((And so, after 2 long years, here we are at last))
The priests stared speechlessly at the man as he concluded his piercing speech.
McKenzie's heart continued to sink with the silence that grew between them. There was a hint of pain left in Asmoday's face - small, but existant, as his eye fell to rest onto those of the Father, and stayed there for a while, as it comprehended them.
"Farewell, Father. That is all."
The night had fallen colder, it seemed, since then.
The scent of rain lingered about, but the pavement outside was dry, and it obviously wasn't raining as he stepped back inside, locking the balcony door.
Some words of sentimental value were exchanged between the father and some men who lined the halls, mostly of those who had passed, and of Asmoday that night.
No greater relief could the Father remember than that of the sound of his door clicking closed - a night of hardship gone, and a chance to rest his weary shell for the new week ahead.
His prayers had barely begun before the black bag pulled against his face, suffocating his cries, and a sharp pain rung true in his head, leading him to darkness.
"Please, don't hurt him... Just let him forget.. Ease his pain."
The servants of the Palace weren't as gentle as the ones back home.
Maybe that 'best in the world' slogan isn't so biased..Her own personal maidservant was more of a decoration on the trip than a hand - she sat by and sipped tea as the process of hair-perfecting went on around her, much to the Empress' irriatation.
When, finally, she was able to leave, Bowen asked why she took so long.
"Ah, the joys of being male," was all she fed him as she stormed down the stairs and out into the gardens.
It was the day she gave her speech to the Liousian public. She was hoping she'd be in better moods, but as things would have it, today was
not her best day.
Carriages here, carriages there. Look who arrives in the big town square.People cheered at her arrival. Taking one last opportunity to scorn the noise, she plastered on her smiley face and left the carriage dazzling.
A quick introduction, a message from the President, and then the Empress rose to her position by the crowds.
"Men and women, children of Lious:
It's been an honour to reside here, in your colourful, beautiful city, just these past three days."
Her speech began - outlining a simple tale of how she became Empress, the reasons behind her visit, and her current observations. She'd started on discussing her talks with the nation's officials when some opposition arose from the crowds:
"Give us back our children! Fight your own wars!"
Eleanore was momentarily silenced, but she ignored the accusation and began again.
"Go ahead and ignore us, just like our dead soldiers - our dead kids - sacrifices for your own petty indulgence!"
More opposition sparked up. Before she could continue talking, cries had erupted from all throughout the crowd.
Confused, she tried to correct their mistakes, in great vain.
When she saw the gun, though, she had a decision to make:
Run, or face death.
The noise of the crowd died down as focus shifted to the gun pointing directly at her.
The man holding the gun was ready to die. A fierce expression of hatred beamed forth from his face. Soldiers had raised firearms to the crowds, and were screaming things at the man.
"...Why?" Eleanore asked,
"..That's what I was supposed to ask," was all the man said in response.
"..Well, then - continue your question."
"..Why do
you have the right to take our children and our army and then send them off to fight
your battles? Why!? Why come here and expect honour and luxuries, at the sufferings of us, the people? Why!?"
"...Why was I taken, falsely, from my home as a child, to see my parents slaughtered before me and then deported to a foreign land were I was forced, at a young age, to learn how to kill a man on the battlefield? Answer me why!"
The man didn't respond.
"I
know the pain your people have been put through, and the role the Immestrial Empire has had in it. I know it well. What do you think I meant when I vowed a New Era for our world...? Tell me how I've forsaken my word, and I'll give you your shot.
But think for a moment... Why do you point the gun?
Is it for your family, who'll never be whole again? Then you shoot one of your kin.
Is it for the pride of your nation? Then you shoot down yourself and your brothers, and the person who's fighting for you.
Is it for peace? Ha..! Your President told me himself: The price of peace is bloodshed. If it's peace you want, shoot away.
Then you shoot down all of humanity, and you return to being nothing but the murderer you are."
The weapon was lowered, slowly, slowly.
Quickly, the soldiers yelled orders and ran, tackling him to the ground. He, and some others, were taken away, and Eleanore was forced to continue the speech in a much more sombre design.
