Over the years I learned so much about him and his home in a realm most could not reach. He told me about how when he first arrived in this world, a kind old woman helped him recover from the shock of his landing. How when he was given this mission to find and bring justice to his brother, the horror he was to learn of the atrocities his brother had done. He spoke much about his love for humanity as he traveled the land in search of clues. How random strangers extended their kindness to him and how he wished to help them and humanity as payment for such kind deeds.
He told me that within a few weeks of him meeting me for the first time, he was able to find the whereabouts of his brother. However, he was unable to confront him due to a vision his ability showed him. He did not go into detail but what he did tell me, I could tell he did not want it to happen.
Ame told me that his brother needed to capture a Valkyrie who did not remember her origins. She would be the leader of his army and act as the false general while he played the role of the strategist, the negotiator, and the recruiter. No one would be the wiser to who led his foul army. The Valkyrie would be under his manipulation and would not be free until she was released by The Collector. When I asked him who that was, Ame sighed and said that The Collector was someone trying to right the wrong of a betrayal but his goal would lead him into something larger than what he thought was possible.
Although he treated me as a brother, I felt closer to him than he may have felt he was to me. Growing up with him and learning about him throughout the years, I wouldn't realize the emotion until I was sixteen. A slow process, but one that I felt since a young age. Whenever I looked back on it, I would chuckle to myself at how innocent I was but he helped in teaching me to be the person I would become. When I turned sixteen and learned about what love was, I knew I had to say something to him. I felt that if I did not, I would most likely regret it.
As much as I hated to admit it, Ame was right about almost everything. I became the most beautiful woman in the village, but because of that, many became jealous; shunning me from conversations and other interactions. However, ever since the day I met Rea, I was never alone. Although she was five years younger than me, she was more mature than most who were my age. She was an amazing friend who was always there to protect me from the snide comments from the other women in the village. If I was ever upset, I knew I could always go to Rea to cry and she would soothe me as if she were like my own mother.
"You know Rea, you don't always have to talk to me. Don't you fear being shunned yourself?" I once asked her. Her hazel eyes caught mine as she gave me a kind smile.
"Why would I worry about what all these simple-minded people think? There is no contest for natural beauty and I care not for such mundane things." Rea paused in thought before continuing, " Rose, I care only about what is on the inside. The kind person you hide from others to avoid harming yourself."
For a moment we sat there in silence, then she chuckled. "Besides, Rose, there's not very many people I can talk to that have quite as interesting topics as you do."
She would always say such things that would make my face flush. There were times how I wish I would have told her how much her words and her company meant to me. Having only known two people so well in all my life, she was one of my most trusted friends.
But the calm and simple times of my life would eventually come to an end. The comfortable and sheltered lifestyle I once knew changed on my eighteenth birthday, when Ame appeared before me in the same meadow of my family's former estate where we met all those years ago.
On that day, I had asked my father to allow me to go up to the ruins of my birthplace to spend some alone time for the day. He found it as such an odd request for me to go up alone, but he willfully agreed to my request. I had the feeling Ame would appear at the old gazebo just like before. The anticipation made me excited but my birthday was not the only thing that I was looking forward to. It had been months of preparation but eventually, I found the courage to tell the one closest to me how I felt. Since He had never missed my birthday before, I was hoping to gain the opportunity to confess.
The horses stopped in front of what used to be the front entrance of the estate. I took a long look around, remembering what it used to look like compared to the rubble and ivy that stood as the grave marker for the past. The once-grand Gothic architecture of the home was now being held up by the ivy that clung to every square inch of stone and mortar. It seemed that at the slightest breath of wind, the whole thing could crumble, the dust being carried away on the same breeze. The last reminder of the past gone and only I was to remain and remember what no one could.
