Starsea - Part XIII - Rising Tide

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Realm! I deeply apologize for the insanely long wait but the wait is now over and as the title suggests, we are once more within the origin story of the Third and Fourth Captains! Now on with the show!

Unlike his captain that was currently traversing the corridors of time and memory within his mind for answers, William Smee already knows what truly happened to Killian's parents and what he almost did when Killian accidentally killed Artz. So much was lost to them and the first mate had only recently reclaimed his own forgotten memories. He had once believed that he had parted ways with the Jones brothers as a child but that wasn't true. 

He had tried to interact with Killian many times, but he never seemed to remember him and eventually Liam, Killian's elder brother, told William why the younger Jones couldn't remember him...his heritage. He was part whitelighter and Killian was reacting to that instinctively, trying to maintain the barrier holding back his memories.

In a nutshell, Killian Jones would never remember him...ever...until a certain redhead gets involved and both Hook and Killian finally see him and when that happens...later that night, he cried in relief and joy because his childhood friend and his captain actually acknowledged his existence, but it did not change the past. For when Artz had latched onto him during her time as "Alice", she had told him about what was happening; the Dreamshade, the trio of idiots, what she needed to cure herself of the poison, and most importantly, she told him about what Black, and eventually Hawthorne and Jefferson, did to her...were still doing to her.

Artz begged him for his help and at first, he didn't believe her. Worse still, he had told her who he was and what she had done to him. She simply smiled sadly and said that Killian wasn't the only one that lost something. He didn't have time to ask what she had meant by that because the clutzy Jefferson informed them that Black was reminding her of her other "shift" of work. This allowed the idiot trio to do as they pleased with her and for so long, he did nothing to stop it.

It was during a particularly vicious storm that he had been thrown overboard and the redhead that he despised so much risked her own life to save his. She brought them back to surface, using every ounce of her strength to hoist them back onto the ship, but Smee wasn't breathing. She performed CPR which allowed him to come sputtering back to life, but during the time between him drowning and being brought back, his forgotten past was restored to him and a great shift took place within the man's soul.

The reason why everything went to hell when he was a child was because he had been murdered...by his own father and the one he didn't know about either. His mother never told him who his father was and simply said that she didn't regret conceiving and giving birth to him, but the event prior to conception was not consensual and every time after that as well. His father had raped his mother and had apparently still been doing it, but then his mother fought back and he killed her. Not a day later, his father murdered him in retribution, believing that it was his fault that his mother finally grew a back bone.

Artz had felt it or at least felt something so she asked the boys to look after Graham for a bit and left to investigate only to find him dead on the rocky coastline and in the distance was the man that murdered him. She had been stunned to say the least...because it was Killian's and Liam's stepfather. She had a choice...go after the bastard and make him pay for what he had done or stay and save the life of the child laying dead at her feet.

She chose to save William and it was revealed to him that the Jones brothers and himself were stepbrothers. He told her about his mother and was taking her to his house to save her when Artz felt the power surge from Killian. A light orb formed around him and her, disappearing upon their arrival. She hadn't used it to get to Smee's house because she had never been there...even her powers have limitations and stipulations. Her light orb was only effective if she had spent an extended period of time in a particular place or held an incredibly strong bond with a specific individual.

When she was killed by Killian's powers and after the explosion of emotion that followed, Artz needed to be revived but because it was Killian's power that caused the injuries, it required a specific kind of ability to heal them...the power of a Whitelighter. Smee was sitting on his legs next to the woman that had brought him back to life and had come here to save his dear friends, only to die herself. He hated himself for how he felt all those months, wishing to rewind the clock and be with her just as his friends had been.

Tears began to form in his eyes, slipping down his cheeks to fall on the backs of his hands and his palms began to glow with a soft white light. He became deaf to Liam's voice, despite the elder Jones trying to warn him of the repercussions of drawing on his awakened heritage. Young Whitelighters were prohibited from using their healing power because they didn't fully comprehend what activated them in the first place and the toll it would take on their still developing bodies.

But William didn't care because all he saw was her...his savior...the light in the darkness...she truly was a star and that star needed to shine once more. He put everything he had into healing her. He did manage to start her heart but her injuries were a lot worse than he had thought so he focused mainly on healing her internal organs. His own heart began to stutter, the light from his hands flickering on and off. His young body was beginning to buckle under the strain and it wouldn't be long before he would be in death's embrace once more.

