Until next time,
Evening Star
For Love of the Past
Chapter 10
During the times of old, it was believed that when one came to realize their destiny, a star was born in the heavens, shinning brightly for all to see; to stand as a reminder of the destiny that has to be fulfilled by the one left to fulfill it. Such a star was born on the night of Sailor Star's realization; it became the first star to be seen at nightfall, and the last to be seen at day's break. It was large and full, a guiding point of light for all to see. Its place in the heavens was just to the right of the moon, casting its silvery glow. Yet this star held one characteristic that kept it apart from the rest; this star's center would flash ruby red. This burst of color would last if only of a moment, yet it was enough to distinguish it as Aurora's star.
Malachite and Aurora had first noticed it the night Aurora had become Sailor Star, as they stood upon their bridge looking to the stars. It was the same star they looked to now, standing as they had then, silent within each other's embrace. But this silence was not right, this silent was strained; Malachite could feel it. Something was not right. As if sensing Malachite's realization that things were not as they should be, Aurora broke away from his embrace to stand by herself in the moonlight, leaning against the bridge's railing, watching the water flow beneath it, her skirts billowing softly in the light breeze. Malachite stood warily by waiting with unease for what he knew was coming.
Looking at Aurora now he barely recognized her - how old she looked. Her faced was draw and pale, her mouth set in a firm line. Yet it was her eyes that showed her age, an age far beyond her physical years. No spark, no internal fire lit them from within, making them come alive with silver flames. No love of life or joy were reflected from their depths, only weariness. Aurora could always construct the perfect mask to hide her feelings, but her eyes gave her away; her eyes revealed how tired she was, how old she felt. This was no physical exhaustion; it was the exhaustion of the spirit. Something had been plaguing Aurora's mind, and Malachite knew if he bided his time, and let Aurora come to him, the demons that had been hiding in the deep recesses of her mind causing her such grief, would come to light.
Quietly, as if she were talking to the stream itself, Aurora spoke barely above a whisper, " Malachite, I'm no Guardian. I'm not ready for this." Aurora refused to look at him, keeping her eyes on the water beneath her. Hearing his silence, she continued. "You have been trained as a Warrior. You have a level of skill I could never hope to possess. If there is anyone who should be Guardian, it is you not I." Aurora's voiced wavered ever so slightly as she tried to reign into control the gut wrenching fear, anxiety, and absolute worry that had been consuming her for days. Who many nights had it been now? 5? 6? That she had spent lying awake at night, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind racing, since she had made her pledge to honor and protect her Queen? How long had it been since last she ate? Aurora couldn't remember. She shook now, telling Malachite what she was. She had kept it all so tightly locked up inside of her, that as much as it was destroying her to keep it there, it was hurting her more to let it out. Her life would never be as it once was, and that frightened her. Aurora did not like sudden change. Though through all of the chaos her mind had put her through these past few days, Aurora came to know one fact with absolute clarity; she had taken on a responsibility, had been bestowed a privilege she had no right to. Now, she had to find a way to make right the wrong she had committed. She continued.
"My powers are still so foreign, still so unknown. How could I possibly hope to protect our Queen? I know I asked for this, but I asked in haste." Turning to face Malachite, she held his steady gaze with what she made appear to be confidence; Malachite knew better. " I'm stepping aside. I want you to be Kiaya's Guardian."
There, Aurora breathed to herself, There, I said it. Malachite continued the silence for a moment longer, his face set in stone, unmoving; but his eyes, his gaze was gentle. Moving to stand in front of Aurora, he put his hands on her upper arms, turning her slightly so they were facing each other. "Star," Malachite spoke softly, knowingly, "I could no more be Kiaya's Guardian than you could be Sun Queen. Whether you believe it or not Aurora, you were born for this task; you were born to be Guardian." Aurora turned her head away with his words. He was obviously telling her something she did not want to hear. " You must have faith Aurora: faith in Destiny, faith in Queen Kiaya; but most of all Aurora you must have faith in yourself. Only you will have the power to protect the Queen if danger should threaten her, only you are powerful enough. But you must give yourself time. Your powers will make themselves known when they are needed, do not rush them; do not rush yourself."
Aurora sighed, almost impatiently; as if what Malachite spoke of was something she'd already told herself. The obvious ineffectiveness of his words made Malachite cock his brow, and hooking his finger under Aurora's chin, forced her to look at him. "Where did this come from Star?" Malachite asked, his tone light, yet confused. "You've seemed fine all week, and so aglow with happiness this evening. If fact you were ecstatic upon discovering your powers, and Kiaya's acceptance of your request for Guardianship. In the name Pluto, Star!" he spoke, now almost exasperated, "what happened to change your mind so?"
