The Legend of The Moonlight Flower

"Have you ever heard of a certain mysterious flower which only appears and blooms during the fullmoon? Legend has it that it was a sign of eternal love between two star-crossed lovers. Let me tell you the story..."

During the Dark Ages of Europe, there lived a brave, young knight with the name of Cyrus Dessan. He served as a one of the Templar Knights, a prominent organization where only the finest and the bravest of knights are taken in service by the church and its kingdom. He is one of the noblemen, which stands high in the society.

On the other hand there was a young peasant lady, known in the name of Luna. She is a simple, fair young lady. She lives in a hut, along an oasis, found somewhere in Middle-Eastern Asia.

During that era, there was a battle called the Crusades. The land is war-torn due to the campaigns of Christians against the Moslems of the Middle East, for them to conquer and retrieve the Holy Land of Jerusalem, which was now part of Moslem territory. Many have died in such bloody slaughter. People kill and murder, in the name of faith, in a battle which they call as the “Holy War”.

It was then that Cyrus was among chosen to become a crusader, a knight who will fight for the retrieval of the Holy Land. With that, Cyrus immediately accepted the offer. He was very brave in battle. Being a knight with almost no equal, he vanquished many of his enemies and many have fallen in his hands. He even won in duels with enemy officials. He was undefeated; a champion indeed. For his great efforts, he was greatly rewarded and promoted as a 'lord knight'.

Sadly, on an ill-fated day, the army lost in a campaign. Many crusaders retreated and marched their way back to their kingdom. But then, the army was ambushed by a band of thieves and rouge bandits! Weak and wounded from the last battle, the whole army was easily wiped out, whose reason of attack is to steal everything that is with the retreating Crusaders. Cyrus on the other hand was able to escape the encounter but because he lost much strength in fighting for his survival, he fainted.

Luna on the other hand, was tending her sheep when she accidentally came by Cyrus’ tired and weak body. Immediately, he removed the knight’s armor and carried him to her house near the mountains. There, Luna took care of the tired and wounded knight; feeding him and healing his wounds. Slowly, the young knight was recovering his lost strength.

Luna was very pleased to see the knight was getting better. She introduced herself to Cyrus. Cyrus on the other hand did the same and thanked Luna for rescuing him. He then told Luna, about his story, his battles and his life. Luna on the other hand, was listening to Cyrus’ story.

During the days of Cyrus’ stay with Luna, he was attracted with every good characteristic that is within her. Luna’s kindness and compassion is what makes her beautiful each day. And day by day, Cyrus’ feelings for Luna, grows stronger and stronger.

The day came that Cyrus was back to his vigor. He went to Luna to say goodbye and at the same time, to confess her feelings for her and promised that he would return back for her after his return to his homeland. Luna on the other hand, turned back Cyrus offer of love. She explained to Cyrus that he cannot fall in love with a man whose hands are still blood-stained. She also explained what she really feels about the Crusade. Can true faith be sanctified by violence and bloodshed? Is it right to think that the war was the right way to make people draw closer to God? With that, she said to Cyrus, that only if he would change his ways and thinking about life, it will be the only time that she would accept Cyrus’ proposal. And then she said farewell and left in tears.

In his return to his homeland, Cyrus was gladly welcomed by the people. A feast was celebrated in welcoming his return; a hero who returned from the battlefield. Then the king, talked to him about the things that happened in their campaign and the way back. He also told Cyrus about his plan to retaliate against the opposing force and asked him to be the one to lead the army. The king promised great wealth and power in return. But Cyrus replied that he cannot accept the offer any longer and he was stepping down his position as a crusader knight and member of the Templar. He realized that he couldn’t bear to murder anyone again and he couldn’t stand to take part in a mad genocide because of faith. The king was outraged by his reply. He was threatened that if he would keep such belief, he will be charged of treason and be branded as a heretic. Yet still, he remained determined to hold steadfast to his own enlightenment. So the king stripped him of his privileges, seized all his properties and threw him to prison, waiting to be sentenced.

Inside the prison, Cyrus remembered the words that Luna said to him. He said to himself that his situation is just part of the punishment for what he did in the past and he even thought that he should have been put to death to justify for all the lives he’d taken. He asked himself: “With these blood-stained hands of mine, will I ever find redemption?” That time, Cyrus found a dusty, old book lying in one corner of the cell he was in. It was a Bible. As he opened the book, he bumped upon a verse, talking about beating swords to plowshares and spear to pruning shears. For the first time, Cyrus prayed to God, asking for repentance and redemption, that if he would be given a chance, he would change his ways and vowed that he will walk the true path of righteousness and never again will he raise a sword to kill anyone again.

