Was I just born or am I dead? *
Chapter Two: BreatheConsciousness eluded her as she floundered in a pulling darkness. Time and self had no meaning to Adia, she felt nothing, had no memories, knowing only that she was drowning in darkness. She seemed to be drifting in and out of awareness; occasionally she'd hear murmurs beyond the obscurity, noises of steel ringing against steel…sounds she'd heard before. Her mind would reach out to them, trying to push back the curtain of dark that enveloped her and bask in the light. But the inky waters that she floated in sucked her back under and she was back in the timeless indifferent shadows.
Once, her conscious-self pushed back into her body; she could feel the shell that was her body. The solid boundaries pushed against her and she could feel how fragile and weak it was, it was as if her body had shrunk or her consciousness expanded; either way her body felt too tight against her. Adia was all too aware of the sparking pain across every single nerve of her body, and so when oblivion called she allowed it to pull her under.
~
The sun was peaking over the eastern horizon of the mysterious girl's first day upon this strange floating fortress. The younger, less trained doctors had just come on duty to find that there had been a new arrival in the night. One of the newest recruits upon the Vione took the empty room as an opportunity to have a look at the girl.
He frowned as he neared her bed; her face was bruised and dirty, still streaked with dried blood from the night before. The white sheets only served to make her look even more ghostly, she was so pale that he thought her transparent for a fleeting moment as the candlelight flickered across her features.
Dirty and blood-matted hair hung in limp tangles about her face, but he could imagine it clean and glossy in the sunlight. Underneath the dirt it looked as though it was ebony silk, very rare he noted. Eagerly he wondered what colour her eyes were; he could imagine her having beautiful deep azure eyes…maybe even emerald. A part of him wanted to try to wake her just to see, or if that failed even pull back an eyelid just to have a peek. But no, that wouldn't do.
Quickly checking to see if there was anyone around, he peeled back a corner of the hospital sheets, he just made out the white bandages wrapped tightly around her torso before a sharp voice made him leap away,
"Reben!" The secondary healer snapped, "By the Gods boy! Just what do you think you're doing?! Get back to your duties before Lord Folken hears of this and has your head! Go now!"
"Yes sir." The boy hung his head sheepishly and scuttled out the door, not before receiving a quick clip to the side of his head.
"Get to it!" The doctor shouted after him, closing the door to the girl's room as he shook his head muttering to himself.
~
After depositing the girl in the infirmary Dilandau stalked through the corridors of the Vione back to his quarters. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone in his foul mood and dry off. Once the heavy door closed behind him he was enveloped in the perpetual shadows of his chambers. He felt the thumping headache between his eyes lessen as soon as he was away from everyone else on the fortress.
Peeling off most of his outer armour the young General poured himself a large goblet of potent vino. Slouching onto a high-backed ornamental chair he let his eyes settle on the fire in the hearth. The large flames flickered, their dance and red light reflected in his crimson irises. Taking a swig from the goblet he felt the bittersweet liquid slide down his throat, burning as it went. Dilandau had been restless of late, and his little excursion into the rainy night had done nothing to sate his bloodlust or alleviate his boredom. He could feel the Dragon Blood burn in his veins, its ancient power stirring his blood and making him fidget in his seat.
He needed something to do, anything to get him away from this damn floating prison for a few days. He yearned for the freedom of charging across terrain on his steed, the demon within cried out for the rush of combat in his sleep. His hands itched for activity and his sword whispered memories of past glorious battles. The agitation of the General was passing onto his men and he was wary that if his men didn't get some decent exercise or have some change in their daily activities then they'd suffer cabin fever.
Letting out a guttural snarl of pent up aggression and ennui Dilandau hurled his empty goblet against the wall. The silver cup bounced hollowly off the wall and fell back to the floor, rolling several times before it came to a rest at his boots. A tiny noise of disgust left his lips as Dilandau's fingers searched for his dagger. Holding the tip precariously in his fingertips he expertly twitched his wrist and sent it spinning into the air. It spiralled, the double-edged metal catching the firelight and reflected it back in rays of amber. He caught the hilt in his hand and repeated the process, his hands occupied and his mind free to wander.
