"What do you mean 'Thank the Heart', you knew I had the photo moron, you let me keep it!" Jade cried incredulously
Femur seemed to still for a few seconds then he looked rather sheepish and stupid. Mumbling something along the lines of 'Oh yeah, I remember now' he dusted himself off. Satisfied that the secret of Pyrus and Zera's relationship was safe, Femur went upon his merry way.
"Femur!" Jade yelled at the arrant Bone Emperor
"Like I said, toots, your call now" Femur, remembering his words from before
Jade was again at a loss: on the one hand she owed it to Cryos to tell him about this since they were friends and she was worried about Zera. One the other hand she had a loyalty to Zera because the two were also friends, almost siblings and so the dilemma was upon her.
"Oh great, what a thing to be faced with" she muttered
"Femur you rat, I'm going to get you for this" Jade grouched as she walked away
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Zera and Pyrus were pacing around Zera's room, wondering what to do about their situation. Zera was being highly strung about what her father was going to say and how this would affect the alliance between the planets. Pyrus on the other hand was not as concerned about what other people thought. Zera looked and saw that Pyrus was not as panic-stricken as she was.
"Pyrus this situation is serious" she cried
"Not really" he said
"How can you say this isn't serious" she was incredulous
"Oh there is a serious situation here but it is between you and I, not them, us" Pyrus said
Zerra stopped and looked at the picture of her mother that was positioned on the dressing table. She picked it up and opened the frame and took the photo out. On the back was a caption written in old Ice runes that Zera had learnt to read many years ago.
"It is not for others to tell you how to live, nor who and how to love. Love like there is no tomorrow, and it will last longer than the sun and moon" Zera said, reading the caption
"Hmmm?" Pyrus asked
"Something my mother said to me, I always thought it was a bit silly…" she trailed off
"But now?" Pyrus prodded
"Now I'm beginning to see truth in every single word" Zera said, finally calming down
Pyrus chuckled as Zera sat down and put her face in her hands. Pyrus put his hand on her back and gently rubbed it. Zera groaned; her back was sore and the slight heat from Pyrus's hand and his gentle rubbing eased the pain and tension. Pyrus smiled at Zera: he'd been pulled back from the brink because of her. He owed her his life.
"You wanna go and speak to your father?" Pyrus asked
"I should go and see him, alone though" Zera added when she saw Pyrus get up
"You sure about that?" he asked
"Yeah, don't worry. The worst he can do is yell at me" Zera said
"I need to head back to the Battlemoon for something, I won't be long" Pyrus remembered
"Okay, see you in a few" Zera gave Pyrus a quick peck on the lips before she left
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The trip to the Battlemoon was quick and smooth, yet full of thought. In exactly 2 years, Pyrus would be old enough to become King instead of just Prince. As it stood however he was old enough to try and obtain an advantage. A secret entrusted to him by his father before he died all those years ago.
"I have a feeling I will need it soon" Pyrus said to himself as he entered the secret room
The room was not much bigger than 15 feet by 20 feet and lit my dim candles. The walls were covered in ancient Runes and Script of Planet Fire; in the centre of the room stood the purpose of Pyrus's visit, a sword. The weapon was old, the best scientists on Fire had tried to pin down how old it was but they'd never succeeded. Hence it became known as the Eternal Flame, the blade was solid flame with a black onyx going right up the middle of the blade that flowed down and became the handle.]
"I know no other leader of Fire in known history that has been able to wield you, but now all of the people in the cluster is in danger" Pyrus spoke to the sword
The weapon didn't make any kind of response: he never expected one, but ever since he'd been a child he'd gone into this room and spoken to the sword as if it was some kind of mystical confidant. Its glowing presence was warm and welcoming; he'd even gone so far as to come here when his father died.
"I feel silly, at this age, talking to a sword, but…" Pyrus rubbed the back of his head; the glow of the sword dulled slightly
"But the fact remains I need your help and if you'll let me, I'd like to be the first in known history to be your ally" Pyrus paused and grasped the handle
"For Fire, for love and for life" Pyrus said and drew the sword
Magically the weapon slipped out of its sheath and Pyrus held it aloft, marvelling at its lack of weight. Pyrus gave the weapon a few experimental swings and slashes: it was almost as if he was swinging his arm around. With a smile, Pyrus secured the sheath to his hip and placed the sword inside it.
