Mystique walked in the gardens of the Palace of the Gods dreaming of the
past. She dreamed of a time when her husband was not consumed by hate and
darkness, but was once again the radiant winged God of the Day, Angel.
Perhaps the old woman was right. This was not a story for the ears of
children.
She spent hours in the garden, time having no meaning for a Goddess. She was lost in her memories of light and happiness. Of time spent in the twilight hours with her love. Of course, as in reality her dreams took the expected turn. The love of her life became something so profoundly evil it took her breath away. A force now drove her love to darkness, a darkness she could not confide in anyone else.
To Mystique, it didn't matter that she was forced into silence by her own love for her husband. She knew that it was her love alone that held onto the demon Archangel's soul. The demon that was once her lover.
"Sister?" asked a voice behind Mystique, a voice of moonlight and brightness.
Mystique turned, coming face to face with her sister, the Goddess of the Moon, Psylocke. "Brooding again, sister dear?"
Mystique gave a slight smile, "You found me out."
Psylocke put her arm around her sister's blue shoulder, "You think too much."
Psylocke closed her eyes for a moment. "The reason I came to talk to you tonight is to ask you something."
"Why I stay with Archangel," Mystique said over her sister. "That is a question all are thinking, but only you would ask." There was a slight smile on her face.
"You know me, I have no tact."
"No you don't," Mystique shook her head. She sighed, "I stay with him because I love who he used to be and I hope that one day he will be that way again. I am the only thing that keeps him from absolute evil. Should I leave him to his darkness you know what would happen."
Psylocke lowered her head and whispered, "There would be nothing keeping him from taking Storm and using her to take over all of the Pantheon. As it is he tries to take her for himself."
"And her sons, Beast and Wolverine would have nothing left protecting them save their own strength," Mystique finished. "I love him too much to let him sink into such evil."
The sisters sat in silence for a while. Both of them thinking of the evil that had forced Angel to become Archangel.
A male voice broke into the silence. "Psylocke?"
Psylocke beckoned the young God that she had raised. "Nightcrawler, come over here."
The blue-furred God of Demons sat down beside the women he loved most in his life. His mothers. Psylocke had given him all of the love that his mother could not show. Mystique, his true mother, had hidden her twin children from the evil that was his father. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat both understood her reasons as both had seen what his father could do and both of them loved her as they loved Psylocke.
"Well my son, what have you been up to?" Psylocke asked. Mystique felt her heart ache and wished that she could hold her son close and ask him about his life, his love, his dreams.
"I spent most of the day listening to Domino constantly telling me that I must take the role that her brother once filled," Nightcrawler replied, unaware of Mystique's heartache.
Psylocke frowned. "She wants you to become the God of Death?"
Nightcrawler nodded. "She thinks that it is my rightful place."
Mystique nodded, "It would make sense to have the Goddess of Life and the God of Death together. But she does know that my husband, Archangel, rules the Realms of the Dead does she not?"
Nightcrawler sighed, "She does. She thinks I should destroy him and take his place. I sometimes agree with her. He caused so much trouble, but you love him mother, so I have told her always 'no.'"
Mystique drew in a sharp breath. "Be careful what you say! He cannot find out that you are his son!"
"He cannot hear us here." Nightcrawler tried to sound reasonable.
Psylocke looked into the eyes of her young nephew, "With Cyclops in his self-imposed exile and Jean's slow decline into insanity, anything is possible now. If Morph were still here, this discussion would be moot, as he was God of Death before Archangel."
"I think that's why Domino is so obsessed with destroying Archangel. She wants to avenge her brother, since it was Archangel's fault that Cyclops killed him."
All were silent for a moment. The horrible tragedy that led to the King of the God's murder of his oldest child still caused a heartbroken silence to any who spoke of it. Archangel led his brother Cyclops to believe that his son Morph was trying to kill him when it was Archangel who plotted Cyclops's death.
"Maybe Domino has a point," Psylocke said, breaking the silence.
She spent hours in the garden, time having no meaning for a Goddess. She was lost in her memories of light and happiness. Of time spent in the twilight hours with her love. Of course, as in reality her dreams took the expected turn. The love of her life became something so profoundly evil it took her breath away. A force now drove her love to darkness, a darkness she could not confide in anyone else.
To Mystique, it didn't matter that she was forced into silence by her own love for her husband. She knew that it was her love alone that held onto the demon Archangel's soul. The demon that was once her lover.
"Sister?" asked a voice behind Mystique, a voice of moonlight and brightness.
Mystique turned, coming face to face with her sister, the Goddess of the Moon, Psylocke. "Brooding again, sister dear?"
Mystique gave a slight smile, "You found me out."
Psylocke put her arm around her sister's blue shoulder, "You think too much."
Psylocke closed her eyes for a moment. "The reason I came to talk to you tonight is to ask you something."
"Why I stay with Archangel," Mystique said over her sister. "That is a question all are thinking, but only you would ask." There was a slight smile on her face.
"You know me, I have no tact."
"No you don't," Mystique shook her head. She sighed, "I stay with him because I love who he used to be and I hope that one day he will be that way again. I am the only thing that keeps him from absolute evil. Should I leave him to his darkness you know what would happen."
Psylocke lowered her head and whispered, "There would be nothing keeping him from taking Storm and using her to take over all of the Pantheon. As it is he tries to take her for himself."
"And her sons, Beast and Wolverine would have nothing left protecting them save their own strength," Mystique finished. "I love him too much to let him sink into such evil."
The sisters sat in silence for a while. Both of them thinking of the evil that had forced Angel to become Archangel.
A male voice broke into the silence. "Psylocke?"
Psylocke beckoned the young God that she had raised. "Nightcrawler, come over here."
The blue-furred God of Demons sat down beside the women he loved most in his life. His mothers. Psylocke had given him all of the love that his mother could not show. Mystique, his true mother, had hidden her twin children from the evil that was his father. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat both understood her reasons as both had seen what his father could do and both of them loved her as they loved Psylocke.
"Well my son, what have you been up to?" Psylocke asked. Mystique felt her heart ache and wished that she could hold her son close and ask him about his life, his love, his dreams.
"I spent most of the day listening to Domino constantly telling me that I must take the role that her brother once filled," Nightcrawler replied, unaware of Mystique's heartache.
Psylocke frowned. "She wants you to become the God of Death?"
Nightcrawler nodded. "She thinks that it is my rightful place."
Mystique nodded, "It would make sense to have the Goddess of Life and the God of Death together. But she does know that my husband, Archangel, rules the Realms of the Dead does she not?"
Nightcrawler sighed, "She does. She thinks I should destroy him and take his place. I sometimes agree with her. He caused so much trouble, but you love him mother, so I have told her always 'no.'"
Mystique drew in a sharp breath. "Be careful what you say! He cannot find out that you are his son!"
"He cannot hear us here." Nightcrawler tried to sound reasonable.
Psylocke looked into the eyes of her young nephew, "With Cyclops in his self-imposed exile and Jean's slow decline into insanity, anything is possible now. If Morph were still here, this discussion would be moot, as he was God of Death before Archangel."
"I think that's why Domino is so obsessed with destroying Archangel. She wants to avenge her brother, since it was Archangel's fault that Cyclops killed him."
All were silent for a moment. The horrible tragedy that led to the King of the God's murder of his oldest child still caused a heartbroken silence to any who spoke of it. Archangel led his brother Cyclops to believe that his son Morph was trying to kill him when it was Archangel who plotted Cyclops's death.
"Maybe Domino has a point," Psylocke said, breaking the silence.