The Lover and The Thief

In the ur-times, before dragons, before Falcon learned to fly and before the Moon learned to dance, there was The Lover and there was The Thief.  They were not lonely, for there were many that shared the world with them, and The Lover loved them all.  Each in turn she gave her heart to, Fire and Hope and The Kiss of the Sky.  The Lover gave her heart freely and passionately, not just to the beautiful but to the Darkness too, to Rot and Death and even That Which Lies In The Deep Place felt the gentle caress of The Lover, and embraced her just as fiercely.  For the rest of time, a piece of The Lover would stay with each of them, and she would bear a sliver of their heart with her.

The Thief watched and laughed, for she saw what the others did not.  Love is blind, The Thief giggled to herself, and the blind are easy prey.  And so as the Lovers caroused and played at passion The Thief would dance invisible and silent, and she would take.

The day came when the Lover had given her heart to all save one.  In that same time, there was only one thing left that was not The Thief’s, one thing left to steal… the heart of The Lover.

The Thief stepped forth from the shadows, and The Lover embraced her like an old swain.

“Where have you been, Thief?  I have not seen you since the beginning.”

“I have been with you always, I never left your side. How could I, I who love deeper even than you.” She replied with a smile. And the two descended, and were raised.

And that is why we give our hearts away, even if it may cause us pain.  It’s why we steal a kiss, why we elope, absconding with our loves, and we covet the happiness of couples.  Because there is a piece of The Lover in everything, and The Lover lives in the heart of The Thief.