~Chapter Fifteen~

Fight and Flight

Rose was still fighting against Hela's grasp as they portaled through time and space and arrived at the cliffs when Hela suddenly released her in disgust. Unable to keep herself up, Rose shakily fell to the ground on her knees, gasping and crying, utterly shocked that Hela allowed the Draugr to do something as barbaric as that, and with such ease too; it was sickening.

When she saw how high up they were, she finally lost it. From the smell of decay from the burned Draugr's body, to the sounds of them ripping into the carcass, she lunged away from Hela and vomited on nearby rocks. It took some time for the retching to stop, and all she could do was gulp in the fresh air to help control the urge to keep being ill. Wiping her mouth clean, she spit a few times and then sat back against the rock formation to rest her head and eyes, groaning slightly. She felt a lot better now and was sure that the smells aggravated her morning sickness.

"Here," Hela suddenly said stiffly, holding out a water bottle to her that she conjured up from thin air.

Rose opened her eyes and silently took it and drank some water down, letting it settle her churning stomach while trying to forget those sounds. Instead, she tried to focus on the amazing encounter she had with the creature minutes before. Minutes passed by in silence and Rose knew Hela was mad because she could cut the tension with a knife. Finally, Hela stepped into her view and indeed looked furious, but yet, her tone was controlled and calm.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Rose sighed. "Thank you… it is just my pregnancy symptoms. That's all."

"I figured, but good, I'm glad you feel better. Now…" she paused from her carefully constructed tone, and then let her fury out, "would you care to explain to me what in Hel's name you were thinking?"

Rose swallowed some more water, took a deep breath, and then looked up, trying to remain calm herself.

"I wasn't about to let that creature suffer…"

"You could have died!"

"But I didn't," Rose bantered back, now glaring at her. "I'm fine. But let's talk about you, Hela. How could you let those disgusting creatures feast upon his mate? I can't believe that you-"

"IT WAS DEAD!" Hela suddenly screamed, making Rose jump. "Dead, Rose. It was deceased, obsolete, decaying, no longer living, gone. Don't you understand this concept?"

"Of course I do," Rose hissed with tears in her eyes. "You've personally seen to that!"

"So why shouldn't nature take its course over its body then?"

"There is nothing natural about the Draugr…" Rose snarled.

"Yes, but there was no point in not letting the Draugr feast upon its flesh," Hela snapped. "The more they eat and are given permission to fill their monstrous appetites, the less they feel the need to venture elsewhere for food. Do you understand that now? By letting the Draugr eat on that carcass I've done all of us and your precious mortals a favor! Had I not, then the Draugr would have left to hunt in the mortal world, killing over their share of humans!"

"Yeah," Rose chuckled darkly. "You're a real hero."

Danger flashed in Hela's eyes, but instead of lashing out in more anger, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Fine, be that way. There are more important things to discuss right now than the Draugr eating a carcass."

"Here we go..."

"What you did back there was stupid and reckless, and it was those types of foolish choices that got you thrown into your bedroom like a prisoner by your father."

"Oh please, don't try to tell me that you weren't going to lock me up the second I got here, because you were," Rose argued. "You had to lock up your precious princess so you all had full control over me from the start, don't deny it."

"No, we weren't, Rose," Hela snarled. "We brought you home to live and be with your true family again. You can have all of the comforts of this life, but are refusing to follow simple orders!"

"This is not my home, first of all," Rose bantered back. "Second of all, you aren't my true family, and thirdly, I don't see using a Death Curse as simple. What you all are doing is wrong and evil!"

"Of course it is! We are the GODS OF DEATH! So, spare me of this asinine conversation again, Rose! I won't have it!"

"I'll never stop fighting against it," Rose hissed.

"You should have thought of that before you gave your blood to the curse!"