One of his closest friends was still begging him to stop but he couldn't. He had to make things right, to atone for the hatred he had once felt for her, but Liam had other ideas. The elder Jones shot a bolt of red electricity to hit the poor boy straight on, sending him flying backwards, his head smacking backwards and hitting the tree before the rest of his body had caught up. As always, there were consequences for every action and in this case, it had not only knocked him out but caused short term amnesia. Thus making him revert back to the time in which he hated her. Upon hearing this tale, William had scoffed at the elder Jones and simply walked away, having nothing more to do with them until all three were assigned to the Jewel of the Realm.

After he had recovered from his near death experience, he started to get to know Artz and he could see why his childhood friends were practically obsessed with her. She gave off this sort of aura of understanding... like you could tell her anything whether good or bad and you would know that she was actually listening to you. Then she would offer advice after explaining her perspective of the situation. It was up to them whether or not they followed that advice or chose a path of their own making. He honestly began to wonder if all the other things she had told him were true as well.

He had started noticing a pattern...she would be happy performing her duties as a deckhand but as soon as Jefferson, Hawthorne or Black reminded her of her other shift, just how petrified she became. Then gradually each man would disappear at random and were not seen or heard from for hours, even days but once the captain was back on board, these other shifts would abruptly end. He finally got fed up and actually attempted to follow them. It had taken a few tries for stealth was not his forte, but he did eventually succeed and what he witnessed with his own eyes was horrific; Hawthorne was making her service his sword with her mouth, Jefferson was was behind her and most definitely sheathed in her rear entrance and Black was on the floor monopolizing her womanhood, his hands gripping her breasts. They were definitely not being gentle in the slightest.

He could tell that she was trying very hard not to cry, not wanting to give them the bastards the satisfaction, but he also couldn't just barge in and rescue her. Three healthy males against one still recovering man, not very good odds...which went to zilch because Artz wasn't using her powers to stop them, meaning that what she said about the captain being poisoned through his evening wine had to be true and she had been protecting him, becoming a living shield for the captain they both cared for. She wasn't strong enough to fight back so he made it his mission to keep those three away from her at all costs, even gradually coaxing his captain into taking the ginger with him all the time until she never left his side, denying them their prize.

He had been surprised when he was promoted to First Mate but damn if he didn't do a mental happy dance when his captain cut off Black's hand. He made certain to show the captain what his true priorities were once returning to the ship, despite his personal feelings. That's when he saw it...acknowledgment and he actually trusted him. He almost lost control over his emotions when his captain had laughed after he had said aye, aye captain in response to his orders. He hadn't known just how much it would truly mean to him, to once again been seen and acknowledged.

When little Morrie came out of the Captain's quarters with a smirk firmly planted on his face, round two of pranking began aboard the Jolly Roger though it didn't disrupt their digestive tracts. In fact, the young druid seemed to be searching for something, so the first mate assisted the mischievous child so he could enter every part of the ship, including the cargo hold where Artz's other shifts had occurred.

When the boy suddenly stopped pranking and had become almost completely silent, William Smee knew something was wrong. His suspicions were confirmed when the ginger's godson started staring at the master of the galley, Lawrence Hawthorne. His theory was further validated when the man barged into the Captain's quarters while he was bedding his wench...she barely left that bed in the first place. Everyone on the bloody ship knew better than to get in between the Scourge of the Sea and his wench, doing so led to some rather unpleasant events for certain members of the crew that found themselves no longer amongst the living.

Fortunately, Artz had managed the situation well enough to keep her Captain from reacting instead of acting. She needed him to remain calm, rational, and ironically open to manipulation. It was only a slight tweak of the man's perception of her to actually hide the fact that she was dying. To save her Captain and ultimately herself, she drank the wine provided for him during his evening meal...the wine becoming more and more potent. He had tried to intercept the carrier but then Jefferson or someone else would either distract him or bowl over Artz.

When Morrie asked him to come to his quarters to look at something, he never expected to see the strange box that Jefferson had been carrying with him to and from Neverland...the very same land that had claimed the life of Liam Jones, the so called miraculous healing herb known as Dreamshade being the most viscous toxin in all the realms. He told the boy that he had seen Jefferson with that box and the boy's eyes went wide, his skin becoming an ashen white. The druid child whipped around and started rifling through page after page of notes, only for them to scatter about the floor. 

