Avenging Angel

Nova’s Tale – Part 4

I looked down at my darling fiance as she was fitfully sleeping in my arms. My shirt was wet from her tears that fell over the past three hours. I felt her breathing against my chest and I as I watched her breast rising and falling I saw a tear fall from her closed eyes. My heart felt like it’s breaking from the pain that I feel in my soul but I have to be remain strong for her. I can cry later but she needs to cry now. I still can remember the look on her face when that dreaded message came from the outer provinces that her parents died in an accident coming home. We still didn’t have many details as most of the traveling party was still in medical facilities near the crash site. Mina heard the news from Serenity and she immediately flew to my arms and refused to leave them even to eat any meal. I worried about her keeping up her health since I have heard that depression can cause serious damage to your health but she needed to grieve. We were finally able to get her to eat by allowing her to eat her meals while sitting on my lap. It was an awkward arrangement but I would have move heaven and hell to see her eat. I would give my life to see her happy again. I tore my heart to hear her sobs but she said that my arms around her comforted her and gave her a sense that everything will be fine in the end. Serenity took the loss stoically in public but Serena told me that after dinner she retired to her room and could hear her mother crying late into the night. Serenity had loss her dearest friend from her childhood. They were apart for political reasons for many years but were growing closer over the past year. I wish I could be there for her but I’m needed to hold Mina together.

The sun started to rise over the eastern horizon when Mina woke. She looked at me and kissed me. She stretched in my arms and sent an electric spark along my body. We may not be married yet but even her slightest touch thrilled my heart. I think that she cried all the tears from her body because of the playfulness that she showed this morning but my soul told me that she still hurt from her loss. I held her close to me. I would never let her go from my side. No power, neither heaven nor hell, was going to move her from my side. When I left Venus, she will be by my side and will remain there even if I have to destroy the kingdom to keep her near. I know that situation would not last and soon I felt her body heave against me and the sound of her sobs almost broke me to tears but I had to remain strong. I ran my hands over her back, “Darling, I’m here and I’ll always be here for you.” She stopped crying for a moment and looked up at me with her deep blue eyes, “Nova, why? Why did they have to die?” How can I answer her? I couldn’t think of any reason that her parents had to pass away. No vision that I had in my life saw this happening. I couldn’t recall seeing Mina’s parents later in our life but I never imagine that the reason that they did not appear was their untimely deaths.

Death, that word chill me to the core of my being. I couldn’t imagine Mina’s hurt because my parents died shortly after my birth so I never had a chance to know them other than those brief moments when I touched their minds as the Dark Queen. I really don’t know how to respond to her except to be near her. Death has never visited me in this fashion and I don’t really know how to act. “Darling, I don’t know why and I can’t imagine what you are going through but I can share your pain.” I drew my mental power and reached for Mina’s mind. She tried to push me out so I wouldn’t experience her pain but a small smile from me open the floodgates and I streamed into her being. A rush of confusion and dread hit me like as if I had hit a wall. I couldn’t believe the pain that she had in her soul. I couldn’t bear the loss and I started to weep. Mina placed my head against her chest and started to kiss my neck. I share her pain. We are one in sorrow and we knew that we would come through this rough period because our two souls can conquer everything.

Mina was still sad and I don’t know if the hurt would ever fade but we had to start our life together. She decided the first thing she had to do was move all her clothes into my stateroom on the Princess Mina. I had designed the room for both of us but I didn’t think it would be so soon that we would use it together. She made all the decisions in our life and she decided that she would spend every moment that she could by my side. Serenity was of two minds about the arrangement, “Nova, I don’t know that she should be sleeping in the same bed with you. She may be only a seven-year old girl but she has the body and mind of a teenager.” I looked at my sister with a critical eye, “ Serenity, I would never take advantage of her. I love her with all my heart and would walk through the gates of hell before I would dishonor her in any way.” Serenity settled me down, “Nova, I don’t mean that. What I meant is that I don’t want her to be too dependent upon you. The two of you are together every minute of the day. She’s always in your lap or in your arms even at night. I’m her guardian but she has cleaved to you without a thought for anyone else … not even Serena. I just think that she should grieve with others.” It took me a while to understand what she was trying to do with Mina. She didn’t want her to become fixated on one person. I understood but I didn’t want to share her with anyone but it’s for her own good. I refused to sleep apart from her because of the nightmares that she had about her parents but Serenity and Serena started to spend more time with her while I discussed plans with Jadeite. All that changed the next day when the bodies of her parent’s were brought back for burial.