I stalled myself for a bit to walk around the ruins of the mansion. I couldn't imagine what my birth parents felt when they held my sister and I. How their family was finally complete only to be torn apart in a single night. How my adopted father felt as his childhood friend handed him her children only to watch her and the other servants, slaughtered along with the mansion set ablaze. There would never be another time like this, I thought. I was sure I would never experience or live through another event similar to that again.
I tried to clear my head of those sad and heartbreaking thoughts. Having the ability to remember every moment in one's life was a blessing and a curse for me. On some days, those small, happy moments were comforting, but on days like today, they would envelop me in a wave of emotions and sweep me away.
Doing the best I could to hold them back, I made my way through the broken doors to tour the inside of the forgotten mansion. Upon entering, it felt as if I was greeted by the home itself. Lush nature taking over man-made structures gave an otherworldly appearance that brought me peace from the moments before. It was strange to see the familiar layout now covered in flowers and trees, the grass outlining where walls and doors once stood. I went and observed some of the rooms to find furniture becoming the host and home of various mushrooms and vegetation. Songbirds flew from floor to floor only stopping occasionally to offer a song or two. Colorful butterflies fluttered gently to every flower and if it was not placed in the back of my mind of what history had left on this place, it would seem that I had stepped into my own personal wonderland.
But I had no time to take in all that was around me. There were only a few short hours on this day, and I planned to make the most of them. My tour of the mansion would end there for the day but the thought of exploring the now overgrown gardens made me excited. I strolled over to the back of the mansion and hurried to the decrepit back stairs, down the unkempt path that lead to the overgrown gardens. He leaned against the old gazebo, having never looked a day older. His appearance did not change but something about this moment made my heart pound in my chest as I tried to keep myself from hyperventilating by my own doubts. Ame caught my gaze and gave me a smile as he waved me over to him. As I entered the wooden structure, Ame straightened himself and wrapped his arms around me, drawing me in close for a long and warm hug.
"Happy Birthday, Rose." He said, pulling out of our hug.
My cheeks became burning hot, despite the cool autumn air.
Something about this moment made me feel more of the shy and quiet woman than I ever thought I was.
"T-thank you, Ame," I said quietly, turning my head to try and hide my face.
He took a moment to gaze into my emerald eyes. In the autumn light, his eyes looked like shining gems. I could see the questions formulating within as I did poorly to hide my feelings. It felt like hours before Ame finally spoke.
"I feel that you want to ask something of me. Is it a request? Would you care to say it?" Ame finally said, his voice hinted a mixture of humor and charm.
I hesitated as I averted my eyes and bit my lower lip. I didn't like how well he was able to easily guess my thoughts but during this moment where I felt I could not speak as well as I thought I could, it was nice to have him be able to take such a lucky guess at this time.
"I-I…" I stuttered nervously. He chuckled and rubbed my shoulders trying to relax me.
"It is alright Rose. It's only the two of us." Ame said with confidence.
I nodded slowly and took some time to gather my thoughts. It all seemed so sudden but at the same time he gave me such leeway to collect myself, I knew I couldn't let this moment slip past me.
"A-Ame, there's been something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time," I said after some time. I could hear the nervousness in my own voice and could see from his eyes that he knew what my next words would be.
"Continue, Rose." Ame said patiently, "I want to hear you say what's on your mind."
I pursed my lips in thought. I was afraid that my wording would be off but I didn't want to hesitate any longer.
"A-Ame, I know we've known each other for a long while. And you've been the closest person to me than my own sister. But I can't hide that I've been feeling this strange emotion for some time now." I tried to say as slowly and calmly as I could.
"It's an honor to hear that from you, Rose. Those words fill me with such happiness that I can't even describe." Ame replied all too quickly. I raised up my hand to try and halt him in his thought process.
"I-I'm not done, Ame," I told him, still a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.
"My apologies Rose, please continue," Ame said, stepping back to lean against the gazebo once more.
As Ame pulled away, I felt myself grow more insecure. It felt that him being close to me was the only thing supporting me through this lengthy confession. Dam be it to Rea for suggesting to me that I needed to do this.