" Fear, Malachite" Aurora spoke softly into the wind, not daring to look at him, "I became afraid. I suddenly became aware of all that being Guardian pertained to, and I realized I am not suited for it." Turning away from him again, Aurora covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall. "I've been worrying about this for many days, and many nights," her voiced sounded strained, tired, and so very defeated. In a barely audible whisper she added, " I just haven't mentioned it until now."
Malachite exhaled loudly, looking at Aurora. Her faced was somewhat turned away from him, looking into the forests that lay around them. Tears were visible brimming in the corners of her eyes. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her. Kissing her on her cheek, he rested his head up against the side of hers, his mouth just above her right ear. " You should've come to talk to me Star."
" You should've noticed something was wrong before now, Malachite," Aurora whispered in return, though there was no malice in her voice. " You're right," Malachite admitted in defeat, "I should have. But why do you insist on hiding your problems away from me?" His voice was low, his tone soft and pleading. With a slight laugh, Aurora replied, "You're one to talk." Malachite laughed softly in return, " Yes, I guess I am."
Recognizing that this was a problem only Aurora could find a solution to, Malachite tightened his embrace around her shoulders, whispering into her ears one last vouch of confidence. " I believe in you Star, I know you can do this. With time, you will gain the knowledge and control over your powers you need to succeed in being Guardian, and you will realize your destiny. You were made for this, and you will do your Queen and City proud." " How can you be so sure?" Aurora questioned him. " Because I have faith in you Star; because I believe in you," Malachite whispered into the night.
Aurora smiled inwardly to herself, and for the first time in a week,
she felt her body and spirit relax, felt her mind put at ease. She felt
his strength wrap around her as if it were a tangible thing, like a security
blanket protecting her from harm. And she wondered as she looked to her
star in the heavens, as she drifted off in his arms, as her mind gave in
to the sleep it had long since deprived itself of, how his words could
hold such power over her; how they could give her such comfort.
* * *
With Malachite's infinite strength and support, over the remainder of the year, Aurora's powers developed greatly under the watchful eye of Her Majesty, Sun Queen Kiaya. Through learning to focus her energies to strike down a target, from channeling her own anger and frustration, Aurora learned not only her full strength, but also the ways of her powers.
One of Aurora's most powerful attacks became known to her when Kiaya had a mock scenario set up without Aurora's knowledge, a scenario which had the Queen's life threatened by an intruder. Aurora, fearful for Kiaya's life, and unknowing that it was a mock set up, attacked the poor, unsuspecting man with all she had. Raising her right leg, and bending it at the knee, Aurora crossed it in front of her left leg, while simultaneously raising her arms, crossing them in front of her at the forearm. Aurora then forcefully brought her foot down into contact with the floor. At the same time, with equal forcefulness, she brought her arms to her sides, away from her body, her hands spread wide. Once her foot made contact with the floor, a powerful, cylindrical beam of golden energy surrounded Aurora, shooting for the sky ( This beam is very similar to the one that surrounded Venus when she called upon her Love Chain Encircle Attack). The force was such that her hair was blown upwards, with her skirt doing the same. The light from the beam was intense, causing both the 'intruder' and the Queen to shield their eyes against it. The beam held its place around Aurora, even as she raised her hands to the heavens.
With her arms and hands extended upwards towards the heavens, she crossed her left hand in front of her right, (with both hands still spread wide) creating almost a pattern of a multi pointed star. The fingers of her right hand could be seen between the spaces of her left hand (should someone have been standing in front of her), perfecting the 'star pattern'. Her thumbs pointed in opposite directions, her hands still spread wide. Having crossed her hands in such a fashion above her head, Aurora swiftly and surely brought her hands down in front of her chest, arms extended parallel to the floor. Her hands moved away from their previous position, separating almost entirely, their only remaining connection being her thumbs, which were crossed over each other at the knuckle, finger tips spread wide, directed toward the 'attacker'. Directing her attack at her hapless victim, Aurora's voice boomed through out the Throne Room, " SUN BEAM BURN!"
