A/N- A second chapter...I think this one is short, sorry! Anyway...I made Andia sound like a real cold-hearted b*tch in this.
My apologizes to Andi fans.
Chapter Two- War, and the Goddesses of Vela
"The causalities of Angelsgate," Andia's golden eyes perked up, moving from the document she was reading
to the young Velian soldier in the front of the room giving them a brief on the attack of Angelsgate; the
first attack of what was to be a long war against the planet of Zeta. "Comes to a total of 358 deaths,"
The soldier continued, pausing the clear his throat; Andia knew the gesture, it meant he was nervous,
so she prepared herself, "138 of those were Soldiers of the Zetain armies, 40 were civilians."
'Too few…' Came Andia's thoughts.
"And we suffered the deaths of 180 soldiers when the chemical K-87 was released through the ventilation
shafts." Andia barely heard the curses coming from the generals assembled, the war counsel that sat before
her, as her thoughts spun. They had lost more soldiers in a surprise attack than the enemy. That was
disgraceful.
Did she care for the deaths of her people? Yes, of course Andia cared. She had spent the last three years
of her life trying to pull together the ruins that were once the Velian Royal Empire and build back the glory
in which they had once held. She had done that by caring for the people, for aiding against illness and for
being their light at the end of a tunnel.
But she also knew that the lives lost there were names to be disgraced, families who would deny having ever
cared or loved for those soldiers. 'They should have had their air filters on!' Her thoughts raged louder
then the sorrow in her heart. 'Darn fools…' She scolded herself for being heartless, and quickly drew herself
away from her thoughts. 'Time to play the princess role.'
"And we mourn those we have lost. May Kahima protect them." She stood, leaning her weight against the table.
She let her eyes wander over the faces of the war counsel, many old. Ouy Rien, her elder brother, sat to
Andia's side with his head bowed in silent prayer for his lost men. Ouy Rien was the captain of the Royal Military.
"This attack should not be overlooked. Zeta was prepared for us then; they knew that they could kill us in an
enclosed space. We must strike them where it hurts, but where it cannot hurt us." She glanced around, watching
the reactions she was getting.
"We must strike at the palace on Zeta and seize the emperor. We must have an open air battle, where there is no
line between soldier and civilian."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cruel harsh winds picked up from the west, tearing through the defenseless tree and throwing birds from their
flights. With the wind came storm clouds that had gathered over the oceans, and thunderous roars gave those inland
no illusion to what was coming. Stalls that lined the street corners began to close as shoppers rushed back to
their houses and hotels or went to find a bar in which to waste themselves for the night.
And standing with the hood to her black cloak pulled up, not to protect her from the storm but to hide her face
from the crowd, was Casita Nowa.
Unlike the crowd, her feet carried her towards the shoreline where water skimmers were being tied up at the docks
for the night. Towards the slaps of the vicious ocean waves against the stone cliffs and sand. Her plain brown boots,
barrowed from Andia's collection of battle attire, made a gentle click with each step; given that she could not find a
pair without two inch or high heels. She'd have to ask her elder sister about that later.
Before her, embracing the furious weather like a lover opening up his/her arms, the goddess shrine stood. Decorated
in the traditional blues, gold and black, the temple was a sight to behold with its ancient architecture and the rare
lily-filled vases that rested before the doorway. Knowing that they would blow away with the storm, Casita gently
gathered the foreign flowers and set them to the side as she entered. One of the care takers would find them there.
Within, the gigantic stone pillars shot towards the painted sky of blood red clouds lined with silver. Upon each side
of the shrine lay six statues, three per side. Omiania of the Winds, Kaia of the earth and Rin of the harvest stood
proudly to the right. Shari of health and Kahima of Death took up most of the left side; along with them the statue of
the Goddess of Happiness in which Casita received her name.
And ahead of her stood a marble statue larger than the rest, and so detailed that one might swear that it was real. The
first goddess faced the south, one hand stretched out with a bird resting upon it as tears ran down the goddess' cheeks.
The second was resting her weight upon a decorated sword, with such fury in her expression that even now it left Casita
breathless in fear.
