"The Orphan" is a constellation that only shows itself for eight days of the winter season every ten years. This is because, the rest of the time it is hidden from view by the rotation of a large (unknown) planet's orbit. "The Orphan" is made up of seven stars: 2 stars form the center (or Body) of the orphan, four stars stand out from the center as arms and legs, and the largest star forms the head.
The myth of the Orphan is as follows:
There once was a great and powerful king, who ruled over a kingdom even more great and powerful. As a child, the king was intelligent and kind, and all wished for him to head the kingdom. But, alas! He was a younger son, third in line, and was unlikely to receive the throne in his own lifetime. This kind boy did not care about the throne, for he treasured knowledge and had hopes of succeeding as Head of the Research Department when he grew older.
However, it was not to be. The young prince's older brothers were impolite and cruel; and would, at social gatherings, make fools and demonstrations of others, commoner and noble alike. Eventually, a coup was staged. The nobles, knowing the current King's health was failing, and his Queen already buried, decided to get rid of the elder two princes, so as to avoid, in advance, a reign of cruelty. Doing this also meant that the current king must also die, lest he attempt revenge. And, most unfortunately for themselves, they also got rid of the younger prince and the twin princesses. The prince, who was fifteen and now all alone, was then placed upon the throne by his supporters.
Throughout the years, as the king had less and less time for intellectual pursuits, and with no one he trusted to advise, correct, and steady him, he grew bitter towards the people whom had first taken away his family, and then taken away his future; both in exchange for the one thing he never wanted - ruler-ship. Then, the Head of the Research Department died, and 'twas the final nail in the coffin of this unfortunate king's sanity. Thus it was that this king set out to destroy his nobles whom had sponsored him. He decided to kill only one of his nobles a day, so that fear would spread to the others, the total of which was twelve. Eight royal guards accompanied each courier, who, himself, was armed only with the vial of poison and a note. The group of nine was made to arrive at the noble's residence early in the morning, to give a maximum time for rumors to spread.
The note, such an innocuous thing, read only: "You made your bed, now shall you sleep in it." If the noble did not drink the vial willingly, then the guards were there to force it. Again and again this scene repeated; for eight days, a company of nine would arrive at the house of a noble, containing eight guards and a courier who carried only a vial of poison and a note, each reading the same words "You made your bed, and now shall you sleep in it." At noon on the eighth day, happy that his plan was going so well, the king went on an excursion outside his castle and down to the marketplace. There, he saw all the advances that had been made since he was a boy, for he had not visited since before he attained the king-ship.
While traversing the marketplace, the king tripped over something. It was a young boy! Desiring the boy to be punished, the king demanded of the boy the location of his parents.
"none have I, sir." The boy responded. So the king demanded the whereabouts of brothers and sisters.
"No brothers 'nor sisters do I have, sir." The boy once more responded. The king, much aggravated, then demanded the presence of the boy's care-taker. Again the boy responded the negative.
"Then who takes care of you?" The king incredulously asked.
"I takes care of mesself." Stated the boy, who looked only to be about seven years of age. The anger left the king all at once and he sat on the ground next to the boy.
"Why have you no family?" The king asked, curious.
"Because the great king killed them." The boy responded, not knowing to whom he was speaking.
"I did no such thing!" yelled the king, aghast.
"You are not the king." The boy stated.
"But I am the king." The king rebutted.
"Then you indeed did kill my family." Said the boy.
"How did I do this thing of which you speak?" The king asked.
"A few days ago, a courier came to my family's house bearing a vial and a note which read, You made your bed, and now you shall sleep in it. When my father refused to drink it, the vial's contents were forced down his throat. He died almost immediately. My mother killed herself, in her grief she had sliced her wrists and bled to death. I had no other family, and the servants forced me out of the house so they could loot it. I have been on the streets for four days now, starving and alone. And I am glad I got to see you." Finished the boy.
"And why are you glad?" asked the king, growing stiff.
"I had the chance to tell you my story," responded the boy, "And now I can also forgive you." The king resisted the urge to run as the boy's arms wrapped around his neck in a strong, but tentative, hug. Though the boy was quiet, shudders wracked his body, and the king supposed that the boy was crying. His own wrapped around the boy as he remembered the family that he only now felt he could mourn, and he, himself, began to cry.
The king decided to take that boy back to the castle with him and marked him as his heir. Because of the boy's story, the king decided to stop the killing of his nobles and to provide for the families of those already killed. And so it was that the Orphan was lauded as a hero and upon his death, the gods grafted his very image into the stars above, to be seen every ten years; for 10 years was it that the king reigned before his sanity snapped, and viewed for eight days; for eight days did it take before the king's sanity was restored.