Smee was utterly shocked that little Morrie was crying and he was crying silently, not making a single sound. That boy had never cried before...his godmother attempting to kill him twice simply because her Captain had ordered her to...no problem, a trio of idiotic bastards with hidden agendas...smooth sailing...so what in blazing hell could possibly make this boy shed silent tears like his world had just shattered into dust?!

The answer came the next morning, but he didn't care express his grief, not in front of the crew. His captain, his friend, and his comrade that only just found his blackened heart a year ago was shattering to pieces. His friend was barely holding himself together and when they arrived at Port Marques de Leon, The Queen of Camelot herself boarded the Jolly Roger, along with a bed of flowers. 

Watching his captain kiss the woman that had become his soul, the eye of his storm, the star of the sea, it broke something inside of the whitelighter then he watched as his captain allowed the Seeress of the Blood Guard to place him into a deep slumber, one he had no intention of waking up from. Smee honestly didn't know what to do but Morgana did and then she named him, a crest appearing on his left hand. She informed him that Her Ladyship had named him long ago but it was not to be revealed until now. With its emergence, he could sense them...the Blood Guard. There were so many...most of the bloody crew were Blood Guard! That's why it was so easy for her to fit in with the crew, allowing the captain to believe that she had earned their trust which had eventually began to sway his mentality away from the abyss of evil and into the night bathed in starlight.

The first mate's attention snapped back to the present when the ship suddenly lurched, the tentacles disengaging and disappearing beneath the water. That's when he noticed that his captain and dear friend was no longer on board and judging from the swirling motion of the sea, a whirlpool was beginning to form and they were right on top of it. Silver suddenly appeared from the water to land on the deck, his clothes and body completely soaked. He made a mad dash up the stairs and took the helm, turning the ship so that they could use the flow of the emerging vortex of aquatic doom to pilot them out into safer waters. They couldn't break free entirely but they were able to remain on the edge the whole time.

Smee's jaw dropped as a massive squid-like creature rose from the whirlpool and easily swam to calmer waters but remained nearby for some inexplicable reason. The ship lurched again as the sea tornado grew in intensity, expanding further outwards and much deeper. It was almost to the ocean floor. The creature grabbed their ship again and pulled them back to the edge but kept a tentacle wrapped horizontally around the ship to act as a buffer.

Many of the crew actually screamed in terror as a rather large arachnid appendage landed on the deck. It was followed by several more until a gigantic spider loomed overhead. Fortunately, the spider positioned itself just so to keep its body from wrecking the sails and snapping the mast like a toothpick. Only Smee and Silver noticed the jet stream of water that had erupted from the center of the whirlpool, shooting straight up before arcing towards the ship. When it landed, a certain redhead came tumbling out while the water formed into the shape of a man. It solidified to reveal Poseidon, who then promptly collapsed. The strain of using his recently awakened heritage being too much for his body to handle.

Artz: And that's where I'm ending it. Sorry if it seemed more choppy than normal. It was written in short bursts over several months. Things have just been insanely hectic as of late and has still not settled down either, but I wanted to give ya something! I haven't forgotten I swear!

*A boy with silver hair walks into the article with his arms crossed and he's not alone. Several other very recognizable people join him.*

Artz: I haven't forgotten you guys either. I'll get there eventually.

Crow: *appears from her shadow, directly behind her. He smiles creepily at the crowd before opening his eyes, revealing that they were glowing a deep crimson color, almost like blood*

The crowd fled but two remained; the silver haired boy and the brown haired man.

Balthier: I'm not so easily intimidated.

Hope: And I'm just plain stubborn.

Artz: What are you...*notices Crow* Well that explains a lot. *to the readers* Apologies if the text style or spacing is a bit wonky. I had typed up the original draft in Google Docs, copied and modified it in the Blogger app, but to add gifs I have to use the browser version.

The Crocodile, Goldeneye

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Realm of the Blood Guard, home of the Prismata and the Child of the Stars! I know, the intro was a bit more wordy and posh, but considering who is being covered in this article, it was worth a grander entrance because he's just not anyone. He shares a deep bond with Artz but his deepest bond is with her sister, Anna aka Yuna, her truest believer.

As previously stated in another article, Goldeneye is Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon A Time, but you're probably wondering about a few things; Milah, Baelfire, Killian/Hook, Belle and Artz. After all, Milah was Bae's birth mother in the show but she isn't in the BG verse, so who was his mother and what the heck happened? The answer is rather easy and obvious to those that have watched Once Upon A Time...maybe, it's obvious to me anyways.

