Warrior's Angel 2: By the Light of the Stars
Written by Kiriona
Chapter 1
"…How do I always get myself into this crap…?" I grumbled grumpily. "I just wanna go home already… Why do I have to be such a nice person?"
It had been seven years now. You remember me, right? Naomi Fox, from the last story? Yknow, the bumbling Angel whom assisted the Prince of Persia and the Princess of India through the palace of Azad? Well, I'm back, and I'm grown up.
Just like I'd said, I'd gone to the Heavens with my pal, Gabby, and went to the Academy for seven years. I was only a few days from graduation, and a couple weeks from getting my job description. I should've waited; I knew I should've waited til morning to run this little errand. Why, oh why do I have to be so nice...? Just this morning after my last class with one of my favorite professors, she pulled me aside and asked me to do her a favor. It seemed simple enough... Just follow her given directions to a certain old man's house and pick up something from him. Except...
I anxiously fiddled with the Angel charm that hung around my neck under my cloak. The soft white glow that said it held my wings inside calmed me a little, but it didn't help the fact that I was alone in a dark, narrow ally-way inside of an ancient city. At least, from where I originated it's ancient. The only light available was that of the moon, stars and the occasional lit torch. I was completely alone, with the exception of a cloaked stranger about fifty feet ahead of me. There was just something about him...
I pulled out the slip of paper that had the directions to my destination on it and gave it another quick glance. Another few turns... a little more walking...
Then I think I realized why the hooded stranger ahead was making me a little nervous. He was taking the same route I was. Every twist and turn written on my list he took, keeping a constant pace with me trailing quietly behind him. I suddenly found myself hoping he would take a different turn for a change... at least then it wouldn't feel so much like being followed. But he never did. Left turn on this street, another turn into another ally... Out the side gates into the outskirts... The more I thought about it, the more jittery it made me. Who was that guy, anyway?
When I passed through the open side gates of the city, I looked around again, expecting to find my mysterious travel companion already up the road, keeping his steady pace. But he was no where to be found. slightly surprised, my steps faltered and I started to breathe a sigh of relief that he was gone. I was starting to feel like a stalker! It was that moment when something heavy landed behind me and two powerful arms snatched me from behind, one holding a small blade to my neck. Oh dear... I knew I should've stayed home... Now I was going to die. great. Just great.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" a harsh, masculine voice demanded.
"I-I'm not following anybody!"
"Do not lie to me." His grip on me tightened threateningly. Oh crap. Oh crap...
"I'm not! I promise! I'm just going to the same place as you!" I shivered lightly when the razor sharp edge of the dagger pressed against my throat. Stars, he's going to kill me... I'm going to die... Come on, Naomi, think of something! "…Hair!" CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! NOT THAT, STUPID! (A/N: XD I LOVE YOU, SANNE-CHAN!) though, I guess the sheer power of randomness overtook him and made my attacker loosen his grip on me in confusion. I took the opportunity to wrench myself out and shoved him away as hard as my weak, girly arms could. I started to run away, but because my pitiful shove only pushed him about two feet, he snatched hold of my cloack and yanked me back. I stumbled and lost my footing and landed flat on my back, which temporarily knocked the wind out of me.
"Now tell me why you're following-" he began to shout again, but came to a sudden stop. I didn't notice him approaching me while I recuperated from my fall, but I'll never forget what I heard next. "...It can't be... Naomi?"
When I looked up in surprise that he would know my name, we both stopped and our eyes locked. His jaw nearly fell open, and he just stared like he couldn't believe it.
"…Naomi! It is you!" He rushed toward me, kneeling down to help me recover.
"...What?" I said dumbly, not really sure what was going on. He took my hand and pulled me up.
"Naomi, it's me," he said simply, pulling his hood down so I could see his face. I stood there, staring blankly for a moment, wondering what I was supposed to be seeing. "...you remember me, don't you?" he added, now seemingly uncertain. I scanned his face again and met his eyes, trying to find something familiar to clue me in.
"Uhhh..."
"Oh for the love of... Seven years ago? In Azad? We saved the world together?" When he said that, recognition surged through me like an electrical current. O.M.G. No way.
"No... Prince? The Prince of Persia?"
"Yes!" A wave of relief passed over his dark eyes, and that was all I needed. It was him. It was really him. But... he looked so different...
