PROLOGUE
Though he was born sightless, Aelorzan never really envied the ability in other people, even after mastering the art of shape shifting. His sense of hearing and spatial intuition guided him effortlessly, and by shifting to either his beloved cat or eagle forms, the auburn haired man never lacked the knowledge of his world’s appearance. Through his feline eyes, he saw the world as tall and magnificent; he marveled at the king and queen’s care in creating such a beautiful place. He crawled where humans could not fit and saw things humans overlooked. He felt as though this great, huge place was his to explore, and the cat’s inquisitive nature made the entire world fascinating. In the form of an elegant White-tailed eagle, the man traveled the moon and earth many times over and saw even its most desolate places. He conquered the skies and viewed the land from the top of the world. He saw the natural wonders of his home in a way no human or feline could ever do with such ease. Aelorzan knew his world just as well as, if not better, than his friends who saw it every day.
Some days, however, he ached to see as a human, and this was one such day.
As both cat and eagle, he’d seen her before countless times. He even shifted to a cat today just to see which dress she selected for the affair, and she’d laughed at him for being so childish in his determination to see what he already knew. But she didn’t understand. She was his world, a world better than the magnificent curiosity of the cat or the pristine expanse of the eagle. His fingertips knew shape of her cheekbones and the curve of her neck and the slope of her shoulders, and he knew his arms fit perfectly around her waist when they slept. He knew the sound of her laugh and the way her voice would tighten and cool ever so slightly when she was frustrated. He also knew she loathed crying more than almost anything, and every time it happened, she curled into his chest as though he were the one who protected rather than the other way around. He knew that she wore light armor on most days and carried her ancient broadsword at her hip, and that the iron chill of the north never bothered her when her duty called her to range. But today… today was different. Today the king and queen summoned the kingdom to celebrate the 50th year of peace in the Moon Kingdom. This meant the princesses and their families, as well as those living in the Moon Kingdom, joined at the palace for a day of celebration. For one day, those who sacrificed a normal life to guard the Kingdom of the White Moon could lay down their armor and weapons to enjoy themselves as well.
He just wanted to see her.
His feline sight told him the dress was the traditional snow white of her station, and the sharpness of the cat’s eyes caught the very subtle glitter of the fabric, similar to the way sunlight shone on a fresh snowfall. It was strapless and the fabric wrapped around her side and joined at her hip before it fell to the floor in soft, elegant waves. The sigil of her post, the elk antlers of the north, clasped over the wrap of fabric at her hip, giving it the appearance of holding the dress together, though Aelorzan knew better. She wore her hair down today, a change from the utilitarian braid or low pony tail her duty mandated, and a string of tiny pearls joined by a fine, silver chain hung loosely from her neck. Though the cat’s vision told him everything about her appearance, it was different. The cat’s brain flitted from detail to detail despite the human part’s wish to simply savor this while he could. The movement of the dress or the way the woman’s fingers danced as she continued to groom herself for the event distracted and amused the cat, but the human just wanted to remember what she looked like as a whole. Cats didn’t marry, cats didn’t appreciate these things. Finally unable to take it any longer, the cat shifted to the auburn haired man in a dim shimmer of light. His sight melted away like the sun dipping below the horizon at high speed, but instead of his eyes adjusting to low light conditions, the darkness simply remained, thick and opaque and today, infuriating.
“Ael,” she trilled softly as the man gently tightened his arms around her waist, and he rested his forehead against her neck, face buried in her hair. He felt her hands by her ears, pushing earrings he knew matched her necklace into their holes. Instead of responding, the man simply sighed deeply and remained still, and the woman went about her business. Even when not on duty, she had a certain practiced order to the way she did things. Elegant, he knew, but with militaristic perfection. He moved slightly to place a kiss against the side of her neck, but as soon as his lips made contact, the slender woman slipped out of his arms and moved across the room. Aelorzan straightened and frowned. She must have seen his obvious displeasure at her sudden departure because half a second later, he heard her quiet laugh from across the room as she rifled through a jewelry box. A moment later, the almost inaudible swish of her dress signified movement once again, and soon the woman was close.
