Author's Note: This is a very, very short Flash Gordon story. I really liked the interplay between Aura and Ming's deviant second, Rankol. Don't know if they'll bring the show back on Sci-Fi, but maybe if they do, there will be a little more development between the two of them. Who am I kidding? They probably won't do anything that awesome, but that's what fan fiction's for, is it not?
Disclaimer: I don't own the world nor the characters; just borrowing for a while. No copyright infringement intended.
Unknown Destiny
It was quiet in the Citadel, and an eerie peacefulness blanketed the grounds. Aura was walking amongst the palace gardens, deep in a world of her own. So much had happened in a very short amount of time; one day she was working behind her father's back, trying to help her brother and the deviates regain their rightful place in society. Trying to turn the tide on the damage Ming had wrought to Mongo and her people. The next, she was mourning his death.
Though a body had never been found, he was as good as dead. He'd done far too much to ever hope to be welcomed back into the fold of his former empire.
She knew full well he was a difficult man, a ruthless and heartless leader. He never let anyone too close, not even his own daughter. She tried to understand him, and had hoped everyday that something would prompt him to change. In her heart of hearts, he would always be the omnipotent benevolent father who shielded her from the bad things in the world, who would read to her when she was a little girl and let her know he'd always be there for her.
Regardless of what he was, Aura would always love her father.
She sat down on one of the stone benches lining the garden, thinking of a sudden and uncertain future. Before she realized what was happening, tears fell from her porcelain skin, and she began sobbing quietly. The gentle wind that blew through her hair changed direction, and she looked up at the disturbance. Rankol looked down at the beautiful princess, a questioning expression on his face.
"Milady, are you alright?"
"Of course I am, Rankol. My father has been revealed to all as the cruel, maniacal megalomaniac he really is…oh sorry, was. He's dead, and nothing will change that, will it?"
"I am very sorry, Lady Aura. This can't be an easy time for you."
She looked up at him, eyes fiery. "How could you possibly know? You never stood by his side, did you? Just laid in wait for the war to begin, so you could save your own ass!"
"Aura," he replied, her title forgotten. "Our destinies were set long before this war began. Ming was on the only path he could have gone, as was I. As we all are."
"Why didn't you try to at least help him? He listened to you; you could have helped him!" She cried, grief clouding her normally beautiful features.
"You're being irrational; you know as well as I that there was no way for your father to redeem himself. He didn't want to. He was too far gone, Aura." He said this calmly, quietly.
Deep down, she knew he was right. There really had been nothing they could've done to save Ming; he refused to change. Even for his daughter. The man standing (or rather, floating) before her felt her pain, and wished for a way to help. She felt his steady gaze upon her, and looked up, slightly chagrined at her earlier outburst.
He really is a sweet man, she mused. And he's always carried a torch for me…even when I was too blind to see it. He wasn't at all someone she'd have pictured for herself, but times were different, and all of the old ways quickly crumbling under the weight of anarchy and archaism.
"Rankol, remember when we met up again at Terek's rally, and I told you that finally our views were beginning to intersect?"
His eyes flashed; he remembered all too well. He wasn't a man who let his heart take the lead, but when it came to her, all coherent thought flew out the window. She was looking at him, waiting for his response. He was trying to form something that didn't make him sound like a complete idiot. The fact of the matter was that the more he stood there in front of her, the less control he had.
Aura stepped closer, taking his hand in hers. "It's just that I noticed the way you looked at me. I'm sure that you didn't mean anything untoward by that. But it's been on my mind, and to be perfectly honest, I wanted to confirm what you meant by that look." She was closer now, and he lowered his face toward hers.
"I think I meant this," he whispered, pressing their lips together.