Another Soul to Love
By Vilya
Short one-shot about a family…read on!
The sun was setting over the ridge, filling the sky with myriad gold, crimson and a color that seemed to want only to be caught and held, and tasted for the pure light that it was. A soft breeze bent the long grass and rustled the trees as the very edge of the sun finally sank below the horizon. There in the long grass a woman sat, looking out at the darkening landscape.
"I escaped," she said aloud, as though the words were so foreign to her that she might as well have never learned them. "I escaped. I am free."
"You are hardly free," said the man standing behind her, his arms folded indignantly. "And because of you, my freedom is also compromised."
"Don't throw this on me, Kratos Aurion!" She stood in one quick motion and whirled to face him, her long brown hair flying out behind her. "You know you chose to help me, you made the decision yourself! You're going to have to live with it, or just go back to the Desians and tell them everything. I don't care!"
As she turned back around, the man put a hand on her shoulder.
"You know exactly why I agreed to this, Anna." With a gentle pull, he spun her to face him again and stared into her eyes—they were a vivid shade of deep blue, at times nearly as dark as the midnight sky. "I would never give you up for the half-mad illusions of Yggdrasill."
"I know. I just like to hear you say it." She grinned, her smile shining in the last of the light, and he smiled in return, though only barely. "You have to learn to smile more. You look almost approachable, when you smile."
I pray you'll be our eyes,
And watch us where we go,
"Almost? How ever did you approach me, then?" He smiled a true smile this time, both hands on her shoulders. There was nothing as wonderful, he decided, as being at last free with the woman he loved. She leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder, and he put his arms fully around her, savoring the moment.
"I'm braver than most people."
"Brave, perhaps. Or foolish."
"Foolish, too. I know you don't mind. If I weren't a fool neither of us would be here right now." They stood in their embrace for a moment, silent but needing no words. The night held them in its arms, bringing them to a place neither had ever reached before.
"Kratos," she said at last, with worry. "What are we going to do now? The Desians, Kvar, they'll be after us. We can't hide forever."
"We don't need forever, Anna. We need only right now."
And help us to be wise,
In times when we don't know,
"I'm afraid, Kratos. If they capture me again…"
"I won't let them!" He held her tighter, as though afraid to let go himself, and his voice rang with conviction and fearlessness. "No Desian, not even Yggdrasill himself, will ever take you from me, Anna."
The remainder of the night passed in silence, as she eventually fell asleep and he sat nearby with the green-and-white arshis, watching the stars turn and listening for any signs of danger. Several times he looked down at her, peacefully asleep, and remember again exactly what people lived for.
He did not sleep at all that night; he hadn't slept in centuries. He had chosen this, this mockery of human existence—never needing rest, or food—halfway through the transformation to an angelic state. His transformation would never go farther; he was not to be a Chosen.
He glanced down at her again, at the wind that ruffled her unbound hair, at the Angelus Exsphere that shone faintly just below her neck. He vowed to himself then that he would gladly, and willingly, give his life for hers; he would not let her fall to Yggdrasill and his twisted ideals.
Let this be our prayer,
As we go our way,
The next morning dawned misty and cold, and they walked slowly toward their destination, his arm around her to offer what small protection it could from the cold, his other hand resting on the back of the arshis. She leaned into him, which made walking more difficult, but neither seemed to mind. They talked quietly as the sun burned the mist away, leaving the landscape lush and green, with its edges fading to yellows and reds as autumn descended.
"Where are we going, Kratos?"
"First we are going to Palmacosta."
"Such a long trip! Why Palmacosta?"
"It is the safest. Asgard, Luin and Hima are all too close to Kvar and his ranch. …I am sorry you couldn't see your family again."
"It's alright. I have a feeling you're all the family I have left, now. I promise I don't mind." She leaned closer for just a moment, as much to throw him off balance as to be affectionate, and to his surprise and hers, he laughed. "I wish I could hear that more often, too."
"Hear what?"
"Your laugh."
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with your grace,
To a place where we'll be safe.
From Palmacosta they journeyed by boat to Izoold; from Izoold across the mountains to the harsh sands of Triet, where they took refuge in the sprawling community of the Triet Oasis. They waited the better part of a year there before taking to the road again, joining a caravan led by a man named Nova and his wife, Sarah.
There in the caravan they learned something that scared them both to the depths of their beings, and yet filled them with more love for each other than either thought they could stand.
"I am with child," she told him quietly one evening as they ate. His eyes widened and he froze, food halfway to his mouth. She smiled at him, a smile of hope and promise, and he smiled back. Smiling, laughing—they were such easy gestures, now.
"We should celebrate," he decided, and she clapped her hands.
"Yes! Let's do something special, for just us, Kratos! Without Nova or Sarah, either. Just us. Are we near any towns?"
