171"Waaah! Tetra! Tetra, where'd you go?" Asaire wailed in panic, trapped on the other side of the tree, a massive burning barrier between him and the rest of the group, most vitally the prince. The ferocious roar of the flames combined with the thunder, wind and lightning to easily drown out his cries, locking him away in total isolation.
"Tetra..." his voice dropped to a trembling whisper "Tetra...I...you know I don't like thunderstorms..."
His eyes flooded with genuine fear as an extra-loud burst of lightning cracked cruelly overhead.
"Tetra! Oh, holy shiiiiit!" the jester wailed, turning around and racing off down the path.
His breath tore out of his throat in frightened gasps as he ran on blindly, until some shapeless object tripped him up. He scrambled to his feet, glancing around to try and glimpse the evil shapes that seemed to be lurking just out of view, invisible in the inky blackness.
Another lightning bolt lit up the sky for a split-second, outlining a running figure.
"Asaire!"
"Tetra?"
"You're okay!" Tetra wailed emotionally, diving towards Asaire and glomping onto him. "I was sooo~ worried!"
Asaire somehow managed a small smile. "Geez, Tetra, you lose me for two seconds and just go to pieces..."
"I did /not/ go to pieces! Anyway, c'mon...the palace shouldn't be far, if we follow this pathway...we need to get some help; there's a guy trapped under the burning tree."
"Ooh, the tree! The tree was awesome!" Asaire bounced up and down, babbling excitedly "Did you see it? There was this huuuge explosion, and then it fell down -BOOM!- and nearly squashed us all flat! It was the best~!"
"...You're /really/ weird, Asaire..."
"Gaah. Shut up." Asaire pouted. Just then, the rain began to get lighter, and quickly stopped falling altogether. "Yay! Hey, now I'd better get changed...wanna make a good impression when I meet your parents, don't I?"
"Uh...get changed? Here?" Tetra blinked, then watched as Asaire stretched an arm up above his head, twirling a finger in the air. A small sphere of white light began to form around his hand releasing smaller beads of light that spiralled down around the jester, drifting to the ground and creating a solid circle of light around his feet.
"Magic. Of Course. How foolish of me." The prince shielded his eyes, as Asaire 'changed' in a bright burst of light.
"Ta-daa!" he announced happily, now wearing a white, angel-themed outfit, with white makeup. Gold bands encircled his wrists and ankles, with matching bells, and a gold choker around his neck with a small crucifix (the VirgoHoly Cross was safely hidden, out of sight under his clothes), and the centrepiece of the outfit was a miniature pair of shining white wings attached to his back, made of real feathers.
"Whaddaya think? Isn't this cuuute~?" the golden bells jingled as he twirled around, seeming quite at ease with the thunderstorm now that Tetra was with him again.
"Um, how did you do that?"
"Ha! I can't tell you /that/, it's a secret!"
"Oh, OK. So, why did you magic up some show costume instead of something /warm/ to wear?"
"Uh...er...c'mon, let's go back to the palace!"
Three more figures were out in the storm, that night...King Davriel of Reirin, King Tobias of Brittiana, and the Emperor of Michein. They had ventured out earlier in the evening to talk (or rather, to argue) in private, and were now caught out in the storm. This had done nothing to improve the moods of any of them, and had greatly worsened their opinions of each other.
King Davriel was listening wearily to an irate Emperor of Michein, who was ranting furiously about insults against his family, while King Tobias insisted that he be paid compensation for the traumas his family suffered on the way to an event that didn't even take place (his latest paranoid delusion was that King Davriel had planned Oma's kidnapping). The poor Reirinian king just zoned out, nodding occasionally and trying to fit in pieces of explanations and apologies where he could.
"Yes, of course We understand...*sigh*...of course, of course...terribly sorry...but it was not Us that ran out on the wedding, it was Our son...if We had known that he would behave in such a manner...yes, We apologise a thousand times...*sigh*...well, would it please you if We provided some sort of monetary compensation?"
"No it would NOT please me!" the Emperor raged "It would have pleased me if your moron of a son had actually MARRIED my daughter, as was agreed!"
"What about /my/ son?" the King of Brittiana added, eager to be offered money himself "The sole male heir to my kingdom could have been carried off and killed!"
King Davriel shook his head, his patience already stretched way beyond its normal limits. "As We remember, Your Majesty's court jester made a rather heroic effort and rescued him, did he not?"
King Tobias looked sulky. "That little bastard, he only wants attention. He even has Our children addressing him as 'big brother'! Foolish little..."
"Oh, shut up! Nobody cares about your jester, what about my daughter?"
"Don't you tell Us to shut up, you crazy old fool!"
"Ahh...both of you shut up..." King Davriel muttered, just quiet enough so that nobody could hear him except himself. The other two rulers were now engaged in such a furious argument that he was surprised he couldn't see clouds of steam pouring out of their ears. The King of Reirin chuckled to himself, taking the opportunity to sneak off back to his warm palace, and leave the other two arguing in the rain...maybe it would cool them off some more...