"I had no choice…"

"No, and you don't have a choice now!" Hela seethed, her eyes glowing bright red in anger. " I didn't want to treat you this way, but it's clear now there is no other way that it'll stick into your thick head. You are ours to command, Rose, so you will listen to and obey me. You need to stop this childish game of risking your neck. Manticore beasts are dangerous! They are vicious, wild, and unpredictable… who knows what would have happened to you if I hadn't gotten there in time!"

"He didn't seem too dangerous to me," Rose spat through gritted teeth.

"If your father finds out what you did, he-"

"He would do what?" Rose snapped back. "Disown me? Freak out like you are? Punish me by keeping me in my room more? Those things I can live with, so I don't care! I don't see what the big deal is though, because I didn't die! And even if I did… you've told me that you would just resurrect me anyway, so what's the point of arguing about this?"

"The point is that you have no idea how painful and scarring that process is!" Hela snarled. "I would do it if I had to, but I would not wish to!"

"Well, I'm fine! Okay?" Rose finally yelled back, standing up to face her now. "You don't need to hover over and scream at me. I'm not a child."

"Then stop acting like a child," Hela hissed.

"I knew he wouldn't hurt me!"

"And how did you know that?"

"Because I… well..." Rose stopped suddenly, faltered, and thought it over. Was it wise to tell Hela what she was capable of, even before her magic came to the surface? She was already giving too much away to her, but Hela's outburst was telling Rose that she truly did care for her well-being. Which was a win in her eyes.

"You, what?" Hela asked, her tone calming down as well.

"I…" Rose tried again, but faltered, and sighed. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Explain what?"

"I… I have a certain gift that allows me to read souls." Rose said quietly after a few seconds, and instantly Hela raised her eyebrows high at her.

"You… what?"

"I can sense and feel souls. It's like I can read their… auras, in a way. With just one look into someone's eyes, I can see the very core of who they are." Rose told her quietly, suddenly nervous to reveal something so personal. She wasn't even sure if she told Brooklyn what she had come to find out about it. Nor did she have the chance to.

Hela's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you saying that you read minds like your father?"

"N-no, not exactly," Rose explained slowly. "I mean, I could read Brooklyn's mind but that was because of our soul-bond. And when using my magic a few months ago, I was able to control a bunch of Human's minds, forcing them to safety when you sent the Draugr to attack us, but I haven't been able to do those things since then. But I can every day with my gift… or skills… or whatever you want to call it."

Hela's eyes narrowed a bit more at her.

"You'll have to explain yourself more, my dear."

Rose took a deep breath, thought it over some more, and then jumped into her explanation.

"Alright. I… I have never told anyone this. Not even Brooklyn before, though there was never any reason for it, nor did it come up. But, all of my life… for as long as I can remember, I have always been sensitive to reading people's souls.

Even before I knew I had magic, it was an ability that I had. I would look into someone's eyes and could tell if they were up to good or not, which told me if I could trust them or not. It was helpful to have when I was young and was around strangers, but it also made me a bit… strange... to the other children that I went to school with. I didn't have very many friends because of it, and was a bit of a… freak." She paused, sighed heavily, and then shook her head at the sad memories of spending most of her school days alone on the playground, with the other children ignoring her. She didn't understand it as a child nor why people thought she was strange, but it all made sense to her now. "My pop told me that I was special… and that the other kids didn't know how to act around me, but he said there was nothing wrong with me. I accepted that explanation back then, but I know now that he most likely saw that something was up."

"He did," Hela said softly. "Both of them did. Your magic occasionally made its debut, but they didn't make a big deal out of it, and chose to love and accept you anyway."

Rose looked up at her suddenly.

"How do you know this?"

"Because I kept my eye on you your whole life, Rose," Hela said softly. "Don't you remember me telling you that back at the Castle with your clan?"

That night was a bit fuzzy to Rose, and she had forgotten most everything else except her mate taking that damn sword for her… but then she remembered that Hela showed them all her memories and that she killed her adoptive parents…rage filled her heart again, but she swallowed it down.

