CALANDRA

The window was made of fortis glass, perhaps the strongest glass on the entire planet, forged by some of the few remaining non-corrupted dwarves that still lived. It held at least ten times the strength of the human's bullet-proof glass, but still the mage managed to crack it.

The beautiful woman stood in a large room with a fantastical mural painted across three of the walls. The fourth wall was a large window, excellent for watching the sun set.

However, the sun had long since gone down. The only light came from the moon that's glow spilled in, spotlighting on the only piece of furniture in the room; a state of the arts, grand piano.

Calandra's eyes passed around the large open space that had once been a ballroom, where many elaborate parties had been thrown. She remembered Velrose, her father, playing the piano, and her mother, Shaundee singing beside him, entertaining their guests. Calandra could see it as if she was that little girl again, watching her mother bewitch the piano after Velrose had played for a long time so that the magnificent instrument would play on its own. Then the woman would hold out her hand to the man, who would take it and dance with her across the room.

Calandra blinked. That was when her father still smiled, as well as when she, herself still believed in that thing called true love.

Velrose and Shaundee had been perfect. Shaundee's wildness could get out of hand, and that was when Velrose would step in, calm her, and bring her back to earth. And Velrose would often be so wound up in work that only Shaundee could pull him out and help him cut loose. They completed each other.

But then everything changed. Calandra had been merely ten years old when her mother had gone and...

Calandra clenched her fists as they began to shake. A pop sounded behind her, making her turn back to the window and curse. It was small, but it was there: a two inch long line, cutting into the nearly impenetrable glass. The mage pressed her middle finger against the cool window and began to murmur softly. Slowly the crack sealed itself back together as though there had never been an infraction.

"Nice." Called a voice.

The mage whirled to see a lanky young man with reddish-brown wings, lounging sideways across the piano. His head was propped up in his hand as he gave her one of his stupid grins.

Calandra rolled her eyes and turned back to the window. "Of course it's you. Why am I not surprised?" She heard the man slide off the instrument and saunter over to her. She gave him a side glance. He stared out the window as well, but he didn't seem to really be looking.

"You don't sound very pleased to see me. I'm hurt." He said, not looking at her still.

Calandra rolled her eyes again. "What do you want, Faux?"

"Would you like me to make the full list? I'd start off with a gorgeous brunette feeding me grapes from a vine, and one of those platinum blonde chicks fanning me with those--"

Calandra gritted her teeth and glared at him. "You don't know the first thing about women, so shut your enormous mouth and shove it!" This man was just as frivolous as her mother. Neither one of them could handle true commitment and that made her sick.

"What were you thinking about that made you break the window?"

Calandra gave a start. That was not what she had expected. She took a deep breath and turned away from Faux again. Eventually she did reply, but it wasn't really answering his question. "Do you know what the name Etheldreda means?"

Faux turned his back to his window and leaned against it. He slid down the glass until he was lying on the floor. He placed his arms behind his head and shook it. "No, not really."

Calandra stared down at him for a moment. He was so weird. She shook her own head and returned her gaze to the dark field outside. "It mean noble strength. It was the name my father chose for me. My mother wanted to call me Calandra and she won."

Faux blinked up at the ceiling. "What does Calandra mean?"

Calandra gave a huff. "Skylark."

Faux's mouth twitched into a smile. "Like the bird? Sounds lovely."

"Yes, the bird that represents joyful frolicking and playing tricks." Calandra grumbled.

Faux nodded. "Oh, now I can see why that would bother you."

"Etheldreda, the child my mother cheated on my father with. She gave the name to her as if to throw it back in his face." Calandra clenched and unclenched her fists.

"Maybe she did it as some sort of apology." Faux shrugged.

Calandra whirled on him. "An apology?" Her voice was rising and she could already feel it shaking. "An apology for leaving her family to have another with another man? You really think that!"

Faux didn't flinch, but he did close his eyes. "Maybe you don't know the whole story. Your mother seems to really care about you. That's all."

Calandra shook her head, her body trembling all over. "Do you honestly think I don't know my own mother?"

"I'm sorry, Calandra." Faux said softly.

It surprised the mage so much that her shaking stopped.

"Let's talk about something else." The Anahalian suggested.

Calandra sighed, already feeling herself relax. "Like how you never sleep?"

Still with his eyes closed, Faux gave a sheepish grin. "Or something else." He ventured.

Calandra watched him for a moment before murmuring. "Nightmares." Faux didn't give any sign that he heard her. He just stayed reclined against the glass, but he did seem to go unnaturally still. "You have nightmares," Calandra prompted. "Don't you?"