Her pooling energies formed a glowing sphere of golden energy around Aurora's hands before releasing themselves in the form of a powerful, golden beam. Aurora was certain the intensity of her powers would be far more than enough to destroy the man threatening her Queen, yet the beam passed straight through him, not harming him in the least. Aurora was stunned, the man hired by the Queen was frightened half to death, and the Queen stood pleased, looking on between Aurora and the 'intruder'. " That will be all Henry, thank you," said Kiaya, dismissing the man. Looking asif he was about to faint, Henry nodded his head, bowed before his Queen, then walked slowly, very slowly, from the Throne Room. Aurora turned on Kiaya.
"Kiaya, you knew about this?!"
" Yes, Aurora, I did," Kiaya spoke, almost flippantly, " I needed to know something, and now I know it. Your powers can obviously harm only those who are evil. Those who are pure and good can not be harmed by your powers. Which is why Henry was not harmed by your attack," Kiaya spoke, while smiling to herself at the look of astonishment on Aurora's face, " By the way, nice attack."
"I can't believe you orchestrated all of this Kiaya! What if you'd been
wrong!? That poor man could've been killed!" Aurora was nearly furious.
She stood in front of Kiaya, looking her in the eye, her jaw set firm.
She did not like not being unaware of what was going on around her. " I
knew I was right. There was no risk to Henry. Besides, I had to find some
way to force you into action. I realized only then would you learn how
to call upon your powers. I am surprised however at the intensity of your
attacks. You're more powerful than I'd thought Aurora," Kiaya added, almost
as a side note. Aurora was floored at how casual Kiaya was being about
all that had occurred, but decided it best to not question her Queen any
further. Cocking her eyebrow, and shaking her head, Aurora could only wonder
if Malachite would believe her when she told him about all that had happened.
Though Kiaya agreed to no more mock set ups, Aurora's training continued, through which she discovered the final three aspects of her new life as Sailor Star. She came to know, through visiting sick children with the Queen, that she had the ability to heal. By calling upon Star Twilight Magic, her powers would magically induce sleep, sending the victim into a state of unconsciousness while they healed. Aurora became aware, that by enveloping the victim with a glittering pink aura, her powers protected the victim from further harm while they slept. The aura would gradually fade as the healing process came closer to completion. The victim would awaken several hours (or days, depending on the severity of the injuries) later, fully rejuvenated.
Aurora also came to know her second attack, which, though not as powerful as the first, was still powerful in its own right. Aurora called upon this attack using the command Starlight Incineration! Her physicalmovements required to call upon this power were quick, and fluid. Throwing her hands out and down to her sides, with her fingers spread wide, Aurora would begin calling out the command. In continuation from the initial hand movements, Aurora would loosely bring her hands together in front of her, one in front of the other, hanging loosely at the wrist, by swinging her arms in an almost semi circle fashion starting at her sides, and ending in front of her. During these actions, Aurora still kept her arms extended down at her sides. She then would snap her wrists upwards so that her palms were facing forward, her hands in the star pattern position, as they had been at the beginning of her Sun Beam Attack. Keeping in this position, with her feet spread wide, three continous streams of silver fire, wound together as if like rope, shot from Aurora's out stretched palms aimed directly at her target; a target, that had it been polluted with evil energies, would surely have been completely destroyed.
Aurora's final surprise concerning her powers came while training one day, outside in the Gardens. Having had discovered all of her own personal powers, Aurora began the grueling task of learning to control them; all of them- even her powers of transformation. Like many of the days on the Sun, this day was beautiful, with the sun shinning, the wind blowing softly; far too beautiful to keep Firewalker locked in his stable. So Aurora allowed him to stay outside with her in the Gardens during her training. Turning her head to the sky, she began her transformation, all the while thinking, strangely, of Firewalker. Finishing her transformation, Aurora turned to him. A look of confusion crossed her face. He stays away from me, Aurora thought, does he not recognize me? It occurred suddenly to Aurora that she had yet to be around Firewalker transformed, and attempting to make him understand, called out to him. " Firewalker, to me!" she commanded, than stopped herself. Never had she used such a command with Firewalker before, and was confused as to why she would use such a command then. She got her answer.
A bright, ruby red light flashed in the corner of her eye. Looking up, Aurora stood dumbfounded as Firewalker began to transform. The Star on his forehead glowed, and from it shot a beam of ruby red stardust; just like, it occurred to Aurora, hers when she transformed. The beam circled around Firewalker; first his head, then moving down his neck to circle his back. In doing do the beam left a trail of stardust which took the shape of first a mask and reins, then of a saddle.
