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Message-ID: <35752asstr$1016237405@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "celia batau" <pinataheart@bigplanet.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} [VBC] the Tree of Life {celia batau} (vbc1 MF fantasy)
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 19:10:05 -0500
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hi everyone!

this is our entry for the Virago Blue Challenge. :)

note: copyright 2002 celia batau. you may copy this story for personal use
so long as the author's name and this note are retained. permission to copy,
distribute, or display this work is not given to any website which charges
access to it. permission to copy, distribute, or display this work is given
to "no charge" websites with written consent of author.

this story was edited by Sam I am. yay Sam!

If you like this story or have any comments, please email us at
pinataheart@bigplanet.com.

-cb



the tree of life

celia batau, (c)2002

The shrouded blue mountains in the distance were little more than a
decorative plate edge to the wide flat plain Vittoria found herself on. She
wavered on her feet for the moments it took for gravity to reassert its hold
on her body, then let herself fall onto the lush wet grass.

Exactly how far had she come? The question rolled behind her closed eyes as
she let her tired limbs rest for a moment. How far was she willing to go?
That question was much easier to answer. As far as it took. To the center of
this circular plain. To the ancient tree whose roots fed from the lower
worlds, and whose branches spread out into the countless heavenly realms.

Eventually, more by habit than by choice, Vittoria pushed herself to her
knees. The plate armor weighed as heavily on her thin frame as it ever had.
But she was too close to stop.

Standing again, she lifted her gaze to the tree. Its twisted trunk rose like
mating serpents to a dark canopy that spread out over the plain like a
sheltering umbrella. Occasionally, flashes of lightening connected canopy
with earth, and watching it, Vittoria knew she had made the right decision.

Some say love lasts forever. Others say that even after the last sun has
faded to ash and the last breath has expired, love will remain. But Vittoria
knew better. After countless lives, after thousands of worlds and millions
of names chasing after the traces of her first and only love, only hope had
remained.

Vittoria began walking. In the leather satchel slung across her
shoulderblades were three magic icons. One for her. One for her love. And
one for the Guardian of the Tree. The first brought her here. The second
would identify her love. And the third would bring them together. Strapped
to the top of her satchel was her longsword. As Vittoria neared the tree and
she began to glimpse its true magnitude, she sincerely hoped she wouldn't
need the weapon.



The grass Vittoria walked on thinned and gradually faded out into a dark and
sparkling soil. The tree itself was as wide as a castle tower. Looking up,
the trunk disappeared into the mists that covered the field. Standing before
it, Vittoria reached out and pressed her hand against it's side. She could
feel a coolness against her palm, but nothing else. The bark had no touch.
Whatever Vittoria had imagined the Tree of Life to feel like, nothing wasn't
it. She swept her hand across the surface, but it was all the same.

Curious, she leaned forward and pressed her ear against the tree. And
although her cheek and ear felt the same cool nothingness as her hands,
there was a sound. It was the soft and gentle wash of rivers.

Straightening, Vittoria loosed the straps of her satchel and let it slip off
her arms to the ground. Bending down, she opened it and retrieved a dagger
and a small thin plaque of bronze, the size of a playing card. The top of
the plaque had a hole through which a piece of twine had been looped and
tied. Below it, the name of the guardian had been stamped into the thin
metal. Slipping the loop of twine over the blade of the dagger, she
reapproached the tree.

Vittoria took a deep breath. Then without thinking of the consequences,
without thinking about the countless moments that had brought her here or
even of the love that had started the journey, she plunged the dagger into
the tree to the hilt.

Silence.

Backing up, Vittoria stared at the hilt imbedded in the tree. She turned
around, scanning the field for the guardian who she believed had to answer
her challenge.

"Omorogoku," she cried out, "Guardian of the Tree of Life, I call to you."

Nothing happened. Vittoria turned back toward the tree, uncertain whether
she had done something wrong. What she saw there stopped her cold.

The tree was bleeding. A deep ochre blood ran along the underside of the
hilt and dripped off its end like a thick syrup. The plaque was covered in
the fluid as well, and as she watched, the letters of the name imprinted in
the metal began to glow. When the glow faded, the name was gone, but
something else had taken its place.

"I have come."

Vittoria spun around. Omorogoku, the Guardian, stood on the soil a short
distance from her. He was beautiful, with golden skin, and a form which was
strong and lean with use, completely unneeding of clothes or armor to hide
it. Vittoria stared at the wondrous being until he lifted the double-headed
spear in his right hand and pointed one of its ends in her direction.

"You have called me, woman. Defeat me and have your reward."

