Preface: This story has been building up over a long time and I acknowledge that it needs a LOT of editing. However, this story has a huge arc that is eventually going to be a trilogy and I either need to spend my time editing or putting down the storyline. And for now, storyline is taking precedence over editing. So I apologize for the rough start and the long monologues in the early chapters but I do promise that I will get to editing as soon as I get the storyline down. The book is listed as Complete because there will be no more chapter additions, but it's incomplete in its editing.

Now, to begin the story.


Billowing layers of airy white silk flowed in the wind amid dense rows of lavender roses, the twittering of small songbirds filling the fragrant air with music. The old woman wearing the flowing dress stood straight and tall, wispy strands of pure white hair blowing against paper thin skin. She waited with unending patience for whatever it was that awaited her next, a slight rustling behind her causing her to turn her head only a few degrees in acknowledgement.

"Mistress, there is an intruder who means to take your life! We must take you quickly to the sanctuary before he finds you!" The priest's tone was urgent, pleading, it the soft upturn of ancient lips didn't have any intention of heeding the warning.

"Jakiel, if you please, will you prepare a warm meal for myself and our guest? Take it to the heart of the garden, my favorite place, and please prepare some rose hip tea to go with it."

"But… But Mistress!"

"Jakiel." The woman turned and upon seeing the face of the goddess he had dedicated his life to serving his head bowed respectfully. But the old woman only shook her head fondly and stepped towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "My guitar as well, if you would be so kind."

Reluctantly, but respectfully, he lowered himself just a little bit more to the ground in a deeper bow to the woman. "Yes, my lady."

And so he departed, taking a few staff members with him to quickly make the preparations. As soon as the gentleman was gone the ancient woman began to walk the winding path. Her steps were measured and unhurried, the ethereal woman even taking the time to pause at her favorite flower bushes to pick a few blossoms to take with her to lunch. She knew that the kind people who spent so much of their time dedicated to her took great pride in their work and it couldn't hurt to make sure they had the time they needed to prepare her table before she arrived.

Once or twice along the way she thought she heard something behind her but she did not turn back, did not pause or turn her head to see what might have caused it. She simply continued walking until she made it to the center of the garden. There she was greeted by her favorite sight: a wisteria-covered pavilion with a quaint little outdoor table set simply with a pair of table settings. It was perfect, as always, and upon entering the shady place she was met with the sad, wistful eyes of her high priests waiting in the wings.

Approaching with arms open wide and a grateful grin she embraced all seven of them and gave them each a flower. They clutched their gift as though it might vanish at any instant and she tittered at them with a humored twinkle in her eyes.

"My children, why do you look so sad?"

They all looked at each other before one closest to her spoke up. "My Lady, why won't you come inside where it's safe? Why have you called your murderer your guest and made a meal for your killer? Are you really so sad that you welcome death like this?"

Her answer was a warm and radiant smile, partly for the honesty and partly for the question asked and partly for the memory of how it used to make Leonardo absolutely insane to hear her priests and priestesses speak to her with familiarity instead of reverence. Oh how she missed hearing him grumble about them.

"Khan, if it is my time then so be it. But I do not feel that pull today as I have before. The universe is calm and still and I feel in my heart that the man who comes today is in need of care, acting out of anger and pain. This is a soul who needs kindness and understanding, not more anger and pain. We shall see what the universe has planned for today, but I expect to see you later this evening should you choose not to stay."

His mouth pressed into a thin line in displeasure at her words but didn't offer any argument. "I would not be moved if the earth split open beneath my feet, my lady."

She snorted a bit ungracefully and shook her head, patting him on the shoulder. "I don't think you'd be able to defy the laws of physics and float in the air if the ground split open beneath you Khan but I appreciate the sentiment. Having you nearby will give me strength and clarity of mind, all of you. Though you are excused if you have other business to attend to."

When no one moved she nodded in acknowledgement and moved to take the guitar from the priest who was holding it, carrying the worn instrument to the little table. She sat and took a small sip of the tea, slightly sour and yet sweetened with just the right amount of honey, before moving the capo to the third fret and began to play. It was an old ballad that she hadn't sung in front of anyone for at least a hundred years but it was one she had loved from her previous lifetime and the moment was perfect.

