'Tis me again! Wow, I really have taken my attention from 'Animus'! I have no intention of letting any of my projects go to waste, but I'm surprised by the sudden burst of attention I have placed on this project. I know many authors post a lot of chapters in a short amount of time, and none of their readers have expressed frustration, but I hope I'm not causing too much trouble. My schedule is clear at the moment, which is why I have so much time to create new entries...but if frequent updating is an inconvenience, please let me know. I know of one reviewer that has no problem with frequent posting, but if there are others with complaints, please speak and I'll direct my attention elsewhere for a minute.
I treat all of my fics like children-and I'm so proud of them all! The RoyxMarth has become quite a phenomenon to me, which explains my frequent posting for 'Aeturnitas'. Once again, if this is an inconvenience, please forgive my enthusiasm and let me know!
I'm proud to announce the latest entry of 'Aeturnitas': 'Angel'! Please enjoy my creation!
Theme of 'Angel': 'Rain and Storm' and 'Fake Wings' from .hack/sign, 'Hindi Sad Diamonds' from Moulin Rouge
It was quiet.
Time was making its usual course, but it seemed to be frozen...it seemed to be frozen in the very stream of life. The passage of time brought about no changes to the heavens, and it brought no relief to a certain young heart. The skies refused to shake off their dark silhouettes-the heavens seemed to be content with their current appearance. Many souls weren't pleased with their decision, for those hearts were drowning in the night's darkness...but the skies were unwilling to cast off their aura. The heavens were perfectly aware of the uneasiness, but for some reason...they weren't willing to alter themselves. They knew destiny had to take its course, and they had no desire to interfere with that course...there was no desire to bring in the interference of mortals either.
The throne room was saturated in the cloak of black silence. Time was passing, but it was bringing about no relief. It was cold, maddeningly cold...and there was no end to the dark tunnel. The guardian of the throne room still had his eyes focused on the white blankets of serenity...even though there wasn't a scrap of tranquility in his heart. His throne room was cold, and his body was no different-even his fingers were as cold as ice. The darkness was a reflection of his heart, for his heart was drowning in the vault of perpetual sorrow.
He wanted comfort-no, that wasn't right. He needed comfort.
And he needed it from a certain source...
But that source was the source of his pain.
Thoughts of tender embraces were streaming through his mind...and his heart.
Thoughts of sweet kisses, warm promises and passionate caresses were flowing through his cold, broken heart...and each thought strengthened the cold silence.
The warm, soft kisses he had received brought themselves back to reality...all of them fell back onto the inches of his body as invigorating, seductive whispers. His dreams, his memories...every soft, passionate caress melted into his soul and increased his thirst for comfort. The gentle whispers of his angel drifted into his ears...and each whisper caused him to shiver. He wanted the warmth of soft kisses to flow onto his body...he wanted the delicate melody of profound vows to drift into his ears...he wanted it...he wanted it all...
A bolt of pain cut right through him. He wanted everything, but deserved nothing. His soul mate was an angel, a beautiful, immaculate angel...an angel that loved him, cherished him, dreamt of him...
He deserved none of it.
The oceans of pain just wouldn't stop. His heart tore itself to shreds, for there was a conflict raging within him. He wanted the arms of his beloved angel to fall about him, but at the same time, he wanted to break off the bond they shared-a filthy mortal had no right to taint the body of an angel. Alteans were sacred, empyrean beings-everyone knew that. Infants knew it, the oldest men knew it-it was basic knowledge. No other Altean had given his heart to a mortal...and no other Altean had given his heart to a member of the same sex. One could easily say that something was wrong with Marth. Something was wrong with his mind, his heart...
The end of the Altean race was going to fall on Marth's hands...
And it was because of some stupid mortal.
He wanted to see him. His chest was burning, yet his body was so cold and lonely...he wanted to be near him, wanted to feel him...
But at the same time, he wanted to cast Marth off into oblivion.
The memories refused to stop. He couldn't tear his mind away from Marth's smiles, his innocent, bewitching voice, the embraces...the promises...the kisses...