Jadeite had a section of the High Guard retrieve Mina’s parent so they could be buried in Rema’s family tombs. Jadeite prepared all the arrangements and called me to the side, “My lord, I didn’t want to mentioned something but I think that you need to know.” Jadeite took me over to the bodies and uncovered them, “Look at these wounds. I saw that they were caused by laser blasts. They were murdered.” Murdered, no, why would they hide the fact for Mina and me. I stormed out of the room to find my sister. She was meeting with the provincial governors arranging a smooth transition of power to Mina when I exploded the doors from their hinges. I walked to the head of the table where Serenity was sitting. I must have had a look of anger in my eyes because four of the seated men rose and placed themselves between my sister and me. I hoped I didn’t hurt then too much as I flung them against the wall. I drew up to Serenity who was rising from her seat, “No, sit down.” She continued to rise but I used my hands to push her down in her chair to enforce my command. I was speaking to her as an equal and part of her family. All the formality of her office was lost upon me at this moment because I wanted answers. The guards started to raise their rifles but I crushed the barrels before they could bring their sights on me. Serenity held her hand, “Please leave me alone with Nova. He won’t hurt me.” She was right I would never hurt her but I needed to know why she kept this secret from me. She had to know what happened and she purposely kept the details of the attack from me.

“Nova, please settle down. These outbursts are not helping anyone.” “Outbursts,” I screamed, “you want to see an outburst, just watch.” I focused my power within myself and sent it to the outer wall of the chamber that turned to dust under the onslaught opening the chamber to the outside world. “You haven’t seen anything. All I want to know is why you kept the cause of death from Mina and I.” Serenity looked down in shame but I raised her head in my hand, “Nova, please forgive me but I thought that if Mina learned the real cause of death before we could guarantee her safety she might have been a target for the same people. I knew the safest place in the universe would be by your side. I was only thinking of her safety. If I had told you about the deaths, you and the High Guard would have left her to find the assassins but she needed you here by her side protecting her from any harm.” I thought for a second. May be Serenity was correct, “Fine, I understand why and looking back I may have done the same thing but now I have to do something. You can keep all the High Guards here except for Jadeite and my personal bodyguards. The rest will keep Mina safe from harm.” I turned to leave when I heard Serenity, “Nova, what are you going to do?” I paused at the fallen doors, “I am going to tell Mina the truth, hold her in my arms as she cries and then I leave to find the assassins.”

I broke the news to my love. She wept for two hours and fell asleep in my arms. I held her close to me in the night thinking about what I must do the next day. The assassins couldn’t be allowed to live but do I have it in me to take a human life even if it was revenge of my love’s family. “Human, you can’t called those dogs human” those thoughts suddenly came to my mind. I searched the room but found no one else in the room. “Nova, I told you that I would meet you in the future and now that time is here.” “Who are you?” “Nova, look deep into yourself and you will find me with another.” I turned my search inward and saw two figures waiting for me in my mind. The first I knew well, she has been with me every day guiding my actions as an advisor but the other I had only seen once before in my mind. The Dark Queen smiled as we stood on a featureless plain. “Where are we?” was the only words that I could think. The Dark Queen and Sailor War came to greet me. They both held their arms open to me and I quickly rushed into their embrace. “How can we be here? Aren’t we the same person?” The Dark Queen nodded, “It’s hard to understand but we are the same person but we are different personality. Just know that we will never harm you or allow you to come to harm. We are part of you but we still maintain our own identity until the end of time where we will be one again.” Sailor War held my hands in hers, “Nova, we know that you are troubled that you may take a human life but these assassins gave their souls to the Negaverse so you can’t called them human anymore. They are the enemy, a cancer that must be removed to make the body whole. When the times to attack comes call upon me and I will appear to deal with the situation. I’ll take control over your body so you won’t be killing anyone.”

I thought about the situation and may be in the future I could take a life but I’m too young to start down that path. “Fine, Sailor War, I will let you do want is required when the time comes.” The plain in my mind started to dissolve but not before they disappeared both of my other self kissed my gently on the cheeks. “We will be with you always. Don’t worry about Mina, we love her with the same love that you have for her. We will never allow her to come to harm.” With those final words, I was thrust back to reality.

