| Fan Fiction |
by Aelk
uh-oh, though i'm quite sure there's only two people
reading this thingy, i just have to say...this chapter required a little bit of er, parental guidance.
(though it's very subtle.)
Anyhow, this is the last chapter!!! EXcluding the epilogue of couse
=P
("To the moon and back" is a favourite song of mine by Savage garden, FYI)
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As she walked slowly across the meadows towards him, the bouquet of flowers the children made for her smelt of an unprecedented sweetness. Like the evening star tonight, her watery eyes glimmered.
She felt a little inferior to the other counterparts she has seen all of a sudden, as they have had exquisite tiaras to go with their dresses while all she had was a flower wreath weaved from irises and lilies.
”Anzu, no other girls are more suitable for wearing flowers than you. You don’t need the golds and silvers.”
As if reading her mind, Helke told her exactly what he thought. Anzu giggled upon hearing, and felt happy. Helke will definitely grow up to become a fine young man like his brother, she thought beamingly.
Though it was a silent ceremony, but the silence has never been so heartwarming.
She continued her path on, which seemed to take forever. And there he was, in the white robes she sewn, with a hand reaching out for her at the end.
Despite the fact that they had come a long way, she reached for him at last; and their hands held onto each others’ tight.
Shamash then led her towards the altar at the Temple, which was now nearly-vacated as the world was thrown into chaos. There were no priests standing behind the altar like when the usual ceremonies do, but they had the deities.
The couple knelt before the statue of Anu and Ishtar, still holding hands, and pledged together,
“With the Almighty and Benevolent bearing witness to this union, we hereby place our vows of marriage. Until the end of time, our hearts are tied as one.”
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“Lady Anzu…”
As she sees the woman who was once the high priestess of their temple walked quietly with her partner into a specially-prepared room, Aruru knew that she could no longer be serving under her.
“Aruru, you have done for us enough. I thank you.”
Anzu assured her smilingly like how an older sister would, which brought tears to her eyes. Tonight will be the last time she is seeing her lady.
Their kingdom no longer has a king, but the legacy of Marduk’s discovery of the machinas had led to a civil war. When a throne is empty, it stirs the hunger of young nobles. And to gain the absolute control like how Marduk did, they need the power of Machinas, rivaled only by the other power which the deity Anu bestowed, Mu.
The temple is now a temporary haven for a few refugees, and Aruru has stayed behind even though most priests and priestesses have fled. But after tonight, when lady Anzu ceased to be a high priestess, she will leave for her old home at a rundown village.
”I will pray for your happiness, lady Anzu.”
As the couple in front of her sauntered onwards, Aruru bowed low to pay her last respects to her lady before taking her leave.
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[Anzu, this will be the last time I speak to you.]
Ishtar’s voice rang in her mind nostalgically
”Please forgive me, Lady Ishtar…”
[I do not blame you, for I have had the same sentiments for my love.]
The deity’s words were comforting, but Anzu felt a little guilty for not telling her about one more thing she had in mind. Perhaps the immortal knew about her plans, but she chose not to breathe a word to Shamash.
[Follow your beliefs till the end, my loyal messenger. And from this point on, you are left alone with your beloved.]
Alone?
Anzu recalled the memories of Lilith in her, which caused the soul of the latter to stir in her consciousness. She felt breathless for a moment, and as if drawn into a vacuum, the presence of Lilith in her was no longer felt all of a sudden.
“Though it was a short meeting, but goodbye, Lilith. I know you’ll take care of Shamash, or Azure in your world… for my sake.”
The priestess felt a strong connection to the soul who was once one with hers. If there is a future for her, she thought, she would want to visit her in person soon to know exactly who Lilith was.
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Tonight, the stars have never been brighter in the skies. And though the moonlight was shining upon a blood red land of chaos, nothing mattered now for the two of them.
He has told her about his leaving, which will be the coming dawn. She knew it was the price to pay for giving him a second chance in life, and she has accepted it.
It does not matter if they had only one night, what was important now will be the near future which will stay as their memories.
