ever. She feels like she knows Rigel more than anyone. A strange feeling that she knows Rigel. As if, Rigel was a real person whom Astrid had known her whole life. It felt weird. It felt weird that she felt bad for Rigel. Astrid didn't notice her eyebrows knitting together, while a look of sympathy was taking over her eyes as they soften, observing the gleaming star. Arthur's sudden gasp makes Astrid flinch softly.

"Oh my !!!... You walked all the way without wearing any shoes!?" Arthur was looking down at her bare feet which was placed on the lawn.

Astrid looks at her feet before facing a confused Arthur.

"It's fine." Astrid says. And it really was. Walking barefoot on the soft green grass was refreshing. She gives a reassuring smile and looks back at the sky.

Arthur's gaze follows to where her gaze went.

They stood there for a long time. The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was reassuring for Astrid. The silence between them made her feel that someone is there to help her with actions instead of meaningless words. Sometimes silence is more meaningful than words. And the silence between them was comforting than any conversation they ever made.

After hours of standing there looking at the star, Arthur looks at Astrid, who is still staring at the Rigel star.

"We should get going. It's getting late." Arthur mumbles for only Astrid to hear. It indeed was getting late. Astrid doesn't even know how long they stood under the tree. She gently nods.

Even though the thought of leaving the place made her mood dull, Astrid still agreed to go back. She clearly cannot force him to stay. That would be awkward.

Arthur looks at her freely lying hands. He isn't sure if he should take her hands or not. He nibbles on his lower lip while still debating with his inner self, whether he should take her hand or not. Astrid somehow sees that something is disturbing him. She also notices him staring at her hands while biting his nails. She smiles at his childish behavior, before walking away from him. Arthur quickly follows her. Astrid doesn't know the way back to the palace. But, she still walks in the front, because she clearly knows that Arthur will be just behind her. The footpaths were clear, and the few open shops she saw before, were now closed. Arthur slowly gets to her side, now walking shoulder to shoulder with Astrid. He notices how long and beautiful her scarlet hair is. It was slowly moving because of the cold yet calming wind. A few of her hair strands fall on her face, while the rest is lying over her shoulder and some on her back. He quickly looks away as Astrid catches him staring at her. She doesn't give too much attention to it, though.