“Sorry,” she apologized, though the man recognized the smile in her voice. The tall woman leaned into him and delicately pressed her lips to his, and her hands moved to rest on his upper chest and side. Aelorzan pressed a palm to her lower back and pulled her closer, and then returned the kiss as he tangled his fingers through her hair just behind her ear. The woman’s lips parted and the kiss deepened. Her body heat and the embrace itself made his heart pound so loudly it muffled every other sound, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to push her onto the bed and forget this celebration. He missed being with her without their jobs getting in the way. He missed being a silly married couple. He missed… Well, he missed that kiss. Almost as soon as it began, the woman ended it, but she allowed her head to tilt forward until their foreheads touched. For a few long moments they remained like this, and the blind man reveled in the warmth of her body and the sound of her breathing as she tried to calm down. Finally, she kissed the tip of his nose sweetly and leaned back against his arms.
“We really do have to go,” she said, smiling again, as if she knew his thoughts. Aelorzan sighed and nodded in response, and gently removed his hands from her body. There would be other nights. The woman helped him into his jacket and slipped a hand through the crook of his elbow as they made their way to the palace.
Even though Aelorzan never really knew the palace as a human, his many visits as a cat allowed him to recall every stunning detail. It was primarily white marble with tall columns around the entire structure, and an enormous garden inside tonight served as the main area for the celebration. With his wife as his guide, the pair ascended the snow-white stairs and wound their way through the guest-filled palace until they finally emerged into the expansive courtyard and garden area. Immediately, the man felt the presence of a great many people. The auras of the queen’s closest guardians, the Sol Senshi, felt so powerful it was almost tangible, as though he could reach out a hand and touch the radiant warmth they all seemed to pulse. He also felt the others in attendance, the citizens of the kingdom. Not all could come, naturally, but many managed invitations. The rest, he knew, held their own celebrations in the city, furnished by the generosity of their king and queen. Aelorzan also felt the comfortable familiarity of the three other Moon Guards, a recognition that came with spending a great deal of time with the women. They were his family, his silver-gold haired wife’s sisters. His sisters, too. Each of them had a slightly different feel to them. The Oakguard’s aura felt steady, whereas the Stormguard was powerful but ever-changing, like a restless sea. Any chill melted into pleasant warmth when the Sunguard drew near, and it always seemed to clash with his Iceguard’s refreshingly cool presence. Together, these subtle auras felt like pieces to a puzzle, and together they created something stronger. Such was the nature of the Moon Guard.
“Fancy seeing you two here, and on time, even!” The way the air seemed to crackle signified the Stormguard found the pair first, though the Oakguard’s immediate approach calmed it considerably. “I hadn’t expected to see the pair of you at all. I mean, I didn’t think you two would make it beyond your bedroom,” she added. Aelorzan felt a blush creep up his neck and across his cheeks, though the woman at his side felt completely at ease.
“Oh come on now, Ari, they haven’t even been married a month. You know how hard we all work. Leave them be.” The Oakguard always managed to keep the sharp-tongued woman in check, and for that, he was thankful. His wife’s hand gently tightened on his elbow; she was thankful for it too.
“Really though,” the Stormguard continued, “I do like babies…”
“I don’t think so, not quite yet,” the Iceguard answered swiftly with a chuckle. Warmth at the man’s back told him the fourth and final member of their group found them. She swept from one side to his other and left a trail of heat as she moved, much like his wife did the same with the gentle cold she always carried. Despite their differences, the Sun and Ice guards always felt closest.
“No, no children yet,” the Sunguard agreed. “They’ll have plenty of time for that in the future. We’ve been at peace for fifty years, and it’s comfortably quiet. There will be time to start a family.”