When, at last, the speech was complete, she smiled and waved to the people one last time, before departing back to the Palace for one last dinner there.
She was complimented well on her handling of the 'incident' by some, but it was never mentioned again after that.
Asmoday wasn't warmed to the Palace yet. It felt too wrong to be sleeping there. Of course, he'd return - but for now, he stood, scanning his reflection in the old window of Waurd's Antiques.
The Father's words floated around in his head.
They are only born from hatred..."Then what am I? Born a human, then attached to a demon after.. I don't even know which one of those I really am."
Waurd's Antiques. Vivian's store. Vivian didn't hate me, did he..? No, it was an honour... He considered it the highest honour to become what I am now. The Father was wrong. They all were wrong.His breath, through the chilling night, spread moisture over the window where he stood.
What'll happen to the store when it's needed no more?
The warmth of the campfire was comforting, especially in the later stages of sleep deprivation. Kyou's eyes blurred, opened and shut slowly, the fire's dance too mesmerising to be oblivious to. Still, some of the nomads were awake, speaking to each other in their strange, foreign language.
Here, a number of the Organisation's carriages had stopped for the night, sharing food and other commodities with the nomads who currently occupied the site.
I wonder how long to the Forest, he thought, before his mind dozed off completely.
Morning. Today, less stressful.
Breakfast. The seeing off of their things.
And, finally, a farewell from the Palace.
"It's been relaxing, definately!" Eleanore complimented
"And a rich experience," Bowen tagged on.
The President bid them farewell until the afternoon, and saw them off.
Bowen and Eleanore split. Eleanore returned to the restraunt from the other night for lunch, meeting with one final official, a woman. They sat, this time, in regular seats outside, as if regular people.
The discussion wasn't very productive, but when they were done, Eleanore returned once more the the Square, for a celebratory farewell by the people and the President - this time going smoothly.
Trumpets blared, and the people farewelled the Empress as she left Lious and headed back to the port town.
The next few months proceeded without difficulty.
In the course of time, the new High Officer pushed her position further than it's traditionally Military-based boundaries. High Officer Hemari visited several charity organisations, even holding an event for the victims of the Demon War, fundraising for support and giving a speech about her position and the opportunities it brings, stating:
"Our gracious Empress has been my prime inspiration. Her position as a female High Officer, and taking it beyond the military and into the political realm of thinking, was that extra 'push' that got me to use my new position to it's utmost of capabilities."
Empress Eleanore herself, however, was nearing the climax of her journey: The Ancient Capital, Hangyakunin.
Of the times she had spent in Hangyakunin, there was very little she remembered despising. In fact, if asked, she would probably admit that Hangyakunin was, perhaps, her favourite place (although that might upset Bowen a little).
That afternoon, she was dressed, she was ready, and she stood by in the Command Room, beaming brightly as the Castle came into view.
Waiting... Waiting...Crack! "This is the Hangyan Castle Control, can you hear me, Ashrose?"
Eleanore swiped at the reciever controls, positioning herself in the pilot's chair ((then crashed it into a mountain)), "This is Empress Eleanore, we can hear you loud and clear, sir!"
There was what sounded like a laugh on the other end, "Sir? Well, what an honour! Dear Empress, is the
pilot there, by any chance?"
"Ha! How rude. Fine. Here you go, Empress signing off."
Her fun and games exhausted, she returned to her seat. The Ashrose circled the Palace once in a full circle. Whether this was to show off, to give a quick aerial tour to the ship's inhabitants, or simply to align for landing, Eleanore wasn't sure.
"Remember what happened
last time you took control of an airship?"
Eleanored dug her boot into Bowen's foot as he wrestled with his sock, "All I remember was a screaming man leaping off a flying vehicle onto another and than telling me
I was being suicidal."
Bowen put on his boots in shame.
As the ship returned to the place of it's birth, there was a smooth, upright landing. Eleanore stood and hurried to her personal exit, where she was met by the High Commissioner, her Representative in Hangyakunin, along with servants, all smiling and greeting her politely.
As she stepped out onto the red velvet carpet, she followed the hall down, and stared through the large, square windows as she did.
