The Rise and Fall

Epilogue - The New Beginning

Do you know what the first thing Emiliana did when she got down from The Cloud. She had those ghastly donor wings removed. Not replaced. Just removed. She thought that giving up her wings altogether served as the penultimate sacrifice for all the wrong she done throughout her life. She'd proved that she could live without them anyway. 

When the Risen soldiers had seen that their master was dead, most of them had knelt down and accepted surrender. Emiliana had blacked out completely whislt this was going on and she probably was glad she had. 

Haven, having just lost the love of his life, ordered that all remaining soldiers were to be pubically beheaded by the last of the Fallen fighters. He sent out troops to round up the angels in the city and made a broadcast from Gabriel's office stating the mandatory event that would inevitably happen as soon as possible. Leo watched from the sidelines. Except he wasn't watching the beheadings. Or the reaction of the angels who'd been forced to watch. He was watching Haven. Something was different. His face has no comedic undertone to it anymore, death had stolen this from him and replaced it with a hard, cold stare that always seemed to make him look as though he was planned homocide or something. 

Emiliana recovered quickly and accepted her victory, only after she'd been escorted from The Cloud, back to The Surface where she had her wings swiftly removed. She awarded Leo and Haven with medals of companionship and heroism before debating with her mother and father about a bigger monument. For days and days, Emiliana and Haven spent their time planning a beautiful memorial garden for Mira, filled with every colour and flower known to the angels (which is extensive compared to Human knowledge), little ponds filled with families of ducks and frogs. Her body was buried in the centre under a silver statue of her undying face and the funeral lasted three days before any other emotion was allowed to be displayed. Around the edge of the new meadow, Emiliana had placed the other Fallen fighters that had died, including Daniel and they were all given a specific type of flower to represent their bravery and importance into the freedom of the Fallen. 

*       *       * 

Now, the little blonde girl dances in the meadow, twirling her practiced dance around the big, silver memorial of the pretty lady. Her golden ringlets bounce as she bares her pearly white teeth into a smile, her neck bent back to acknowledge the pretty lady's face. Beside the pretty lady is another statue. Mummy said this statue was added a year later but it still shines like the windbeaten lady. The silver has been molded so that the two people are holding hands, the tall boy is staring at his pretty lady and the pretty looks down at the people she'll eternally protect. 

The little blonde girl reaches out her tiny, gold-skinned hand and touches the cold silver, visibly shivering when the chilly metal connects with her tiny fingers. Her beautiful, black wings spread from her back and shroud her to keep her warm. 

"Evangelica?" A familiar voice carries on the soft breeze and the blonde girl looks around, searching for the source of the voice. 

"Mummy, the pretty lady is cold," she shouts into nothingness, never taking her hand from the metal statue. 

The mother emerges, older yet still full of youth, her ice white hair blowing in the potent breeze. Her black irises are soft and full of motherhood as though she has grown up and taken on a new lease of life. Behind her follows a tall, young looking man, his dark hair in a tousled mess, carrying a large bouquet of white lilies and red roses. The two flowers chosen for the two statues. 

The young woman looks up at the statue and smiles at the soft grin that has greeted her ever since the day the statue was erected. She's never told her daughter who the "pretty lady" and the "tall boy" are, because she finds it amazing that Evangelica respects them so much without knowing their true stories. In fact, she doesn't need to. Evangelica probably has a better relationship with these two important figures than she would if she knew who they were. 

"Evangelica, honey," the woman crouches down and opens her arms for the little girl. "The pretty lady is never cold. She's always warm and soft and happy. She's only cold now because she doesn't want you to be cold on your own." 

Evangelica takes up the offer of her mother's arms and snuggles into them. 

"So, now she's warm?" The tiny girl's muffled voice whispers. 

"Now, she's warm." The woman picks up her little girl and glances once more at the two statues that she still owes so much too. Whether it was murder or suicide, neither of them were supposed to die. But fate has a funny way of unfolding and ending lives. 

As the woman carries her little girl out of the meadow, her husband kneels down and places the flowers at the base of the silver statues. His two best friends living eternally encased in silver, forever protecting the Fallen people. He stands up again and traces the five letters of the name on the plaque lying just underneath the "tall boy" statue. He breathes out once more and turns away. 

After all, they're not going anywhere and Evangelica will be back tomorrow.