“I suppose. Best have fun while you can, right? Besides, at this age, you can work up a good frustration all day, come home and-“ The Oakguard’s fist into the side of the speaker saved Aelorzan and his wife further torture, and just in time, too. The one presence he could decipher as quickly as his band of sisters was that of the White Queen. When she drew near, she felt so bright it was as though he could see properly, even through blind eyes. The queen stopped at his side and gently touched his shoulder to get his attention, though the blind man moved to turn just before her hand brushed his shoulder. Light bathed his dark world. He almost saw the Stormguard’s air pulse with lightning, and when not looking directly at her, he swore the space the Oakguard occupied flowed with smoke. The warm Sunguard reflected the queen’s light, it seemed, though her space seemed to be constantly move as well. His Iceguard smiled, and he did too.
“I never had a chance to properly congratulate you on your marriage, what with the preparations for the festival,” the queen said sweetly. “I am extremely happy for both of you; I’m sure the future will bring you great joy.” Once again, his wife’s arm gently tightened on his elbow.
Aelorzan inclined his head slightly in respect. “Thank you, my lady,” he said. He felt—or did he see?—the queen smile. Her attention turned to the Iceguard.
“If you will please excuse me, I have a great many guests to greet yet,” she said. He felt the woman on his arm move slightly in a bow, and the queen’s light faded into blackness once more as she drifted away from the group. The four women immediately began a lively conversation, though thankfully, the Oakguard managed to keep it from touching bedroom activities. Aelorzan felt some of the Sol Senshi approach before the women realized it, though the group heralded their arrival with cheerful greetings. Mars and Venus, he knew instantly, and the sound of their voices confirmed it. After a quick discussion, the man felt a tug at his arm and smiled. He leaned closer to his wife and placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head. She understood the meaning and gave his arm one final squeeze before the six women flew from his side. Honestly, Aelorzan loved their nearness, but the break from the gossip of young women came as something of a relief. Guided by his cat’s memory of the palace and his ability to sense the placement of people around him, the auburn haired man slowly wove through the crowd until he found a table of food. He poured himself some wine and set off down a hallway. The voices and sounds of the party faded into easy silence, and soon the man’s soft footfalls against the smooth marble seemed deafening in the stillness. At length, he stopped and sipped his wine, allowing the quietness to wash over his senses and clear his mind.
The presence of someone new startled the blind man, though a smile crossed his lips as the shock faded. His old friend had a tendency to shock him on occasion; one with such experience in this world knew how to minimize the way their power radiated to remain undetected.
“Hullo, Pluto,” he greeted cheerfully. She moved closer with a quiet rustle of fabric and the man began to walk again. The tall timekeeper fell in beside him.
“Good evening, Aelorzan,” she answered with a smile in her voice. Though Pluto certainly belonged with the Sol Senshi, the blind man occasionally wondered if she felt out of place. He remembered Pluto in this exact way even as a small boy, timeless, unchanging. They told him she was ancient, as old as time itself. It made sense, but it had to be a lonely existence. At once, he almost felt guilty walking alongside the woman. Marriage would only end poorly for her; no one lived so long as the guardian of time. He never really knew how she felt about that, however. For that matter, he never knew how she felt about anything unless she wanted him to know. He mastered reading people by sense long ago, but Pluto always felt like a mystery to him. For a long time, the two walked in silence until the time guardian stopped. The blind man couldn’t be sure, but he thought he felt a glimmer of sorrow.
“What’s wrong?” he asked impulsively. The woman remained in silence for so long that Aelorzan feared she left without his knowing. Childlike fear gripped him for a second. “Pluto?” he called meekly. A gentle hand grabbed his and drew him away from where he stood.
“I’m sorry,” the woman replied softly, “Lost in thought.” The wood of a railing moaned as it rubbed against the marble when the time guardian leaned against it. The man found a marble pillar behind him and leaned against it, arms folded.
“Are you alright?” he asked again, and this time, the eldest of the Sol senshi sighed softly in response.
“You and your wife seem quite happy,” she said instead of an answer. Aelorzan’s lips formed a line and he sighed softly. As usual, he knew nothing of his friend’s thoughts unless she wanted it, no matter how it worried him.
