Main Characters:
Sister Serenity (Nanoha):
A 19 year-old Nun with a mysterious past. Converted to Belkanism as a way to escape her memories. Soft-spoken, she can turn stubborn when she feels that a certain situation is unfair. Can be hard-headed at times as well and was trained by Mother Superior (Sister Magdalene) the ways of treating 3rd Class wounds (basic First-Aid). Is in the Process of becoming a full Belkan Nun.
Knight:
A Royal Francaesian Knight. Has a even darker past than our Heroine. Collapsed at Nanoha's Monastery one night with a life-threatening wound but with Nanoha's blood, she survived. Is very skilled in the Sword Arts and High Wizardry. Age and name unknown.
Story thus far...
During a stormy night, a wounded stranger collapsed at St. Olivie's Monastery where Sister Nanoha resides. After giving much of her blood to a stranger to help her, Sister Nanoha was shocked to discover that the women whom she saved was in fact a Royal Francaesian Knight, the enemy of Neo Burgundia, the country where Nanoha lives in. During a conversation with the Mother Superior of the Monastery, She found out that the Town wants the Knight in exchange for support from the Burgundian Crown since the Town succumbed to depression and needs money to stay afloat. Pushed far into a corner, the villagers and the Mayor confronted the monastery and demanded the body of the Knight.
After a heated debate that finally brought Sister Nanoha out from her shell, a Dragon Summoner was hired to exterminate the Occupants of St. Olivie's Monastery in retaliation. Luckily, the Knight woke up right on time and was able to stop the Dragon from killing Nanoha but with the cost of some of the villagers lives. Nanoha pleaded with the women to spare everyone's lives and in exchange for that request, she was kidnapped...
~~~
My Guardian Angel
Chapter 3:
Spread out your Wings and Fly...
~~~
May God grant you blue skies aloft,
With winds of calm by land,
As you play on the outskirts of heaven,
On the fragile wings of man.
-John D. Duvall
~~~
Burnt flesh engulfed my nostrils and I whimpered, the putrid smell making me gag. I still hid underneath my bed, a thin blanket covering my small, trembling body from the horror unleashed outside. Agonizing screams echoed throughout, clangs of swords and blasts of bullets intertwining with the other noises, creating a perfect mirror of one another. I shut my eyes, whispering to be saved, tears silently running down my bruised face. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard and without warning, someone grabbed one of my legs and dragged me out from my refuge. I screamed, kicked, anything to be let free but it was futile; the giant, calloused hands had a firm grip on me.
“Lookie what I found,” cackled my captor, dangling me in front of his friends. “I may have found a nice toy...”
I screamed, flailing with all that I had but all I got out of it was a very painful smack to my face which broke my nose.
“Oi! Don't damage the goods!” growled one of them, shoving my captor.
“I found her first so I get to do whatever the hell I want!” roared the man holding me.
I brought my trembling hands slowly to my nose, trying to stop the flow of blood dripping down to the ground but it was no use; it kept flowing profusely through my fingers. I hiccuped, feeling the blood rapidly rushing to my head as time passes by. I dropped my hands clutching my nose to my sides and just allowed myself to be dangle helplessly in the air, the men bickering about who would 'play' with me first.
“Mama...papa,” I croaked, my vision finally blurring. “Big brother....Big Sister...”
My captor must have heard what I said because he mockingly repeated,”Mama, papa, Big brother, big sister...” Then he dropped me to the cold, hardwood floor, blood staining my white dress.
“Well, I got news for you, princesses,” he snickered, putting his muddy boot on my head. “Mommy and daddy are not coming to save you!”
I closed my eyes and just repeated what I had said before, oblivious to what the men were saying.
“What is going on here?” said a unknown man with authority. I slowly opened one of my eyes that was not bruised and looked up. I still couldn't see well but what I was able to make out was a tall figure with a thick jacket that went all the way to his knees. He was holding a red walking stick but I was pretty sure it was not used for just that. He looked around and then his eyes landed on me.
“Release the girl,” said the man, walking towards me.
My captor obeyed without hesitation. Relieved from the pressure of the foot, I was turned on my back and forced to look at the man that would ultimately decide my fate.
“So tell me, girl,” he whispered to my ear. “How would you like to marry my boy?”
Marry...
“H...y...wa..up...”
Boy...
“Hel...l..o...”
Huh? Who's calling out to me...
“WAKE UP!”
I yelped and stood up but I soon collided with a hard surface, sending me back to the ground.
