NaokiX checking in! Welcome to the newest chapter of 'Angel'! We're at the finale! Please enjoy yourselves!
Lovey-wovey wove wove wove-I've read too many Pita-Ten books...and I'm in such a sappy mood! I'm ready to eat up LOTS AND LOTS of sappy love fics!
Please enjoy my little masterpiece!
Theme of 'Finale': 'Wandering' of Final Fantasy X, 'Macalania Woods' of Final Fantasy X-2. Song used to accompany Roy's return: 'Memory' of Final Fantasy X-2. Please note that Wolt's soul mate and Arcadia are my original creations.
Dawn arrived in Charon silently, perfectly aware of the sorrow flowing through the air. The arrival of dawn was usually a jubilant celebration of sunlight, but this arrival was quite different from the others. Morning's song came in the form of a dirge; slow, sorrowful and heavy with excruciating tension. The advent of dawn came with no form of celebration; not a single bird greeted the morning, and the skies took on sorrowful shades of incandescent grief. Silvery white clouds rose from the depths of dark slumber, and accompanied the time of mourning.
The residents of Charon didn't greet the morning with their usual exuberance. The warmhearted, vivacious inhabitants were locked in a spell that continued their peaceful slumber; the heavens were holding a ceremony, and so the world of reality needed to be held in its place. It was as if all time had come to an end. Everything was drenched in eternal silence-even the winds themselves were cold and silent. The entire world seemed to be locked in a silent spell of eternity; not a single sound could be heard. Footsteps, bird cries...not a single sound could be detected.
Only four individuals were spared from the spell, and they were the ones that had witnessed the completion of the ancient prophecies. One individual was lost in deep, mournful slumber, but it was a realm of silence he could awaken from. He and his companions were in the haven they had chosen for their vacation time, and none of them were able to enjoy the peaceful beauty Charon had to offer. The one lost in sorrowful slumber was none other the Lord of Pharae; he had spent the entire night drenched in unbreakable pain, and now he was sleeping under a blanket of black torment. His companions tried their hardest to comfort him, but their attempts crumbled as soon as they began, for their sovereign's pain was just too great to endure. He spent the entire night as an inconsolable, heartbroken soul; he was no different from a child that had been torn from his one and only lifeline.
Soren, Wolt and Allen had spent the night at Roy's side, but now they were right outside the door. The desire for communication had developed within their sleepless, excruciating night, and so they decided to take themselves away from their fragile sovereign for a while. They were drenched in silence, but the desire to speak was intensely strong-their silence wouldn't hold up much longer. Soren was dangerously close to falling apart; the normally calm sovereign was trembling with rivers of tears. Wolt had the aura of a heartbroken father about him; it was as if he had his only child stolen from him, and there was nothing he could do to remedy that problem. Allen bore the sorrow of a helpless, frustrated brother-he knew he was unable to heal his sovereign's heart, and he hated being helpless.
Twenty minutes passed between them, then Allen softly shattered the silence. The mere quality of his voice strengthened his frustration; it was shaky and fragile, which meant that he was feeling as helpless as an infant.
"Well, it looks like we're at a dead end. Marth's gone...and there's nothing we can do. Some vacation this turned out to be. I've had better ones."
Wolt was no different from a dam that was about to explode. His voice was even more fragile than Allen's, and it was obvious that he had spent the entire night literally drowning in sorrow. "I feel as though my heart has been torn from its imprisonment!" he cried out, feeling his heart swell with frustration. "Our beloved sovereign just had his soul torn from him, and there's nothing we can do to help him! Marth meant so much to him...and now he's gone! Damn that blast prophecy! Damn everything!"
The level of Wolt's sorrow surprised Allen, and increased the sadness flowing through the paladin's heart. Wolt was normally cheerful, comical and upbeat, but now he was held in the grip of massive sadness. The archer's eyes were swollen with tears of helplessness, sorrow and confusion-it was as if he had lost his soul mate. The paladin placed both of his hands on Wolt's shoulders, wanting to comfort the friend he had come to love more than anything.
"Now hold on a minute-"
The comfort of a friend failed to soften the archer's sorrow. Wolt pulled away from his best friend angrily, feeling his entire body swell with frustration and wrath. Tears tore themselves from his eyes, each one drawing itself with the ferocity of a lion's claws. The volume of his voice soared to a heart-rending level-watching him was almost too painful.
