Melodies of Time...

[General Beatrix]

" Don't you EVER believe you are damned!" she turned to look
at the woman, nearly yelling the command. Her eyes serious as she walked to her, " Am I also so guilty, as to think of Ovelia as my world?! Did you naught feel the same for your Queen?! For YOUR Steiner?!" the knight shivered, closing her eyes, ".... to look upon me in disgust... after I said she was my world...!"

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix was no longer listening to the King of Blades; instead, she hung on Agrias' next words. She paid careful attention to each question, and shook her head.

"I wouldn't dare assume how you should feel...but to answer those questions, no. My devotion was to my nation, Agrias. I was assigned as the Royal Bodyguard of Her Highness, and stayed as such until she was queen. And Steiner? I know it comes off as love for him, Lady Agrias, but I had not seen it until I met you." 'What?' "The love letter was, yes, very romantic, and it made me think. But he was never truly even the one who penned it; his words of poetry are more like poison. You do not drink what he offers."

She sat there still, quiet, and looked around. Gilgamesh had since departed to leave them alone, and she felt the weight of it fully, as Agrias was distant by now, as well.

When she did stand, she attempted to move away from her companion, only to remember the shackles keeping them together.

"And Lady Agrias? It was long before the King of Blades made it obvious of your incompetence that I 'turned' on you. You abandoned me, and for what? Tarrying along with your new friends? Lady Abigail? Bringing them all onto my ship?"

Her eye flickered from amber to blue again, but like last time only did so for a split second before glazing over with evil. She tilted her head slightly, giving Agrias a look of anger; she moved close, very close, and stated simply:

"You played me like a fiddle, Lady Agrias; they say the Devil works His wonders with it, but I never thought He could be so cruel." With that, the general turned around, her arms folded.

"How disappointing..." For some reason she frowned, and more tears came.[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

[glow=red,2,300]"And Lady Agrias? It was long before the King of Blades made it obvious of your incompetence that I 'turned' on you. You abandoned me, and for what? Tarrying along with your new friends? Lady Abigail? Bringing them all onto my ship?"[/glow]

The knight twitched a little, holding at her heart, trying to ignore the insult once more, "What in HEAVEN'S blazes are you talking about!?" Sounded Agrias, turning to look at her, tears already streaming down her eyes, "Lady Abigail is a dear friend, and everyone chipped in in order to rescue you from that damned place!"

The knight leaned close enough, starring into her eye, and trying to control the volume of the voice, but failing, " If I had abandoned you, WHY, pray tell, WHY are we here?? WHY be back on the Red Rose, WHY are we even YELLING at each other!?" The knight's hands balled up into fists, " If I had abandoned you, I wouldn't of risked my LIFE for you, Lady Beatrix! I wouldn't of--"

'--cried when you were taken... I would of given up if I didn't love you this much...!'

"--of GAH! You are IMPOSSIBLE at times!" The woman hissed, trying to walk a certain distance but the chain held her in place. She began to tug a little at the chain, flailing her arms, "And I'm getting TIRED of this-- THING!" she pointed at the chain, which seemed to have gotten shorter in their argument.

[glow=red,2,300]"You played me like a fiddle, Lady Agrias; they say the Devil works His wonders with it, but I never thought He could be so cruel."[/glow]

"I never played you... you...--"

'stubborn, little--!'

"--fool! I, GRAH!" The Knight swung a fist at the air, unable to contain the impulse. She reached up to rub at her eyes roughly, and pinch a little at her own cheeks, before calming down. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, " I am not doing this..."

'not again... I can't again...'

"I'm not fighting you, Lady Beatrix.." She stated, turning away and holding at her chest. She would walk the farthest she could away from the woman, trying to clear her mind, "Tis too much... tis too much for me, and mine heart to fight you."

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Though Beatrix listened, and tried to accept all that Lady Agrias had said as the truth, it wouldn't be so. The darkness corrupting her compelled the general to see this as false, and grow angry...very angry.

"I, erg..." and then it happened. Beatrix stopped grumbling when Agrias turned to try and leave. Eye widened, nose flaring, she marched forward and yanked Agrias back by the shoulder, while moving to face her directly. "Don't ignore me," she growled, and lunged forward, drawing up her open palm, slamming it into the knight's face.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Her hand began glowing, white hot light brightening, and brightening. "Holy!" she cried, and soon the bright light turned into a brilliant flash--an explosion--and she could feel the power surging fast from her heart, and she had to use her other arm to block her eye from being blinded. She felt the ground below them disappearing; they were flying. This attack was going to be devastating for one, slightly painful for the other.

