Jugement du Ciel
See disclaimer in chapter 1
It was the music that woke Ein.
He and Ledah had been on the road for a few days already, heading for Heaven's Gate in what had to be record time. So far, they hadn't been sidetracked by anyone or anything (a definite first), and even demon attacks had been rare. The last time they'd had to travel this road, Riviera's demon population had still been quite prolific. Thanks in part to Serene's hard work, this was no longer so; the two angels had dealt with a few brigands and one wayward vampire, but that was it. The peace was beautiful, and Ein, who loved traveling, thought he would savor as much of it as he could.
They traveled fairly lightly, with a small tent and futon attached to Ein's pack (Ledah's wings made strapping anything to his own bags too unwieldy; he apologized frequently, but Ein demurred, replying in truth that thanks to all the work he'd done in Elendia, he barely felt the added weight) and a few changes of clothes in both of their supplies. Ledah was carrying most of the trail essentials—a little bit of jerked meat and dried fruit along with tinder, a few potions, and their joint purse. Every night when they found a campsite, they would place their Diviners outside in order to protect the area from intrusion, then set the tent, start a fire, eat, and unroll the futon in order to sleep, at least after they'd been well through with each other first. Ein and Ledah were well used to traveling, and even after an entire day of walking and hunting, they were rarely too tired for lovemaking.
As it was, the faint light through the tent's fabric led Ein to believe that it was only slightly past dawn; he usually slept a little later, as Ledah liked to wake early and get breakfast or tea ready, also using his early rising as a chance to perform his daily ablutions without being ambushed by Ein with his clothes off. Whenever that happened, Ein refused to let him get away until he'd been ravished against whatever was around for the wingless angel to pin his lover on. Ledah made an art of avoiding Ein in the morning, when his somewhat overenthusiastic lover was usually too sleepy to really think about where Ledah would go to stay safe from him. Excepting sex, Ein went to bed early and slept late, whereas Ledah's favorite times of day were often the early morning and late night.
A little disgruntled about being awakened so early, Ein rooted around for his loincloth and shorts, slipping them on before he folded back the tent flap and headed outside.
There was a small fire going, with a pot of steaming water suspended neatly over it. The music Ein had heard, however, was coming from the trunk of the venerable tree that the two angels had decided to set their camp beside. It had been felled, apparently recently, and while the branches had already been removed for whatever purpose, the giant log of the trunk still lay within the clearing, next to the stump. (Ein had shaken his head at this waste, though he knew the loggers would be coming back for it soon enough, while Ledah had lamented the loss of such an ancient and beautiful tree.)
It was upon this abandoned tree trunk that Ledah sat, his legs crossed at the ankles with the tips of his toes just touching the ground, his wings held properly back behind him. He was dressed in his soft black robes today, and had not yet put on his cloak, so his blonde hair and pale skin seemed all the fairer. His eyes were closed, with their soft lashes brushing his cheeks; he hadn't yet noticed Ein's arrival and seemed a million miles away from everything. His hands, fingers arched, rested in perfect position upon the keys of his silver flute.
Ein was a little surprised that Ledah had chosen to bring this flute along—it was his favorite and the best he owned; the others were all made of various types of wood, and required a lot less care. (A few of the wooden ones had actually been gifts from Ein, who with help from various residents of Elendia had actually whittled parts of them himself on some.) But Ledah told him (often) that the silver flute had the best timbre of any he had played; whenever he thought he'd be feeling musical on a trip, it was either the silver or the (pricey) maplewood Ein had purchased for Ledah's thirtieth birthday that came along. Ein supposed that Ledah found the quality to be worth the hassle involved.
Traditional education in Asgard required that students have at least one year of instruction in the playing of some instrument; Ein was a good hand with the trumpet and their old friend (and later enemy) Malice, as a noble, had received strict tutoring on the harp, but Ledah, as was his wont, had gone above and beyond with his studies. He was an excellent flautist. Losing himself as easily in his music as he did in his favorite books, Ledah was still striving for perfection in his playing and in Ein's opinion was definitely almost there. Ein recognized the music he was playing as an old favorite in Asgard, a lay that had been written to suit the old legend about the young princess Yggdra and her struggles to save her kingdom from the invaders threatening to destroy it completely. Well-loved though it was, it was a difficult piece, and it had taken several months for Ledah to master it when the two of them had still lived in Asgard.
Ein remembered the occasion well—he had been nine years old at the time, and Ledah sixteen. The blonde had been chosen to play the accompaniment for the two singers—Malice and her vocal tutor—who had been appointed to play Yggdra and the champion she had found to fight beside her, whose name always seemed to slip from Ein's mind, as he had always been more interested in the ballads sung about Ragnarok instead. It had been an enormous honor, and Ledah had been studying hard to be able to play the piece correctly, but…
Frowning, Ein recalled how Ledah had suddenly and abruptly gone into a severe bout of depression mere weeks before the festival was to have taken place. People whispered that something traumatic must have happened to him, something even worse than the ordeals he'd gone through with his abusive parents—it wasn't for years that Ein learned the full story. The very young and naïve Ledah had been in love for the first time, but the man whose heart he thought he'd won only had a sexual interest in him. Ledah's would-be lover, not at all a gentle man, had named the blonde's virginity as the price for his affection, and too afraid of being rejected to refuse, Ledah was coerced into sex for the first time. It had been a painful and frightening experience for him, and in the end the man he'd shared his bed with (Ledah had never revealed his identity to Ein) had decided he wasn't worth it and left him.
