The Ruins of Xedillian

[Ephraim the Lunar Warrior]

A sword resonated through the air. The clang of steel in flesh was so adamant in the atmosphere it was suffocating. The stench of wounds coated on a warrior did not help the suffocation either.

Ephraim had looked away. He had know he could not have done a thing. However, his grandmother had told him a few wise words in his life. He could remember it, like it had happened a week ago (Yeah, it wasn’t as fresh as if it had happened yesterday, but hey, it was adequate of a memory to not matter).

“Grandmother,” he asked, “why do you always close your ears when there is a shooting a kilometer away?”

“Hmm?” she replied.

“Why do you avert your eyes when the showing of Christ being crucified is portrayed?”

“Well,” she stammered.

“Why do you never curse? If you stub your toe, you simply stay quiet as regality would. However, we are not regal, now are we?”

“No,” she said, taking Ephraim into her lap, folding his wings away from her, “we are not. We are not affluent, but we are still well-to-do, my prince.” She laughed at his nickname, coughing slightly at the end.

“Don’t change the subject, Grandmother. Why do you act as such?”

“Well, my prince,” she began, “your great-great-grandmother once told me to ‘See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.’ Or something bad is sure to happen in turn.”

Ephraim’s eyes bulged out in curiosity and wonder. “Is it true, Grandmother?”

“Well, of course it is true! Have you seen anything bad happen to me yet? No, right? Therefore, of course it is true!”

“Oh,” Ephraim replied in wonder, “you’re right! From now one I will never speak, see, or hear evil either, Grandmother.”

“Oh, I am glad to hear that, Prince Ephraim.”

***

Ephraim could not watch hence because of his promise to his grandmother. However, was it truly evil, or was it justice? That was a question only He could decide… and even then, it could probably be disputed.

Plop, plop. The blood dripped down in a steady rhythm when Lady Neciel dragged the sword out of the going to be courpse. He watched during that showing, nevertheless. The gores of man normally kindled with life, now felt as if they were smoldering… just like the Zoroastrian god that resides in smolders, the life withered away and Ephraim could not do anything.

Lady Neciel seemed perturbed as well. But, not nearly as much as one who would normally have lost family at ones hands. Why was that? Was it because she had only just recognized him? Then again, that posed another question in Ephraim’s mind: why did she finish him off so quickly? She did not need to show her power. In fact, she could have easily left him there and walked away… but she decided to kill the man. Why? What was the use of such violence? Who won, who lost? That was another good question to ask when dead and in heaven.

He needed to ask her that question though. Just to receive closure—renewed respect—he needed to do this. He did not care that she threatened to slice his head off. Sure, she was strong, but to defeat Ephraim would take much more work than the person she had just killed.

He took out his staff, simple… yet intricately made. Simple in the fact that it had only one medium… but intricate in the fact that every groove placed in there had meaning—spiritual meaning. With his staff brandished, and his ego not inflated, he ventured forth into the darkness that was known as Lady Neciel’s closed heart.

He motioned Gabrielle (yes, he finally remembered: shock therapy, if he recalled the term correctly…) to stay with the courpse and properly cremate it or bury it, while he left with the Madam.

***

“So, Lady Neciel,” he began, completely ignoring her order towards him, “why did you do such an act? More importantly, why do you hide your sorrow… even in privacy?”

(OOC: Hope you enjoyed my brilliance, my Lady XD… jkjk, I wish….)

 

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle stayed where she was sitting, forcing herself not to interfere, forcing herself to stay quiet. She was no coward. But suicide was not something the Lord would have accepted, he valuated Life far too much. What Ace was doing in front of her was killing himself through Lady Neciel's sword because he was too weak to end his days himself. She watched as the blood tainted his clothes and life left him. She did not know him, she had shared but hours with him. Yet, she felt sad, sad for the Life he never lived, sad for his soul.

The words and revelation that he shared with the Faction leader did not touch the Holy Knight. The lost of a life was far deeper than that...plus she did not know what brotherhood really was. She looked towards the other Holy Knight, who did not move either, whatever his motivations were. so many wings...

When the fight came to an end, she stood up and walked to the body. The tears of the Faction Leader touched her but she kept her distance. When Neciel started to leave, she kneed next to the body and put him in a more decent posture, his hands on his chest. She looked at his face, he seemed in peace. She did not hear the raising argument between the Lady and the Knight.

She spoke with a soft husky low voice. "My Lady...I beg you..." She raised her amber eyes to the Lady who was turned in the other direction. She looked at the woman's back and took her decision. "I know that this is not your ways, but I implore a favor from you." Her ton was strangely impassive. She went on. "I know that you and your faction did not choose evil over good but the ....ability to choose." she paused a second. "Please could you choose to forgive him? Could you say that you forgive him so that his soul can be free...?" Gabrielle asked looking at the beautiful woman. She knew that Ace, in the eyes of the Faction, had committed suicide but she would try to save his soul anyway, whatever the price, because it was her duty.  