Vittoria didn't hesitate. Immediately, she reached back for her satchel,
sliding her longsword from its scabbard while her other hand pulled out a
second dagger. Now, armed, she charged him.

Their first pass was a blur to the armored woman. No sooner had the arc of
her sword reached the Guardian's unprotected side, than he was gone. His
return blow struck her in the back, sending her stumbling forward. Catching
her step, she turned and swung again, once more finding him elsewhere. His
second blow caught her in the crease between two shoulder plates. The spear
actually lifted her from the ground before its owner shoved her off. She
landed on her back, gasping but unharmed.

Vittoria rolled onto her belly. Groaning, she pushed herself back to her
feet and faced him. He was smiling!

"Give up, woman. You cannot win."

The Guardian was right. Vittoria knew it. He was far too fast for her, but
she was not about to give up.

Vittoria's second charge was even less successful. He blocked her strike
with the haft of his spear and then thrust the end squarely against her
chest. The tip pierced the plate and buried itself in the chainmail beneath.
Vittoria's longsword fell from her hand as her feet slid out from under her.
She grabbed onto the spear to keep the tip from pushing through and swung
unsuccessfully with the dagger. Regaining her balance, she managed to push
the tip out of her armor and down and harmlessly away. But the Guardian
wasn't finished. As soon as the first end was away from her, the back end
was swung up and then down onto her unprotected head. Vittoria fell onto her
face, dizzy from the blow.

"Wait," she whispered.

The inside of Vittoria's left breast hurt where the spear had penetrated her
armor. Her muscles ached, her head swam, and she had no idea where her sword
had gone.

Slowly, she began to pull her metal plates off. She was too slow and the
armor was too heavy for her to have a chance against the beautiful creature.
Shoulder plates, chest plates, arm plates, and thigh plates all came
unlatched and fell to the soil around her. Reluctantly, she even pulled off
her foot coverings and the chainmail.

The Guardian waited patiently for her to undress. He watched with an amused
expression on his face as Vittoria made herself as bare as he was. Her head
ached and there was a little bit of blood on her fingers when she touched
the sore area. There was also a red spot on her chest and the innumerable
lines where the chain and plates had molded to her body. She felt exposed
and vulnerable. She hoped it was worth it.

Finding her longsword and the dagger, she faced him again.

"Okay."

This time Vittoria didn't rush the Guardian like she had before. Instead,
the two fighters circled each other. She had to get close where he couldn't
avoid her. She had to get past that spear.

She found her moment. The Guardian had lowered the front end of the spear in
anticipation of her strike, and she used that to rush in. Free of the heavy
armor, Vittoria was much quicker, closing the short distance before he could
raise the tip. Stepping on the spear with her bare foot to pin it down, she
lifted her blades and thrust straight at him. To Vittoria's surprise, the
Guardian released the spear. And using the woman's momentum against her, he
dodged the blades and pulled her arms behind him, so that they both came to
a stop pressed face to face against each other.

Vittoria breathed. Her forehead was pressed against her opponent's cheek and
her naked body was held against his very male one, but she was alive. She
had survived the third match. She didn't dare move. The Guardian's firm grip
on her upper arms made her weapons useless, and no doubt if she tried to use
the dagger, she'd find herself on the ground again.

Despite her fatigue, Vittoria was aware of how pleasant it felt to be
pressed against him. She rested against his warmth for a few moments before
she felt his fingers relax. His hands slid from her arms, and before she
knew how to react, one had made its way around her waist as the other
gripped the back of her neck. Vittoria lifted her face and looked into his
eyes.

The Guardian kissed her. It was a soft kiss, full of promise. Vittoria
responded. Kissing him back, she closed her eyes and let herself fall into
the wonderful sensations coursing through her. Her fight was gone, replaced
by something much more insistent. When he lowered her to the ground, she
dropped her weapons and held him.

The beautiful creature's lips covered every spot her armor had covered while
the rest burned for that touch. She grabbed his head as his face dipped
between her thighs. His hands gripped her hips as his wet tongue burrowed
between her folds. Vittoria gasped as that tongue pushed into her, then slid
up to brush her clit. It felt as if the lightening beneath the canopy had
struck her between the legs. He played with the little button of flesh until
she was nearly screaming, before dragging his tongue back down to continue
thrusting it into her.