The whole time the general cried, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.[/glow][/b]

***Beatrix Learned Holy Explosion!***

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias one moment, was facing Beatrix, the next, she felt the woman's grip upon her face, and the knight grew shocked, and confused when a bright light emitted close to her face, the very palm that was holding her, "Bea--" she tried to gasp, her face beginning to burn,

'BEATRIX, NO!!'

"Holy!" shouted her counterpart, and Agrias' upper half was enshrouded in a painful light, which her armor could not protect. Her vest was torn and burnt within the armor, along with her flesh that made contact with the steel. Her face began to burn, scar and bleed as the attack hit her straight on, and point blank. Her blood from her upper torso would splatter at first, covering Beatrix before the force of Holy sent her flying backward, screaming in pain. A thick trail of blood following her...

'AHH! AHH!!... OH GODS, THIS PA-AHHH!!'

Since they were both chained, Beatrix soon followed being thrown, or better, YANKED and hoisted into the air. Agrias was the first to hit the ground hard, part of her hair scorched. She would cough up, and cringe in pain, grunting and groaning as smoke protruded from her scorching skin, "A-Ahh!!" she would cry in horrible pain, trying to scream, but her vocal cords seemed to fail her, tears of blood blinding her vision, "A...ah...!!"

'...h- how could she... how could she...!? a-..ah.....ah...... oh, god, it hurts... oh god it hurts....I can't...see... I see red- Oh god... what-- I can't see beyond red curtains! ahh! why can't I see beyond...!? ...G-...God... Bea...trix... bea...'

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]For some reason Beatrix was wet, laying on the cold ground-like surface of this realm. She turned her head and saw Agrias, charred and broken, writhing in bloody pain which the general herself had seen to firsthand. At first she grinned, but then when the darkness ceased closing around her heart, she felt an overwhelming dread.

Slowly, painfully, she rose to her knees, and looked around, eye wide and prayed to the gods this was not happening, that she had not just done this.

What is going on!? She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She looked down again and threw herself at the woman, and ran her hands over he burning metal, too upset and confused to really feel it rip away at her leather-bound palms.

"L-lady...Agrias, no...Lady Agrias! What have I done!?

"...Agrias...? Agrias?" She saw the woman wriggling, struggling to fight back the pain and she moved to brush some bloodied hair from the woman's face, and stared into her eyes.

"Shh..." she breathed quietly, rubbing the knight's forhead. "It's going to be...all right, my love..." 'My love...' "I...can never...what have I done, oh gods, oh gods...Calm down, Agrias...please...I...Oh, Agrias I am so sorry...I..."

The rumbling returned.

He had returned.

Gilgamesh.[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

'My love...' Agrias seemed to think, only able to catch those two words, 'd-...did she...say...? AHH' the knight's body would jolt upward, squirming as the heated metal was now EATING away at her flesh, since it already ate its way through her vest, 'AAAAAAAAAAHAHH AH!!!' she screamed inwardly. She squirmed this way and that, panicked since the armor was clasped shut, there was no way to remove it... even her gloves seemed glued to the flesh of her hands.

[glow=Orange,2,800] Indeed, Gilgamesh had returned, though he had been witnessing the events for a while. He was leaning forward, resting his elbow padding over his knees, and holding up his chin with his thumbs, his eyes, ever-dull at the gruesome sight, " Not even gone for a second... and already you turn on her, General?"

It was then, he glanced down at Agrias' aching body, raising an eyebrow, "Hm... serves her right... for being incompetent." he reached up to snap his fingers, and two forms appeared before him: One was a woman, who wore Holy garments, and within her grasp was Excalibur, she had a striking resemblance to the general, though she seemed of not of this time, but of Agrias' era.



The other, a familiar man to Beatrix, wearing bulky silver armor, and holding Excalibur II.



"I Have reached my Decision and bid you two.... expendable."

Gilgamesh would find Beatrix reaching for her sword, only to find it wasn't there for her. The demi-god narrowed his eyes, "Come now... you should know better... why would I EVER let you hold those Honors... if BOTH have no Queen to protect!?"

"Meliadoul.... Steiner....." Gilgamesh pointed over to the injured ones. The chain would slowly disappear, giving Beatrix the flexibility she needed to dodge and squirm for her life... but as for Agrias... there was little she could do... except wait for her fate.

"Dispose of the worthless." [/glow]

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]For the very first time since childhood, Beatrix was scared. She was scared of many things: first off, her heart. Ever since she was taken from Alexandria, the hold of the Black Queen maintained, and it was a pleasant surprise when Agrias saved her the last time. Now Beatrix was a Blackheart through and through. She had injured her love to the brink of death; would she survive? She thought she would, since she had every intention to rejuvinate the knight...until Gilgamesh called on a voice from the past.

Adelbert Regulus Steiner...and Meliadoul Tingel.