"I'll ask." he rose, barely able to contain his excitement—it seemed to shine from him the way the blue heart of the fire shone through the orange flickers. Most wouldn't have even been able to tell—his calm façade was well practiced and convincing—but to her he was resplendent with it.
She watched the fire for a while, caught in the constant dance of its orange and white flames, until he came and sat beside her again, one arm around her shoulders. The arshis Noishe noticed his arrival and whined quietly.
"They say we'll reach the foot of the Ossa Trail in a few days, and if we want we can continue on our own to Izoold. Would you like to do that?"
"Yes," she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I would. We can hold off the celebration until then. …Kvar won't find us there, will he? Yggdrasill…"
"No. Don't even think of it, Anna. We've outrun them this far, and we'll keep outrunning them."
"You're right. You…have to be." Sighing, she looked up at the sky, at the stars that were just beginning to emerge, forming the constellations she had learned as a child.
"Look," he whispered, nodding to the sky. "It's Spiritua, the First Chosen. She hasn't been in the sky for months. The cold must be coming."
"I love the cold months. Everything's so much more defined and solid in the cold."
"The stars are brighter," he agreed, pulling her closer and laying his head against hers.
I pray we'll find the light,
And hold it in our hearts,
When stars go out each night,
They walked the Ossa Trail together, mindful of waiting enemies, and settled together in a house in Izoold. The people of Izoold welcomed them happily, recalling them from a year before as two prisoners who had escaped Desian control, and they made many friends in the fishing village.
"Good morning, Anna," he said one morning, returning from riding out on one of the fishing boats. She was standing at the stove, preparing an early lunch.
"Kratos! You're back! I missed you." She turned from the stove, so obviously with child now, and took his hands in hers. He laughed quietly.
"I was only gone for a few hours. You can't have missed me that much." He hugged her gently, one hand running through her hair.
"Oh, Kratos…every day I worry more and more that being so close…that they'll find us. I know we're well hidden here, but…it's not like you're average-looking. Neither am I, especially with my Exsphere. I…I don't want to go back there, Kratos," she finished in a whisper. He tightened his hold on her protectively.
"You won't. They'll never find us; we'll run forever if we need to. They will never take you from me."
She turned back to her cooking, and a few minutes later they had lunch together, mostly silent but happy to just share each other's company. Despite being finished, they sat there a few moments longer, simply staring into each other's eyes. Each of them could have lost themselves in the other's gaze for an eternity.
"Do you have to go out tomorrow, too?" she asked finally, rising to clear the dishes. He rose, as well, to help her.
"Yes. I…I don't feel right living here, endangering this village, without helping them in return. You know that."
"I agree. I just wish…I don't know. I wish there were some way you could help them without leaving. But it's alright, don't worry. Come on—let's spend the rest of the day outside! It's such a nice day!"
Let this be our prayer,
When shadows fill our day,
They walked out together, arm in arm, and were warmly greeted by a group of women heading to the beach to help sort through the catch of the day. A few of them complimented on how sweet they looked together; the women waved and moved on.
A cloud passed over the sun.
"Desians!" came the warning cry. They looked at each other, horribly frightened. A man ran up to them, a carving knife held tightly in one hand.
"Kratos! Anna! You must hide!" he said warningly. They nodded, turning for their house. "No, not in there! Somewhere…else! You must disguise yourselves!"
"Disguise ourselves?" she asked, and the man nodded.
"Yes. Alter your appearances. …Here." The man took hold of her hair and in one quick motion sliced the long braid away, leaving chin-length brown tresses behind. She cried out, and the man offered her an apologetic look.
"Kratos!" He put his arms around her protectively, snatching her shorn braid from the man and glaring at him.
"Come, Anna. He is right; we must hide. Go with him, pretend you are his wife." It hurt him terribly to say those things, to see her so stricken and upset. But it had to be done. The Desians would not, could not, find them.
"My Exsphere!" she whispered fiercely, touching the ornament at her throat lightly.
"You can hide it in his house. Go, Anna!" They fled; he turned and hurried the other way, disappearing behind their house and extending his wings. He flew off a little way, into the forest, careful not to be seen or to rise above the tree line, Noishe running beside him. And there he waited.
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with your grace,
Give us faith so we'll be safe.
The baby was born on an early autumn evening; it was a boy. They named him Lloyd, and they cherished him. The people of Izoold marveled at his resemblance to both his parents, often coming by to visit with food or simple company.
"We have to leave Izoold, Kratos." It was a few weeks after the child's birth. "We can't endanger these people any more than we already have."
"Where else can we go, Anna?" he asked in reply, looking down at the sleeping baby in his arms.
"We could cross back over, return to Triet."
"The desert is no place to raise a child."
"So what, then? We just start running? We raise Lloyd on the move?"
