A/N: Sorry this chappie took so long people. v_v Peridot yelled at me and got me to write again…under fear of my own gruesome death. I just got wrapped up in the other fics I was working on…namely 'Right of Blood'. But me is back and going!!

From Heaven to Earth

Chapter Nine

Tara sighed as she walked out from the large hangar, rubbing the bridge of her nose, Aurelia immediately falling into step behind her. The past week had been slightly hellish as she made sure Cork was settled in. People came to gawk at him, and most irritating of all, Dilandau waited around virtually every corner, waiting to catch her making mistake. She was on her last nerve for the day. There was only one good thing from her having to make herself acquainted with the ship. Her feet picked up speed as she walked rapidly through the hallways, making for the interior of the ship.

She had found a small room for plants last week and had taken an immediate liking to it. She took a deep breath as soon as she walked in; the smell of damp earth was invigorating after spending all day dealing with weapons and guymelefs. She felt the tension melt away as she took a seat at the far end of the room, closing her eyes and taking slow deep breaths.

"Mistress?" Aurelia's voice was hesitant.

"Yes?"

"Perhaps I should draw you a bath?"

"Later. I still have some things to think about."

"Such as?"

"Don't bother yourself with these things." Tara said in a slightly dismissive voice. "Hell, I'd rather have your job at the moment."

"I'll draw your bath now, Mistress. You appear in great need of it." Aurelia said. "My job is infinitely worse than yours."

"I doubt that." Tara said with a snort as she rose slowly, "I'm apparently in charge of something now, and I don't know what it is exactly. I should report to someone, but, not knowing what my job is, I don't know who the hell to report to. Dilandau's men look to me now, more than they do to him and I have a dragon I have to keep a constant eye on." Tara rubbed her temples; the headache came back just thinking about it. She glanced over at Aurelia, noticing a strange discoloration, almost hidden by her shirt. That wasn't there earlier on in the day. "What's that?"

"What's what Mistress?" Aurelia asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"That." she pulled the shirt back slightly, seeing a large purple-black bruise. "How did you get this?"

"It is nothing to concern yourself over Mistress. I'll draw your bath and-"

"Look, I still have trouble with this, but you are my servant; no one should injure you in this manner. I know it wasn't me. Who did this to you Aurelia?!"

Aurelia looked ready to burst into tears. "Mistress, I-I can't-"

"Like hell you can't tell me. Who did this to you!" she demanded again.

"It was Lord Dilandau." Aurelia said in a scared, timid voice

"What?" Tara's voice held an odd note. "Dilandau…touched you?" Tara spun on her heel, intent on finding him. "That pig is going to regret ever laying a hand on you."

"Mistress, no!" Aurelia ran in front of Tara. "He wanted me to spy on you, but I would not. He said he would-" Aurelia swallowed the sob down, hanging her head.

"He would what? Unless you have a good reason for me to not pound the daylights out of him, you better talk now."

"I have a family in Esturia. He said he could have them killed if I said anything to you. Dilandau cannot know that I told you."

Tara felt her face blanch with rage, as she clenched a fist, nails digging into her palm. "That no good, conniving coward. When did he do this to you?"

"When you were with the dragon." Aurelia said in a quiet voice. "I refused to agree with him at first so he hit me. I've always been a frail child, so I agreed with him so he wouldn't hit me again. If you wish to get another servant, I understand."

"No; why would I? You were protecting yourself as best you could. Now you are going to go to my quarters and I'll be back with leeches. That looks like it's going to swell a bit." Tara held up her hand as Aurelia started to protest. "And don't worry about Dilandau. You will be giving him information; the information I tell you to tell him. Nothing will happen to your family, I promise."

"Thank you Mistress." Aurelia said in a grateful voice. "Just, please, don't do anything rash."

"I won't. Now go." Tara said as she made her way down to the infirmary. "This just gets better and better. Dilandau wants to keep an eye on me. Let's see how he deals with me messing around with him."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The night forest was silent except for the large bulk of dragon that continually moved around. The body curled into a ball before it stretched out, tail swishing slightly. A few minutes later, Glide half curled up, his body in a semicircle before he twisted around.

