Infinite Millenium

When the earth was born, long before the humans came, it was a beautiful paradise. The first demigods were created to rule over each aspect of the earth. This story is about three of them.

The Ocean Prince.

The Forest Prince.

And the Sunshine Princess.

When we were first born, we were but children. We had many names. But we called each other by special ones. Sunshine Princess was Lily, Ocean Prince was Zaire, and I was Wilder, the Prince of the Forest.

My forest was right next to the ocean. Zaire would rise out of the water lapping up at my forest's shore, polished and clean in his turquoise tunics and cloaks. While I, the Wild Prince, let vines and leaves make rips and tears in my brown and green attire. Lily used to ride down every day on the Cloud Pegasi to come play with us. She was positively glowing, dazzling, brilliantly beautiful, even as a little girl. Her dresses were weaved from drops of golden light, and her skin was always pale and bright like sunshine. We were all equals, and Lily was the one that kept us all together and gave us life. Her eyes were golden with little flecks of blue because her sunlight would always reflect the off the ocean, and her hair was a rich, dark brown with streaks of gold, because her sunlight would always stream into the canopy of my humble forest.

I was undoubtedly in love with her. Several eternities could pass, and I knew even as a young god that I was deeply, madly in love with the Sunshine of the earth.

I used to love to play pranks on Lily. I'd put her in the canopies of the trees to see if she could find her own way out. Lily used to tolerate me, but after a while of my antics, Lily wouldn't come down to visit anymore. Thick clouds loomed over the ocean and forest, and sometimes it would start to drizzle rain. Zaire came out of the ocean one day to scold me. He told me that I was a low, dirty Prince, and that if I wouldn't apologize to the princess, he'd do it and take all the sunshine for himself.

I was madly, deeply in love with her. So I didn't expect Zaire to actually do it.

A few centuries passed. I woke up one morning at the usual dawn, only to find the sun gleaming down on the ocean's brilliant blue surface. The sea breeze blew through my forest, carrying the echoes of laughter. Lily's laughter. And Zaire's. I looked up. The sun shone weakly through a veil of clouds over my forest. I looked over the ocean. Zaire and Lily were sitting cross-legged on the surface of the ocean, smiling and talking to each other. Lily was absolutely beaming, all for him. Every time they laughed, a fresh sea breeze would blow through my forest.

A millennium passed. And I had yet to apologize to Lily. Sunshine would still stream through my forest's canopy, but the sunlight was always blindingly brighter at the ocean, even on days she wasn't there. Zaire's visits were few. Lily never came to play in the forest anymore.

A seed of evil took root in my heart, a bitter, contorted seed that would bear fruit in time. It grew its roots in the depths of my heart, and it's thorny vines strangled the love out of my soul.

I would watch from the shadows of the dark forest as Lily and Zaire would play on the beach. Centuries passed. Centuries and centuries and centuries. The seed grew and grew, until it had not snuffed out the love in my soul as I expected. But the boundaries of it. The boundaries of my selfish immortal wants and desires snapped in half as my vines curled around my heart. So I watched as the Ocean Prince and the Sunshine Princess played naively, and a sick smile creeped upon my lips.

Surely, if I just rid the earth of the damned ocean, all that would be left is an empty seabed with nothing to shine on. Then Lily would come to my forest, to me instead. I could keep her here in my forest, and I'd never let her leave, and she would fall in love with me instead. Deeply, madly, madly, madly in love with the Forest, so she'd stay like a caged bird in my forest, forever shining down on me because I'm her one true love. Her only, only true love! She'll be mine! All the Sunshine Zaire stole from me, it shall be mine! And Lily will never want to leave me ever again!

My laughter echoed across the forest that day. Because I had a deal to make with the Shadow Clan.

"The Ocean Prince Zaire took more than his fair share of domain, didn't he? God shouldn't favor him over your desires. Well, Zaire stole something from me, too. He stole the love of my life. So all you have to do is kill the Prince. You can take his ocean domain, and I can take my princess back.

"Deal?"

Shadow wolves and hyenas roamed across the land, their eery, grating laughter echoing across every domain. My joyous laughter mixed among them as I hid in the shadows of my forest. Finally, I shall have everything I've ever wanted! Zaire shall be dead, and Lily will run to me for comfort! A sick smile creeps across my face as the thorny vines twist and turn.