“Yes,” he replied. Though Pluto’s state worried him, he couldn’t help but grin at the thought of his wife with the silver-blonde hair and the smile that felt so beautiful under his fingertips. The garnet-eyed woman across from him chuckled softly at what must have been the expression of goofy, young love. “I love her,” he added, mildly embarrassed by how much he sounded like a lovestruck teenager.
“I know you do. She loves you, too,” the woman said. Still, the blind man felt uneasiness. Pluto’s presence was never exactly warm like the Sunguard or passionate like Venus’s, but even so…
“Aelorzan, does she know?”
“Know what?”
“That you love her.”
“Of course.” What an odd question. “Pluto, please. What’s wrong?” Once again, the pair fell into heavy silence. The woman straightened herself and placed a hand on the man’s upper arm.
“It was nice seeing you, Aelor, but I have duties to attend, even tonight. You should go back to your wife,” she said finally, and once again, he could hear the smile on her voice. Something made his heart race, however, and he suddenly felt the urge to run away. Before he could utter another word, the time guardian left him alone in the hallway, her steps receding into silence until only Aelorzan’s breathing broke the soundlessness. Of course she knows I love her, the man thought, though the dark haired woman’s behavior irked him still. When he finally felt comfortable enough with the bizarre few minutes he spent with the timekeeper, the blind man began to make his way towards the expansive courtyard once more. He knew the way back by memory, but habit caused him to run his fingertips along the smooth marble wall as he walked. As he neared the gardens, sudden panic gripped him and his pace quickened. At this point, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but Pluto… All at once, the sounds and aural sensations of the crowd hit him, and the mild panic spreading through his chest made differentiating between individuals nearly impossible. His breath came in short puffs and the muscles on his chest and upper back began to tighten. The auburn haired man wove between then many guests, trying desperately to find the familiar, comforting cool he loved so much. A strangled whimper escaped his throat as he charged forward, driven by fear, without any idea in which direction he moved.
“Ael?” At once, the man whirled and nearly barreled into the woman. Her hands found his wrists and she held them firmly as a breath of fresh air surrounded the blind man. His heart pounded in his ears and his mouth had gone completely dry, but all that changed quickly. He found her. The Iceguard easily sensed his distraught and her fingers gently tightened around his wrists for a second before she released them to bring her hands to his face.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” She asked. Aelorzan pushed her hands from his face, only to place his own hands on her face. One hand dropped to the base of her neck slowly while the thumb of his other hand brushed her lips delicately. His fingertips traced her cheekbones, her eye sockets, her brow, the bridge of her nose, everywhere until his heart rate began to drop and the feeling of impending doom all but drifted away. He leaned close and kissed her lips lightly, and then smiled.
“I just… I don’t know. I love you,” he said, but judging by the way her fingers curled around the hand at her neck, she still worried about him. He knew her face, however. Unless truly moved, the Iceguard’s face remained a mask; she controlled every muscle. No expression shifted her appearance unless she wanted it that way.
“Okay,” she answered, apparently content to let it go until they reached the privacy of their home later that night. The silver haired woman sighed and squeezed his hand again. “I love you, too,” she finally answered, and the notes of a smile further eased the man. It was just his old friend in a mood; everything was fine. They were married and happy, and he had no reason to worry so much. It all shattered in the blink of an eye.
A scream ripped through the courtyard, forcing terrified silence on the guests as they turned towards the sound. All at once, jumbled sound and emotions rocked the blind man’s senses and he groped for his wife’s arm, suddenly terrified. Being sightless never mattered much to him, but such chaos made it impossible for him to feel his way through the world. Once again, fear wracked his body, and the hand that found the Iceguard’s arm closed tightly. People slammed into the pair and more people screamed. Some ran. A sliver of something familiar rushed through his brain, something that felt like bubbles and water and ice. Mercury. It left him quickly, however, buried under the collective terror of the mob around him. He heard strange voices in a tongue he didn’t understand.
