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 Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:43 am
It took a few weeks, but Paris eventually decided it was time to show Chris the truth about how she’d saved him.
Because she didn’t know how to explain what had happened to her, she’d omitted much of what had occurred during the battle with Laurelite whenever she was prompted to explain it. Still, she had not quite come to terms with what had become of her. She’d been so distracted by Chris and his lack of memories, she hadn’t taken the time to adequately process what she was.
One night, weeks after Chris had been released from the hospital, and days after they’d left Chris’s parents’ house behind them and returned to their own, Paris led Chris out beyond the line of their property and used her pen to transform. She waited for her husband to make the shift from civilian to Knight and, holding one of Valhalla’s hands, concentrated on her homeworld with her phone at the ready.
They disappeared from the bounds of Earth and reappeared on Ganymede, in the hall of mirrors, with its rubble strewn floors and its broken windows. The sky outside was a vibrant blue, the sun a small but brilliant light which peaked between the clouds.
As soon as they arrived, Ganymede sent her phone back to subspace and began pacing up and down the hall.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:32 am
Valhalla wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or guilty about being powered up. Obviously there came a sense of familiarity that he was comfortable with, but at the same time he knew how difficult it was for his family and friends to cope with his loss of memory. At least as Valhalla, he could remember the people and faces and events that had occurred, as though that part of his memory had not been tainted by chaos when Laurelite had tried to corrupt him.
He went with Ganymede gladly, taking her hand as they left Earth and reappeared on her world, inside the palace that Liesel knew as home. But her pacing concerned him, and while he didn’t want to interrupt any deep thoughts she must be having, he couldn’t help but worry.
Instead of interrupting her, he moved to stand by one of the windows, peering out and up at the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of Jupiter which was out of sight at the moment. Ganymede would tell him when she was ready. Whatever it was that was bothering her, he was sure. She’d been beyond patient with him over the past several weeks, so he could only try and do the same for her.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:32 am
Ganymede opened and closed her mouth a few times as she attempted to determine what she wanted to say on the subject. She had no idea how she was supposed to explain and felt lost trying. A part of her still didn’t want to believe it, thought it might have been a fluke. Who was to say if she was actually able to do it again? Maybe it was only because they’d been in mortal danger…
But she knew that wasn’t the case. Deep down, she was sure of it. That didn’t make talking about it any easier. Ganymede continued to pace up and down the hall as she struggled to find the words, almost wishing Valhalla would say something, if only to prompt her and help her in the right direction.
“I don’t know what to say,” she began.
It was a start, pathetic though it was.
“I mean, I do, but… it just seems really presumptuous. I don’t know how it happened, or why, except that you were in danger and I knew I had to save you. I don’t know if it would have happened if Laurelite hadn’t tried to corrupt you. Maybe it would have, eventually. I guess there’s no telling now,” she rambled.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:33 am
Valhalla looked back to Ganymede as she began to speak, his brows furrowing just slightly in concern when it was obvious that she was having difficulty with telling him… something. Whether she’d been avoiding telling him before, or maybe she just didn’t know what to say, he wasn’t sure. But if she needed him now, then he would do whatever he could.
Of course, it was he that needed her. She was the one who saved him. She was the one who was always there to protect him. Had it not been for her, he would have been dead, or worse…
“It’s okay,” he tried, not wanting her to think he would judge her for whatever it was she was trying to tell him. He didn’t approach her just yet, wanting to still give her the space if she needed it, but he at least wanted her to know he was listening. “Whatever it is… if you didn’t, I might not be here…” he said softly, knowing just how close he must have been to corruption. If his clothing was starting to turn, well, that was surely a bad sign.
He wished he knew what she was trying to tell him, if only to help lead her to speak more openly with him. All he could do was stand and wait and listen, or at least that was all he felt like he was qualified to do at this point.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:33 am
She shook her head, not because she didn’t agree with Valhalla’s assessment, but because it was all she could do to stop herself from continuing to ramble. She wasn’t making much sense and she knew it. She was being vague on purpose, like she was afraid saying it would make it real.