Firewalker's build then became larger, more muscular; he gained the build of a Draft Horse. His hooves turned to gold, and rearing up on his hind legs, finished the transformation by bring his front hooves down forcefully upon the ground. On making contact with the ground, an intense flash of golden light emanated from his hooves, momentarily blinding Aurora. When the light faded, Firewalker transformed stood before her. Aurora stood by cautiously, unsure if the animal that stood before her could be trusted.
Firewalker stood many hands higher than he had, with a mask covering
most of his face. His Star could be seen on the mask, in the center of
his forehead, where it had been before. The mask itself was silver, trimmed
around the edges in glittering ruby red. The sides of the mask took on
the shape of a fire's flames, and the reins were a continuos strand of
silver, five point stars, each connected to the other by their points.
The saddle and saddle blanket were silver just as the mask had been, with
the blanket trimmed long the edges with glittering ruby red. ( Pictures
coming soon.) His eyes lost their pupils, being only a glittering
Aurora stood watching him, wary. Her fears were soon soothed, however, when a deep, calm voice echoed throughout her mind; Firewalker's voice. You need not fear me Aurora, I will not harm you. It is I, Firewalker, your Guardian. As it was decided, as it will be, I am here to guide and protect you. Let down your guard Aurora, I can be trusted.
Aurora stood spellbound by the voice in her mind. Her brows raised in surprise, her face motionless, Aurora's eyes reflected the utter wonder and shock she felt. Aurora shook herself, her shallow breathing deepening. Getting a grip on herself, Aurora opened her mind to Firewalker, becoming almost over powered by his strong presence in her psyche. Never had she thought something like this was possible. She had a telepathic link with her horse! Her friend and beloved pet that she'd known since her memories began. This is not possible Aurora shook her head, more at herself than Firewalker. Feeling her heart rate lessening, Aurora chided herself, For the love of the Sun Stone Aurora! Horses can not talk!
Firewalker laughed to himself, only the way horses can. It is possible Aurora. While I'll agree with you, most horses in fact cannot talk, I, we, can. I can hear your voice no matter where I am, be me in this universe or the next. All you have to do is call my name, and I will hear you- I will come; for no one can hear me save you. He looked to Aurora; he knew by the look in her eye, and her expressionless face she was considering what he was telling her. She knew he was no threat; she could tell that much through the bond they shared. She just hadn't quite gotten her mind around it all yet. Do you believe me?
Aurora considered his question before answering, choosing her words carefully. "Yes, I believe you. But forgive me, I just don't know you yet. I realize you are Firewalker, but you've changed; drastically," Aurora said sarcastically, adding, " It will take some getting use to." Fair enough, Firewalker agreed, though while you 'get used' to me again, why not come for a ride with me to the bridge. That always seems to relax you. His final comment upset Aurora slightly. She didn't care much for a horse knowing her so well. Yes, she agreed with herself, this will take much getting used to. Hesitantly, she walked up to Firewalker and mounted him. Taking the reins in her hands, she made the command using the muscles in her legs for him to walk on. Bobbing his head, Firewalker warned her, Hold on! Aurora was taken aback. "Hold on? Why….." She never had the chance to finish before Firewalker heaved himself upwards, taking to the sky. My one power, my one gift, is the gift of wingless flight, he explained to her. Do not fear, I will not let you fall.
Aurora held fast to Firewalker, her arms holding tight around his neck.
Her heart was racing, her whole body tense. Slowly she looked down, struggling
to get a hold of herself once more. Firewalker seemed to be running
on air! He ran as any horse would with land beneath their hooves. Yet,
there was only air beneath Firewalker's. Closing her eyes, Aurora rested
her head against Firewalker's neck, opening her mind to him once more.
And there he was, comforting her, soothing her now suddenly raw nerves.
Aurora forced her mind to think logically, and found she knew by instinct
she was safe. Taking a deep breath, she sat up straight in the saddle,
took hold of the reins, and rode her horse without fear. This feels
right, Aurora thought absent mindedly to herself. Yes, it
does, Firewalker answered back. Aurora started, though quickly
got herself in check once more. She was not used to having her thoughts
answered, though she felt she could come to rely upon the closeness she
felt between Firewalker and herself. Reaching over, she ran her hand down
the length of his neck repeatedly, patting him lovingly. " I'm glad we
agree," she smiled, "Now, let's get home. We have a lot of explaining to
do. The bridge can wait." As you wish, Princess, Firewalker
responded as he changed his direction, as you wish.