The Red Roses

Chapter 4: The war that ended all wars

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As the men were getting ready for a final attack, I was with Griffith as he tended to his horse preparing what would be the final chapter in this battle.

I was petting the horse's head as the prepped the armor, I looked out at the kingdom to which I was held hostage for a year silently. I knew what the Emperor was capable of, I have seen it first hand when I was there but for some reason I didn't feel worried at all, if anything I was extremely confident in our victory. Suddenly a hand covers mine and I see it is Griffith's larger hand once again covering my smaller one.

He takes me gently by the hand and takes me on the other side of the horse where barely anyone can see us and says "I don't want you to be worried about me my dearest, I promise you I will come back from the battle with victory and our kingdom at hand"

I smiled gently at my love and said "of course Griffith, I am not worried about you in the least. You have never let me down on keeping a promise or delivering us from peril on the battlefield and I know you will come back with victory".

He smiled at me gently before lifting my hand up to his lips and kissing them gently saying "as you fiancé, your knight and your general, I swear my eternal loyalty to you and once we are married, I swear you will always come first, you and any children we may have together"

I blushed at his sweet proclamation, especially the part about the children. I always picture us with four…maybe five little ones and a big dog, heh. I suddenly take my hand away and take him into an embrace and say "I'll hold you to that promise my love".

To that he held me back and we stayed like that for a while before a soldier came up and said "General, we are ready for the final assault", he released each other but kept our hand interlocked as Griffith dismissed the boy to get in position.

I looked at Griffith, whom was as calm as the morning seas and said "I almost wished you didn't have to go".

He looked down at me and said "but I must my dearest, I must for all of us"

With that he escorted me back to the carriage where his holiness and my sister were. He turned me around facing him and said "during this battle, I want you to remain near the pope at all cost, stay out of danger my love, and promise me".

I giggle into my gloved hand and say "of course dear, I promise"

He smiled and lend down his head and gave me a kiss directly on the lips. I started blushing as we were kissing in front of not just the entire public, but in front of his holiness and my sister as well but I kissed him back all the same.

When we finally released each other, we slid out of our comforting embrace and I watched as he walked away towards his horse. I touched my lips gently as I walked over to the carriage and thought 'be safe my dear Griffith'.

It has been a couple of hours since Griffith and the army's departure and in that time they were able to liberate a town in Kushan control and the saved citizens were all taken here. Suddenly there was a rumble like an earthquake shaking up the ground below us. I held on to his holiness and inquired "what is happening?"

"The darkness has now peeked" the pope cryptically replied as we all started to look out the window and what we saw was something I know I will never forget for the rest of my life. Outside was the shadow of a creature of gargantuan proportions. It was large enough that its head was actually past the dark clouds that surrounded it. It was no doubt in my mind that the creature was actually Emperor Ganishka, transformed into the final stage of his transformations, even though I have never seen it before. Though my eyes met with that creature, the creature of great height and girth whom could kill me easily, I was not afraid, I felt no need, for even now I felt great confidence in Griffith and in our army to win, even in this this situation.

I stepped out of the carriage with his holiness and looked upon the fate that met us. Everyone was panicking around and such asking his holiness what to do.

The pope spoke ever so calmly "Everyone please do not be afraid but rather open your eyes and watch quietly. Every misfortune incarnated, the embodiment of darkness. However, the darkness will eventually be purified according to the hawk and dove of light. Look to your queen everyone, even in this state of darkness and hopelessness, she is calm, she is unafraid, she watches quietly, waiting for the light that she is confident that will come. Be as your queen, she is unafraid and so you should be too, as according to her majesty, the dove of light and her love, the hawk of light. Those of us here are lucky! A miracle will happen right before our eyes. No, in fact it has already begun!"