But it was already real. She knew that. She’d experienced it more that once, had walked around in her new garb even after Laurelite was out of the picture.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the hall, Ganymede took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached deep within herself to that power which laid hidden, grasped it, and pulled it forward. Consumed by light, her fuku changed from white, red, and black to a gown that was predominantly white. Her miniature tophat disappeared and was replaced with a sparkling tiara; her boots shifted, grew smaller, resulting in a pair of glass shoes that were surprisingly comfortable.
When the light was gone, Ganymede stood there in her ruffles and tulle, with diamonds dripping from her shoulders and a large pair of wings rustling at her back. She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time and felt a bit out of sorts. Her hands hung in mid air as if she didn’t know what to do with them, her face caught somewhere between confusion and awe.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:34 am
Whatever she was trying to tell him, he didn’t quite put together that it was something like this. Valhalla stared as Ganymede shifted, not just in appearance, but he was sure in power as well. He couldn’t feel the energy from her, but he doubted that it was anything less than aweinspiring. Or at least that was how he felt when he looked at her.
“Ganymede…” he breathed softly, unsure what he should do. This was Ganymede… his best friend, his wife, his other half in this life and the last and probably the next. To see her in what was surely her true, most pure form was…
Hope.
It was all he could think of as he looked on, as his heart raced in surprise, and yet it was as if he always knew. It was no wonder she’d been able to save him. He wasn’t sure how he should feel knowing that him nearly being corrupted may have prompted this metamorphosis, but looking at her now, he was overcome with hope for their future. Not just the one they had together, but for the outcome of the war they were both drawn into.
“You… you’re beautiful…” he said lamely, wishing he knew how to react. He was sure Ganymede felt the same way. He stepped forward, trying to force some of his lost confidence back into his stride as he moved closer to her and held out his hands for her to take if she wanted. “It’ll be okay,” he tried to reassure her, knowing she must be horribly confused about why it was her, after all the trouble they’ve all been through. To have this kind of responsibility, this power, thrust onto her… he would try to be there to support her in every way he could.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:34 am
“Oh, no, don’t…”
She didn’t like the look of awe on his face. It wasn’t that she couldn’t appreciate it, she simply didn’t think it was deserved. After all, it hadn’t been her choice to come into this power. It’d happened to her the same as her incorruptibility had—when she was in mortal danger, facing the prospect of death. The only thing special about it was that it had allowed her to save Valhalla.
She didn’t know how else to feel about it. On the one hand, the power had been useful; she doubted she could have taken on Laurelite without it. On the other hand, she had essentially become the thing she hated—a royal Senshi, a Princess.
It felt wrong even to think it, though she knew it was true.
“I’m sorry, I…”
She trailed off, unsure what to say. She took Valhalla’s hands only because she didn’t know what else to do with her own, looking between Valhalla and the mirrors which lined the walls. It was strange to see herself like this.
“I don’t know why it happened,” she said.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:35 am
Valhalla forced himself to look away from her when she spoke up, stopping him from saying anything else. He wondered if she was afraid he would react that way, and he didn’t blame her. Too many in the past had the opportunity to take matters into their own hands and either couldn’t or were unable to for one reason or another.
He felt as she took his hands, and he gripped hers gently in his. What was he supposed to say? He never claimed to be good with words, was never eloquent, and definitely not poetic. All he could do was say how he felt and try to be honest. But in this situation, how was he supposed to reassure her when everything had changed?
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, shaking his head as he looked up at her once more. He didn’t want her to apologize when she had every reason to be upset and lost and confused. While he couldn’t say he understood how she felt, he knew he wanted to be there to support her. “It doesn’t matter why it happened,” he said before he could think any better of it. “The only thing that matters is what we’re going to do now.”
Still, he didn’t try to force her to move closer to him or hold too tightly to her hands that she couldn’t pull away. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, for either of them, but together they were already able to do more than they ever thought possible.