"Look you," Storm began as she watched from her perch in a nearby tree. "You don't sleep much anyway. Just pick a position and sleep! I want to make sure you go to sleep before I take off to have my bath."

Glide gave her a sour expression before settling down, head resting on his foreclaws. Storm gave a resigned sigh before she slipped down from her perch and made her way to the small lake nearby. The Crusade was still anchored nearby, finishing off the last of the repairs to the stones and engines. Storm quickly made her way to the edge of the lake, pausing at the edge of the small clearing for a moment to take in the silver waves that moved gently across its surface. She glanced back at the direction she had come in; no one had followed her and the Crusade was just out of range, so she didn't have to worry about giving someone a peep show.

She took off her boots and dipped a toe in the water. It was slightly cold, but refreshing. She quickly stripped off all her clothes, making sure her sword was hung from a tree branch, and walked into the water, freeing her hair from its usual pulled back style. She let her body become accustomed to the water before she dove under, swimming out to the middle of the lake.

"This is nice. This is the alone time I needed." she murmured to herself as she simply floated on the water's surface.

She rather liked it on the Crusade, but after the battle in Esutria, after all that destruction; she needed to be alone to think it over, if the warrior's path was truly for her. She moved herself around in a lazy circle, gazing up at Earth that hung like a unique jewel in the sky. She knew it was in her blood to be a warrior, to fight for what she believed to be right and against what was wrong. She had gotten into so many fights at school over something.

She closed her eyes with a soft breath. Those strange blue eyes were back once more; the ones that looked like they were trying to tell her something, but she could never tell what. She half contemplated looking back at the Earth but decided against it; she was always trying to avoid the eyes, why not see if she could get anything useful from them. They drifted through her mind's eyes, the message never fully sinking in. Why could she never understand what those eyes held? Was it a legacy, a warning, good news? She wanted to believe them, but how could she if she didn't understand them. Or perhaps they simply wanted her to have faith. But have faith in what?

"Ach, it's hopeless." she muttered to herself as she stared back to shore, kicking slowly. "And I still have to deal with them. Allen's been around me whenever I set foot onboard and Van simply leaves me be."

She opened her eyes, staring up at the Earth, contemplating over Allen and Van. They were alike and different at the same time. Allen was the refined warrior, the one who had the confidence and savvy of a skilled blade. Van, despite being king, still had that raw edge to his style, one that went all out and held very little back. She had to admit it though Allen struck her as a bit too savvy for his own good. She gave a small snort as she waded out of the water, pulling her underwear and pants on. She had just turned her attention to her bra when she heard a sudden rustle from the bushes a few feet away.

"Who's there?" she called, fixing the straps so they were secure. "Who's there?" she demanded again when she didn't get a reply.

Only silence greeted her, making her grab her sword down from the tree branch and draw it quickly. Her eyes scanned the area around her, hairs rising on the back of her neck; there was more than one of whatever was out here watching her. She moved back to the water, muscles tensed and ready to strike. Her heels hit the cool liquid when she finally stopped, ready to skin someone alive.

"I know you're there, all of you. So just come out now." she said in a quiet voice.

The bushes surrounding the small clearing moved, the shadowy figures holding something in their hands coming forth, one detached from the group, coming to stand before her in the light.

"Never had some quarry know we were here before we could make our move."

Storm looked at the man in disgust. "How touching," she said in a withering voice. "But I really must be going now. My dragon will be looking for me."

"That great beast? We tied it down. We can go back later kill it." the man looked at her. "Dragon parts bring in good money at the markets. Pretty slaves too."

Storm's sword hand twitched, moonlight glinting off it in an ominous manner. "I'd like to see you try." she spat.

The man didn't say anything, making a swift gesture with his hand. Storm waited for the attack to come, but all she heard was the sound of something being thrown and landing on her. 'Shit, it's a bloody net!' She turned her sword with the sharp side up before she sliced clean through the ropes, The men rushing at her took a step back as she hacked away the ropes, leaving them to fall uselessly to the ground.

"Don't let her get away. We missed once, and we're not going to miss again!"