If you guessed Beauty, I mean Belle then you are correct. The relationship between Rumple and Belle in the show was essentially Once Upon A Time's version of Beauty and the Beast. However, in the BG verse, things go a bit sideways and whole lot skewed. Oh don't get me wrong, Rumple is still the Dark One, but his castle in a forest turns into a fortress on an island. Belle is actually a rather complicated story. The short version is that she was the younger of a set of twins, the eldest having been taken by an evil sorceress to be trained as a sex mage.

The term sex mage was the easiest way to explain what she became but in plain speak, basically a term you would understand instead of a long, drawn out and probably poetic explanation from yours truly. Anyways, the elder sister was named Tessa and from an author's stand point, there is a reason for that. Said reason is below.

Say hello to Tess from the series, Roswell. Yeah, pulling out all the stops for the BG verse and yes, the same actress did indeed play both parts which is why Tessa has blonde hair...initially speaking. Like I said before...Belle is complicated. But you're talking about Tessa right now. Yeah...about that...*brief pause to insert an image to avoid explaining right away, having need to figure out how to give a clear, condensed, and concise version*

*clears throat*

Okay, to put it bluntly...Belle is dead. *waves hands in pleading gesture* Let me explain! *trying to ignore the murderous glares from the Rumbelle fandom* In the show, there is a moment in Belle's history where she could have easily died and that moment was the day the orges attacked, killing her mother. In the BG verse, that attack still happens but Belle is also killed. In his grief, Belle's father begged for the return of Tessa, simply unable to cope with the loss of his wife and child.

The sorceress initially refuses, only to gasp in alarm. Little Tessa was behind her and had her tiny hand in the woman's back. She ripped out the heart and ordered the sorceress to merge the essence of her twin inside of her and as punishment for denying her father, Tessa ordered her to be at her father's beck and call. When done giving orders, she placed a spell on the heart and returned it, binding the sorceress to her father.

Her orders were carried out but the merger of two essences functioning at very different wavelengths caused Tessa to forget that she was...well, Tessa. Her hair turned brown and her memories of the sorceress and all of the training/torment/torture was buried deep within. Her father told the sorceress to alter his memories of the attack so that it would appear as if his daughter had survived because even if it was a lie, she was still his child no matter which name she went by but his people would not trust Tessa due to her being raised by an evil being; however, they would accept that the king had managed a miracle and saved Belle's life.

Unfortunately he had not given her any restrictions and thus she was able to alter his memory to where she had been the one to save the child's life. The king "insisted" that she return to his kingdom as his royal visor and eventually became his royal mistress. It was difficult to do but she had bound him to her, albeit more shallow than her own binding to him. The three of them returned to his kingdom and life went on.

The seemingly never ending war with the orges brought forth both broken men and mighty warriors. Then there were those held up higher than all the rest, the Great Heroes. Amongst these heroes was a man named Gaston, his incredible deeds during the wars had earned him both fame and fortune. He had young lads aspiring to be like him, men envious for many a reason, and there wasn't a woman that did not desire except one...Belle.

Belle held no interest in marriage or romance, gave no inclination to settling down or having children. In fact, she wanted to be the hero, exploring the world and accomplishing things that no other warrior or hero has dared to dream. Time and again, Gaston would approach her, attempt to converse with her, but ultimately failing to get any kind of positive reaction from the brunette princess with her nose always stuck in a book.

The longer she denied him, the more he wanted her. His bed partners were on the receiving end of his ferocious ire, his carnal desires making him almost beastial in nature. Most of them couldn't walk or crawl or even work anymore, he was that monstrous in bed. Not long after, he went on a hunting trip into the mountains just south of the capital where the Royal Palace resided. He left his usual short companion back at the town lodge, paying the blonde triplets to keep him occupied while he was away.

It waa during this trip that he heard the most beautiful voice singing nearby. He followed the voice, his footsteps becoming quicker but nearly undetectable. Why because he recognized the voice, who else could it be and there she was, Princess Belle, sitting in a small meadow filled with flowers. The sun filtered through canopy to cast her in array of light and shadow and the great hero realized that it was just the two of them. 

They were completely alone, no one within hearing distance. No one could see them or hear them...no one could stop him. No one could stop him from claiming his reward so he silently stepped into the clearing. Within moments, he was on top of her, pushing her to the ground.