“Anzu…”
While releasing the drapes surrounding the chamber, Shamash tried to say something, but was stopped by her. He did not show on his face, but he was worried about what will become of her after he is gone.
“Do you believe in destiny?” she asked all of a sudden.
That particular word, carved on his ring by her, has had a special meaning in her heart.
”Before I was sent to the Temple as a priestess, the village I was from had shunned me as a sign of ill omen. For I am always talking to myself.”
Shamash understood that it was actually the deities who were speaking to her, but as a small child, her words would not be believed.
“They say I am possessed by spirits, and locked me up at a little storehouse on top of a hill,” she continued explaining, “and then one day, a traveling monk from Syan found me.”
That was more than a decade ago.
“The winged monk from Syan told me, that their people knew of my birth, and they knew who I am.”
The deities could not speak directly to their creations, and thus are in need of a communicator. It was then; they gave a girl the power to hear them.
“I did not want to go with him, but he told me that it was my destiny.”
And by this destiny, she became a priestess, and met him when she turned eighteen.
Shamash was appalled by her revelation. It was the first time she has told him about her background even though she was rather extroverted.
”Even if it’s fate, I am still worried about your decision,” he said, “after I’m gone, you…”
There are still many options for her to choose, but once she chose to be with him, she will have to remain alone for the rest of her life.
“Shamash, the moon shines for us tonight; whatever lies beyond dawn is still ever so far.”
Anzu grinned shyly as she sat on the side of the bed. Her will is absolute, evident by the determination shown in her eyes. Shamash finally understood and respected her decision, and gave a nod to show his compliance.
He is surer than ever, that the woman in his eyes right now is the one.
He has never felt like this before; and the new leash in life has made him more conscious of his own feelings.
He inched closer cautiously like a curious lion’s cub, and bent down to greet his wife. A quick brush from his fingers through her cerulean tresses, the circlet of flowers fell off and released her hair from their restraints.
Their eyes met, at a distance nearer than they ever had.
Anzu placed her hands on his face, cueing for him to draw closer. Their eyes closed as he did, and a soft sensation felt at the end meant that they could no longer break away. It was a swift press on her lips initially, leaving their faces burning; and it was an awkward first kiss, yet an enjoyable one nonetheless.
Their curiosity then turned into an addiction, and as the night continued to prevail, they allowed their instincts to lead their unchangeable destinies on.
Though he was locking her fingers with his gently and securely, he had always allowed a chance for her to escape. But she did not. She never will.
They became one that night, and the coming dawn which will bring about their separation only comes a while later on.
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“Lilith, lilith!!!”
She was being violently shaken, and there was only one person who could completely wipe away all of her drowsiness like this.
“Brother Kazo…”
It felt as if she has been sleeping for a very long time, almost like a few months, before she woke up like this. But in reality, only an hour has passed.
Kazo picked his sister up from the cold stone grounds of the ruined temple, and carried her home. Streaks of dried-up tears were obvious on her face, and it has stung him painfully --- His sister was in love with a man who was never meant to be here.
”If only you would come back and take a look at her, pretty boy…” the Juhna took a final look at the altar in the Temple before leaving with his sister.
“Shamash…. Anzu… t-they…”
Lilith stuttered wihle trying to explain to her brother that she has been through a lot of events for the past hour, and tried to tell what she has seen at a go.
But she was stopped by him.
“Lilith, you must put your personal matters aside for a while,” her brother said with a solemn face all of a sudden.
”?”
“The council of our Elders and the representative of the humans have agreed to have you as their new leader.”
She had no talent to be proud of, yet it was her blood which had both the Tartan’s and the Humans’ which decided her fate. Though unwilling, she could not turn down the nomination, as she was perhaps the only person who could end the tension between the different races.
Sometimes, such heavy burdens are too painful to carry, but Lilith knew that she is the only one able to. Like how Anzu and Shamash followed their destinies through despite all the sorrows, she will see her task to the end.
She need not know what happened to the priestess and the thief from thousands of years ago, for her own life’s story has just begun, as the new queen for the nations.