So in the end, the heartbroken Ledah had gone to pieces just as he mastered the lay, and been unable to even think of music for weeks. Another flautist had to be found, as Ledah's will to play had been utterly shattered by his loss. Ein remembered well how his old friend had retreated into himself, curled in bed and usually crying, for days on end.
Then the unthinkable had happened—Malice's tutor, the singer who'd been doing the baritone part of the lay (Milanor, Ein remembered; the name of the champion had been Milanor), had become ill, with no replacements. The festival planners hadn't thought to get an understudy for the role, and it seemed as though the piece wouldn't be performed at all. Ein had innocently brought it up in a conversation with Ledah, who was all too slowly recovering his shattered nerves—and Ledah had gone straight down to the maestro, new flautist, and Malice herself and told them grimly that he could sing the part.
He had, too—it was the only time that Ledah had really volunteered to sing in public, as he was a lot shyer about his singing than he was with his playing. Ein, whose musical skill was limited to brass playing, knew very well that Ledah's singing was just as beautiful as his skills with the flute. His soft and melodious baritone had been the counterpoint to the then twelve-year-old Malice's soprano, and effectively saved the day.
Ledah had been chosen as the lay's flautist again the next year, and he had buckled down to study of the music, refusing to let anything get in his way again. At seventeen, he outstripped almost every other flautist in Asgard, and he had gone on to play the same piece at the festival every year until he was made a Grim Angel, shutting romance out of his life in exchange for music. And until Ein, he'd never taken another lover.
Ein was shaken out of his thoughts as Ledah ended his last sustained note, lowered the flute to his lap, and took a few moments to breathe, his carmine eyes registering only mild surprise at his lover's presence.
"Good morning," Ein said with a smile.
Ledah smiled back, neatly disassembled the flute, and set it back into its velvet-lined case with care. "And to you as well." Closing the case's latches with a click, he slid off the log, walked over to Ein, and put his arms around the other angel's waist, resting his cheek on Ein's shoulder.
"Memories, huh?" Ein asked, stroking Ledah's hair.
"Memories," Ledah agreed with a soft sigh.
"You still play so beautifully. I guess you really did engrave it in your memory all those years ago," Ein told him, smiling.
"Out of sheer stubbornness, nothing more. I wanted to prove how little all that mess had hurt, to myself and all of Asgard. Especially to him. I think all I really did prove was that it had hurt, badly."
"What you proved," Ein argued, "was that you were stronger than he ever thought you were. That you were too good for his kind."
Ledah straightened up and looked lovingly into Ein's eyes. "I am yours and only yours, my love."
Ein slipped his hand over the nape of Ledah's neck, drew close to him, and locked gazes with him. "You will always be mine, Ledah. No matter what came before." And he leaned in, with Ledah coming that last fraction of an inch for their lips to meet.
Ein put a life's worth of love into that kiss, in the tender press of his lips to his lover's before he felt Ledah yield, then in the soft shift before he sensuously slipped his tongue past his love's parted lips. Distantly, he heard the clatter as Ledah's grip on his flute's case weakened and failed, but dismissed it. He did take notice when Ledah put fiercely needful arms around him, gently pressing down the pads of his fingers rather than his nails. Ein shifted again to breathe and tenderly kissed along the vulnerable lines of Ledah's throat before allowing their lips to meet again, almost overly gentle as if Ledah were still that frail and easily manipulated child from all those years ago, and Ein the lover he should've met back then.
Ledah drew back with a silent question in his carmine eyes, his hair ruffled with Ein's continued stroking and his lips still slightly parted. It made him look innocent enough that he could've been half his age once again.
Ein smiled, ran his thumb over his lover's slightly flushed cheek, and then tousled his golden hair, making it fluff even more wildly. "Nah, don't worry about it—there'll be plenty of time for that once we get to Asgard." Leaning in to kiss Ledah's other cheek and embrace him tightly, Ein then let go, heading back towards the fire. "I'll make breakfast, you just take it easy—play me something, okay?"
Ledah nodded, smiling in return.
---
Ein and Ledah had barely gotten out of the forest when they reached the magic circle that would take them into Heaven's Gate.
One simple step onto the formerly sealed circle, and the pair of them were whisked away to the barren, rocky landscape of the temple which housed the link between Asgard and Riviera.
"This must be the fastest we've ever gone from Elendia to here," Ein remarked, shaking his head. "It's crazy. We might even get to Asgard tonight, if we hurry."
"Then let us be glad of it," Ledah murmured. "The sooner we get there, the sooner Celina can tell us how to get back your wings."
"Yeah…" Sharp, chilly prickles of excitement wavered over Ein's scarred back at the thought, and he shivered with anticipation.
As they walked, their footsteps echoed on the stone. Remembering the two other times they'd traveled this road, Ein slipped his gloved hand into Ledah's and squeezed it. Ledah squeezed Ein's hand in return, giving his lover a mixed amused and reassuring look.
Heaven's Gate seemed almost deserted; remote and removed from all life except the two angels who traversed it, its otherwise dead beauty formed a stunning solitary backdrop for their love of the quiet peace around them.
It was that remote silence that probably saved the two Grim Angels a great deal of trouble as they went their way, for without it they would not have heard the whispers and would have walked straight into danger.
As it was, Ledah stopped in the middle of the pair's walk with a frown, clamping a hand over Ein's mouth as his lover paused and began to ask what was wrong. Shaking his head, he padded over the fractured walkways of the old temple and beckoned, an intent expression on his features and a hand cupped at his ear.
Ein came as well, making as little sound and starting to frown a bit deeper. Curse it, he'd been looking forward to a trip with no further trouble.
He and Ledah could both hear it clearly now…
"Why d'we 'ave to take this rounderbout way? It's courtin' death to be passin' so close to Asgard, say aye!" Whoever was speaking had a heavy accent that wasn't immediately recognizable to either Grim Angel.