Storm snarled as the men charged towards her, sword waiting for the targets to come. She gave a yell as she charged forth, feeling something burst from her. The men hesitated before attacking her full on once more with orders from their leader. Storm moved like the wind, sword slashing the men in the arm or the leg, simply incapacitating them. It wasn't long before most of the men were limping from the water, blood streaming down their bodies. She started after the leader when a lasso made it around her neck, yanking her to the ground sharply.

She made a move to retaliate but someone jumped on her, wrenching her sword away from her. She thrashed about, trying to break free. When they had finally subdued her, three of the men were sitting on her; the rope pulled just enough to constrict her breathing.

"Well, well; it seems you have the same problem as your friend. But this time, we'll just cut them off and leave it as that. You'll fetch a good amount of gold at the market place. So will this sword of yours. Load her into the cage with the others; we'll sell her in Fried; it's a good distance away. Who knows if someone will come looking for her."

Storm growled as the men carefully tied her up, carting her along none too gently until they reached their wagon. They tossed her in unceremoniously before slamming the door shut with a padlock. Storm started yelling curses at them as she struggled to loosen her bonds and escape. She squirmed and twisted, trying to free herself and move her hair out of her face.

"Stupid bastard." she muttered fiercely as she felt the ropes start to go. "Cut what off, you fucking nut!? Show you, once I get free."

The rope around her hands loosened enough for her to snag it on the rough wood bars of the cage and pull it loose. She pushed her hair out of her face, looking at the other occupants of the cage. They were huddled in the back, looking at her fearfully, Storm looked at them puzzled before she spotted her sword hanging just behind the driver's seat on hook, jouncing along.

She made her way to the front, ignoring the others as the moved to opposite end of the cage, trying to avoid her. She reached her hand through the bars, trying to get her sword. It swung around as the cart started to make its way up the rough hill road. Storm kept trying, the sheath banging against her fingertips as she strained. Then the cart went over a particularly large bump, placing the end of the sword right in her hand. She smiled as she carefully manoeuvred the blade off the hook and into the cage.

"This is much better," she said quietly to herself as she felt long the edge of the hilt. "Ah, there you are."

She held up the slim length of wire before she stuck it between her teeth and fastened the sword to her side. She made her way to the back as the other occupants scampered forward. Storm rolled her eyes as she reached through the bars and started to pick the lock. After what seemed like forever, the lock made a small clicking sound and unlocked. Storm put the wire back and took off the lock, drawing it through the bars. She tossed it to the back before she opened the door and jumped down.

"Crap." she looked back at the wagon that was making it's way along; they hadn't heard her. She smiled as the other people fled from the cage, the empty wagon cresting over the ill with the door swinging to an empty interior. "Now to go back."

Storm sighed as she started off in a light jog, following the road back to where she could see the trail that had been left. She made her way back, with a sigh; the least she could do was put her shirt on and go back to the Crusade; someone was obviously after her and this apparently wasn't the first time.

"For Gods' sake!" she exclaimed as she walked back into the clearing. "They took my shirt!!"

She started back through the trees in a sour mood. It was somewhat incredible that they would bother to take that scrap of cloth that she called a shirt. She made her way through the trees quickly, hoping that Glide was all right. She froze when she saw came back to the spot, oddly torn between laughter and rage. Glide was still there, bound securely to the ground while he huffed, sending small clouds of dirt up into the air.

"Give me a minute." she said, as she cut through the ropes rapidly. "Are you OK?" she asked as she rubbed his muzzle.

Glide gave a rather irritated snort before he twisted his head around to look at her back. Storm sighed; first those people had looked at her like she had horns on her head and now Glide saw something interesting on her back. 'Maybe I suddenly grew a hunch.' She stomped back towards the lake, Glide lumbering after her.

"Now, let's see what you people find so damned interesting!" she muttered as she took off her boots and walked out into the water.

Storm glared down into the water, expecting to find some weird growth on her head or maybe she suddenly had scales. But there was nothing, bar those two strange white shapes behind her. She frowned, looking at them more carefully. They looked like something you found on birds, like wings. She paused, before she tried to look behind her. Momentarily cursing her own stupidity, she ran her hands up along her back, surprised to find two downy lengths growing from her shoulder blades.