“What’s going on,” he demanded as the Iceguard shifted so she held his hand rather than the other way around, and she tried to navigate both of them through the crowd. She didn’t answer. She simply pulled him, even though the surge of the crowd threatened to rip them apart. Then it hit him. Blood. He knew that sensation from the eagle. He could discern blood from hundreds of other senses, though while the eagle thought it meant food or weakness in something, it horrified the blind man. Death. The time guardian saw this. She knew this would happen. Aelorzan, does she know?
Somewhere to his left, he heard the distinctive, stillness-rending whup as Uranus’s Space Sword sliced through air and flesh and bone. As soon as he recognized it, however, he couldn’t find the sound again. Aelorzan ached to cover his ears to separate himself from the calamity of anguish and confusion, but the way his wife practically dragged him through the crowd told him escape was more important right now. Unable to see where the Iceguard intended to take him, the auburn haired man couldn’t help but smash into his wife as she abruptly stopped and changed direction. She moved quickly now, verging on panic. Whup, whup! The woman holding his arm yanked him to one side. He heard something heavy fall, but once again, the woman pulled him in a new direction, this time nearly throwing him in a half circle. It didn’t save him from the splatter that accompanied an agonized scream. Nothing made sense. The man felt so small, a feeling that hadn’t surged through him this powerfully since before he learned to use his other senses. He was a child again, completely lost in a dark world and entirely dependent on the firm hand on his arm to safely guide him through the mess, but even that felt as though it grew difficult as time passed.
“Deep Submerge!” Instantly, Neptune’s presence filled his senses; she must have been standing a few feet from his back. The Iceguard wrenched him in another direction as something zipped past his face close enough for him to feel the air move around it. The crash of waves signified Neptune’s attack hit its mark, but they were moving again before Aelorzan had time to think on it. The going became easier and the man thought perhaps they finally reached safety, but something jarred the two of them roughly apart and before he knew what was happening, the ground met him with such force that his ears rang and his head throbbed.
“Cat!” his wife roared from somewhere farther away than he thought. Cat? “Shift, Ael! Get out!” It clicked finally. Light blazed into his brain as the feline’s eyes replaced his own, but the man instantly wished he remained in the dark.
The Princess of Mars commanded his attention immediately as she wove a great ribbon of fire in a knot around herself, Mercury, and the ruin of Venus. Their attackers stood on two legs and moved like shadows cast by candles, ever-changing and difficult to pin to one place. They worked without weapons, instead molding their arms and hands into whatever shape they required to hack, slash, and destroy anything that came too close. The fire, however, kept them at a distance. With every blazing sweep of the raven-haired woman’s arms, the creatures backed a few paces, transfixed by the heat and glow of the inferno. Under the protection of Mars, the blue haired princess tried desperately to save the fallen blonde, but the hole in her chest told Aelorzan she wouldn’t be with them much longer. Next he spotted Princesses Neptune and Uranus working through a mess of attackers in a manner that spoke of their closeness. Effortlessly they defended the other and attacked; they anticipated their partner’s movement milliseconds before it happened. Were the scene not so brutal, Aelorzan would have thought such prowess to be beautiful. Finally, he found the king and queen, defended by Princesses Saturn and Jupiter. They fought valiantly, though less synched than Uranus and Neptune. Serenity and Endymion fought as well, and together, the four of them forced the shades away until they arrived within the protective blazing ribbon Mars created.
“Aelorzan!” The cat turned his head to the familiar voice. The silver-blonde haired woman forced three of the shades away from herself with a blast of icy air. Her eyes fell to him. “Get OUT!” she bellowed. A second later, the shadows she forced away returned with triple their numbers and buried the Iceguard as the cat stood idle, helpless to save her. He wanted to scream. Aelorzan, does she know? The attackers suddenly flew from the area as the Iceguard leapt from under them, no longer clad in the snow-white dress he loved so much. The sigil at her hip now appeared embedded in the single pauldron on her left shoulder, the signification of her duty and post. The cat turned his head to see her three sisters appeared much the same; the single shouldered pauldron carried their emblems. The Moon Guard rose to action. Broadsword in hand, the North Guard sliced through attackers as they attempted to swarm her once more. Across the courtyard, lightning struck in rapid succession as the Stormguard fought her way to Uranus and Neptune, while the Oakguard turned her newly summoned treants on the shades. Though slow and lumbering, the creatures hit with mighty force and took many shades to defeat even one, and the soon shades began to act as though they feared them. After searching, Aelorzan spotted the Sunguard as she siphoned Mars’s fire onto a heat path she wove through the air. Though unable to create fire by her own power, the South Guard could control it by wrapping it in pure heat, and in doing this, she allowed the Sol Senshi and their royalty to make an escape.
