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Frostbyte Week day 2: Fallen Angel
Falling from the gods' grace hurt a lot.
But not as much as walking the face of Remnant without the divine means to help the people.
Life here was miserable, dark, and violent. Creatures of the night ravaged the people, drought or storm often destroyed the land among its crops. But worst of all, the people hated each other. The ones who could talk, those were the most treacherous. People often found the tiniest mistakes to start a brawl over. Or based their hate on simple but unchangeable differences.
Weiss did not like it here.
Well, not here here, but among the mortals in general. Their voices were so loud and raw. She could not filter the meaningful words from the noise. Every pair of lips that could form coherent words has abused their knowledge to the worse. Complaints, gossip, curses. It was an infinite ocean of meaninglessness, raging and pushing each other down.
It was much better when the only thing she could hear was the prayers.
Prayers were uttered in polite whispers, said with the utmost respect. Every one of them was special.
But the most unique of them all, the one that got her here, was the most beautiful, most heart wrenching prayer Weiss ever heard during her timeless, endless life.
She wept with the widowers' sorrow, felt the bittersweet longing of separated lovers, cried tears of joy with the most fortunate, experienced the ghost of a bond shared between lovers in secret. Weiss felt for and with the living of Remnant through their prayers.
She was the strictest, but most generous of all. Over the centuries, most grew bored of the whispered wishes. Most decided to turn a deaf ear and ignore the pleas of the people. Weiss wasn't one of them. If a mortal was brave enough to beg for her, she granted their wishes. Always.
With time the living learnt not to bother her for good harvest or wish for a heavy rain during drought. But to beg for the protection of a lover marching to war, good health for the loved ones, the warmth of a home, even aid for a successful hunt.
Weiss was the patron saint of the prosperity of home and family. It all happened in a life she could not remember anymore. All she knew was that she died for what she believed in. And that was enough to bring her peace and power.
She thought back to that fateful night as she often tended to do so.
***
It was a cold, stormy night when a man, broken and saddened, stumbled to her altar. He offered a modest piece of bread and some cheese, he murmured the opening verse as he threw the items into the white flames. It was all he had.
He told the story of her daughter fallen ill. He was feared she would not recover. The once cheery and energetic young woman was now a shadow of herself. The man told the heartbreaking story of his late wife, ridden with the same illness.
The poor man tried to swallow his tears, but could not. Just as he could not finish his plea properly.
But Weiss knew. She always knew.
Weiss sent flowers and fruits to the small patch of land the man called his own. Fortunate sky shined down on the home of the sad, old man and his ill daughter. The soil brought many delicious fruits, the gardens flourished. But the girl.... she did not get better.
The offerings from the old man grew equally in quality and quantity. The prayers came in a steady flow. Loud and clear, but never rude.
Weiss sent game and herbs to grow in the gardens. Fruits changed into healing plants overnight. The sweet scent of the different plants carried far on the winds. But the girl. She did not get better.
The prayers changed. Instead of healing and help, the old, sad man asked for forgiveness. He asked for her daughter's suffering to come to a merciful end.
This was beyond Weiss's control. Anything she tried, only postponed the inevitable. Inside a lush, lively garden there was a girl who was destined to meet her end.
She had neither the power nor the means to alter a person's body and take the sickness away. The least she could do now was to help the girl to the other life. After all, no one should walk that path alone.
Unless....
There was a forbidden knowledge. A secret method the first humans were made by.
She had made her decision. Weiss sent a dream to the old man. Showing him the solution, but warning him of the cost.
The old man, desperate enough to try anything to save the soul of his beloved daughter, did as he had seen in the dream. He sculpted a body from clay and dirt. But he foregone the warnings. Despite finishing the ritual successfully, he made an error and the cost was too high for him.
Upon learning the truth, the gods were furious. They wanted to punish the girl who had cheated death. They have been weighing the proper punishment, when Weiss interfered.
She took responsibility for her actions and fell from the gods' grace the same way as she entered it all those millennia ago.