"Oh Jesus," she breathed. "How the hell am I going to hide this?! OK, OK, don't panic. Just sneak aboard and lock yourself into a cabin. No one's gonna think you're on the ship anyway."

Storm sloshed her way back to shore, pulling her boots on before she started towards the Crusade, Glide following after her closely. She cursed momentarily when she saw the rope had been pulled up; how the hell was she supposed to get up there now? She looked back at Glide, before she dismissed that thought. Whoever the night watch man was would definitely notice a large dragon flying up towards them.

"Guess I'll have to use these wings of mine. Even though I have no clue how to use them. But it can't be that hard." she said.

She scratched Glide's muzzle before she gave her wings a tiny flap that sent a few leaves tumbling. Storm started chewing on her lip as she flapped them harder now, her feet lifting off from the ground. She waved to Glide before she looked up, flapping her wings harder. The Crusade's railing came closer and closer until she reached out and grabbed it, letting her wings rest. She pulled herself up and over, looking around to see no one on deck. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way into the interior of the ship. She looked at the cabin doors as she stepped into the hallway; she could only hope that she picked a room that was empty. She went from door to door, pressing her ear against it, the sounds of snoring and heavy breathing making her move along.

"Please, let this one be empty." she put her ear to the door. "Not a single sound. Thank you Gods."

She opened the door, wincing slightly at the creak the door made. She closed it quickly behind her, moving through the darkened room quickly. Right now, she just wanted a moment of peaceful uninterrupted sleep. Pulling back the covers, Storm slid into the bed, snuggling against the pillow as she closed her eyes. She had just started to drift off, when she felt something brush against her stomach. She snorted as she scooted away from it, intent on sleep. But when something warm and firm slid over her side, her eyes flew open, ready to smack whomever it was.

"Oh shit." she breathed, as she realized what it was. "I thought this room was empty."

She managed to turn herself over carefully, finding herself looking at Allen's sleeping face. She stifled the panic that reared inside of her, managing to keep herself calm. The main point was to get out of here without waking up Allen and so that no one saw her wings. She slid away slowly, biting her lip to stop the curses from flying; Allen was moving with her, intent on keeping her close. He must have been a man used to sharing a bed with a woman. Storm looked around before she grabbed a pillow and slid it between them and tried again. This time, Allen moved his hand, trying to readjust his grip. Storm slipped out, making sure the pillow was in his arms. She looked back at him with a sigh of relief before she walked to the door, closing it quietly.

"That was…" her soft murmur broke off as she sensed something behind her.

She didn't move trying to get a feel for where they were before she drew her sword and started to attack the person. The swords never touched though, as she recognized the maroon depths.

"Van," she said in an irritated voice as she slid her sword back into its scabbard. "I could have sliced you in two! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I should ask the same of you, Storm." Van said, giving her a critical look.

"What?" she looked at her chest and then at him again. "They're called breasts. You never seen a pair before?"

That was clearly not the response Van was expecting. His face flushed red as he took off his shirt and handed it to her. "Here. Before half the crew sees you like that. You'll have to make your wings disappear in order to do that."

Storm's face blanched before she looked at him. "I don't know how to do that." she paused for a moment before she spoke again. "My wings don't bother you?"

"No. Look, you may as well come to my cabin. There's two beds and I'm using the top one."

Storm didn't say anything as she nodded and followed Van down the corridor. She walked in silently, not looking at him and sat down on the bottom bunk. Van closed the door before he looked at her. She looked at him for a nervous moment before she drew her leg up and crossed them.

"Look Storm," Van began.

"Van, look at me! I'm a freak! What kind of person has wings growing from their back!? I can't face the crew like this tomorrow! They already think I'm a bit nuts from what happened back in Esturia!" she could feel the hysteria building up inside her.

"Shh, calm down. Everything will be fine.' Van said coming to sit beside her. "You don't want to wake up the entire crew, do you?"

