Timeless
Part Six: Forever Yours




"That's great, you're walking much better than you did a few days ago." Leon couldn't help but smile and congratulate his lover for the progress he's made. His hands touched Karl's pink cheeks softly before kissing him again and again, each kiss more passionate than the first. "Soon, kitten... I'll teach you to run."

"I think I got that down." Karl smiled, a lively sparkle in his green eyes, the sun shined in the stained glass windows of the ballroom. The cast iron window frames also took the shape of Ancient Egyptian lotuses, also the shape of three-leaf clovers and falcons. Golden sunlight and crisp Summer air warmed the hallway in which Leon was showing Karl how to walk again, the sun made the scarlet carpet return to the vibrant bright red it used to be. Although not much in use, Karl and Thomas's elder sister, Bianca made it a mission to keep the castle spotless for the day Karl and/or Thomas decided to come home from the military and retire in luxury. More often than not, Schubaltz males who survived wars and conflict and retired from the military, did so being pampered and treated like knights who faded from Imperial eyes with grace and glory. Those who had to retire thanks to injury were given all the honor and reverance of a fallen hero. It was no doubt that Clan Schubaltz was Heimatland's jewel, if it wasn't for them, Heimatland would have just been a hole-in-the-wall territory of the Empire.

The sound of heels hitting marble was heard rising up the stairs before them. Leon and Karl turned in that direction to see a 30-year-old woman with long blonde hair and green eyes walking up the stairs. She wore a nice lavender summer dress with and a Summer hat with a couple of lilies attached to it. She curtseyed to her younger brother and smiled, she handed Karl some mail and slid her shades off her face.

"Bianca, how's the family handling things?"

"Vater and muter still cannot believe that their prodical son was injured like so. Muter hadn't stopped weeping for days." Bianca laughed, she definatelly had a strong German accent, her eyes admired Leon in all his glory. She coughed and adjusted her hat, Bianca slid her hands under Karl's collar and adjusted his shirt. "You're getting sloppy, Karl. Your collar is uneven and your hair is a mess."

"Sorry."

"I'll be sure that Karl gets his bath in." Leon spoke in a semi-mocking tone, a typical, Leon-esque smirk on his handsome face.

"Good." Bianca slid her shades back on her face and turned toward the staircase to leave. "The cleaning crew will be over to clean the castle. They'll spend all day doing so, it'll be a good idea to swim in the fjord. In this summer heat, it'll be a great idea. Maybe then you can test my bruder's legs by making him swim a few laps."

"Sounds like a good idea." Leon nodded, his blue hair against the chiseled jawline.

Bianca smiled gratefully at the Exemplar, a relieved expression in her green eyes. "I'm glad Karl has found you, Mjr Aethelwulf. I don't think I'd have the willpower to bring him to where he is today."

"You'll be surprised how resiliant people truly are, even in the face of something this daunting."

"I wish I had your sentiment... Samara is testing my patience... and the patience of our parents." Bianca's eyes narrowed bitterly, Karl frowned and folded his arms, responding all too well about their youngest sibling.

"Samara still gold-digging, is she?" Karl retorted very bitterly, a side of him Leon was shocked to see but now has seen it.

"Ja." Bianca frowned and looked back at Karl's true-love and adjusted her shades again. "Watch yourself, Major. Samara is a slut in every sense of the word. She is one who puts the honorable name Schubaltz to great shame. Samara is not above marrying old rich men very close to death's door and watch them die to make sure she inherits their money... and Samara is not above putting a wedge between Karl, Thomas and I's lovelives for her own amusement."

"I'm the Exemplar, baby. Never underestimate me." Leon's eyebrow quirked as a sly grin crept on his pouty lips. But the expression melted and he nodded understandably. "Thank-you for the warning, Bianca."

"You're much obliged. I'd rather see Karl happy than Samara scratch a notch in her wall..." Bianca walked down the stairs and vanished down the grand hallway, Leon cleaned his glasses.

"Bianca is a nice girl." Leon looked at his ash-haired lover, then his hands slid on Karl's cheeks. "Don't worry, Samara isn't gonna get between us that easily... she better come packing because it's way passed her bedtime."

Karl smirked at that remark, his arms slid around Leon's neck and his cheek perched on Leon's broad shoulder.

"Now, how about that bath?"




"The Death Stinger doesn't seem to have Heimatland on mind, his destination is weird." Fiona looked up at Hermann as he watched the radar as well, the Republican colonel frowned and looked at Thomas and Van.

"What's in that vicinity, Colonel Hermann?" The dark-haired Blade Liger pilot asked, curious.

"Hmm... let's see here. Go to map screen." The VR map appeared on the viewscreen, Hermann plotted the supposed course of the Death Stinger. "That area of the Republic is uninhabitable because of the snow and ice and the mountains."

"Sounds like Hiltz to lead us there." Irvine retorted bitterly, his arms folded across his manly chest.

"That's not all though." Captain Jake O'Connell pointed out, the VR map scanned the penninsula there Hiltz was heading for. "There's a shrine there. At first when we found it, we thought they were Zoidian ruins but the language and carvings were much different than any Zoidian text we ever seen."

"What kind of writing are we talking about, O'Connell?" Van asked, looking up at the GF liaison, worry in his eyes.

"Take a look." O'Connell pointed as the screens enlarged to show the writing, even Fiona hasn't seen anything like it, their eyes stared at the weird symbolisms and the statues surrounding the shrine.

"Hey! Check it out!" Thomas pointed to one of the knight statues, his green eyes widened with shock. "Magnify please?"

The screen magnified the image, giving everyone a clear view of the rune on the knight's forehead. Thomas was the very first to find out the origins of that symbol. "It's the Mage's Cross."

"M-mage's Cross?? That means this shrine is a burial temple to fallen mages! Hiltz brought us here to bear witness to its' destruction!"

"NO!!!" Fiona shouted, having to be held back by Thomas and Irvine, her eyes widened in horror. "HE CAN'T!"

"He is!"

The Death Stinger's tail surfaced out of the water and the particle cannon activated. The occupants watched in horror and helplessness as the temple was destroyed by the Death Stinger's powerful cannon, then like a ghost upon the water, the Death Stinger submerged again.

"DAMN IT!" Hermann shouted, pounding his fist in the console, his teeth clenched in bitter anger.

"NO!!!!" Fiona screamed, watching the remains of the temple smoke and smulder into ash.

"..." Hermann composed himself and looked up at the viewscren once again, his bluish-green eyes watered painfully and his fingers white-knuckled under the pressure of clinging to the panel.

"...where is the Death Stinger heading?" Hesitantly, O'Connell asked the radar operators.

"....north by northwest."

"Follow it."

"Yes, sir."




--Continued--