Ai No Senshi
The Duke Braeden Lynalia had been among the Queen's advisors, though what he thought meant very little. It was the women from the Outer Solar System who had the most influence, if they even made a difference in the queen's opinion. She was her own woman.
The Duke- now dictator- despised that. He hated how she treated all her people the same, how she would visit the peasants like they were old friends. She seperated no one, kept everyone the same. But Braeden knew they were not equal. He was higher than those who lived in the streets, in their wooden homes, and their straw roofed shacks. He lived in stone and marble, mahogany and gold. He was certainly better.
He did, however, love three things about the Queen. The amount of trust she possessed, the fact that she had no heir, and that since her closest advisors were Princesses of their own planets, the next highest advisor would be the Moon's ruler. And that would be him.
Braeden's eyes had sparkled ruby red, like pools of blood, as he'd raised the gleaming silver knife. His mouth opened to reveal perfect white teeth, now looking like fangs. The Queen turned sadly towards him, slowly, slowly, raising her blue eyes to his scarlet ones. They grew wide in fear, though they held knowledge of what was going to happen.
The knife came flying down, and ripped into her chest. She screamed in pain as blood poured forth from her. She put her hand up to the knife, and brought it down coated in liquid redness.
"The Moon belongs to me now," he said to her, sneering.
In her dying breaths she cursed him.
"The Moon belongs to no one you evil bastard. The throne belongs to my..." she gasped, hatred in her eyes, and she tugged the air for words. "The throne belongs to my daughter."
And then she died.
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It happened in slow motion. The arrow sliced through the air, parting it like a curtain. It whistled as it flew, headed just a little to the left of it's target, and peircing the upper arm of Serena. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized the pain, and she fell backwards onto the dirt and ash.
The rain suddenly stopped as Amy rushed next to Serena. She took charge like she'd never done before while checking the wound.
"Keep the fire burning!" she yelled to Raye. She had to fix this before they were taken, and she was certain they would be. "Deep breaths, Serena," she said smoothly. She gripped the arrow with one hand and held Serena's with the other. And then she yanked the arrow free.
Serena's scream filled the night, and she held Amy's hand tightly. Her breaths came out short and shallow, and her head reeled with pain. Darkness spotted her vision and dared to pull her in. She wished it would.
Amy ripped a strip of cloth from her dress and wrapped it around Serena's arm. She tightened it so the blood would stop, but she couldn't stop the pain.
"Hang on, Serena. Hang on."
At that moment lightening struck a soldier, and sent him flying back into a tree. Very few were left standing now, but the archer still held his arrows. Raye watched him draw the next and she tightened her fist around a bundle of flames. Her eyebrows knitted together in anger as she threw the fireball at him. He was engulfed in fire within seconds.
Mina continued to shoot beams of energy into the soldiers, but she was tiring and her aim was off. Her energy was gone, and a hollowness was growing inside her. Her eyelids drooped, her knees wobbled, until finally she fell into the mud, exhausted.
In her periphial vision Raye saw Mina fall. The priestess knew she was growing tired too, but fought to hold on. She kept the flames away from the trees and towards the soldiers, but the fire was angry and refused to die down.
Lita's storm was passing. The lightening bolts came few and far between now, her cackling energy disappearing. Upon seeing Mina fall, and watching Serena bleed, she could go no longer. She collapsed.
Amy stood up again, and brought the rain back. This time she brought it to kill the fire that Raye was loosing grip on. The fire simmered out, at least some of it, and the smoke irritated the eyes of the soldiers. Back ups were arriving until finally, with only one girl fighting, they could charge forward.
They took the exhausted Mina first, gripping her arms and trying to drag her away. She fought as hard as she could with no energy, blasting golden beams and taking two soldiers down. A man with a stone face came to her. His eyes glowed in the firelight and she held her breath in fear as his fist struck her head. Darkness welcomed her, and they took her away.
Serena could see nothing, only hear yells and the cackling fire. She looked up at the stars, begging for help from something, someone out there. She whispered words and a wind caught them and took them to an Earthling's ears. He turned in his tracks and saw the orange glow cast upon the dark sky, and he set off in her direction.
Meanwhile, Lita threw lightening bolts at the soldiers pulling her up. They shook as their nerves were fried, and she elbowed and punched the few she could. Until a hard fist met the back of her head and she laid back down. The Mistress of Flames, as the soldiers were now calling Raye, yelled and yelled. She threw flames in every direction. She couldn't help.
Now Serena was surrounded by both Amy and Raye, something deep inside them telling them to protect her with all they could.
A soldier snuck up behind Amy and held a sword to her neck. She went with him at swordpoint, quietly and praying.
Tears of anger streamed from Raye's eyes as she watched her world fall apart. But it didn't do so around her, it simply fell on top of her. That's how it felt, how bad it hurt her. She knelt by Serena's side, and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I'm sorry."
And then she was taken away.
"This one is wounded," a soldier said, appearing in Serena's vision. "She'll be of no use to us."
"Kill her then," said another.
The soldier drew his sword and raised it. Serena's eyes grew wide as the sword came swinging down, down, down.
"Stop!" a commanding voice said. It was a rough voice. The face that matched it was stone, evil, dark. He scooped Serena up roughly, and started to carry her off. "All of these girls are of use. Did you not see the powers they held?"
The soldiers remained silent.
"To kill them would surely hurt our cause."
Serena looked up at him with her sad blue eyes and he shivered. Commander Olyn looked away, but could not ignore the feeling with the center of his heart, that he was holding a very important woman in his arms. With her charred face and her tattered dress, she possessed something strong and pure. He even dared to think that this girl may be royalty. A foolish thought, of course.
"Move out!" he yelled. Nine Temple prisoners were dragged, carried, and driven away. Nine people whose lives would never be the same.
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A stump smoldered in front of him as Darien pulled his horse to a stop. He swung off, and walked through the wood and ash that was left. It was silent and empty in this place. Everyone who had been here was gone. He found peices of bed posts, clay pots, and paper. He picked up a scroll of parchment, burnt on the edges, and read the carefully scripted words.
There is a place among the wildflowers,
Where hopes and dreams have blooms,
Where night and day become only one,
And summer thunder booms.
He looked up at his troops, who were bewildered at what they were doing there. They also wanted to know what had happened. They all saw a splash of blood on the ground amidst the ashes, they all saw how the tree had been hollowed out. They saw the footprints in the mud, and the marks were people had been dragged away. They saw it all, and trembled.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long time with no update. We had nice weather. Please review!
Until the next time,
Ai No Senshi
