Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen Prayer ❯ Through The Night ( Chapter 6 )

Stolen Prayer

Chapter Six- - Through The Night

Luanna waited until the brouhaha subsided before speaking. "I am adamant that this goes according to plan. It's a matter of life or death, do you understand?" Affirmation came about from different directions. "I want three of our most trustworthy knights to find Dart and the other Dragoons. Tell them to come to Neet."

"You can count on us, Your Majesty!" Knights from the back instantly volunteered.

Setie beamed. "Quickly! Go! And good luck!" Three of the knights saluted the two sisters and departed.

"Next," Luanna garnered the attention of the people back. "We will need a search party. And we will need scavengers for food and supplies--especially weapons."

Luanna was pleased when the enthusiasm from the crowd began to rise. Setie took over, dividing the townsfolk in half. Within minutes, two parties had been formed.

"We will meet outside of the town shortly," Luanna told them. "Do not become a straggler. We need every one of you."

Setie held her breath. What was going to happen now?

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"All right," Nicholai observed the shelter he had constructed ever so gracefully.

Wink blinked as she stared at it, dumbfounded, from her shelter underneath a bulky tree. "It's falling apart."

"No it's not!" He snapped as he changed some of the branches around. The rain was threatening now. And they could not travel to Furni. 'Faust probably has troops swarming the skies,' Nicholai thought as he rearranged the broken tree limbs around in an orderly fashion. 'And the rain is stopping us from going anywhere.' "Well why don't you come help me then?" Nicholai's eyes squinted, his smile painted with the most obvious sarcasm.

Wink abruptly glanced away, embarrassed. "I…I don't know how."

Nicholai's face changed, startled. "You…don't?" The rain continued to fall, tracing the silhouette of his cheek. A droplet fell from the bridge of his nose, and he wiped his damp face with the back of his hand. But it was in vain. He was already waterlogged to the bone.

Wink leisurely turned back to him, twirling a wet lock of hair between her fingers, tensely. "Well…no."

Nicholai had the sudden urge to fall backwards and laugh. But the mortified expression on her face changed his mind. He tossed one of the sticks to the ground. "Well then, Princess. If you're not afraid to come out from underneath your tree, I'll show you."

Wink absorbed his words as an insult and she swiftly stood upon her feet, balled hands on her hips. "I am most CERTAINLY not scared of the rain!" Her soggy hair had fallen into her face, but she carelessly pushed the strands back and rolled the sleeves on her cardigan up her arms. "I'm already soaked and we can't just sit around all night!" It was true. It was nearing nightfall.

Nicholai grinned and bowed low, showing her to the pile of sticks he had assembled and then indicated to a tree much larger than the one Wink had huddled herself against. "We're trying to make a teepee against that tree. It will at least shield us from the rain."

She gawked at the sticks and then glanced back up towards him. "But the sticks are already wet."

"They'll dry once we set them up underneath the tree," He replied. "But like you said, it's almost dark. If we don't do this now, we'll freeze tonight."

She nodded in understanding and stooped low, groping for two hefty logs. She arched her back, struggling to stand. Wink held her breath, flabbergasted at the weight of the lumber. Nicholai staggered, reaching for the wood.

"Hey, hey! Don't strain yourself! If you can't carry them, let me do it."

But she pulled away from him and shuffled to the tree, releasing the weight of the wood against it. Her body felt light and she sighed heavily, admiring her work so far.

Nicholai scrutinized her handiwork carefully, scratching his chin. Then he nodded. "Not bad…for a woman. Now come on and help me finish this." Wink stole a glance at him while his back was turned and smiled.

Nicholai wouldn't admit it, but Wink was stronger than he took her for. The work time was reduced by half, and the outline of the sun had not even escaped behind the mountains before their goal was accomplished. The rain was worse now, flooding the soil beneath them. Nicholai motioned her inside of their shelter and they crowded together, shivering from the cold.

"It's so bad now, I'm afraid the rain will destroy our hut." Wink turned upwards towards the top of the teepee. It wasn't sloppily thrown together, however, she still feared for its safety.

"Don't worry about that," Nicholai told her. "I've been through worse than this. It will hold together." He promised. "Since this was sort of a coincidence, you don't mind starving for one night, do you?"

Wink did not look away from her spot at the roof of the teepee. "I haven't eaten regularly for a while now anyways."

He nodded in confirmation. "Okay then." He paused. "We don't have any blankets either." He gestured to their cramped condition. "What you see is what you get."

She bobbed her head up and down, unresponsively.

"Your butt's not cold?" He asked.

"I'll manage."

Nicholai stared at her for a moment longer, curious about this woman. "What's your name?"

"Wink," She responded almost immediately. It was then she decided that since they were stuck together, she might as well make the best of it. "May I have yours?"

"Nicholai," He found no reason not to give his name. After all, it seemed that they were going to be together for a while--depending on the rain.

"Nicholai," She echoed. "Thank you for saving me."

"Do you really mean that?" He asked, referring to her earlier actions.

"…Yes. I do."

He pursed his lips together into a thin line, concurring mutely. Then after a while, "I see." He noted that their clothes had begun to dry and the warmth between them had finally begun to colonize. "So Wink, what's your story? You live in Deningrad?" It was a pretty lame way to initiate a conversation, but he doubt that she took it to heart.

"I am a Sacred Sister of Queen Theresa," She responded. "Or at least…" Her head lowered, almost making contact with her knees. "…I was."