It came when all of a sudden, bandits attacked the town. The soldiers were alarmed and the people are starting to panic. Luckily, Cyrus’ cell was destroyed by a huge stone hurled by a catapult. After breaking out of prison, he saw how the town was engulfed by flames, as the burning battle between soldiers and bandits begins. Clashes of swords, flying arrows, burning houses and screams are the things that he hears.

All of a sudden, he came to pass by an alley, where he saw a little girl with her mother, beside the dead body of a man; the father. In front of them is a merciless bandit with a sword, blood freshly flowing in its blades. Mother and daughter cries, begging for mercy, that they maybe spared. But it seems that the evil man has decided to take their lives.

Cyrus saw a dead body of a soldier nearby. Within the hands of the soldier, he saw a sword and a shield. Remembering his vow, he promised not to use a sword no more to kill a person. Quickly, he snatched the shield.

Just in time before the bandit’s sword strikes two innocent lives, Cyrus jumped quickly unto the scene, parrying the attack. Cyrus then asked them to leave quickly and look for a safe place to hide. The man was very angry to see that his prey escaping; he proceeded to violently attack Cyrus. Cyrus quickly dodged and guarded every in coming attack. Finally, he managed to counter the attack by smiting the shield on the bandit’s face. Knocking his opponent stunned and later on unconscious, he started to run away and escape. Riding a horse, he dashed towards a nearby port, disguising himself with a cape and journeyed back to the Middle-East.

Finally, he arrived. Walking back to that place near the Tigris River, he tried to find Luna. And he did. From a distance, he saw a silhouette of a lady, running from a distance. It was Luna. Throwing herself to his arms, Luna was crying tears of joy. She was happy to see Cyrus back. Cyrus then explained to Luna, about everything happened and what he learned in his journey back and his promise of change. Luna was happy, that Cyrus returned not as the bloody knight in armor, but as a man who seeks freedom from his own world that hunts him down. At last, the sun and the moon were reunited again by love.

Many days have passed. Luna and Cyrus are starting to live happily together. Cyrus started working as a woodsman while Luna still continued to take care of her sheep. All was starting to come perfectly, until a tragedy befalls them.

Luna fell very ill. She started to feel weak. Cyrus called the help of physicians but in vain. They couldn’t find a cure to Luna’s disease. With that, Luna’s condition grew from bad to worse. Cyrus tried using medicinal herbs, thinking that he may find a miracle cure. But it didn’t work. Luna became weaker and weaker each day. Cyrus was begging Luna not to give up; that they still have a long time to live and moments to share together. Before she passed away, Luna asked Cyrus not to cry. She feels that someday they would meet again. That death wasn’t the end of everything. That God may have something in surprise for us all. Finally, she said that if she ever lives again, she wants to be a beautiful flower, so beautiful that it would bring happiness to anyone bearing guilt and sadness. Then, she passed away. Holding Cyrus’ hand until the end, she left peacefully with a smile.

Cyrus then buried Luna in a small garden patch near their hut. In her epitaph, he engraved these words: “To my beloved for all eternity, Luna, my moon princess”.

Cyrus went to visit the grave every day. Months have passed, when all of a sudden; a small plant grew in Luna’s grave. Cyrus thought of removing it, thinking that it may be a weed. But looking closely, the plant has a bud. Thinking it is rather pointless to remove it, he left the small plant alone.

After some time, the plant grew. Finally, it came that one night, the moon was shining brightly, and Cyrus went to see the Luna’s grave when he was so surprised to what he saw! The buds have already blossomed! It turned out to be the loveliest among flowers, Cyrus had thought to himself. As he looks at the flower, a cold gust of wind blew within the night. It drifted with it the glittering pollens of the flower. Suddenly, Luna’s words flashbacked to his mind. With that, his tears fell, not of sadness, but of joy. From then on, Cyrus grew many of the flowers and took care of them, until his life came to end.

It was a long, long time ago and many years have come to pass and the flowers disappeared without a trace. Only if the moon can speak; that somewhere out there is the “moon flower”; a symbol of love promised to last for all eternity. Without a doubt, its existence blooms somewhere within the peacefulness of nights.

- Story written by Sir Night Celestine

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