Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom. It had beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and a beautiful princess. The whole kingdom loved the princess. She had a certain enthusiasm for life itself that not many ever get to have. She loved all the people, she loved the land, and she loved her life. All the people called her the Princess of the Sun, for they swore the day felt a little bit brighter anytime the princess passed by.

They all said, it only makes sense. For the princess's mother, their loyal, loving queen, had been the best queen any of them could ever hope for. She made sure all was fair, and gave as much as she could to the people. And she brought up her daughter and her son in her own ways. She taught them to be kind, noble, and brave. The kingdom loved the little prince and princess, and it seemed that nothing could ever go wrong.

Until that one fateful day. The entire kingdom could feel it. The sky felt dark, their souls heavy. The world seemed to cease turning. It seemed like it would never get better, their queen could never return to them. Their glorious light in the darkness had gone out, and they could do nothing but stumble around blindly, hoping for a glimmer of sunshine.

And one day, it came.

Out of the darkness, a single ray of sun beamed out, unafraid. The people looked up, hardly daring to hope. But it wasn't what they expected. It was the little princess. She'd grown up while they weren't looking, and the sunshine she'd learned from her mother exploded into the world.

And all seemed right again. For a long time, the kingdom was bright again. Their Princess of the Sun came into her beauty and lifted the people's spirits. The world was beautiful.

But once upon a time, a chill went through the kingdom. No one knew what had happened. They couldn't sense it immediately as when their queen had died. But a little bit of the sunshine of the kingdom went out. And though they didn't know exactly what it was, they all knew, deep in their souls, that something was wrong.

Something was wrong with the princess.

The chill had crept upon her like a shadow. When the Princess of the Sun visited the market, her smile seemed pinned to her face. Her eyes were strained, reflecting a burden she struggled with alone.

The young prince noticed it first. He lingered in the royal gardens where he knew she'd turn up. He found her standing over a patch of wilted flowers.

"Sister," he asked, "what dims your light?"

The princess turned, looking tired and impossibly fragile. "I am worn down, Brother," she said. "When the darkness came after Mother died, I forced the sunshine out of my body and my soul to save everyone. And now I don't know how to stop. I pour more and more of myself out every day. There's only a little bit left. And beneath that is only winter."

The prince took her hands. "You do not have to carry the whole sky by yourself, Sister. Let the kingdom face the twilight and the chill. We could all use a rest."

And the Princess of the Sun did. She went to rest in her chambers, to sleep and dream of her mother.

By and by, the kingdom learned how to kindle their own hearths, and the people remained happy.