Oh, I can already imagine it! It'll be such sweet desserts for me. Zaire will be overtaken by the shadow hyenas. When he finally can't take it, the ocean will dry up. When Shine comes back, she's realize there's no ocean to shine down on. She shall come to me with all of that wonderful, delightful sunshine, every single last golden drop, and she'll run to me, and I shall swoop her up in my arms as she cries. And I'll say to her, "Oh, my most precious darling, I don't know how this could've happened. The Shadow Clan must've been planning this for millennium, my sweet, there was nothing we could do. But don't worry." Oh, the blue flecks in her golden eyes shall disappear, leaving only that pure, golden honey sunshine. I shall look down into them, and I'll wipe away her tears, and I'll smile at her. "I'm still here. Zaire may be gone, but your Forest Prince shall never, ever leave your side. You may keep shining down on me for eternity, my darling..."

The moment I place a kiss on those lips, she'll be bound to me! The forest and the sun shall be bound forever, and she'll have no choice but to stay and fall in love with me, and always shine down on me every day. Perhaps I shall fashion a pretty golden cage for her. Yes...a wonderful golden birdcage to keep my Sunshine in. So when I let her out, she'll be so overjoyed to see me, every single day. I shall finally be the one to take every last drop of Sunshine for me. And I won't ever have to look over that damned ocean ever again.

But then, it happened. The final, weak sea breeze blew across my forest for the last time. And with it, a scream.

"Zaire!"

I bolted awake from my blissful sleep, and I went to the shore. The ocean was completely, utterly still. Zaire was kneeled down on the sand, crying saltwater as Ichor poured out of the wounds on his arms, face, and legs. Lily was there, too. She wasn't supposed to be there! She was supposed to be asleep in the Sun realm! She's not supposed to be here among all the danger.

"Don't hurt him!" she shrieked, golden tears sliding down her cheeks and dampening the sand. "He's the only brother I have!"

It was too late. I realized too late.

The Shadow Hyenas skirted and skittered around anxiously, as black as the darkest shadows. "If we kill the Sunshine Princess," one laughed, it's voice like swords sharpening on swords. "We shall take her domain," another screeched.

"Lily!" I cried out. I desperately waved her over to the forest. "Come over the border! If you're in the forest, they can't hurt you!"

In that split moment, I didn't care about the Shadow Hyenas or golden bird cages. I just wanted her to be safe.

Lily let a final, golden drop slip down her cheeks. Then she closed her eyes and just shook her head at me. I screamed her name, I screamed Zaire's name, teetering at the edge of the forest's domain. But it was too late. I watched in horror as Zaire's lifeblood was extinguished, and Lily along with him.

Millennium passed. And there was only darkness. Not shadows. I no longer saw the hyenas or the wolves after that day. I heard whispers that God has banished them for snuffing out the light. Or maybe that was just my imagination. I resided in my pitch black forest for all these millennium, letting my insanity creep up at the edges of my consciousness. I slowly rebuilt my boundaries and tore away the vines over my heart. But I could not repair my withered, broken heart.

The Sunshine never shone. Nor did the Ocean lap up at my shores. There was only darkness. And the rustling of my empty forest.

I forgot many things. I forgot what the ocean looked like. What warmth felt like. Only in my dreams did I catch fleeting glances of that time, long, long ago. The smell of seawater. Those crisp turquoise shirts. Zaire's baby blue eyes, and his windswept black hair. Even so, he's hazy. Lily's always vivid. Her sunshine is blinding, and it always gets brighter every time she laughs. Her hair will whip in the breeze on windy days, when cloud spirits are skittish, and she'd visit my forest to hear all the rustling and the sounds. She loved my forest. And I loved her.

Should I have saved her? Should I have apologized? Should I not have asked the Shadow Hyenas to come?

I know not the answers. All I know is regret. And the dull ache of jealousy, that I know caused this entire mess.

I made a contract with God after the third millennium. I would maintain the earth, and grow my forests all across to make sure his creation wouldn't die. In return, I would pay my wages of sin by staying in a cage for five more millennium. And all I would ask for was to see Lily one last time before I died, and he made a new demigod to replace me. All I needed was to pay my wages and feel—to see that sunshine one last time before I melted back into the earth as nothingness, resting in peace where my spirit belonged.

And so, we signed the contract. I stayed perched on my forest throne, letting my creatures roam free in the dark forests of the earth. I ruled over it all, from inside my silver birdcage.

Millennium passed. Some days, I feared turning into stone from not moving. I'd pace my cage and run my fingers over the silver bars, remembering the days when all I desired was to keep Lily to myself. I close my eyes, and I imagine the day when I'll see her one last time before I die.