"Nothing you say can change the way I feel! Yes, I know how sacred the prophecies are, but our friend is in pain! He's lost and broken thanks to those STUPID prophecies! Marth was EVERYTHING to him, and now he's GONE! We were all with him last night, Allen! You heard everything! Our lord, the Sovereign of Pharae, was in TEARS! I always pictured our lord as a strong beacon, but last night my image of him shattered!"
The young advisor looked in the wrathful archer's eyes pleadingly, and raised a finger to his lips. The ability to speak was almost foreign to him, for every ounce of strength had been drained from his body...and oceans were soaking his soul to the core...but somehow he managed to speak.
"Wolt, I understand your feelings, but you must lower your voice, my friend."
His attempt to soften the archer's wrath served a purpose, but it wasn't the purpose it was meant to serve. His storm of fury continued...and a certain sovereign continued to listen.
"Lord Roy was always a strong rock of guidance for us! He never broke down ONCE in the past! No matter what happened, he always had a smile on his face! NOW look at him! His heart's broken, and it's all because of that damned prophecy! I hope the gods can forgive me, but I wish the prophecy had never been fulfilled! Damn them all!"
The archer's hands rushed to his face...as his heart exploded with tears. His knees gave way, but his dearest friend caught him before he could fall to the cold ground. Silence returned to the trio, and filled all of their hearts with the deepest of sorrow. During the eternity of silence, Allen held his sobbing friend close to him, wanting to warm his shivering friend's body. Soren had the desire to comfort Wolt, but was unable to due so, for he was completely frozen by the sorrow flowing through his own body. The sadness flowing through him was so powerful that its depth was hard to comprehend. The advisor knew emotions held great power, but he had never before experienced the true depth of emotions.
His precious sovereign, the one that had stolen his heart, was lost in immense sorrow...and there was nothing...that could be done.
Silence tortured all of them for what felt like an eternity, then Wolt continued to speak. His voice was no longer at its painfully high volume-it was now as soft as Soren's, which made it even harder to listen to him. He had only broken down once before in his life, and so the explosions of sorrow were horrifically excruciating to him.
"I'm going to tell all of you something. Before I became one of Pharae's soldiers, I fell in love myself. My heart found a young maiden named Aela."
Allen gasped, and his eyes widened in shock. His dearest friend smiled at him warmly and nodded.
"That's right-I fell in love. It was love at first sight, my friend. I fell into her spell the second my eyes fell on her. I rescued her from a filthy band of thieves...during a hot summer day...and she immediately stole my heart. Unfortunately, she belonged to someone else-a bastard named Erion. She was his property, his plaything."
He shook his head, removing the desire to launch into mournful details. "There was something else too. She was a frail, delicate flower-she didn't have much strength within her. Her heart fell into my soul, but she was afraid to leave her slavemaster behind. I loved her...and she loved me...but...I was afraid. I was afraid to face Erion...for I was afraid that he'd hurt her for my attack. I feared him for another reason-I believed he was stronger than me. I hate to say this, but he was an amazing warrior...and I didn't think I had a chance against him. Aela and I were only able to spend one night together...but it was a night that held the magic...of a thousand eternities."
Right here his face took on a bright shade of red, and soft embarrassment shot into his eyes. He earned a warm smile from Soren, and a playful shove from Allen.
"Why you slick devil!"
Gentle laughter drew itself from Wolt's mouth, then he continued his tale.
"That's right. I know what it's like...to hold someone close to your heart. I know what it's like...to see your mate smile...to hear your mate's laugh...to feel the warmth of your mate's body against yours. I know what it's like...to be in a soulbond. The taste of your lover's skin is sweeter than the most glorious buttermilk...and it's enough to bring your soul to the greatest of ecstasy. The breath of your lover's heart is enough to shatter the tight ropes of reality...and it's powerful enough to thrust you into the deepest of dreams. The very sight of your soul mate's face is enough to brighten your entire year. I was only able to spend a short amount of time with Aela, but I learned so much about love...and I'll never forget anything I learned."
"What...happened to her?" Soren asked him gently, his eyes filled with sadness. The smile from Wolt's face transformed itself into a fragile, eternally sorrowful frown.
"I'm not going to launch into details, but here's the short side. Erion found out about our time together...and killed her. I found that out when he brought her body to me."
A ray of immortal pain shot into Wolt's heart and caused his heart to tighten.
"He took her from me...and I could have prevented the whole thing. I could have saved her...but I didn't. I failed her."