She was stripped of her rank, power, even her wings. Her glow faded after getting exiled from the spheres. Her body was recreated to resemble the humans. But she was nothing like a human. She had been cursed with all the weaknesses of a mortal body, but one: her body was infinite. She could feel the pain, but it would not harm her fatally. She could feel the hunger, but it could not devour her. She could feel the fatigue, but it could not hinder her. Branded by a scar for anyone to see her shame, she was set free among the people of Remnant. This was her curse, her punishment, her sacrifice.
She aided humanity and faunuskind wherever she could. She had to work with sweat and blood for what she was able to do on a whim of a thought before. Her strength was limited to her wee human body. She could not command divine powers anymore.
Nevertheless she fearlessly threw herself into battle in the name of the weak and innocent. She often rode out after marching armies to make sure the sons and daughters made it back to their families. She rid forests of the creatures of the night to make sure villagers' children can play safely.
The mortals often placed great expectations on her. Then cursed her whenever she failed a task, sometimes even when she completed it successfully. The minds of the living were confusing.
She failed, got up, learnt from her mistakes and taught others many times during her imprisonment on Remnant. Everything changed every few hundred years or so, but one thing remained the same: Weiss did her damn best to make the world a better place.
She had seen it all.
... or so she thought.
The garden she stumbled upon was like nothing she had ever seen. It was so lush and green, full of ferns and blooms of never seen flowers. Every branch of the trees and bushes hung heavy with plump and juicy fruit. The plants seemed to taint the air with their numerous colors and different shades of greens.
Animals inhabited the forest in abundance. Many kinds in large numbers judging by the track they left. Life was blooming on every drop of water, but it was so quiet. As if nature slept here and the living respected that.
There was a melody of a bird's song. But it was faint and distant. A polite rustle of leaves followed Weiss on the beaten path.
In the heart of the lush greenery, there was a house. Or it was more like a cottage. Well kept and tidy, but clearly from another era.
Weiss could vaguely remember the last time she had seen architecture like this. It was so long ago...
Memories flashed before Weiss' eyes. Gruesome and painful, full of shame. But she couldn’t quite place them.
"A guest?" A voice snapped her back to the present. She turned around and a sight prettier than any lush garden welcomed her.
A young woman in a light summer dress stood in the middle of the path. She was barefoot, her berry basket resting not so far from her.
But it was her complexion that fascinated Weiss.
This mysterious girl looked very much like a porcelain doll. Her skin was pale and porous, the joints on her hands weren't covered by skin, but they were crafted just like any other part of her. There must have been some imperfection in the material, because structures that looked like a swarm of freckles littered her shoulders and cheeks.
A glory of auburn hugged her elegantly chiseled face, the strands gently waving in the breeze, looking very much like hair, but still awfully different. Her vivid green eyes scanned the intruder thoroughly.
Weiss had a nagging feeling that she had seen this girl before somewhere, sometime. Weiss knew that she knew her. She looked the other girl in the face.
The only thing Weiss learnt that this girl was... concerned? Those perfect brows were furrowed and a frown was in place on her pretty face.
"Sit down, I'll be back soon." She said and her hands were on Weiss' shoulders, pushing and guiding her towards a stool next to the main door of the cottage.
Weiss did as she was told. After all, the girl sounded very serious and even if her voice was sweet and kind, Weiss knew that going against an order this direct would be a bad idea.
In a few minutes the girl was back. She had a jug of water and a clean cloth with her.
At the sight Weiss was amazed. It was not custom to wash up your guests anymore.
The girl started to gently scrub at her and in a bit she had to leave to bring some clean water, a bigger bucket and a big bar of soap. No matter how Weiss opposed the idea, she got a thorough wash and the bucket of water turned black and gooey.
Weiss didn’t realize she was that much dirty. Of course she had a hunch, she had been hunting a large infestation of Grimm for the last couple of months. She had found the nest and wiped out the varmints, but she had not the heart to return to the village bearing bad news about their loved ones.
She advised against going after the beasts on their own, but a handful of villagers were insistent on dealing with the threat on their own. They paid a great price. Honestly, Weiss sometimes thought the humans’ courage bordered stupidity more often than not.