Slowly Faux's eyes opened. They seemed so hollow. They were always that way, Calandra had come to notice, but no one else seemed to. Faux was an expert at filling that emptiness with laughter and silly things to make others feel happy, but Calandra knew that all that was a facade, a temporary fix.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I can't remember the last good dream I had. Sometimes I wonder if they even exist. Even if there was a time that I had them, I don't remember any. But every single one of those nightmares, is constantly on repeat in my head. But at least I'm not Del, who has nightmares for everyone's sucky futures." Faux brought his hand back around and tapped his chin. "Of course, he is taking that...that...that stuff that I can't remember what it's called, but I've heard it helps."

Calandra's eyes traveled to the scar by his eye down to the lower part of his leg, past his ridiculously high knee socks that had been scrunched down enough for her to just make out the dark red burn. Occasionally she had gotten glimpses of the real deep scars on his back, when his shirt shifted across his thin shoulders. The mage knew the basic story of Faux's past, but the man never talked about it, which she had to admit, was understandable.

The beautiful woman turned her head from him, feeling a different kind of anger. The feeling had more sorrow mixed with it. "Why is it that we are the ones, the broken ones, that end up saving the world?"

In her peripheral vision, Calandra saw Faux turn his head to her. "Are you asking why those who suffer end up being the heroes?"

Calandra shrugged.

"Well, for starters, I don't think it's always the ones that suffer. I don't ever think that the broken ever save the world. Those people, I see as those who have given up and don't care anymore. But the ones that have been through pain and loss that do still care, fight so that others don't have to feel or go through what they have." Faux turned back to staring at the ceiling. "But they aren't the only ones that become heroes. Even those who have had blessed lives can do great things. I figure they do it, so that others can feel the happiness they have." He took a deep breath. "However, I think choosing to be a hero requires sacrifice, so no matter what, that person with suffer. Ultimately, a hero is someone who will fight so that someone will be happy someday."

Calandra scrunched her eyes. "What?" She turned to him. "For someone to be happy?"

"There are heroes that fight for worlds. There are heroes that fight for cities or towns. There are heroes that fight for their friends. There are heroes that fight for one individual. And there are heroes that fight for themselves. They fight so that that world, that city, those friends, that person, the one that looks back at you in the mirror will one day be able to smile and know joy. It may not be immediate. It may take years after the battle is won before that happens, but that is the true goal of heroes."

There was a long silence following Faux's speech, in which Calandra did her best to process that such words could come from this joking, laughing, never serious Anahalian man. She turned for the hundredth time to stare out the window at the night. "You're all crazy." She muttered. "Why in the world did I let myself get dragged into any of this? Why did I let those twins into my home to find their long lost princess? Why do I continue to help them? Why am I fighting a war that never had to be mine?" Calandra shook her head, feeling exhausted.

Faux chuckled, and she looked at him. His hollow eyes did seem to have a slight glow. "We just answered that question, Darling."

Calandra blinked, and Faux's smiled widened. "Because you're a hero."

EVABELLE

Moist, wet, healthy soil, or in other words, mud. Evabelle was not a fan of mud. But for some crazy reason she found herself digging in it. Sweat trickled down the side of her face as the noon day sun beat down on her. She knew she should have done it earlier when, the sun was not at its peak, but she was determined.

Things were going to change. The first thing that needed changing was herself. After being nearly killed by monsters, rescued by angels, living with a mage, and more or less taking out a very evil angel, Evabelle realized that she needed to put her life into perspective.

Thrusting, her trowel into the slimy dirt, she scooped out a large piece and sent it splattering across her clothes and cheeks. She grunted in frustration. "To make something great, you have to work. Work is hard, and often times, it's not fun, but if you love what you are working for, then I promise it will be worth it." Evabelle took a deep breath and put the shovel back to the earth.

Once the hole was large enough, she reached behind her and grabbed a small clavina, a small plant, with a little creamy blossom at the top. Kai had told her the clavina was an excellent plant, used in solutions to help someone get over a cold. It sounded useful to Evabelle; the very thing she wanted to be.

After packing the dirt around the small plant, she wiped the back of her bare hand across her forehead. She could feel the dirt sticking to the sweat, and gritted her teeth. The dirt was caked under her nails and in between her fingers. I hate mud! She felt so disgusting. It made her shiver at how filthy she was. Turning to see the box of the rest of the plants, revealed a whole other row still left to plant. Evabelle let the shovel drop and gave a groan. Not only was the mud driving her crazy, but the blisters from the shovel's handle were starting to really sting.

Calandra had offered her some gloves, and for some insanely stupid reason, Evabelle had turned them down. She had wanted it to be harder. She wanted it to be rough, so she would really understand and think about what she was doing. Now, however, she was beginning to rethink that decision.

