Long ago, there was a great Norse kingdom, but their ruler King Balder, lay on his deathbed. The land was in fear of what was to become of their kingdom, for the king was loved by many and ruled with compassion. In his death, the throne would pass on to his young and inexperienced daughter, Princess Bergljot. This caused great turmoil, so much that rumors of uprisings lingered in circles of gossip. The princess herself felt ill-equipped to rule and feared greatly for the future of her father's land, and desired to find a way to save her father. Berljot lived quite far away from her father's castle and would have to travel by night to see him, with only the moonlight to guide her and stay hidden from the unrest of the villagers. She insisted on staying with King Balder until his fever and aching would subside so he could rest, and hopefully heal. It was not long before Mani, the moon, began to notice the princess and her night time endeavors. He was enraptured by her beauty and quickly decided that she was to be his. One night as she was making her way through the village to the castle she heard a great voice. " It is I, Mani! I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, babes born and men whither, but ne'er have I seen a maiden ever fairer! Forget they family and foes, become my bride and I shall relieve thee they woes!" Bergljot was startled by the voice, but knew she had no time to waste and replied while she continued on in haste, "Nay, my lord, for my father is ill and requires my aid. Leave me on my way, for I shall not be swayed!" And with that the princess ran off into the night, leaving the moon to brood in his dissatisfaction, and stayed by her father's side until he slept only to return home as dusk broke. The next night as she snuck through the town, the great voice came again. " It is I, Mani! I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, babes born and men whither, but ne'er have I seen a maiden ever fairer! Forget thy family and foes, become my bride and I shall relieve thee they woes!" But once again, the princess replied, "Nay, my lord, for my father is ill and requires my aid. Leave me on my way, for I shall not be swayed!" And with that the princess ran off into the night, leaving the moon to brood in his dissatisfaction, and stayed by her father's side until he slept only to return home as dusk broke. On the third night, Mani grew impatient and tired of the princess' indifference. He was to make certain that she would accept his offer that night. So when he spied her, he bellowed one last time," It is I, Mani! I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, babes born and men whither, but ne'er have I seen a maiden ever fairer! Forget they family and foes, become my bride and I shall relieve thee they woes!" The princess, growing tired of this interruption answered again, "Nay, my lord, for my father is ill and requires my aid. Leave me on my way, for I shall not be swayed!" The moon enraged by this proclaimed, " I am not to be spurned by such mortal ignorance! Let us see you find your way to your father without my existence! May you stumble lost and bewildered in the dark, and upon your father, without your aid, may death leave his mark!" Mani spun on the spot, so as to leave his dark side facing the village, cloaking all in a field of blackness. The princess began to weep, not knowing what to do. "Lo! My father will now die, whatever shall I do?" Mani laughed to himself at her anguish, but he was not the only one to have heard her cries. The stars above, who have been watching the whole time, felt pity for the princess and decided that this was their time to shine. One flew down from the sky and settled on her shoulder, whispering so as Mani would not hear. " We stars up above have seen you in distress. Let us guide you to your father with the aid of our fluoresce! You must traverse through the village alone, but we will guide thee through the unknown. Alas, we cannot shine bright for too long a time, or Mani will see and send ruin for our crime. Let us spark seven times on your way, and on the final spark we shall stay lit for display. For once Mani sees you have defeated him, he must follow your every whim!" The princess became filled with hope, but still stood weary, "But if there is so little light, how will I know where to turn in this dark night? The people of this town would take my head if I was found, I will need assistance to get around." With that, the star waved at his friends, who quickly descended from the heavens and formed a rope for Bergljot to hold that would take her to the castle and her father. Hidden from the moon in the darkness, she began to make her way through the twisting and turning of the village. Like the stars said, the lit up, one, two, three times. Each a little longer than the other. She looked up to see if Mani had noticed, but he was too caught up in his laughter to notice. Four, five, six. The moon's chuckling began to cease, for he noticed that stars were missing from his sky and a flash of light from over his shoulder had caught his eye. "What is this?" He shouted at his find. SEVEN! The stars lit up the village, glowing bright against the dark side of the moon, revealing Princes Bergljot smirking at the castle doors. "You traitorous fools!" Mani bellowed. " How dare you disobey my rules! I am the greatest of the night, how dare you challenge my light!" "Cease, Mani!" demanded Princes Bergljot. "For I have beaten you and now you must heed to my request. My father will son die, but let not his soul be suppressed! Make him shine like the other stars in the night sky, so I may follow him in my life, and never fall awry. Let him shine as bright as you, so that your hubris may subdue" The moon knew he was defeated and bid the princess' request. Upon her father's passing he became the brightest star in the heavens, seen both night and day, always in the same place so as she could not forget where he was. He led Bergljot through the years in her travels and battles as queen, leading her people into an age of triumph and glory. With the aid of her father, and the stars in the sky, Bergljot would never lose sight of her way, and went on the be the most powerful conqueror and Queen the Norse world would ever see.
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