Each figure had some significance to their respective enemies, but these shadows descended upon opposite foes. While Steiner set about to finish off Agrias, Meliadoul charged at Beatrix.

There was something familiar about this woman, but right now she couldn't put her finger on it. Not that she wasn't trying hard, it was simply unimportant compared to the task at hand. Dodging!

As Meliadoul brought Excalibur down, Beatrix fell back and kicked upward with a booted foot. The blade struck, and she kicked it out of her line of fire, but this was only a temporary maneuver.

The second Meldiadoul regained composure and set about unleashing another attack, Beatrix lunged forward, diving between the green-clad knight's open legs. When past the threshold, she doubled over and kicked Melidoul hard, throwing her forward on the ground.

This gave her a chance to see Steiner's progress. He was closing in on the dying woman rather...slowly. Was he toying with her? No time! She rose a bit and jumped forward, attacking the risen Meliadoul and wrapped her armored forearms around the woman's neck. That however, proved futile, ad Melidoul simply took her wrist and flung her to the side, as if she were light as a sword, and threw her to the ground.

"Ack! Damn..."[/glow]

[glow=green,2,300]"I commend your courage, dear Beatrix, but I will show you no mercy."[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]That voice! Almost the very same as her very own mother's. And then it hit her. Meliadoul Tingel. A very distant...relative? How?

But once more, there was no time to wonder. Beatrix leapt back to her feet and opened a Corridor to her side, and hopped in as Meliadoul prepared to strike; a moment later, she reappeared behind the woman and placed one hand on her right shoulder, and used her other to punch the knight square in the temple, middle knuckle extended slightly.

The woman fell with a loud crash in shock. Now it was time to save Agrias. She looked back to where the woman lay, but now Steiner had her by the breast plate, holding her up in an obtuse sitting position, his sword poised to impale her throat.

"No!" she cried, stumbling to make her way over, and throwing out her hand. "I will not allow you to harm her!!!"[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

[glow=orange,2,800]The demigod watched with mild interest, until...[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]"I will not allow you to harm her!!!" [/glow]

[glow=orange,2,800]...these words caught Gilgamesh's attention, he sat straight, tilting his head up to look... hopeful? He watched the General not fight for her own life, nor for some devotion for the country but... for her.

"Hm.." The King of Swords closed his eyes, and the moment he had opened them, the General's Save the Queen would glow into recognition, floating just at Beatrix's reach!

"Tick... tock..... tick..." seemed to sound the King, his eyes now starring at Agrias, who barely moved as is...the pain, too strong to bear, but then...[/glow]

... but then, though bloody and in agonizing pain, the woman began to stand, already in the sitting position thanks to Steiner, she began to get herself up the moment she saw Meliadoul about to perform a sneak attack on Beatrix! Crimson liquid dripping from her wounds and eyes, her sight layered with a thick red transparency as she fixated on her old comrade, her new enemy. She stumbled forward, picking up some speed in her weakness. As soon as Meliadoul was going to strike down the Tuscan haired woman, soon a new, unforeseen pain would be felt as Meliadoul was rush tackled by the bloody knight.

'Bea...' the knight thought, her eye sight blurry, 'Lay a hand on her....you shall not, Meliadoul!'

[glow=orange,2,800]Gilgamesh looked like a man watching a good game of sports. His eyes were wide now, seeing the two, though weak, not give up and stand for one another. Now, Agrias' Save the Queen made itself visible, only a few feet away from the severely injured woman.

"...Siegfried...." Mumbled the god to himself, resting his lips behind a metallic finger, to mutter the next few words to himself" ... It appears... that I was wrong." [/glow]

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]It was an understatement to say that Beatrix was alarmed when Save the Queen, fully revitalized and shining a brilliant silver and red, appeared between her bloody fingers. She continued moving towards Steiner, and gave a glance to Agrias as she stood and made for her own, wobbly attack.

"Lady Agrias!" she cried. Everything felt as if time had slowed; she remembered releasing one glowing hand from the sword's hilt to give a quick clap to Agrias as they passed. "Regen!" she cried, a greenish-white light shooting from her arm and into the sister knight, to begin a healing process. When she returned to her attack time sped back up and Steiner war ready.

He did not, however, account for how terrible the General's wrath was when someone she loved deeply was in trouble. He had little to no time to respond; she swung hard with Save the Queen, knocking Excallibur II from the rusty knight's hands and glared him down. "I kill all enemies of Lady Agrias...Climhazzard!" said she, and plunged the blade through her former ally's armor; a thick, high-pitched screech of metal-on-metal soon crowed, before the explosion of holy white lightning surging and coursing through his veins, and the bumbling knight's eyes widened, blood leaking from the lower lids. She lifted her foot up and kicked off, releasing the sword.

