Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Some scars are carved into our bones - a part of who we are, shaping what we become.

We should appreciate the flower, regardless of its roots.

Why would you want to look like her? Why would a falcon want to be a nightingale?

I had always thought life was a road, twisting and turning with the vagaries of fate. Luck and opportunity, gifts beyond our control. As I gazed across the endless night, it dawned on me then, that our paths were forged from the choices we made. Whether to reach for an opportunity or to let it pass by. To be swept up with changed or to hold your ground.

I hated him now because I had loved him then.

What use were adventures when there was no one to share them with?

A glorious future beckoned on the horizon. Yet I still clung to a shred of my past, as a flowering peach blossom tree yearning for its fallen bloom.

Why was it that the times which called for greatest strength were when we were at our weakest?

Never did I imagine such luminous joy existed, and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows.

You'll never grow if you only do what you're good at... The most difficult things are often the most worth while.

I would not yearn after what had been lost, impossible to regain. I would look to the days ahead, to the happiness which awaited me there... if only I were brave and steadfast enough to reach for it.

As long as you are mine as I am yours, we have all the time in the world.

My path, which had seemed a straight road, had taken a turn into the wilderness—and I was lost.

Those nights when my pain was at its sharpest, it would have been so easy to slide into resentment and hatred. Yet as much as I loved him, I loved myself more. And as I was discovering, there was no end to love- it was something which grew and renewed endlessly, expanding to encompass each new horizon. Family. Friends. And other lovers, too - nove of them the same - yet each so precious in their own way.

But we could not keep hiding and burying our hurt, especially from those we loved. I had learned that through the pain lay forgiveness, growth, and the eventual healing of our wounds.

Titles are inherited, talent might be blood-bound, but true greatness lies within.

Was closing one's heart to love - all love - the only way to contentment? Had I not imagined so myself, during those long months of misery? Indeed, my darkest moments were when I had left my loved ones. And yet... the happiest times of my life had been with them too.

When the battle lines are drawn, advance with a clear mind.

I was no longer a child willing to drift with the ride - I would steer against the current if I had to. and if I won, by some miraculous stroke of luck, I would never be helpless again.

Some scars are carved into our bones—a part of who we are, shaping what we become.

I do care," he ground out. "despite my sense, my judgement and honor - I cannot help but care.

When we met, I felt there were no walls between us. That you were someone I could speak freely with. I’d like us to be friends, if you want that, too?” he asked gently.

Yet as much as I loved him, I loved myself more. And as I was discovering, there was no end to love-it was something which grew and renewed endlessly, expanding to encompass each new horizon. Family. Friends. And other lovers, too-none of them the same- yet each precious in their own way.

Was this where all paths to love led? Heartbreak, whether through separation, betrayal, or death? Was the fleeting joy worth the sorrow that came after?

They were beautiful, yet something vital in them had been lost. Once you had seen the full moon, the crescent lost its charm.

My father slew the suns. My mother lights the moon.

As punishment, I was exiled to the moon—an enchantment cast upon me which binds me here for eternity. I cannot leave this place, no matter how much I want to.” In a low voice, she added, “A palace you cannot escape is a prison nonetheless.

There are things I want which you know nothing of. I do have my own dreams.

Those most trusted could still let you down, even when they did not mean to—a lesson I had learned with Liwei, and one I learned well.