The sun was just breaking over the horizon or at least what is transmitted to the viewer in my suite onboard the Princess Mina. I looked down at the beautiful blonde girl, no, woman in my arms and I softly kissed her on the mouth. I felt her lips return my embrace as she slowly woke from her troubled sleep. She looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes, “Nova, I glad that you stayed the night. I thought that you would be gone by the time I woke up.” I don’t know how she knew I was going to leave after I told her the news. “Nova, I can read you like a book. Your mind communication technique is a two way street with me. I’m the only person that can contact your mind because I want to be close to you.” I held her tightly to my body, I could tell that she can feel my emotions but I knew that she couldn’t read my mind, or at least not yet, or I’m sure she would be worried about Sailor War’s offer to take control in the hunt for her parent’s killer. “Mina, I have to go. I have business that I have to take care of before we can start our life.”

I rose from the bed but suddenly her two arms grabbed me from behind and then she straddled my body, “Nova, you have to return to me. I love you so much that I couldn’t take losing my parents and you.” I kissed her goodbye and brushed my hand up her back. My only thought as I left the room was that I had to find out more about female clothes because her silk gown felt so good against the palm of my hand. Suddenly I realized that the Dark Queen and Sailor War were beside me in my mind, “Nova,” said the Dark Queen, “that is one beautiful girl there. She will make you, no, us a wonderful wife.” The Dark Queen put thoughts of Mina in our wedding bed and I blushed as I left the room. I hope that I don’t have both of them along for the honeymoon because if three were a crowd, how four would ruin a good time.

I left my starship and join Jadeite in a large land barge where he picked out fifteen of my best bodyguards. We gain a large boost to our manpower yesterday when Mina’s cousin Vena arrived at the castle with his entire force. He left his lands without an organized defense to come to the aid of his cousin’s child. He has played a large part in my decision to go after the assassins. With him and his troops, aided by the High Guard and the castle’s garrison, Serenity will be able to defend my love. The Dark Queen led us quickly to where the assassins were hidden. It was a long box canyon with the walls of the mountains in the distance rising sharply to over six thousand feet. They must have thought that since they had not be pursued that they would be safe in a defensible canyon until the new government was in place and they could slip back into the populace without anyone knowing their dreadful deed.

I left Jadeite and the detachment outside the mouth of the canyon and continued into the trap alone. I would not endanger any of my troops in this attack and I also didn’t want any of the traitors escaping because they were faster than me. I prepared myself and called to Sailor War. I felt myself looking at my body from afar. I could sense everything that was happening and I caused it to happen but Sailor War controlled my thoughts. I raised my hand to the heavens and shouted, “Gleaming Sword!” A ray of sunlight descended from the sky and a blade of pure light appeared in my hand. I stared at the unearthly blade and heard, “Nova, this blade will purge the lands of all your enemies. Just let it take control and they will fall before your blade like wheat from the scythe.” I opened my soul to the blade and it infused me with its power. I strode into the valley knowing that my power will get me through the battle. I won’t fail in my mission. I must conquer all to avenge my love. I am Sailor War and I am an avenging angel sent from heaven to cleanse the world of evil.

I strode boldly into the encampment. Thirty sets of eyes swung towards me as I entered the camp, “I am an angel without mercy, uncaring and unfeeling. You have harmed she that I love by your acts of treason and I will destroy all that you hold dear.” I heard their pleas ringing off the canyon’s walls but I can’t listen to them. I came to them for one purpose and that purpose was to save this world. My mind’s eye saw the cancer eating at each of them. Their souls were tainted with the blackness of the Negaverse even more than Beryl’s because they didn’t join the Negaverse out of hatred or love. They had given their soul to the Negaverse to gain personal wealth. Actually, I should say more wealth since each traitor was the head of a wealthy family that exploited the common man for their own greed. No, I won’t stop Sailor War’s fury but I will support it with all my being. It is better to stop this disease here before it spread to the populace. I am determined to make an example of these men so no one will ever have the idea of killing someone of the noble houses or act against the Kingdom. My anger did little to sate the fury that dwelled in Sailor War’s being and the Dark Queen supported the action from her portion on my mind. I could even feel the presence of Sailor Wind encouraging the slaughter to rid the universe of these tainted people.