*We interrupt this article to prevent exposure of content too graphic to depict on this site.*

Her unexpected encounter with the war hero, Gaston, forced Tessa's essence to emerge and with it came the knowledge and power of her craft. She easily used their joined position along with her magic to enslave him to her will. No longer did he yearn to conquer her but to be used by her however she saw fit. From that day forth, he was her slave. She decided that it would be in her best interest to marry Gaston as to avoid her rather meddlesome father and the machinations of her former mentor.

The sorceress could sense that Gaston had been stripped of his free will, a state that could only be brought about by sensual magic. He may have been a boisterous buffoon but he was an exceptional hunter and soldier that possessed both cunning and intellect; however, his arrogance and pride drove him directly into the clutches of her former apprentice. While the king approved the wedding and started the preparations, she contacted an acquaintance of hers...the Dark One.

He had gotten himself a rather fiesty maid, his little sapphire. Honestly, were all men idiots? His sapphire was none other than the Lady of the Blood Guard which was why the sorceress had ceased any possible proposals for him. When the Star Child became involved, it was best to vacate the area if said individual had any self preservation. She knew it was a gamble to get him involved because he was a man, but if anyone had a chance of taming the irksome child then it was him. Plus with the Star Child in residence at the Dark Fortress, her former apprentice would not be able to keep a stable bond with him because no one in creation thus far has been able to overcome the indomitable will of the Child of the Stars.

Upon hearing about the intensification of the orge wars, his little sapphire advised him to become involved and he simply sighed, transporting himself there with magic but once he was within range of a certain brunette princess, her magic began to weave around him in a non invasive yet alluring way, quieting the beast within him and thus a deal was struck. In exchange for ending the orges wars and allowing peace to finally come to these lands, the hand of the lovely Princess Belle in marriage. Gaston was about to unsheath his sword but she walked forward saying that it was time for her to become the hero she always wanted to be and behalf of her father's kingdom, she accepted the deal.

Well Artz was far from happy, she had thought Belle to be the kind hearted, book loving noble that she had heard so many wonderful things about. What she got was an abusive and cruel mistress constantly trying to undermine her influence over the Dark One. She wasn't an idiot, she knew something was off about her from the start, but there was nothing she could do about it. The one time she mentioned anything remotely negative about his recently made wife resulted in a rather fiercesome sound lashing that took weeks to recover when it should have taken only a few days.

It wasn't until Baelfire was born that things altered radically. Belle just up and left, leaving a note saying that she could no longer allow a beast to fill her with its seed nor could she bring herself to raise its spawn. Rumple had been devastated so it had been up to Artz to take care of the newborn, but even though the princess was gone, something felt off. Not long after, she received word from her Captain that Poseidon was having difficulties controlling himself around the most recent addition to their crew, a young woman named Tessa. 

She handed the boy off to his father that was sitting in front of the spinning wheel, blankly staring at. He automatically adjusted his hold so his son was more comfortable while his ever faithful sapphire ran to the closest mirror to use a spell he had taught her. She picked up a silver ornate hand mirror from within a glass windowed display cabinet and casted the spell on it, allowing her to see what she desired...the Jolly Roger. She nearly threw the damn thing across the room because that damn princess was not only on board Her Captain's ship but also had her hands all over Her God of the Sea.

Poseidon, although early in his time stream, was fiercely loyal to Artz and loved her so much almost to the point of agony, so for him to be allowing another woman to be intimate with him at all meant that something was very wrong. The problem was the nearly catatonic Dark One. She couldn't just leave him to personally deal with the issue than return because her departure would kill him and possibly Baelfire if she didn't return quickly enough. Why was Rumple like this? It didn't seem right like had been carved out or like something switched off in him.

She told the Fourth Captain to take control of their shared body for the time being, seeing as he was apparently immune to whatever was affecting Poseidon and to figure out what was going with the wayward noble even if it meant bedding the damn bitch to which the captain was not happy about. He was clearly an Artz only man, making the love she held for her beloved captain that match deeper because he always chose her and she knew that he always would. A perk of having been originally in the future and having the chance to fall for him before he technically ever met her. Don't you just love spatial/temporal mechanics where effect precedes cause?