Millennium pass on my golden throne, inside my silver cage. And then, I hear the tinkling of bells outside my cage. And a tired smile spreads across my lips. My time has come. The contract's finally been fulfilled.

I open my eyes, and for a time, it's still dark. But then, she appears. The tears leak out of my eyes before I can stop them. Surely, this is just an illusion. She can't be real after what I've done to her.

She couldn't have really wanted to come back to see me...

"Lily..."

It's dim. It's faint. But I can still detect the hint of a glow coming off her. She slowly walks over to me, and she hugs me tight. I'm too stiff to come off my throne. But I manage to lift my arms to hug her as I cry into her chest. So warm. So, so very warm. I can detect my mortal heart beating, ever so weakly.

"Oh, Wilder," she says softly. Her golden dress is more of a pale white now. I wonder why. A playful smile spreads across her perfect pink lips. "I can't believe you did all this for me. Look at you. You're practically a king now."

"I don't..." I sob pitiful waterfalls of tears. "I don't want to be a king. I want to see you, and Zaire again. I want to see you shining down on my forest, and his ocean, and we'd all play together again, like we did as children."

Something strange flashes across Lily's eyes. Something I've never seen before. But she just smiles mysteriously at me. "Now, Wilder, listen to me," she says softly. "God is not going to replace you. You're going to stay here, and you're going to keep ruling for one more millennium, alright?"

"But, Lily—"

"No protests, Wilder," she says sweetly. "Just one more." Her golden eyes are kind and sweet. I don't mind the blue flecks anymore. I like them. A lot. Her hand rests upon my cheek, and I can't help but smile. "Alright, Lily."

Her sweet golden eyes are the slightest bit sad. "I know it's hard, Wilder. I see you struggling like this and it makes me sad. I wish I could take your place so you don't have to suffer all alone." Lily strokes the hair away from my eyes with her warm hand. "But, don't worry. Soon, none of us will suffer anymore. You'll see."

"Will I be able to see die after the millennium?" I beg, squeezing her hand. "Will I see you and Zaire again?"

Lily shushes me softly and wipes away my stray tears. "Don't worry, dear, don't cry," she says quietly. "Just wait and see. I promise, I'll see you again." Lily stares at me strangely, a mix of sadness and happiness in her eyes. So she butterfly kisses me on my forehead, as light and fleeting as air. Then she leans in, and hugs me tight. I wish I could stay like this forever. But I know we can't.

Lily pulls away, looking like she might cry herself. She pulls back, steps away, and smiles sadly at me when the bells tinkle once more. "Don't be sad, Wilder. It makes me sad. After all..." She laughs, and it carries off into the wind. "I always liked you best."

I sit, smiling on my golden throne, the warmth of her arms and lips still lingering on me. I savor the memory, letting it keep me warm as I struggle through yet another millennium.

When I opened my eyes that fateful day, it was to the sound of a silver parrot. It's feathers gleamed silver, and it's eyes were a pure white. It sat, perched at the door of my cage.

"Demigods!" It squawked at me. I didn't know what to do. I'd never seen a parrot like this before.

"Demigods!" It squawked once more, tilting it's head. "The sea is reborn! The sky is reborn! The sea is reborn! The sky is reborn!"

Then, when it flew away, my cage door squeaked open for the first time in six millennium. I wasted no time, I jumped off my throne, and I jumped out the door. I jumped into the trees, and I wasted no time.

The sky is reborn. The sea is reborn.

They're back.

I run to the shore through all the darkness, and, as I take a deep inhale, I smell the sea. And so, I run faster.

Something white and bright glimmers in the dark blue sky, along with millions of other glowing white things. Not the sun and the clouds. It's a large sphere, glowing a pure white and reflecting off the dark ocean with pure brilliance. The other brilliant white diamonds glimmer in the sky, twinkling and glittering at me.

And there they are, waiting for me at the shore.

Zaire is dressed in his turquoise tunic, his hair still windswept and his eyes still kind. He's holding hands with Lily. Her eyes are still perfect gold, her hair is still rich brown, and she's still glowing. She smooths down her dark blue dress. When she sees me, she gasps.

"Wilder!"

She releases Zaire's hand and runs toward me. I swoop her up in my arms and I hug her tight. So warm. Very warm.

"I missed you so much," she cries, hugging me tight. I smile. "Me, too. What's this you've made?"