"Oh, right." She said quietly. "So did you know I could see into souls then?"

"No," Hela replied thoughtfully. "I knew that you would have magic and that it would be similar to mine and your father's… but I didn't know what you would be able to do until I saw it for my own eyes. I had no idea you would be capable of developing something new and special."

"Well, I've had the ability all my life," Rose said. "Even with Kevin. And when he and I met was actually the first time that I felt an actual revolt to get away from a person. It was strange. I felt very uneasy and nervous around him, hence why I didn't originally want to date him, but then…" She paused, thought it over again, and then shook her head, snorting, "I ignored it because you got involved in our courtship and blinded me to his evil soul. I was fooled by his cunning charms and was convinced that my sensitivity and ability were all in my head. The idea of being in love, and of having someone to finally love and accept me for who I was, and to no longer be alone was more important to me than the off feeling I got from being with Kevin when we were dating. He never hurt me back then, so I had no idea what he was capable of. I ignored the red-flags that I got from looking into his eyes, and thought nothing of it.

It wasn't until after we got married, and he started to abuse me, that I really started to notice the difference between good souls and evil souls. When I met Brooklyn, I was afraid of him at first, unnerved by his exterior, but then when I looked into his eyes I knew he was good, pure even, and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me for the world. Our souls connected at that moment, making it the most life-changing moment of my entire life, but our soul-bond never clicked into place until we accepted it at the Brooklyn Bridge, when he saved my life from what I was about to do… what you were about to make me do." She paused again, and couldn't help but look away from her now. This topic of her soul-bond to Brooklyn was sacred to her and very difficult to talk about.

"Anyway, back to your original question, the same thing happened back there with the Manticore beast." She continued quietly. "I could sense his pain… his… soul, and though I was afraid of his exterior like I was with Brooklyn's when we first met, I couldn't just walk away from him and leave him to suffer like he was. When we looked at each other and our eyes met… we both relaxed and trusted each other. It was the strangest feeling. It was like we…"

"Imprinted?" Hela whispered, and Rose blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"For animals, to imprint means to place a stamp of trust between two beings; a sense of identity, so to speak. Young animals have it with their mothers as they learn to do and act as their mother does. That's why you had it with Brooklyn. He has human emotions, thoughts, and feelings; but he also has animal instincts. At the time of your meeting, both of your instincts meshed together in trust and utmost confidence before your soul-bond and love connected into place. But, being a Fae and not an animal, must be a magical gift, that allows you to have the ability and sensitive instinct to connect to all living beings…"

"And dead," Rose added, and Hela looked at her with wide eyes. "I can sense souls, Hela, not just behaviors, and that includes all living and those who are of the undead. When I look upon the Draugr I see nothing but pure evil within their countenances. They are soulless, empty, and truly evil beings; cursed. When I look at Kevin, it is now close to the same thing… he's filled with nothing but darkness. And with Demetrius? Same thing."

"Makes sense," Hela said smoothly. "My Dark Lord and husband's soul is the ultimate source of Hel's power, making him the darkest soul of them all. And now that Kevin has been resurrected by myself and our Lord, he'll forever be cursed on the inside. Despite the fact he now has a beating heart again."

"But you…" Rose dared to say in a whisper, but then looked away. Dare she be this bold?

"What about me?" Hela asked quietly. Her tone was partly curious, and the other, careful.

Rose stayed quiet for a few seconds, then said, "Let's just say... you're different. Believe it or not, you aren't any of those things. When I look into your eyes I see darkness, rage, and anger… yes, but I don't see evil. I see… pain." Hela's eyes widened, but she remained silent. "I see someone who is crying and begging from behind a mask, to be released from their internal prison. When I look into your eyes, I see someone who is suffering… just like the Manticore was before I healed him…" she trailed off and dared to look into Hela's eyes now.

Tears had filled her eyes and she looked fit to burst. Though the mask on her face still kept on strong in indifference.