The red haired dimensional traveler then turned her attention to the silent Dark Wizard. No matter what she tried, she simply couldn't reach him and they still had no idea where the dagger was so that option was out. She found out about a month later that the Dark One was not the first to fall to the somehow mystical noble. How did she know this when a certain asshole of a war hero barged through the front door and attempted to kill Rumple and as usual Artz acted on instinct first and got in the way, shielding both Rumple and Baelfire from being skewered on the idiot's sword.

She fell to the floor, clutching her right side in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding or at least slow it down. But what about her powers? The Dark Fortress was both designed and built by the very first Dark One and an enchantment was forged into every part of it and the surrounding grounds. This enchantment prevented any and all forms of power from being used there unless the Dark One allowed otherwise and even then, it was unlikely to work because her power was that of a star and the Beast born from darkness that was bound to the dagger would not react favorably.

Gaston attempted to finish the job, pulling out his sword from her body making her cry out in pain. Just as he raised the blade up to cut off her head, he was surrounded by a swirling fog of magic. The sword dropped to the floor with a loud clang as the magical cloud vanished, a rose falling through the air to land in front of her. A small smile graced her lips as she lost consciousness. Once Upon A Time had struck again and for once, she hadn't minded because she did not want to die again. It was far too soon and would put too much strain on her body.

Rumple was sitting next to the woman that had saved his life and that of his son. She had been looking after and caring for them both this whole time. He was angry, not at her, but himself. He had fallen victim to an almost completely forgotten art of magic. It was one of the few kinds of magic that the Dark One had no defense against if the sex mage was of the opposite gender. The only reason he had not become an empty puppet was the woman he was sitting next to.

His old associate, the sorceress, had revealed the identity of his little sapphire and he was honestly surprised that she would allow herself to be rendered powerless, only to endure his severe mood swings, foul temper, and the few times that the beast broke free and used her like it's bitch before returning to the confines of the dagger, having been temporarily sated. Then he pops off to end the ogre wars only to get married to a sex mage that treated her with such cruelty. He internally winced as he remembered the sound lashing he had inflicted upon her, using his magic to augment the whip and making the recovery time lengthen. 

To which his "wife" took advantage of and repeatedly bedded him without interference but she was unable to bind him to her. His connection to the Star Child was already too deep to overcome. This was proven when her life was about to end unless immediate action was taken. The desire to save her kick started his brain and he easily dealt with the buffoon, watching her smile when she saw the rose. She loved roses. He made a maze garden just for her, each nexus point had a different strain of roses. She seemed to favor red most of all, followed by blue, purple, silver and ridiculously black, but if it made her happy, it was worth the confusion and the walking contradiction of a puzzle that became more complex as each layer was solved.

To put her through his problems was bad enough but to drag a sex mage into the equation followed by an infant, said infant asleep by his maid, was going too far. He had tried to grant access to her powers within the fortress but it wouldn't budge and it had nothing to do with the beast. It was rather content and very smug because a star was its bitch. He had never been so disgusted in his life. Everyone called him the Dark One but he was nothing more than a host, a meat suit as it were.

He was distracted from his inner musings by what sounded like a body crashing into the table of the dining hall. Was it bad to actually what that sound was in an instant? Did it really occur that often to actually be memorable? He rose from his chair and headed towards the door, pausing briefly to place an impenetrable barrier around his maid and son. Then he simply left the room, not knowing that his life was about to change forever.

Artz: And that's a wrap for this one.

Atem: I was under the impression that this article was supposed to focus primarily on Goldeneye.

Yugi: I've got three words for you, partner. Follow...the...muse. Once she gets going, its best to just get out of the way.

Seto: Hmph. For once we agree on something.

Artz: Um...

Joey: What the hell is that supposed to mean, rich boy?!

Tristan: *holding his friend and stopping him from doing something stupid like punching a certain multi billion in the face* Settle down, Joey. Just give it a rest already!

Mai: *reclining leisurely in a nearby chair, sipping a cocktail and having a mock duel with Tea* Will you idiots keep it down over? I'm trying to teach Tea some advanced dueling techniques for that cute little deck of hers.

Tea: *sighs heavily* Don't bother, Mai. All these years and they still haven't changed.

Artz: *just turns around and walks away, wondering why the Yugioh verse just invaded for no apparent reason*

The Order of the Birds

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Realm of the Blood Guard. Today's topic is about a special regiment within the Prism Guard but are separate from the Prismata. This doesn't make them any less important. In fact, many of the members are absolutely vital in future events. Now as to why it's referred to as The Order of the Birds...it has to do with a quote from the show in which they originated from.