I looked to the creature that moved closer and closer, yet my nerves have yet to be shattered, it is as if the closer it gets the more confident I become in the creature's downfall. Suddenly, like a scene from the bible itself, the sky suddenly started raining down fire onto everything is saw. I felt sad for anyone who may have been in the way of the fire, but I kept my face cool and collected. But the surprises did not end there, but as though the gates of hell have opened on earth, ghastly beings and creatures started to appear before the army. I had no idea how it was I was keeping calm about this, maybe because Griffith already told me about his demon army, or because after my rescue, nothing really scared me anymore, I mean, it certainly would explain why I've been so calm up until now, because the past me two years ago would have been freaking out of that sight of these demons. But I kept getting the feeling that there was more to it than that, like this wasn't really my first time actually seeing demons, but I couldn't have seen them before, I would have remembered something like that, but after the whole incident with the whole 'Griffith Rescue' capture and I lost my memories and fell into a coma, I wasn't sure what to believe.

The crowd and soldiers started to become nervous of the monstrosities being shown to us, only the pope and I were calm and collected, but it did get me thinking 'Griffith, what are you now? To have such command over these creatures and such, it makes me want to know more than what you've told me' I thought

Suddenly inside my mind I heard a loud booming voice yell "FOOLS!"

Now that caught me off guard for a moment before I returned myself to how I originally was when I saw that the person whom spoke was that young girl, Sonia.

I listened intently as I stared off into the battle field 'Human...Demon...What's wrong with that!? They're not human, so what!? They're monsters, so what!? Now, who are the ones that are bleeding!? Who are the ones that are sacrificing their lives!? Human!? Demons!? Wrong! Wrong!' Suddenly her voice ended in my head as she started to speak with her voice "Isn't this about fighting together with Griffith!? After all…We are the band of the Hawk!"

This made me smile as I said to myself "that girl's got true spirit"

With that she charged onto the battle field attacking a monster in front of her only to be thrown off her horse, but was saved by the mysterious archer man. This sparked a flame in the others inspiring them to go out and help their monstrous brethren. It was a sight to see, it actually made me smile, to see both human and demons working together to fight for our home.

His holiness step forward when one of the priest extended his arm stopping him saying "this is dangerous! Your holiness, please stand back!"

Suddenly he took my hand and said "People…out of their fear of the unknown, will spin the same words over. Out of their fear of the unknown, will doubt the words they do not understand. Out of their fear of the unknown, they make a doctrine their creed. Out of their fear of the unknown, they reject other gods. The things people turn to in their world, are caused by the unknown. Other religions, other tongues, other tribes. But then…even that knowledge is mere child's play compared to…out of fear, humans create others…classes and ranks. Now, here, we finds everything that people have shut out. The Ultimate Unknown…but…why is it…? My chest is…no…everyone gathered here, is filled with exaltation."

I stared at the pope and then out into the battle field where Griffith was charging through the monsters, I silently prayed to God may my beloved truly return onto me safely. Suddenly my hopes are nearly dashed when I see the giant monsters feet stop on the ground in front of the armada, making me think that he crushed Griffith along with the poor souls who were with him, but instead at the last minute, Griffith was saved by the same creature who lifted me up from palace the night I was rescued. He and the creature flew up the monsters body into the black clouds away from sight. He was out of sight for a while and I felt a bit of worry until, on the top of the monster, there was a bright light showing out from the darkness. The sky that was once a deep dark black became a beautiful bright white. I let it wash over me, my essence, I felt as though I myself was transforming, transcending into something else.

Once my eyes have properly adjusted, off in the distance I see an extraordinary sight. Where the monster use to be now laid a beautiful kingdom of white. It was so magnificent and beautiful, I unconsciously let go of the pope and walked towards the ends of the cliff in front of everyone and looked upon the beauty of it, almost so it made me cry.

I suddenly hear my sister call out to me "Apple? Apple is that you?"

I look back to my sister who, as well as everyone else, was staring at me in awe. I raise a curious eyebrow at her and say "of course it's me, who else would I be dear sister?"