"Oh?" She whispered stiffly. "Is that so?"

Rose nodded silently, watching her very carefully.

"Interesting." Hela then turned away from her, and for once, Rose didn't push her to talk. It was obvious that she was stewing over what she said, which gave her more opportunity to break down her shell. She was hoping that her truthful words were helping her realize her error.

"I didn't realize that you had such a gift." She suddenly said after a few minutes of silence between them.

Rose glanced up at her and she slowly turned around to face her, and to her disappointment, the pain Hela showed her seconds ago was now shoved back down into her core. Her face was once again emotionless and indifferent.

"Your father can unveil the mind with a thought and crush it just as easily… I have a shielding power, healing abilities, and can enter one's mind through dreams… and you possess both the shielding and healing abilities, but you can also read and interpret souls. You're not a bad fighter either, as I am." She then chuckled slightly. "I am impressed with you Rose. It's amazing to see what Demetrius and I were able to create together, and what individual traits you were able to pick up on your own."

Rose stayed quiet and didn't realize her sensitivity to read people's souls through eyes was a gift, and part of her didn't know what to think. Was it a trait from Aesir… or Hel? And did it matter? She always thought it to be a good gift, but now she wasn't so sure.

Hela was staring at her with interest and seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. Her eyes narrowed suddenly.

"Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do what?" Rose asked, confused by her vague question.

"Heal the Manticore? After I told you how dangerous they were, you still risked your neck to heal it anyway….why? Was it just to spite me?"

"No."

"Then why?"

Rose contemplated this question for a few seconds. "Because I felt the goodness inside of its soul deep within my own." She finally answered quietly. "He didn't deserve to die a fate worse than death. No creature deserves that. I couldn't let the Draugr find him to eat him alive; that fate is just too cruel. He is a protector like I am, like my Clan is, and like my mate…" she paused and bit her lip as the familiar pain crushed her heart, "was."

"So you decided to play my role as a mediator in death to spare the creature and cheat what should have been his inevitable demise?" Hela asked, staring at her with an ice-cold eye.

"No," Rose whispered. "I healed him because it felt like the right thing to do. He was still fighting to live, Hela. You and I both know he wasn't accepting his fate just yet, so, I gave him that chance."

Hela opened her mouth to speak but then shut it. It seemed that she didn't know quite what to say to her anymore. She sighed, then turned around again to face the horizon. "Your soul is darkening, Rose, there's no questioning that, but yet... you telling me that through the darkness, pain, grief, and anger you've endured that you've still managed to find compassion and empathy for others? That you are still capable of feeling... love?"

Her question shook Rose down. It was so raw, and her tone was desperately searching for any type of truth in her lost and dark world. She stayed silent, but slowly stood up and walked over to Hela, forcing herself to be brave against her fear of heights and swallow down the grudge she had for her. Cautiously, she reached out her hand and gently placed it on her shoulder.

At her touch, Hela turned suddenly and faced her. Her face was still indifferent, but her eyes were screaming to be released from the pain she held inside. Compassion filled in Rose's heart suddenly, despite what she had done to her. Here, in front of her, was the Goddess of Death, the reason she had endured such sorrow and pain and was the reason her mate was dead. Yet, Rose felt nothing but pity for her now, and more than ever she wanted to help Hela find peace and comfort from that pain.

To heal her.

"Hela… I…"

"How about I teach you how to fly now?" Hela suddenly said, dropping the topic and Rose's heart sank. Hela wasn't ready to let that pain and hatred go just yet, for whatever reason, and although it was clear that she was begging to be free of the pain, she still refused to allow that positive change take place inside of her. Rose sighed internally, backed away from her, and turned away to look out at the horizon, letting it go. However, staring at the dark-hued lighting of Hel, she was running out of time to turn Hela to the light. Running out of time… period. Tomorrow night she was to wed Kevin and Lord Demetrius said that the Death Curse would be complete.