'Love...please teach love to all the little birds.'

I swear this show is every guy's wet dream because the girls' clothes were constantly being shredded during battle...but it's still one of my all time faves and I'm a completely straight girl, Sekirei. Yep, the super powered Sekirei aka birds are in the Realm and have been for some time. I mentioned them in one of my earliest articles. *cringes* I still need to fix those.

In a different article altogether, several actually, I've either commented on them or interacted with them on some level, so I'm going to do a brief...hopefully...overview of some of the more prominent members, basically the ones that will show up the most often.

The Bird of Water, #09 Tsukimi.

And yes, I am aware that I'm spelling her name wrong but the other way looked way too weird. Oh and in the English dub, it's pronounced skew-mi. You'll be skewered alright because despite her having water powers, she has a very fiery personality. She's quite the pistol that one. I'm not entirely sure why it's always her that I default to. *shrugs*

Now in The Realm, she has a wider spectrum of emotion and a rather complex character arc...most of which is not even remotely thought of yet. The general synopsis is that when the Birds are scattered by some event I have yet to think of, Tsukimi gets into some major trouble. The single digit Sekirei have naughtier specs than the others, thus making them more appealing and desirable. It doesn't help that she has blonde hair, blue eyes, a large chest, and all the right curves in all the right places. She is the perfect example of a blonde bombshell.

So due to all these lovely attributes, she is constantly hunted, but with her water powers for protection, she can usually escape capture. However, the Sekirei of Water, although well educated, did not know much about the outside world and just how devious humans could be. She was befriended by a wandering scholar and they traveled together for several months. She decided to trust him, caring deeply for him as a dear friend, and opening up about her past. This was a mistake...one that would have repercussions for a very long time.

After listening to her tale and feigning great sympathy, he gave her a gift as a way to cheer her up. She trusted him implicitly and he had not given her any cause to doubt him in any way, so she innocently lifted her golden locks out of the way so he could put it on her. The moment it clicked into place, Tsukimi was overcome by acute exhaustion, her body falling to the ground and refusing to obey her mental commands to rise. She didn't even have the strength to demand answers from her supposed friend.

For almost four decades, she was enslaved to his will, his every fantasy and desire hers to fulfill. She didn't have a choice for the device known as the radahan, his so called gift, forced her to obey his every order and prevented her from calling on her powers as the Bird of Water. The things he did were unspeakable, he had gone mad from his lust for her, but what came next for Tsukimi wasn't much better but at least trust wasnt an issue this time. Her former owner expired after being bitten by a rather helpful snake, a black mamba, which was said to be one of the deadliest snakes in the world.

The Sekirei chose to flee deeper into the woods and to get as far away from civilization as possible. At least until she found a way to restore her powers because at that point in time, the magical device was set to its neutral mode, meaning that any man could command her. Until someone actually claimed her by mucosal contact, she was pretty much a target for every male in existence.

She managed to evade the humans but not the elves, most were decent enough. She actually thought the prince was quite honorable...cold as ice but no less honorable. His uncle and current ruler of their kin in this region was an entirely different story because he was the one that had sent the snake to kill her master, knowing that she would run straight into his territory to avoid the human settlements.

He didn't hesitate in claiming her but then ordered her to kill the prince but she didn't move. He ordered her to tell him why and the radahan wrenched the words out of her, telling him that the device had limitations; to answer her master's questions, to never hide her feelings during certain activities...to which he asked about. She locked her jaw, trying to fight against the blasted trinket but to no avail. Instead of telling him, she simply did it instead. She pushed him back against his throne and proceeded to have sex with him right then and there.

Tsukimi actually lost track of time during the centuries she had spent with the elves; the opinion of the general populace about her had shifted radically during that time. No longer was she greeted cordially and when acknowledged, it was usually with disdain or disgust. The elven king had sent out a quiet edict to all those in his domain, telling them that the blonde woman was his bed mistress and should any wish to sample her then they were allowed to do so but she was to remain unharmed and the sampling was to be conducted behind closed doors as to not be disturbed.

Not long after he had issued the edict, he used the power of the radahan to make her forcibly submit to him within the bed chamber. After his rather violent using of her, he told her of the edict and that she was to obey it. She was not to fight back or make a scene in public, and she was to inform each participant of the best locations to utilize on her body for a variety of reasons. He reveled in her hate filled gaze because it only made things worse for her and more pleasurable for him. He longed for the day where that incredible spirit would break, but little did he know that it would not occur during his reign.

