[b]All rightful ownership goes to Linkin Park. I do not own this song or this video.[/b]
The vandal, Vokis, knelt to the ground. She drew the House of Exile symbol, then pointed to the west. Edward, crouched down as well, stared at Vokis. He did not move. Vokis, trying to get her message through, pointed to the symbol in the dirt, pointed west, and her arms asking for Edward to follow. This time Edward copied the hand signals telling Vokis that he understood. Vokis and Edward picked up their weapons and walked to a skiff. Everyone hooked up to the Fallen safety harnesses.
The group of Fallen, and the Guardian, landed in a huge basin. They walked towards a lonely pod that stared at the coast which the group arrived. Edward looked to Vokis, she pointed to the pod. The Fallen never learned the Prison of Elders' lock code for their pods. After the Wolf Uprising, Guardians were given the code for free access to the Prison. Edward walked up to the pod and felt the shell. After locating the keypad, Edward slowly punched in the code. He stood back as the pod hissed and bellowed ether gas. The door raised open, allowing for the resurrected Frigoris to climb out.
Frigoris fell to his knees as soon as his feet hit the ground. Vokis and the other Fallen knelt before their baron as he stood up.
"That hayes of Braxis will suffer for his betrayal!!" barked Frigoris.
"Did.. he just say my name?" Edward thought to himself. He thought about what Haxx said before. "Apparently the word 'hayes' is vulgar in Eliksni."
Vokis gave Frigoris two of her four swords as he walked by. Frigoris, stumbling, walked out of the basin, hoping to find the Silent Hand. Edward realized this and tugged on Frigoris' arm.
Edward held up his hands. He looked like a kid as he tried to show that the ship crashed. Vokis realized what he tried to say then told Frigoris what happened. Frigoris shifted his eyes toward Edward. He noticed that Edward wore pieces of a cloak from a Winter Fallen.
"You know the fate of my brother?"
Edward had no idea what he said, all Edward did was shift his stance. Edward pointed to the Winter cloak and showed with his hands that the ship crashed.
Vokis looked to Frigoris. "I believe he is trying to say that Braxis and most of Winter crashed."
"Vokis, do you know where the ship crashed?" asked Frigoris.
"Yes. It is southwest of here." Vokis pointed in the general direction of the wreckage.
"I want to see it..."
The Fallen and Edward got back on the skiff and flew not far from where they found Edward. He had been walking in circles for five months. They landed and everyone got off. Frigoris looked around the wreckage, so many House of Winter was on that ship, so many laid on the ground dead. Frigoris stopped at one corpse and knelt down by it.
"Hello, brother... It appears fate was unkind to you and your reoccurring betrayals to those you call 'family'."
"Vokis, raid the remaining supplies left by Winter, we're going home.... This House is broken." Frigoris walked back to the skiff.
Edward followed the Fallen to the vessel. One by one, they climbed into the ship.
Frigoris stopped Vokis. "He is not joining us..." after that, Frigoris climbed in.
Vokis looked to the ground somberly. She caught Edward's arm as he tried to climb up. She yanked him back to the ground and tossed him a sword. Edward got up and watched the skiff fly off. Edward didn't fully trust the Fallen, but he hoped they could, at least, get him one step closer to home.
Edward had setup camp for the night. He sat by another fire he started, rubbing his scout rifle.
"Everyone has faith of survival. Faith of returning home... faith has forsaken us.."
Edward looked at the wreckage, it like everything else, was covered in overgrowth. He climbed into his, so called, tent. The night moved on, but Edward couldn't sleep as he couldn't many nights before. He was only able to scavenge wild berries for his meal, he was already skin and bone.
"What do you think, Kelly? Should I suffer another day, hoping someone is looking?... Or should I end my suffering now?" Edward rolled his head and stared at the arc blade given to him by Vokis.
"Everyone thinks I'm dead, and most likely by a Fallen, or the crash, or both..."
Edward rolled over and took the sword. He placed the end of the blade on his chest and held the cross guard. Edward took several shallow breaths getting ready to force the blade through his heart.
All of the sudden, a booming voice echoed in the trees. "This is the Guardian Rescue Squad! We have received your smoke signal!"
Edward dropped the sword and ran out! He fell to his knees in disbelief. Edward waved his hands in the air getting the group's attention. "THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!" Edward broke into tears.