"Shurrup yer whinin'. Nobody'll evah think ta look fer us 'ere."
Clinking mail and creaking leather accompanied both voices. Whoever these intruders were, they were armed, and that combined with their dubious dialogue probably meant that they were up to no good.
Very carefully, Ein shed his pack; Ledah did the same. Both angels lowered their belongings gently to the ruined tile so as not to make any loud noises; they then turned to each other and discussed their plan of action in quick and furious hand signals. Coming to an accord, they straightened up, with Ledah hidden behind the pillars that sheltered the bend in the corridor they traversed. Ein, ready to whip out Einherjar at a moment's notice, headed out into the open.
The intruders were a ragtag, ruffled band of demons, mostly spiky-haired brigands with falchions and men in soldier's dress. Ein couldn't be sure, but he thought he caught sight of one or two lance-toting undead hidden in their ranks. There were about ten or twelve of them in all, and they had a particularly guilty, skulking look about them.
The leader, catching sight of Ein, gasped and lurched backwards. "Bloody 'ell!"
"Take it easy, 'e's nothin' to be worrit about," one of the soldiers said laughingly. "Angels 'ave wings, and 'e 'as none, say aye. And you ascairt of finding Death-Bring out 'ere!" Various men in the ranks chuckled at this.
"Easy is as easy does, friends," Ein said with a affable (if somewhat mocking) smile. "Now, what business would you have in Heaven's Gate that has you so worried about angels?"
"What's your business, I'd like to know," the leader demanded suspiciously.
"I'm meeting up with my employer." Well, it was as true as these demons needed. "And you?" Always willing to give others the benefit of the doubt, Ein had furiously protested to Ledah that these might be a few of the peaceful demons scattered throughout the lands, willing to coexist with Sprites. They were very far between, but it was possible. And so he was out here, partly as a ruse and partly to figure out what was going on.
"There, ya see? 'E's just an 'umble sneak thief like us!" Roars of laughter this time.
"Sneak thief? You don't say?" Ein raised an eyebrow, his smile becoming wry.
"They tell us there's treasures 'ere in 'Eaven's Gate, they does," a demon soldier informed him. "And what the bloody 'ell but they're right! Takes us a while to find say aye, but it be there, so it do."
Another soldier piped in as well. "In some auld shrine hidden in the they says there be a Cup o' Wishes—"
"And we finds the shrine after days of searchin'," a third soldier added, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.
The second soldier went on. "—And in that shrine a Cup o' Wishes there be! We's all gonna be rich men when we meets up with our masters!"
"What shrine would this be?" Ein inquired, with only the mildest curiosity. His hands, clasped behind his back, went tight; his muscles locked and his entire body tensed. "Surely not the old Grim Angels' refuge hidden in the sacred grotto?" That had been a place that Ein and Ledah themselves had passed and taken their rest in during their journey to Riviera years ago. During Ragnarok, a party of Grim Angels had hidden there while Hector's Grenada Fortress had come under siege, and by luck, wits, and main strength alone they had kept the demon army out of Asgard until the gods and the three Magi who had remained to defend the city—Minerva, Ashcroft, and Celina herself—had been able to send reinforcements. Every one of the Grim Angels had died in the course of their duties, and so the gods had laid powerful blessings upon the tiny shrine. It was a holy sanctum, and if these demons had despoiled it…
"O' course, what does you think we'd do?" the first soldier asked incredulously.
Ein fought to keep from gritting his teeth. "A real Cup of Wishes… may I see it, just to make sure you don't bluff?"
The leader of the band of thieves opened his mouth to refuse, but Ein held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I only need one look to confirm that what you say is true. I won't need to touch it—if this is a true Cup of Wishes as you claim, I would run the risk of breaking it."
Reluctantly, the thief grubbed in his vest, holding out a chalice of delicate blue crystal. Ein stifled a gasp. Cups of Wishes were as precious as they were rare, worth thousands of times their weight in solid gold—and not just for the truly beautiful workmanship of the crystal itself. The Cups of Wishes dated back to Ragnarok; they had been made with excess stores of the gods' mana in a similar fashion to the way that Mana Wisps were raw essences of the Sprites'. Even with the inclusion of Elixirs, the powerful draughts that were a miracle of modern healing, Cups of Wishes held the most potent cures of anything born or made.
They had the power to stay the hand of death itself.
Cups of Wishes could heal mortal injuries, could restore the souls to the corpses of the newly dead. They shattered after a single usage, and as only a set number had been made with their means of forging lost forever when the gods had died, there were very few of them left intact. One of the last Cups of Wishes in Asgard had been given to Ein and Ledah when they had left for Riviera eight years ago; when in the battle with Aghart, Ein had been attacked from behind and his spinal cord severed neatly at the nape of his neck—causing instant death—Ledah had used the precious item to bring him back to life. The shaken but still battle-ready Ein had just ended up getting in the way again; with Aghart spewing flame at him and no escape, he surely would've died for good had Ledah not covered Ein's body with his own, sustaining third-degree burns from his shoulders to his hips. Those, thank the gods, had easily been healed with the power of their sole Elixir.
The pawning of one of Asgard's holiest treasures in this manner, as well as the desecration of the holy resting place of so many of his fellow Grim Angels… could not be allowed.
"I'm afraid I can't let you keep that," Ein said sternly, his placid façade dropping instantly away.
"Yer gonna try to take it?" the leader of the thieves asked incredulously, slipping the Cup of Wishes back into his jerkin. "You and what army?"