The windows looked out into the open chamber where the Ashrose lay. People had already begun to inspect it, clean it, repair it as she stood. She stayed there a while. Some of the First Class passengers disembarked and had caught up to her before she decided it best to move on.
The Castle was not as large as the Palace in Gardaine, but probably more refined. It was an architectual masterpiece.
The Castle was raised on large, mammoth 'stilts' made of stone. In the space between the Castle and the ground was a gap primarily covered in stone, but in the last 10 years, this had been removed. Instead, this was the resting and birth place of both the Phoenix and the Ashrose (this is also semi-underground - the gap is obviously not big enough to fit the entire ship, it is small).
Above this gap is the central part of the Castle. Upon this, many spires and towers have been erected, facilitating different assets of the Castle. A single tower peaks higher than these (though much smaller than Gardaine Palace. It's just a little bit higher than other spires), two large, thick banners depicting both Hangyakunin and the Immestrial Empire, and, the Castle's most prominent feature: A recently-added (last few hundred years), glassy, clear arc that protrudes from the base of the Castle and reaches through the air around it, forming a half-circle on one side - made completely from compressed Energy (myst), and the only man-made object to have been made in such a way since.
Despite Eleanore's visits here previously, in military operations and on accompanying Emperor Sei as a High Officer, she was still expected to go through with the tradition of 'Vidiel's Letter'.
Upon their first visit to Hangyakunin, the Emperor/Empress traverses the Castle through a pre-determined walk, then proceeds up the stairs into the windowed passageway leading towards the throne room, sits, and simply writes a letter commending the Palace, it's grounds, and his/her welcome, following in the footsteps of Emperor Vidiel on his first visit to the Ancient Capital, and Empress Allison's visit after (only once has this been abused - when, instead of a commendation letter, Empress Ryow instead declared it an abomination, and cursed all it's staff and personnal inside. She died a few years later, under strange circumstances involving her second visit to the Ancient Capital).
This being done, Eleanore was escorted to the Grounds, where an overwhelming crowd was gathered to heed her speech. It was much-welcomed by the people, and the use of the prototyped Voice Amplifier (similar to microphone, not as good - these will be common in the next one) assisted well.
Bowen and Eleanore shared a moment alone together in the top levels of the Castle Library, by a window overlooking the city, the Arc glowing an odd pinky colour outside the window beside them.
Warm words exchanged between them, and there's rumoured to have been speak of a change of opinion in a personal matter.
They kissed lightly before they parted for their rooms, and the next day.
The 'engineers' had made completely sure that everything was just the way they should be.
The Ashrose was in tip-top condition.
"It's truly a work of art, this one is."
There was some light laughter among them, but it soon died down.
Most of them knew what it meant. For most of them, they'd signed themselves away in the name of the Truth. Or, at least, soon-to-be-truth, after they sweep away the lies they were to create.
"It's not long now."
Her warm, smooth hand traced through his dark hair and tickled his cold skin.
She smiled at his words, "I know... How do you feel?"
Asmoday didn't reply.
"...It's scary, isn't it? But we have each other. Nothing can go wrong."
"Shelrair.. What if it does?"
She laughed, "How can it? We've already won! We're just observing our little pawns as they go. Sacrifices have to be made. The pawns are easily to kill. It takes a lot to take the Queen."
"Then what are we?"
Shelrair liked the taste of that question. She tilted her head in consideration, "..Well. You're the Knight. You can go where others can't, and you can't be boxed in like the others. You're the most trusted. You've got to Protect someone, you know?"
"Then, what are you?"
Shelrair smiled, "A pawn, of course!"
This took him by surprise.
"See, the best thing about a pawn is - they start off weak, and most will eventually die. But! If a pawn, through some miracle, makes it to the end..."
"...They get the power to become whatever they wish."
"Exactly!"
"..."
"...Hey, Asmo. You know I trust you, yes?"
"..Mm."
"Well... I want you to be my Vizier, when the Empress dies."
"The Vizier?"
She hugged him, "And only you, okay?"