“You must leave, Aelorzan!” the Iceguard repeated. Now she stood over him, radiating a cold more violent than the feline ever knew. Before he could argue, the shadows launched themselves at the woman once more, and on legs he never bid to run, the feline raced from the courtyard aimlessly. Amidst the fleeing members of the White Moon Kingdom, no one took notice of the blue-eyed tabby as he darted through hallways, terrified. Aelorzan couldn’t begin to guess how long he ran before he finally stopped, but what he heard next sickened him more than anything.
He knew the sound, though not by memory. First came a low thrum that felt as though the earth itself wanted to roar, followed by the vibration of rock grating against rock. The cat turned and bolted the way he came. No, no, you can’t do this! he wanted to scream. The vibration caused the castle to shake, sending cascades of dust and plaster and pieces of marble from the ceiling and walls to the floor. The cat’s agility saved him from the pieces that fell from the ceiling, and intuition finally found him at courtyard once more. None remained but the writhing mass of darkness created by the attacking shadow host held in the courtyard by the strength of the Moon Guard alone. His Iceguard was nearest, face splattered with blood and bleeding badly from her right side. The sword, stuck point into the dirt, glowed as they raised the seal. The barrier rose as light first, and then crystallized as it grew, forming a layer of rock as hard as diamond. Without thinking, Aelorzan shifted to a human and tried with all his might to maintain sight of his wife as his vision melted away.
“Don’t do this!” he screamed, but it was no use. He saw the Iceguard look over her shoulder and smile tiredly just before the blackness consumed his world. “Gods, I love you!”
The woman made no reply. The way she smiled as his vision caved was the last time he ever saw her. Still the ground shook, now with greater force; they intended to bring down half the palace in doing this. Horrified and helpless, he backed a few paces before he slipped into the cat’s fleet-footed form again and raced through the crumbling marble corridors of the once magnificent palace. The devastation followed him as he made a sharp turn down a hallway. He didn’t recall Pluto in the fray; she had to be defending the Time Gate. With one final burst of speed, the small tabby launched into the sanctum that held the gate as the corridor finally collapsed around him. Those in the room paid him no mind, but he couldn’t blame them. Mercury stood near Endymion, visor across her eyes and computer in her hands. The king looked weary and grim; blood stained his armor, but he appeared uninjured aside from a few cuts and scrapes. Mars sobbed quietly and cradled Venus’s still form in her arms. Color had left the blonde princess’s face entirely, and bits of dry blood stained her lips. They couldn’t save her. Jupiter sat next to Mars in a defeated heap, her own serious injuries forgotten in her sorrow. Her head rested on Mars’s shoulder, eyes shut as tears silently fell. The equally upset looking queen sat with them as well, back hunched and head tilted forward as she mourned. Exhaustion consumed both Uranus and Neptune, who stood and sat, respectively, near Saturn and Pluto. A few minor injuries afflicted the former three, but Pluto… He never saw her in the courtyard, but she survived her own battle by the look of it, though not without cost. A blow to her right side ripped away the flesh, cutting so deeply in a few places that her ribs showed. Blood ran down the right side of her face and her lips, and more appeared every time she unleashed an agonized, watery-sounding cough. She rested her head against Saturn’s shoulder with her fingers wrapped weakly around the shaft of her staff, and the lack of attempt to stem the bleeding meant she knew she would not live much longer. She’d accepted her death. Rage flooded the man’s veins and he charged the timekeeper without thinking. He shifted from cat to human and still moved towards her even as his vision left him.