Feeling dead and hopeless inside, she lowered her eyes and looked at her feet. Seeing the edge and the height in which they were. She shuddered suddenly and naturally recoiled from the edge. It was strange. Every part of her was wanting to get as far away from the edge of the tall cliff as possible, but at the same time, her wings wanted to go and feel the vast, open-air underneath them and were craving it. Creating a strange tug-of-war within her instincts.

Rose remembered feeling this way back when Puck gave them a potion that made her a Gargoyle for a night, and Brooklyn taught her how to glide on her new wings. They stood on the ledge of the tall lighthouse when he was teaching her to glide, and she was nervous then but took naturally to the sky once she took the leap of faith. She also remembered feeling fear like she felt now, but back then Brooklyn told her that he would never let her fall or get hurt, and she trusted him to do so. But now he wasn't here to help her, and she was doing this on her own. Hela also did not have wings to fly next to her, so if she fell, no one would be there to catch her. Her Gargoyle wings were a lot weaker than the wings she had now, but even the feathered ones on her back were still brand new and inexperienced.

"I… I don't know about this," Rose said shakily and remembered the promise she gave to Brooklyn long ago.

Promise me that anytime you do jump off a building, that you'll always have me, or one of the other Gargoyles there with you. She promised him that she would never put herself at risk of falling or getting hurt again. But that was back when she was a human in her old life… back when she didn't have wings. Now that she had wings on her back, she had to learn to trust in and catch herself.

Hela seemed to read her mind. She stepped forward and touched her shoulder reassuringly. "Do not be afraid, Rose. Trust yourself, and you'll be just fine."

"Who will catch me if I fall?" Rose asked her frantically, and Hela smiled darkly at her.

"You will."

"But… Brooklyn…"

"Was holding you back by holding onto you too tightly, and dared to call it protection," Hela said a bit coldly. "But it was not true protection, Rose. He treated you that way because of his fear to lose you, not because he trusted you to be able to handle yourself. And worse than that, you were comfortable and content with that behavior, but you shouldn't be. You should be allowed to spread your wings and fly."

"You're wrong," Rose suddenly bit back, glaring over at her. Her words were like poison. "Brooklyn protected me because he loved me, and yes, at first, he was afraid to lose me to Kevin, but I was afraid to lose him as well," she then gritted her sharp teeth at her, "and for a good reason too. You were constantly trying to tear us apart, and we could feel it in our bond, so we clung onto each other like we were about to lose each other! He loved me with every part of him, Hela, I was everything to him as he is to me. That's why he risked everything to save me and our unborn child because he's a protector and a Gargoyle. And that's what they do!"

"Yes, yes, I know." Hela snapped. "However, you cannot deny that Brooklyn protected you so fiercely that he made you unsure of yourself and of what you are capable of."

"No… he didn't…"

"But you are strong, Rose, and this…" she held a hand out to the horizon of Hel and then over to her Fae wings. "This is who you are, and is something you should be comfortable to embrace. Brooklyn tried to blind you to that truth and keep you from flying."

"He encouraged me to grow and be strong!" Rose snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about…"

"Then leap off the cliff," Hela said. "Show me that you aren't unsure of yourself."

" I have a fear of heights… I always have had it. Brooklyn didn't give me that fear, if anything, he helped ease me of it by carrying me around the city."

"But you have wings now, so there's no reason to fear heights because they will always catch you." She then narrowed her eyes. "It actually would make sense that you developed that fear as a child. Deep down, you must have known that you have wings but knew you couldn't use them… so you stayed far away from heights as possible."

"I guess," Rose said dryly.

"Well, no matter," Hela said. "This is who you are now, Rose, so prove to me that your precious mate hasn't held you back."