Soft footsteps sounded in her ears.

Evabelle slowly rose to her feet and peeked over the hedge that surrounded Calandra's garden. A tall broad-shouldered man with golden hair had strode past. Evabelle remained still, watching his back that had a large pair of snowy white wings attached to it, silently as he went a ways to the edge of the island. There was a large drop off, a cliff looking over the never ending blue water that lapped at the sharp rocks at the bottom.

Evabelle adjusted herself to see Lucis merely standing at the edge looking over it all. Slowly, he raised his arms, but his wings remained behind him. Evabelle's heart skipped a beat as she watched Lucis steadily lean forward on his toes and fall over the side.

There was a long, painful pause, in which Evabelle stood absolutely frozen, but then a speeding white bullet shot into the air, laughter raining down on Evabelle from the flying Anahalian.

Evabelle grinned up at him as he did several loop-de-loops. Lucis was beaming as he sped through the sky. Then he let his wings go limp and he began to plummet again. Just before he hit the ground, he spread them once more and flew forward.

Evabelle ducked as he raced over her and the garden, sending a whirlwind behind him, making the leaves shake and Evabelle's hair to whip around her. She laughed as he did.

Never did Evabelle see Lucis as free as he was when he was flying. He was happy. And that made Evabelle happy. For several minutes, she watched him grin and zoom over the grounds. He did that thing where he let himself fall and then catch himself before he slammed into the grass. Eventually, he slowed and began to glide serenely, closing his eyes, letting the wind carry him. Occasionally, he'd angle his wings to follow the current, but it was nothing compared to what he had just been doing moments earlier. When his eyes opened again they landed directly on the girl watching him by the hedge.

Evabelle's cheeks flared. She had been watching him for a long time now. Lucis didn't seem to notice. He grinned and made his way over to her. Evabelle rushed back to her plants.

"Afternoon," Lucis said from right behind her.

Evabelle jumped, and then cleared her throat. "Oh, hello." She didn't turn. She just continued to dig at the dirt, distractedly.

Lucis leapt over Evabelle to face her, but the girl stared determinedly at the ground. "Have I got myself a little stalker?"

Evabelle gave an indignant grunt and whipped her head up to glare at Lucis who was grinning like an idiot. "I am not a stalker!"

Lucis arched an eyebrow. "You were watching me for quite a while Miss. I hadn't even started flying when I felt someone's eyes."

Evabelle's blush deepened. "W-well," she struggled for a moment. "Well, if you knew I was watching since then, then you were just showing off. Honestly, Lucis, you're as bad as Faux." She gave a huff, flicking the stray hairs out of her face.

Lucis laughed. "Alright, I guess you got me."

Evabelle couldn't help a small smile creep onto her face.

"But in all seriousness, what are you doing?" Lucis sat criss-cross across from Evabelle.

Evabelle looked at the little plant between them. "Gardening," She replied softly. "You know, I want to become stronger, and I think that one of the ways to do that, is to find and work on myself." She glanced up to see Lucis's look of confusion. Evabelle took a deep breath. "I know you're thinking what does gardening have to do with that, but it makes sense to me." Evabelle cupped her hands over the dirt, packing it more around the flower. "I'm a lost soul. I need to find more things that I love. I need to expand myself. I love beautiful things. Like, I love gardens, filled with all the amazing plants, so I thought perhaps I would start with gardening."

Lucis nodded slowly. "And so are you liking gardening so far?"

Evabelle pulled a face. "No. I'm not a fan of mud, and unfortunately gardening and mud seem to go together too much for my taste." She hung her head.

Lucis chuckled. "Then why are you still doing it?"

Evabelle twitched. "W-well because...um...someone told me that we may like something, but to keep it that way will require work. If something is worth it to you, then you work willingly." Evabelle took a deep breath and looked back at Lucis. "I'm kind of lazy," she admitted. "But I care about my friends, and I don't want to lose them. That means I can't be lazy. I have to work to keep them safe, even though I don't like fighting, they are worth it to me."

Lucis stared for a long moment. He spoke slowly. "That was deep."

Evabelle gave him a small shove. "Don't look so surprised."

Lucis smiled. "No, I mean it. That was amazing. Whoever told you that, must be really wise. I get the thing with the plants now. It's a metaphor."

Evabelle nodded. "Yeah, it's starting small, but it's just the first step."

"Well, I was going to offer you to do something different, but it sounds like you're really into--"

"What is it?" Evabelle cut in.

Lucis grinned. "Would you like to come fall with me?"