Dilandau didn't know how long he sat in the chair, only that when he finally roused from his waking trance the fire had turned to glowing embers in the hearth and dull grey light filtered in through the gaps in his curtains. Raising his stiff form from its seated position the General stretched his sore body, joints cracking as he pulled and moved parts that had been still for hours. He let out an involuntary yawn and cleared the floor in long strides. Grasped in a firm fist the dark drapes were flung back, ruby eyes squinting against the assault of bright dawn light. Lazily Dilandau watched the ground glide beneath the floating fortress, slowly tilting his head upwards to look to the skies. A chilling sinister chuckle left his lips and echoed in the cavernous chambers even as he stopped. The corner of the General's lips lilted up into a smirk and his eyes glittered with a sadistic mirth.
Dragging the heavy door open he stalked down the corridors of the Vione in search of Folken.
The Emperor in question was in his study leafing through sheaves of yellowing parchments, apparently searching their text for something. His door was unceremoniously flung open as the arrogant General strolled in at an anti-climactic lackadaisical pace.
Interrupted from his run of thought Folken blankly watched the General over the edge of a particularly long scroll. With an air of excitement that had been missing from him of late, the General dropped into a chair across Folken's desk with enviable cat-like grace. Dilandau appeared to be extremely amused about something, snickering lowly, eyes burning as he pawed at his cheek. Calmly the Emperor laid the scroll down on his glossed mahogany desk, and watched the General over his tented fingers.
"Well, General, I'm surprised to see you up so early. No hangover this morning?" Folken asked scathingly.
Dilandau simply leaned back in the winged chair and grinned in his not-quite-sane manner. An exasperated breath left Folken's thin lips as he glowered at the boy across from him.
"What do you want?" He snapped tersely.
"It's a beautiful day outside, why don't you take a look out your window and enjoy the morning?" The General kept his face straight, but made no effort to hide the laughter in his voice.
"I don't have time for your games Dilandau; I'm in the middle of something very important. Will you get to the point before I drag it out if you?" Folken used a tone akin to that of a tired and over-worked parent speaking to a particularly aggravating five-year-old.
Annoyingly, Dilandau's only reaction was the widening of his smirk.
Emperor Folken leaned back in his chair, the single ribbon of morning light that escaped the heavy curtains cut across his face, half in bright light, the other hidden in shadows. Mismatched dark eyes, intelligent and cold bore a steady gaze into the General, from where he was sitting Dilandau could only see one eye, and that presented an even more chilling sight. "Stop playing games Dragon General. What is it that you're hiding?" The voice of the sovereign across from him came out in an unpleasantly cold monotone; Dilandau could almost feel himself slipping into a trance that Folken was often able to induce through his pure Dragon Blood. Blocking out Folken's probing thoughts with impenetrable mental walls; Dilandau raised his arm and gestured in the direction of the window.
"Look out the window. The dawn has a surprise for you."
Folken rose imperiously and silently, with his body swathed in a black cloak his head look disembodied. His head seemed to float across the room as the shadows carried his body to the window. A white hand appeared from the dark and tossed back the heavy drapes. The curtain rings scraped across the pole like claws, the vast study becoming bathed in the pale blue light of autumn's dawn. His vision ran across the sight presented to him, they were floating over a mountain range, the sun barely cresting the high peaks that glistened in the increasing sunlight after the previous night's storm. The pale moon sat as a white disk against blue sky, it sat alone. Instantly Folken saw what was missing, his realisation marked by the mocking snickers of the General. Rage bubbled in Folken's veins as he cursed at being hindered again.
With the appearance of the Tsubasa No Kami the Mystic Moon was to materialise in the sky, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. This time, there was no glowing Phantom Moon only its sister moon could be seen.
The girl was not the Wing Goddess…
Folken spun round sending his dark cloak billowing around him. Dilandau was standing upright, chuckling deeply in the back of his throat pawing affectionately at his left cheek. The incensed Emperor stormed past Dilandau ignoring the boy as he continued to laugh.
"Looks like your precious seer was wrong," Dilandau called out in a jeering tone, "I always did think she led you around by the nose."
Folken halted in the doorway and slowly turned back, his normally cold eyes alight with anger as he glowered at the General. He slowly advanced on the boy, itching to release his anger and power to hear the satisfying cracks of fragile bones breaking. But, Dilandau did not back down he continued to stroke his cheek a smug expression on his face.
"What will you do with the girl now, Lord Folken?" He taunted.