"Thank you my friend" he said to the sword as he walked humbly from the room.
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Zera walked quietly through the palace towards her father's study with all sorts of questions rolling around in her mind; what to ask, what to argue with and other sorts of problems. The door to the study was open a crack so Zera peered in and saw her father and Graveheart in the middle of a discussion.
"I can see it in their eyes Cryos, the mean a lot to each other. Trying to stop them would be pointless" Graveheart said
"That why I hate having to say this; I see what's between them and it makes me believe the Alliance will really work, but, are the people of both Ice and Fire ready for that kind of relationship" Cryos said with true anguish
"Are you going to ask them to separate?" Graveheart asked
"No, I could never in good conscience ever ask that of my daughter, and I know Pyrus would just ignore me" Cryos chuckled
"So what will you do?" Graveheart further enquired
"I will simply ask them to keep it, private" Cryos said
Before Zera could knock on the door, the alarms sounded: Beast Drones. Zera quickly ran towards the hanger where the Aurora was docked: she intended to be in this fight. The soldiers on the planet scrambled to their fighters and other ships. Once on board the Aurora, Cryos ordered the fleet to move out for battle.
"Sir, we're coming into range" a soldier said from the tactical console
"Prepare to fire" Cryos said
In a drone flagship, Blokk was waiting in anticipation for his move. Voyd had planned this down to the letter with Lamprey and himself; it was the perfect plan. He stood on a large platform with several other Drones. The Aurora came into range and after a sufficient pummelling in the right area; the ship's shields went down. With a smile, Blokk hit the execute command and he and the Drones were transported into the cargo hold on the Aurora
"Drones, spread out and set up a small base" Blokk said
Pyrus was rocketing towards the battle zone and he intended to help. He saw the Aurora was under heavy attack; putting his Flamsail into battle mode, he zeroed in on the enemy ships and let them have it. He fired his weapons and took out many of the beast drone ships surrounding the War cruiser. After those drones were destroyed, Pyrus smelt a rat. Like the time Lamprey took over Tekla's body, this attack was small and lacked a purpose. He radioed his intention to dock in the Aurora. Graveheart okayed the docking.
[I don't like this feeling of foreboding] Pyrus was feeling a little anxious as he got off his Flamesail and stood on the deck of the Aurora
"Private. Is Lady Zera onboard?" Pyrus asked a patrolling soldier
"I don't believe so, sir" the soldier replied
[That means she is here, and no one has found her yet] Pyrus allowed a small smile to cross his face as he walked towards the bridge.
With an afterthought Pyrus removed a special communication device that Zera had built: she also had one and it allowed even planet-to-planet communication: Zera had hacked a computer and found the lock on signals for the various comm-satellites within the cluster, so they were able to bounce the signals off those satellites and used their repeaters to strengthen the signal. It was a brilliant piece of engineering in his opinion.
"Hailstorm this is Lavaflow, you read?" he asked
"Lavaflow, I read you. Pyrus, get to the bridge. Tell my father there are Beast Drones on board the ship" Zera whispered in hushed tones
"What's your location?" Pyrus asked quickly
"The uninhabited cargo area. Deck 7" Zera finished her transmission fast
Pyrus broke into a run toward the elevator to go to Deck 7, using his comm-unit he patched into the Aurora's main system and got onto Cryos. He explained the situation as it stood and told Cryos where to meet him with the soldiers. Pyrus could feel the sword at his hip humming and see it glowing.
"Well, the Beast Drones will soon feel the burn" Pyrus thought as he hit the button in the elevator.
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Zera was crouched down in a dark corner of the cargo bay with two pistols in her main set of hands; grenades and other incendiary devices in the other set. She was watching the Beast Drones set up for a massive assault on the ship's occupants. With a malicious grin on her face: she pulled a pin out of her shrapnel grenade and rolled it into the middle of the Drones. They looked at it before the grenade exploded, the force of the blast taking them out and the shrapnel severely damaging their equipment.