"A-Ame, I-I've started to feel...I think I love you, Ame. I-I know this is sudden and on my birthday no less but I-I needed to tell you this as soon as I could." I finally said in one breath. After it was out, I started coughing from having to hold the same breath in my lungs for so long.
Ame started to laugh as he walked back over to rub my back until breath filled my lungs once more. My face was so red that I could hardly look at him, but I caught a glance at him from beneath my bangs. Slight tears were coming to his eyes but his face did not reveal anything out of the ordinary, almost as if I had told him a joke.
"Ah Rose, I am happy to hear that." He said as he brought me up for another hug.
"A-Ame…" I breathed as the embrace caught me off guard.
This time the embrace was tighter than any of the ones he gave me before. It felt like he wanted to say everything on his mind but no words could formulate into speech. It was soothing, yet something made it feel as if the whole ordeal was painful at the same time.
"Rose, you don't know how long I've wanted to hear those words from you. You are the only one in this world that has made this terrible mission of mine worth more than a rank among angels. I never thought when I first met you that you would become the magnificent woman you are today. " Ame paused for a moment before saying, "My visions only allow me to see small tidbits of the future, I knew this moment was to happen but I never realized how much your words mean to me, Rose."
Ame pulled out from the embrace, put his thumb beneath my lower lip, and lifted my chin with his index finger. His face grew somber as his crystal gaze studied my face as if it was to be the last time he ever saw me.
"Unfortunately Rose, I cannot accept your feelings for me. Not yet anyway. There is something I must do and such a job requires me to leave for longer than I have been away normally. But, I will leave you with this." Ame said before kissing me.
We stood there for a moment, the kiss feeling more like hours than mere seconds to me before he pulled away. My face grew warm, I had never been kissed before and to my joy and sudden shock, my first kiss had been given to Ame.
"W-what was that?" I asked dumbfounded.
"A memory, Rose. My final gift to you." Ame replied quietly.
I stared at him for a moment, everything about this felt off. It was as if the world had shifted in an odd direction but I was not present for it. I grabbed his wrist without thinking, my whole body felt like it was on autopilot.
"Ame, what do you mean you're leaving? I-I don't understand, tell me what's going on!" My words felt foreign to me as I shouted. Tears started to flood beneath my eyes, threatening to spill over. I did not know if I was being rejected or my feelings had been accepted. Ame's words made no sense to me.
"Do not be afraid Rose. Even though I may be gone now for an undetermined amount of time, I will be back. I will come back for you Rose." Ame rested his hands on my shoulders.
"Ame, what did you see?" I tried to push. Instead of answering me, he brought me back in for another embrace.
"Tragedy, terrible terrible tragedy Rose. Something I must stop but I don't want you to get hurt." Ame said, whispering in my ear. "Please forgive me, Rose. But I will return to you when you are at your lowest."
I felt the warmth of his embrace slowly disappear. His final words echoing off the overgrown trees and into the wind.
"Be strong Rose, I need you to be strong for what is to come." Ame's voice said atop the wind.
I opened my eyes to find myself standing alone in the empty meadow. The feeling of loneliness washed over me as tears finally fell from my eyes. I looked at the gazebo trying to find some trace or shadow of Ame, anything that could put my mind and my lingering questions at ease.
"Ame," I called into the growing darkness. The cold air of September finally seeping into my clothes, but I couldn't care more. I walked over to the decrepit gazebo, my body hunched over in a weak attempt to keep myself together.
"Ame, where are you?" I called again in a fruitless effort. I knew he was gone but my mind wanted to believe that this was just a trick, a cruel joke he had played on me.
I walked over to the far railing of the gazebo and tried to scan the rest of the overgrown garden for any signs of life, for any signs of another human being in the overgrowth.
During my attempt to see him through the shadows, I got the idea that maybe he was inside the crumbling mansion.
