FicWad

Chapter 7:

It was a beautiful early Neptunian morning. The misty sunlight was just making its way through the protecting mists and shadows, coloring the previous night colored waves, a light aqua marine.

A curious mermaid was perched delicately out of the water resting her elbows on a slow sun warming rock stroking a seemingly tame and to her, exotic creature. It tilted it head to the side and glanced at her curiously, opening its eagle like beak a few times not used to the gentleness this maiden gave it.

It was a Gryphon, significantly smaller then adults of its kind by far so it had to have been a baby. It was, right now, the size of a domestic cat, with orange feathers and clear green eyes. It even resembled a type of cat with its growing lion like body and tail, the only difference was feathers replacing fur and head of an eagle. Neptune scratched under its wings and it made a pleasing sound and stretched out its front paws luxuriously. Not to far off another winged form stirred awake and made a surprising noise at the sight before her and stood quickly.

"Hey! Get away from that, it's vicious!"

The one in question opened its once contented eyes and locked a dangerous glance with its former master and squawked as if insulted. It then took flight and screeched in greeting way in its mistress's ear kneading her with its claws and biting at her hair with its beak. Uranus scowled and pried the shrieking creature off of her and held it out away from her, it tried to bite her hands while she did so.

"A pet of yours?" Neptune asked awed at the display.

"If you could call it that..." The knight winced as the winged creature cried out again, hanging upside down by its claws on her arm. "Behave!"

Neptune giggled a little getting the impression that the youngster was just trying a form of playing and that the knight acted more like its parent.

"I think it likes you." She said smiling.

"Quite." The warrior let the little Gryphon down and it paced away distain fully, pride wounded and began to groom its feathers indignantly.

The mermaid watched it for a few moments and smiled up to its owner.

"Did it come from your world?"

The knight nodded and sat again keeping a weary eye on the troublesome burden.

"Yes, on one of my missions, I stumbled upon it by accident. It was separated by its parents and got my scent and now it won't leave me alone. Which isn't too good for me, especially when its parents come to look for it, they tend to have a bad temper and are extremely large and meat loving."

Neptune's eyes widened a little. "Oh I see."

Uranus glanced around after a moment expectantly, as if looking for something.

"What is it?" The sea maiden questioned noticing the woman knight's search. There was a rush of air suddenly and a rearing of hooves as another and last of the foreign creatures made its self known. It was a magnificent war horse, gleaming golden in color with silver hooves, strong muscles, and a pair of extraordinary wings much like its masters. It pawed at what little earth was found in the wet world and shook its head letting out a frustrated snort.

"That." Uranus stood again and called out something in a strange language and the winged stallion glided across the short distance and landed beside its master glad to see her again. The knight ran her hand along its shimmering hide glad to see that her war companion was alive and well. It must have followed her here somehow, she figured it was a sign that she had to return and fight for the world she fell once again for the horse whickered, eager for battle.

"The two travel with me and we stick together, so I knew that where one would be the other would too. I hoped as much." She glanced at the Gryphon.

"Yes, even you, you over grown parakeet." It made a type of hissing noise at its master from the insult and continued at its task of skimming over the shallow water for small fish that jumped out on occasion.

Neptune never took her eyes off the new arrival and got closer to where they were.

"What's its name?" She asked softly.

Uranus smiled a little looking to her again and said something that sounded so foreign yet so perfect to the maiden's ears. Her voice had a different texture too, it was airy almost, yet thick and husky.

"Himmelskönig. It's Uranian for, 'Sky King'."

"May I touch him?" She asked softly reaching out with her hand. Uranus considered it a few seconds and then nodded in response and the horse leaned down and sniffed her hand, nibbling her palm after a moment friendly licking the salt from her skin. She giggled a little because it tickled and ran her fingers along its nose and along its broad forehead feeling the velvet like texture of its pelt, noticing that it had the same symbol the warrior had over her heart.