Slowly, the older man closed his eyes and reigned in his anger. When they reopened Folken's face was the picture of deadly calm and, ignoring the room's other occupant turned, and left in search of Sora and his answers.
Sora, a young elf-like woman, stood at the window in a room on the higher decks of the floating fortress. She had already seen that the Mystic Moon was missing from Gaia's morning sky. Faintly, she could feel Folken approaching, his anger dispensing off in waves. He was getting closer, hunting her down to explain this disturbance to his plans. The doors opened and the Emperor seemed to float in, cloak wrapped tightly around him like a shadow. Those frightening eyes locked on Sora, she could feel the anger that burned in them even as she didn't turn.
"Explain this!" Just like that, no preamble, straight to the point.
Sora decided to follow his example, "The girl is not the Goddess." She said softly.
"I know that!" he spat, "Why did you tell me that she was?"
Sora sighed sadly and touched her fingertips to the windowpane, "She's so like you Lord Folken; so apathetic to everyone around her, ignores the ones who care for her…" the seer drifted off, her gaze still out the window.
Folken remained in silence, his focus honed on the lonely moon over Sora's shoulder. After a short silence the seer spoke up again, her voice soft yet strong.
"All the signs were pointing to her…I thought she was the one. The one that could save or destroy us all. But maybe…maybe she has another purpose here. She may not be the Goddess but that is not to say that she will be useless."
"What use is she to me now?" He muttered bitterly.
"I would not have been able to call her here if she had no purpose on this world. Her Fate was to come here…she can never go back."
"Why not?" Folken asked, his interest peaked.
Sora watched a bird of prey as it soared across the sky, caught on an updraft of Dragon Wind it rose in her vision. Pulling its wings in, Sora frowned as it bomb-dived back into the forest's canopy seizing its quarry.
"The girl came here because she cried out to be saved. It is only through an individual's will, permission really, that I can successfully bring someone to this world. The girl was faced with two choices as she lay there; she was dying, I offered her a choice of life. Coming here saved her life…but she can never go back. Her Fate on the Mystic Moon was to die that night; she was never supposed to live beyond it. On Gaia she can live, but if she was ever to try to return she would die."
Frowning at her back, Folken's lips twisted into a sneer, "That still doesn't explain why you told me she was the Goddess."
"Magic is not always clear, Lord Folken. The Spirits told me that she must come here…not why just that she must. I would not have been able to summon her here if it were not for her choice and that she must have a purpose." Sora explained, turning back to Folken as she finished.
The Emperor mused on Sora's words for a miet before he slowly nodded, "She will awaken soon. She is of the Mystic Moon and may still have some use to me…until I determine what, I must deal with her."
The young seer could only imagine what her Lord had in mind for the new arrival, "You can't put her in the dungeons." Her voice sounded slightly reprimanding, "You took her from her world, and now you have a responsibility to her-"
"I'm the Emperor!" He snarled, "I can do as I please. I wanted the Goddess not a worthless child."
Sora watched sadly as Folken turned and stalked from the room, "As you wish Folken-sama." She sighed.
~
Two days and three nights passed after Adia's arrival before she finally began to show signs of stirring upon the third morning. It was early, the night shift were yet to be relieved by the day staff, and no one was watching over the girl as her eyelids began to flutter. Slowly, she began to awaken, her dark eyes opening fully, the thick fog that clung to her mind beginning to disperse. Blinking, she tried to clear her vision and make sense of what she was seeing. The spartan, clinical smelling room didn't look familiar to her at all. Just where the hell was she? After a few minutes the disorientation began to fade and her memory came back, albeit slowly and in fragments. Closing her eyes, disjointed scenes played in her mind; rain poured down all around her; tyres screeched; lights cut through the dark; metal twisted and someone screamed in her ears. Then she was falling into the dark, twin beams of light fading away from her, then pain flared across her body. She remembered Death stalking her from the shadows, the darkness, a soft voice calling to her, and then the saving light. Adia recalled that night, but was still in the dark when it came to where she was. Shifting on the narrow cot, Adia moaned as pain seized her body, it felt like thousands of insects biting at her nerve ends. She nearly blacked out, but took a deep steadying breath and warily let her body drop back down to thin mattress. Fighting to keep herself still, her breath came in forced deep inhalations; she didn't want to go back into the disorientating darkness again.