"I don't need one," Ein informed them, and slowly drew Einherjar, pointing it at the offending thieves. "I have this."
"A sword…?" one of the soldiers said, sounding perplexed.
"In the name of the gods, I will strike you down with my holy Diviner unless you give back the treasure you have stolen unto this servant of Asgard," Ein vowed.
The thieves all blanched, but their leader waved them to attention.
"E's only one man! Take 'im!"
And the peons swept forward.
Ein lunged into their midst, thrusting Einherjar through the belly of one thief and then swinging around to behead a second. As their rusty, twisted blades rained down through the air, Ein went to his knees and rolled through their ranks, running along and slashing their backs, sending them to the ground wailing in pain.
The remaining thieves ran out in a swarm to block Ein off from their leader, who was making good his getaway; Ein swore. "I don't have the time for this—!" Sweeping Einherjar back into a ready position, he felt his blood surge and burn with the power that had lain latent there since his birth. His blade glowed with holy green light, his gray-blue eyes maddened by battle. "This is the will of the gods!"
Sweeping Einherjar forwards, Ein slashed waves of holy power through the demons, launching himself headlong into their midst. Leaping up into the air, he brought his Diviner up over his head, the muscles of his upper arms rippling.
"DISARESTA!"
And he brought the blade screaming down, sending a shockwave of energy through the demons.
Most crumpled to the ground, mortally wounded or slain; as Ein landed and dashed towards the fleeing thief, he swore again as he realized that he was still being followed.
"LEDAH!"
There was a grand sweep behind him as the floor was suddenly littered with black feathers, and Ledah's sonorous voice rang through the crumbling halls.
"Burn in the flames of judgment… ROSE KREUZ!"
Fire flickered at the edges of Ein's vision; he heard the demon thieves' screaming and almost shuddered. Ledah was utterly merciless in battle; he knew it quite well.
Ein heard a dismayed cry before him, and realized with mingled shock and relief that he'd managed to hedge the demons' leader against a dead end.
Sweating, the spiky-haired brigand raised his falchion in one hand, clutching at the Cup of Wishes under his jerkin with the other. "You… you're a Grim Angel…?"
Ein held out Einherjar. "My name is Ein Legendra. My companion is Ledah Rozwelli. We are the servants of the gods, of Lady Celina the Just of the Six Magi. Give back what you stole."
The brigand glared, slowly removed the Cup of Wishes… and then threw it as hard as he could, straight at the ground. "Better destroyed than in your hands, angel!"
"No!" Ein shrieked, but he was too far away to do anything about it.
There was a dark flash of wings, and then Ledah was staggering for balance, arms outstretched, with the Cup of Wishes clasped in both hands before him.
The demon's falchion flashed; Ledah tucked the Cup to his chest and lurched backwards, his wings wheeling awkwardly as he struggled to keep on his feet. With a furious yell, Ein sprinted under his lover's wing, thrusting Einherjar forward to transfix the demon brigand. The demon coughed; his eyes rolled, and he slumped to the ground as Ein ripped his Diviner from the body violently. Blood sprayed his face and clothes, but that was all. The demon was dead, and the holy relic had been saved.
Turning to Ledah, Ein cried out as he saw blood streaking down his lover's face. "You're hurt!"
The blonde angel shook his head. "It's merely a scratch. And I take it that little, if any, of that is your own blood?"
Ein nodded. "They didn't get me." Shaking Einherjar to rid it of the dewdrops of blood still clinging to its blade, he sheathed it and slipped his arm around Ledah's waist. "Let's go get our things and keep going. Once we're back in Asgard, hopefully we'll be able to clean ourselves up…"
---
Five hours later, Ein and Ledah were heading through the final magic circle that led along the chain of floating islands which connected Asgard and Riviera. They had reached their destination at last, just at sunset.
Asgard looked much as Ein remembered it: Severe yet elegant buildings wrought from white marble; cobbled streets of brick and stone; tidy grassy lanes between the roads themselves and the pavilions of the angelic residents. The rooftops were lightly gilded, and in the fading sunlight the heavenly city of Asgard flared into light as golden as that which continually drifted through Heaven's Gate.
Suddenly smiling, Ein clasped Ledah's shoulder and pointed. "Look—it's the old library," he said in a murmur. "Remember all the good times we had there as children?"
Ledah nodded, although his expression didn't change and Ein wondered briefly if his lover's face didn't seem a little strained. "…Yes…"
The large building in the city's center, which had once housed the gods themselves, was now used as the Magi's meeting-place; it was there that the two Grim Angels now headed. Ein wondered to himself at how deserted the streets of Asgard seemed—usually there would still be angels outside at this hour, talking or doing business. And where were the children? Curfew had been an hour after sundown, as Ein remembered it.
"We're being watched," Ledah said in a low voice, and Ein took one near-incredulous look at the haunted expression on his lover's face before glancing discreetly around. He, too, began to feel it—the prickle of stares along his back, the sense that the drapery of windows had been lifted when he'd only been looking from the corner of his eye.
Ein and Ledah hadn't exactly been the center of popularity when they'd lived in Asgard; now they would only seem to be more strange, what with Ein's winglessness and Ledah's withdrawn appearance and tight clutch on his lover's hand. Under the suspicious view of the populace, Asgard's old familiar streets felt lifeless and sterile, its grandeur enclosing. Ein scowled at the rising flutter of panic in his chest, stamping it down firmly. He and Ledah were not going to be here long at all—just for however long it took for the two of them to overcome this new trial.
They were at the stone stairs leading to the council building now; pausing for a moment, Ein glanced over his shoulder at the watchers and gave the closed residential districts of Asgard a pained look.
Turning back, the two of them headed inside.