Casimalia and Andia.
"You risked much to come here, princess." Casita spun around, and years of training with her elder sisters made her spring
into a defensive stance in an instant, though she knew perfectly well that fighting was not allowed within the shrines. But
she relaxed as she spotted Lena-ou, one of the few temple hoshimi, lighting the candles by each of the statues to the left.
"Yes, I know…" she loved watching Lena go about her work, each graceful movement of those dark skinned hands its own little
dance. Her blonde hair matched Casita's own sunlight gold, but Casita's icy blue eyes were far to light for Lena's lilac-navy
shade. "Please don't tell momma or Andia."
Lena turned and smiled gently to Casita, which was her sign of saying that she would indeed keep quiet. Another thing Casita
loved about Lena was her smile; a tiny motion of the lips and eyes that could generate enough loving warmth to burn away a
person's fears. Lena's whole personality was like that, resembling that of a mother watching over her child from afar.
All candles lit, Lena started back towards the doorway in which she had come. "I shall leave you to your prayers." Lena said,
turning back to Casita, "but please hurry back princess. There are many enemies of your sisters' now, and I wish neither you
nor them to fall to misfortune because of such." Lena sent Casita another smile. "I wish not to see Andia cry."
Casita matched the smile and nodded, turning back to the statue of Andia and Casimalia as the door closed. She studied the
faces of the two goddesses who supposedly took up residence in her elder sisters. Studied the sorrow and anger upon those
faces, and realizing with a fright that the statues did look a lot like her sisters.
Shuttering, Casita turned and ran from the temple. She knew she should have gone straight down the main avenue, but instead her
legs carried her away from the temple and the palace. Away from the safety of the city and out toward the sea.
Toward the Sakura tress.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Towers of rough bark and a gentle carpet of white petals made the grove more of a welcoming place than a site of murder. A week
had passed since the deaths of the villagers, so the authorities had long ago packed their bags and closed the case as a freak
accident. More souls to float around without vengeance.
Casita's senses were on full alert, screaming out as each rain drop hit her skin or whenever a roar of thunder echoed in her ears.
It was like the excitement before battle when you knew that you had a fifty percent chance of walking out alive. Excepts now Casita
felt as though her chances had dropped to a thirty. But still, she walked on. "So you came, princess. I had almost given up hope."
Casita spun, reaching for the hidden blaster beneath her cloak as her eyes set themselves upon a lone figure, a familiar figure,
at the end of the path. The figure wore a dress as white as the petals that graced the ground, a feminine figure peeking through
the thin material and the vibrant waves of golden curls. Curls which framed a face of graceful and cold beauty, and a face of
twisting scars. Her eyes were pure shadow.
"You…you were waiting for me?" Casita tried her hardest to hide her fright as it increased ten fold with the image of the ghastly
wrinkles of battle. One half of this woman's face was that cold, heartless beauty of death. The other a twisted maze of scars that
looked like they were spring to life and become tentacles at any moment. "Why? What use am I to you?"
"You are disturbed by my appearance." The girl turned her head, eyes burning in shame as she tried to hide the deformity with her
hands.
Swallowing her fear, Casita moved forward and gently removed the girl's hands, running her fingers across the rough skin onto
callused fingers and palms. "I'm sorry, it just startled me." She looked up into those hurt but surprised eyes as she let go of
the girl's hand. "Are you here to kill me?"
"I should lie to you." Came that gentle voice, as the show of emotions lost itself within the depths of the shadowed eyes. "But
yes, I was sent by Zeta to fetch, ransom off and then kill one of the Velian princesses. My first target was Andia, but I realized
that she and Casimalia would be much too hard to take alive."
Casita stepped back, slowly moving one hand toward the blaster as she continued her steady pace backward. "Smart choice, Casimalia
and Andia are tough…but don't think I can't hold my own." She bluffed, trying to distract the girl so that she did not notice Casita
ever so slowly drawing the blaster. The wind began to pick up, swirling the blossoms around them until it was impossible to see.
The rain had stopped, and the heavens grew quiet.