He stared at her. The woman who killed his brother, and his friend. Yet, at the same time, so loving, kind and free-spirited. She was strange. But maybe that was the best part about her.
"..Of course."
Two weeks had passed.
It was now the last night she would spend in her beloved city. She'd no idea when she'd return again, so she formulated a plan to make the most of her final night.
Disgusing herself was one of the hardest details. Not many people wander around the city looking like the Empress with their arms chopped off.
But she did the best with what she had. Sneaking out was, surprisingly, really easy. The most difficult part of the entire expedition was scaling the wall with the rop she'd acquired on the way there. But after several attempts, it tied round.
The musky smoke of the bar contrasted with her everyday, new life. Laughing people, gamblers, people smashing each other up and hooking up all around her. She liked it here, it was a considerable change.
She made the most of her time, and drank up.
But not too much - she still managed to make it back into the Grounds the way she came, return the rope, get undressed and reminisce until the light of day aroused her servants to get her nice and clothed.
"Only three days until the Empress should arrive back," Siberius commented, as he chewed in the meat in front of him, dining with the High Officers for lunch.
"Mm!" Offered Shelrair, "That's right! Today's the day she leaves the Ancient Capital, isn't that right?"
Vendarn nodded, "Right. It takes some time to make it back over here. I heard they aren't stopping on the way."
Shelrair looked shocked, "Really? I could've sworn they'd stop
somewhere!"
"Apparantly not," rejoined Siberius, "They're coming straight back home."
Shelrair smiled, "How nice."
But really, it was for another reason altogether.
"Long time, no see."
"I thought it was you."
"Why haven't I seen you around as much as the Knowlegable one?"
"That's rich, coming from the boy who hides himself in shadows all the time. Don't joke with me, Be'el."
"You haven't changed a bit, you know?"
The engines roared as Eleanore bid her new friends goodbye, and boarded the ship reluctantly back home.
She and Bowen walked hand-in-hand over to the Command Room, surprising the pilot and Engineers inside.
"I'd just like to say one last thing: Hangyakunin, you know I'll be returning soon! If there's one thing I promise you - not as an Empress, but a human being - I swear to you, your city is the most beautiful piece of the world to me! I'll see you soon! Signing out!"
She and Bowen both laughed almost frighteningly into the reciever on the controls before being hurried back to their seats.
The pilot rolled his eyes at one of the Engineers, "Kids these days."
He smirked uneasily, and said nothing in response.
"Hey, Arin!" Called another Engineer.
"Don't look too chicken! It's not the end of the world. Just another ship."
Arin glared at the man in front of him. Both of them knew that in just a few hours, it might as well be the end of the world. It wouldn't change their fate.
The mountainous region of Krylarir was difficult to traverse when flying low. The Pilot, however, felt particularly up to it today, and made a note to the passengers to enjoy the view for what it was worth.
The air outside was salty but nice, and the clouds passed through them, freezing them, chilling them to the bone, yet exciting them with adventure.
Eleanore couldn't be happier. For the first time in months, she felt herself again. She felt hope, and happiness, too, for the future. She knew that soon, things would change.
And how right she was!
Arin Grevn, a simple Engineer, excused himself to occupy the toilet for a moment.
It was in this 'moment' that he hurried down the flights of stairs, onto the deck, pushing through passengers, and alerted a few of the others of his kind on board, desperately until he found his targets.
"Empress! Empress!"
Eleanore turned from the magnificent view to the shocking man in front of her.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's... It's for yours, and my own safety that I tell you: Everyone on board is going to die..."
Bowen looked at the man now, "What?"
"Listen! I'm part of an organisation - a secret society - whilst you've been gone, terrible things have happened in Gardaine, and if you don't act now you'll never return! There are people on this ship who are going to kill you, and everyone else. The Ashrose is rigged to blow! And I can-"
A gunshot excused the remainder of his sentence.
He grimaced, and revealed his own firearm, and positioned it - through the screams and the cursings of the other passengers - in the direction from whence it came. He fired on the Engineer, but never got a direct shot.
Eleanore was mesmerised. Bowen didn't take the chances. He gripped her arm and pulled her away.