"No! Who knows what will happen to me then! I was almost caught by slavers on the ground and now Glide's upset and…" she took a breath as tears came to her eyes. "And I don't know why I'm here in Gaea in the first place. I can't remember home, I was living in a cave, I broke my arm, I got stuck with a prissy princess and men that would never truly accept me as a warrior, me and Glide nearly destroyed a town. I didn't even realise it until after; I would have kept going if I could have seen the enemy…" she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. "Gods, I just don't know anymore. I just don't know anything, and I don't know myself."

She drew her knees to her face, hiding the tear-streaked cheeks. She couldn't be strong tonight. She's had enough of it all. She would have liked nothing more than to vanish away into obscurity where no one would bother her in the slightest. No one would try to hunt her down, no one would try to hurt Glide. She didn't say anything when Van hugged her, arms holding her close. She didn't say anything when downy wings enveloped her blurred vision, along with Van's understanding maroon eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"This is it." Tara murmured to herself as she sunk down into the steaming hot water. "Bliss is a nice hot bath along with peace and quiet."

She submerged herself until only her nose was just above the surface, delicate wisps of steam winding from the surface. The soreness in her muscles started to relax, the knots undoing themselves. Four days of dealing with soldiers would be enough to stress anyone out, especially these particular soldiers. They were the rejects Dilandau had so graciously given to her to form her own regiment. Her sole job here was to form a regiment for Emperor Dornkirk and bring him glory along with Zaibach's destiny. She huffed, sending small bubbles rippling up to tickle the tip of her nose. 'Hard to know if that old man is delusional or if he has a sure plan that doesn't ride on fate alone and seeing into the future.' She ducked her head under before she leaned against the back of the tub.

"Those men…" she frowned slightly to herself as she though about the men that she had to whip into shape. "No respect, no regard for anything, or any understanding of the military. But they are talented with blades, that much I can see. Dilandau was simply too impatient to deal with them. His loss will be my gain. But I'll have to master a sword now too. For once I am glad that stupid school made us take fencing."

She mulled over her choices before she took the washcloth and scrubbed herself clean. She washed off and rose, shrugging into a robe. The inner chamber was darkened, Aurelia stitching something by candlelight. Tara lit two more and brought them over to her, smiling when the girl looked up at her.

"You didn't-"

"I know. But I don't want you to ruin your eyes. How's the bruise?"

"Sore, but much better, thank you." Aurelia said. "You are much too kind."

"You just think that because I have very different ideals than you." Tara shrugged as she walked behind the screen and changed into the clean clothes laid out for her. "Did you tell Dilandau what I told you to tell him?"

"Yes. He believed every single word."

"Good." Tara shrugged on her cape; she got cold sometimes in the floating castle of steel. "I'm heading down to the training areas."

"I'll come with you." Aurelia said as she put aside her cloth and rose from her chair.

"No, no. You stay here. I don't want you running into Dilandau beyond necessary." Tara said as she gestured for he girl to sit once more. "Besides, you can finish up your…" she looked at the cloth puzzled.

"Embroidery." Aurelia said as she sat down again gingerly. "I hope you will like it."

"It's for me?" she managed to keep the surprise from her face. "I don't think you'd let me refuse it."

"No." Aurelia said with a small, somewhat timid, smirk. "Weren't you going down to the training grounds…Mistress."

"I'm going." she grumbled. "I thought we had a talk about that."

She shook her head as Aurelia gave a small laugh before she closed the door behind her. When she had first met her, Aurelia was shy, timid and somewhat lacking in spirit. It was nice to see that she was coming out of her shell. She sighed as she turned a corner, making sure her dress didn't catch on a corner. She had to remember to speak to Aurelia about getting her some decent pants and none of these delicate things that threatened to rip at every moment. When she finally made down to the area with her dress intact, she walked past the group that was going through drills until she found who she was looking for.

"Anstor, I need to ask you for a small favour." she said as she stopped in front of the man sharpening a sword.

"Ah, a pleasure to see you again, Mistress Tara. What is it you need?" Anstor asked with a gracious smile.

"Two things actually. One, a sword of my own; my men have no respect for me because I am a woman. Perhaps they will respect steel and then the one who bears it."

"That can easily be arranged." Anstor rose, looking at her critically before he walked over to a rack and selected one fairly thin looking sword. "This sword is made from Torushinian steel and is of the finest quality. There were many things used in it's making; magic is said to be one of them. Plus it is incredibly durable."