Again she took in the sparse room around her, the grey tiled floors, the small window and a metal-looking door on the opposite side. Questions bombarded her mind and her head started to pound. Where was she? What happened after the light? Was this just a dream? She groaned in pain and clutched at her side. No, this hurt too much not to be real.
A hissing noise from the far side of the room made Adia's eyes pop open. The metal door began to slide back; she held her breath as someone stepped through the doorway. A tall man with spiky aqua-blue hair entered. His high-collared cloak reminded Adia of a bat for some insane reason. She could sense that he was someone important just by the way he held himself. As he turned her breath caught in her throat; it was him! The man from her dream stood in front of her clad in black. He regarded her with a gaze not unlike that of a scientist examining a new experiment and Adia found herself squirming despite the pain. Just with him standing before her in silence she could feel the power that he held, the influence that he implemented. The silence was thick and heavy, as the seconds dragged by it was as though the silence became a living thing. It began to pulse, growing steadily until it became a deafening roar in her ears. Finally it broke,
"Where am I?" Adia squeaked
The man advanced on her, tall and wide, she backed up against the wall, huddling under the thin blankets in fear. Folken stopped at the foot of her bed and glared down at her, his face impassive and dark eyes burning with a cold anger.
"You're not her." He accused as if it were her fault for not being someone else.
Confused, Adia swallowed, her tongue feeling like a foreign strip of dry leather in her mouth, "Who?" She rasped.
"Tsubasa no Kami." He said, the accusatory tone not lifting.
Again, she had to swallow to wet her dry throat and forced her unused vocal chords to work and her tongue to form the words, "What's…what's a Tsu…?" She halted, unable to pronounce the foreign, previously unheard words.
"Tsubasa no Kami." He snapped, anger seeping into his voice. "Goddess of Wings. You're not her."
She was at a loss for words. Goddess? She just didn't understand; what did he want from her? Why had he brought her here if she wasn't the one? Where was here?
Again, "Where am I?" left her lips.
Not looking up she heard him inhale, then his voice came out deep but dispassionate, "You are on Gaia." He cut her off before she could question him again, "I am Emperor Folken leader of the Black Dragon Clan. You are upon my personal floating fortress, the Vione. I brought you here, to my world to Gaia, because you were dying upon your world. I saved you. This," he gestured around him, "is the hospital wing of my fortress. You were brought in by my special forces three days ago."
Her only reaction was repeated blinking and her agape mouth. It was too much to digest in her shocked and injured state.
"Oh." Was all she could muster at that point.
Folken retreated a few steps, "Get up." He commanded.
She didn't think that her body would be able to, but slowly she sat upright. Swinging her legs off the bed she pushed up. Waving unsteadily on her feet Adia felt her head spin, but to her credit she didn't collapse at the pain of her wound stretching. Following him as he crossed the small room, she stopped as he reached the window and turned to her.
"Look out. It should explain a few things."
She did as was told, leaning against the wall for support. Water pricked at the corners of her eyeballs and the crisp morning light hurt her eyes. Clear blue sky domed above her, beneath them as they floated along the land passed by in patchworks of greens and browns. It, at least, explained to her the kind of vessel she was on. Considering that she'd just been told she was on a different planet, Adia was taking the news quite well. In reality, her mind hadn't fully registered the magnitude of her situation.
She could hear a voice, but it took a few seconds to actually hear the words, "…You're not the one I wanted. But still, I will find a use for you. Until then, I'm afraid I can't have you wandering the halls of the Vione. You will remain in the dungeons until I find a suitable place for you."
She faltered, taking choppy steps backward from him, "What? Dungeons? But I-"
Her protests were cut off when the door opened again and two large men dressed in non-descript slate-grey armour came in.
"Lord Folken." They intoned together, bowing as they did so.
"Take her to the dungeons. Keep her away from the other prisoners and pass the order to the General Albatou that one of his men must be stationed outside her cell at all times." Folken demanded, his cold unwavering gaze on Adia all the while.
"Hai, Folken-sama."
They came for her and she backed off, not getting far because of the small room's walls and her injuries. Firm hands gripped her arms and yanked her from the room, Folken ignored her cries and turned back to the window. The land passing under turned from farms into small villages, soon they would be back in Black Dragon territory and from there it was onward to the capital, Zaibach.
