64. SOPHIE
Awhole week in each other’s arms meant Ash and Sophie left no surface untainted. By the end of it all, Sophie still wanted more. She was a flower and Ash was the sun she so desperately needed. Today was the first day since the Hrabrost Trials that they would step out of his villa and back into reality.
Sophie sat by Ash’s desk, scrawling a letter to Elowan and Zala. The last time she’d seen them, Sophie had promised that she would be seeing them shortly, but alas, the Hrabrost Trials had gotten in the way. The letter explained what had happened and when she would be returning to Faery. Sophie sliced the air around her with her mana, as Ash taught her, and sent the letter off.
“Hey sweet cheeks, ready to go?” Ash leaned against the bedroom door with his arms crossed. He was wearing his Tienthan uniform loincloth, showing off his tanned glory.
“Call me that one more time, and I’ll be refusing you access to them moving forward,” Sophie said seriously. It was anything but serious.
Ash rushed to her, pulling her up from the chair and pushing her onto the desk with enviable ease. He pushed her knees apart and showed her exactly how he felt. Sophie let out a yelp at the sudden movement.
“These cheeks”—he squeezed said cheeks firmly, earning a small growl from Sophie’s throat—“are mine.”
The way he claimed her and called her his. Ugh. My heart.
He laughed softly, catching the desire in her eyes. Ash bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Come on, let’s go. We’ll be late.”
Distant clopping and neighing sounded from the stable. Ash walked before her, unlocked the latch and held the gate open for her. The smell of hay filled her nostrils immediately, making her nose wrinkle. Sophie pulled her wings closer to her on instinct.
She was a guardian angel now, funny that. A member of the Aerial Legion, the Tienthan. And as a guardian angel, she needed a mount. An arion.
Before her was the marble-made, open-air stable she had stumbled into many moons ago. Along the endless grassy hills, groups of arions roamed freely while others lazed upon beds of clouds eating hay.
“All you have to do is stand here.” Ash pointed to the floor where golden wings had been hewn into the marble. “An arion will choose you.”
“Oh, okay. That simple huh?”
Ash nodded.
Sophie stepped onto the golden wings and waited.
Nothing happened.
Sophie looked to Ash.
Ash shook his head and scoffed. “So impatient.”
“Asshat,” Sophie muttered before turning back to the rolling hills before her.
A herd of arions came galloping over a hill, headed straight to Sophie. Leading it was a pure white mare, its wings large and extravagant. Sophie remembered it from when she first visited the stable. Her name was Aika.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sophie smiled brightly.
Aika was headed straight for Sophie.
Sophie held her hand out as Aika slowed down and approached her. It was natural. Sophie ran her hand across Aika’s white muzzle, earning herself an excited whinny. “It’s good to see you again, beautiful.”
“It seems like she was waiting for you,” Ash came to stand just behind Sophie, brushing his hand through the mare’s mane.
“What do you mean?” Sophie looked up at Ash.
“She has never claimed anyone to be her handler. Many Tienthan have tried, mainly for her pure white coat and genetics. She’ll serve you well, Starlight.”
“I bet she will.” Sophie placed a kiss on Aika’s muzzle.
Ash moved around Aika with grace, placing reins upon her. He then turned to the rolling hills and clicked his tongue twice. Lumen quickly came galloping over the hill straight to Ash’s outstretched hand.
Together with their arions, Sophie and Ash strode outside the stables.
The sun was shining down on them. Heat was thick in the air.
“Take it easy alright? A new arion will take getting used to,” Ash warned.
Sophie ran her hands through Aika’s mane, pushing her mana into the arion. She then looked back up to Ash with a cheeky grin.
“Ah shit.”
“Last one there’s a rotten egg!” Sophie cawed, squeezing her legs. She sounded two sharp clicks with her tongue. Aika thrusted them both into the air and together they flew to the top of the Isle’s waterfall.
Ash was swearing under his breath in the distance but soon laughter found him. The sweet sound chased Sophie in the air as she careened for the other angels who were waiting on their arions.
They were all there. Eros, Deymos, Nemysis, Morpheus, Nyx, Athena, Chronos, Pallas, Achlys and Erebus.
“What? You assholes are too busy for us now?” Morpheus called to them.
“Sorry, not sorry!” Sophie teased as she flew over them with Aika.
“Now that they’re here, LET’S GO!” Erebus cheered.
The angels whooped and shouted as they all jumped into the air with their arions. Ash had mentioned they did this first ride together as a team every year after the Hrabrost Trials. The only angel missing was Artemis. There were no updates to her whereabouts, as if she’d disappeared from all the realms. Ares had officially changed her active-duty status to AWOL.
When the last of the angels shot up to where they were all floating, Ash shouted, “To us!” He pounded his chest.
“TO US!” the Tienthan shouted together, pounding their own chests twice.
Together, they plummeted down the side of the waterfall.
Sophie roared with laughter and adrenalin as they all spiralled, dodging each other. She threw her hands out, running them through the clouds and along the spray of the water. The air around her was clear, crisp. Her heart felt steady and sure. The sun kissed her skin. In the chaos, Ash found her, circling her with Lumen. He reached out to touch her hand and together they pierced the sky.
This is living. Pure and true.
The other angels cawed their excitement. The sounds bouncing across the clouds in happiness.
When the waterfall dissipated and the edges of the Isle disappeared, they all steadied their flying and headed straight through the clouds. Sophie pushed her hands into Aika’s mane and slowly, stood up on the arion’s back. She wanted to feel the wind through her wings. She wanted to fly. As Aika whinnied in excitement, Sophie stood tall and tipped her head back, letting the sun soak her skin. And slowly, she let herself fall backward into the sky.