“And I think you already know what you’re going to do,” Valhalla added, his voice adopting a softer tone as he smiled. “You’re not the type to run and hide, Ganymede. I’ve had to learn to step back and let you fight, even though I’m terrified you’ll be hurt or killed. More often than not, you’re the one saving me, anyway,” he admitted with a small groan.
“Why are you afraid? Do you think you’ll let people down? Do you think you won’t be able to make a difference? Are you afraid others will look at you and think the same things we’ve thought of the others? I’m guilty of it too, Ganymede. I’m not proud of it… Maybe this happened to give you another perspective,” he offered in suggestion but even to him it sounded like he was just spouting off whatever came to mind.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:35 am
It seemed that way to Ganymede, too—that Valhalla was saying whatever he could think of to reassure her. It didn’t help the way it might have before, but then this was an entirely different situation than anything they’d faced before now. It was beyond anything either of them had ever expected.
“I… I don’t know…” she said.
Was she afraid? Yes, a part of her was. Did she think she was going to let people down? Hadn’t she before? She wasn’t the perfect example of what a Senshi should be. She had flaws, and serious ones. She’d made plenty of mistakes, some which had resulted in others being hurt—or worse. She would not soon forget her inaction during Elysion, and all the lives she might have been able to save if she’d only made the effort.
Did she think she wouldn’t be able to make a difference? How could she? What was she supposed to do? She didn’t know the first thing about what it meant to be a Princess. She didn’t know how she was supposed to react around people now, what she was supposed to say. She had the power to save people, but she wasn’t sure what to do with it. She wasn’t even sure she’d used it right when she’d saved Valhalla.
“I know I don’t want to hide it,” she said. “I don’t want to be like the others. I don’t want to be absent or… or I don’t know. Maybe it’s unfair of me to say that. Maybe you’re right and this is supposed to give me some perspective. I just… I’m afraid I won’t be good enough. I never was before, and now that I have the power to save people, I… I don’t even know how to use it right. I have no idea what I’m doing…”
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:36 am
Valhalla let out a small sigh and shook his head as she expressed her worries and concern. “You’re saying all that as if you’re alone,” he pointed out, trying not to sound hurt that she would place all the responsibility on herself and not look to him or her friends and allies to help her. “You’re not a one woman army,” he reminded her, letting go of her hands and taking a step back. “Did Liesel manage to do it all on his own? He was you, wasn’t he?”
It wasn’t often that Valhalla brought up their past lives, and much less often that he would actually suggest that they had anything to do with each other. Sure, the scar on Ganymede’s hand seemed to transcend time, connected to the soul rather than the body itself. But what did that all mean? He didn’t like the idea that they were bound by fate and fate alone, but on the other hand, it was sure convenient sometimes.
“Don’t hide then. Help others. You’ve been doing this all along. The only person who says you’re not good enough is yourself,” he added, feeling as though she was brushing off what he was saying in the first place. Maybe she should. Maybe he didn’t have anything worth listening to and she was just indulging him.
“What would Serge say? Liesel didn’t really listen to him either, did he?” Valhalla took another step back to turn to look out the window. A lot had changed in the past few weeks. His memory of much of his life was gone, but he could clearly remember when he’d first visited Ganymede with her. “Look at the sky… This world is alive. It’s changing as you change, and you still don’t think you’re good enough to do anything? If you can’t see it in yourself, just look outside.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:36 am
“You have more faith in me than you should,” Ganymede said.
It wasn’t that she was indulging him so much as it was that she didn’t think she was worthy. She’d made so many mistakes, and none of them small ones. She certainly wasn’t worthy of Valhalla’s awe. And his trust… she’d broken that before, too. She wasn’t as infallible as she thought she should be.
Maybe she was being too hard on herself. Maybe she wasn’t being entirely fair. Perhaps she had a warped sense of what a Princess should be like based on how she felt about the other royals. In the end, they were all human. They all make mistakes at some point. There wasn’t anything that could be done about that.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right.”
