Chapter 1
l***l’S HESITATION
Finally it’s my 180th birthday I won’t be called a little princess now an old enough to be a queen , but I don’t want to get married to just anyone I want my king to be special and see me as special too.
“Who’s there Sabrina ,is that you ? ” lovely called out sharply.
Sabrina sprang her feet and quickly stepped at the back of lovely to shield her from her brother.
“ i told you to stay with the little angels didn’t i” and i will brother, she said while leaving the room.
“Sorry about that princess” Luke said ”there’s no need to be“ lovely stated
Your my best friend after all , lovely said smiling the celestial board calls upon us both “okay you can head out first I’ll attend to their needs…
Lovely walks towards her diary pulls a feather dipped in ink and starts to write down.
Ohh mum and dad due to the spoken war of the angel and demons the elders are taken to a sacred realm far away were one can’t age after they turn 300, i hardly know you guys at all are the demons that fearful ? , my powers are amazing being able to share love round the entire universe it’s a definition of my very existence, my own name though sometimes I wondered if it was a cruel joke being played by the celestial choir for an angel tasked with the duty of spreading true love, I find it remarkably difficult to love myself…,not in the abstract of course. i love the swirling nebulae painted across the cosmic canvas, the gentle hum of burgeoning stars, the echoing laughter of nascent souls taking flight. just the special personal love, I guess I could say the fierce and possessive admiration reserved for another being ?
I got to go now am being called upon . While working down the hall , she overhead the maids it’s a myth that a bond between the wayne and lynx family will bring good fortune . Luke’s last name is Wayne his my best friend but i don’t want that kind of relationship with him I can’t,I don’t love him, maybe it’s a rumor it has to be.
I walked into the hall slowly with my head held up high looking forward then my eyes met Luke’s he knew what was going on I could feel it , princess lovely your finally ready for marriage and we the celestial elders have decided that your faith must be followed and the myth shall become the reality,you will get married to luke the second born son of the wayne’s ..”second born son
lovely repeated in her mind lost in thoughts “Am I being betrothed to like, the angel of war , a strong, honorable being respected by all but as I gazed at him a horizon,” a cold dread settled in my heart. Was this simply love ? Or simply duty ?
“Yes his a warrior bathed in celestial fire ,his strength legendary on the battlefields of the heavens, he is my best friend our match ordained by the council of light ,a symbol of the perfect union between compassion and strength, yet I feel like a perfect puppet going through the motions a beautiful automation programed to give love but never to feel it, can I really fall in love ?”
“So even angels are afraid,” she whispered to herself.
Sabrina hesitated. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
Lovely gave a sad smile. “That’s the cruelest part, isn’t it? I do.”
⸻
“Princess Lovely,” the High Elder spoke, voice calm yet absolute. “Today marks your ascension.”
Lovely bowed respectfully. “I am honored.”
Luke stood a few steps away, armor gleaming, gaze fixed forward. He didn’t look at her—but she could feel him.
“The myth of the Wayne and Lynx bloodlines,” another elder continued, “has guided us for millennia.”
Lovely clenched her fists. “With respect, Elders, myths are not hearts. They do not feel.”
A murmur rippled through the hall.
The High Elder raised a hand. “Love grows where duty is planted.”
Lovely’s voice cracked. “And what if it doesn’t?”
Silence.
Luke finally turned.
“Enough,” he said quietly.
Every eye shifted to him.
“This union is my responsibility,” Luke continued. “Do not place its burden on her alone.”
Lovely looked at him, startled. “Luke—”
He met her gaze briefly, his eyes unreadable. “I accept the Council’s will.”
Her breath hitched. “Why?” she whispered. “Why won’t you fight this?”
His jaw tightened. “Because some battles destroy more than they save.”
“Luke are you not going to object we don’t love each other, why accept this” lovely asked him with her eyes watery. “Don’t speak of this again” he said before walking out.
Lovely followed him into the corridor.
“Luke, look at me,” she pleaded.
He stopped but did not turn.
“We don’t love each other,” she said. “Isn’t love the one thing I’m meant to understand?”
Luke exhaled sharply. “Love isn’t always chosen.”
“Then what is this?” she asked, tears gathering. “Duty? Fear? Pity?”
He finally faced her. His voice was low. “Survival.”
“For who?”
“For heaven.”
Her shoulders sagged. “And what about us?”
“There is no ‘us,’” he said, too quickly. “Not in the way you want.”
“That’s a lie,” Lovely whispered. “I can feel it—you’re hiding something.”