She smiles up at me. "God's made me into a new demigod. I'm the sky princess now. I rule over day and night now." She points at the white sphere. "See that there? That's the moon. And all the diamonds in the sky are stars. It's twilight right now. So I can visit during the day, and night, all the time."

I smile sadly, holding back the tears. I remember how tightly she held Zaire's hand. "Have you...have you and the ocean been bound yet?"

She shakes her head, shocking me. "He's my brother, so I can't be bound to him, even if I wanted to."

"Do you want to?" I ask quietly.

She shakes her head again. "No." Her eyes glimmer with stars among the sunshine. "I want to be with you."

And so, Lily reaches up, wraps her arms around me, and kisses me. She's impossibly warm, and I know that I wouldn't have it any other way. The bells tinkle in the wind, blowing from the sky to the forest, and I know that we're finally bound.

Zaire takes one hand. Lily takes the other. Nothing's changed, even after all these millennium. Because I know I don't want either of them to leave.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Epilogue:

When God decided to fill the world with humans, he didn't need the demigods anymore. So he gave them a choice: they can stay and rule up in heaven, or they can be reborn as humans and choose their fate. The Ocean Prince, the Forest Prince, and the Sunshine princess decided to be reborn to a certain fate....

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Wilder, Wilder!" A little boy with black hair and dazzling blue eyes runs up the slide. There, he finds Wilder, another little boy with dark brown hair and green eyes, drawing pictures of dandelions in his coloring book.

"Wilder, there's a new girl, and she's cool!" The little boy whoops. Wilder just sighs and colors in the green stem. "Who cares about little girls, Zaire?"

"Come on, we're playing tag, and if we don't run she—"

Another little girl bounds up the slide and pokes Zaire's arm, giggling and whipping her brunette pigtails around. "I got you! Now chase me!" Wilder stops short. For a moment, time freezes.

She...She's glowing. Her eyes are bright gold. When she smiles, she...glows. Bright, like the sun.

"I like you."

The little girl skips around and dodges Zaire's pokes. "I'm Lilliana! Call me Lily!" She does a squealing giggle, flips up her golden skirt, and swings down onto the slide just before Zaire can touch her.

"Miss me, miss me!" She sings from the bottom of the slide. "Now you gotta kiss me!"

Wilder gulps and looks at Zaire with wide eyes. "If I catch her, do I get to kiss her?" he whispers.

Zaire shrugs and swings down the slide. Wilder jumps up and slides down the bright yellow fireman's pole, leaving behind his coloring book and crayon box. Zaire is calling Lily's name, kicking up wood chips. She's nowhere to be seen.

Wilder squints and stares around carefully. He sees a flash of gold climbing over the schoolyard picket fence, and into the glade. Wilder glances back at Zaire, and the teacher ringing the bell to tell the kids to clean up the toys. Then he rushes to the fence, jumps over, and runs after Lily, the flash of gold.

She's a fast runner. Wilder is too out of breath to call her name. Then, she trips. "Wait!" Wilder lurches forward to catch her. When his fingers close around the fabric of her dress, he finds himself falling along with her.

"Oof!"

They crunch onto the forest floor of dried leaves and dead grass. Wilder's arm is wrapped around Lily's side. There's bits of grass and leaves in her pigtails, and her golden dress is stained with dirt. Wilder decides she's the prettiest girl he's ever met.

"Do I get to kiss you now?"

Lily beams that blindingly bright grin of hers. "Sure." And she leans forward and kisses his cheek. "You wanna be best friends?"

"I guess."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wilder closes his eyes and sighs, letting the stray beams of sunshine streaming through the thick forest canopy warm his face. He hears her climb up the tree, and creak onto the wooden boards. They had tried to build a tree house, but Lily decided she wanted to see the stars. Either that, or she was just lazy. Wilder complained at first, but when night fell and his voice was hoarse from whining, Lily brought up a thick red, wool blanket, and they curled up together in it and counted the constellations. So he decided to keep the rinky-dink little wooden platform if it meant he could do that again.

She sighs, then the boards creak even more when she drops her backpack lays down next to him. His hand grazes hers, and she wastes no time intertwining their fingers. She's always warm. But not in an uncomfortable way that makes your hand all clammy when it heats up. It's subtle, soft warmth that makes you feel all tingly inside. How does she do that?

"So..." she whistles. "Middle school starts the day after tomorrow."

"Mmh."

He can feel when she turns her head to stare at him.

"Where do you wanna go for the last day of vacation?"

"Mmh."

"I'm thinking beach. So is Zaire."