"Oh gods..."
Tears wrenched themselves out of his eyes, and they brought him to his knees. The pain wouldn't stop-it continued to grow even further in the pit of his heart. Fiery sorrow erupted in his chest, and caused it to burn with incomprehensible pain...even though his body was craving the warmth of light. The conflict brewing within him was too much to bear-there were so many things he wanted to do all at once. He wanted Marth to hold him...he wanted to cast his angel into an abyss...he wanted to tear himself apart...
He was selfish. A filthy, selfish mortal.
He had no right to crave the warmth of an Altean so much. He had no right to want anything from Marth.
Everything was all wrong.
It was all so right...yet so wrong at the same time...
"Roy?"
His heart sank with excruciating speed.
Blood drained itself from his face, and his entire body became as rigid as ice.
He couldn't turn to face the speaker-the speaker's identity had robbed his body of strength. He couldn't move an inch...his heart ceased its beating...his cold legs turned to jelly...
The heavens had answered his selfish desires.
They had returned his angel to him-the Altean was standing in the doorway, bearing a look that was quite similar to Allen's, but his confusion was radiant with the innocence of a sweet, affectionate...
Lover.
Marth's eyes were eternal heavens of iridescent light. They were shining like candleflames of the night...and they were shining with the aura of gentle concern. His gems had been crafted in the hands of angels-they were pristine, rich and deep gems that shamed every scrap of gold in existence. Wisps of his hair were elegantly resting on his face, and each wisp had a beauteous glow to it...an aura that had the power to entrance anyone. His very physique was enough to bewitch anyone, and his voice was the perfect tool for hypnotism-it was gentle, sweet, and unbelievably seductive...
"Are you...are you all right?"
The frown on Marth's face brought even more tears into Roy's eyes. The Altean had missed him-he had missed him badly. He looked so sad...so torn and confused...he looked as if he had just committed the worst sin imaginable...
In Roy's eyes, he was committing the worst sin imaginable.
He didn't want to look at him...didn't want to even hear his voice...
Marth had the eyes of the most innocent child...and he looked like he had just broken a precious treasure...
"We dwell within the same kingdom, but...I felt so distant from you today. I fear that you are angry with me."
A million responses flashed in Roy's mind, but only one made it to the surface. He found the strength to rise and face Marth...even though the desire to turn away was indescribably strong...
"I'm not angry with you, dear heart. I'm sorry. I guess...I'm just...a little apprehensive about the trip."
The frown on the Altean's face became even deeper, and the sadness within his eyes deepened. The luminosity of the snow brought a warm, ethereal radiance to his face...his eyes became celestial, incandescent oceans of light...
"Do you not wish to go?"
"Of course I want to go!"
A wave of pure, unbridled happiness broke out within Roy's heart...and it dominated the waves of sorrow. The domination was only temporary, but it was strong enough to bring a small beam of light into his tunnel. He placed his hands on Marth's shoulders and shook him, his eyes shining with infinite love. He could still feel a cauldron of pain brewing within him...but he loved his angel dearly...and had no desire to bring him any kind of pain...
"I want to go on this trip more than anything! I...I think it'll be...wonderful."
Cascades of starlight fell into Marth's eyes, but small winds of sadness kept themselves intact. He took his soul mate's hands and gently squeezed them, his eyes bearing a beauteous blend of tension and passionate warmth. "Then what's troubling you?" he asked him softly, his eyes gleaming like diamonds in the night. "Please tell me."
The cauldron became hotter and hotter...
Roy wanted to tear his hands away...he wanted to break away from him...
I can't...I just can't...I...
The frown returned to Marth's face...he looked so sad, so worried...
"I guess...I...I...just..."
Passion...bliss...sorrow...hunger...
All of those filled his heart...and caused it to explode...
"I...no longer know...how to express myself to you. My feelings have you have become so strong...they're indescribable. I love you...but...I just don't...know how to let you know..."
