On Sapphire Wings

Chapter 2

My hands are tied.

My body's bruised; she's got me with,

Nothing to win

And nothing left to lose…

And you give yourself away…

Filled with a tireless energy of desperation, Lloyd refused to accept it, but he was losing energy fast. He could feel the essence of plant life all around him, and figured he was above the forest by the Crystal Palace. The snow cast cold air up to him, but the sun was on his back, giving him both the feeling of heat and chill. He licked his dry lips and halted in midair, searching for the sign of Her mind out there. It was so close.

And then he found it, and was on the ground before he could think otherwise. The suddenness of standing brought him to his knees in the melting snow, and he coughed, breathing in and out heavily. He tried to stand up, and was too exhausted, so he remained on the cold ground, waiting for the strength to continue his search.

He needn't have worried.

"Um…hello?"

The silver-haired head shot up, and blind eyes flickered about habitually. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek and his lungs began to ache as even breathing halted.

There was the sound of plants crunching underfoot and tree branches being pushed aside, and then an adauble intake of breath. Lloyd panted lightly, hands and knees in the snow, and wished he could see again.

"Lloyd!"

Soft hands reached down at his bicep and slowly helped him stand up, and the feel brought life back to him more than anything else could.

"I thought you were dead…" Said the soft, nymph-like voice. The silky voice was a gentle caress against his battered mind.

He shook his head dumbly, unsure of what to do. "No."

"Well – are you okay?" He could feel the blue eyes on him. "What happened? You're covered in blood…"

"Miranda hasn't told you?" He asked.

A stick broke as she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "She said you were dead."

"I see. I thought the same."

"But you're not…"

He shrugged. "More's the pity."

"What?"

"Nothing. How are you feeling Wink?"

There was a pause, and she was obviously surprised that he remembered her name. "Lloyd, we have to get you to a doctor or something."

He shivered a little and ran and hand through his hair. "It's too late for that now. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"You think I'm going to let you die?" Wink asked incredulously. "Come on, someone at the palace will help us."

"No they won't."

The small hands gripped his arm defiantly, and she tugged lightly. "I'm a Sacred Sister, of course they will!"

Lloyd, not feeling like arguing, nodded. "Fine."

She walked forward a ways, and he tried clumsily to follow, stumbling a little. The potion had only stopped blood-loss. "Can you see? Oh my god, you're eyes…okay, here, take my hand. I'll lead you."

He obeyed wordlessly. This hadn't been quite what he had in mind, but it hardly mattered. He'd found her.

Wink fought desperately with the nasty little voice in her head, refusing to believe that Fate would have handed her this chance for nothing.

She gazed back at Lloyd, and back at the pathway. He didn't look great; his normally quite pale skin a snowy white. His garnet eyes stared forward in the familiar stony way, yet their pupiless depth revealed a startling amount of emotion. He'd given up on himself.

No!

The forest watched the mismatched pair from behind them with its all-seeing vision, and the Crystal Palace loomed in front, shimmering a greeny blue that glimmered the snow's reflection. They would have to take a different route; they couldn't cut through the town.

No, there was no way they could get through without being seen. They'd have to find somewhere else. But where?

Shakahna! She could help!

As the city loomed up, Wink whispered. "Try and be quiet. I know somewhere to go."

With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, she began to turn in to an alleyway. So far so good, no one saw her…

"Hey! Wink!"

Her heart jumped, and she spun about, almost colliding into Lloyd. Past him, a young man ran up.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?"

With a mental sigh of relief, she realized it was Haris, a man from Tiberoa that had just recently joined the city guard. He knew nothing about Lloyd, and even if someone had told him, he wouldn't know the Wingly on sight.

Thank you god.

"I-I was just visiting a friend, Haris." She said, trying to pull a sincere smile, though she was incredibly anxious. Every second, someone could see…

"Oh, okay. Um – this young man seems to be – uh accompanying you?" He asked, obviously curious.

"Er – yeah, he is, don't worry. I'll introduce you two a little later, I really gotta run."

"Oh – okay. See you later, your majesty."

Wink smiled again, and dashed off at the quickest pace she could accomplish without looking suspicious, pulling Lloyd after her. He remained dutifully quiet.

She continued down the alleyway until she reached a wooden door half hidden in shadow. She knocked lightly; still gazing around to make sure no one was looking. She felt strange, like a teenage girl sneaking a boyfriend around – or something like that.

Deciding at that to shut her mind off for now, she waited until the door was unlocked and pulled open. A young Tiberoan woman gazed out, and smiled. "Wink! What brings you?"

"I need a little – help." She bit her lip and motioned her head towards Lloyd.

Shakahna's pupils contracted visibly, and she said, "Alright, come in," in a slow, measured voice.

"Thank you." Wink said, pulling her stoic companion in after her.

Shakahna closed the door and gaze her a long, steady look. She had the dark skin and hair of most people from the more Southern continent, with orange eyes that almost looked like a shadowy, duller version of Lloyds. Her long hair was tied back in a blue bandana, and she wore an indigo coloured wool jacket, and long black skirt. "What is he doing here?"

"He needs help Kahna." Wink pleaded. "Please."