When the winds died down, Casita was alone with only a fading voice to tell her that she had not been dreaming. "But I will not harm you,
princess…"
My apologizes to Andi fans.
Chapter Two- War, and the Goddesses of Vela
"The causalities of Angelsgate," Andia's golden eyes perked up, moving from the document she was reading
to the young Velian soldier in the front of the room giving them a brief on the attack of Angelsgate; the
first attack of what was to be a long war against the planet of Zeta. "Comes to a total of 358 deaths,"
The soldier continued, pausing the clear his throat; Andia knew the gesture, it meant he was nervous,
so she prepared herself, "138 of those were Soldiers of the Zetain armies, 40 were civilians."
'Too few…' Came Andia's thoughts.
"And we suffered the deaths of 180 soldiers when the chemical K-87 was released through the ventilation
shafts." Andia barely heard the curses coming from the generals assembled, the war counsel that sat before
her, as her thoughts spun. They had lost more soldiers in a surprise attack than the enemy. That was
disgraceful.
Did she care for the deaths of her people? Yes, of course Andia cared. She had spent the last three years
of her life trying to pull together the ruins that were once the Velian Royal Empire and build back the glory
in which they had once held. She had done that by caring for the people, for aiding against illness and for
being their light at the end of a tunnel.
But she also knew that the lives lost there were names to be disgraced, families who would deny having ever
cared or loved for those soldiers. 'They should have had their air filters on!' Her thoughts raged louder
then the sorrow in her heart. 'Darn fools…' She scolded herself for being heartless, and quickly drew herself
away from her thoughts. 'Time to play the princess role.'
"And we mourn those we have lost. May Kahima protect them." She stood, leaning her weight against the table.
She let her eyes wander over the faces of the war counsel, many old. Ouy Rien, her elder brother, sat to
Andia's side with his head bowed in silent prayer for his lost men. Ouy Rien was the captain of the Royal Military.
"This attack should not be overlooked. Zeta was prepared for us then; they knew that they could kill us in an
enclosed space. We must strike them where it hurts, but where it cannot hurt us." She glanced around, watching
the reactions she was getting.
"We must strike at the palace on Zeta and seize the emperor. We must have an open air battle, where there is no
line between soldier and civilian."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cruel harsh winds picked up from the west, tearing through the defenseless tree and throwing birds from their
flights. With the wind came storm clouds that had gathered over the oceans, and thunderous roars gave those inland
no illusion to what was coming. Stalls that lined the street corners began to close as shoppers rushed back to
their houses and hotels or went to find a bar in which to waste themselves for the night.
And standing with the hood to her black cloak pulled up, not to protect her from the storm but to hide her face
from the crowd, was Casita Nowa.
Unlike the crowd, her feet carried her towards the shoreline where water skimmers were being tied up at the docks
for the night. Towards the slaps of the vicious ocean waves against the stone cliffs and sand. Her plain brown boots,
barrowed from Andia's collection of battle attire, made a gentle click with each step; given that she could not find a
pair without two inch or high heels. She'd have to ask her elder sister about that later.
Before her, embracing the furious weather like a lover opening up his/her arms, the goddess shrine stood. Decorated
in the traditional blues, gold and black, the temple was a sight to behold with its ancient architecture and the rare
lily-filled vases that rested before the doorway. Knowing that they would blow away with the storm, Casita gently
gathered the foreign flowers and set them to the side as she entered. One of the care takers would find them there.
Within, the gigantic stone pillars shot towards the painted sky of blood red clouds lined with silver. Upon each side
of the shrine lay six statues, three per side. Omiania of the Winds, Kaia of the earth and Rin of the harvest stood
proudly to the right. Shari of health and Kahima of Death took up most of the left side; along with them the statue of
the Goddess of Happiness in which Casita received her name.
And ahead of her stood a marble statue larger than the rest, and so detailed that one might swear that it was real. The
first goddess faced the south, one hand stretched out with a bird resting upon it as tears ran down the goddess' cheeks.
The second was resting her weight upon a decorated sword, with such fury in her expression that even now it left Casita
breathless in fear.
Casimalia and Andia.