Here, at least, there were soldiers lining the walls, each armed with pikes or halberds, stiff in uniform, bowing the pair of Grim Angels through a series of locked doors which led to the Magi's inner chambers.
Celina waited within.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you until at least tomorrow," she said with a wry smile, which faded when she saw the looks on Ein and Ledah's faces. "Is something wrong? You seem perturbed."
"It's nothing, just…" Ein looked back over his shoulder uncomfortably. "Our welcome was a little bit… frosty."
"One would almost expect the stones to start flying next," Ledah said softly, though he didn't glance back.
An exasperated look crossed Celina's face. "No one said anything unkind to you, did they? Honestly, it's not as if you're foreigners or anything—you're generally considered to be the heroes of our people, or the others and I will know why."
"No one said anything at all," Ein told her flatly. "There was no one around…"
"They were watching us from the houses lining the street," Ledah added with a despairing little sigh. "As though they were afraid of approaching, or unwilling to…"
Celina's lips tightened into a grim line. "This kind of hostility will not do. I'll have a word with them after you retire—I'll brief you about the trial tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't really have anywhere special to put you… the only open places are Ein's old quarters and Ledah's family estates. The estates would most likely be more comfortable, but…"
Ledah was already shaking his head emphatically, with something like panic in his eyes.
"…they have been abandoned for years but for the servants who still reside there, and I had presumed that the place would be haunted by too many old specters for you." Celina nodded, looking concerned. "Your old rooms it is, then, Ein. You may find the furnishings too small or simple for you, but it's the best I can do for you right now. We can have them replaced sometime in the duration of your stay if need be."
Ein shook his head. "No, that's okay. Ledah and I are used to living a little more humbly than we did here, and we're comfortable with it."
Celina nodded again. "Well, then. I'll find you tomorrow for the briefing… I trust you still remember the way."
"Yeah…" Bowing, Ein led Ledah back into the corridors, tugging him along by the hand.
After some navigation, Ein finally managed to get his lover to the small rooms they had shared until Ledah had gone through his initiation as a Grim Angel. Ein had lived there since birth; Ledah had moved in at the age of fourteen. The tiny living room and toy room were no longer guarded by soldiers, but that was the only change. Everything was just as Ein had left it when he and Ledah had gone on their fateful journey to Riviera so long ago.
Though these were the old familiar surroundings of his boyhood, Ein wasn't troubled by feelings of nostalgia. Those were reserved almost exclusively for the old library where the two of them had spent most of their time and created most of the good memories they'd had here. Asgard had not been the kindest place for two children like Ein and Ledah to grow up, especially with the scheming Hector trying to control the reins of power.
Opening the door to the bedroom, Ein was brushed aside by Ledah, who threw his bags and Lorelei to the floor near the wall and sat heavily on the old double bed, resting his face in his hands.
A little worried, Ein placed his things on the floor as well, then went to sit beside his lover. "Ledah, what is it? Is something wrong?" Gently shaking the blonde's shoulder, he tried again. "Are you alright? Hey… say something…"
Ledah looked slowly up at Ein with such a palpable expression of bleak pain that Ein's heart twisted in his chest. Silent tears brimmed in his eyes, coursing down his cheeks.
"Hey… hey…" Very gently, with tender concern plain on his face and in his voice, Ein wiped away the tears as they came. "What's wrong? Is there something I can do?"
Ledah closed his eyes; the motion made more tears fall.
"Ledah, please…"
The blonde shook his head, curling his legs up to his chest and twining his fingers together at his ankles. "Memories…"
"Memories…?" Ein blinked for a moment, then understood in a rush. "You mean… about when your father…?"
"Don't," Ledah cried in such a wild sob that Ein flinched.
"I'm sorry." Ein held Ledah tightly, clutching the other angel's trembling body to his chest.
The blonde seraph looked up at him, wild and distraught and beautiful. "Help me," he whispered.
"What?"
"Please, Ecthel…" Ledah straightened slightly, his pale hands finding an iron grip on Ein's upper arms. "Help me forget…"
And before Ein knew what was happening, their lips were locked together and he had yielded up his mouth instinctively.
Something in the desperate nature of Ledah's kiss sent a sweet fire singing through Ein's veins, sending his rational mind to some distant, misty place and letting his body take over automatically. In what seemed like moments, the two of them were entangled half-naked upon the bed, with Ledah on his back, lying on a pillow so that he would have wing room, and Ein on top of him, lying between his lover's splayed legs.
"Take me," Ledah managed, shaking. "Take me and have done with it…"
Ein shed his shorts and loincloth, struggling impatiently with the fabric, his desire threatening to overwhelm him at any moment. He slid his lover's pants down on his hips, then paused for a moment to catch his breath.
"Gods, please…" Ledah half-sobbed. "Ecthel, I'll die if you don't…"
"Live," Ein murmured insistently, and came viciously into his lover's body.
Ledah cried out as Ein crushed him into the white sheets, his hands and lips roving hotly over everything he knew would provoke his lover's pleasure. Their union was too intense, too violent for anything but flashes of burning, euphoric flame to flash over their bodies every time Ein thrust. Ledah clung to him with legs clutched tightly around his waist and nails dug desperately into his scarred shoulderblades as Ein forced himself deeper, faster, until the flame of need overwhelmed the both of them.
Ledah screamed as he climaxed, glorying in the deep agony as his body gave under Ein's ferocity, feeling hot lances of pain streak along the lines of Ein's final deepest thrust.
And the two of them came apart and lay entwined amidst the soiled sheets of their virgin's bed.