And so she began to pick the strings and sing, letting the loneliness in her heart guide the emotion of the song.

"Well I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music do ya?

Well it goes like this, the forth the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu-u-ujah"

On she sang, continuing with the rest of the chords and verses until the sound of a blaster being fired up had the seven priests murmuring in concern overshadowed the sound of the delicate strings being plucked. Finally looking up she was met with the sight of a boy, young even by mortal standards, staring her down with tears in his eyes. Her head cocked to the side as she quickly looked him over and steely blue eyes met his brown ones.

"My child, I'm afraid you're late. Lunch is nearly cold but we waited for you all the same. Would you care to join an old woman for some soup?"

The boy looked startled and his eyes dashed to the line of priests who regarded him with cold fury. Then looking back at what seemed to be a harmless old woman save for the simple elegance of her clothing his arm straightened and he pointed the firearm directly at her head. "I'm not here for soup! I'm here to kill you!"

"Hmmm. Is that so?" She asked, her tone betraying no more concern than if he had stated he wasn't hungry for soup at the moment. "My dear child, would you tell me your name?"

The boy's eyes narrowed at her dangerously and he took a step forward. "Harry. Harry LeRon."

The woman smiled and extended her hand over the guitar towards him, returning the favor pleasantly. "My name is Aaliyah, it's a pleasure to meet you dear."

Harry scoffed at her and sneered, "I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are. That's why I'm here. It's time your reign over this world came to an end."

She nodded warmly, still utterly unconcerned that the boy Harry had a lethal weapon pointed directly at her face, though she did withdraw her hand once it became apparent that he wasn't going to be shaking it. "Oh I quite agree, though I'm not quite sure what you think I reign over. I haven't left this garden for at least half a century. I'm quite fond of it. Though I suppose it's a bit of a moot point now. Did you enjoy your walk through the gardens in getting here, Harry?"

The aim of the weapon slackened as he peered around at the wisteria and the greenery beyond, looking quite a bit like it was the first he was noticing any of it. "Yeah it's alright I guess."

"I'm so glad you like it. It used to be Leonardo's favorite place to be too, though he was more partial to the western side of the garden. He had the most beautiful sand pit for making these elegant Zen designs and he was always so much better at it than I was. Michelangelo loved to play in the field on the north side, though he loved to come walking through the garden with me at least once each week. We could talk for hours on these paths." Her tone grew melancholy as she spoke, thin boney fingers pointing as she recalled the memories.

"Raphael best liked the pool on the East side, and he always was the best swimmer of us all. Donnie would visit the garden to clear his head sometimes but his true love was indoors. We never could fault him for that so I mostly took over his area of the garden and filled it with all of our favorites so I could bring him some in his lab when they were in bloom. He always did love it when I would bring him lavender roses. What is your favorite flower Harry?"

He blinked, confused by the question, but after a moment of hesitation he quietly answered, "Sunflowers."

Grin blossoming wide on her face, Aaliyah scooted out the chair next to her and patted it in a friendly manner, gesturing to Jakiel for him to come closer. "Jakiel, my dear, would you please go to the North side of the gardens and pick the very best bouquet of sunflowers you can find for our dear friend Harry here?"

The priest nodded his head curtly once and bowed himself out, hurrying along the path quickly while Harry frowned at the retreating man. "You see? That! That is why I'm here! You have all of these people here that you order around and you don't even pay them! You're greedy and rich and you've been living off of other people's hard work for too long!"

Aaliyah's head tilted to the side, regarding him carefully. "My dear boy. Please. Tell me more. Did you have a family member who was unhappy working here? Someone who felt that they were treated wrongly?"

Bitterness darkened his expression and he growled out, "My whole family. My dad, my mom, even my sister. They all came here and… and… They LOVE you! Every one of them! That's all I ever hear anymore is how great you are and its sick! It's wrong! They've missed everything because they were so busy doing stuff here they never had time for me! And I'm not the only one! This place you call your 'temple' has taken lots of moms and dads and made them miss things that they shouldn't have missed for their kids."