I tilt me head slightly to see a lock of my hair, or what I thought was my hair. I grabbed it to examine it and saw that it was white, pure bright white. I grab a handful of my hair to see it too was also white. The pope walked forward a little and said "our queen, she has become as I predicted, a beautiful symbol of our peace, love and happiness brought to us by the light of the hawk and the dove. The symbol of this new world. A beauty that descends all bounds. All hail our ethereal queen, Queen Apple"

I raise eyebrow and look down at myself to see I am not even wearing the same gown I had on only moments ago. Instead I am wearing a long pure white dress that hugged my curves and flowed down softly to the ground. It came off my shoulders and the sleeves were long to the ground and see through with a slit that went to my forearm and behind me was a white see through train cape with actual white roses sewn into them. My hair was loose and was now down to my knees and wavier than ever before and my hands was pale, in a healthy way, but it looked almost like snow.

I looked to the crowd and said "I wish for a mirror, I want to see myself". Two soldiers brought a full length mirror and I saw myself in it. My eyes were a bright ice blue but still as round and as gentle as ever, my skin was a snow color, my lips and cheeks were the color of baby romantica roses. My hair was completely white, as white as the light we just witnessed, but it still had small hints of my light blonde color within it. The crown on my head was replaced with another crown of diamonds and sapphires in the shape of doves and flowers. I couldn't believe it, I looked the same but more beautiful than I ever could have possibly imagined, I looked like a goddess or something to that notion

'I wonder if it had anything to do with that light.' I wondered as I looked myself over.

The duke besides Charlotte than said "isn't that…from the sunken depths below the earth of ancient Windham. The Legendary capital…no. even if that were so, it's much more enormous…beyond all glory and magnificent. It doesn't look man made at…"

I looked from him to the Capital, I had read about such a utopia existing in my history books but I had never thought that it may have existed.

The pope then said gathering all our attention "I wonder if…it is all the more suitable then. The new capital of the world. Truly Falconia".

The people of started to awe at the capital some more as I look beyond it smiling and slightly worried since I have yet to see my dear lord Griffith. When suddenly up in the sky, there riding on the fly creature was my dear fiancé, whom points at the capital as to say 'go to your new home' and just like that, the people, humans and demons alike, started to make their way to the utopian kingdom.

I stood upon the ledge of the cliff watching all of the people walk to their new home, I felt a wave of calm and serenity hit me. I was happy, happy that the war was finally over, happy to have a new kingdom to rule over and more so…I was happy that my dearest Griffith was alright. My dream was coming true right before my eyes, I was suddenly thrust into the dream of which I have dreamt of since I was a little girl. I was finally the Queen of the ultimate empire, I get to rule over a utopia, all the hard work, sweat, blood, tears, and secrets I had to endure and go through, all the people I stepped on to get to this point…it was all worth it.

Suddenly a gust of wind flew behind me and I heard a heavy thud, I look behind me and saw that it was Griffith dismounting the creature. He took off his helmet and I looked at him as he looked at me. I walked towards him briskly before it turned into a full run half way. He opened his arms up and welcomed me into a loving embrace.

We stayed like that for a while until I pulled apart from him, he said taking a lock of my hair "It seems the light has changed you and made you the queen fit for this new world, but still as beautiful as always"

I giggle at him and kiss his cheek, I look at him and said "The whole time you were out on the battle field I never doubted you'd pull a victory. Griffith you have my eternal gratitude for what you did, not just for the country of Midland, but for me as well"

He pulled me back into the embrace and said gently "I am grateful for your love and gratitude your majesty, I promised you once that I would give you the world, and the world you will have"

We both looked out onto the horizon to the capital with my hand in his has he holds it to his heart, it truly was a beautiful sight to behold. This was to be the capital of the world and I was to rule as I was born to by rite. But even with this miracle, even with all my dreams coming true, I have a feeling there is more to what is going on than Griffith is letting me on to. The demon army he controlled I understood as I was already told by him about his second chance. But I want to know more about that, I left him in the care of Miss Casca and Guts, what happened to them? What happened to the original band of the hawks? The original soldiers? I will find out later, but for now…I want to enjoy our victory and our new beginning in Falconia.