“Who would have thought you have a face?” The girl said. Her accent was thick and she spoke in a dialect long forgotten. She smiled sweet and kind as she stood and left once more.
Weiss was left alone on the stool in front of the little house. She couldn’t complain though. The trees offered shelter from the midday sun. The flowers filled the air with a pleasant scent, changing with every breeze. Animals dared to come close to her as long as she stood calm and moved slowly. This place truly was a paradise built on generous soil.
The girl was back and she balanced a plate packed to the brim with fruits, in her other hand she had some bread and a piece of cheese.
“This is all I have now, I hope you don’t mind.” She smiled apologetically. The girl sat on a nearby bench, placed the plate and bread on the seat next to her and gestured to Weiss to join her.
Weiss accepted the invitation a little bit shy. It wasn’t everyday that people invited her to share a meal with them. Besides, she tended to eat the bare minimum so her body wouldn’t hurt. Not that she could die of starvation anyway, so why bother wasting precious food? But as she watched the girl snack away so happily, she felt her appetite grow. A few bites wouldn’t hurt, would they?
At first Weiss sat on the bench a little half-hearted, but the good company calmed her nerves in a matter of minutes. It didn’t take much for them to start talking. Weiss even learned the girl’s name and gave hers in return.
“Penny.” The girl said, offering her another piece of bread, which Weiss took happily.
Penny. It was a nice name, Weiss thought. Nice name for a nice girl.
It seemed the two had a lot to talk about. They didn’t even notice when the food ran out. Weiss talked about her adventures on the lands of Remnant, how she has been on her own mostly since she was banished to this plane of existence. All the hardship and challenge this new life came with, Weiss didn’t hold it from her stories. And Penny listened. Well, not just listened. The girl practically drank in Weiss’ words.
The two quickly bonded on a mutual feeling of loneliness. As it turned out, the locals know of this lush garden, but they gave a wide berth to the place anyways. The foolish pheasants rather called witchcraft and starved than to accept the generous offer from Penny. Which was ultimately rude, Weiss thought sourly.
They sat and chatted even as midday turned into the afternoon then into evening. But the garden didn’t turn dim, not one bit. It seemed like the canopy opened up to let the stars shine through, multiple species of luminescent plants started to shine through the darkness. If the garden wasn’t amazing enough in daylight, it sure was a magical sight during the night.
Weiss looked at Penny. It seemed as if she was glowing with her own shine. Not just her eyes or skin, but her hair was shining too. On closer inspection Weiss realized that her conversation partner simply reflected the faint light of a plant not so far from them.
“How long have you been here?” Weiss asked.
“I can’t really remember. It has been so long ago.” Penny replied, a little sheepishly. The lights made her appear like she was blushing. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t.
At Weiss’ questioning look, she started to explain with a tale.
The tale was about illness, prayers and being blessed by the gods. Penny told how she suffered, but her dad sought aid with the gods and they helped. Not in the best way, but they helped. Her dad had to pay the price for the ritual, but luckily it wasn’t anything too serious. Or at least her dad used to say so. Despite everything, Penny got a new chance at life and got to spend it with her dad until he sadly passed away due to old age. Since then, she has been on her own mostly.
The two sat in a solemn silence for a few minutes. Weiss wanted to comfort the girl so badly. But what could she say? She had never experienced anything like that bond with anyone. She wanted to ask Penny about the good times she spent with her dad. But the girl looked content with the turn of events.
Weiss had distant memories of such feelings. But they were so long ago. Then the realization struck her as the pieces clicked into their assigned places.
“Have you ever prayed to the gods, Penny?” Weiss asked, suspiciously.
The girl did not answer at first, she turned to stare at the ground just before her feet.
“Only once.” She said in a whisper while hiding behind her hair. She seemed fairly ashamed of herself. “I asked them to make my dad forget me.”
Weiss was baffled. She seriously had no words for what Penny had just confessed.