"Holy canoli!" I cried. Unable to contain myself, I tossed my arms around him. "I missed you so much! I can't believe it's been seven years… You... look so different now." I let go and looked at him again inquisitively. He avoided my eyes, but even the shadows of the night didn't prevent me from seeing them. He was, well, a mess. It was no wonder I hadn't recognized him. The Prince I once knew had been proud and lively and always had a smart ass remark on hand, thanks to his sharp wit and royal upbringing. But this Prince... His face was unkept and hollow, and the dark rings beneath his eyes did little to hide the lurking whirlwind of emotion just under the surface. This wasn't the Prince. This was a man... a man who had lost everything because of one simple mistake.
"A lot had happened in seven years, Naomi," he said simply. Well, I could've told anyone that. Thanks for the wonderful insight, Captain Obvious! But don't get me wrong. I know what was going on. He was being chased by Dahaka, and because he's had to live a big chunk of his life on the run, he wasn't the same person. "I apologize for attacking you. I thought you might've been another assassin."
"Assassin?"
"...It's a long story." He took one look at me and concluded, "…You've grown." I nearly fell over.
"No kidding, Captain Obvious! I though I was an infant again!" I retorted sarcastically. "But yeah, a lot had happened in seven years."
"So then, why are you here?" he questioned. I stepped toward him.
"Nothing, just running an errand." I gently pulled on one of my glow-in-the-dark star earrings. We were quiet for a short while, just looking at each other, letting the reality of it all set in. But eventually, he placed one heavy hand on my shoulder and smiled faintly.
"It's good to see you again, Naomi," he said simply, then turned and started towards the entrance of the tent.
"Hey! Where ya going?" I called, fluttering after him.
"There are some questions I need answered."
"Well, it looks like we're both going the same way! Mind if I come with you?" He didn't answer me this time, but I followed him anyway. When we arrived at our destination, the Old Man my professor had told me about had already come to greet us.
"My, I thought I heard commotion out here," he observed, "My Prince. What can an old man do for you?"
"If I may come in, I need information," the Prince answered matter-of-factly. I had to stifle a laugh. I still thought of him as that stupid, prideful, naïve young man whom I used to play around with all the time and get into tickle fights with. Seeing him all serious and mature was just… funny.
"Hey, what about me?" I whined, "I'm here too!" The Prince rolled his eyes.
"And my companion as well," he added grudgingly.
"See? Was that so hard to say?" I teased in baby talk. He rolled his eyes again.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Naomi?"
"Nope!" I grinned. This served only to amuse the Old Man, and he beckoned us inside.
"Ah, and you are, young lady?" he asked me as I followed the Prince inside. I stood at attention.
"Naomi Fox, sir!"
"And you're an Angel, I see. Then you must be the one Sierra sent down?"
"You know my Professor?"
"Indeed." He left us to search his shelves and returned with a small package. "Here you are. Deliver it safely."
"I will." I could feel the Princes questioning gaze before I even looked.
"What is that?" he inquired, looking down at the little box. I shrugged. "Not sure. But I was told not to open it, whatever it is."
"Give Sierra my best regards," the Old Man added. I nodded, and looked back at the Prince.
"You're turn," I told him, and then seated myself on the floor.
I basically ignored the first part of the conversation and seated myself on the floor, my legs crossed. I picked at my nails while the Prince explained to the Old Man what kind of hell the past seven years have been for him. I swear I could hear the utter terror in his voice as he talked on. Maybe it was just me, but I could almost hear his heart increasing slightly. See? I leave him alone for a little while… and he just keeps getting in all kinds of trouble. Finally, he asked what he should do about it. Then, came part of the conversation I remembered from the game.
"The Island of Time," the Old Man began, "the place where the Sands were created. The place from which the Maharaja stole the hourglass." At this, I perked up and looked between the two of them.
"And what if I could reach this Island?" the Prince asked, looking away as he leaned against a support beam. The Old Man stood at a shelf, feeling around for a container.
"They say the Maharaja found portals there, where one could pass backward through time." He found the container, grabbed it and started back over.
"Back through time…" the Prince repeated, "to the birthplace of the Sands…" He turned around and approached where the Old Man had seated himself. "Something terrible happened when our army traveled to the Maharajas palace." I scoffed.