"It hasn't been used," she said looking at the pristine scabbard; there wasn't a single scratch mark it. "I would prefer something more…broken in."

"Hasn't it?" Anstor looked at her before he held it, hilt out. "This is the sword for you, Mistress. Give it a try."

Tara took and drew it, amazed at how light it felt in her hand. She gave it a practice twirl before she thrust with it, impressed at the balance. "I think you may be right Anstor."

"I'm always right," he said with a laugh. "Now what is the other thing you need?"

"I'm a bit rusty; I need a sparring partner. Any recommendations?"

Anstor fell silent as he thought. "You are more or less at the same par as everyone else here. Though you have a strange style if it can be told."

Tara simply nodded; that wasn't the first time he had said something similar. "So?"

"Well, I would recommend Lord Folken, but he hasn't picked up a sword in ages. The only other person I can recommend…" Anstor paused, as if thinking better of it. "Mistress, simply practice with your men. That would be more preferable than the other choice."

"Come on Anstor. You know I can take most things in stride. Who would it be?"

"Lord Dilandau."

"Bloody fucking Christ!" she swore under her breath. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, my Lady. He's the only one with the free time to spar with you. And he has a style unique to himself as well. I remember you said you like challenges."

"I knew that would come back to bite me. That idiot is a challenge unto himself." she muttered. "Anstor, I really hate to do this but-"

"Consider it done. I shall tell him for you. Your usual time? Tomorrow?"

"Yes. And thank you. I owe you for this."

"I'll remember. How could I forget something owed to me from someone as charming as you?"

"Flatterer." she said as she tied the sword to her waist and headed out from the training grounds. "I'll see you later!" she called as the door closed behind her.

She started back towards her quarters, the sword brushing against her leg with each step. It felt rather reassuring to have that weight there. She continued on down the hall, making her way to the opposite end of the ship. Before long, she stood in front of a door, knocking quietly. When she heard the muffled "Enter", she opened the door, looking in hesitantly.

"Lord Folken?" she asked, seeing him occupied with something.

"One moment." he said, leaning over something. A few minutes later, he rose standing in front of his desk. "Mistress Tara, what do you have to report?"

"Nothing good." she said. "Those men won't be ready for at least three months, let alone one."

Folken didn't say anything for a moment. "That's the reality of that situation. If you were free to do things without worry of protocol, how long would it take you then?"

"A month." she said easily. "They simply need to be guided; they are excellent men, not the trash Dilandau made them out to be. Is there a sudden need for them?"

"Yes and no." Folken turned and looked at her. "You know we are less than two days away from the capital of Zaibach."

"Yes. I assumed that the men would be needed in the army and taken away from me once we arrived."

"And if they weren't?"

"Then I would guess that I would be Dornkirk's puppet."

"Puppet. That's a fitting word." Folken looked at her. "Once you reach Zaibach, you will be taken before the Emperor."

"Figured as much. Should I watch my tongue and not offend him?"

"That would be prudent, since you are not favoured in his eyes…yet." Folken turned for a moment before he walked from his desk and approached her. "Your necklace will be of great interest to him." he rested his finger on the slight bulge it made beneath the dark cloth of her dress. "I suggest you don't let him know about the…trinket. You see it as trivial. He will see it as something far more."

Tara didn't say anything for a moment as she regarded Folken. "Some would wonder why you are telling me all of this."

"Let them." he said in a curiously blank voice. "The Strategos operates in ways they cannot begin to imagine."

"The Strategos?" she arched an eyebrow. "Was that bestowed by the Emperor himself?"

"By the men. Just as "Dragontamer" was bestowed upon you." Folken slid her a look. "Though Dragon alone would be sufficient."

Tara nodded her head in thought. "I would imagine you have other things to get back to work on Lord Folken. I'll take my leave now."

She turned and walked out quickly, feeling strangely elated by their conversation. Her steps were quick as she made her way back to her quarters. She wasn't too sure where the euphoria came from but she was very glad to have it. Tomorrow she would have enough to worry about in a duel between a Dragontamer and a Dragonslayer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~