Darkness at Dawn Part 17
Gerald felt his heart going out to the slender, blonde woman as she approached them- it must have been a difficult decision. But Relena was being remarkably brave- she had finally consented to let them read through her memories for any useful information.
As she settled herself onto the pallet-like bed in the centre of the chamber, he steeled his heart. That which was to come was surely going to be gruesome, at best! He spared her a smile as he placed a long-fingered hand over her forehead. "Try and relax, Lady. You have our word not to harm you."
"You'd better not," the Mother Healer grumbled from her place, to the side of the room. She glowered at the five Dawnchildren. "Relena has already been through enough..."
"It's okay, Mother Healer," Relena called, in a weak voice, her words stilling all conversation. She gulped as everyone present turned their eyes on her. "I must do this- I have to, and I will be strong enough for it."
A hand stroked her arm, and she turned her face to find Hilde standing at her side, Lord Quatre taking the slender girl's arm in a gentle, but firm, grip. "Come, Lady, we must let them work. They have given their word."
Hilde spared Relena a smile before releasing her.
The blonde gulped for air as she felt the Five around her, and as they began chanting, blackness swallowed her.
~*~
She was floating in and out of consciousness, and it took her quite a while before she even realised that the person she was watching was herself.
She had been that pretty once- she could feel her sorrow welling up as she watched herself with Alexei Tsubarov, creeping in to look down upon her sleeping husband. She had never loved him. The marriage had been arranged by her brother, for strictly political reasons, and she had resented that deeply. It had grown inside of her, until it became a permanent stain on her mind. Revenge. Hate.
She watched the dagger pounding into the sleeping man's chest at the appointed moment, watched his eyes fly open in pain and shock, saw the anguish and betrayal there...
She might not have loved him, but he had always been good to her.
The blood swirling in the air, and Alexei's terrified yell-
Ramar.
Relena was disgusted now, as she could feel the lust pouring off of her dream self, just looking at the Darkchild General. Certainly, he was good looking, but after what she had just done...
She felt nauseated as she watched him making love to her, watched him befouling her husband's corpse like the refuse it was. Worst of all, she watched herself and knew- she knew with every ounce of her being that she had enjoyed it-
A calming influence touched her mind. ~You must remain calm, my Lady. It is all in the past. It cannot hurt you anymore.~
She calmed as the mists of memory swirled around her once more.
~*~
Far away from Sandrock, five young men sat up in shock and horror, staring at each other in the dead of night.
Wufei broke the silence first. "What was that?!"
All eyes strayed to Duo, but for once he simply shook his head. "I don't know." His words were a dry whisper on the air.
"Relena." Each face swung around to focus on Heero- the angel seemed to be in a partial trance state, his crystalline eyes blurred and unseeing as a tear slipped down his cheek. "She is... she can see it all happening again, and it hurts, Guardians, it hurts!"
It was as if someone had lit a fire in their minds- peace and tranquility flowed into everyone's senses, and they turned wide eyes on Duo.
The Dawnchild had Heero held tightly in the cocoon of his arms. He shook his head at them. "He'll be alright- he feels it too strongly. It's part of his nature."
Treize whispered worriedly, "And you?"
Duo spared him a small smile. "No need to worry about me, friend Treize- it is nothing I haven't felt before."
The other Elemental Lord nodded and tapped his brother's shoulder gently. "We should leave them be."
Trowa nodded. "Excellent suggestion. Care to join us, Wufei?"
The Lord of Air nodded, and the three left as quietly as they could.
Duo waited for the sound of their footsteps to fade into the distance before he smoothed back Heero's heavy bangs and placed a kiss on his brow. "Are you alright, Angel?"
Blue eyes swung up to meet his, wide and glassy. "I will be. I'm okay, really..."
"No, you're not." Strong arms tightened around him, and Heero stopped struggling to get free. He sagged back into Duo's embrace. "I know it hurts you- it hurt you so bad that it bled to the rest of us."
Heero buried his face in the Dawnchild's shoulder. "How do you do it, Duo? You made the pain go away..."
A smile lit the Dawnchild's face, and Heero barely remembered to breathe as its full intensity hit him. "How do you think I do it?"
A shaking hand reached up to cup the Dawnchild's cheek. "You do it...because you're beautiful."
Duo gasped, his eyes widening. "Angel..."
But Heero continued, his other hand coming up to trap the Dawnchild's face so their eyes locked. "Both inside and out- you are the most beautiful creature on Earth. You can't help it- it's as natural to you as breathing. And it's what makes you so special."
Wide violet eyes sparkled brightly as a pink flush spread over Duo's cheeks. "I'm not worthy of that praise, Angel. I have so much blood on my hands that nothing short of a miracle could ever wash it away."