"Yeah, I'll say. Yknow, after that little incident, I found sand in places where there should not be no sand." I shook my head, "It took me weeks to get it all out of my wings!"
"You found the Sands of Time," the Old Man concluded. The Prince knelt down and dropped his gaze.
"Worse," he whispered, "I opened them."
"I tried to tell you not to, silly boy…" I mumbled, lowering my eyes to my fingernails. "Farah and I both tried to stop you…"
"Whosoever shall open the Sands must die," the Old Man stated. At this, I raised one eyebrow at the Prince, but he didn't notice.
"I was forced to kill those I fought beside… Those I had loved," he said, almost sounding miserable. At this, I put my hand on his shoulder and opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me. "I know, Naomi. I know." I wilted slightly and put on a small pout.
"Meanie…"
"But now, an unstoppable beast chases you," the Old Man continued.
"For the first time in my life…" the Prince took a slow, deep breath, then looked up, almost pleadingly, "I am afraid." I suddenly felt bad. I dunno why, but I kept thinking that there was something I could've done…something I could've done to help him. But then, the Old Man said something that completely changed my mood.
"And you will die." I fell over. Then I looked back at him.
"Great!" I exclaimed sarcastically, "Thanks for the pep talk!" Luckily, the Prince also refused to take that as the final answer. He shook his head.
"I used the sands themselves to reverse time, making it as though the hourglass was never opened," he explained, getting up and walking around to the other side of the Old Man.
"Well, I guess that strategy is out the window now," I sighed.
"The beast, the Dahaka, is the Guardian of the Timeline," the Old Man explained, "You were supposed to die, so it will catch you and see to it that you meet your fate." The Prince, obviously in deep denial at this, and whom had also now gone almost full circle around the Old Man, started forward, looking somewhat confident in what he was about to do. But the Old man raised his arm and stopped him. The Prince just looked at him for a moment, then away.
"It is better to try than to wait here for death!" he declared. The Old Man lowered his arm, allowing the Prince to walk forward again.
"Madness!" the Old Man argued, "Even if you manage to reach the Island, you will still have to face the Empress of Time."
"OoooOOOOooooo…" I moaned for dramatic effect, waving my arms out in front of me, trying and lighten to mood a little, and to just be annoying. The Prince shook his head once.
"I will go back in time and prevent the sands from ever being made!" he decalred, "If there are no Sands, the Dahaka will have no quarrel with me." The Old Man, probably too old and too tired to argue with a young, stubborn, selfish git, just sighed.
"Go then, my Prince," he gave in, "But no this. You're journey will not end well. You cannot change your fate." He looked off to the side and at the ground. "No man can."
With that, the Prince left, now clearly intent on going to the island. As he left, I also jumped up to go with him, but the Old Man stopped me.
"Wait, Miss Fox," he called softly just as I reached the entrance. I stopped in mid step and looked back.
"What?"
"Come closer." I hesitated, wondering how far ahead of me the Prince was by now, but turned around and knelt in front of him. "I can see that you have very close connections with the Prince. The two of you seem fond of one another."
"We were together the whole time he was trying to put the Sands back. We got pretty close… but that was seven years ago. We haven't seen each other since." He nodded tiredly.
"The Prince has spent these past years on the run. He is fleeing for his very life, and it has changed him. He is a very desperate man, searching desperately for salvation. You may do well to stay at his side." I blinked confusedly.
"What? Why?"
"You two…may need each other more than either of you realize. Go with him." I blinked again.
"…I don't think I understand." He only smiled slightly.
"Go with him," he repeated.
Kiri: w00t! At last, the next part in the series! Or... trilogy... WHATEVER! I'll have all you guys know that this first chappy too me flippingforeverto finish. I kep getting a slew of new ideas and I actually deleted it and rewrote it several times before finally settling on this! Man, how irritating... Well, anyways, sorry, guys, but no FAQ this time around... I'll get to it next chapter. I'm not doing it now because today my dad ripped the tendon in his elbow completely off on the bone and in and the muscle are all curled up in the top part of his arm... yeah, really gross. He's in a lot of pain, and I'm still weary from the big shock it caused earlier. So... yeah. Make sure you all leave a nice reveiw and I'll get the next chappy up as soon as I can!