Wilder scoffs. "Of course HE wants to go to the beach. His dream occupation is merman."

"So, where do you wanna go?"

It irks Wilder that Lily'd rather go to the beach with Zaire before even hearing his idea. He huffs and turns to his side, facing away from her. "Well, I'd prefer botanical gardens. Is that so bad?"

"No...but the beach is more fun."

Wilder scoffs again. "How?"

"Sand castles," she says. "Swimming. Boardwalk. Surfing. It'll be fun. We can hang around the shops in nice, warm sunshine, smell the sea breeze, then relax on some towels. Beach stuff."

"What if I don't want to?" he says stubbornly.

More creaking, excruciatingly slow creaking. He can feel her warmth shift from his back to his front.

"I'll just convince you. And I won't let you turn away," she adds.

"How are you gonna do that?"

Lily wraps her arms around Wilder's midsection, and she leans her forehead on his chest. "I'll stay like this," she says softly, eyes closed. "Then you'll have to give in."

"I still don't want to go."

"I'll be wearing a bathing suit. And you can teach me how to swim."

"Hmmph," Wilder scoffs, though he can't deny that he honestly didn't consider the idea in his head.

Then, he looks down at Lily's face, eyes fluttering closed sleepily while the sunshine emphasized that natural glow she always seems to have. And so, Wilder finds his arms wrapped around her, too, as he sighs in defeat.

"You have to promise you won't stop hugging me until I get tired of it."

"Okay..." she yawns. "Will you ever get tired of it?"

"No."

"Alright."

"Do you mind?"

"No." She smiles. "Not at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lily."

"Mmh."

"Lilyyyyy."

"Mmh?"

"Lillianaaaaaa," Wilder groans. He shifts and turns his head in her lap, kicking his legs and pulling at the grass just to have a tantrum. Lily's been staring at her book all afternoon. They only get one break the entire school day, and she won't even look at him. It's dumb. Wilder even went through the trouble to find a nice sunny, grassy area where no one would disturb them.

But, then, Lily runs her fingers through his hair, all throughout the messy brown tresses, so he stops his tantrum and just crosses his arms. Her silk dress over her lap is like a soft cover on a soft pillow. But really, who wears a gold silk day dress to school? Only Lilliana. His precious Lily.

"Why won't you talk to me? Put down the dang book, Lily," he groans.

Lily pulls at his hair. "Owie," he whines.

"Cut your hair," she mutters at him.

"No." He smirks. "I know you like it better this way."

"Mmh." Lily just continues running her fingers through his hair, and Wilder can't deny that he likes it very, very much.

"Do you like Zaire more than me?" he accuses. "Why would you say that?" she murmurs.

"You're reading the book he gave you rather than talking to me," he says coldly. "So that means you like him more, doesn't it?"

"No, I just like reading."

"And Zaire."

"Reading."

"Zaire."

"Reading."

"Zaiiiire!"

Lily slams her book shut and glares down at Wilder. "Do you want me to like him or something?"

"No." Wilder sits up and glares right back. "I want you to like me."

"I do." She sniffs and wrinkles her nose. "What's it gonna take to convince you?"

"You have to do this." Wilder crosses his legs and pulls Lily into his lap. Lily's golden silk spills all over his lap, like the dress of a delicate princess. "And go out on a date with me to the botanical gardens."

"Fine," Lily mumbles. She leans on his chest and doesn't protest when he kisses her forehead, or wrap his arms around her. "You know I've always liked you the most anyway."

"Maybe I do. But I just like when you say it to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lily?"

"Mmh."

Wilder leans his forehead on Lily's shoulder. It's late at night. Very late. The stars are twinkling brightly, and the moon is high. Lily didn't protest when he called, even though she still had her midterm paper to write. She's willing to come no matter what time it is, day or night.

"You like me more than Zaire, right?"

Lily sighs and rolls her eyes. He always asks this question. "Yes, I do."

Wilder fixes the blanket around them. "That's why you're my girlfriend, and not his, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Good." He closes his eyes and lets a smile curl on his lips. "I wanna keep you all to myself." Wilder takes Lily's soft, warm hand in his and intertwines their fingers. "You ever wonder if we're meant to be together?" he says softly. "That in some other life, we chose to be like this?"

Lily sighs and leans her head on his. "Sometimes," she answers softly. "Doesn't matter though. I'll love you forever and always."

"Me, too. Forever and always," Wilder adds in a whisper.

"Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"You ever thought about being married?"

•Fin•