Oceans rose from his heart and into his eyes. He was dangerously close to breaking down again-his voice became hoarse, and he began to tremble violently...like a child that had been left out in the cold. "I know this is different. I know Marth wasn't killed or anything..it's just that...he's gone...and Roy's going through the very same thing I went through. It hurts...it hurts me to even think about the pain he's going through! I failed Aela, and now I've failed Roy! I swore to myself that I'd protect him, keep him safe and everything else...but his heart's in pieces and there's nothing I can do! I'm no good to anyone!"
Wolt's soul emitted a cry that shattered the hearts of his companions. The archer broke into tears, completely inconsolable...cold and sorrowful. Allen held his dearest friend close, sobbing right along with him...sharing his tears with him for the very first time. Soren joined in the embrace, sharing his cries with the ones he had come to love so much. The three of them spent an eternity drowning in sorrow...sobbing...
Five long eternities passed, then a gentle voice broke them out of their embrace and sent jolts of shock through their veins.
"Soren?"
All three of them broke apart from each other, driven by a turbulent jolt of disbelief. All of them jumped as if they had just seen the most horrific of ghosts...and Soren cried out the words that shot into the minds of his companions.
"My lord!"
The young sovereign of Pharae was right in front of them.
His eyes were moist, but they weren't filled with pain. They were radiant, warm gemstones of indescribable beauty...and their beauty equaled the beauty of his smile. It was one of his usual smiles; warm, nonchalant and playfully mischievous...but this smile held the ethereal warmth of happiness. His posture was the flawless posture of a proud, strong sovereign...and the flames of his heart were back in full force.
Their sovereign was back.
None of his companions were able to speak. None of them were even able to close their mouths.
After a moment of suspenseful silence, the sovereign spoke to his beloved advisor. His voice had its usual qualities; it was soft, gentle, roguish...and radiant with the beauty of the Principality accent. It was no longer hoarse, shaky or weak.
"Soren, please tell me something. A portal to the heavens has been found in the realm of Arcadia, am I correct?"
The ability to produce speech rushed back to the advisor turbulently. Seconds ago he was barely able to speak at all; now it was impossible for him to control the speed of his words.
"Well, y-yes, th-there is a portal in Arcadia, my lord, but it finding it would be impossible!"
"But it can be used, right?"
Soren, Wolt and Allen hurriedly exchanged glances with each other, unable to shake off the ocean of disbelief they were drowning in. Just moments ago they were lost in a world of sorrow, now they were confronting a new day. The advisor took a moment to catch his breath, feeling his heart explode with excitement.
"Sire, we can't possibly-it hasn't been-unlocking it would be immensely difficult! Making a descent into the Ethereal Kingdom would be NO easy task, my lord! No mortal has ever opened Arcadia's portal before!"
The reply he received from Roy caused his heart to soar through the roof.
"Well then, I guess I'll become the first."
Wolt and Allen exchanged glances of fervent tension with each other, but Soren almost threw himself through the roof. Ecstasy swept up the young one's soul and danced with it, causing him to fall into a bright utopia of unbridled bliss. The young one threw his arms about Roy and delivered the biggest kiss to his cheek, feeling his soul swell with the greatest pride and happiness.
"Your determination is bewitching, my lord! Your strength captured my heart, and it's so refreshing! You and I are going to do the IMPOSSIBLE!"
Wolt looked into Allen's face once again, his eyes radiant with excitement and confusion. The paladin looked into his beloved sovereign's face, his own eyes filled with both tension and confusion.
"Hold on! Time out! Just a few seconds ago you were heartbroken and inconsolable! Now we're on our way to Arcadia? What happened, my lord?"
Roy gave his paladin one of his warmest smiles, trying to ignore the barrage of kisses from his overjoyed advisor. "My father came to me in a dream last night." he explained softly. "He told me...that I shouldn't give up. My angel can be restored to me, with one wish. He said I could find a way to reach him in Arcadia."
Silence followed his explanation, and filled his eyes with both sadness and guilt.
"I'm truly sorry for the trouble I caused all of you."
Replies from his friends were instant and simultaneous.
"My lord, you shouldn't apologize for what occurred last night-"
"There's no need for you to feel guilty about anything-"
"You didn't do anything wrong-"
The sovereign laughed at his friends warmly, his eyes exuding indescribable warmth. "It's all right, my friends. I feel terrible about the pain I put all of you through, and so an apology was in order. I would like to thank all of you for standing by me, though. And Wolt?"
The sweet, tender confusion of a fragile child shot into the archer's eyes.
"Yes?"