A few minutes later, the other two realised that their host had vanished. They promptly blamed each other for driving him away, and stormed off in opposite directions in the vain hope of finding their way back to the palace.
The king of Brittiana had been walking for some time, when he spotted a faint, flickering white light, far ahead of him. As he went towards it, he realised it was some sort of magical lantern, leading the way for two small figures...one of which was wearing a very distinctive costume...
/That bloody Virgo...he's out causing trouble again! And that's...the Reirinian Prince? I knew it!/
The King's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the prince lean over and steal a kiss. Asaire beamed and latched onto Tetra's arm.
/Oh, so that's your game, is it?/
"That's the last stupid stunt you pull, brat." the king muttered, drawing his sword and creeping closer.
"Tra lala lala..."
"Asaire, why are you singing?"
"Err...would you rather I whistled?"
"Um, no...and why are you answering a question with a question?"
"Well, why did you answer /my/ question with a question?"
"Well, why did you just...ack! Behind you!" Tetra cried suddenly, grabbing Asaire's arm and pulling him out of the way. A gleaming silver blade sliced through the space the jester had been standing in a split-second earlier, and an angry shout reached their ears.
"Virgo, you little bastard! What've you been doing with the Reirinian Prince?" the King snarled, spinning around to face the two alarmed boys. Tetra froze for a moment, shocked, before shaking himself back to reality and stepping in front of Asaire, arms spread protectively.
"Your Majesty...what is the meaning of this?"
"Oh, step aside, you stupid kid. We don't have any quarrel with you, so why don't you just run off home and mind your own damn business?" King Tobias snapped irritably, waving the broadsword in Tetra's face. The 18-year-old hardly blinked, fixing the king with an unshakeable emerald glare as the blade passed within inches of his face.
"We are not a stupid kid. We are Crown Prince Tetra Lourdes Cassiel XII, and if Your Majesty has a problem with Asaire, then it is my damn business, thankyouverymuch."
"We see..." the king paused for a moment, head lowered, face hidden in the darkness. Thunder continued to rumble ominously overhead, like some great sky god beating out a war march on giant, distant drums. Asaire tugged at Tetra's sleeve, trying to pull him away; the other hand pressed to his neck, covering a small, almost-invisible scar from the last time the king lost his temper.
"Tetra, Tetra..." the jester leaned closer to whisper nervously in the prince's ear "I dun like this, Tetra, let's run away quick!"
Tetra didn't reply, but his hand strayed towards the hilt of his fencing sword.
"Hehehe...you think you can protect your little boyfriend with that toy? You don't know anything...you don't know about the Virgo family, for a start. They're just a horde of glorified rebels, troublemakers and backstabbers...and whores." he added with a mirthless chuckle.
"You take that back!" Tetra demanded angrily, drawing his sword. In a flash, the King's sword had smashed down against it, knocking it out of his hands and away into the darkness. Tetra let out a small gasp of pain and shock, staggering back and grasping his wrist.
"Tetra!" Asaire squeaked in fright. The King of Brittiana laughed, raising his head up again. A burst of lightning flashed dramatically, illuminating the twisted amusement on the king's face in the most frightening and eerie way imaginable.
"You're crazy..."
"Oh no, not at all. We just have the ability to look past ridiculous magic spells and sickly-sweet acts, and see people for what they really are. Now, kindly step aside, We need to teach Our servant here an important lesson..."
"B-But...he saved your son's life! ...He /is/ your son!" Tetra protested, backing away and keeping Asaire behind him.
The King paused for a second, then began laughing again. "Aha...not only whores, but they leak secrets as well...big secrets...you'll wish you'd kept your mouth shut about that, Virgo..."
"RUN!" Asaire yelled, grabbing Tetra's arm and sprinting away. The King roared furiously behind them, stabbing his sword into the earth. The ground underneath the two teenagers began to tremble, splitting apart and shooting up rays of blinding yellow light to shatter the heavens. Jagged stones sprang up like switchblades, toppling them both to the floor.
Tetra's hand reached out, grasping the hilt of his lost sword. He scrambled to his feet again, spinning around and facing the king. Time ground to a halt for a moment as he locked eyes with the insane ruler.
/What exactly am I going to do? I can't hurt another person!/
"I..." he stepped back, faltering and loosening his grip on the sword. The King smirked.
"Tetra, you bloody moron! He'll kill us!" Asaire screamed, grabbing Tetra's arm again and making another attempt to run for it. The King lunged forward faster than either of them realised he could move. The heavy broadsword split the air open as it swung straight towards Tetra. Time stood still again as a white-clad figure dived in front of the prince. There was a sickening squelch as cold metal tore through delicate skin, smashing bones and vital organs into shreds. The figure's tear-filled eyes widened in shock and pain as they sank to the ground in slow motion...