Three titans materialized below their ships. They set a perimeter around Edward as a fourth titan helped him to the ships. Edward looked up, the leaves of the trees above him had caught fire. The moist, healthy leaves had made a tall pillar of smoke.
The team returned to the City. Edward fell to the ground, he kissed the scripture engraved in the stone at the Tower courtyard. Haxx had just picked up bounties and was going to the hanger. He looked up and stopped mid-step when he saw Edward.
"C.P., go tell Drake to bring Gale out here..." Haxx sent his ghost and walked to his older fireteam leader.
"Edward?! Where the h*** have you been?!" Haxx ran up and hugged Edward.
"Ahaha! Surviving, my friend, surviving! Long-time-no-see!" Edward laughed after meeting his friend.
C.P., Drake, and Gale walked into the courtyard. She moved on in life, but time didn't heal her wounds.
"What do you need Ha-.... Ed? Edward?!" Gale ran to Edward about to jump in his arms, but he backed away. "...Ed?"
Edward took another step back. "....I need an Earth atmospheric shower..."
"Well, d*** you, Ed! You've been missing for eight months, and the first thing you do when you get back is shoot a joke with me?!... I love you!!" Nonetheless, Gale jumped in Edward's arms.
Edward took multiple showers, shaved his overgrown facial hair, and trimmed his head hair. After getting a new pair of gear, Cayde and Zavala walked up.
"Haha! I told Gale you could hold your own out there hunter! I must've taught you well..."
Gale, pissed off by that comment, willed a gauntlet on, walked up to Cayde and punched him! Cayde's eyes flickered from the impact. He stumbled backwards a step, before falling to the ground.
"Uh, Zavala, O' pal. Do you mind helping me up?" asked Cayde as he laid across the floor.
Zavala looked to Cayde for a second, keeping his hands clasped together behind his back. He looked to Edward.
"The Vanguard and the City are proud to have amongst our ranks once again. However, you shall remain off duty until your physical health returns to normal." Zavala walked back to the Hall of Guardians.
"Uh, Zavala? I could still use a hand... Fine, I'll get up myself." Cayde sprung to his feet, glared at Gale, and shifted his jaw.
Edward instantly remembered something and ran back to his apartment.
"Ed?! What's wrong Ed?!" asked Gale as she rushed after him.
Edward came back with Kelly cradled in his hands as Gale reached his door.
"Oh, Traveler, help her..." whispered Drake as he appeared over Gale's shoulder.
"Get her to the Speaker!" yelled Haxx.
The three Guardians ran to the other side of the Tower and rushed up the stairs.
"Speaker, Eli? Please, help her!" cried Edward.
"Oh, Kelly..." Eli inspected the ghost. "Stabbed through the core by an arc blade. Edward, we can repair her shell, but there is no telling if her memory bank and conscious is still intact..."
"Her conscious?" asked Edward.
"Well, the Light in her that gives her a personality." Eli looked to Edward.
"Light, huh? I got this..." Edward took Kelly in hand and breathed.
Anything metal in the room slowly moved towards Edward. Eli and the Speaker looked around.
"This is my last bit of Light..." Edward sent all of his arc energy into Kelly. The sudden burst of energy sparked a flash of Light in Kelly's core. The ghost slowly floated up, her core Light shining bright.
"Where am I? Has the Traveler found me a Guardian?" asked Kelly. She scanned the people around her. Kelly looked at Edward and stopped. She blinked once, twice. "Daddy?"
"Kelly!" Edward hugged his ghost tightly. "Hmm, you could use a new shell. Don't you think?"
Kelly flew towards a mirror and saw the dirt and debris on her. "I missed an adventure?"
Drake and Kelly disappeared to who knows where while Edward, Gale, and Haxx went back to their apartments. Gale went into hers, but Edward and Haxx stayed back. Edward showed Haxx the small box Kelly gave him on the ketch. Haxx nodded right as Gale returned.
Edward knelt down before her. "Gale, would you be my Crimson partner, forever?"
Drake and Kelly returned in time for this. Drake started to cry. "My girl's growing up..."
Gale cupped her hands over her mouth. "Yes, Ed. Yes!"
Haxx patted Edward's shoulder as he stood back up.
Edward gave Gale a kiss. "I love you."
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Edited by M1KE404: 2/21/2016 5:53:53 PMIt is the end of this story, but I hope not the end of ARC. Have you considered a another story with the same characters, a "second season" if you like?