Sitting up after a brief struggle with his exhausted, protesting muscles, Ein looked down at Ledah's pale body, still finely beaded with perspiration and covered in that faint erotic flush that would have told any onlooker how deeply he had been loved.
"I will protect you," Ein vowed softly, fiercely. "It doesn't matter who I need to protect you from, I will protect you. Forever. No one will ever get away with hurting you again—especially not like your father wanted to. You are mine, and will always be mine. And you can feel safe when you're with me."
Ledah sighed, then edged awkwardly to cling to Ein's body, either for the warmth or for the security. Ein carefully pulled the bedclothes around them, tugging one of the other pillows over to rest his cheek against—the one Ledah had used was still soaked in the seraph's sweat.
They lay there for a while, long enough for Ein to think that Ledah had probably gone to sleep and that perhaps he should, as well.
Then Ledah sighed again, shifted, and spoke. "My desire is a hollow thing," he said softly and directly. "It's an ache, an emptiness, and a terror at being so needful. There are blank spaces in my heart and in my body that can only be filled in one way, and I desire when I can't stand the blankness any longer."
Ein was silent for a moment, stroking Ledah's hair as he thought how best to reply. "My desire is… an excess. A need to be needed. A sense of being full to overflowing with… certain things, and the feeling that if I don't find someone else to fill, something in me is going to burst. I can see the empty spaces, Ledah, and… I guess I desire when I can't bear to leave them empty anymore."
Ledah gently took hold of Ein's left hand, then placed it against his lower belly, drawing the unresisting fingers back and forth over the smooth flesh there.
"Fill me," he said simply.
Ein did.
---
Ein lay on his side and watched Ledah sleep.
The blonde was also on his side, facing his lover with his black wings curled slightly behind him and his arms folded softly before him. There was still a little bit of blood between his legs from where he'd been torn earlier in the night; very carefully, Ein reached with the edge of a sheet and blotted it away. Ledah frowned in his sleep, murmured, and shifted; Ein waited for a moment, but he soon relaxed, easing back into deeper dreams.
Ein couldn't begrudge him that bone-deep tiredness or the dead slumber; Ledah had every right to be exhausted—not just because of the sex, but also because of the old painful memories that being back in Asgard had stirred.
Ein had had it bad enough as a child, but Ledah's quiescent, gentle manner had concealed the fact that he had survived horrors at the hands of his rich family. Even as a young boy, Ein had gotten some inkling of the fact that Ledah was being abused by his parents—shortly after the brunet had turned five, Ledah had started occasionally appearing at this room in the night, asking to stay until morning. These visits had seemed innocent, at least until Ein had noticed the bruising that was starting to appear on his best friend's face and body. As time went by, the visits became more frequent, and Ledah's physical state deteriorated every time—the worst time had probably been the night after Ein's sixth birthday, when he'd come in with a broken wrist—but every morning, Ledah slipped back out and went home.
Even so young, Ledah had known what probably would've happened to him if he'd run away for good; an unusually bright young boy, he stated when Ein asked about it that he simply had nowhere else to go but back home. And by that time, he had sadly grown used to the cycle of being routinely beaten by his mother and neglected by his father.
However, when Ein was seven and Ledah fourteen, there came a night when the little blonde had come running to Ein in tears, his nerves so badly shattered that he had stayed awake, in a state of shock, all night; Ein, worried, had stayed up with him. In the morning, when Ledah usually slipped back off, he had refused in a state of panic to go anywhere, screaming, "I'm not leaving!" in a broken, half-insane-sounding voice. Terrified, Ein had gone to the soldiers the Magi had appointed as his guardians for help; two of them had gone in to Ledah and gotten the truth about what had happened the previous night.
As Ein had slept, the soldiers had taken Ledah straight to the Magi's council and made his accusations known.
The scandal had been huge, the Magi furious. Ledah's father, found guilty by a mixed jury in trial after being force-fed Truth Serum and questioned by Minerva and hearing Ledah's tearful testimony under truth-spell by Celina, had been given the choice of death or banishment. He had chosen death, salvaging the shreds that remained of his honor.
And Ledah had become a fosterling of the same soldiers who took care of Ein, moving in with his young friend and future lover.
Ein heard all the gossip, though he hadn't understood it until he was far older and deemed mature enough to be educated about exactly how it was children came to be and why adults seemed to enjoy the act that did it so much. And the knowledge of how close it had been still made him feel vaguely ill.
That night, Ledah's own father had tried to rape him.
Tried to. Ledah had taken enough self-defense classes to be able to break the older man's hold on him, and even so young, he was fast enough to get away and smart enough to take a very indirect route to the only place he knew he would be safe.
Ledah's childhood had been a nightmare. It was little wonder why he seemed so lackluster about being back in Asgard.
Ein reached out and very gently smoothed his lover's hair. He seemed so vulnerable when he was asleep, especially now. Though he truly did have a very noble heart and a strong will, sometimes he couldn't help being weak. Ledah, perfectionist that he was, hated himself for it, but Ein found the quality endearing and tried to reassure him when he found his lover suffering from his old inadequacy complex.
"I'll never let anything like that happen to you again, Ledah," Ein murmured. "I love you. I'll protect you. I promise…"
With a slight smile, he closed his eyes and let himself sleep at last.
---
Ein came awake in the early morning with a groan, feeling the light through the window beating on his eyelids. Scrubbing sleep out of his face, he sat up, yawned, and stretched, sighing as his muscles tightened, loosened, and relaxed.
The other side of the bed was empty; Ledah seemed to have already gone off somewhere. Instead, there was a small piece of paper lying there, with a note in Ledah's handwriting.
"Went for a walk. There's someone I need to see. Be back as soon as I'm finished. Before you ransack the other rooms, there's no food here—find breakfast somewhere else. Love, Ledah."