Steiner fell with a satisfying "Clang clang-crash!", his body seeming to implode, his armor bending and twisting inward, crushing the fallen idiot. Beatrix turned to watch Agrias, hoping her battle would go as well as the general's. She threw down her blade in three vertical swipes, and tossed back a stray lock of hair before sheathing. Putting a hand on her hip she cocked back her head to see the glint of excitement in the demigod's eyes. She raised an eyebrow and continued her job as an audience member.

"You can do it, La--Agrias! I trust in your blade--your heart!"[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

"Regen" whispered a familiar voice, everything rather gurgled. She could hear nothing, but a high pitch noise and had only to depend on her bad eyesight. Meliadoul charged, Excalibur pointed at the Holy Knight, screaming at the top of her lungs, though laughing to see Agrias' vision was being tainted by the very blood of her wounds.

"You can do it, La--Agrias! I trust in your blade--your heart!" she was able to hear now-- sound returning. She grew quicker, but it was obvious she was still tired, moving WAY slower than usual.

Agrias saw a bright line heading over to her, and suspecting it was the enemy blade, she stepped out of the way, backing and using her tactical methods of dodging. She held out her hand, and Save the Queen went to her aid and she used it to block against the Templar's wrath-like hits. Meliadoul would strike, and all the blocks that Agrias was successful to execute would deplete her opponent's stamina.

[glow=limegreen,2,800]" Quiet, and wait your turn, Child! I'll Climhazzard you yet!" [/glow]

'Thoust shall do NO such thing' thought Agrias, her vocals still damaged, still, thoughts were loud and clear. The knight held the sword up, going with feeling since sight was damaged. She left herself wide open, or it appeared so, giving Meliadoul a chance to strike... but this was not the case- The sword vibrated and a new dark blue aura took over.

'Star Cross' a new attack!? The holy knight seemed to shine brightly, and appeared at several places at once- an Illusory, swordplay attack! The knight had surrounded Meliadoul, her appearance phantasmal; Similar to Northswain strike, but the sword had bestowed her with the power. One after the other, the knight sliced at Meliadoul- a total of five times! Points of a star.

[glow=orange,2,800]"Hm.." before Meliadoul was sliced to bits, and Steimer took a final breath, the man clapped his hands, causing a loud CLANG to sound off from his gloves. The two shadows vanished in the sonic wave of the demi-god.

He stood to walk over to the two, his eyes wide awake and interested. Gilgamesh walked to the two of them, watching Agrias in that weak state, and finally to Beatrix standing there. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, he seemed to swallow a moment, as if embarrassed to say, "It seems... both of you... have something to protect after all." he mumbled, reaching up to scratch a little at his chin, "Not a Queen... but something... just as important to you." he turned in place, his cape flowing behind him as he walked off to his throne, both he and it vanishing,

" You... have been tried, and exonerated." Was all he said, and again, they were alone. [/glow]

The Holy Knight panted, in confusion, looking about before seeing to where the King of Swords had disappeared to, squinting. She would reach up to rub at her eyes, which still remained tainted by streaks of blood, "grh...." she would grunt, unable to speak still.

'What has ... He hath gone... ?'

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]The two knights had achieved victory. Beatrix, disregarding all propriety threw up her hands and hopped like there was no tomorrow. Besides, they were somewhere completely different than the Red Rose, so no one would see this.

When she finished jumping, she ran over to Agrias and threw a hand onto the woman's shoulder.

"Bless this woman and atone for my sin, Cura." She knelt down and, as the spiritual healing power retreated into Agrias. She cupped the knight's hands into her own and stared up at her, smiling lightly.

"Agrias," she said slowly, and then motioned to wipe away a tear. "I...I blame you for all of this, Lady Agrias. For turning me back, and giving me hope."

And then she just started to fade away, her last thoughts disappearing with her. 'I thank you, Lady Agrias, and I love you for it. You are my world.'

This would definitely not go well in the real world, since Agrias only caught that one part, where Beatrix blamed her. Mentally she slapped herself in the face for speaking so slowly.

Beatrix had finished her Dive.[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias... stood there, watching the woman disappear before her very eyes after catching the only thing she could hear before Beatrix would go mute from vanishing, "I...I blame you for all of this, Lady Agrias" and, like a cold summer wind, she was gone, leaving The Holy Knight to herself in the darkness.

The blond woman was still injured, and she felt a pain at her heart once more. She knelt and rested a melted glove over her chest... nothing... seems to work for the knight. No matter what she did, seemed to never be enough...

'She.... blames me for all?' she thought to no one in particular... and she would stay there, until her mind was able to recover from such a blow.

**Returning to The Rose and its Clippers in Hyperspace **