[Zulma san]

Gabrielle held the woman's gaze. She was strong and beautiful indeed and Gabrielle knew few about her indeed. She had never pretended knowing a lot about any of the faction leaders. She did not move at the woman's speech and looked at her while she left. Then Gabrielle softly raised, making the sign of the crucifix towards Ace. Then she slowly drew Eosy from her back and jabbed the floor at the man's feet. She joined her hands and prayed. Softly the winds grabbed dust and earth from around the dead Knight and dropped it on top of him. During the minutes of burial and prayers, Gabrielle asked for forgiveness for not helping him, forgiveness for her weakness. Once the body had entirely disappeared under the dust, she kneed and picked her sword. Casting a last look at the tomb before turning to Ephraim. She still did not know the name of the winged Knight.  

[Ephraim the Lunar Warrior]

Ephraim’s eyes tightened as Lady Neciel turned around towards him after his illegitimately placed outburst. She seemed stern, and it was characteristic of a queen to be as such, for a queen’s job was to judge. Her words were always final and no one, save those close to her, could speak out in defense or retort without giving up their lives for such things.

A queen could never shed a tear. To do so would admit that she was wrong, and a queen was never wrong. She was the law, and the law was never wrong. For her to break would be for the judicial system to break; ultimately that would be “breaking the law”. Therefore, for her to shed a tear would ultimately be a crime. How can the queen, herself, the epitome of justice, create a conflict in which she is a criminal? Of course to incriminate the queen is almost impossible, but to present anyone with a reason to do so is just as equal.

What would result if not that the citizens wreak havoc, or whatnot? What, exactly? Of course it would be dark days for any queen henceforth thence. Nevertheless, Lady Neciel obviously knew this. Why else would she not weep for her deceased brother? Why else would she not crumble to her knees and/or scream to the heavens and the depths of hell? Why? Why? Why?

The answer was not placed in her face, contorted in fits of anger, but rather her eyes. Those eyes of deep, deep depths told stories untold and feelings not noticed. What one did not know oneself, their eyes told. How else would Santa Claus know if we’d been naughty or nice? He looked at our eyes, of course!

Then Lady Neciel asked—well, told—him his place in front of her. Of course, he had already known this, and he had not figured that he had crossed his limits. Of course, he planned to, but he had not yet; at least, presumably, he had not. “Forgive me,” he replied, nevertheless, backing off. “It was not my intention to infringe upon thy wishes, Lady Neciel.”

Of course, Ephraim had not retreated because she had asked him to, but because he knew that Gabrielle would not have listened to him (not many people do, you see?). Therefore, Gabrielle would be the scratching post while Ephraim shall be the reason why the cat is scratching. Anything for survival… as long as it was in his limit, of course.

Nevertheless, Ephraim could help but stifle a laugh when the two bickered amongst themselves. He couldn’t help but laugh at Gabrielle for her gall, but that was just him. Nevertheless, he kept his laugh silent under a cough. He would not be so foolish again… yet.

Gabrielle wouldn’t die today, at least, if she stopped talking. If anything were to happen, it would have happened already. What was another life to the list once a murder has already been done? Nothing, murder is such a thing. Once a loved one is killed by one’s hands, then one never cares for killing another life. That one would destroy another life in the blink of an eye if one had such power. So, Gabrielle, it seemed, knew this, for she left to attend to the courpse as Ephraim had instructed previously. Now she listens! Well, now she had a reason to, so who could blame her. Nevertheless, it was slightly insulting, if anything. But, anyway, this was not the time to become arrogant. It was not his place after all.

Then, as Lady Neciel started her speech about being neither Light or Dark and left, he watched her direction and kept it in mind. In a few seconds he would follow her. Right now he would deal with Gabrielle:

“Miss Gabrielle, since I am not above you in rank, I can only implore. Therefore, I implore you to return to the factious ground and reveal to anyone in charge about where we were and where I am… and who I was with. Please.”

With that, Ephraim did not wait for a “Yes”/”No”/”What the f%#$ ?” or anything. He hadn’t the time, nor did he have some awkward fetish about staying with the females of his faction, therefore, he spread his wings and took off towards where he remembered Lady Neciel to have gone.

When he ventured for a few minutes more, he finally found her.

“Did a few minutes of peace without me do you good?” He smiled, though he knew she would be irritated. “I know your pain, Miss. Heck, I might understand it better than you, yourself. You simply lost someone who told you he was your relative; if you recall, I lost my parents. Of course, I didn’t kill—well, besides that, I still understand your pain.”

Then Ephraim ventured to explain to her the position of the Queen (ooc: The beginning of the post.) in his perspective, and why a queen never cried. “Is that why you do not cry, Lady Neciel? Or are you simply stronger than every man when it comes to your feelings.

“You may tell me, or you may not tell me in your own preference; however, my aural organs are yours to fill.”

 

[Zulma san]

Alistair, Raigon, Karma, Rain and Gabrielle had all left the Tavern of Nobody days ago. They were now in view of the Ruins.From the hills were they stand the group had guessed between the branches, the Ruins. Two more nights and days and they would reach them. The group had no real purpose and therefore they were more trailing along rather than walking quickly. Raigon's pills had quenched Alistair's thirst for a while (and Gabrielle's too, although the woman would never admit it). Rain and Karma were bringing a great deal of joy in the group.

Holy Knights, Dawn Striders and Dark Knight decided to stop and camp for the night. An opening in the rock was giving the proper shelter. The surrounding woods were providing food and a little stream brought them water and bath. That seemed to be the ideal place to stop...




((I hope that's fine with everyone...))