Ein groaned again. He was hungry. Looking around, he found the inkwell and quill pen Ledah had used sitting on the bedside table, wet the tip, and turned the note over to scrawl his own message on the back.
"Finding breakfast. Will wait for you at the Council. Don't take forever. Love, Ein."
With that, he dug in his pack for his extra outfit, then went into the washroom to briefly scrub his body free of the previous night's sweat and the stains of Ledah's semen that still flecked his abdomen and thighs. With that done, he dressed and headed out.
The morning was bright outside, and warm. Ein took a deep breath of the fresh air and decided that maybe getting up relatively early wasn't so bad after all, then strolled down the walkway to enjoy the atmosphere.
Asgard didn't seem so deserted today. Early as it was, there were already a few angels roaming around outside as well. Although they seemed taken aback at Ein's presence, they gave small, polite nods and smiles of acknowledgement, which Ein returned, feeling slightly relieved. Celina must have had her "talk" with them, and it seemed that she had managed to restrain her temper—the people of Asgard seemed at least marginally friendly now.
Ein was so deep in his thoughts that as he turned a street corner, he was unconcerned enough to walk straight into a small child, who had been running around with a small group of mixed boys and girls who seemed to be about six or seven years old.
Ein stumbled briefly and the boy windmilled his arms, flaring his wings in order to keep his balance. Ein (who had just found his) reached out to steady him. "Sorry—I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"
The boy nodded. "Uh-huh." He had a messy shock of black or dark brown hair cut similarly to Ein's own, and was dressed plainly in darkly-colored pants and a laced-up sleeveless shirt. His eyes were hazel green and startlingly bright, as Ein saw when the boy looked up and smiled suddenly. "You're Ein Legendra, aren't you?"
"Uh… yeah, that's me," Ein replied, blinking at the happy grin that broke out over the boy's face.
"That's so cool! You're like all the heroes who fought in Ragnarok! I wanna grow up to protect Asgard just like you!" The young child was positively glowing with pride in the man who seemed to be his idol.
Ein knelt down so that he would be on eye level with the boy. "That's good to hear," he told the youth with a smile. "Asgard could always use more heroes."
One of the other children, a girl with short, messy brown hair, interrupted them by calling "Come on! You're it—don't just keep us all waiting!"
"Go on, now—take care of yourself out there," Ein urged gently, giving the boy a gentle push in the shoulder.
"You better get ready, 'cause here I come!" the boy yelled, dashing off with a wave to Ein. The wingless angel waved back with a wink, then headed on, turning back towards the council building. He never had managed to find breakfast, but maybe he could ask Celina where he could get it while he waited.
---
Ein found the red-robed Magus sitting on the low wall that surrounded the council building, watching the angels in the street with a smile on her face. There was a paper bag on the wall beside her with its opening twisted shut and held there with a piece of string. As Ein approached, she smiled and gave him a very un-Magus-like grin.
"Good morning," Ein called, bobbing his head to show that he hadn't forgotten her rank.
"Hungry?" Celina asked just as Ein's stomach let out a loud protest at its lack of food. "I thought you would be. Here—there's a meat pie in the bag for you, and challah rolls for Ledah."
Practically drooling at the thought of Asgard's meat pies (for breakfast, no less), Ein enthusiastically thanked her, then opened the bag, pulled out the food, and dug in with gusto. From what he could tell, it was beef with gravy baked into the soft-crusted pastry; careful to avoid making a mess (as the flaky crust of meat pies had a way of crumbling at the most inopportune moments), he quickly polished it off, then retied the bag and sat down with a sigh.
"You're easily pleased."
"It helps a lot that you talked to them," Ein said, waving a hand to indicate Asgard's citizens. "They're being nicer now, and you really didn't have to do that. Thank you."
"They just needed a little reminding that just because you're a Grim Angel and you no longer have wings, it doesn't mean that you aren't an angel like them. What they did hurt you and Ledah, and I'm not one to allow that kind of thing." Celina shrugged. "Well, for however long you decide to stay here, you're going to be chased around by mobs of children. They all absolutely love you—ever since your story was told here, you've been something of a local hero, and I think we've needed one of those. One day they'll be singing your praises like they do the gods, or Yggdra and Milanor."
Ein shook his head. "I dunno about that. Sooner or later, Ledah and I are going to have to settle down for good. We can only run around having adventures for so long…"
"True." Celina straightened up, groaning as she stretched with both hands to her lower back. "We Magi may have stopped aging at around our thirtysomethings, but that never stopped time from adding up all the stresses in our lives and footing us the bill right where it hurts the most. Never, never, never let anyone sell you on immortality. It's painful, it's lonely, you develop the risk of running insane as Hector did after a while, and it doesn't stop you from getting arthritis."
Ein tried not to laugh. He failed.
"Well, at least you think it's funny." Celina grinned at him, shaking her head. "Where's Ledah, anyhow? I expected you two to come down here together."
The wingless angel shrugged, looking around aimlessly. "No idea. He was gone when I woke up… left a note saying he was going for a walk, that he needed to see someone."
Celina's expression sobered. "And he still isn't back?" She sighed. "Ein, your Ledah certainly is a glutton for punishment. I've a feeling that he's probably gone to see her."
There was only one "her" that Celina could've meant. Ein groaned.
"Shouldn't he know better by now?" Celina asked with one upraised eyebrow.
"Ledah, know better? Never. He came down last time too, and he left in tears. It's like he can't help trying. Although… I really do have to admire the way that he's unwilling to give up on her completely. It's sweet, in a sad sort of way. He can't help still loving her, and he's always wanted her to love him in return."
