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There was once a boy with the heart of a lion. He knew every star in the sky by name, and would spend his time watching them and wishing he could join them. You see, that boy didn’t like being tied to the earth. He wanted to be free and to explore the night sky with more than just his eyes. Every morning he would watch the sun rise and hate it for taking the stars away; for bringing light to a world he wished would be eternally dark. And then, when the dusk came, he would watch the sun set and hate himself for wishing it were gone.
Everybody else seemed to love the sun. They would wait for its arrival every morning and mourn its absence every night. But not the boy with the lion's heart. He trudged through his day wishing only for the sun to be gone. This had been the case for as long as he could remember, and it made him feel so very alone.
That was until one day when the sun noticed the boy's anguish. They could feel the glare of the one being who did not pray for their return, and it fascinated them. They wished to know why.
And so, from then on the sun would watch the boy through the day and wonder why he hated them so. The problem was, the only way the sun could have ever known, was if they watched the boy at night, and of course this was not possible.
After months of watching and wondering, the sun's curiosity got the better of them, and so that night they left the sky to ask the boy why he hated them so. When the sun set, instead of sleeping as they usually would, they took on the form of a human and went to visit the boy.
The moment the sun arrived upon earth, they were struck by how beautiful it was without their light. They had never seen it like this before, and almost forgot why they were there in the first place. They stood and gazed at the stars in wonder. And then, they heard footsteps behind them and turned to see the boy approaching.
From afar, the boy had looked just like any other, but now they were up close, the sun saw that he was beautiful, and it took his breath away.
“Who are you?” The boy asked, and the sun thought for a moment before answering.
“I don't really have a name.” He frowned at the sun, confused.
“How can you not have a name?”
“I guess I have only ever been the sun to your people. I’ve never really had the need for a proper name.” The boy blinked, realising who he was talking to.
“You’re the sun?” They nodded, smiling, and who else could they have been? With a smile like that? One of pure, golden sunlight.
“I am. And I have come to ask you a question.” They frowned, brow furrowing in a sort of curiosity that made them look almost sad. “Why is it that you hate me?”
The sadness in the question sent the boy reeling, and he couldn’t remember for the life of him why he ever had. But then he looked up at the stars and felt that familiar tugging feeling in his chest, like the night sky was calling him.
“I don't hate you. But I love the stars. I’ve always wished I were a star. And when you rise each morning, the stars leave.”
They watched each other then, a boy with the heart of a lion who wished he were a star, and the sun who now understood why they were not wanted by this one beautiful being.
It was in this moment of silence that the sun had an idea; one that to them seemed so simple and obvious.
“Then I’ll make you one. Come back with me, and together we can make the sky beautiful.”
And oh, how could he ever hate them now?
“What is your name?” They asked of the boy.
“Regulus.” Came the reply.
“A name made to be a star.”
When the sun set the next day there was a new star in the sky, burning right at the heart of the Leo constellation. And he was never alone again, because the sun was always right there in the sky with him.