"Maybe so, but this isn't who you are," Rose said quietly, turning the topic on her, and Hela stared at her. "You claim that you are incapable of changing, but you are good deep down inside, Hela. You don't have to continue to suffer under Lord Demetrius's hand, power and control," She then paused, stepped closer to her, and whispered, "I'll help you."

"I don't need your help," Hela breathed back. "I'm not trapped, Rose. I chose this life and your father because it was the only choice that made any sense. It was the only way that I would get my revenge against Oberon and Titania for their betrayal and treachery…" Her hazel eyes lit up bright red, she then snapped her mouth shut and suddenly pushed Rose closer to the cliff, making her gasp and cry out in panic.

"What are you doing?"

"Enough about me, Rose, it's time for your first flying lesson. Then, I might use this time to teach you a few tips on fighting, the proper way, with your dark magic and weapons. For now, open your wings, feel the wind beneath them, and keep your core and back balanced. Everything else will come naturally to you."

"Is this h-how you learned to fly?" Rose asked her shakily.

Hela's red eyes faded, and she suddenly smiled gently.

"Yes, it is actually, but I was a lot younger than you are. I, unlike you, didn't have anyone to teach me how though, I had to teach myself. My parents died when I was young, which left me to raise my younger sister, Titania, all by myself. I had to force myself to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations and brave through my fears; my doubts." She looked at her now. "As must you."

"Were your wings like mine?"

At this, pain flashed across Hela's eyes, and it was clear to Rose that the memories haunted her mind.

"Yes," she finally whispered, while gently reaching out and touching the tips of her wings, sending a jolt through Rose's nerves and into her back. "They were identical to yours; strong, fast, beautiful… and would take me high above the clouds in a manner of seconds."

Rose considered this. "That must have been very painful for you when they were cut off…"

More pain flashed through Hela's eyes. "Yes, it was more than I could hardly bear. The pain nearly… killed me."

"But you survived," Rose said softly, and Hela nodded.

"Of course I did. I'm a survivor… just as you are. Now, enough chit chat. We can speak about this later. For now, spread your wings, become one with the wind and air, and trust your wings to catch you. They will." She placed her hand gently on Rose's back and guided her towards the edge of the cliff, but Rose froze and seized up.

"Uh… no… no I can't-"

"Rose… you can do this," Hela said softly. "I believe in you, now you must believe in yourself. Trust yourself and trust your wings. You may be sore afterward, but use your back and abdomen muscles to keep yourself upright in the sky, and we can attend to the pain afterward. But your muscles, tendons, and wing ligaments need to be broken in. The more you use them, the stronger they'll get. It'll be like learning to ride a bike or drive a motorized vehicle, once you understand how your body works, it'll come to you naturally. You just need to make that initial leap of faith."

Rose swallowed bile and closed her eyes, afraid to look down.

"Your wings have been aching to fly since you woke up this morning, haven't they?" Hela whispered in her ear.

"Y-yes," Rose breathed back, shaking and still not looking at the great heights below her feet.

"Then trust them with your life and... fly!"

Hela then pushed on her back and before Rose knew it, she was free-falling toward the forests below.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, the wind rushed and roared in her sensitive ears, and the world spun around her as she free-fell. The air was stealing her breath away, and panic was shooting through her chest and mind. She was going to die if she didn't catch herself and fly.

I have to catch myself… but… how…? She thought desperately to herself. How do I catch myself? My wings aren't working!

The ground was getting closer with every passing second, and she couldn't seem to right herself enough to let her wings get balance, nor were they seeming to cooperate with her. As she fell, her mind still managed to wander and think about all the times she had flown with Brooklyn to see if anything helped jog her memory about what he said about gliding. However, all she could remember was that she was never afraid of falling because she knew he would catch her, and how much she loved him. Both of which wouldn't help her now. There was no one to catch her but herself.

Head over heels she fell, faster and faster towards the ground. Hela spoke of her not being stupid or risky, but this was the stupidest and most risky thing that she's ever been forced to do.