Never before had Neptune seen such things as what she had that day, before in her life time. It meant something, she knew. From the moment she saw the knightly warrior she felt in her heart that something extraordinary was going to happen. The knight brought forth change and revolution. Also, something she couldn't quite place, something she knew but couldn't put words with. An element we know as, the Wind. A soft breeze tricked through the trees creating a delicate shower of vanilla blossoms to fall around them. Neptune smiled softly taking in the sight and closing her eyes as the wind blew across her for the first time.

Both the sea maiden and warrior were sitting on the rock enjoying the day and each others company. The winged horse grazed not to far off and the Gryphon, full from the meal he caught, lay nearby his beak under his wing sleeping.

Uranus hated to admit it, but she was actually happy. It was so peaceful just watching the waves and soaking in the sun. She knew, if she had died, she would have wanted to be in a place like this anyway. But all good things have to come to an end, don't they? She had a mission, with or without a cause. While she thought she glanced over and drank in the sight before her scarcely breathing.

'Beautiful'

She knew the smiles the maiden had today were genuine and it pleased her knowing that she was happy. It dulled some of the torment in her eyes and healed some of the knights own.

Neptune had felt the gray blue sky colored eyes on her all the while and looked over just in time to meet the knight's who blushed a little but didn't break the glance. She smiled softly; the sun was making her drowsy, suddenly tired. Thinking out loud, her voice sounded a little sad, far away, almost pained or weak.

"I.. I wish.."

Uranus, captivated by her eyes, the moment and her presence leaned closer; concern had begun to cross her features moments later as the maiden looked pale all of a sudden.

"I wish,. I could stay at the surface with you all the time. If only.." Things after that happened quickly and it was Uranus who caught the maiden as she half fainted, panting in her arms as if she needed air.

"What's wrong?" The knight had asked suddenly very worried. "What's happening?"

"I.. can't be out of the water for long.. I can only hold so much air before I need to be in the water again or I'll die. But I didn't want to go back into the shadows again, I wanted to stay."

Uranus held her eyes seeing the desperate plea within them as the delicate creature was so helpless and fragile in her arms, the unspoken cry to remain there, to stay in the wind, to experience new things. She knew the maiden longed for all the things she could never grasp caught in the webs of this world and what restricted her.

The knight acted quickly then, finding a crater large enough and deep enough for the maiden in the rock she had called home for the past weeks. It was filled with surf that had washed into it from one of the past high tides and was still part of the surface but held qualities the mermaid needed and she lowered her into it. Almost at once, the color came back to the sea maiden's peaches and cream hued skin and her chest heaved in gulps of oxygen from transparent gills that couldn't be seen at first glance. Her eyes had been closed but they slowly opened showing such sadness and regretful anguish that the winged knight felt compelled to lie on her stomach and reach her arm into the pool, touching her cheek gently with her hand and offering a rare type of smile when she looked up and met her eyes. After a moment Neptune placed her hand over the battle worn yet gentle hand of her champion keeping it there and smiled slowly back, in return.

'I am alright now. Thank you for your concern.' The soft voice whispered into Uranus's mind, calming her growing internal fears.

'I'm glad.' She answered back not knowing how they could communicate this way, but trusted it. 'You've been kind to me; it was the least I could do.'

'It was nothing really. I wanted to help you, I..' The maiden stopped her thought shyly and looked away.

'Tell me..' The warrior provoked softly, her heart beat quickening with every passing moment. The sea maiden smiled softly and met her eyes again.

'I want to see you in your glory.'

Uranus blinked and felt her cheeks flush slightly, a part of her wanted to get away. This sea woman was getting to close. Getting too deep, knowing much more then she should.

And yet, the knight's strong hand cupped her cheek and pulled her up and forward gently, just enough for her head to be out of the water and leaned in, grazing her lips gently, painfully slow. Her expression was unreadable as the kiss broke and Neptune looked up at her again with searching eyes, her lips trembled from what they had felt.

'I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have kissed you without permission.' This time it was the husky whisper of the heir of the wind.

'Please don't apologize. I didn't mind." The soft whisper of the sea maiden answered, and they kissed again. Both savoring the feeling of what that brought and clung on to each other as if the world was about to crumble away around them.