Luke’s wings twitched. “Do not ask me to bleed where I cannot heal.”
Before she could answer, he walked away.
2 YEARS AGO
Luke had never chosen the title Angel of War.
It had been given to him after centuries of battles he never wanted, victories that tasted like ash, and choices that slowly carved away the boy he once was. To the world, he was destruction wrapped in wings. To heaven, he was a necessary weapon.
But to Ariel… he was just Luke.
That was the part of the story no one understood.
Luke stood at the edge of the cliff, the wind tugging at his dark wings as the city below flickered with life. Fires burned in distant streets—small conflicts that would soon become something worse. He could feel war approaching the way one feels a storm in their bones.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached.
“You’re thinking too loudly again,” Ariel said.
Luke smiled faintly without turning. “Is that your way of saying I’m brooding?”
“Yes,” she replied easily. “And also that you’ve been standing here for ten minutes pretending not to notice me.”
He turned then, and the sight of her still managed to catch him off guard.
Ariel’s wings were nothing like his. Where his were dark and heavy, hers were pale, almost glowing, feathers catching the last light of the evening. Her eyes—gentle but sharp—searched his face like they always did, as if she were reading thoughts he hadn’t said aloud yet.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Luke said quietly.
She crossed her arms. “You say that every time.”
“And every time, I mean it.”
“And every time, I ignore you.”
That earned a real smile from him.
Luke exhaled and looked back at the city. “There’s going to be a war.”
Ariel stepped beside him. “There’s always a war when you’re involved.”
He flinched—not at the words, but at the truth behind them.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Silence stretched between them, comfortable but heavy.
Ariel broke it first. “You’re not just a weapon, Luke.”
He let out a quiet laugh. “That’s not what the Council says.”
“I don’t care what the Council says.” She turned to face him fully now. “I care about what you say.”
Luke hesitated. His voice dropped. “What if what I say proves them right?”
Ariel reached out, resting her hand over his clenched fist. “Then I’ll argue with you too.”
That was Ariel—never afraid to stand in front of him, even when the rest of heaven stood behind him.
Luke swallowed. “They’re sending me in at dawn.”
Her hand tightened slightly. “To where?”
“Everywhere.”
Ariel’s expression softened, but her eyes darkened with worry. “And when were you planning to tell me?”
“I just did.”
She sighed. “Luke…”
He finally looked at her properly. “What?”
“What happens when there’s nothing left for you to destroy?” she asked gently. “What happens when the war ends?”
Luke didn’t answer.
Because the truth terrified him.
He had spent so long being war that he no longer knew who he was without it.
Ariel seemed to understand his silence. “You don’t have to be alone in that future,” she said.
Luke shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I’m asking you to live.”
He looked away. “I don’t know how.”
“Then learn,” she said simply. “With me.”
The words settled between them, fragile and dangerous.
Luke’s voice was barely a whisper. “Can I even love?”
Ariel smiled sadly. “You already do.”
He frowned. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re afraid,” she replied. “Only people who love are afraid of losing.”
Luke felt something tighten in his chest.
Ariel stepped closer, close enough that he could feel her warmth despite the cold wind. “You fight the world for everyone else,” she said softly. “When will you stop fighting yourself?”
His wings trembled.
“You shouldn’t love me,” he said. “I ruin everything I touch.”
She lifted her hand and placed it over his heart. “Then let me be the exception.”
For a long moment, Luke did nothing.
Ariel studied Luke’s face carefully.
“You’re leaving something unsaid,” she murmured.
Luke scoffed. “There’s always something unsaid.”
“No,” she said gently. “This feels heavier.”
He looked at her then. “What if I don’t come back the same?”
She swallowed. “Then I’ll learn the new you.”
“What if there’s nothing left?” he asked. “What if war takes everything?”
Ariel stepped closer. “Then I’ll hold what remains.”
Luke’s voice broke. “Why are you so certain?”
“Because I see you,” she said. “Not the Angel of War. Not the weapon. You.”
He shook his head. “If the Council finds out—”
“Let them,” she said fiercely. “I refuse to live in a heaven where loving you is forbidden.”
Luke’s eyes softened. “You make rebellion sound beautiful.”
She smiled sadly. “Love always is.”
He brushed his thumb lightly over her knuckles. “If I fall—”
“I’ll catch you,” she said without hesitation.
“And if I burn?”
“Then I’ll burn with you.”
For the first time in centuries, Luke laughed—soft, real.
“Then I suppose,” he said quietly, “I’m already lost.”
Ariel leaned her forehead against his. “No, Luke. You’re finally found.”
