Chapter Five

Watchtower, Memorial Garden

December 21, 1622

Lavender wondered around the garden, watching as little flowers grew in her footsteps. She bent down to touch one, but just as she was going to it withered. Then Lavender saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Looking up, she saw Jaime.

"Oh, hi…" She stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you." Jaime replied.

"Me? Worried I was going to poison something-or someone-else?" Lavender asked as she turned around.

"No. I was actually worried that you might hurt yourself. You seemed pretty scared of happened back there."

Lavender looked at her gloved hands as Jaime spoke. She shut her eyes and made her hands into fists before turning back around.

"I'm sorry. I can't control myself. My bare touch...it can literally kill in seconds. I hate it!" Lavender threw her arms down to her sides as vines covered her legs. She looked down, surprised. "I don't know how I'm doing any of this. Please...Is anyone mad at me?"

"What? No! No, no, of course not." Jaime stepped closer to Lavender, making her a little nervous. "Lavender, nobody out there could ever be mad at you."

"Why do you talk like everybody here knows me?" Lavender asked.

"Because, Lavender…" They both turned around to find Shadow Angel, Virgil, Asami and Tye. "We do know you."

"Shadow Angel is right. We saved you, helped you." Virgil added.

"You don't remember because I changed it all. I went back in time and changed it all. I'm just glad that you're still alive. I heard your family was too."

"You...You're that girl with the black wings. You saved us from my dad."

"That's right, Lavender. I am. My name is Shadow Angel." She pulled her mask off. "But you call me Aster."

"Aster? That's a nice name." Lavender walked closer. "Thank you for saving my family."

"That's my job." Aster replied with a warm smile. "I'll leave you alone."

Then, Aster left the room. The other three walked closer.

"Um...Hi." Lavender greeted, giving a small wave.

"Lavender? I can't believe it." Virgil walked over to hug her but Lavender stepped back. "Lav? Wh-What's the matter?"

Virgil smiled and went to hug Lavender, only to receive a harsher reaction.

"Stay away! Just stay away!" Lavender hugged herself. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Please…"

Jaime ran over to help, "Virgil, her skin's poisonous. If you touch her, you might get hurt."

"Oh, sorry." He apologized to Lavender. "I didn't know. I was just worried."

"It's okay. I just don't want to hurt anyone."

"How did your skin become poisonous?" Ed questioned.

"It's been like that since I was little. That girl, Aster, she saved me and my family."

"Aster? You never told us that before." Tye replied.

"Before what? I'm only just meeting you. Oh, right. I'm-"

"Lavender. We know. You were our friend, chica." Ed replied.

"Friend?" Lavender questioned the word.

Watchtower

Interrogation, Observation Room

Aster watched Mirabella struggle to free herself from the cuffs on her wrists and the collar wrapped around her neck.

"Oh, Mirabella...what has happened to you?" Aster whispered to herself.

Aster started to remember her trip to the future again.

Year 2054

The younger version of Bart laid his head on his mother's lap. She gently stroked his hair as he fell asleep. Aster sat on the other side of the cave, watching carefully.

Aster was only pulled from her thoughts as Melodie spoke, "You watch him so closely. You must really want to protect him." Aster popped up at this but nodded her head quietly. "I'm glad he has such an angel to watch over him."

Melodie begun to stroke Bart's hair again.

"Fate has been cruel and order unkind." Aster begun quietly. "How can I have sent you away? The blame was my own, the punishment yours. The harmony's silent today."

"That's a beautifully...sad...song. I didn't know you sang." Don said as he walked into the cave.

"Oh, I didn't realize I was singing out loud." Aster replied.

"That's okay, Angel. Continue, please. A little sound is what we've needed I think." Don replied as he stacked some old wood against the wall.

Aster nodded her head and continued, "But into the stillness, I'll bring you a song. And I will your company keep 'til your tired eyes, and my lullabies, have carried you softly to sleep."

Present time

Aster continued to watch on as Mirabella struggled more and more with her chains. Aster couldn't help but blame herself, always putting herself on the front line for everyone, shining like the sun.

"Once did a person who shone like the sun, look out on her sisters and sigh. She smiled and said 'surely there is no person so lovely and so well beloved as I.'" Aster placed her hand on the cold glass that separated her from her young sister. A tear was about to fall from the corner of her eyes. "So great was her reign, so brilliant her glory, that long was the shadow she cast." Tears started down her cheeks as she continued her sobbing singing. "Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved, and grew only darker as days and nights passed…" Aster fell to her knees.

Black Canary, watching carefully, kneeled down to hug her but someone had beat her to it: Arsenal. Roy had come to see everything going on at the Watchtower when he overheard his sister's sobbing singing.

"Aster, it's okay. It's not your fault." He whispered to her.

