Chapter 3: The Maidens' hymn

Written by Spiritblade

4 points there are to the cross, And so 4 will form the very sigil in which the Defender is crucified. A holy number, A sacred number, One that encompasses the 4 elements to a central heart, And one that promises stability even as the number is lessened singly.

4 maidens there are, and to each, a dominion in the starlight.

The first is the fallen angel princess.

She who is crimson of hair, and azure of eye,

She who yearns to be the burning heart of the man that claims her.

Who yearns for love and acceptance ever as she, by her own hand,

Ruins that she desires above all else.

It is this sad, fallen maiden who shall manipulate the Defender,

And who is manipulated in turn.

Under Heaven's darkened light,

She who sought vengeance to use him as her tool,

Soon discovers that it is she,

Who is soon to become the fool.

Midnight under the desert skies, the stars and moon above,

What was once vengeance, finally becomes love.

'He will protect me,' the fallen angel whispers,

'The fate that befell my father shall not befall me. I know, because he is protecting me.'

But, what she whispers near the end is but a pathway that is made in her faith in him,

'Fear not, my Defender, for my heart will protect yours.'

Pave a pathway in the stars, shining bright as tears shed,

As crimson as blood that is bled.

'I will mark your life with my own, and that with your light, I will emerge from the dark.

'A moment in eternity, my love, is still eternity. But if the fates decree it so…

'I want it to be forever.'

Second amongst the 4 is the Paladin of the Unconquered Sun.

She who is of golden hair and tawny eyes.

She who stands amongst the endless desert, as unconquered as the desert itself,

And who is as a lioness in mortal flesh.

Who beneath her warrior's garb, sleeps a Princess who reigns over a nation that

Seeks a path few dare to follow.

It is she who will bring courage to the Defender,

Who is her yin to her yang.

Diametric opposites who attract one another, who find comfort in a touch

That knows every pain, and understands every tear.

She who fights for ideals,

Soon finds that ideals cannot protect nor resurrect those that fall.

That, in hearing one side of the story, is akin to hearing it not at all.

She will see war's most horrifying side, and understand its madness.

She will see and meet the Defender's brother, and bear witness to the clash the two brothers had.

The crimson scarlet the Horseman wears, is not the red of blood, nor the crimson of victory,

But it is the scarlet of a rising sun that burns like a funeral pyre.

When her nation falls, when she finds that the love she had hopes to make real fades,

When she sees that to stand for one's ideals may well mean laying everything on the altar,

Is the succession complete.

'For,' she will ask, 'where is the right and wrong in a war when all are wrong?

'We are blinded by our own hate, by our own ignorance, and by our refusal to forgive.

'When this war ends, can we hope to prevent another?'

But, even so, the Lioness hopes to see it happen.

Even as her warriors understand the weight of that dream, and the cost of making it so.

Third in the sacred four is the Star Princess.

She whose hair is the pink of a virgin dawn, and whose eyes are the cool warmth of the oceans.

She whose voice brings warmth and comfort, and whose

Heart can match the fiery sun, bringing warmth even as it burns.

Like fire in the coldest winter night, it is she that brings warmth, and hope,

To the Defender who is lost.

She tells him not to be shamed by his tears.

She whispers to him that it is all right to be weak.

She sings to him, echoing a paean of hope and courage.

To have strength of heart and spirit is a virtue of those who choose their fate,

And when the path is chosen, to see it through.

'Light my way, my Defender, and spread your wings.

'Bring hope to those who have lost it.

'Bring Freedom to those all who deserve it.

'Let your cry echo to the farthest end of the galaxy. Let all know that humanity still has her heroes.'

Much is sacrificed on the Star Princess's part.

But, to her, what is fame and fortune?

What is privilege?

What is wealth?

None of these matter to her. The Defender that flies out on his seraphic wings

To defend a race that has lost itself to in its own hate.

She is the one she prays for.

Because when Armageddon ends, the scars that he has on his broken soul,

Will need to be held by hands that know the story behind each one.

Last, but not least, is the Ice Princess.

She who is as fallen as the Fallen Angel princess herself.

Why is she here, you ask, where her paean is that of a warrior's anthem?

She is here because she has also made a choice in the passing.

'I chose duty over righteousness.'

Those words echo her every action.

Duty is a fine virtue, but is duty righteous?

Open your eyes and see.

Only you can define righteousness.

Duty at the behest of evil men can make it evil.

How many monsters has Holy Terra borne in her embrace that did evil in the name of duty?

But, a question that becomes a hope, can lead to redemption.

It began in the Star City, and will end in the Star Ocean.

'His eyes are bright as starlight,' the Ice Princess whispers softly in her passing,

'I have made my mistakes, and I regret making them.

'But, when I see those eyes again, I have faith in myself enough to know that I can be whole again.

'Yes, whole…and forgiven.'

Yes, only you can define righteousness.

Only you can define duty.

Never let one blind you to the other.

Cruel decisions are asked to be made, and if it comes to it, know that the consequences are yours to bear.