Over time, the people became bored with her and she was officially labeled as the Royal Mistress. She was to be passed on to the next ruler due to her longevity, her youth and beauty never fading. The ruler died of supposed natural causes and the prince ascended to the throne. He had been informed by his uncle's advisors that she was his mistress and that it was her duty to appease his darker and carnal desires so that he could remain as a passionate and stalwart king. The advisors didn't have time to be shocked when he used a light whip forged from his magical lineage to sever their heads from their bodies.

The Bird of Water stared at the silver haired elf, his pale blue eyes colder than steel. She remain frozen as he moved towards her, coming to a stop in front of her. She waited for him to claim her as the scholar and former king had, but instead pulled out a small silver key and reached for her neck. She unfrozen and took a step back.

'Do not move again.'

He ordered, his voice like the wind in the dead of winter, and the radahan activated, making her comply. He reached towards her neck once again and inserted the key into the device. There was an almost inaudible click and she lost consciousness. When she came to, she was outdoors by a crystal clear lake that had a single pier extending into it. She rose to her feet and appraised her new attire. It was bold yet elegant, alluring yet sophisticated and could be summed up with one word, a single adjective...badass.

She jumped when a group of men walked out of the forest...no, not again! She couldn't do this anymore! She'd rather die than let any male ever touch her again! They moved towards her and she could already see the members becoming stiff, straining against their clothing. It made her angry, angrier than she has ever been. She was not an object to be owned, a tool to be used, a doll used to pleasure themselves with, and she most certainly wasn't human! She was a Sekirei, the Bird of Water! 

Without fully realizing what she was doing, she attacked them...with water. Her enemies went flying into the trees, all of them dying on impact. The force of her freshly emerged powers had been intensified over the years by the radahan, suppressed and folded back in on itself becoming more and more dense and that much more destructive. She fell to her hands and knees, weeping in joy an relief. She hadn't realized just how much her powers were a part of her until now.

She looked over at the men she killed, tears still pouring down her cheeks. Never again will she be fooled by those loathsome monkeys and she will tolerate the elves as a show gratitude to the newly appointed elven king that had released her from this terrible nightmare. She rose to her feet and walked out onto the pier, reaching its end she looked up at the night sky. She will never trust again.

And that's it for this segment. I'll save the rest for another article down the road. I had a feeling that I would end up focusing on Tsukimi, so I've already mapped it out into series.

Preacher: *leaning on his cross shaped weapon, The Punisher, and lighting a cigarette* Meaning that she hasn't thought out a damn thing for any of them.

Artz: *blushes from embarrassment* He's actually right about that, but I do have a reason. I've noticed that when I plan something out that I'm less likely to finish it or get hung up on transitions or even writing anything at all.

A man dressed a dark monk's outfit walks in, the rings on his staff jingling pleasantly.

Man: Ah, I see now. I was noticing the irregularities in the levels of quality for your combined works.

Preacher: What the hell are you doing here, womanizer? *eyes narrowing*

Man: My name is Miroku, not womanizer and I am nothing more than a wandering monk.

Artz: *raises an eyebrow* Get anywhere near my ass and I'll sick one of the Sekirei on you...maybe even...Mia.

Miroku: *face drains of color and starts sweating profusely* Now now, no needy to be hasty. Allow me to state my point and I shall leave forthwith. *clears throat* As I stated earlier, there are irregularities amongst your combined works. The stories in which you were simply writing whatever came to mind possess a much higher quality than those where you forced yourself to adhere to a set design or plot path. 

Thus the reason many of your stories have not been updated because you are caged by what is already there, but by allowing yourself to simply wander about, the flow is smooth and possesses a greater refinement. You have literally come up with entire origin stories on the spot, not even knowing what the article would cover at all. Prime examples are Mars, Venus, Van, Neptune, most of Starsea, Tokemi, Gemini, Preacher, Death Toll, and Vash to a certain extent. 

Artz: *punts him out of the article* Thank you, Captain Obvious. Not to mention that you completely ignored the Hollows and everything based around Eleanor and Clare Oswald.

Preacher: *picks up his weapon* Well that's my cue to leave. *gives her a lazy wave as he walks away*

Artz: *runs hands through her hair in exasperated manner* This is my life now...the butt of a terrible joke or the lamest pun in history. *sighs and wanders off mumbling to herself*