~
She was completely and utterly confused. The turn of events of the past few days had her disorientated and not functioning as she did in normal circumstances. It was in the midst of this perplexity that Adia was being dragged to the bowels of the floating fortress. Her body was still weak from its injuries and at times she found it hard to keep up with the strides of the guards. Flanking the girl on either side the guards grabbed her arms and she half-walked, was half dragged along to the dungeons.
The guard on her right flung open a heavy steel door and she was roughly pushed through. The stench of the prison hit Adia and she felt her stomach wrench in response. Down here the air reeked of sweat, urine and the metallic ring of blood. The corridor seemed to stretch ahead of her endlessly, on either side for as far as she could see there were the iron-barred doors of cells. With an impolite shove the guards pushed her through and down the hallway. As they passed the male occupants of the cells jeered and catcalled, Adia recoiled in disgust and dug her heels into the flagstones beneath her.
"Move it." The one on the left grunted and jerked her ahead. The tug pulled her body sharply and she felt her wounds stretch painfully. Letting out a jagged cry of pain, she let herself go limp and be dragged further and further into the innards of the dungeons.
Coming to a stop after several agonising minutes, the door to a cell was rolled back and Adia abruptly tossed in. Throwing her arms out in front she caught herself before her face smashed into the filth below. The final clang of the door shutting behind her caused Adia to whirl round and stare as the guards locked her in and left her alone, chuckling in great mirth as they went.
"Bastards." She hissed.
Alone in the dank cell, Adia was left to take in her newest accommodation. Lining the far wall was a thin plank of wood, covered by a worn and dirty grey blanket. There was a tiny rectangle cut in the slippery wall; even if it had been big enough for her to fit through, it was barred and with the latest knowledge that she was on a great floating ship Adia didn't fancy escaping prison just to fall to her death. Tears welled in her eyes upon the realisation that she was stuck here and at the mercy of a frightening man, all because she hadn't been the one he wanted. Well now, isn't that just typical.
Painfully rising from her heap on the floor Adia sat on the pathetic excuse for a bed and curled into herself trying to find some comfort. Distantly the sound of approaching footsteps made her turn her head in the direction of the door. An ash-blond soldier dressed in blue armour stopped at her door and turned his back on her, taking up his position as guard. Rolling onto her uninjured side, Adia faced the jagged and slimy wall and tried to sleep. It was the only escape that she had.
Positioned far away from the other prisoners Gatti stood uncomfortably at the iron barred door of the girl's cell. He'd been there for a few hours now, and the girl's silence had turned into sobbing. Inside, on top of the small cot she was curled her weeping echoing in the grim dungeon. Gatti may have been a Dragonslayer, but he was also a man. He truly felt his heart go out to this poor girl. He wondered why Lord Folken would put her down here. Really, what harm could one young girl do to the almighty Black Dragon Empire?
He berated himself for such thoughts, who was he to question the Emperor's orders? He was a mere soldier; years of training had drilled into him the doctrine of following orders to the letter and without question. It was none of his concern.
But still, her crying put him on edge, made him feel guilty as though he should be alleviating her pain. The girl's tears were not the pretend tears of a flighty woman, but the gut wrenching, body wracking spasms of sorrow. Hiccupped, half-suppressed wails that told of great despair. The aching of a lost girl who had no one and literally nothing but the clothes on her back.
Deep in the dungeons of the Vione, Adia drowned in her chasm of misery and Gatti had no choice but to let her.
Adia began to fold inside herself. When a situation became too unbearable she curled into herself and let her imagination take her away. Take her to fantasy places where there is nothing to fear. To memories of happier times. Her crying slowly subsided as she retreated back into her own mind. Although this time it didn't work as well. When she drifted back she was reminded only of the time she last visited, and she remembered where she was and what was lost. And so a vicious cycle of retreating and awakening began.
Adia spent the night lying on her harsh prison cot wallowing in waking misery.
~*~
Acknowledgements: Thanks to LittleDende, Izzy & stargazin for their kind reviews of chapter one. ^_^
Notes: Chapter One – So Tired, has been edited and changed in parts.
I'm aware that this is alarmingly short. The original version of chapter 2 was nearing the 20 page mark, and because of all the difficulties that ff.net has been having lately I couldn't upload it. So it has been cut into several different chapters which are being edited and reformatted as I type.
* = The Morning After, Faith No More
