Disclaimer: Trinity Blood and all characters don't belong to me...damn! If they did, Abel and Esther would have their happy end, together forever:) This is AU, the pairing- AbelxEsther, my favorite!
Broken Wings and Failed Dreams
Several nights ago...
Slipping into a white, clinging gown that molded softly to her slender body, Queen Esther Blanchett readied herself for bed, running a gold handled brush through her dark red, length-varying locks. Exhausted after a day of holding meetings of various heads of state to work out many intermingling problems, she was ready to sleep.
Men could be so tiresome! Several of them from countries all over argued incessantly about what was better for whom, and whom the best person was to provide it. In a sense, it was nothing but a verbal pissing contest which had given her a severe migraine for her intervening efforts. Finally after several hours and hard won patience, Esther managed to get them to meet in the middle; bringing them together in agreement.
Sighing, she turned to an open window where the breeze blew slightly through the filmy curtains. The moon's light streamed through; further illuminating that side of the room.
She'd been sitting at an antique, black, iron vanity simply decorated with a seat to match. The seat contained a plump white pillow, very comfortable all things considered. Satisfied that her hair was thoroughly brushed, Esther laid it down; jerking her hand back when a bristle stabbed into her skin.
"Ouch!" Standing, she brough the injured finger closer; allowing her to see the cut. Examining the digit, she never noticed that several crimson drops fell to the pristinely white cushion; staining its purity.
An omen one might say... A sign of things to come, of death, of life, or the struggle between the two.
Pulling a light-colored, lace embroidered handkerchief from one of the vanity's drawers, she meticulously cleaned her finger; bandaging it carefully.
Seeing the blood caused her to think of him. Father Abel Nightroad. Her former parter. Crusnik 02. He'd lived off the blood of vampire's. For a brief moment she'd felt the urge to raise her finger to her lips; drinking the reddened fluid that her beloved had tasted, to see if she could feel what he felt. Would it taste the same?
Blowing out the candle lit atop the vanity, she paused to speak her prayers, which included Abel. Never a moment passed when she didn't think on him. Never a day passed when she wished deeply to be with him, at his side. If it were possible, would she allow herself to be made like him? To suffer what he deemed his sin and his curse?
Pushing the thought away, she walked to her large bed complete with plump, comfy mattresses and pillows literally fit for a queen. Pushing the comforter back, Esther settled in the middle of the huge bed; pulling the covers up to her chest, she stared longingly at the moon outside.
"Oh, Abel", she whispered, "wherever you are I miss you." Esther couldn't bring herself to say the rest of it. Those words alone were meant for his ears only, and she wouldn't speak them until they were, once again ,face to face.
A small shadowy movement caught her eye. Excitement with a small touch of fear rushed in her veins, adrenaline pounded instantly. Could it be? Was he here?
Sitting up, she narrowed her eyes trying to get a good look at whoever was there with her. "Abel?" No answer. So she tried again. "Abel? Are you here? Is it you? Please?"
Suddenly, her small body was shoved back down to the mattress; a man straddled her waist and covered her mouth keeping her from crying out. Frightened, Esther struggled valiantly against her captor, to no avail, he easily outclassed her in strength and size.
A large hand passed over her face as she fought to breathe, and a voice mockingly said, "Sleep."
Esther slid into darkness, her surroundings first blurring, voices mumbling, and her sight, darkening to the point she couldn't recognize a thing..her cognizance failed her and she fell swiftly into unknowing blackness.
Several weeks later...
A servant girl, manacles around her wrists, carrying a pitcher full of alcohol, serving two men, her large, blue eyes so sad. Her expression, once full of passion and fire, barely showed even a spark of life. Her hair, a deep red. Red as the blood flowing throughout the body; cut mostly short except two longer strands framing her face. Cuts and bruises marred her petite, thin frame, caused by the two brutes she now served.
They were brothers, Tristan and Easton von Kampfer, twins; cousins to the late Isaak von Kampfer who'd perished at the hands of Father Nightroad, the one man she couldn't forget, and missed terribly. The duo after their cousin's passing immediately began plans for revenge and retribution. The little slave girl was the beginning of a means to an end.
Tall, blond, green-eyed and handsome, both of them possessed volatile tempers, lashing out at the smallest thing which usually happened to be the girl. Not that they cared. They wanted every mark, cut and bruise to easily show whenever they ran into that damned priest, or the Crusnik, himself.
Tristan jerked hard on the girl's chain, causing her to stumble and spill the pitcher of beer all over herself, and them. Enraged at her clumsiness and inability to keep her balance he struck her across the face.
"Damn, wench! You can't even serve or pour liquor properly. Maybe we should teach you a different sort of lesson."
Blue eyes shifted to the floor, head bowed in submission, her voice soft, "I'm sorry. I humbly apologize for my clumsiness." Keeping her chained hands clasped in front of her, hoping they bought her false apology, she dared not glance up at either of them.
His eyes drifted to his brother, and he asked slyly, "What do you think, Easton? Should we have our way with her?"