"I don't think we have much of a choice. Last time was too close a call, with the Desians coming here. I thought I would lose you." He reached out his free hand and gently took hold of some of her hair. Even so much later, it had barely passed her shoulders.
"We can go to Asgard! Kvar would never suspect us to get so close. Or Luin, even…it's my home, after all."
He considered this for a very long time, looking down at the angelic face of his son as he did so. Finally he sighed.
"Alright. We'll go to Luin. But at the first sign of trouble, we're leaving again."
"Of course, Kratos. …I love you."
"I love you too…my Anna." Leaning over, he kissed her.
We ask that life be kind,
And watch us from above,
They had made it; the long trip to Luin was over. She was sleeping peacefully in their new bed, in their new house; he stood on the roof, holding his child in his arms.
"Look, Lloyd," he whispered to the boy. "Those are the stars. Long ago, when people first saw the stars, they saw pictures made within them. Every night there are stars, Lloyd, whether they're visible or not. Their light is always there for you."
The baby squirmed a bit in his arms, and then was still, though not asleep—his brown eyes met his father's, and he sensed in his child's eyes a deeper intelligence than he could ever know. A deeper innocence.
"When I look at the stars," he went on, still in his soft whisper, "I see myself in my past, looking at those very same stars. I see you in the future, looking at those same stars. They are our connection to the past and the future, Lloyd."
The baby was asleep now, so they went back inside. Placing his son in the crib, he joined his wife in their bed, finally feeling able to fall asleep.
"What were you and Lloyd talking about, Kratos?" she asked sleepily.
"Nothing, really. It was a one-sided conversation." He kissed her lightly. "Good night, Anna. Sleep well."
"Sweet dreams, my angel," she whispered back, closing her eyes again. He watched her for a while, until he was far too tired to be able to watch her any more. Moonlight slanted in through the window, dancing across the floor and up the far wall.
Father, mother and son slept peacefully in their attic bedroom in Luin.
We pray each soul will find
Another soul to love.
"Lloyd! Lloyd, get back here! Stop tormenting those poor animals!" The boy, two years old and still a bit unbalanced on his feet, was running after the neighbor's chickens again, laughing as feathers whirled up about him.
"Like Daddy!" he laughed, running over to cling to his mother's skirt again. She laughed and picked him up, kissing him lightly on his nose before setting him down again.
"Go get Daddy from the bedroom and tell him breakfast is ready," she told him, then turned to watch her son climb and pull his way up the stairs. She smiled, returning to their small kitchen and setting the three plates, loaded with food, for her family.
"Bekfast time!" came her son's gleeful shout, and she heard his father laugh. More and more as the child grew, both of them had learned to laugh. The fear of Desians seemed far behind them now, especially here in the tucked-away village of Iselia.
"I hear it's time to eat?" He came into the kitchen with his son on his shoulders, and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. She giggled, taking her son from his shoulders and placing him in his chair.
"It is, yes. Get to it already!" she laughed, gently pushing her husband into his chair. "If you don't, I might just be hungry enough to eat yours too!"
"Well then I'd best eat quickly," he joked back. "After all, I wouldn't want my son to see his mother eat that way, and learn to eat so much himself."
"Kratos! Behave!" she laughed, sitting down to her own meal. "Lloyd, eat your food, don't throw it."
Let this be our prayer,
Just like every child
Needs to find a place,
He stood on the roof of a house in Iselia, with his son on his shoulders. Both of them had their gazed trained on the night sky.
"What's up there, Lloyd?" he asked.
"Stars," his son replied confidently.
"How many?"
"Dunno. Lots." The boy tugged on a fistful of his father's hair.
"Ouch! Stop that, you. Do you remember about the stars?"
"Yes Daddy. Spirita, Midos, Mardel, Great Three."
"Great Tree," he corrected gently, smiling. "And yes, those are some of the constellations."
"Constations."
"Right. Anything else?"
"Daddy looks at the stars every night," the child said with a giggle, tugging his father's hair again. "Right after he doesn't eat sketti."
"I don't care for spaghetti."
"Me too. 'Matos are yucky!" The boy made a face, but his father couldn't see it. "Daddy?"
"Yes, Lloyd?"
"Why Mommy call you Kraddos?"
"Kratos is my name, like Lloyd is your name."
"Nuh-uh. Your name Daddy, and Mommy is Mommy. And Noshy is Noshy," he added, recalling his ungainly pet. "Noshy is fuzzy, too. Fuzzy like Daddy's hair."
"My hair is not fuzzy!" But he laughed, and his son laughed with him, shrieking giggles that filled the night air with their uninhibited joy.
She stood inside the house, listening to her husband and son enjoy their night together. Smiling out at the crescent moon, she hummed softly to herself before getting into bed.
Guide us with your grace,
Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this, except the plot of the story. The Prayer is a very beautiful song, sung by Josh Groban. ToS is owned by Namco. End of story.