Rubbing the bump on my head gingerly, I looked up and saw a very angry Knight with an equally large bump on her forehead.
I gulped.
“Next time, watch where you stand up,” she snapped, walking away from me and towards a stream.
My eyes twitched in annoyance.
“Next time, watch where
you stand.”
The Knight stopped at her tracks and I actually wondered if I could disappear into thin air. Without turning around, she brought her right arm up above her head and snapped her fingers.
In an instant, I was thrust into a tree with my arms circling the base; I tried to detach myself from the tree but an invisible rope was tied around my wrists, preventing me from escaping.
I growled and glared at the women who was beginning to make my life into a living hell.
You've got to be kidding me...
Ignoring me as if I wasn't even there, the Knight began to wash the back of her neck from the water of the stream, her back to me. After a good three minutes had past with her crouching and washing herself (and ignoring me), she slowly stood up, her golden locks flowing behind her as water dripped slowly down her body. I stared at her and it was at that moment when our eyes met that I remembered I was mad at her so I glared back with defiance.
She stared back at me but turned away, closing her eyes.
“Please don't give me that look,” said the Knight.
My jaw dropped.
She can't be serious...
“Hmm, let me see. First you took me hostage, then you killed a few people and a guys dragon,” I said to her, looking as though I was thinking about what she said. “Now, to add insult to injury, you just forced me to hug a tree. How can I NOT be mad!”
The Knight seemed to not like my sarcastic outburst because her eyes snapped open and when she turned around to face me, her fists shook but this time, I stood my ground...not that I had a choice in the matter.
“You know, for someone who acted so innocent last night, you sure have a sharp tongue. I wonder if this is your true character?!”
“Humph!” I looked away while the Knight swore in frustration.
“You should be grateful...” she snapped, walking away from me.
Raising an eyebrow, I tentatively asked, “Now what do you mean by that?”
“Now you want to be polite? Well, I got news for you brat,
mange d'la merde!”
I didn't know any Francaesan but even an idiot would know that what she had said to me was not, in any way, shape or form, nice.
I was about to retort back when all of the sudden the invisible bind that was around my wrists disappeared and as a result, I fell backwards on my butt...hard.
“
Je n'ai pas besoin de cette merde ” muttered the Knight, continuing on her way without even a glance towards me. “You can go back to your Monastery, you ungrateful brat!”
That was the last straw.
Taking the opportunity that was given to me, I ran as fast as I could towards the Knight and after standing in front of her, kicked her shin with all the strength I could muster on the spot.
As expected, she howled in pain and birds that were nearby perched on trees, flew off in alarm.
“
Salope!!!" she screamed, grabbing the area where I had kicked her.
“Good and I hope you get a bruise!” I yelled at her from above.
Growling with tears of pain sliding down her right cheek, the Knight looked up and said, “You have more balls than I had previously thought...”
“And your mood swings would put a pregnant women to shame,” I countered, placing my hands on my hips.
“What do you want!” she yelled back at me, standing up but with caution. “You're free! Go!”
“How can I! I don't know where, and may God forgive me,
the hell I am!” I said, throwing up my arms in the air in frustration. “You killed innocent people-”
“Who were going to roast you alive!”
“-and then took me away from my home!” I finished, ignoring her interruption.
“You have no idea what those men were capable of doing,” she said, standing in front of me, her fists ready for a fight.
I scowled.
“How would you know? After all, you are a
Royal Francaesian Knight.”
“Was...”
I blinked, completely taken aback.
“Wha-”
The Knight interrupted me with a wave of her hand.
“That's none of your business,” she said, now looking up at the sky with a sorrowful expression on her flawless face. I licked my lips and after rearranging my habit, I looked at her directly in the face and said, “That is your right but I also have the right to know what you were going to do with me. Take me away from a warm home and then let me to rot?”
“That was the plan,” she replied, arrogantly.
This women was beginning to bug me.
“Fine! I'm staying with you then,” I finally said, giving in. “Because there is no way, and God forgive me again, in hell I'm going to survive by myself in the woods.”
“Oh, hell no! I took you away because you would have been killed without warning-”
“And what you did was any different?!”
“No one has the right to take another human beings life without that person's permission but since they were all willing to kill you and your little friends, they obviously threw away their right to live!”
“What nonsense is that?!”
“What kind of a Nun are you?!”
“Don't you throw that to my face! Killing is bad; if someone hits you, you give them your other cheek!”
“A great King knows when to go to war-”
“-but a wise one, would not!”
With that, I ended our argument which left both of us breathing heavily.