“He was in so much pain because of me, Weiss.” Penny looked at her, she was on the brink of a meltdown “I heard him cry at night. It would have been better for him without me.”
“No.” Weiss said sternly “This is all my fault.”
By that, Penny seemed taken aback. She scooted a little closer to Weiss. When she was about to speak, the other cut her off.
“All this.” Weiss gestured around “Is my doing.”
The girl stared at her with the expression of a confused puppy on her face.
Weiss let out a heavy sigh and with that, her posture collapsed too. She started to explain it all from her perspective. How she tried to send her blessings to help her heal, but had to do the most foolish thing ever done to really save her. All the while she told her tale, Penny did not dare to breathe even the smallest of words. The girl’s eyes were huge in wonder, she pretty much lived the story as Weiss was telling it.
When Weiss finished she expected Penny to yell at her, hit her, curse her out just like many others did when she brought bad news. But the yelling never came. She dared to look at the girl.
Penny looked at her with such raw emotion, Weiss didn’t know how to respond. This was new. She would know what to do if the girl lashed out, but she did not know how to process the understanding and empathy clearly written on Penny’s face.
“I didn’t know it would end like this. I thought you would be mortal, get a chance to live more then spend the rest of eternity with your family in the afterlife.…” Weiss closed in on herself and let her face fall into her palms. Mostly to hide her shameful tears from Penny
“I had no idea you or the garden still existed…Everything you had to endure was because I thought I could play god, when I had no right to do so.”
To her surprise, Penny embraced her closely. The girl’s body was hard and unyielding, but the material was warm and thrumming with life. It felt like a heartbeat pressed into her skin. The warmth was seeping into her. It was oddly calming in its own way. As she slowly came back to reality, Weiss had to realize that Penny started to hum and pet her hair.
“Better?” She asked quietly, as much as Weiss could perceive, it seemed like Penny was crying too.
“Yes, I think.” Weiss said, but did not move to break the embrace.
They sat there like that for a good while. Both of them were content to process the conversation as it was.
***
When Weiss came to her senses, she was laid out on the bench, a once colorful, but very old and faded quilt draped over her. She looked around in a jiffy, and she found a spot between the bushes that mostly resembled Penny. She couldn’t tell for sure, her eyes were still heavy with sleep and her vision blurry. Nevertheless, she stood on wobbly legs and stumbled through the thick undergrowth to get to Penny’s side.
She stood there a little awkwardly as Penny was quietly tending to the plants. Truly, she had no heart to disturb the girl. She just wanted her armor, and she’d be on her way. Weiss was surprised that Penny let her stay this long even. The sooner she is out of Penny’s way, the better. When the girl looked at her, she was desperately searching for words.
Thankfully Penny took pity on her and jabbed a finger in the direction she’d find her gear. For this, Weiss was infinitely thankful.
When she found and donned her armor, she had to realize the pieces were scrubbed squeaky clean. Seriously, how long was she out? Doesn’t matter, she turned on her heel to leave on the same path she had found her way into this slice of paradise.
“Please, stay.” Penny said just as Weiss turned around. Of course this stunt resulted in Weiss nearly jumping out of the armor she just put on. The two stared at each other. “I’m not mad at you. Please stay.”
It took a minute for Weiss until the words sinked in.
“You let me put on all this gear to now tell me to take it all off?” she asked with a smile hiding at the corner of her lips.
Penny did not answer, but she didn’t look a little bit ashamed either. In fact, she looked more like someone fighting back a laugh. It was Weiss who broke first. The two of them laughed like maniacs. The two only stopped when they were in desperate need of air.
“You deserved it.” Penny said and wiped away the tears that escaped her eye during her laughing fit. As an answer, Weiss tried very hard to look scary and offended, but it did not phase the girl, not one bit.
“Will you stay?” Penny asked instead.
“I can do that.” Weiss replied and started to undo all the clasps of her armor one by one. Weiss was eager to get out of the hammered plates of metal. She looked at Penny in surprise when the girl gave her a helping hand shedding the armor.
Needless to say, Penny looked like she had a lot to say. And Weiss was excited to hear it all.