Celina shook her head. "Well, then, shall we go collect him before there are any incidents?"
Ein nodded wordlessly.
---
"Ledah Rozwelli? Ah… yes, he just came by a few minutes ago," the young nurse said. "Would you like me to take you down to him? I doubt he would mind, Legendra-san… my lady." She bowed to Celina, her palms flat on her thighs over her white dress.
"Would you, please? That would be kind of you," Ein replied.
"Certainly. Right this way." She turned; Ein and Celina followed.
The building was well-kept, with smooth tiled floors in a green-and-white pattern. The walls were brick, with cozy, hopeful overhead lighting. Every now and then, passageways would branch off the main corridor, with wide, thick glass windows showing into the rooms on either side. The nurse kept walking down the main path, however, only turning when she reached one of the final offshoots from the stem of the central hall.
She placed a hand on the closest door, turned to Ein and Celina, and smiled. "It looks as though he isn't done yet. It may be wise to wait for him, unless there's any kind of trouble."
Ein nodded. "Sure… that'll be alright with us." His eyes drifted to the door first, and the carefully stenciled lettering on the label beside it. The label itself was metalworked by the smithy, with a sheaf of paper slipped in under the name of the building to declare the name of the room's owner.
The building's name was "Asgard Mental Institution".
The resident's name was Eithne Rozwelli.
Ein looked through the glass at the woman who sat in the bed within.
Her room was lived-in rather than sterile, like a hospital's. The comforter was the same mint green of the tiles on the floor and the paint on the brick walls, the sheets white. There were comfortable-looking chairs at the room's corners, and a potted plant near the small window that would give her a view of the outside world.
Ledah sat on a stool at her bedside, his back to the window—he probably hadn't noticed Ein, Celina, and the nurse's approach. He was dressed in his deep red robes today, with his Grim Angel's mantle over them. His wings were held back, dispirited but still tense, as he spoke to her.
The woman herself stared dreamily ahead, not seeming to notice Ledah's presence at all. One glance at her could tell an onlooker where Ledah had gotten his great beauty; she had the same rich blonde hair and porcelain skin as her son, though her hair was longer and bore a few strands of white at her temples. She had the same heart-shaped face, straight brows, and high cheekbones as well, though her eyes were rounder, her nose more delicate, and her lips thinner than her child's. Her eyes, with their dreamy cast, were molten gray, flecked with gold, instead of carmine as her husband's had been. Her hands were folded blithely in her lap, her white wings with their occasional dusting of tawny feathers settled calmly behind her. She wore a white, short-sleeved shift that draped over her small bust as she sat; her posture wasn't perfect, but neither was it poor.
Ein could hear through the glass and partially-opened door, though he wished he couldn't.
"Mother," Ledah said softly, almost pleadingly. "Mother, it's me. I've come to see how you've been… you look well."
No response.
"Mother… it's me, Ledah. Do you… recognize me, Mother?" He reached out and took her slender hands in his. "Mother…?"
Dreamily, she turned towards him and stared blankly into his face for a few moments.
And then she underwent a change so drastic it could be considered a complete metamorphosis.
Her serene, beautiful smile twisted into a hateful scowl, her calm eyes hardened, and she pulled her hands from beneath her son's, whipping her right through the air so swiftly that Ledah was too shocked to react. There was a sick smack as her palm connected with his cheek; Ledah winced but made no sound. Her chest was heaving, her wings flared, her hair disheveled from her sudden movement. Ein was bewildered. Hate had stolen her beauty, making her so ugly it was hard to bear looking at her.
"Bastard! Betrayer! Sodomite! How dare you show your sinful face before me!"
She slapped him again, hard, her hand curled this time. Ledah flinched, letting out a soft, muted sound of pain and despair.
"Common whore! Dog! Remove yourself from my sight immediately! Jackal! Traitor! Murderer! Would that you had died in the womb than draw one breath of the air of Asgard! Desecrator! I wish you dead! I wish you—"
The nurse had rushed in, restraining Eithne Rozwelli from slapping Ledah a third time. As the two women struggled, Eithne spitting obscenities over the nurse's sensible padded shoulder at her son, Ein dove in, grabbed Ledah by the wrist, and led him out of the room, closing the door to mute his mother's abusive words. There were little droplets of blood coursing down Ledah's reddened cheek like tears where his mother's nails had hit his face; his eyes were heavy with real ones as he hung his head silently, dejectedly.
Celina placed her hand on Ledah's injured cheek. Her palm glowed against his skin, and the wounds disappeared, leaving only bloody smudges where the reddish tracks had been. "You don't need to torment yourself like this," she said in a low, concerned voice. "Eithne has been insane for years. She is well cared for here, so you don't need to worry for her well-being. It only pains you to see her, so don't do this to yourself…"
Ledah stayed silent, his tears beginning to fall.
Ein slipped his hand beneath Ledah's chin, forcing him to look back up, and wiped the tears away with his other hand. "You have me," he murmured. "You'll always have me. She can't hurt you anymore unless you let her, Ledah."
"She's my mother," Ledah said thickly.
"And it's a pity that she never loved you as you deserve," Celina told him gravely. "You were unlucky in your parents, young one. Fate has been cruel to you."
"I love you," Ein told him, and put his arms around Ledah's body. The blonde buried his face in Ein's shoulder and sighed in anguish and mourning. The two of them stood like that for a few moments, just as long as it took for Ledah to get back his composure and straighten up, his closing his eyes and breathing slowly until he could turn to look at Celina.
The Magus nodded to both of them. "It's time for us to head back to the Council. We three have much to discuss."
:TBC: