Chapter 6: Eyes Of An Angel

Lanni opened her heavy eyelids. She slowly pushed herself up and slid her feet to the side of the couch. She rubbed her eyes and then looked around,"Lloyd?". No soft voice was heard. The girl sat back into the couch, her head falling against the fur of a horn rabbit, which was very thick rough hair. She sat back up, pulling her hair from the dead skin. A door opened from the hallway and then closed abruptly. Lloyd appeared into the living room, shaking snow from his hood.

"Ah, you are awake m'lady. Did you rest well?", he asked, bowing in respect.

"Ah! I'm n..not a princess! Please don't make jokes, Lloyd.", Lanni laughed standing up from the couch,her face red. Lloyd wiped some snow from his shoulder," On the contrary, your friend informed me that not only that you are princess, but you seek asylum in my country as well." In a split second, Lanni seemed to have teleported right in front of Lloyd. Her eyes were full of excitement. She grabbed Lloyd's hand,"Angel? He was here? Where is he?" , the questions quickly left her lips. Lloyd slowly removed his hand from her grip and walked to the table. He grabbed the wine bottle and poured himself a drink. He lifted   the drink to his lips and sipped from it.

" He was here but he left. He told me to bring you to Sotha myself, instead of him.",Lanni was silent. She wasn't sad, but she was upset. She crossed her arms,"Was it because I was kidnapped?" Lloyd drained the wine from the his goblet and placed it back down. He approached   Lanni and knelt down before her.

"I, Lloyd Cross, take on the charge of escorting you to the Duke of Sotha.", he stated, looking down to the floor. Lanni smiled a bit and placed her hand on his shoulder," Well thank you Lloyd, though I have a request."

"Yes your Highness?"

Lanni grabbed his shoulders and lightly tugged him, giving him the sign to stand up. The armor clinked as he did. Lanni looked up into his red eyes,"I want you to help me track Angel, before we travel to Sotha.", she asked. Lloyd blinked a few times and twitched his ears,"He does not wish to be found, your Highness. When I looked into that man's eyes for the first time, I was instantly appalled at what I saw in them. His eyes...saw things that shouldn't be seen. Not only that, they also carry sadness and sorrow. I think he will wander to find some way to help rid him of his pain." Lloyd's face stayed expressionless while Lanni's seemed to drop.A moment went by, and the sounds of the outside wind were becoming louder and louder.Lloyd closed both of his eyes and then opened them, casting a smile along with his perked up ears.

"We will find him then, your Highness.", he said, sounding a bit upbeat. Lanni's face shifted into a smile. She walked to the couch, and threw her cloak around her shoulders. The white trimmed black cloak reaches all the way down to her ankles. She was beginning to tie it to her brooch when she remembered a moment with Angel.
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Back at temple,4 days ago.

"So are we ready to set off then?", Lanni asked, waiting cross-armed at the temple's sliding door. Angel slid his sword into his sash and knelt down beside his pack. He opened it and brought out his navy blue cloak. The cloak was tattered at the bottom and showed wear. He closed his pack and shouldered it.

"You expect to walk around in just that?", Angel scoffed, Lanni frowned at this obvious taunt.

" I have lived here all my life, I am pretty sure I can handle the cold of my own country.", her voice shining with her royal blood. Angel laughed coldly,"Whatever you say,princess. I'm getting you something to cover your pretty little head and skin, I don't want to carry you when you're frozen in YOUR own country." Angel emphasized the last part of his sentence. Lanni turned away,her hair swaying to one side. Angel left the room and entered the monk's bedroom.

"What a rude man. How can he say that to a princess?Has he any respect?", Lanni hissed, looking outside into the snowy world. The sound of the door sliding back into place meant Angel was back. Fabric was violently thrown at Lanni's head, covering her head and her top half completely. She quickly squeaked in terror and ripped off the cloak,"You scared me!", Angel laughed at her.