Vittoria squeezed his head between her thighs. Her hands let go to rise to
her own head, gripping her hair. Yet, before she could climax, the Guardian
lifted his face from between her legs and crawled up her body. Releasing her
hair, Vittoria put a hand down between them to help him slide into her. The
sensation of him filling her sparked something deep within. It was like a
forgotten dream, vague and indistinct, yet familiar. He knew how to touch
her, where to touch her. And they fit so well. His thrusts matched her
internal rhythm almost perfectly. She held onto his shoulders and his
pumping increased. The pressure was building inside her, and the fire was
spreading, but it didn't ignite until she felt him erupt into her.



Omorogoku collapsed onto her, then rolled off to the side. Vittoria turned
and climbed on top of him. Her head rested against his chest and rose and
fell with his breathing. The Guardian's eyes were closed, but Vittoria's
were wide open. Despite their lovemaking, she hadn't forgot her goal.

Lying in the grass beside them was the dagger. Vittoria's gaze fixed on it,
then her hand reached out and took hold of the handle. Sitting up, she
straddled the Guardian's stomach and lifted the dagger over him. He looked
so peaceful beneath her. She almost regretted what she had to do, but there
was no choice.

She plunged the blade into his chest.

The Guardian grunted. The look of peace on his face turned to pain. He
opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"I have defeated you," she told him.

The Guardian lifted his hands and put them on her hips. His thumbs brushed
the soft skin. There was almost a smile on his face.

"Then what is your request, woman?"

"Bring me back my love. My first love. My only love."

Omorogoku coughed. Blood welled around the wound. It was bright red. Not
like the tree's, but like her's.

"I am that man."

"What?" She looked down onto his face, trying to find some memory of her
love in the new lines. He was so different. But then so was she. But was
this really him? Was this why she felt such a strong connection when they
made love?

"I am your lover. Had you no idea? Why else did we stop fighting, why else
are we now here as we are?"

Vittoria had no answer. So instead, she bent down and took his face in her
hands and kissed him. His hands squeezed her hips.

"Omorogoku, stay with me."

But he was dying. By her own hand, Vittoria had killed the one for whom she
had searched so long. She kissed his eyelids, his cheeks, his lips, but he
had stopped responding. Even his hands were limp against her.

"My love, wait for me."

Pulling herself off the Guardian, Vittoria returned to her satchel. Inside
was the icon for her lover. She pulled it out. It was a simple cloth doll in
the shape of a man. The white fabric was now a golden color, resembling the
Guardian's skin. Reaching in again, she brought out her own icon. This too
had changed. Though hers was still white, the armor was gone. It was now
just a bare simple doll like the man's.

Dropping the pair, she turned to the tree. Approaching it, she reached out
and scooped the thick ochre fluid into her hands. But it wasn't enough.
Opening her mouth, she took in the hilt of the dagger, sucking on it like a
phallus. The fluid burned her tongue and the insides of her cheeks, but she
kept sucking and licking until she had enough. Pulling her mouth from its
tip, she opened it and let more of the fluid drip inside.

Vittoria returned to her lover. Bending over him, she opened his mouth and
puts hers to it, letting the fluid flow between them. But her lover didn't
respond. He remained motionless beneath her even as she smeared the ochre
fluid across his chest and around the wound. The Guardian did not reawaken.
She knew he was dead.



The mists of the field were eternal, unchanging. The grass was green and
always wet. The Tree of Life, even with the scratch she inflicted upon it,
remained the same. But Vittoria was a less immutable creature. She had
changed. Something in her tired soul had shifted over the countless years,
covering and hiding a wound that had been created in her first lifetime.

Vittoria now understood that love had been buried with the wound as well.
Lying with her head against her dead lover's chest, she could feel it
pulling inside, reopening a tear in her soul even deeper than the one she
had made in the Guardian. She had wanted to believe that her love for him
had faded over the lifetimes. She had wanted to believe that his loss hadn't
affected her. That she was strong. But now that she could feel that love
again, she knew just how vulnerable she was. Her beliefs had been just
another type of armor, something to ease the pain while she nursed that
wound across the centuries. Being here with him again brought her back to
those first moments, and she was left naked both inside and out. Tears, the
first in many years, rose in her eyes.

Standing, Vittoria stepped back towards the tree. Grabbing the two icons,
she rubbed them in the ochre blood. When they were coated, she used their
loops of twine to bind them together. Then finding her longsword, Vittoria
pushed the blade through the space between the dolls and faced the tree.

"Tree of Life," she screamed, "grant me my reward."

Vittoria thrust her sword forward, burying half of the blade into the
ancient wood. Stepping away, she listened to the silence like she had the
first time. And while she waited, the rivulets of tears flowed down her
face. Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around her from behind.

"I have come."


--
celia batau's story site: http://www.myplanet.net/pinataheart/stories.htm.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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