“You knew. You knew!” he yelled, surprised by the pain in his own voice. Uranus turned and pushed him back just as the black consumed everything, and he shoved back. Though tired, the tall princess still held him away easily. He fought her hold in vain, and relented as the princess pushed him away from them.
“You said nothing to me,” he whimpered. She knew this whole time. Aelorzan, does she know? She said nothing. The auburn haired man rubbed his face and sank to the floor as tears slipped down his face. “I talked to you and you asked me if I loved her. We could have… if you would have just…”
“You know I could not do that, Aelorzan,” the timekeeper replied calmly. He could hear the pain in her voice; speaking even so softly hurt her incredibly.
“We could have stopped this… Venus didn’t have to die,” he continued. He looked towards where he knew the outer guardians gathered. “They’re trapped in there. If they defeat those… those… things, we can pull them out.” The blind man found the strength to rise again and waved towards the blocked entrance to the sanctum. “We have to help them. Please, we must-“
“You know their words,” Uranus growled, weary and frustrated. “Their oath. They live to defend this world or vowed to perish trying.”
“But we can get them out! They don’t need to die too. We have to-“
“Stop,” the tall blonde snapped suddenly. “Aelorzan, you know we can’t do that. When they cast the seal, they made their tomb!” The final word brought a suffocating hush over the already quiet room. The blind man placed his palms on the marble wall and leaned into it has more tears flowed down his cheeks. They were gone.
“There are more,” Mercury said at length. “That was just the first wave.”
“What?” the queen gasped. “There were already so many…”
“Thousands more,” Endymion confirmed.
“We must protect the queen,” Saturn declared. A quiet cry told him Pluto’s wounds hurt her more than she wanted the others to know.
“We’ll all die, too,” Mars said softly. The room remained in uneasy silence for what seemed like an eternity, until the click of Pluto’s staff met his ears.
“No, please don’t move, Pluto,” Neptune implored. “You’ll make it worse.”
“I won’t live much longer,” the time guardian replied, “and we have important work to do.”
“Sit Pluto, you don’t know that,” the queen begged as well, and the elder princess laughed sadly. Of course the time guardian knew her own end.
“My lady, whether you wish it or not-“ The guardian paused to collect herself. With the wound Aelorzan saw when he entered, he knew even the stoic guardian of time could barely maintain her composure through the agony. “Whether you wish it or not, I will die. Before-“ The cry came finally and her metal staff scraped and clattered against the floor as she dropped it.
“Pluto!” Jupiter gasped. The click of shoes meant two of the princesses had to catch the guardian before she fell, but Aelorzan knew not which.
“S-seven of them made it through the Time Gate,” the guardian said softly. The room went silent. Never before had anyone undesired ever made it past the powerful timekeeper; seven seemed impossible.
“No,” the queen breathed.
“I couldn’t stop them-“
“Pluto, please, res-“ Princess Jupiter began, but the elder woman silenced her.
“Jupiter,” the time guardian said sternly, and the woman in question fell silent. Someone must have handed the tall guardian her staff, as it clicked softly on the marble as the woman used it to navigate the room. She came to a halt next to Aelorzan, who only hung his head.
“Aelor,” she said softly. He could feel her pain; how she kept herself upright the man didn’t know. She placed a shaking hand on his arm and drew him away from the wall. He felt Neptune and the queen take a few steps towards him, but his attention returned to the time guardian when her hand moved from his arm to his face. She brushed away some of the tears with her thumb.
“I’m sorry, I know you loved her,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. The man simply nodded. “But there is a way.”
“What?” The queen heard the words. Though right now the sort of light that radiated from the queen pained him as she stepped nearer, Aelorzan felt as though he could see as she stopped next to the guardian of time. “Pluto, what are you talking about?”
“We will die here,” the guardian said firmly, and he could tell this upset their small queen.
“Pluto, stop saying-“
“If Mercury is correct, thousands more will come. We will perish under them,” she continued.
“Why are you telling me this,” Aelorzan sighed hopelessly.