Evabelle scrunched her eyes. "Fall with... You mean what you were doing over the side of the cliff?"

Lucis nodded. "It's amazing."

"Looks terrifying." Evabelle replied, but she had stopped poking in the dirt.

Lucis sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "If you don't want to--"

"Wait!" Evabelle jumped to her feet. "A little break couldn't hurt."

Sitting in the garden talking about falling was one thing; standing on the edge of a fifty foot cliff over rolling waves and jagged rocks was something else entirely. Evabelle took a shaky breath. Heights had never bothered her. Normally, she loved standing out and admiring views such as the one before her, however the thought of willingly letting yourself fall from one was a little different.

"Umm..." Evabelle licked her lips. "I--"

"You do trust me, don't you?" Lucis's eyes danced as he held out an arm.

"Of course I do!" Evabelle replied immediately. "It's just that I..." Her eyes darted around, searching for an excuse. "I'm filthy. I'm covered in mud, and I don't want to get it all over you."

Lucis rolled his eyes, took her hand, and swept her off her feet. "Unlike you, princess, dirt has never bothered me in the slightest."

Evabelle laced her fingers around his neck, her heart skipping a beat. She had been held many times by Lucis, but she didn't know if she could ever stop her heart from speeding up a bit. She smiled. "Alright, you win."

Lucis stepped up to the edge. "So do I keep my eyes open, or do I close them?" Evabelle asked, her grip tightening a little.

The Anahalian shrugged. "That's up to you. It's an entirely different experience."

Evabelle gave him a look. "You've got this down to a science don't you? I mean how often to you..." She trailed off as the trees behind Lucis's grinning face fell back and a white and blue sky replaced it.

Before she knew it, she was drowning in hard rushing air as she and Lucis fell. Evabelle would have screamed, but her voice was still back at the top of the cliff. Instead, she craned her neck, her arms holding tight to the boy, and saw the water and rocks coming far too close at a far too fast a speed. Her arms were probably strangling Lucis, but still he did not release his wings.

I'm going to die! Evabelle's thoughts screamed as her eyes slammed shut right as they were about to make impact.

There was a sudden tug, and she almost lost her grip on Lucis. A spray of water hit her face, but there was not a painful smack from the stones. Evabelle cracked her eyes open. The two of them were gliding across the water's surface. Evabelle stared at their shadow as it zoomed over the dark blue. A smile split her face. Sliding her arms from around his neck, she spread her arms as though they were wings. She laughed, taking a deep lungful of salty air. Lucis raced upward and down, all the while her heart racing.

Finally she lowered her arms and looked back to Lucis, who had a rather smug expression as he stared ahead.

"That was insane." Evabelle shook her head.

Lucis glanced back at her. "It's not over."

Evabelle's eyes widened as Lucis, with his superhuman strength, flung her into the air. She gave a little shriek, and flailed for a moment, but she didn't land in the water. Lucis's hands caught her wrists and she dangled below him, her feet skimming the top of the water. He continued flying over ocean and Evabelle kept hold of his wrists as she ran on water, beaming the whole way.

With another tug, he threw her up once more and caught her in the original position. Once she had a good grip, Lucis shot upward almost as fast as when they had fallen toward the pull of earth's gravity, until they were far above island, home to the Sanctuary.

Once again, Evabelle's arms were stretched out, tracing the lines of the invisible air streams. Her heart was nearly pounding out of her chest. So often, when her heart raced like that, she always associated it with her fears that always seemed to be right at the surface. This time, however, it was a totally different feeling, flooding her system. She laughed and closed her eyes, cherishing the moment.

After what seemed like only seconds, Evabelle found herself and Lucis laying on their backs in the deep rich green of Calandra's lawn, breathing heavily. "Did I tire you out?" Evabelle grinned over at Lucis.

The Anahalian's intense azure eyes were alight, however he kept them fixed straight up at the sky that matched those eyes. "On the contrary, I've got about a gallon of adrenaline racing in me."

"Is that why you do it?" Evabelle asked, rolling onto her stomach. "You fall for the thrill? To get your heart pumping?"

Lucis closed his eyes for a moment, a smile still glued to his face. When he opened them again, he did look at Evabelle. "I suppose. I've never thought specifically why. It makes me feel so alive, to a point that all the other things just seem to pale in comparison." He rolled onto his stomach as well. Slowly, he began to pick at the grass. "Another reason I suppose, is just getting the chance to really use my wings." He paused for a moment. He didn't look at Evabelle as he finished softly. "I know it sounds stupid, but that moment when I am so close to death and I snap out my wings it hurts because of the opposing forces, but in that moment I feel...invincible."