The Altean brought him into another tender embrace...and caressed the lips of his soul mate with his own. A tidal wave of bliss soared through the mortal's body, and warmed it with immeasurable tranquility...as the lips of his angel melted into his soul. The kiss was a hungry, fervent one...but at the same time, it was the sweetest, most delicate embrace of all...
It was beautiful, sweet and golden...like a river of honey...
The burdens of Roy's world crumbled, and made a transition into silence. His name, his title...the responsibilities of the crown...everything drifted away from him and descended into oblivion. The winds of reality slowly untied themselves from his soul...and they fell into the endless halls of insignificance. Crystal white wings transcended from his soul mate's heart and wrapped themselves around him, glimmering in the moonlight like beams of a childlike fantasy. Whispers drifted into his ears...and each delicate whisper created an explosion of sunlight in his heart. Gentle hands caressed and squeezed every inch of his body...as his angel's forehead brushed against his...as his angel's lips melted into his...and made him forget everything...
The room became a thousand times warmer. The whole world became warmer.
He could hear his name, even though he felt as if it weren't even attached to him. It was falling into his heart, over and over again...as soft whispers of a silent, endless night...
His angel was gentle and caring...affectionate and passionate...
Roy was a fragile feather, a sacred song that glimmered with the light of pure love...
But the feather saw himself as a filthy, lowly mortal.
Sorrow erupted in Roy's heart, and it resumed its place as the most dominant force. He gently broke out of his soul mate's embrace...unable to restrain oceans of bitter sadness. Confusion returned to Marth's eyes, and caused him to speak.
"What's wrong?"
He placed a hand on Roy's cheek, kissed his forehead and rubbed the side of his face. He looked like his heart was about to break-it was almost too hard to look at him...
"I'm exhausted, dear heart."
"Then let us-"
Roy's response came instantly.
"No. Please...I'd like to be alone tonight. I have a lot of thinking to do, dear one...and..."
A warm, vibrant smile fell onto the Sovereign's face. It was a smile of transcending sunlight...a smile that would be forever remembered by the angel looking upon it. Unfortunately, the Altean was unable to detect the melody of sorrow within his soul mate's smile. "...you can't be around me." Roy continued, teasing him the way a parent would tease an excited child. His old spark returned to him...even though he still felt like tearing himself apart. Marth had the role of the child-even though excitement wasn't the only emotion present. A golden treasure was right in front of him, but he was unable to hold it throughout the night-it just didn't seem fair.
"I need to think of a suitable Christmas gift for you. You can't be around me, unless you want me to toss off the element of surprise. I need some time to myself anyway-I think I'm allergic to you."
Golden happiness broke out in the Altean's eyes. His soul mate was teasing him-he was no different from a playful sibling...a benevolent brother. Their relationship consisted of passion, brotherly devotion and friendship-it was strange, yet beautifully breathtaking.
"You're allergic to me? Well, excuse me! I think I'll take my leave, so you can cure yourself!"
"You do that! I'll be ready for you at the break of dawn, though, so be prepared! We've got a nice journey ahead of us!"
Marth began his departure, but brought it to a temporary halt as soon as he thought of something. "Roy," he asked gently. "are you sure we should bring Wolt with us? I've heard that he's allergic to sea travel-"
"Oh come now-those rumors are all nonsense. He'll be fine! You can't believe everything you hear, now can you? Off with you!"
Before Marth vanished into the silent night, he gave his soul mate one last smile of tranquility. After his departure, the throne room doors closed...and the Sovereign of Pharae was left to himself once again. Sadness removed the emotions that were so close to him several minutes ago...
A heavy sigh fell from his lips...and drifted into the cold, silent air.
I'm glad I was able to evade him.
I can't pretend much longer though...I can't keep this up.
What I'm doing is blasphemous. He deserves someone else-
He deserves another angel.
Morning arrived in the world of Pharae, and showered the world with cascades of sunlight. The residents of the world embraced the new day, and continued their preparations for grand Christmas celebrations. Families took the hands of their loved ones, lovers happily took themselves into embraces of unconditional bliss...the world was at peace, and the peace was beautiful.