“You must go back,” the woman answered. The man blinked.
“Go back?”
“The seven who passed through the gate surely intend to kill the queen before she reaches this age and power. You must go back and force the Moon Guard to awaken far before their time. You must defeat the seven and their leader to prevent this future from happening.” The man’s heart pounded in his chest. He could see her again, his wife. She would still be alive.
“There is a price, however,” the guardian continued softly. “You-“
“I don’t care,” he answered immediately. He could see her again; none of them would be dead. Any option to stop this from happening had to be better. The queen delicately moved the time guardian aside and touched Aelorzan’s arm. Light flooded his senses and warmth filled his veins. He blinked hard and his head swam as the light filled his vision. He saw. He saw her face, stained with blood and dust and tears, and he saw how desperately Pluto clutched her staff in order to stay upright. He saw Neptune as she approached the time guardian from behind and carefully pulled one of the time guardian’s arms over her shoulders as a means of support. He saw Venus’s lifeless body and the tears Mars shed over her, and he saw Jupiter pacing with worry. He stared at the queen in disbelief. Her touch allowed him true sight.
“Please, Aelorzan. We can stop this future,” she said, and a small smile touched her lips. “You can do this for all of us, I know you can.” Where Uranus was cynical and Mercury worried, the queen, though young and facing her death, seemed to radiate hope. The auburn haired man found himself smiling as he nodded.
“Okay,” he agreed almost inaudibly. The queen smiled and released him, and instantly, the darkness fell and left him sightless.
“Through the gate, then,” Pluto said softly.
“Please, Pluto, let me help,” Neptune said softly. Someone relieved the time guardian of her staff, and Aelorzan followed as everyone walked to the gate. They stood aside to let him pass, and he halted before the buzzing, pulsing energy that stood beyond the gate. He turned to them, suddenly unsure.
“How will I know them if I won’t remember?” he asked.
“You will know,” the time guardian replied, and then whimpered quietly. The various worried noises and the shuffle of feet meant the time guardian could no longer stand. “We will destroy th-the gate. No more may f-follow,” she continued. He could feel the shift in the air as some of the princesses knelt by the swiftly ailing guardian. The auburn haired man knelt too. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“I’ll fix this, my old friend,” he said quietly. The time guardian’s hand brushed the side of his face. He felt her begin to slip away as Venus had in the courtyard, though she seemed to fight less than the blonde. Now that she’d done her work to fix this, her wounds caught up with her. Pluto would not be much longer.
“You will,” she agreed quietly. Her hands shook as she pulled the delicate chain around her waist away for a moment, and he heard a soft click as she pulled something off it. Into his hand he pressed something small, metal and circular. He moved it between his fingers and traced the outlines of the bands that surrounded the orb. They moved like rings around a planet, and the top attached to a chain. He found after working it between his fingers, he could lay the rings flat. The man looped it over his head.
“This will see you safely to the past. You will lose it and forget, but it will find you again,” she said quietly. She tapped his hand. “Goodbye Aelorzan. You must not fail.”
“I won’t,” he said, surprised by how sure he sounded. Without another word, the blind man stood and plunged into the surging energy beyond the gate. The orb at his neck burned and the rings spun. Time carried him like a river, and he felt everything at once. Everything moved rapidly and in slow motion at the same time, and he felt Pluto finally leave the group. He felt the black host as they descended on the group. The time gate slammed shut and somewhere in the past, he felt the birth of Saturn and the hell she wrought on the planet as a result. He felt the fights the Sol soldiers fought in the past, all their enemies, how their lives unfolded. He saw his silver haired wife. She smiled, but the memory faded. Everything he knew faded. He tried to grasp the memories like scraps of paper as they flew through a storm, but it didn’t help. What was her name? He was losing her. What did her voice sound like? Time vaulted him violently backwards. Her eyes, what color were her eyes? Aelorzan screamed as time ripped away everything he knew.
Subject: Roo's Otaku Senshi Fanfic 
2nd September 2011, 6:01 pm