"Take that Beasties" she sniped and jumped to a different corner to avoid being caught
Zera didn't notice a pair of green eyes approaching her, or the carefully masked footsteps until it was too late. Blokk grabbed the girl, her special phase-shifter stopped his touch killing her but he had her now. Zera tried to shoot him but Blokk took her weapons from her.
"You are a pesky little girl aren't you?" he said as Zera struggled to get free
"Let me go you evil creature" Zera hissed
"I don't think so. In fact I think I'll just kill you right now"
Blokk positioned Zera's body in his fist and drew back his other fist to run Zera through with the large blades on his hands. Zera, in fashion to her fiery nature and courage looked him straight in the eye. Then an orange blur appeared between them as Blokk struck. His hand ricocheted of the blade of a sword. Zera recognised the back of that head.
"Pyrus?" she said
"In the flesh" he joked
Before Blokk could regain his footing, Pyrus slashed the arm holding Zera, the pain was enough to make Blokk drop Zera. Once dropped, Zera threw another phase-shifter to Pyrus. He put the device on and took up a ready stance against Blokk with the sword. The Ice soldiers burst in and surrounded the group. Pyrus told them to scan the area for other Drones that Zera had missed. Blokk looked at Pyrus with a real hatred.
"I think the Beast enjoyed eating your planet Prince" Blokk tormented
"Then come and feel the bite of Fire" Pyrus snarled
Blokk lunged forward and swiped at Pyrus, who parried and returned the strike with his sword, the blow hit Blokk like an Ion cannon, sending him across the room. He looked at the weapon that struck him with curious eyes as he staggered to his feet.
"What is that?" he asked
"This weapon is older than my planet's history, its power ancient and its origin unknown. All I know is that it kicks your butt" Pyrus retorted and continued to attack
Pyrus and Blokk continued to trade blows with their bladed weapons as the men of Ice and his friends looked on, somehow reluctant to interfere with the fight. Jade watched in seriousness; she saw a warrior fighting Blokk, not a prince, not a boy, a warrior and the reason was as old as time itself: love. Pyrus would fight Blokk any day but to see him do so with such ferocity and strength, she knew that Zera had been in danger.
[Show us the heart of one who loves] Jade thought as Pyrus scored a blow on Blokk's chest
Suddenly Pyrus swept Blokk's legs from under him and stood on his chest, the tip of the sword at the Beast minion's throat. Blokk looked up into the Fire prince's eyes and he saw a power, a soul that he as a being of nothingness could not comprehend. Pyrus was breathing deeply and he looked into Blokk's eyes.
"If I kill you, I'd be a murderer in my eyes, in the eyes of others I might be a hero" he paused and let his enemy take this in.
"However, I can't find it in myself to kill you as you are, a defenceless, pathetic creature" Pyrus stopped and stepped away from Blokk, his blade still raised
"Get out of here. Go back to your master and tell him, we are not afraid" Pyrus let out a breath and walked away from Blokk towards the Ice soldiers and began to instruct them on what to do with Blokk
Zera walked across to see him and ask him what he was doing: letting Blokk go was madness in her mind. As Blokk got up he a chance to take the prince out and he took it. With a weapon he hid within his body he shot at Pyrus. Zera saw the attack and cried out to Pyrus. The scene almost happened in slow motion: Pyrus turned around and saw the energy bolt heading for him. He froze, momentarily he didn't know what to do: then a blue shape appeared in front of him.
"Zera?" he said softly
The bolt hit Zera's upper body and sent her spinning to the ground. Pyrus was now out of his bizarre trance and at her side immediately trying to close the wound and help her. Blokk was laughing loudly as he stood in victory. Pyrus looked down and saw the biggest part of his world in pain she may never recover from. Rage built within him like lava in a volcano, his eyes went from orange to red, from rim to rim.
"Pyrus, Blokk will not escape. We've got the whole ship on lockdown" Graveheart said
[She saved me again, and I could do NOTHING. I will find Blokk and I will KILL HIM] Pyrus's thoughts were violent, angry: and had a physical manifestation
Cryos and the others attended to Zera; who was unconscious. Then they felt a glow and a rise in temperature in the room. They turned to look at Pyrus: his body's natural flame was roaring beyond normal size and he was growling. The sword he held was sprouting fire also. Pyrus himself seemed to grow several inches taller and broader in all areas.