"So you're a Princess." He affirmed.

"Well…not in so many words…"

"Sure you are," He intermitted. "I should've known."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" She barely turned her head towards him.

"Well, anyone who is ANYONE would know how to make a shelter in desperate times. Do they really bar you up in the castle?"

"Most certainly not!" Wink nearly jumped up, but Nicholai grabbed her arm.

"Easy there…You don't want to destroy our refuge just yet, right?" She settled down, but remained tense. "So what? They let you go wherever you want?"

She froze, but then loosened her body. "No…not quite…"

"Thought so." He smiled, triumphantly.

"And just what were you doing at Deningrad?" Wink changed the subject, hoping to attain her revenge. "Winglies never come near the castle."

Nicholai was not ashamed to answer. "I came in search of the ultimate power--the Azurakey."

Wink was stunned. "Are you…serious?"

Nicholai opened his mouth to say more, but found his voice to have vanished along with his confidence. He cleared his throat. "It...It's my fault." He stammered. He knew she wouldn't take his confession well and might wind up obliterating their sanctuary after all. So, he took advantage of their closeness and hooked his arm around her and intertwined his fingers with his other arm.

She gasped, appalled at what this man was doing.

"It's my fault for Deningrad," He acknowledged ingenuously. "They attacked your city because of me."

"WHAT!?" She hollered, jerking her neck upwards to meet his sincere look. Wink wrestled against him, spitting out death threats and antagonistic pledges. Nicholai held his ground well. He was much bigger than she, and powerfully built too. He waited tolerantly until her thrashings ceased and she fell limply against him defeated.

"…What?" She asked again, teeth gritted. Her eyes narrowed, anxious for a response.

His eyes were fixed upon her as he spoke rigorously. "One of the Bishops in Deningrad directed me towards Flanvel Tower. It was true that there was an unmistaken force hidden within the snow, but it was something that I could never imagine."

Wink's questions did not curtail. Instead she pressed further. "What was it?"

"A man rumored only in legends," He said. "Does Faust ring a bell?" He took her tacit reply as a negative. "He was around in the 'so-called' Dragon Campaign."

"11,000 years ago?" Wink questioned.

"Yeah, if you can believe that. I would have disregarded it immediately, except his strength surpasses even that of normal Winglies."

Wink's eyes fell, words failing her.

"If you wish to place the responsibility upon me and refuse to forgive me, I will understand." The conversation had reached its definitive peak and there was no more to say. Except, "I'm sorry. I wish I could've spared your friends and your city its despondent end." Confident that Wink was not going to pounce on him, Nicholai released his hold on her, folding his arms in his lap. He could not mollify her anymore than what he had. He wasn't good at these kind of things anyway.

"I'm only concerned that the presentiment escaped Luanna's keen sight." Wink responded in a whisper. "I will accept your apology for your actions for now," She told him, the hiatus in between her words growing steadily. Wink was thinking of Lloyd. 'His careless actions caused so much sadness but…I know deep down he was remorseful…I just know it…' "But now I ask, Nicholai…" She slowly traced her eyes up to meet his. "What do you plan to do now?"

"The only thing I CAN do," He told her, the rain surprisingly softening now. "I have to find the Azurakey."

Wink paused, her expression enigmatic. It was as though she had not heard him entirely. "What?" She asked stupidly.

"I can not slough my mission now."

"But…but what about Faust? H-He destroyed Deningrad!" Wink pointed an accusing finger at him. "You even said it yourself! This was your doing! Aren't you going to try to redeem yourself?"

"How? A death for a death? I cannot stop him like this." Nicholai rolled her words off his shoulder. "Besides, he told me that the Dragoons who had found the Vanishing Stone sealed him up before. If they DO exist, I'm certain that they could do it again."

"They DO exist," Wink spat bitterly. "My sister IS the White Silver Dragoon!"

"Then tell her to take care of it."

"How can you be so cold!?" Wink growled, grabbing him by the collar of his black shirt.

"I'm not. I tried to fight. I even saved you. And I apologized. Is that not enough?"

"No!" Wink yelled hoarsely. Her bangs fell into her eyes, generating her to look astoundingly daunting. "It's not!" She jolted downwards, coughing uncontrollably.

"You're getting a cold," Nicholai told her nonchalantly. "Although your abomination for me is expressed candidly through your vocabulary, I recommend that you stay close to me. Our body warmth should be enough to get us through the night."

He reached around her, warily, but she unpredictably leaned into his embrace. She rested her head upon his chest, his heartbeat reverberating as his upper body fell evenly with his breathing.

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A Foresight Into Episode Seven:

"The throne of Endiness," Faust mused, running the words over in his head. "How appetizing."

The demon extended to his feet. "We are regrouping for the next attack upon the humans. The great city of Deningrad has been overrun, just as ordered."

Faust nodded, giving credence to his second-in-command. "That Wingly…did you find him?"

The demon fell quiet. "…No. He fled the city with a human female. We have occupied the skies and are questing for him even as we speak."

"I care nothing for the defeat of the other cities- - even the Dragoons, just yet," Faust gave the soldier a severe look. "For now, I only want him…alive."

His underling did not question him further, for he knew better than to interrogate his Master. Instead, he replied with coverage that he knew would please Faust. "In Deningrad, Milord, we were able to take a human female hostage."

"Does she have any relevance to me?"

"I think…much so…" The demon ran his tongue over his lips, his eyes flashing.

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Yay…another chapter.

Kat