Snow was still falling upon Pharae, and its descent was miraculously serene. Each drop of snow seemed to have a smile about it, and each smile was slowly making its way into the hearts of children, men and women. The harbor of Pharae was drenched in the same resplendent sunlight-it was a place of invigorating activity, and snowdrops were smiling upon the harbor's visitors.
The waves of the crystal blue ocean seemed to have smiles about them as well. They seemed to be laughing with bliss, for the sounds they created were dulcet, translucent sounds. Two boats were resting at the harbor, and one of them was being prepared for an adventure-the ship's maintenance crew was hurriedly carrying out their last preparations.
"Secure every inch of her! Lord Roy and his companions don't need anything to sink on them!"
"Give one last check to the stern and we'll be finished! Move yourselves now, come on!"
Time flashed by in the blink of an eye. The preparations were swiftly completed, in almost no time at all. The waves celebrated the completion of the preparations by strengthening their melodies...they released their translucent songs to the heavens above. The crew placed themselves in front of the ship, and all of them patiently waited for the arrival of their guests...
They didn't have to wait too long.
"Hello there, men! How are we this fine morning?"
That jovial voice belonged to Allen. He was at the head of the pack-Roy and Wolt were side by side, right behind Allen...and Marth was close behind. Smiles were abundant within both groups, even though one smile was hanging on by a thread. The captain of the crew greeted all of them with a wave, and then spoke to Roy...who was happy to be away from Marth, even if they were only a few feet away from each other.
"Well, top of the morning to you, Your Highness! It's nice to see that you and your companions are well!"
"I'm not too sure about that." he replied, nudging him in the chest. "Two of my companions are suffering from fits of head trauma."
The captain narrowed his eyes at Roy in confusion, but his response was instantly cut off by Wolt. The archer shoved his sovereign roughly, trying his hardest to restrain laughter. "What was that supposed to mean, Your Majesty?" he demanded, failing to sound angry. Roy frowned at him innocently, looking like a child that had just been accused of a crime.
"I believe the two of you were speaking of conquering Charon just a short while ago."
"Those two couldn't conquer a small village, Your Eminence."
Those words, of course, were Soren's. Roy's advisor was skimming through the pages of his faithful book, and he bore the aura of a calm, solemn schoolteacher. He was an individual that grinned whenever two clowns decided to parade around-he kept most of his smiles to himself.
"If those two ever manage to gain control over anything, I'll flee from this planet and discover a new haven."
The kindhearted Wolt nudged Soren in the chest, bearing a warm grin about his face. "Soren, I thought we told you to leave your book behind!" he scolded him playfully, but received no attention from the young advisor. Allen roughly turned him away from the solemn, duteous advisor and scolded him the way a mother scolded a child.
"Leave him alone. Soren is Lord Roy's advisor, in case you've forgotten! Now get on the boat!"
Wolt had no choice-Allen dragged him onto the boat before he could say another word. The remnants of the group exchanged glances of disapproval with each other, but the only true look of disapproval belonged to Soren. The captain of the crew placed a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder and sighed, shaking his head as if he were a disgusted father.
"'Tis a shame, milord. A horrible shame."
Roy gave the captain a smile that sent Marth into a trance.
"I know. Thank you!"
"On with the rest of you. We have a long trip ahead of us, and we want to get all of you there as soon as possible! I've heard that Charon has a lovely star show goin' on a night this time of year-'twould be a shame to miss that!"
Soren, Roy and Marth followed the crew onto the vessel...each of them carrying their own thoughts and emotions. Soren was holding onto his book for dear life-his grip on it was tighter than usual. Roy was carrying another deceptive smile...and Marth was still hypnotized by the smile he had just seen.
Wolt was lost in his own world-in other words, he was no different from a child wandering through a playland. Allen was usually in the world of his friend, but the new day separated his path from Wolt's. He and Soren were walking among the same darkness, even though they were unaware of each other's presence...
"Smell that fresh ocean air! I wonder if we'll see schools of fish break through the surface!"