How long we stood staring at each other was lost to me but the Knight was the first to pull back.
“Whatever,” she finally said in defeat. “You can stay with me until we get to Nequalt but!”
She went up to me, face merely inches away from mine.
“But! As soon as we arrive, you're on your own, got that!”
“That's fine; I really don't want to see your troll of a face!”
She scowled at me and then headed towards the darkening forest, blond hair swishing around behind her.
“If you don't hurry, I'll leave you!”
She's not getting off the hook so easily...
"Wait!" I called as I caught up with her and forced her to stop at her tracks.
"What?" she looked at me, clearly agitated. "If we stop every single time you want something we'll never make it there by dawn."
“If we are going to be traveling together for awhile, can I least know the name of the person who saved me...and then kidnapped me to rot?” I said, saying the last part with a bit of a sarcastic tone.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I figured it would be easier call you by a name instead of 'hey, you' all the time...or killer..."
The Knight growled at me.
“Well?”
“Fate de Harlaown...”
I nodded and I added, “My name is Nanoha...Nanoha di Takamachi.”
"Good...introductions made, you know me and I know you so get your ass moving. I want to get there before morning so I can dump your sorry ass..."
"Why you anti-social son of a--" I muttered under my breath but I caught myself right on time.
I am sorry Lord for having such impure thoughts even in this time of tribulation I prayed. "But this person needs to learn some manners..."
"I heard that!"
“Good and take some anger management classes; it will do you wonders!”
~~~~
Nequalt is considered to be one of the most beautiful and most advanced city in Neo Burgundia. I've only been there once in my life but I could never forget it's majestic Baroque and Gothic-style buildings lining along the streets, its cobblestone pavements that shone brightly under the fierce sun and silvery moon, and its breathtaking Liberty Tower centered in the middle of the city that was surrounded by food stands that emitted sweet aroma of baked goods and wagons full of foreign entertainers. But Nequalt was like any other city if its mask would be peeled off. After all, underneath all of that spectacular symbol of power, Neqault is the prostitution capital of Neo Burgundia. Wealth and prostitution never trails far behind each other. And now that it's nightfall, arriving at Nequalt at this time seems like suicide at best. This Knight really has no brains whatsoever.
Perfect.
“How long until we arrive at our death, O Mighty Warrior of Neo Franceasia?” I asked, blowing away strands of hair covering my eyes out of boredom. Normally, I would be praying to my Lord and Savior that was my ritual for the past two years at St. Olivie's Monastery. I did tried to go back and pray for the souls of the killed villagers but as soon as Knight Fate saw me kneeling down to pray, she yelled, “You have got to be shitting me!” She then grabbed me by my waist and hung me over her right shoulder. My struggles and screams went on deaf ear so I had no choice but to dangle on her shoulder while playing with either of my hair or hers.
“In another 10 minutes, and STOP PLAYING WITH MY HAIR!” she roared as I braided some of her silky and smooth hair.
“I'm a Nun,” I muttered, looking up at the moon that is semi-hiding behind wisps of lustrous mist, stars twinkling around it in multitudes. “I do spend much of my time praying so I'm bored...”
Knight Fate was quite for a while and she said rather angrily, “There is more to life than just praying...”
“But what can I do? The world is just too...cruel....”
“Then do something and don't just pray,” snapped Fate. “If you have time to pray nonsense than you have time to change the world!”
I honestly had no counter-attack for that.
Knight Fate: 1
Me: 0
I sighed, wondering how I ever got stuck with an egotistical, emotionally unbalanced and prone to temper tantrums of a person.
Then, without warning, I was thrown to the ground with a thud.
Oh, and rude.
I can't forget that.
“What was that for!?” I yelled, rubbing my sides.
Without even looking at me, she replied, “We will be arriving at Nequalt in about 5 minutes-”
“And, Lord please forgive me, how the
hell are we suppose to get there in under five minutes!” I snapped, pointing at the bright city located down the deep cliff. “How are we going to get down from here!? We're pretty high up!”
Knight Fate just stared at the city, her blond hair and shirt flapping behind her due to the soft wind that was passing us by slowly. I shivered slightly, still waiting for a reply and right when I was about to open my mouth, Knight Fate began to cough violently, resulting her in kneeling down while holding her stomach.
I immediately realized what was happening.
Training soon kicked in full gear and I kneeled beside her, removing her bandaged arms from her stomach to see how far the damage went.
She was bleeding, not a lot like before, but she was bleeding. Her wounds probably opened during her fight against the villagers, and with her carrying me...