"But-But it is." She choked out. "I did this to them. I was supposed to make sure they were safe, but I only made it worse." Roy held her closer, tighter, as if trying to protect her from some evil force. "Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine. Rest now in moonlight's embrace."

"Oh, Aster...what's happened to you?" Roy whispered to himself.

They stayed like that for a while until Aster finally stopped crying. Roy stood up, helping Aster up afterward.

"Thanks...I feel a little better now."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad I could help for once." Roy shrugged his shoulders.

"You always helped me when we were kids."

Roy jumped up at this, the memory of their harsh mother as kids rushing through his mind.

"Well, after dad left, someone had to protect you."

Aster rested a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, brother."

He touched her smaller hand. "No problem, sister."

They just smiled at each other for a moment before Aster looked back into the interrogation room. She watched Mirabella, who was just sitting at the table now. She slipped past Roy and ran to the opposite room's door. Just as she touched the knob, Roy grabbed her hand.

"Are you sure you wanna go in there?"

Aster nodded. "I think I know a way to bring Mirabella back. To turn her good again. I just need a few minutes alone with her."

Roy sighed heavily, "Fine. I'll guard. But you better be quick before Black Canary and G.A come to check on us."

"Got it. Tap the window when they're coming." Aster said before slipping inside.

"Who...are you?" Mirabella growled.

"My name is none of your concern...yet. I'm here to help, Mirabella."

"Help me? Are you going to free me?" Mirabella held up her wrists in question.

"No...not yet." Aster walked over, sliding a chair behind her, and jammed it under the doorknob. "Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth through cloud and through sky, and through space. Carry the peace and the coolness of night, and carry my sorrow in kind."

"You are crazy. Your sorrow means nothing to my masters or my mission."

"Mirabella, you're loved so much more than you know. Forgive me for being so blind."

"Loved? No one loves me. Never has anyone ever loved me. And I do not know you. Now are you going to set me free and continue my mission or not?"

Aster continued to walk around the room, pulling her hair into a braid as she did. "Soon did that person take notice that others did not give her sister her due. And neither had she loved her as she deserved. She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew."

"Who are you talking about?"

"You, my sweet sister. This is our lullaby, my lullaby. My story of how you truly fell into darkness. But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly takes hold of the mind of its host. And that foolish person did nothing to stop the destruction of one who had needed her most." Aster hugged Mirabella from behind before continuing her song. "Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine. And rest now in moonlight's embrace. Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth through cloud and through sky, and through space. Carry the peace and the coolness of night, and carry my sorrow in kind."

Letting go of her hug, Aster continued her walk around but stopped to turn Mirabella's chair to the side.

"You really are crazy to think you can waltz in here and take control of me."

"I'm not looking for control. I'm looking for redemption. Mirabella, you're loved so much more than you know."

Back in the observation room, Roy was joined by Batman, Black Canary and Green Arrow.

"Should we intervene?" Black Canary questioned.

"No. Shadow Angel must work through whatever she is feeling." Batman replied.

"On Mirabella? Batman, that's Ted's daughter." Green Arrow said.

"He knows that. He just wants to see what Aster's plan is." Roy replied.

Nightwing and Aqualad came into the room soon after, being called there by Batman himself. Back in the opposite room, Aster was reaching down to touch Mirabella's head gently.

"May troubles be far from your mind. And forgive me for being so blind." A light enveloped the room, a light that scared all the heroes in the next room.

Roy was the first to respond, "Aster!" He charged out of observation and into the next room, where the light finally died down. "Aster…"

Tripping over the pieces of chair he broke on the way in, he found Mirabella passed out in the chair, slightly different appearance, with a small wolf pup in her lap. A scorch mark was left in the place where Aster stood before. Roy fell to his knees, he felt his world go dark.

"Roy...I'm so sorry." Green Arrow said as he bent down to his former protege.

Roy buried his face into his hands but it didn't last long as the dust from Aster's previous spot collected itself into a small whirlwind. Everyone backed away, unaware of what it could be. Finally, it settled and Aster stood there unharmed. She looked at everyone before fainting. Roy caught her just before Aster hit the floor.

"It's okay. I'm here, Aster."

"Roy?" She questioned as she cracked her eyes open gently.

"I'm here. I'm here. You're safe." He brushed her hair back gently.

She smiled before passing out in his arms.

Hey guys. I'm REALLLLYYYY sorry for the extremely late update. Serious writers block and then my laptop hated me so my mom took it to have. Finally got on the home computer...BLAH! Anyways...I do not own the song used. It was Lullaby for a princess by Ponyphonic. It's really awesome (which is why it was used) and I think you all should listen to it. I did change a few words to make it fit the story better, but it's still hers. The song was originally for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It's for the two Princesses past and it's a sad song, but it's soooo good. Alright. So, yay! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. And Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrated it.