Think… focus! She told herself frantically, but it was still no use. She didn't know how to fly, and her wings were not taking charge like she thought they would. Nor as Hela said they would. Suddenly, a memory popped into her mind, and she knew it was her mate guiding her thoughts. The memory was of when Brooklyn taught her how to fly on their honeymoon, when she was a Gargoyle for a night, like him.

Remember, you, the wind, and your wings need to be in unison. Close your eyes and relax. He told her back then. Rose closed her eyes and did as she remembered him telling her. Feel the wind direction beneath your wings and trust completely in them. She moved her legs around so that she was falling backward on her back, getting herself in control of her spinning, then…

I'll always be there to glide with you, Rose. Feel the wind currents, choose the right time, and then take your leap of faith.

"Okay," she breathed back to his voice in her memory. She could do this. She had to if she was to survive and keep her child alive. Opening her eyes, she focused her mind away from the fear and panic and suddenly every part of her knew what to do.

Using her legs to flip over onto her front, the wind caught her breath again but with a roar of effort, she forced her large wings out, using her back muscles, and caught the strong current. Her wings stopped her descent immediately, having stopped herself just in time, and she was now gliding above the ground and the dead forest with an incredibly accelerated speed.

Rose let out a large exhale of relief. She did it! She was flying on her own! Her wings were holding her weight up with ease and it was surprisingly natural for her. Just like the night she and Brooklyn took to the night sky together- once she braved her fears with him by her side, it was something she did with ease. Just like now, except she was doing it on her own and was flying with her own wings. It felt like she had finally found a part of her that was lost, a part of her she always knew was there, deep down.

The hot Hel air was blowing in her face as she flew faster than she ever thought was possible. But she was merely gliding at the moment, and her wings, opposed to Brooklyn's and the Clans, could do so much more than that.

Sucking in more breath, she gave more focus to her back and core to allow her wings the strength to carry herself. It would be a workout, and she would have to be careful since she was pregnant, but this was what she had been desiring ever since waking up this morning. Hela said that her wings were strong, beautiful and could carry her up into the clouds. And that is exactly where she wanted to go.

Using the speed collected from falling, she willed her back muscles to control her wings, and began flapping them while using the wind all around her to guide herself upwards… then she was off like a bullet. The wind roared in her ears and tossed her braided hair behind her like she was on an amusement park ride. Her large, black-feathered wings, like the Manticore, were magnificent; and being this high up here in the atmosphere was liberating.

Guiding herself, she flew a very fast speed over the forest and the nearby cliffs of the volcano. Blasting upwards, she scaled the cliffs and flew over the hot, lava-filled volcano with incredible speed. The heat from the lava blasted against her face, but with a flap of her wings, she willed herself through the heat with another push of speed. Below her, many dark caves were around the lava base, ones she wondered if that is where the Manticore lived or other living creatures hailing from the Draugr or Demetrius's reign.

Flapping her strong wings again, she made it over the vast lava basin of the mountain and was heading towards the southern mountains- where an empty blackness of a horizon waited for her to explore. She knew Avalon was surrounded by water… but what was Hel surrounded by? It didn't look like water, so was it anything worth pursuing or not? Looking forward, she saw that she was going too far from where Hela was and decided that the great unknown wasn't where she should go. The last thing she wanted to do was meet any Draugr in mid-air, or any other dangerous flying creature.

Turning around to head back to Hela and the cliffs, she flew with amazing speed, but then looked up, smiled, and wanted to try something before heading back to Hela.

The starless blackness of the atmosphere above the red light of Hel looked to be in arms reach… and more than anything, she wanted to go there. Guiding herself upwards, she flapped her strong wings and they instantly took her there without faltering or tiring out. Faster and faster like a rocket, she launched herself high into the atmosphere, high above the clouds, the fog, and the smoke. And she couldn't help but smile.

She had never felt this free before. Flying high above this damned world- she finally felt in control of herself. In control of her own destiny.