What happened next took his breath away.
Roy embraced the archer happily, and held onto him as if there were no tomorrow. The childlike embrace surprised not only Wolt, but Soren and Allen as well. The sovereign's face was radiant with the brightest happiness; he looked as if he had just achieved his lifelong dreams. After he recovered from the initial shock, Wolt felt his eyes well up with even more tears...and a sob rose within his throat. The words his sovereign gave him caused his dam to break once again.
"My friend, you aren't useless. You're one the greatest friends anyone could ask for. I thank the heavens for blessing me with such a wonderful companion."
The desire to break into tears returned to Wolt, but he quickly restrained the desire by speaking.
"Wait a minute. You heard me?"
He received a cheeky, playful smile.
"Every word. I was wondering why we had such a strong connection in the temple-you really did understand everything I was feeling."
The archer's gentle features flushed with embarrassment...and happiness. He wiped rivers of tears from his eyes, feeling his body ache with the newborn explosion of relief. He had spent an eternity in sorrow; emerging from it was a painful yet refreshing process. The tie he had to his sovereign was even stronger than it was before; he could feel the strength of their newborn friendship throbbing in his soul. A radiant smile bloomed on the shy archer's face.
"My lord, I don't know what we're heading into, but let me say this. I'm going to do WHATEVER I can to help you in your quest. If I have to lay my life on the line for you, then I will gladly do so! We're going to get Marth back-I swear this to you before the gods themselves!"
"Yeah, then the two of you can have a real vacation." Allen added merrily, feeling his usual composure return. "One without prophecies and traditions."
"Do the two of you know what this means?"
"Oh no. Mr.'Everything's-so-exciting' has gone into another one of his fits." the paladin moaned playfully, earning a gentle shove from both of his companions.
"We're going to do something no mortal has ever attempted before! We're going straight into a place no mortal has ever dreamt of before! We're going to pull off something that transcends the boundaries of comprehension! We're going to get our sovereign's angel back!"
Luminous rays of sunlight flooded throughout the realm of Charon. Each ray gave birth to everlasting promises...and brought about the arrival of golden happiness. The world rose from its sorrowful slumber and embraced the new day, radiant with the newborn song of immeasurable bliss. A hymn of unbridled joy began its descent in the beauteous realm...as four souls began a new journey.
They had arrived in Charon with the desire for adventure.
Now they were about to fulfill their thirst for eternity.
Wolt, Allen, Soren and Roy laid their hands on top of each other, forming a circle performers usually created before their biggest performance. All of them exchanged smiles of eternal warmth, hope and love...and they spent an eternity in golden silence...then the Captain of Pharae's archer unit shattered the golden serenity with a song of newborn happiness.
"All right, dear friends! It looks like we're on our to Arcadia! May we be blessed with fortune during our quest! Marth, here we come!"
A resounding cheer pierced Charon's tranquility, and burned itself into the seams of the grand utopia. The four hearts rose into the skies of ecstasy...as a new path drew itself before them...and made itself clear in their eyes.
One adventure had come to an end.
Another one was about to begin.
I promised you I'd find you...
...and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
YEESSSHHH!
We're finally here, at the finish line! 'Angel' has reached its final stage!
After overcoming many obstacles, I have finally completed this work of love.
I would like to take this time thank everyone that supported me! I can barely put my appreciation into words, but I'll try my hardest. First off, I would like to thank two of my dearest friends; Anima and Tears of Ages. Both of you are not only precious reviewers, but treasured companions as well. My dear friend Anima is responsible for RoyxMarth masterpieces-they're all really wonderful.
I would like to thank the Lady Hikaru from creating her own epic masterpiece, one that's worthy of every award in history. She decided to honor me with her presence-I thank her for her support, and wish her the best of luck in future projects. I hope she writes another RoyxMarth fic...
Now, I would like to thank everyone for supporting the RoyxMarth couple, and other shounen-ai couples as well. I hope this story taught a valuable lesson. True love knows no boundaries, ages, or even genders-it can consume any pure heart, and bless the world of anyone that embraces it. I am now a supporter of 'shounen-ai', and will create even more shounen-ai fics in the future. I hope all you will check out my Gravitation fic (which is still untitled, wah)!
It's the end of 'Angel', but it's the beginning of another adventure! Will Roy and his companions actually pull off the impossible? Will the two lovers ever see each other again? Stay tuned!
Does this reek of Final Fantasy X-2 or what?
Thank you, all of you! May the bonds of pure love thrive forever!