Rolling his eyes; trying to be patient, Easton replied in a bored tone, "Why bother", he shrugged, "unless you really want to set the Crusnik off into a tailspin from hell."
At the mention of the Crusnik, the girl's eyes widened. Could he really be alive? After all this time? Cleaning up the mess on the floor, her towel moving over stones rapidly; drying up the spilled drink, her mind spun back to the last time she'd seen him.
He'd been fighting his brother, Cain. In the midst of their horribly violent battle he'd disappeared. No trace of him anywhere. Not a word from him, no syllable, no letter, nothing. Abel, as she knew him, vanished. Since she'd heard nothing from him she'd assumed him dead, gone.
There'd been reports feeding her belief that he was gone, dead to this world, his existence cut short by his evil brother, who'd somehow managed to fuse completely with the nanomachines in his body.
She remembered all too well the tremendous, heart-wrenching, pain that tore through her as she witnessed his death by Crusnik 01. Later, Abel, revived through the remainder of Lilith's blood, rose from the dead; then he and Cain clashed in a furious battle, winner take all.
But somehow that battle remained unfinished; silence echoed in the skies where some, short time ago two creatures locked in deadly combat fought ferociously. Where were the Crusniks? It was strange how they both had slipped into the night; hiding away. At least that's what had been assumed for Cain, everyone believing he'd suffered a few harsh wounds by his brother.
Snapping back into reality, she listened as Easton spoke lowly. "Well, regardless what you do, don't kill her. He will be very displeased, and I don't think you want to suffer his wrath, do you?"
"Not anxious for it, no. But it does take all the fun out of it." Tristan pouted, sulking like a child who didn't get his way.
Staring lustfully at the young girl, Tristan sneered. "Look at you now. Imagine. The Queen of Albion bowing to me; serving my every whim." Reaching out to grasp her pale chin between his thumb and forefinger, he eyed her, openly admiring her figure.
"Tristan, don't. That's all I'm going to say", Easton warned him.
Ignoring his brother's statement, Tristan touched her face, ran his hands slowly down her shoulders; dragging out his touch as he caressed her breast. Smiling, his excitement grew as she shuddered and attempted to keep her expression neutral, but he could see otherwise. She hated; despised his touch.
Esther felt her stomach sink into her feet as he leaned forward to kiss her. Please God don't let him do this, she prayed.
He was but a mere couple of inches from her face when he was abruptly yanked backwards by an invisible force. "Damn, what the hell was that?"
A cold, taunting voice entered the room, "I told you she wasn't to be touched in that manner. Your instructions included beating, but not raping. I thought I made myself clear on that aspect, did I not?"
Tall, thin and blond, the newcomer walked further into the light causing Esther to gasp.
"You! What are you doing here?" Fearful, her heart pounding, her body tensing, Esther prepared herself to die. Would he dare be merciful? Even though he wasn't known for mercy, maybe he'd bestow it this one time. She could only hope. One question stood out foremost in her mind. What was he doing here?
Crossing to her, his hands held her firmly against his chest. "You're the means to lure my dear, predictable brother out of hiding, my dear. That and if I have you...he'll be helpless, once again, to save one who's so near and dear to his heart. He'll fail, and his destruction will be final, no more of Lilith's blood to bring him back."
Cupping her chin in his gloved palm, he whispered, "You, my dear will be his undoing. His death", Cain's voice growing triumphant, "his blood will stain your hands. Can you live with yourself knowing that your love's death was a result of your own human weakness and failings. How will you live with that kind of knowledge?"
Seeing the slight sheen of moisture gathering in her eyes Cain pulled her close, so close that only material separated them. His thin lips close to her ear, he whispered, tones of silk wrapped in evil, "Poor, Esther! Once again will you cause my brother to die. And for what?"
Caressing her back lightly, he pressed onwards with his mental assault. "How many times must he die for you? Do you wish him to die for a foolish, human notion called love?"
"No", she brokenly replied, "I don't want him to die for me. I don't want him to die at all! Why do you do this? Have I offended you? Tell me, what have I done to you to deserve this pain?!" Anguish pushed more tears to the surface, delicate hands clenching tightly at her sides.
Laughing, he pushed her back. Gazing into her sorrowful eyes, his voice echoing coldly, "What have you done, you ask?" His blue eyes narrowed into spiteful slits. "You made my brother fall in love with you. Made him weak. Pitiful. Once, Abel was a feared creature. Now, he's nothing. A mere inconvenience. One I'll gladly dispose of with your help."
Hate and violence filled Esther's usually gentle heart. Angrily, she hissed, "I won't do it. I refuse." She looked at him, daring him to call her on it. And he did.
"My dear, you have no choice in this matter. You'll bring my brother to his destruction despite what you say." Cain stated this all with a smooth matter of fact logic which attempted her to defy his logic, and his will.
Cain's eyes hardened, "You, Esther, will kill him. You'll bring him to his knees, a lamb before the slaughter. Besides you've killed before. What's one harmless, former priest?"