She wasn’t being entirely fair to him either. He must have some reason for believing in her, even if she couldn’t see it herself. Belittling that belief was like belittling him.
“It all just happened so suddenly. I was afraid I was going to lose you, and now this… it’s just a lot to take in. You’re right, though. I’m not alone.”
Not like she used to be. She hadn’t been alone since finding Valhalla and joining the Jovians.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:36 am
He’d always been in awe of her. Her resolve, her strength, her compassion. Not many had risen up so far from where she’d been when they first met. They’d both been new and scared and unsure of themselves, and yet Ganymede had grown into her own power so eloquently, it really was like watching a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. It was a large part of why he loved her.
“You’ve saved me time and time again, Ganymede. I have every reason to put my faith in you,” he reminded her, not yet moving away from the window, but turning to look towards the mirrors. “Look at yourself,” he prompted, lifting a hand as if she didn’t see them yet, “Do you really think Liesel would have worn that? I don’t know how magic or starseeds or anything like that works, but I’m pretty damn sure that gown is custom made to you and not anyone before you. Whatever this is, you did this on your own. Whether it was to save me or because you’d gained enough experience or the planets and stars aligned just right, it doesn’t matter.”
Even though he knew she probably thought he was spouting off words, he rarely said anything that he didn’t truly believe. He was a horrible liar, so speaking from his heart, albeit not very poetically, was natural for him.
“I’ll always be here for you, and you know that. Even if I die or am corrupted, you should know my heart will always belong to you,” he continued, but this time he lifted his left hand to show her his palm. There was nothing there of course, unlike Ganymede’s palm which glowed with the scar of their bonding in the past, but nonetheless he knew she would know what was meant by it. “I believe in you,” he said, keeping his voice confident despite how cliche he knew he sounded. “Even if you don’t believe in yourself, I’ll always believe in you and the strength I know you have, despite what you might think.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:37 am
Ganymede looked toward the mirrors again at Valhalla’s prompting, taking in the sight of her a second time.
She looked so different. There was little of the scared young Senshi left in her appearance. The image which greeted her now, though filled with doubts even then, was that of a grown woman, trading in her reds and blacks for something pristine. Everything about her appearance now spoke of purity, from the diamonds which dripped from her shoulders to the accents of silver, and from the white of the ruffles and tulle to the glass shoes upon her feet.
She didn’t know that it was custom tailored to her, though it was true that Liesel never would have worn anything of the sort, attired as he was in more masculine clothing. Ganymede, on the other hand, looked the picture of femininity. It was there in the curls which framed her cheeks, and the light dusting of makeup that decorated her face.
She could not view herself with the same awe with which Valhalla saw her, but when she looked at herself she could almost understand why he felt that way.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, feeling as if she were being unfair to him.
Ganymede turned to him and lifted her right hand so that their palms could press against one another, lacing her fingers with Valhalla’s. She held onto him for his strength and his confidence in her, needing the support now more than ever.
“I love you…”
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:37 am
Valhalla let out a small sigh through his nose as she turned to press her hand against his, and he responded by holding it tightly for a moment, before pulling her closer to wrap his free arm around her. Princess or not, she was still someone he wanted to protect, someone he would do anything for, someone he loved above all things. Cliche or not, he wasn’t exaggerating when he said his heart belonged to her.
He held her to his chest, wishing he could absorb all of her insecurities that she held within herself. If he could do something to help her see her own worth, he would. “I love you, too,” he said softly as he held her against him. “We’ll be okay,” he promised, pulling back just enough to see her eyes. “Not just you, okay? We’ll do whatever this is together… like always.”
If the Negaverse was right in that there were flaws on the side of the senshi, it was because there were not enough who believed in each other. The only way they could fight was not through following a ruler or leader as the Negaverse did, but to join together as one heart. It had taken all this time and Valhalla knew he was still searching for his, but he was fairly confident that with Ganymede he could make it through even being corrupted.
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