I blushed.
“What is it?” whispered Knight Fate, looking at my hands trailing down her toned stomach, not noticing my pink face.
She shivered under my touch.
I looked up at her and saw the same sadness I had seen at the monastery. It was if she was begging me to help her-
“Will you hurry it up 'cause I don't want to carry around anymore luggage.”
She just
had to ruin the moment.
I stood up and walked away from her with my nose held high in the air.
“Fine! You can die for all I care!”
Knight Fate slowly stood up from the ground, smirking and said, “Should you really be saying that? Isn't against your oath or something?”
Knight Fate: 2
Me: 0
Why am I losing?
“Whatever! Just get us down in
five minutes as you claim.” With that said, I closed my mouth, not wanting to argue with her anymore.
Knight Fate brought her hands up mockingly and walked to the edge of the cliff. After looking down for sometime, she straightened up, not taking her eyes from below.
“Come over here, Nanotaka-”
“Nanoha!”
“Whatever!”
I growled but I did as I was told. I stood next to her, wondering what her plan was when out of the blue, she asked me, “Do you like to fly?”
Laughing in disbelief, I replied, “Last time I checked, humans can't fly.”
Knight Fate finally looked at me funny and I couldn't help but notice the playful glint in her burgundy eyes. Before I could point it out, Fate walked behind and grabbed my shoulders.
She sighed.
“I guess we better change that thought, now shall we?”
And I was pushed off the cliff.
“OH MY GOD!!!” I screamed, flapping my arms like a bird but to no avail. Instead my movements made me spin violently around in somersaults making the world swirl non-stop; sky, land, sky, land, sky and so on and so forth.
“I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!” I cried, my heartbeat beating hard against my chest. I closed my eyes and prayed that it would at least be a fast and painless death-
Who am I kidding! I don't want to die!
“HEEEELP!!!!”
I swear, if that girl ever dies and for some strange reason comes to heaven, I will personally kick her out!
I said one last prayer and braced for impact...
…
…
...
...that never came.
Instead, I felt warm arms grab me gently and a sudden gush of wind made my hair and habit flap in the air for a brief moment. I was breathing rapidly, tears sliding down my cold cheeks, waiting for the inevitable. After realizing that, I was indeed alive, I slowly opened one of my eyes and saw, to my astonishment, Knight Fate carrying me in
mid-air.
We were really flying!
“Oh...
wow...” I croaked, shaking.
“Do you really think I would let you fall?” said Knight Fate, gliding down to the ground.
I was at a loss of words and I just gulped and nodded, too scared to open my mouth just in case I threw up all over myself and her. It only took less then a minute and when Knight Fate touched the ground, a cloud of dust swirled away from us and...it was over.
But not for Knight Fate.
“I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!” I screamed then pounced, slamming us down to the ground. My hands went immediately to her neck and I began to squeeze the life out of her! “I ALMOST HAD A HEARTATTACK! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, THROWING ME OVER THE CLIFF! YOU REALLY HAVE NO BRAINS, DO YOU!!!???”
Knight Fate croaked, “T-t-hat's...cough...t-the...cough...s-s-s-spi-i-irit...”
It took Knight Fate three minutes to successfully pull me away, but not without getting a black eye...which...in truth...I didn't mean to give. When Knight Fate had me pinned down to the ground, she began to rub her bruised neck, coughing occasionally.
“I guess it doesn't matter who you are,” said Knight Fate, finally letting me go. “When one is at the brink of death, God exists...”
Brushing off some dirt off my already dirty habit, I answered back angrily, “And what does that suppose to mean?”
“You wanted to kill me,” said Knight Fate in a matter-of-fact tone , touching her neck and looking at me up and down..
I frowned and said to her, “You had it coming...” I stopped and then gasped, realizing my error.
“God, please-
“'-forgive me for hurting someone?'” finished Knight Fate, walking towards me, slowly.
I just stared.
Knight Fate looked at me for a long time before speaking again, “So, as long as you ask God for forgiveness, any actions you did beforehand, does not matter?”
I took a step back.
What is she trying to say?
“I'm quite impress by your fighting spirit, Nanohana-”
“Nanoha...”
“-Nanoha but don't you think that it's...
morally wrong?”
I opened my mouth and when no words came out, I closed it. Knight Fate gave me one last look and then she shook her head, turning away from me.
“Because you impressed me just now, let me give you a friendly piece of advice. Remember this, Nanaho-”
“Nanoha...”
“-Nanoha. Your
God won't always be there for you...”