"By the Glacier; what is happening to Pyrus?" Cryos asked
"It is a Blaze" Ember, who had remained unnoticed til now, said to the group
"What is a Blaze?" Graveheart asked
"When a being of Fire trains enough, or is pushed beyond their limits, a Blaze occurs. It rushes the blood, strengthens the body and unleashes tremendous power" Ember explained
Pyrus was oblivious to this; all he saw the confused Blokk and what Blokk did to Zera. With another growl he launched himself at Blokk, his sword in a stabbing position. Blokk only just managed to parry the blow and he jumped up. Pyrus sneered and jumped up to get him. Pyrus made a wide slash and managed to get Blokk again, at the abdomen area. With a groan the minion of the Beast fell to the ground. Pyrus landed beside him.
"Murderer" he snarled
Using his foot, Pyrus flipped Blokk over and again put the sword near Blokk's vital area. Only this time, he did not hesitate and ran the sword blade through the creature's body, but not in such a manner that it would kill him, only hurt. As the Beast minion staggered to his feet he looked at the fast calming and reverting Pyrus.
"Go back to your master. Return and I shall not let you go again" Pyrus said, panting.
Blokk was not one to stay where he was not wanted AND in danger. So he used his teleport device to leave the ship. All eyes were again on Pyrus as he sheathed his sword. He then stumbled around a little as he walked forward, then he totally collapsed on the ground. Cryos ordered them both to be taken to the infirmary.
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Pyrus opened his eyes and saw that he was in a strange place full of fire, and ice, and bone and rock and things he'd never seen before. People he recognised as being of the various planets of the Alliance mixed freely, many embraced each other and kissed openly. It seemed that he'd woken up in some distant future where the old hatreds were gone and new loves put in its place. Suddenly he heard a voice yell.
"The Republic Procession, here it comes" a voice yelled
There was much cheering at the news. Pyrus picked himself up and elbowed his way through the crowd to a point, but still could not see. Then suddenly a friendly man of Rock spoke to him
"Can't see young one?" he asked with kind eyes
"No I can't" Pyrus answered
"Here, sit on my shoulders" the man replied and lifted the young Fire boy up as if he were nothing
From the vantage point on the kind man's shoulders, Pyrus saw not an over elaborate guard, but a small group of people of many races. The two in the centre were the ones he was most interested in: a tall and strong looking man of Fire and by his side was a regal and equally strong looking woman of Ice, a pair of children with them. He swore he recognised the woman but was unsure. Another voice in the crowd however, answered his silent question.
"Lady Zera and Lord Pyrus, we welcome you to the Cluster Republic Senate" a man of office said
Those words floored him like a hit from a Quarrior: he was seeing himself and Zera in what looked like, 30 or so years in the future. For him though he knew such a thing was impossible and he climbed off the Rock man's shoulders; thanked him and ran into an alleyway. He just shook his head.
"How am I seeing this?" he wondered
"Because I will it" a deep voice said
Pyrus whirled around and saw another man of Fire, but this one was different to the others in a way that Pyrus could not put into words. The man smiled and walked forwards till he stood in front of the young prince. He smiled and bowed his head.
"Hello Prince Pyrus, I am Flame, and I am an, incarnation if you will, of the sword you grasp in your hands" he said
"You're the, the…" Pyrus was speechless
"Yes. I wanted to thank you, you have been the first Ruler of Fire for many centuries to be worthy of me. Your father was also worthy but vowed a mortal such as he should not wield such power" Flame explained
"I see, but, why did you will me to see that?" he asked, pointing to his future self and family
"Well, I think in these dark times a good dream is hard to come by. You deserved one so I gave it to you. The other reason is to give you a message, to be truly the greatest King of Fire, you must save with sacrifice" he said cryptically
"What?" Pyrus was confused
"Farewell Prince, we shall not see each other in your lifetime again" Flame said and clapped his hands
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Pyrus woke up with a start in the Aurora Infirmary, sword in hand. Its blade however was half gone so one could touch the onyx crystal that held the flame. He looked to his left and saw Zera on another bed, still asleep. He slowly righted himself and walked over to her bedside and pulled a tall chair over so he could watch her. He watched her, not blinking or moving for nearly five hours, when Graveheart came in
"Hey Pyrus, how are you?" he asked
"Fine Graveheart, what is Zera's condition?"