The two of them re-entered the ship. Most people were focused on the noise from outside before a handful of men appeared in a doorway, armed.
Eleanore didn't even have time to ask if the man was serious. Her mind started to race, and she told herself it was a bad dream, and that's all.
Bowen screamed, "I can;t keep pulling you, let's go!"
"This isn't real!"
"Then prove it's not a nightmare! Keep moving!!"
Eleanore shook herself from him, and started to run alongside.
They didn't recognise where they were, but they followed paths to the Control Room where they saw them.
In one room, people were scattered everywhere, dead or dying. They didn't have time to look for them. Eleanore swiped a gun from a dead man and rushed up a once-ornate staircase, now laden with bullets, and through a door leading to the control room.
Bad move.She dodged fire, and ducked behind a panel decked with the dead Pilot. Bowen entered behind her, firing blindly as he ran. When the two of them caught up, they both leapt toward the only exit they both recognised. Bowen cried out in pain as his arm was hit, and appparantly his leg, as he stumbled for a moment. Eleanore thought he died before he arrived on the stairs above her, following her down, down.
They quickly reached the emergency airship - a small, pitiful thing - to find assailants fighting each other to get inside.
That's when Bowen noticed a flash of yellow light, and remembered the Demon War, when he fought alongside Siberius. He opened fire, followed by Eleanore, and they dispatched all but a few of the people scrambled outside the vehicle. They'd accidentally killed a handful of their own people, but it was too late to do anything for them now.
Who remained? Two of the assailants, one civilian teenage girl.
Bowen demanded they get in the ship. It was only then that they recognised one of them as being the man who initially warned them. Bowen pulled Eleanore reluctantly inside, and jumped at the controls, bursting the machine into life. The people in the ship braced themselves - all except one.
"I'm sorry, but this is a necessary sacrifice."
Eleanore swung around. One of the men held a gun pointed at her head now.
"Too many have already died for you, and too many w-"
The explosion above was ear-splitting. The ship around them, still connected to the Ashrose, lit up and shook like a child's coin-operated ride gone wrong.
The man was thrown to the roof and back. His spine snapped in several places. If he didn't die then, he died painfully afterward.
Eleanore's head slammed against the desk in front of her. Her blood sprayed across the panel, and Bowen, in the chaos, didn't care whether she was dead or alive. The heat of the explosions accumulated - if he didn't get them out now, they would all end up dead. So he tried, again the get the machine to move, and he found, again, that it had failed.
There was a high-pitched scream coming from the metal of the roof as he urged the machine on. He realised now that the vehicle had been locked into place by the Command Room.
"That explains why they didn't come after us!" He yelled, to no-one in particular, "We were gonna die baked either way..."
Her tiny body was thrown forward into the railing. She dug her hands and her nails into it - her last lifeline, and subconsciously dragged herself upwards through the heat and fire below as the explosions rumbled on. Her teeth gnashed against each other like hammers unto nails, and her eyes burned and streamed tears through the searing heat of it all.
Up, up, up.
She collapsed in the top of the Ashrose. The windows around her were smashed into pieces, and as the ship continued to surge through the air, so did the air pulsate through the room, tugging her powerfully and forecfully into every direction. But, as the rumbling of the explosions died down, and the crackle of fire took its place, much more softly, she heard the shrieking of an emergency button on the panel she held on to. Most of the room had survived the explosion - as the explosions were, in fact, occurring far below, in the Engines, not above.
The maidservant - the sole maidservant of the tour - was told her role was purely decorational. She was to be seen, not heard. She was an accessory, not a tool to be used.
She wiped the tears from her blurry eyes, seeing, as she did, a rich, red substance drip from her face. She paid it no notice, however, as the shriek kept shrieking on.
Locked stated the message on the screen - the command console the emergency airship down below.
They locked it? That was silly. What good is an emergency ship when it can't even be used?She tapped the button to unlock, and there was a closer rumble and a final scream of metal as the Emergency Airship tore free from the Ashrose, hurtling past the flames below, and down, down into the distance.
"There we are," she smiled at the screen, almost sadly, and then gathered the strength to pull herself from the panel.
