Author's Note: This chapter was inspired by the song, "Tears of an Angel" by RyanDan. Now, if you could all do me a favor, listen to that song first or listen to the song while during this chapter. Some of the lyrics are in this chapter (which I do not own these lyrics or this beautiful song) to give this chapter more of a heartfelt feeling. Now... please read.

Chapter 37: Tears of an Angel

The crowd shrieked cries of fear as they watched the rancher take the blade that was intended for the master wizard.

"No!" Gale wailed and he shoved through the crowd. He could feel Anna's control slip away.

Anna looked down at the blade that slid open her stomach and then she looked at the man who put it there. His eyes were filled with regret and has mouth was open, but no words came out. His hand held the blade tightly and Anna could see that he was afraid to let go.

"This could have all been avoided..." Anna weakly whispered so that only he could hear, "If you could have... only learned... how to love..." The man was still speechless. She wanted more of a reaction to him. With the last of the strength that she had, Anna slid herself further into the blade and the crowd screamed again. Anna chuckled and a warm liquid drip from the corner of her lip, "And you call yourself, the all-mighty mayor."

"Anna..." Gale choked on his words.

Anna slowly turned her head towards Gale and she smiled weakly, "I'm... sorry..." Her legs gave way and she collapsed.

"No!" Gale sprinted towards Anna and grabbed her hand, "Anna... please... hold on..."

"Gale!" Charles ordered, "Release me!"

Gale jumped up from Anna side and used magic to form a knife. He sliced away Charles bands and without a word they both rushed back to Anna's aid.

"Anna, I'm going to have to remove the blade. I have to see what damage has been done." Charles explained to her as calmly as possible.

Anna nodded and gritted her teeth. Gale grasped her hand tightly as he watched Charles slowly pull the blade out of Anna's mid-section. Anna wailed cries of agonizing pain, as she felt the blade that she partially forced inside of her, sliver out past her intestines and her stomach.

"Thank God..." Charles whispered with a smile.

"What?!" Gale snapped and prayed for good news.

"Someone get me some bandages!" Charles shouted to the crowd. The crowd stood, still unable comprehend the full situation, confused and in shock.

"I got some aiight 'ere, gov'ner." A child, no older than the age of seven, walked up to the executioner's stage and held out a basket of linens to Charles.

Gale swiped the linens from the basket and quickly wrapped Anna's wounds. Charles nodded a ''thank you" to the child.

"She'll live..." The child paused, "aiight?"

Gale held his breath and shot a worried look at his former master. Answer her. He thought silently to his master with a whimper.

Charles ignored and worked swiftly to stop Anna's bleeding. As if cued, heavy rain fell from the sorrowful sky.

"Child..." Anna held out her hand and rasped, "Can you... hear it?"

The child shook her head no and held Anna's hand. Gale watched Anna intently.

"Heaven..." Anna smiled weakly, "Heaven's crying..."

"No..." The child choked on her voice, "You musn't die miss... you musn't..." The child sobbed. "You saved 'im... miss... you saved 'im..." Tears fell from the child's thin cheeks.

Gale could not hold back any longer. His body felt weak and his heart sunk. A huge lump was stuck in his throat as the painfully watched the one he loved suffer in an excruciating way. He could not lose her, not yet, and not like this.

"Child..." Anna removed her hand from the child's grasp and brushed away a tear, "Do not cry... and do not fear..." Anna smiled weakly, "I am here..." The child nodded and held Anna's hand. Anna never looked away from the child as she told Gale. "You must go..."

"I can't..." Gale whispered, "Not now..."

"She's right..." Charles agreed with Anna, "Gale, you must return and restore the Harvest King of your world."

"No..." He argued, "I've lost her once before... I'm not losing her again."

"Gale..." Anna cried, "Please... go... I'll be okay..."

Gale's heart churned at the sound of his name and the tears that he tried to fight back, fell steadily. "No Anna... I'm not leaving you..."

Anna looked away from the child and reached for Gale's hand, and painfully she whispered, "Don't let go..."

Gale smiled and whispered, "Never..." He lowered his head to Anna's lips, but she turned her head before he could touch them. Gale kissed her cheek lightly and he felt an undesirable pit of sorrow open up in his gut. A faint light illuminated from their hands which caused Gale to look down. His other hand was starting to fade. "No..." Gale struggled to get out of the magical grip, "No Anna! Please don't!" He bawled. His shoulders were now fading away.

"Restore... them.. Gale... help them..." Anna breathed heavily as she focused the last of her strength on transporting Gale back to Castanet.

"Master!" Gale yelled, "Stop her!" Charles looked away from the desperate wizard.

He sighed, "I can't..." Looking up at Gale he explained, "If I stop her, she'll die."

Gale roared, "If you let her continue, she'll die!"

"And you think that I don't know that?!" Charles lost it. Gale stopped, he had never seen his master feel so powerless.

"Gale..." Anna choked up on her tears, "I promise... I will be okay... please... have faith in me..."

"I love you Anna..." Gale cried.

"I know..." Anna smiled once last time before Gale was gone.

XXXXX

"Gale!" Finn shouted happily, "Welcome back!"

"Where's Anna?" Vivi asked with concern. Vivi had received word from the Harvest Goddess that Gale and Anna had disappeared. She brought Finn, as company, to wait their return. No answer came from the normally quiet wizard, but this was an unnaturally, sorrow filled, silence. "Gale..." Vivi repeated, ''Answer me. Where is Anna?"

Gale looked down at his palm and found a yellow aster. Its petals held tiny crystals.

"Wow!" Finn gasped, not understanding the reason for tension, "What a cool flower! Anna will really like that! What are the crystals from?''

"Tears... of an angel..." Gale walked past Finn and up the stairs to his room.

Vivi held her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. She prayed that she would not cry; not here. While she lowered her hand, she listened to Gale shut his door. Gale had acted the same way when Isabelle died.

"Vivi..." Finn finally understood, "Why didn't Anna come back?"

"Finn..." Vivi sat down on the armrest of Gale's couch and lowered her witch's hat, "Go get Sephia... she'll want to hear this as well..."

Finn froze, "Vivi... what's going on? You've never used the Harvest Goddess' name before."

"That's an order, Finn!" Vivi snapped at Finn and he left immediately. Once Vivi was finally alone, she hugged herself tightly and cried.

Author's Note: Three chapters left... please continue to read and review!