"You'll see a lot of fish if you keep your current attitude, Wolt. Now simmer down! You're acting as if you've been turned into a child!"
Which was strange, because Wolt was usually shy and soft...
"Wow. We're going to have ourselves a ball before we even reach Charon! I'll tell all of you the stories about my grandfather and great-great-great grandfather, and how they all-"
"You'll be talking to yourself after the first three sentences, Wolt..."
"Allen, aren't you supposed to be my friend?"
"Leave Allen alone. Besides, I don't think we'll have enough time to hear the stories of your ancestors-humans can only live for a certain amount of time..."
"Your Highness, you can be really snappy when you put your mind to it!"
"Well, thank you! My father used to say something along those lines! You don't know how happy you've made me!"
Wolt growled at him and turned away, his face burning in playful frustration.
Soren and Allen placed their eyes on Marth, who looked as if he had been struck by an entire quiver of Cupid's arrows. The two of them exchanged fearful glances with each other...
"I think this side of him is rather attractive. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he's trying to enchant everyone that looks upon him."
Those words produced a variety of reactions.
Roy choked on a blend of anger and sorrow-
Soren and Allen saw their Sovereign's reaction and exchanged more glances with each other.
Wolt smiled warmly at the Altean, bearing the look of an envious brother about his eyes.
Roy wanted to throw Marth off the boat.
Allen nudged Soren in the ribs and spoke to him, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes were no longer filled with sunlight-the winds of apprehension were flowing through them. "Soren," he said worriedly. "something's not right here. Unless I'm going senile, I believe Lord Roy's trying to keep his distance from Marth."
"You aren't 'going senile', Allen. Something isn't right. I just wish I knew how to bring an end to that something."
Wolt ignited a small conversation with Marth, which left Roy to memories of the previous night.
The embrace...the soft words...the kiss...the smiles...
He wanted to explode...and that fact was evident. It was stamped all over his face.
Marth broke off his conversation with Wolt as soon as he noticed the look of anguish on Roy's face. His soul mate looked like he was suffocating...
"Mei-tya?"
Beloved heart?
"What is it? Did my words offend you?"
"Lord Roy, you look as though you've consumed a gallon of lemon juice! Marth's words couldn't have bothered you-they wouldn't have bothered me! I'd give my life to be in your position!"
The desire to use his blade on Marth developed in the manner of a wildfire.
The desire to use it on himself was even stronger.
"Nothing's wrong-I just brought up a strange dream, that's all. No need for alarm!"
Confusion broke out on Marth's face...and thoughts of yesterday's altercation resurfaced in his mind...
"I don't believe I deserve you!"
"I don't agree with you at all!"
Roy's behavior went through a drastic change after that incident...
And the changes were making themselves apparent.
I've done something to hurt you...haven't I...
"All right-it's time for liftoff! All hands on deck!"
The sails of the ship met the light of the new day...orders penetrated the golden tranquility...
The journey had begun.
Wolt was lost in the serenity of the morning, and in the thrill of a new adventure. Allen, Marth and Soren were trapped in the same world of uncertainty-the Altean had taken a place at Soren's side, and all three of them struggled to find their way out of endless confusion. Roy had taken a place at the captain's side-it was the duty of the Sovereign to secure the safety of the ship...
The skies were bright with vivacity...
And they weren't going to be bright again...for a very long time.
"He's on his way, Riev. I can hardly wait! He's practically broken already-when he arrives I'll just finish him off...and take Marth for myself! That angel will finally be mine-I'll finally have the one I've wanted for so long!"
-Long entry. It's like I've stated before: my enthusiasm for this is EXTREMELY high. The Moulin Rouge soundtrack makes a good accompaniment to an angsty love story! I apologize for the length of this entry, but I hope you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed creating it.
The next entry will mark the arrival of our heroes in Charon, and Hardin's opportunity will rise to the surface. Please stay tuned, and THANK YOU FOR ENJOYING MY WIDDLE CREATION OF LOVE! Take care, happy trails and happy reading!