Chapter Ten-
~I have to tell Arrow! If I'm gentle, maybe he won't run away…~
Cycloniss was on her way to the Talon's Wing to tell Arrow all about the betrothal that was agreed on on her behalf by her grandmother when she was underage. She wasn't sure how he would react to the information or how he would handle it but she hoped she wouldn't have to handle jeaslousy from two adults. Her musings of the subject were interrupted by a stressed Cyclonian.
"What is it?!" She yelled at him, he had almost crashed into her.
"Black Arrow-He-" The man huffed.
"Spit out or I'll force it out!" She threatened, pointing her crystal-pointed staff at him.
"The Storm Hawk has escaped!"
"Do you need me to tell you to go after her?!"
"N-no," The poor man stuttered. "But that's not all, he was attacked; he's being taken to the infirmary but he's bleeding out-"
"EARGH! I'LL KILL HER MYSELF!" She turned and flew right out of the window reprimanding herself for not getting rid of Piper when she had the chance.
Cycloniss floats through the window in the hall, down to the hangar where Cyclonians were stocking battleships with supplies and filling cyclonian sky ride's tanks. She lands on top of a battle ship facing the hangar.
"Attention Cyclonians! We take all of Atmos TONIGHT!" She started. The Cyclonians stopped what they were doing, in silence, unsure of what they had just heard their commander in cheif say.
"We've waited long enough, Cyclonia shall be whole once again! Those who capture a sky knight will be rewarded but whoever finds a Storm Hawk will get a promotion! And whoever brings me the Crystal Mage alive will get that and a monetary reward beyond your expectation!"
Now the cyclonians cheer.
"Dark Ace, take care of the first quadrant, visit Atmosia for me while you're there. Ravess, you take care of the second and Snipe the third. The rest of you attack the fourth!"
"Yes! Your majesty!" The entire crowd affirmed.
With that said, Cycloniss flies to the infirmary to find out his status.
"Aerrow!"
Lying unconscious on the hospital bed, barely breathing and his bandages bled through. Even the white sheets under his injured side were crimson and most like he had bled into the mastress as well.
"N-n-n-n-n-no! I should have come to you first-I'm just not good at this-Aerrow!" She cried helplessly. A Doctor tentatively came up behind her.
"Master Cycloniss, if I may-"
"Fix him!" She screamed at him.
"I can try but he may not survive-" Dark Ace suddenly barged into the room.
"What happened here?!" He demands, the Doctor re-dressing the wound.
"Master what happened to my son?!"
"It was Piper! Find her, and kill her! I'm staying here…" She ordered, returning her attentioon to Aerrow. She will stand guard until he woke.
"Yes Master Cyclonis!" Dark Ace marched out as if he were angry, then chuckled under his breath as the doors closed.
"Are his chances good?" Cycloniss asked.
"My professional opinion is that there's a 70% chance that he will survive, however my personal opinion is that with someone who deeply cares for him by his side, there's no reason he wouldn't fight to live."
"Thank goodness. The only goodness in this world…Aerrow..."
Cycloniss wasn't sure how long it would be for him to wake up but she kept herself in check; she wouldn't rush him or talk his ears off. If she was being honest, she would be yelling for the most part and that wouldn't do him any good.
"Master…Cyclonis…" Arrow moaned, his hands clutching the sheets. He wriggled in his bed, forcing his eyes to open. He felt so weak, beat up, and tired. He looked around, at the cieling and the walls and then his eyes fell onto Cycloniss who was sleeping, head on her folded arms on his bed, hunched over. He managed to muster the energy need to cover her pale hand with his, and rub it until she woke.
"A-aerrow?!" She mumbled.
"Are you alright?"
"You're asking me? You're ridiculous; more importantly, how are you doing?!"
"I-"
"What on earth happened-you could have died and you promised!"
"And I kept that promise." He said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I'm sorry I worried you." He did his best to grip her hand. "I love you so much."
"You better be because without you? I don't know what would happen." She said, shaking her head.
"I used to think I wasn't human but when you flew into my life and became my friend, my partner in crime, no pun intended, you showed me I wasn't so lost, that I could be a regular girl; I actually laughed and I thought only Dark Ace could do that. But he's an Uncle to me so...anyway…" She trailed off awkwardly.
"Reach into my uniform pocket."
"Giving me orders? Only you can get a way with it." She said doing what she was told. Her hands wrapped around a circular box.
"Remember what I said about spoiling me?" She aid, pulling it out and opening it.
"But then you're a rebel-" Cycloniss suddenly stops when she sees the black ring with a black crystal, a little red glow pulsing in it as if it were the crystal's heart.
"Wha..."
"That light pulses with each beat my heart gives so you know I'm alive when I'm away." She looked down at it. It sat in it's box, cradled by her hands. She felt as if his heart was literaly in her hands.
"I will lve for you but I also want to live with you, if you'll have me?"
"…thank you, for the crystal but..."
"I-I understand-"
"It's not that I don't want to! Aerrow, being the Emperor of Cyclonia isn't easy. It'll wear you out and you'll no longer be you.
"Well, its better than having to do all the work and what do you mean I'll no longer be me?" Cycloniss sighed.
"IF we get married, you'll be managing the entire army by yourself; See, our roles will be designated based on gender, you'll have to kill left and right and unless you learned to enjoy it like Dark Ace. You won't laugh, make jokes and you'll be plagued with nightmares, and you'll be away a lot. It's better if I kept you as a Talon. Besides, there's the matter of…an HEIR…" She added, blushing profusely.
"I-well you need an heir to keep the throne; I heard the council here talk about over throwing you. I don't want that but…If you don't want me to rule with you then I guess there's no other way is there? For us to be together besides a servant and ruler relationship." He said sadly.
"Yes, I heard. When I said I could see and hear what anyone in the tower do I wasn't lying. But they'll certainly over throw me if I marry YOU. It took them forever to 'like' the idea of having Dark Ace as the next emperor and-this never came up in a conversation but…my grandmatother decided on Dark Ace and I didn't have a say and neither did the council anyway since her decisions were final and to be followed to the letter. She chose him to be the other 'party' who produces an heir based on his abilities and accomplishments. They would never accept a half Cycloniss and half Lightning Strike baby as the heir to the throne after me."
"I see. Well i guess that…I will retire from the army and live as a farmer or something.
'Well…now that I think about it, the war would end if we did get married. Your father united all of the squadrons once; everyone listened to him and would still were he alive. Everyone would listen to you."
"Hmm..."
"Dark Ace is going to be less than pleased. Becoming Emperor is a huge promotion."
"Wait does this mean you're saying yes?!"
"I-I think so-I mean yes, wait should we do this over?" Cycloniss chuckles. Aerrow smiles.
"Lark Cyclonis, would do me the honor being the happiest man in Atmos?"
"YES! We'll deal with mutiny if there is one. But you'll unite 'Atmos' under the Cyclonian flag right?"
"Yes, I will unite Atmos under our flag and if there is civil war I will just kill them, after all, the Queen's words are the law."
"Mmm, that's my Talon…" Arrow smiles.
Sorry, sorry! I'm very sowwy…
I hoped you enjoyed this and I will DEFNITELY have another chapter up by friday. CrimsonAce and I have collaborated before but I published this fic before the one from before but I'm editing it and publishing it's 1rst chapter on friday as well.
Please leave a review and tell us of the quality of our plot and my writing. It will help me to improve, more than you think! ;)
With infinite love forever,
MYSTERY READER