Sophie let out a cry of joy as she felt her wings against the wind. She turned and turned in the sky, following Aika closely.
“Starlight! What are you doing?” Ash laughed.
He flew underneath her, reaching out a hand. She stretched out her fingers, touching his.
“Flying,” Sophie said matter-of-factly.
“I can see that.”
“Come join me.”
Ash scoffed and shook his head. “I fucking love you.” In one swift movement, he jumped off Lumen and crashed into Sophie, his lips immediately finding hers. They were wrapped in a lover’s embrace as they flew through the blue skies of the Godlands.
Sophie leaned into his ear and whispered something she’d long been thinking about.
Ash snapped his head back from their embrace. His eyes were wide with awe. With excitement. “When?” he breathed.
“Tonight?”
“Yes. A million times over, yes!” Ash shouted, laughter and happiness bubbling in his throat.
Sophie couldn’t help it. She pulled him into another fate-sealing kiss as they flew through the sky. Nothing was holding them back. They had found each other again. And now what lay before them was a world unknown. A world that they’d tackle together.
Sophie smoothed the white sundress she’d found in the market earlier that afternoon and fixed the loose tendrils of her hair. With the help of Nemysis, purple flowers decorated her long braid. The thick heat had cooled, and the giant moon hung high in the sky. It cast a beautiful glow over the golden grass upon the Meadows of Mainn.
Sophie was nervous.
A small, warm hand found her shoulder. “Honey, you look absolutely breathtaking.” Her mother’s strawberry scent filled her nose. Sophie pulled her mother into a tight hug. She’d barely seen her mother since the trial but as soon as she made the decision to be here this evening, Sophie ran to her mother to tell her the news.
Danna couldn’t be happier.
Ares popped his head into Sophie’s vision. He was wearing his ceremonial garb, a bright golden armoured suit, with his blond hair neatly tied back. “Nervous, kid?” He laughed, pulling her into a hug.
“A little.” Sophie chuckled.
“You’re in good hands, Sophie. That kid will love you until the end of time. I know it. And if he hurts you, you know who to call.” Ares winked.
“Thanks, Ares.” Sophie placed a quick kiss onto his cheek.
Sophie could hear Nemy and Eros bickering behind her. They were placing fairy lights into the trees.
“No, you’ve got to droop it properly! The brief was Twilight not cheap Christmas light display!” Eros fussed and ended up snatching the lights of out Nemy’s hands.
“Well don’t ask for help next time!” Nemy shouted before she noticed Sophie walking toward them. Unlike Ares, they were dressed down. Nemy wore a silver chiton while Eros donned a sparkly loincloth. In his strawberry-blond hair, he wore a floral headband.
“Sophie! How are you feeling? Do you like the decorations? Everyone should be here soon. How exciting!” Eros sounded like he’d just ingested crack. His words were flowing a mile a minute.
“I’m nervous, but I’m ready and you’ve done exceptionally well, Eros. I love it.”
“OH BY THE LOVE OF LOVE, I’M SO GRATEFUL!” Eros cried dramatically as he neared Sophie and pulled her into a hug.
Nemy chimed in and gave Sophie a quick squeeze of the arm before joining Danna and Ares.
“Do you want me to run you through the process again?” Eros asked a little more quietly.
“You’ll slice our hands, bind them in a thread of Fate and we’ll say our vows?”
“And don’t forget you have to kiss him, okay? You can’t be holding out on us hopeless romantics.” Eros smiled suggestively at her.
Sophie punched him in the arm.
From the sky, the other angels of the Tienthan dropped in. They all shook hands and greeted one another before walking up the golden hill.
Sophie looked at the cove of trees Eros had kindly decorated in fairy lights for her. It was warm and welcoming. It was perfection for a night like this.
As the angels of the Tienthan crested the hill, Sophie went to greet them all, pulling them into hug after hug. Behind them all she spotted a mop of red hair and tanned skin awash with a blue glow. Cam had made it. She hugged him tightly until he complained that he would somehow die again if she squeezed any tighter.
Shortly after, Amina and the orphans of the Lost Home for Children appeared. Amina had her hands full but managed to wrap an arm around Sophie, congratulating her. The children ran up to Sophie, filled to the brim with excitement that they finally were attending a real royal wedding.
Sophie laughed as Tenerife came up to her and hugged her tight. She mentioned that she was no longer sad because she was no longer in love with her Acki. Apparently, there was another boy in her class she had a crush on. Sophie squeezed Tenerife’s cheeks before pushing her to join the rest of the children.
When the moon had almost reached its peak in the dark sky, Sophie moved to the top of the hill. She sat on her knees in front of Eros while the guests sat all around them in a circle.
The sounds of Joe Hisashi’s Merry Go Round of Life, the Godlands’s orchestral version, played softly in the background as the fairy lights glowed all around them.
“He should be here soon.” Eros grabbed Sophie’s hand.
Ash was meant to be here five minutes ago.
Nervousness started in Sophie’s stomach.
She looked to her mum, who raised her eyebrows in question, wondering where Ash could be.
Another five minutes passed.
Then another.
And then another.
Sophie’s stomach had already been eaten away by worry. Now what lay there was dread. She knotted her hands into her white dress as she tried to ease the chaos in her chest. She didn’t know whether it was worry for Ash or for herself, but the rotting feeling was growing more and more painful. Sophie knew now, what Ash had meant by love being a sharpened blade. She could feel its steel bite into her skin as she waited. Had her heart betrayed her again?
Where are you?