She tumbled to the deck outside, still crowded with frightened people who clung to the sides of the ship, or the rails near the edge.
Her hair rippled in the wind, and the blood on her forehead gurgled down and splattered the rest of her body.
She saw the little ship below disappear from view, and stumbled over to the railing on the side, and watched as the Ashrose - in all its magnificence- slowly began to tip.
"Mummy!?"
"It'll be fine, dear."
The left wing of the Ashrose slammed into the mountain on the side without mercy. The ship spun violently around, and there were cries from the people on the decks as it swerved. Next came the head-on collision. The people hanging to the railing were the first to go as the deck connected with the mountainside with amazing speed.
Squelch, snap, bang.
Gone - the deck obliterated into splinters before them.
Gone - the innards of the ship, in their masterful, hand-crafted designs - destroyed.
For the onlookers down in the small town of Harmish, far, far away from the wreck, it was a splenderous, fiery scene as the Ashrose, broken against the rocks, began to drag itself away from the mountain, collapsing in flames on the ground far below.
It would be recorded as perhaps the biggest tragedy in the history of airship disasters for centuries to come.
And, most importantly - it was the death of an era. The death of promised era of hope, salvation, peace and celebration. The message spread in these last few months now reduced to dust, for it was the death of an Empress. Empress Eleanore Harvery. Gone.
Bowen pulled the final body from the wreckage of the small ship. He didn't care for them. But if the ship were to burst into flame, at least some would be saved.
Eleanore lay lifeless on the dust by him. She was breathing. Her head wound, though bad, was not fatal. And he was left there, alone, questioning the strange happenings of the world.
Love, hate, peace, bloodshed... What do they really mean?He pulled the body of his love toward his own, propping her up on his shoulder, the way he had that one time
Where she never woke up, 'til she heard his voice calling.
Are they all just excuses?Step, by painful step, he walked on.
Are they all just words we use to justify...The wound in his leg and in his arm, burning, crying out.
...Or is it just me?He walked, and walked. Hundreds of lights appeared as night fell, heading across the plains, to the huge crash near the mountains.
Support, aid, or treasure hunters. He couldn't tell, and didn't care. They weren't heading his way anyway.
"Terrible things have happened in Gardaine, and if you don't act now, you may never return."Maybe they'd won. Whoever they were.
Shelrair stumbled as she ran. She slipped and landed with a thud on her side. Grimacing, she kicked off her heels, regained herself and ran on.
Siberius had only just awoke when his door was pried open, and the High Officer caught his eye.
"Your Majesty... I'm afraid I have some.. Terrible news."
The sheets were paper thin. The smell of old wood lingered in the air, and the song of a lonely bird whistled through the silence.
Just like home.
If she dared open her eyes, she'd realise she was somewhere else.
Where? She didn't know
where, but part of her told her she wasn't a child anymore. Home was long-gone.
Keeping this in mind, however, she kept her eyes closed.
"Eleanore..."
There was a familiar voice.
"..How long have I slept?"
"A full day."
She opened her eyes now.
As I thought. Not home.Bowen sat by her. He was smiling at her, a warm, loving smile.
She gradually became aware of the aching in her head. She raised a hand and timidly touched the cotton that lined her forehead.
"It should be okay," Bowen commentated, "Especially now that you're awake."
"..Where are we, B-Bowen?"
Bowen stroked her hair in response.
Upon realising fully who he was, she raised a hand to combat his advances any further.
"I'll get you something to drink then. Tea or coffee?"
"Huh..? Tea..."
Silently, he rose, and exited the small room.
Now, she pulled herself up. Suddenly, she felt alone.
Where are we? Bowen?She kicked off her sheets, and noticed her clothes at the end of the bed.
"I was wearing those that day..."
That day when...Frantically, she pulled the clothes from the wardrobe, ran back into her own room, and stuffed them into the suitcase, in tears.
She didn't care whose clothes they were - only she knew she needed them. Everything else was gone. Eleanore Harvery was gone.
The memories of that moment flooded through her. The tears wouldn't stop. Nothing stopped, she simply kept moving.