The walk to the back stairs of the abandoned home was the longest moment of my young life. What should have been a few simple minutes to walk from the gazebo to the stairs felt like a lifetime as my body became sluggish and weak.
Upon entering the mansion, everything seemed to be murky and grey. It was as if the world around me had lost its color as I trudged over lush grass growing over the once vibrant carpets. In this murky daze, I found myself dragging my sluggish body over to a big oak tree that grew around and through the grand staircase. Once at its base, my knees gave out as I slumped to the ground, the tree being the only leverage that kept my body in a seated position.
It felt like almost eternity since I sat there, were from the corner of my eye came to a ball of soft green light from one of the rooms. It danced upon the tops of the flowers, darting back and forth in a motion that jogged my memory. I watched the light dance for a while, unable to piece together what was going on. After some time, the green light stopped. It stood still for a moment before darting over to the tree I sat under, twisting around its trunk as if to say it found something of interest.
"Valkyrie Rose! It's you! I was right, it's you!" A familiar voice chirped in excitement.
I looked over at the green light. A little fairy bounced in front of me, her ruby eyes wide in excitement. I didn't say anything as I stared motionless at her. From the corner of my eye, a red ball of light darted over to where the green fairy hovered. This one was different from the fairy that found me. Her hair was short brown with bright blue eyes. She reminded me a bit of my birth mother. The strange comparison of the fairy to my deceased relative seemed to bring me some comfort.
"Celesti, was this the half Valkyrie you told me about?" The red fairy said to the one named Celesti.
When she said the name, everything clicked. A rush of memories flooded back to me, the river, the meadow, Rea, everything about it brought a mix of emotions back to me causing tears to resurface in my eyes.
"C-Celesti…"I choked on my own words, both happy and upset to see her here.
Celesti fluttered to my shoulder. Her landing and movement were so light and soft that I didn't feel her until her wings brushed my jawline as she hugged my neck.
"Oh Rose, I'm so happy to see you!" Celesti chirped. For a moment I said nothing.
"Rose, is everything alright? You don't look so well." Celesti said, breaking the silence.
I wanted to say that I was fine but the words would not touch my lips. I just stared into the distance, accepting the little warm embrace of the fairies' hug.
"Poor girl, this might be who you meant when you told me about Ame's companion." The red fairy said softly.
I felt Celestie nod, "Yeah, I knew this would happen. I did try to warn her, Aine."
The red fairy, who I now knew was Aine, nodded her head.
"Indeed, the best we can do is just give her a boost to go home. I'd hate to see such a pretty thing like her waste away here over an angel who's never felt the emotions she feels for him." Aine said as she fluttered over to Celesti.
Aine's words confused me. It felt so surreal to me as memories of my and Ame's conversations flooded in and out. He never felt anything before? But what about the kindness he felt to others? The desire to protect me and everyone else in this world?
"That should do it. Come now child, let's get you home." Aine said as she and Celesti fluttered behind my shoulders. They did not touch me but I felt myself stand up as if of my own volition.
"Now, Rose, we are just going to get you to your horses. When you get home be sure to drink something and get some rest." Celesti said into my right ear.
"Now that you know where our winter home is, feel free to stop by here if you need anything. Even if it is just somebody to talk to." Aine said into my left ear.
I walked over to the horses in silence, tears started to flow down my face once more. I did not guide or control the horses but they knew well enough that our destination was back home. The journey seemed to be faster than before as my mind wandered into memories that were now foreign to me.
As the horses marched along the old cobblestones of the village streets, I couldn't help but look at my surroundings. The buildings, once vibrant and lively in the day, seemed almost bleak and grey. The townspeople locked their shutters as the cool night air rolled in, their chimneys smokestacks gave small signs of life as the village turned in their work clothes for nightcaps to sleep. To think that such people preferred such a simple life, being content with the stagnant ebb and flow of a mundane and ordinary life always made me curious. As one who wanted to explore, then again it made sense partially as to why I was shunned. My appearance and sense of adventure always seemed to be off-putting to the villagers.
