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"Mama, Mama, look!" Kana bounced up and down at Corrin's side, one outstretched finger waving in the air. "The sky is so pretty tonight!"
Smiling, Corrin ruffled the little boy's blond hair. "It sure is." She tilted her head back, taking in the view.
The stars seem brighter, now that it's all over.
She caught Kana's shoulder in one hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "Settle down, Kana-bean. Remember why we came here."
"Oh... oh yeah." The young dragon sat down in the grass, folding his legs beneath him, and scrunched up his face in his best attempt at seriousness. It was all his mother could do to hide a laugh.
Corrin lay down on her back, folding her arms behind her head. "Are you ready?"
She heard a light thud as Kana flopped back into the grass, his voice determined. "Uh-huh. I'm going to be the best stargazer ever!"
The princess laughed fondly. "Of course you are."
For the first few minutes, Corrin simply let her eyes roam the sky, surveying the stars like so many uncut gems. But in the end, her eyes kept returning to one star in particular.
It shone brightly in the sky, like the mirror of a carefree smile, or a polished stone set in a mosaic.
Her voice little more than a murmur, Corrin spoke.
"How are you, Scarlet?"
Wind rustled the grass, bringing with it the scent of flowers. Outspread petals, a white bloom standing out against the red of her armor. Falling, falling, falling...
"Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. Of what our life together might have been like, if we'd had more time."
She heard Kana shift behind her, trying to get comfortable. "Do you see how big our son has gotten? He's such a good boy--always trying his best to do what his Mama says. I've been trying to teach him mosaic, but I'm afraid that I'm not quite as good a teacher as you. I'm sure he'll keep getting better at it, though."
Above, the stars continued their slow, silent dance across the horizon.
"I..." Corrin's eyes fogged, and she blinked away her tears, breathing in deeply. "I miss you. Gods, I miss you so much it hurts. Sometimes I'll wake up and think for a moment that you're there, that it was all a bad dream that you can kiss away, but..." Her voice caught again, and she choked back a sob. "But you're gone."
"Mama."
Corrin's eyes widened, and she glanced up to see Kana kneeling next to her, his little face serious. I didn't even hear him. "Kana, did you...?"
"Don't cry, Mama," said the little boy. "Mom's not gone, remember? You told me so." He took Corrin's hand, raising it up to point to that faraway star. "She's right there, watching us and listening to us." He moved Corrin's hand to his chest, a smile spreading across his face. "And she's right here, in our hearts."
"Kana..." Even in this light, Corrin knew every feature of her son's face--the light dusting of freckles across his nose, his hopeful eyes, that wide smile that was so much like hers that it set her heart aching to see it. Through her tears, she managed a smile in return. "You're growing up so fast. You know just what to say to make me feel better..."
"Of course I d... d... do," said Kana, his words interrupted by a wide yawn. Corrin chuckled softly.
"Seems like it's a bit past your bedtime. Come on, let's get you tucked in."
"Okay." The two got to their feet, Kana's small hand closing around his mother's fingers. With his other hand, he waved up at the sky. "Goodnight, Mom."
Corrin smiled up at the star, and quietly added her voice to his. "Goodnight, Scarlet. I love you."
And far away, the star twinkled in the sky, as if to say, I love you, too.