"I am afraid she's dying your majesty" Graveheart replied with low spirits
"What?" Pyrus spun around
"The wound is fatal. You've been asleep about a day. In that time we tried everything. But the doctors said she will die" Graveheart explained as the others of the Inner Circle came in
"Cryos I'm so sorry" Pyrus said softly
"It is not your fault young Prince, I know how, you two were" he said quietly
"The doctors are about to shut off the life support, if it pains you, you may leave" Cryos added
"Oh god" Pyrus squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down them
An Ice doctor came in and said in five minutes, he would turn off the machines. Last words were to be brief. Jade simply saluted, one warrior to another, Femur placed the photo he snapped of her and Pyrus together by her face. Tekla and Graveheart simply said goodbye. Cryos had long said his goodbye and only embraced his daughter once more. Last to say or do anything was Pyrus.
"I love you" he said and kissed her lips once more.
Slowly the doctor reached for the main switch to deactivate the most precious life in Pyrus's existence. All because he got cocky with that stupid sword. The sword. He looked over at it and remembered his dream 'You must save with sacrifice' were his words. Revelation dawned on him and he saw the machine about to be deactivated
"Stop" he breathed
"I'm sorry Prince Pyrus, but she will never recover and is in great pain" the doctor again tried to turn the switch off
"NO" Pyrus again powered up a Blaze and grabbed the doctors hand
"Touch that switch and I'll kill you myself. I can save her, and I will" he said and let the man go
Too stunned to move, the doctor allowed Pyrus to get the sword off his bed and walk back to Zera with it. The others were terrified of what he would do: his heightened state made him stronger than any of them combined. Cryos demanded to know what was going on. Pyrus put his sword on Zera's chest and made her grasp it.
"Now pray I'm right" he said and reverted
As soon as he did, a red aura appeared around Zera's body. And what was left of the sword blade began to shrink and disappear until there was nothing left but a large black jewel. The doctor looked at the readout. Zera's body was totally healed. Before another word was spoken, Zera opened her eyes.
"Father, Pyrus, what is everyone doing here?" she asked
"We just dropped in to see you" Pyrus cut everyone off
"Oh, how long was I asleep and what is this?" she asked, holding up the sword
Suddenly what remained of the sword turned into light and hovered over them. It seemed to be looking at Pyrus. The Prince knew he was looking at Flame and he wondered if what he did was what Flame was talking about.
"I have a question for you Pyrus: why did you save her?" it asked
"Because I love her" he said
"Even though you knew it may rob you of a powerful weapon and that she is not one of Fire's people" it replied
"Race is irrelevant in affairs of the heart and weapons mainly take life, but when I saw the Eternal Flame could be used for a nobler purpose so I took the chance" he said
"What if you saved the wrong person?" it taunted
"She may seem like the wrong person to you, but to me there was no other person more right" Pyrus was staunch
"You passed the test Pyrus, congratulations. May you all go in peace and happiness" it said to everyone and faded away.
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Many hours later, Pyrus was in his room on the Battlemoon when his attendant knocked on the door. Pyrus looked up and bid the man enter. Zera followed the attendant in and told him to go. The large man bowed to them both and left the room. For a moment Zera just stared at Pyrus and he at her. Finally she closed the gap between them and looked into his eyes
"What you said in the Infirmary, did you mean it?" she asked
"Every single word" he replied and touched her cheek
"I'm taking a big risk Pyrus and so are you; the majority of our people will not stand for this relationship" she said as Pyrus stood
"Then they may sit in shock till they are used to it. I do not care about what they think, only about what you feel" he explained
Zera smiled and jumped on Pyrus and again they fell on the bed. It was large and soft and at the right temperature so that it kept Pyrus warm but did not hurt Zera. Again they kissed, they stayed like that for a long time til sleep took them. They slept together in that bed, for the first time….
….But not for the last
The (Actual) End