Aaliyah tapped her chin in deep thought, wracking her brain for information. "Your mother… her name is Clara? Clara LeRon? Wife of Brent LeRon? And your sister is… Lily?"

Harry took a step back in shock, stuttering in surprise, "How- How did you know?"

Aaliyah took the guitar and placed it off to the side, leaning it against the table. "My child I do my best to get to know all who choose to volunteer here. I trained your family members as they came to serve here. But I can understand how you must feel abandoned and angry that they would choose to come to be with an old woman instead of their own son, their own brother. And I agree. Missing family events is hard, especially if it's something big. But I cannot order them to go home."

Pain wracked through his facial expression and he lifted the weapon again, anger forcing his tone louder, "Why not? Because they're under some kind of evil spell here?"

She simply chuckled and shook her head, reaching for her tea once more. "Of course not. Your family is free to do as they choose to. And that is exactly why I cannot order them to stay or to go. I took an oath many centuries ago, before your great great great grandfathers were born, that I would never use my influence to order people to do my bidding. I simply can ask and it is up to them to choose to do what they will."

"Yeah well I'm telling you now!" He yelled, his voice cracking, "You're going to tell my family they're never allowed to come back here ever again or I'm going to kill you so they won't have a choice!"

She sighed and looked down at her unfinished tea, now cold, but sipped it anyways. "My dear child. I have lived for 1472 years. I have seen mankind fall twice due to his own faults and I tell you this. The men and women who take the freedom of choice away from their fellow men are the ones that history is never kind to. But I offer you kindness now. I am very, very old. Everyone I have ever known and loved is long dead and gone, their bones dissolved and reintroduced to the circle of life, matter, and energy that ties us all here. I have lived to see the fall of dictators and tyrants, earned dozens of my own battle scars through the ages, and I can tell you that I know what its like to feel left out. I have left myself out of things purposely and have been forgotten, I have been abandoned and I have been betrayed by the one man I thought loved me on more occasions than I thought I would ever have to endure. My child was ripped away from me in order for me to even be able to come to this place and for what? To love and to give only to lose in the end and to be left utterly alone by the very people I was sent here to save."

She looked up at the boy who had, again, slackened his grip on his weapon and blinked at her in confusion and surprise. "But… I thought you were like a god?"

She chuckled and shook her head sadly, regarding him with a look of nostalgia. "No, no, just a very… very old woman. The only thing special about me is that I can't die the way that regular people can when they get old and tired. I may be old, and I may be tired, but these old bones just won't quit on me. So if you are the one who is here to take an old woman and finally lay these old bones to rest so I can finally go to the void beyond and find my family, I would be a grateful old lady indeed."

"But…" Curiosity having a hold of the boy now he crept forward to get a better look at her, an action she didn't shy away from, "That can't be right. Everyone calls you a goddess and everyone treats you like one, everyone loves you and people say that just getting to talk to you can change their life forever. If the only thing special about you is that you can't die then… people wouldn't say those things about you."

Smiling sweetly at the boy she called for Khan. The man hurried to her side and she held out her hand, asking for his flower. He gave her a reproachful look, having been a priest long enough to have seen her do this sort of thing before. "My lady, you don't need to …"

"Khan, my child, a small prick won't hurt anything."

And so he relented, handing her the flower carefully. The thorns on the stem of the white rose were sharp and unforgiving, and with a gentle press her aged skin easily yielded to the strength of the prick. Bright red blood dripped onto the linen napkin beside her place setting and she smiled at both the blood and the boy who was considering the drip thoughtfully.

"You see Harry? Mortal as can be. I have no magic powers and no special qualities that make me better than anyone else. We all bleed red, my son, and the scars I bear are proof of that."

Khan accepted the flower as it was offered back to him and Aaliyah pressed the white napkin to her fingertip to stem the bleeding. Harry finally seated himself beside her and watched as the cloth darkened with her blood. "But then… why do people call you a goddess?"

She shrugged and quite bluntly replied, "Beats me. I think it's just because I'm so old, honestly, but aside from that I really can't say."