Upon arrival, my parents found my somber mood to be quite odd and not as cheerful as I was when I left that morning. To keep them from asking questions, I simply forced a smile and headed quietly to my room. I scanned the familiar room, the straw bed in the corner where I spent many nights alone dreaming of a day I could leave the village and go on a grand adventure. The trunk in front of it filled to the brim of stuff I would take when I finally left. A whole plan I had set up when I was younger and it felt like now was a good time to set some of it into motion.
I went over to the trunk and unlatched the lid. The first thing that caught my eye was the necklace that my adopted father had given me on my fifth birthday. A silver pendant in the shape of what seemed to be a crying eye. In the middle, embedded into the fine metal was a dark blue sapphire. Father once told me that it was my birth father. He assumed that it may have once represented our family crest and was something that my birth father and his twin wore when they were younger.
I decided it was time that I would carry it. A symbol of my family, of my fathers who tried to protect me. It fit around my neck perfectly, as if it was made for me. The cool metal upon my skin comforted me and I decided to end my adventure plans for the night.
As soon as my head hit the pillow, I could not control my thoughts on the day and so too could I not control the sobbing and tears as they drifted me off into a restless and dreamless sleep.
As the sun finally set behind the hills and the moon's dim light seeped into my window the sounds of blood-curdling screams flooded into my room from the outside. Startled by the sudden noise, I jumped to my feet and ran over to the windowsill to look outside.
Immediately upon looking out, I got the urge to duck away. In doing so, I dodged a barrage of flaming arrows as they landed behind me on my wooden wall. I quickly looked out again to see where the arrows had come from to find the village in a startling inferno. Strange Soldiers of an unknown origin were marching through the streets slaughtering fleeing villagers as they ransacked and burned their homes without mercy.
Men and children were killed on the spot while the women were raped right outside on the streets. My heart clenched as fear overtook me, causing my knees to grow weak as I sank to the floor. The sounds of innocent blood spilling and their bones being crushed and torn from their flesh caused me to throw up my stomach contents from the meal before. I soon noticed the flames spread in my room but how sudden all this was, shattered me and took me away from reality.
It felt as if my own soul had left my body as I watched myself run to my bed, grab a blanket to stamp out the flames. I watched myself rush over to the old chest to grab whatever I could before I and my family could flee into the night. Then I stopped. Not once had Father or Mother come to get me. They did not call me, they had not run up to get me. I turned to look at my bedroom door.
The same sounds that had been playing on loop from the outside, echoed throughout my own home's halls. Startled, I fell to the ground in a meek attempt to shield myself from whatever was to come. The sounds within brought me back to the present, with a shot of adrenaline, I forced my stiffening body to crawl into a corner of my room that faced the door. For a while, it seemed like everything was alright and just a figure of my imagination. But soon I was watching the blood seep slowly into my room from under my door as the sounds of tearing flesh and the crushing of bones beneath teeth scratched at my ears.
For a moment the noises in my home stopped. I let out a breath, thinking that whatever was out there had left. But that thought would last only for a minute as the sound of long fingernails scratching on the wood door and the violent, obsessive shaking of the doorknob made me cower in my corner with fear that left me like a statue. Having nowhere else to run, I sat there, covering my ears with my hands, hoping and praying to whichever god would listen to me to save me from this nightmare and bring me to Ame.
I then watched the long claws cut through the wooden door.
The wood splintered and busted as superhuman strength tore through. A long muzzle pushed its way through the hole it created, sniffing the air for another meal. Finally, after what seemed like mere minutes, my door splintered to pieces; revealing a foul creature with a wolf's head and a distorted human body. Its limbs were long as its hands dragged on the floor behind it. Its legs bent like that of a wolf's hind legs as it sauntered in. In the beast's left hand it held the twitching and still bleeding severed heads of my father and mother, its claws digging deep into their skulls. Its teeth, dripping with blood as tufts of hair and flesh stuck out between its monstrous canines. The beast's black, soulless eyes scanned my room searching for the source of the breath it heard with acute hearing. My hand twitches, causing the wolf's ears to twitch and scan again for more sounds. The beast's nose sniffed the air once more, paused for a second as if to think, then looked over at me.