" ..And I am supposed to travel with you? If a hood scares you, then you're a lost cause!", he exclaimed. Lanni was angered but she took a deep breath and examined the frabic. A black cloak, and it was fairly heavy. She reach into the inside confines   and was surprised to feel short fur that lined the inside.

"What is this?" ,Lanni held the cloak in front of her, examining it. Angel shook his head and walked briskly to her. He snatched the cloak from her and reached around her, flipping the hood over her head.

"What are yo-"

"Shut up", Angel ordered, while he fitted the cloak around her small shoulders. The cloak hangs a bit low, and it is stolen, but it's a fit nonetheless, Angel thought. Angel brought out a silver brooch that was inset with a yellow stone.He looped the ties through the loop holes and tied them, it was very hard as the ties were very close to Lanni's neck. Angel's face was very close to Lanni's so he could see what he was doing. Lanni stared into his crimson eyes.Angel didn't once look at her, he was focused on only the brooch. Most men would die for the chance to be this close to me, but this Rotheran's eyes stayed their course on a trinket. The princess kept gazing into these rare red eyes. Lanni's eyes widened when she saw a subtle image flash in his iris' and her heartbeat became faster. Her sight started to zoom into his eyes, as if they were tunneling into them. Her heartbeat became faster and faster as her eyes zoomed further in. Her eyes were taking in so much, it was a blur. She saw vivid images that she could barely make out. A bloody battlefield, a smiling woman with a long lightly coloured ponytail, a burning village by the seaside and eventually a grave. Though the scene with the grave lingered.

"What is this?" Lanni wondered, looking around the deep dark space.She made out a triangle gravestone with burial mound in front of it. There was long strip of white cloth tied around the base of the grave.The gravestone had something etched into it. She narrowed her eyes so she could read it but she couldn't make out the writing, it was foreign to her. Suddenly an apparition of Angel appeared from mist that manifested in front of the grave, he was wearing light blood soaked chainmail, and had blood splattered on his face. The blood still dripped off his chin. He stood over the grave, holding his katana in front of him. Lanni looked closer at his face and was surprised to see that he had green eyes and that they were crying, the tears causing the blood to wet and flow off his chin.

"I'm sorry", he said, as he fell to the his knees, placing his forehead to the ground.

"This is a moment in Angel's past?", Lanni thought watching the tears roll down his tilted face and fall back into his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I must leave,I can't keep our promise.", he whispered. The sword he held glowed and slowly lost its shine in an instant.Angel slowly returned to his feet and looked down, his bloodstained hair casting a shadow over his eyes.

"Thank you for understanding. Rest Arya. ", he said.He stepped forward onto the grave and grabbed the white cloth. He rubbed his face with the cloth and wrapped it back around   the grave. Then he faced away from the grave, and walked toward Lanni, who was completely bewildered at what she was seeing. Angel opened his eyes and they were longer green. They were red now, red as the bloody tears that ran from them.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?!", Angel yelled, shaking Lanni. Lanni blinked a couple times to see that she was buried in Angels cloak,her arms wrapped around him. She quickly snapped back and stepped back a few feet.

"What in Oad were you doing!", he exclaimed his eyes clearly upset. Lanni was embarrassed and didn't say anything but she did look back into his upset red eyes. Angel shook his head and walked to the door,"Well don't do that again, I rather not catch your noble stupidity.",he taunted, Lanni frowned again, but Angel was out the door. Lanni   proceeded to the door but stopped in the doorway. She tucked some of her hair behind her ear,"His eyes.. and that gravestone.. What was that all about?", she whispered. Lanni walked out and closed the door.

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She continued to tie   the strings of cloak into the loop holes of her silver brooch.

"May we go now?", Lanni gestured toward the hallway. Lloyd nodded and threw his hood back over his head, secluding his white ears. He walked briskly past Lanni and into the hallway, where he waited for her to follow. He opened the door and let Lanni past first and closed it behind them.