I swung the blade of light towards the traitors and watched the thin blade sever the heads from each body. The bodies remain standing for several seconds before their lifeless corpses fell at my feet. My mind were reeling from the carnage but each death empowered Sailor War’s power and fury and each granted me a small peace of mind. I am destroying this evil for my darling Mina so she will not have to live in terror every day that someone will try to assassinate her. No, I will protect her with my life and if I have to I would destroy everything in the universe to defend her I would do so gladly. Suddenly I realized that the Dark Queen was trying to take over control of my body from Sailor War. She saw an opportunity to rid the universe of everyone so she could be alone but Sailor War was fighting her for control. I couldn’t allow either one to gain control so I suppressed both of them and drove them to the small corners of my mind and each willing submitted after my first burst of mental energy. I stood among the corpses of the fallen traitors as myself. I secretly smiled to myself as the glowing blade gathered the fallen heads and with a mere thought from me fell thirty trees to make the pikes that will hold the heads to warn all others that would follow their lead. I rejoiced in the thought of their demise but Sailor War’s method was too swift. They didn’t suffer the pain of heartbreak that they put my Mina through.

Ten minutes later Jadeite joined me at the killing field. He had the heads of the traitors placed on the pikes for everyone to view and had my bodyguard stacked the bodies of the thirty corpses in a pile. Jadeite approached cautiously, “My lord, are you alright? What troubles you, your grace?” I gathered my thoughts, “No, my friend, I’m not alright. I have taken their lives but that one act has not satisfied my bloodlust.” I looked into myself and drew upon all the powers of Sailor War. I reached my hand and drew heat from the very ground on where we stood, “Nova True Inferno”, was my cry as the land beneath our feet froze giving up its heat to me. The pyre of the bodies burst into flames as I released the energy of the very planet that they had betrayed. The flames rose to the sky as the planet drew heat from all its land to supply the blazing fire. The fire died in two hours and nothing remained of the bodies as the flames consumed even the ashes and smoke.

Jadeite placed an arm across my shoulders, “My prince, it is time to go home.” I looked up at the man who I considered my beloved friend and never a simple follower, “No, Jadeite, I have only started with my vengeance. I will destroy all their kin to cleanse this world of this evil. You have to exercise all the damaged tissue from the body or it may return from the hidden root.” I walked to the land barge plotting my next move but others were conspiring my grand plan. Jadeite was in communications with Serenity telling her my every move and she had rushed to the area after Jadeite first saw me at the corpses.

Serenity met me as I reached the barge. She held her arms open for me and I flew into them. She held me close to her and whispered in my ears, “Nova, allow Jadeite to continue, Mina is asking for you every moment that she is not crying. Go to her, she needs you.” My love needs me now. I was torn by my emotions. Which holds a greater place in my heart in this time of sorrow; my mission to cleanse the planet of this cancer or my love? I turned to Jadeite, “Gather the families of the traitors and send them to the mines of Earth. They don’t belong on this planet but will serve the Kingdom for the rest of their lives. Take all their worldly possessions and build a shrine to my love’s parents. This command I have spoken so let it be done.” Jadeite bowed to me and motioned for his troops to follow him. I returned to the castle with Serenity.

My love was waiting for me at gates of the castle. She ran to me as soon as I exited the skimmer. She hugged me and placed her head against my chest. I looked down at her and saw those eyes, not condemning me for my actions but still not praising me. I knew that my actions hurt her but also knew that I had to destroy the traitors or the Negaverse would have seized Venus through them. She reached up and softly kissed me, “Nova, let’s go inside. I’m tired and have not slept since you have been gone, I want to take a nap with you.” I put my arm around her waist and she slipped hers around mine. I started to walk to the Princess Mina but Mina stopped me and guided me to the palace, “Nova, I want us to sleep in my bed. No, I guess that it will never be mine alone again so it’s our bed. We are a partnership now and forever.” I smile at her and held her closer to me. I glanced back as we entered the doors to the palace and saw the smile on Serenity’s face. Her smile told me that she was glad her brother had returned but her small whispered word spoke it more forcefully, “Welcome home Nova. I’m glad you have returned to us.” I’m glad that I returned also because I don’t think I could ever sleep again without my princess by my side. A great deal has changed in the last year but I wouldn’t give up any of my memories for all the riches of the universe. Love is the greatest prize that you can gain, the love of your family, friends, but mostly the love of that special person that’s willing to give the rest of their life to you. I guess that I am the richest man in the universe.

So ends part 4 of Nova’s Tale. The next part will deal with Amy entering the royal family’s life. Stay tuned for the next part, “Sailor of the Blue Water”.