Shock overwhelming her system, Esther stayed silent. She knew no matter what she said, Cain would force her to carry out every decree he stated with cold precision.
Satisfied, Cain turned, his hold on her falling away; leaving her to dwell on his orders, and he expected them to be obeyed without question.
Dropping to her knees, the hot tears finally came. She moaned his name. It killed her soul to know she'd be forced to kill the man she loves. Again.
Had he forgiven her interruption from the time previous? She was willing to bet he was furious. She remembered the time he'd slapped her hard for showing up in front of Ion, threatening him while putting all their lives in danger. Abel had hurt her feelings more than he'd ever know in that moment. Humiliation and shame coated her skin; wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
At some point, Esther had foolishly hoped that the two of them would have a life together, and a family too. The naïve Albionian Queen had so many dreams that never came true, or to any kind of realization. She'd suffered so many times, on so many levels.
With Abel, she'd learned to fly. A steady process to be sure, but all the same, she soared. And with his death, her wings had broken; unsure when they'd find the strength to fly again. Secretly, she prayed the winds, and the war with Cain would return her beloved to her. So far, her hopes, her dreams remained in vain.
Crawling over to the window not five feet away, Esther lifted her despairing chin to gaze at the moon softly shining. She uttered one word. Her voice filled with pain and longing betrayed her as she whispered with tears in her voice, "Abel."
A lone figure sat perched on a rock staring up at the muted, illuminating moon. The soft color reminded him of someone he used to know. Someone he believed he'd never see again. Not in her lifetime.
Long, silver hair pulled back tightly into a ponytail; fastened with a black ribbon, the strands swirled around his tall figure as the wind stirred.
Suddenly alerted to a rapidly approaching prescence, his body tensed, then relaxed as he realized who was coming. Something was still wrong. The boy running towards him was shouting, his breath difficult in coming.
The blond haired boy, it's lengths cut shoulder length ran towards Abel Nightroad yelling for him. "Nightroad!" Ion Fortuna, Count of Memphis, stopped short directly in front of the pondering, former priest.
"Ion." Abel's eyes gazed at the younger man questioningly. He wondered what news could possibly effect his comrade so. "What has happened?"
"It's Cain."
"What of him", Abel roared. "Where is he?" The blood in the Crusnik's veins flowed fast and furious begging for revenge, for his brother's death.
Still recovering from his hasty run, he said, "He's not far from Albion. I was told he's planning something new. And there's a complication." Ion purposefully held back from saying the rest, wanting to arouse his friend's curiosity.
"What's the complication?"
"He has a hostage."
Abel shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "And what of it? Who is this hostage? Are they of any importance in helping my destroy my brother?"
Upset by Abel's words, he stated simply, "Could be. But there's something else."
Ion continued despite Abel's silence. "A Vatican informant told me that the queen of Albion is missing, and has been for several weeks."
"Blue eyes turned ice cold. "And what does that have to do with me and my goal of destroying Cain?"
Ion stumbled back in hurt and shock. "Damn you! Does she mean nothing to you? Did she ever?"
"I told you when you joined forces with me that I won't allow anyone or anything to interfere with my plans to obliterate Cain from the face of this Earth, and that includes Esther."
"What happened to you, Abel? You used to care about people!" His large eyes wide, sheltering unshed tears. "You've never been the same since your resurrection. Your attitude, so cold, you might as well still be dead."
Abel harshly yelled, "I'll do whatever it takes, sacrifice who and whatever I have to in order to win this war. Either you accept it, or go your own way. I'll not have indecision to hold me back. Make your choice."
"Fine", Ion shouted back. "Just know this, Abel. I know where Esther is, and who has her. I'm going to save her."
Walking away from the taller, older man, he threw over his shoulder, "By the way, Cain has Esther." Ion knew that tidbit would get Abel's ass in gear and it did.
His eyes shot open, eyes brimming with hate, spite and menace. Instantly acknowledging the activation of his nanomachines, Abel felt the change instantly overtake him. Long, silver-white hair pointing toward the moon, defiant of the wind and gravity itself, black wings spread wide, blood red scythe flew into his hand.
Lifting his darkened face to the very moon he earlier adored, he roared with fury. Screaming his brother's name, Crusnik 02 shot into the air hellbent on Cain's final destruction. His cry reverberated throughout he land; frightening all within it's sound.
Meanwhile, miles away, Esther heard a strangled, infuriated yell; lifting her head from the wooden, window sill she felt the faint stirrings of hope enter her soul. It was Abel she heard. He was coming, and from the sounds of it...he was angry.
Wishing he could hear her thoughts, she wished he'd stay away. "Abel, don't come. Nothing but death awaits you, here. Please!"
She listened as his anguished screams grew louder, and abruptly Esther found herself jerked to her feet to stare into Cain's handsome features.
"Let's go", he said. "It's time."
A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one. I know it was basically a cliffy, but there'll be more to come soon. So if you guys don't mind hitting the little button that says review...I'd greatly appreciate it:)