"Hikari!"
Tetra caught the princess just before she hit the ground. He choked on a horrified sob, staring transfixed at the rapidly spreading bloodstain marring Hikari's pristine wedding dress, soaking into the fabric in a steady flood of thick, wine-coloured red.
Hikari smiled feebly, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks, shining brighter than diamonds in another spark of lightning.
"I found you..." she gazed adoringly up at Tetra through misting-over eyes, hardly seeming to notice her injury.
"H-Hikari...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Tetra's voice trembled with grief as he cradled the dying girl in his arms, her head resting against his chest.
"It's okay, Tetra...there's nobody I'd rather die for...and nowhere else I'd rather die...than in your arms..." Hikari replied, closing her eyes blissfully. A thin trickle of blood escaped her still-smiling lips.
Right on cue, the rain started up again.
"Hikari? Hikari? Wake up! Hikari? Wake up..." Tetra pleaded frantically, tears flooding his eyes and falling freely onto the bloody wedding dress. Asaire simply stood and stared in numb shock, until a chilling laugh dragged him back to reality.
King Tobias grinned insanely, swinging a gleaming, crimson-stained blade and looking greatly amused by the princess' death.
"You bastard..." the prince's voice was dangerously quiet, filled with some new venom that Asaire had never heard before. Tetra gently laid the dead princess on the ground and stood up, clutching his sword again. Asaire was hopping from foot to foot behind him, the Virgo's Cross in his hands, about a million miles past panicking.
Before the king could reply, a thin blue ribbon of water shot out of the handle of Tetra's sword, twisting around the blade and weaving rapidly through the air as it sped towards the King. The shining liquid morphed into the head of a giant snake, clamping its jaws around the king and wrapping the rest of its body around him. The King yelled in shock, toppling over and wrestling with the swirling sapphire-coloured shape.
Asaire watched dumbly as the prince dived forward in a blur of movement, slicing again and again in flashes of light, as the lightning reflected off the narrow silver blade of his own sword. There was a solid thump, and Tetra was knocked away easily, flying back and crashing into Asaire.
"Waaah! Tetra, are you OK?"
"I...I didn't even scratch him..." Tetra gasped shakily, staggering back to his feet. He bent over double, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily. "Ack...he's way too strong for me to fight...I'm useless..."
"Oh, you've finally realised?"
The King shook himself free of Tetra's spell like it was nothing, stalking towards them again. Suddenly Asaire stepped forward, fists clenched, expression a mask of cold fury.
"Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare! You even THINK about coming ONE STEP CLOSER to us, and I SWEAR I'll kill you! You killed the princess, you've destroyed my family, you'd beat up my brother and sisters if I didn't stop you, and your wife when I'm not there, and don't think I don't know everything else you've done, because I DO! VIRGOHOLY!"
He looked down at his hands, glowing with magical energy, surrounded by beads and baubles and ribbons and spirals of white light, spinning, twisting, and slowly condensing into one brilliant energy sphere.
Tetra blinked as the painfully bright light shone out from the blonde boy, spreading across the ground and shooting up into the sky in a pillar reaching for the Heavens. The outline of a magic circle formed on the ground beneath Asaire's feet, showing the twelve signs of the Zodiac, with Virgo in the centre. Another burst of light, and pure white feathers burst out of his back, spreading into vast, shining angelic wings coupled with a glittering halo.
The ground ripped itself open again, wide cracks spreading out rapidly and tearing up the earth, as the clouds overhead parted and melted away. A massive, glittering cross formed in the air above Asaire, composed of billions of twinkling points of light. The figure of Asaire was just a tiny, high-up figure of shining white, with three huge pairs of wings, and a glowing spear in his hand. He threw the spear.
The last thing Tetra remembered was seeing the area around the King explode in a shower of light.
And then everything sank into blackness.
The next morning, a golden sunrise lit up the palace grounds with a soft amber glow. Fountains bubbled playfully; fruit trees swayed gently in a warm, tranquil breeze.
Prince Oma was up early, eager to see what damage the storm had caused. He wandered down the main path from the palace, idly swinging the new sword that someone had been stupid enough to give him. Up ahead, something caught his eye...three lifeless figures, lying huddled up on the ground.
Heart fluttering with nervous excitement at having discovered dead bodies, he sped up, running over to where they lay. His smile faded as he recognised the three motionless figures...
Asaire: What the hell? What sort of ending was that? o _ O
Allorien: Shut up...
Tetra: We never even found out why it was called Fireworks! - _ -
Allorien: Shut up!
Asaire: I think it's because Allorien is a pyromaniac...
Allorien: SHUT UP! *chases muses away* *turns to readers* Er...pleasedon'tkillmeIstillneedtoposttheepilogue! ^ _ ^;;; *runs and hides*