I had never been so terrified in my life until that very moment. My breath caught in my throat and I felt like throwing up again. As the beast's lips curled up into a malicious smile, it tossed the heads to the side and, in one leap, the depraved beast stood before me. It reeked of blood, sweat, and dirt. The stench was so strong I threw up on the spot. The beast made an unholy sound as if it were chuckling with sick joy.
Tears spilled over my eyes as uncontrolled sobs escaped my throat.
"N-No, NoNoNo" I cried. The beast's grin grew wider as it lifted up its giant paw, aiming its claws at my head. I shut my eyes, hoping for a quick death.
For a moment, I thought that everything had come to an end. My life had flashed before my eyes and although it was not long, I couldn't help but feel regret for not starting my life. I felt like I should have done more but because it had ended so soon, there was no way I could. What brought me back to reality was the fact that I did not feel anything. In fact, I only felt the air of where the claws had swiped by but I felt nothing.
Soon, the sound of metal slicing through flesh and the howl of the beast that was once before me filled the air. I felt the beast's blood splattered onto my face and a muffled thud hit the wooden floor. It felt as if time had slowed down and as I slowly opened my eyes, I found the floor around me to be almost flooded with blood. I started gasping for air, it felt like an eternity since I last took a breath and my lungs ached from the previous sobbing. A new sense of living filled me.
"Had I not trained you beasts enough to not hurt halflings?" A voice said from behind the splintered wooden door.
My gaze darted up to that location and before me stood an elf with wire-framed glasses and short white hair, sheathing a thin sword into his cane. He wore a brown trench coat that has been withered with age, along green scarf wrapped around his neck as if to keep his fragile aging skin from the autumn cold. I began to notice the fire around us burning slower than usual. He dusted off his pants, fixed his scarf and trench coat, and looked over at me, inspecting every inch of my appearance with his piercing blue eyes. Still not satisfied with his observation, he stepped closer to me and gripped my face with his hand. My breath became sharp from the pain as his fingers traced up my jawline, brushing my hair back to reveal the feathers growing out of my ear.
"My my, how rare..." His deep voice said calmly. My body shook in fright despite the calming atmosphere. Something about him frightened me to my core, whether it was his eyes or his demeanor in this chaos, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He let out a small chuckle as he looked at me again.
"A Half Valkyrie. Indeed it has been a long time since I've seen anything like that." He grabbed my arm and gently helped me up.
I stared at him in shock and confusion. Why is all this happening? Who is this mysterious man?
"My dear, you are quite the rare gem. Would you mind telling me your name?" The elf asked in a familiar charming tone.
I immediately felt relaxed by his calmness but my hands and voice still quivered with unexplainable fright as I replied, "R-Rose. Um, Wha-what is going on?"
The man gave me a kind smile. "Fear not, lovely Rose. I am simply freeing those who have been oppressed by the humans for so long."
A confused look crossed my face. I had never been oppressed by any of the people that lived in this village, not even by my adopted parents. As far as I knew, they had cared about me my entire life...but now...I had no one. It was then that the realization hit me.
I had no one.
I was all alone in this cruel world. My family had been slaughtered and the man I loved disappeared within the night. I had no one to take care of me.
The man offered his hand to me, a sickly smirk crossing his face. "I will take care of you Rose."
It was like the man had read my mind the moment that that thought crossed my mind. I glanced down at his hand and then back up to him.
"Who are you?" I asked with slight caution and a bit more courage than before.
His smile broadened as he replied, "My name is Adriel. But please, call me Anik."