Introduction

Tala looked down from her place in the sky upon the blue and green orb in wonder. Tala was the goddess of the stars, more specifically, the morning and evening stars. She often spent time contemplating her life while staring at the life upon her favorite planet, Earth. There was an abundance of bustling activity in each place she gazed upon, and she pondered what each small human was so worried about that they must always be moving. Tala sighed as she wondered how life would be with concerns as minuscule as their own. When Tala had the time to reflect while observing Earth, she had found a few of the humans' lives to be intriguing. Maybe this was born out of curiosity, or maybe this was just a way to escape her life in the night sky.

One human in particular that caught her attention was a woman with a stately demeanor. She often wore a glittering tiara which led Tala to believe her to be a princess. By human standards, she was gorgeous, with flowing hair that always happened to catch the light just right, and she had eyes wise enough to make you second-guess your name if she were to disagree. She had gained respect and was revered for her kindness and dedication to the townspeople. Tala admired her and wished she could learn how to achieve that much respect and love from others. She knew how strong the princess was and knew she only had one weakness.

Today, the princess was on her usual walk to the beach from her castle on the rocky coast. She often stole away whenever people did not need her. She appreciated her chance to take a breather from all the hustle and bustle that was part of keeping a castle running smoothly. The ocean waves calmed her, and she knew the ocean missed her when she was gone. Out here, she was truly free from the pressures and expectations of everyone in the castle. In addition to these reasons, she had another bonus to making the long walk out to the ocean for the past two years.

There he was staring out across the ocean with his back turned to her. Before him lay the wide expanse of the crystalline turquoise waters brought to life by the glaring sun, and he observed this landscape peacefully. His soft brown curls gleamed in the sunlight and the wind gently tugged on his lively tufts of hair. He must have heard her walking in the white sand as he turned around and greeted her with warm brown eyes accented by flecks of jade and gold.

He smiled with a radiant grin and spoke.

"Maria, you have kept me waiting."

He gently put his arms around her and led her to their cozy piece of driftwood. This secluded piece of beach, obscured by numerous palm trees, was where they spent their time talking joyfully overlooking the sea during the past few years. Their conversation was lighthearted as usual until Maria's face saddened.

"Juan, my father is serious this time. I had to sneak away to avoid being noticed leaving to see you. You know I love you, but I cannot risk the repercussions of being caught out here with you. I don't think I can do this anymore. You know he doesn't approve of you, and more and more suitors show up every day. My father said there is to be an important announcement tomorrow where he requested all the suitors to be in attendance. I fear he has already chosen someone for me to marry. Please forgive me."

Maria, overcome with the guilt of letting Juan down, quickly stood up and hurried back to the castle. Juan was stunned by this quick turn of events and did not have a chance to call her back before she had disappeared from sight. Juan knew this might happen one day. The fact that Juan was not a person with an abundance of wealth and property greatly limited his chances to be with someone of power. This did not deter him as he was determined to be with Maria. He decided he would attend this important announcement to see what the King had to say.

Tala smiled in amusement at his fortitude. She wondered how tomorrow would go and how the fate of Maria would end. She walked away from her porcelain balcony that overlooked Earth and returned to the comfort of her expansive residence in the stars.