I didn't answer, her words still echoing loudly in my head.
Why do I have a feeling that this will come and haunt me later...?
“Now, if you excuse me, I want some beer, food and your ugly face out of my life so get a move on!” yelled Knight Fate some feet away from me when I didn't move.
She once again opened her foul mouth.
Old habits, die hard.
The walk to Neqault was not far but as much as I hate to admit it, the sooner we find a place to stay the better because it seems that Knight Fate is in a great deal of pain (some caused by me I'm ashamed to say...); her face is scrunched up in discomfort and her right arm is wrapped around her bleeding stomach. I glanced at her once in a while and it appeared as though Knight Fate caught what I was doing because she asked, “What is it?”
I opened my mouth but the memories of what she did to me was still fresh in my mind so I shut my mouth, turned my head away from her and snapped, “Nothing!”
Either Knight Fate was tired physically or just tired from our argument because she did not say anything back to me.
Now I was beginning to worry.
“How far is our location?”
Knight Fate snorted.
“
Our?” she said, leading us down a narrow set of stairs that smelled like urine. “There is no 'our'.
Our deal was to lead you here and split-”
“You have GOT to be kidding me!”
She stopped abruptly in front of me and before I knew what was happening, she grabbed me by my throat and slammed me painfully hard against a slimy wall.
“Listen hear,
mademoiselle, I don't need your life on my shoulders so as soon as I find a place, you WILL leave me alone!”
I just stared, too shock to do or say anything...
...and then...I saw it.
Her burgundy eyes were dark, sad but this time...
desperate.
Desperate...
Knight Fate looked away from me and she placed her head on my chest, her body shivering against mine.
“Please...please...don't follow me,” she whispered, her hands tightening on my habit.
Was she
crying?
The world must be ending...
“If you stay with me, you...
will surely die...”
I blinked, staring up at the starry sky in an attempt to come up with something to say back to her. Soft, gentle winds caressed our bodies, our long hair flowing to the sides. After a while, I swallowed hard and replied back confidently, “But if you leave me now, I will die anyway.”
That did the trick because Knight Fate quickly looked up and gave a look of utter disbelief. I giggled at her expression, taking Knight Fate's cold hands to my chest, my grumpy mood completely forgotten.
“Now that's the rude Knight I remembered...”
Knight Fate blushed.
“O mighty Warrior of Neo Francaeasia! Did I just see you blush!” I mockingly gasped, placing a hand on my chest in a dramatic manner.
Knight Fate took a step back and stuttered, “No I did not!”
I leaned toward her on my tip toes, my arms behind my back and gave her a playful smile, “Really! Well, I guess underneath that warrior mask, you're nothing more than a baby kitten wanting to be cuddled.”
“Last time I recalled, Fate here cuddled a lot...but not with kittens,” said a man with a thick Franceasian accent at the top of the stairs. “But they weren't kittens, more like she-dogs; nasty little bitches...”
Knight Fate and I both spun around and saw a tall man that appeared to be in his early forty's with a huge smirk on his prickly face, baby blue eyes sparkling underneath, his bright, and wavy orange hair. He was wearing a very plain long tunic tied around with a leather girdle and trousers tuck inside buck-skin boots. A small knife was dangling from his side, it's golden hilt gleaming under the fierce light of the moon.
I didn't know him but I did know one thing; he was NOT Burgundian.
“Well, I'll be...if it isn't my dear ol' friend, Pierre de Vercoux.” said Knight Fate, looking quite livid. I took a step back from her, not wanting to be in the middle of a soon-to-be conflict. I saw how Knight Fate fights and I really don't want to be on her bad, fighting side. No matter how mad I was at her; I choose life.
Fate's “friend” just shrugged, still sporting the same smirk he had. He crossed his arms across his chest and replied back casually, “Good to meet you, too.”
Then his smirk was quickly wiped away from his face, as if he just realized something. He brought one of his arms out and while pointing at Knight Fate, yelled, “YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE DEAD!!!!”
Huh?
I turned around to ask Knight Fate what he meant by that but...she was gone. I heard a yelp and a 'thud' behind me so I turned around and saw that-guy-with-the-name-I-can't-even-pronounce-to-save-my-life on his stomach, his arms and legs bound together by the same yellow 'rope' that was used to tie me up before.
It looked really uncomfortable.
Knight Fate: 1
That-guy-with-the-name-I-can't-even-pronounce-to-save-my-life: 0
At least now I'm not the only one losing.
But is that a good thing?
Probably not.
Typical.