My clothes...She stared at the pile, neatly folded, at the foot of the bed. She reached an arm forward, grasped the holster, and tugged it toward herself, unsure.
The gun she pulled from it's soft, leather skin flashed silver.
C I E LYes, she thought,
The gun that read 'Harvery' was on the Ashrose. It's gone now.She tucked the holster into the suitcase - the only part of her she decided to bring with her, as she snapped it shut, bit her lip and prayed for the weeping to end.
"Elle?"
Eleanore stood, "It's no use, Bowen! We're done for! Gone!!"
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"This town... Is it near the crash?"
"It's the closest to the cr-"
"Exactly! Bowen, they'll be here... They're looking for us, to kill us!" She laughed at the absurdity of it all.
"Eleanore, listen... Calm down. Here's the tea y-"
"Bowen! There's no time. Believe me, if we're leaving, we're leaving now."
"To where?"
"Wherever the road leads? I don't know to where! We have to leave, though."
"You're overreacting!"
"Overreacting!? Ha! I'm dead! Everyone, guess what? Empress Eleanore's dead!"
"Once we make it to Gard-"
"Don't, Bowen." Eleanore pushed him aside, and forced her way down the stairs of the Inn. As she got to the bottom, she quickly scanned the newspaper by her side.
"The End of an Era - Empress Eleanore Dead."She smiled bitterly knowing she was right.
The taste of defeat, or of victory? It didn't matter what it was. Eleanore ran down the long, wide road, barefoot, barely dressed, hair wild, suitcase in tow - filled with stolen clothes, she ran.
Bowen caught up and tried to slow her down.
Eventually, she did. If only for the head injury that continue to pulse and burn like hell itself.
"Eleanore. Please, listen! The people here will get us back to Gardaine..."
He turned her face towards his, to be greeted once again with tears.
"No, Bowen... Never again."
"...What now, Eleanore?" He sighed, "You need rest."
"See these tears!? Explain them to me, Bowen!"
He stared at her tears, reflecting the orange afternoon sun in the silver of their reflection, "...I don't know."
She gave him a moment, "...They're tears of happiness!"
"Elle..."
"No. Listen to me, Bowen. All my life, Fate's loved to fuck with me. I don't know, your childhood may be bad, but mine was a fucking nightmare. And do you know what Bowen? Guess what?
Eleanore Harvery is dead."
He raised a hand to wipe the tears off her face.
She didn't object. "Bowen... Fate can't hurt the dead."
"Maybe it's fucking with you further."
"Maybe.. But it's given me a fresh start. I'm sorry... But that life just wasn't for me. Since I was taken from the Empire as a girl, I've been forced to do what everyone else has wanted. Now, I'm free."
"...Is this really what you want?"
"Yes!"
"...Didn't you love me?"
Eleanore felt her heart begin to sink. "I... Elle. She might have loved you... It was hard to tell."
"Well... I love you. Change your name, change your clothes! Nothing changes between us!"
"Then come with me."
"Where!?"
"...Hangyakunin."
Bowen shook his head, "Elle..."
"Eleanore Harvery is dead."
She turned.
"Then who are you!?"
"...Who wants to know?"
Bowen grit his teeth.
There was a little breeze, and some autumn leaves tore from the tree and landed just beyond the strange pair. One facing away, the other staring at his partner's feet, hoping they'd turn back to him. But part of him knew they wouldn't.
"Bowen. Vizier to the Empress of Immestrial."
"Then, Sir Vizier... I guess this is goodbye."
The quiet road mocked them both as life went on around them, yet the two of them stood frozen in time. A mother duck and her babies crossed to the small pond over to the right of them both.
She peered after the family, making their way down into the cool water in the late afternoon. He stared down at the ground.
His arms crossed over her chest. They stood there, still, in that embrace, for some time.
Until the bond was broken, they shared the same mutual love.
But when she broke free, she was a different person. And she walked along the grass of the pond, eyeing the orange sun reflected lovingly in the water there, leaving him behind
In the warm, late Autumn's afternoon.
The Price of Peace
[/u]
The End.[/center]