"You risked much to come here, princess." Casita spun around, and years of training with her elder sisters made her spring
into a defensive stance in an instant, though she knew perfectly well that fighting was not allowed within the shrines. But
she relaxed as she spotted Lena-ou, one of the few temple hoshimi, lighting the candles by each of the statues to the left.
"Yes, I know…" she loved watching Lena go about her work, each graceful movement of those dark skinned hands its own little
dance. Her blonde hair matched Casita's own sunlight gold, but Casita's icy blue eyes were far to light for Lena's lilac-navy
shade. "Please don't tell momma or Andia."
Lena turned and smiled gently to Casita, which was her sign of saying that she would indeed keep quiet. Another thing Casita
loved about Lena was her smile; a tiny motion of the lips and eyes that could generate enough loving warmth to burn away a
person's fears. Lena's whole personality was like that, resembling that of a mother watching over her child from afar.
All candles lit, Lena started back towards the doorway in which she had come. "I shall leave you to your prayers." Lena said,
turning back to Casita, "but please hurry back princess. There are many enemies of your sisters' now, and I wish neither you
nor them to fall to misfortune because of such." Lena sent Casita another smile. "I wish not to see Andia cry."
Casita matched the smile and nodded, turning back to the statue of Andia and Casimalia as the door closed. She studied the
faces of the two goddesses who supposedly took up residence in her elder sisters. Studied the sorrow and anger upon those
faces, and realizing with a fright that the statues did look a lot like her sisters.
Shuttering, Casita turned and ran from the temple. She knew she should have gone straight down the main avenue, but instead her
legs carried her away from the temple and the palace. Away from the safety of the city and out toward the sea.
Toward the Sakura tress.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Towers of rough bark and a gentle carpet of white petals made the grove more of a welcoming place than a site of murder. A week
had passed since the deaths of the villagers, so the authorities had long ago packed their bags and closed the case as a freak
accident. More souls to float around without vengeance.
Casita's senses were on full alert, screaming out as each rain drop hit her skin or whenever a roar of thunder echoed in her ears.
It was like the excitement before battle when you knew that you had a fifty percent chance of walking out alive. Excepts now Casita
felt as though her chances had dropped to a thirty. But still, she walked on. "So you came, princess. I had almost given up hope."
Casita spun, reaching for the hidden blaster beneath her cloak as her eyes set themselves upon a lone figure, a familiar figure,
at the end of the path. The figure wore a dress as white as the petals that graced the ground, a feminine figure peeking through
the thin material and the vibrant waves of golden curls. Curls which framed a face of graceful and cold beauty, and a face of
twisting scars. Her eyes were pure shadow.
"You…you were waiting for me?" Casita tried her hardest to hide her fright as it increased ten fold with the image of the ghastly
wrinkles of battle. One half of this woman's face was that cold, heartless beauty of death. The other a twisted maze of scars that
looked like they were spring to life and become tentacles at any moment. "Why? What use am I to you?"
"You are disturbed by my appearance." The girl turned her head, eyes burning in shame as she tried to hide the deformity with her
hands.
Swallowing her fear, Casita moved forward and gently removed the girl's hands, running her fingers across the rough skin onto
callused fingers and palms. "I'm sorry, it just startled me." She looked up into those hurt but surprised eyes as she let go of
the girl's hand. "Are you here to kill me?"
"I should lie to you." Came that gentle voice, as the show of emotions lost itself within the depths of the shadowed eyes. "But
yes, I was sent by Zeta to fetch, ransom off and then kill one of the Velian princesses. My first target was Andia, but I realized
that she and Casimalia would be much too hard to take alive."
Casita stepped back, slowly moving one hand toward the blaster as she continued her steady pace backward. "Smart choice, Casimalia
and Andia are tough…but don't think I can't hold my own." She bluffed, trying to distract the girl so that she did not notice Casita
ever so slowly drawing the blaster. The wind began to pick up, swirling the blossoms around them until it was impossible to see.
The rain had stopped, and the heavens grew quiet.
When the winds died down, Casita was alone with only a fading voice to tell her that she had not been dreaming. "But I will not harm you,
princess…"