"Wahoo! YEAH!" She screamed out in happiness, pumping her fists, and willed her wings to take her higher and higher. Her wings pushed against the wind currents harder and faster, sending her straight upwards. The higher up she got, the colder the atmosphere turned and she knew she was getting somewhere different than the damned red-hued world she despised.

There were a few empty clouds she passed through, void of any rain or moisture, as this world had never seen rain before, and was more like smoke than anything. Passing through another steam-like cloud, she suddenly arrived high above the red world and was surrounded by pure, still, blackness. A deep void. She was still on the Earth, or so she thought because she could still breathe, but this was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

Above her was the black, dark, silent, and starless universe of this world. But… she suddenly realized that it was also more than that. Slowly reaching out a hand, halfway towards it, she felt an energy that could only be explained as magic.

Dark magic.

A curse of sorts.

Using her wings to steady her, she flapped them a few more times, and once balanced, reached her hand up higher and higher until she met a shield. She gasped as it struck her hand, the magic shocking through her system with dark magic, and comprehension dawned upon her.

The blackness above her was a shield, not the true sky.

Her breath caught in her chest and didn't dare mess with it further, instead, she looked down at the red world and looked around. This high up, she saw nothing but endless red and black… but this was a shield, of sorts, it had to be. Hela said that she was capable of powerful shields, however, this magic's makeup wasn't hers, but was of an older source. Older than Demetrius… but it still flowed through his blood. And it flowed through hers.

All-father Hel himself must have done this when he created this world, and then either he or someone else cursed it. Whether it was Demetrius or not, she wasn't sure, but she suddenly didn't feel quite so far away from the rest of the world. She was sure that beyond the cursed line, the stars and heavens she was so familiar with were there… and Brooklyn's soul would be there as well.

She just knew it. Here, high above Hel, was the closest to heaven, and to Brooklyn, that she would ever get.

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the black abyss above her, closed them, and let the ice-cold air of this upper atmosphere claim her for a moment; willing for her mate's soul to connect with hers, if possible. However, to her bitter disappointment, her bond to her mate was still pitch black and as empty as the universe above her, but still, she hoped that one day she would feel his warm love once again, and perhaps to feel that bond again. And in order to do that, she had to lower this shield and release this world of this curse.

Rose's eyes snapped open.

"That's it," She whispered to herself. "This… this place has a death curse placed upon it… the same curse that Demetrius wants to invoke upon the rest of the world."

It made sense to her now. The Death Curse would take all life from the Earth, leaving only the essentials for himself, Hela, and those that followed him. But, even then… beyond the curse was hope… and if she could defeat him before the curse was evoked, perhaps it would release this curse above her as well. She would release Hel from its own chains or destroy it completely. It seemed to be a bit of a long shot, but it was what she had to go with.

Her long and powerful wings kept flapping occasionally to keep her balanced as she looked longingly into the black nothingness above her. Placing her hand near the shield again, she felt the hum of the magic pushing against her, but she didn't pull away. Before heading back, she wanted to try something. She needed to.

"Brooklyn…" She breathed, willing for him to hear her somehow. "I hope you can hear me, but... I'm so sorry for the way things have turned out. I just want you to know that no matter what, I love you with everything I am. I always have and I always will. You have my heart forever… it's yours. I… I am yours."

Tears rolled down her face and she cupped her small bump with her other hand. "I will do everything I can to protect our child. I promise you that, and I'll never let go of that promise…" She paused, shakily took a breath, brought her hand to her mouth to kiss, then sent it magically into the shield. Like a wishing well. It hissed angrily at her magic and touch, but then the shield faded back into its normal blackness and she knew her message didn't go through. However, it still felt good to say those words of love out loud and to pretend that he, somehow, would hear the words from her heart.

Rose opened her eyes as tears fell down her face, and breathed one last message to her lost love and mate.

"Brooklyn, my sweet love… I miss you."