"Wink…" Lloyd muttered.

"You keep your mouth shut." Shakahna snapped, and then said, "He's an outlaw, Wink! Don't you remember the last time this little situation arised?"

Wink nodded, "Don't worry, he's on our side, I swear!"

"I don't know…" She rolled her eyes and muttered. "Fine."

With an astoundingly quick movement, Shakahna turned to Lloyd and held up a small stone, and his eyes closed as he began to slump over. Shakahna caught him as he fell, and ground her teeth together at his bulk.

"What was that?" Wink demanded.

Shakahna carefully lowered him to the floor while muttering. "Bought it awhile back off a travelling merchant. He's just asleep. That'll help if I'm gonna do anything about his injuries. Now, help me get him into my bed."

"Thank Kahna."

"Mmm hmm." She smiled, and with Wink's help, picked Lloyd up. He was surprisingly heavy, due to his height and muscularity, but they managed. Shakahna had been a nurse before she moved to Mille Seseau, and it hadn't taken long for Wink and her had become friends. Wink trusted her to help Lloyd.

They laid him down on the bed, and Wink sighed, "I'm so sorry about this Kahna. But he saved my life more than once, I need to help him."

"You nearly gave your life for him once. He captured our queen, he nearly ended our world – god Wink – what does it take for you to stop liking people?"

"I can't help it. Please – just help him. You're the only person I can trust."

"Fine. You should go back to the castle, relax a bit. Come back tonight and I'll have him all fixed up." Shakahna said, turning away from her to the unconscious form of the wingly on the bed.

"Okay." Wink muttered, and she began away.

"Wink, where were you?"

The voice cut through the air like a knife, as it always did. Wink smiled despite herself and shrugged.

"No where. Just went for a walk."

Miranda looked at her a moment, then muttered, "Long walk."

"Mmm hmm."

"How are you feeling?" Miranda demanded, trying not to seem suspicious. Miranda, despite her slight 'anger problems,' could usually see through Wink fairly easily, to her misfortune.

"I'm okay." The blond haired woman smiled lightly. "It wasn't that bad of a cut."

"Ah…well, okay then." Miranda said, walking away. Wink nodded and began towards throne room. She entered it quietly, hoping for a moment to be alone.

She closed the door behind her, turned, and gasped in surprise.

"Good morning Wink." Luanna smiled lightly. Wink couldn't help but notice how much her fellow Sacred Sister's eyes resembled Lloyds. She nodded her head respectfully.

"Good morning, Luanna. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. How are you feeling?" Luanna asked. The repetitious question was beginning to anger Wink, but she shrugged it off.

"I'm feeling okay."

Luanna took a step forward, her blind eyes catching and holding Wink's. "There's something wrong though."

Wink sighed, knowing that there was no way to lie to her fellow Sister, and nodded.

She allowed the probing eyes to peer deep into her spirit, and Luanna finally said, "Do you think Shakahna can help him?"

"I hope so."

There was a small smile. "You're are too kind sometimes, Wink. You know how much trouble this will cause if someone finds out."

"I know – but…" Wink and walked over to a window to gaze out with a sigh. "I need to help him. It's not just, like, trading a life for a life. He helped me twice for no reason when I really needed it. I can't just let him die now just because I already payed him back."

"I understand that, Wink. But you have to be rational…"

"That's what everyone says! What is that supposed to mean? 'Yes, you saved my life, now I'm gonna let you die?'" Wink asked in a discouraged tone.

"I don't know." Luanna paused a moment then said. "I think you should help him for now, to get back on his feet. But after that, you have to let him go, Wink. He's a very dangerous man and if you get too attached, you're going to end up in some situations you won't be able to handle."

"I'm not weak." Wink protested.

"Think of it this way. He's a national – possibly international – outlaw, he has spent the last long while of his life perusing a goal that ultimately led to a lot of death. And he's – not of the same species." Luanna said the last part overly fast.

Something in Wink snapped. "Is that all? He's one of those Winglies, so therefore we have to hate him?"

"You know that's not it." Luanna returned, firmly but still with the consoling tone.

Wink sighed and sat down on the windowsill. "I don't know what to do."

"Wink, have you considered that maybe he doesn't want to be saved?"

"What?" Wink hissed.

"In Vellweb, when you got hit, he was ready to die." Luanna began cautiously. "And then, Miranda says he was once again ready to die for the good of fighting Melbu Frahma. But he came back. Maybe he just wanted to see that you were not hurt before he passed on?"

"But he…"

"I'm sorry."

Wink shook her head. "No, I won't let him die, no matter what he thinks. He's just – guilty, because that other Wingly tricked him. I can help him."

Luanna shook her head. There was something in her eyes that had a sorrowful understanding, but Wink refused to let herself be swayed.

"Then help him. I just don't want you hurt."

"I know, Luanna. I'll be careful."

**

Authors note: I've decided that to blend it better with the story, I'm not gonna say the name of the lyrics at the beginning of the chapters until the last chapter. If you're curious, email or ask over review though. I just want it to look tidier. =)

Oh, and thanks to Sora and Marissa for reviewing! Double kudos for telling me (and attempting, hehehe) to tell me Luanna's name, I could not remember it!