"So then why don't you tell them? If you're not special then why do you let people treat you like you're special? Why do you let people like those guys," Harry pointed to the line of men waiting anxiously among the droops of wisteria, "dedicate their lives to you?"

She smiled warmly at the young boy and looked over her shoulder at the priests, eyes twinkling with fondness. "I tell them every day they don't have to stay but I can't seem to be rid of them. I suppose it's for the better, an old woman like myself needs looking after or else I might get myself into trouble."

"So why? Why do people stay?"

She checked her finger and upon finding the bleeding had stopped, though a nice purple bruise was already forming instead, she put the napkin down and rested her chin thoughtfully on the backs of her interlaced fingers. "I think it's because of the work we do here. Not because of me, I assure you, but because of the temple. Here we feed the poor and care for those who have fallen on hard times, giving them a chance to get themselves back up on their feet. Men and women and children that need food and clothing and comfort, orphans that need to be taught and loved, elderly grandmothers and grandfathers that have no money and need to be cared for in their confusion and old age. People just, honestly, like helping other people. And that's what we do here."

He looked disbelieving, and skeptical, yes falling over her ancient face in an attempt to try to find some hints of dishonesty or secrecy. "But kings and presidents and even people from other worlds come here to talk to you. If you were just an old lady they wouldn't do that."

Aaliyah nodded and took a small sip of tea to wet her lips. "I think old people have just lived enough of life that they know a good idea when they see one and they know a bad idea when they see one. They know what things work and what things don't work, so kings who don't want to make people ad or start a war like to come and talk to me about their problems and I can tell them if their idea made people mad in the past or if their idea sounds like one that has worked in the past. I'm just an old history book, my child, and I just want to spend the rest of my time here taking care of people."

This all gave young Harry quite a bit to think about and he set his blaster on the table while he took a moment to ponder over the things she had said. The old woman gave her line of priests a look, tilting her head a fraction of a degree towards the blaster and they all nodded once in return. Smiling at Harry until he looked back up at her with his lips drawn into a thin line. "Miss? What was that song you were singing?"

Dropping the cheerfulness from her smile she looked down at the guitar with a sad smile. "It's an old, old song from a previous life. But I figured, if I am to die today I might as well sing from the heart. Even if it is an old song."

Harry's eyes dropped to look at the old thing, wondering a bit at how old and worn the instrument looked. "It… sounded sad."

She nodded at him and sighed. "It is. I miss my family terribly. Staying busy, helping the people of this world, it helps me not to think about it and to keep going. But I was with them for over a thousand years. We did everything together. We laughed, we fought, we played, we argued. But they died over 200 years ago and I miss them. That's why I was singing."

The earlier fury was completely gone and now curiosity had him, Harry now leaning forward with a look of understanding. "What happened?"

The corners of her mouth turned up a little and she picked up her spoon to stir the cold soup in front of her. "They died, one by one, as they got old. They all passed away within a couple of years of each other, they were always meant to be together. Both in life and in death. I was just… blessed to have been a part of their brotherhood. And if I can, I'd love to speak with the one who sent me here from my previous life and see if IT could be so kind as to let me spend just a little more time with my boys. But I fear… I fear it won't happen that way. I think I may never see them again."

Harry's head tilted to the side and he scooted forward, the motion tugging her lips up into a slight smirk. No matter the age, the innate curiosity of children could always be counted on. "You were sent here by someone? Was it God?"

She chuckled to herself, light and airy, and she motioned to Jakiel. "My dear, would you mind warming our bowls? This soup tastes much better when warm and young Harry here has had a long morning."

Drawing Harry's attention she started into her story, allowing Jakiel to take their food and slide the blaster off of the table in a fluid motion covered by the motion of the bowls moving. "I don't think I would call IT "God" but I suppose if we were to give IT a name that might be an alright name. But usually when people speak of "God" they are picturing a man, or a human looking form, that rules over the universe in a pervasive and all-seeing eye type of a thing. But this… IT was nothing like that."

She leaned back and looked up at the flowing wisteria, swaying lightly in the breeze, as she continued. "It was a very, very long time ago but I'll never forget it."