Heero smiled into those shining eyes. "I'll have to work on that part, then." He closed the distance between them and kissed Duo squarely on the lips.
Duo trembled, but didn't even try to fight as strong arms pulled him forward until his body was flush against the Angel's. Soft lips pressed against his- he felt the caress of a tongue, and he parted his own lips in invitation, moaning in delight as a warm tongue swept into his mouth.
As their arms tightened around each other, Duo quite suddenly found himself on his back, the warm, extremely pleasurable weight of Heero's body pressing him into the cushions. Hands roamed freely over him as the kiss continued, and he arched into Heero's touch, his mind ablaze in passion.
When the kiss eventually broke, both immortals stared at each other in awe, their eyes wide, lips swollen from kissing. Duo smiled. "You know, I've never... um... I've never felt this strongly about anyone before." He lifted his head to place a line of kisses along the Angel's jaw and on his neck. "I've never felt so at peace."
"Me, either," Heero confessed. "I don't really know what to do from here on."
Both of them smiled as their eyes met, and Heero leaned down for a long, slow kiss. "We have something to discover together, then," Duo whispered breathlessly. He wrapped long arms around the Angel and held him tightly, smiling to himself as he felt the other immortal's breathing even out into a deep sleep.
His own eyes remained open, though. I know what I want to do, but... When this is over, he'll leave. He will have to go home, and I'll be alone again. But even worse- I'll know what it feels like to lo- I'll know firsthand. And it will be gone.
Heero stirred and nuzzled against his chest, and Duo smiled, though a tear ran down his cheek. He knew it with all his heart- he would do anything for moments like these.
~*~
Relena thrashed on her pallet as the memories assaulted her full force, her barriers to hold it back gone. Ramar's lust had soon given over to his cruelty, his hands no longer gentle, his kisses no longer hot or pleasurable. All it was was pain, and her new vantage point allowed her to see it for what it truly was- to Ramar, it was a game, a sport in which her screams and tears were the points he earned.
He was a true monster.
She could feel her own pain as her memory-self lay, huddled in a corner, quivering as she tried to hide herself. More Darkchildren were walking in, including the one woman she'd seen in all this time, one with an air of power and the strangest eyebrows she'd ever seen on so fair a face. She even imagined that the woman had spared her a glance before they discussion began.
"So you see," Ramar was saying, "they are powerless against our army. In fact, I wouldn't even bother with Zechs' city, if it were not for the promise made to my enchanting saviour over there." He pointed to where Relena lay, and the sound of laughter from the other men present made her grit her teeth.
He was speaking again. "We can take a fair share of our forces and simply overwhelm them without having to use too much of our magic. As scattered as they are now, we wouldn't want the Dawnchildren to become alerted to our presence too quickly. As it is, they have to have felt the Crossing Over."
Another man spoke next- she thought she remembered his name to be Roth. "And what of the Raberba? We should go there first, my Lord..."
"No, I disagree," Dorothy finally said, her low voice silencing all of them. "Doing so would leave Lord Zechs as a possible rallying point for the other free people, and he would be at our backs. I say we eliminate the smaller threat first, and not give it time to evolve into something we should ever need to fear."
Ramar's predatory smile made Relena shiver. "Right you are, young Dorothy. My good pet," he stroked her hair gently. Though she hadn't caught it at the time, Relena was shocked to see how Dorothy almost flinched away from the tender touch, as though expecting worse... No wonder she was the only one to show me any mercy! He's done it to her, as well...
Roth was speaking again, "The rest of our forces can hole up in the mountains to the North of here and lay in wait for orders, sir."
Ramar nodded. "See to it, Captain, and put one of your best men there as our eyes and ears." Roth nodded.
Another Darkchild rose from the table, a man Relena did not recognise. "And what if the Dawnchildren should make an appearance? Most of our army has never fought their own kind before."
Dorothy's eyes snapped. "We may be young, sir, but that does not make us either weak or short of spirit! If they show up, they will be killed, like the rest of the cattle."
Ramar's hands soothed over Dorothy's shoulders and down her arms. "Now, now, there is no need to shout amongst us, my friends," he purred menacingly. He swept some of Dorothy's hair aside to plant a kiss on her neck- did Dorothy have bruises there? Relena felt shocked as she saw the Darkchild bite down on the bruised flesh of his subordinate, spilling fresh blood there. "We can all be civilised, now can't we?"
The girl did not cry out, though she began to shake in his grasp. "Please, sir..."
"SILENCE!" He hit the blonde Darkchild hard, so that she slammed into the table behind her with a large thud. The others sat still, petrified. Of course! They aren't even as powerful as Dorothy, so how could they possibly expect to survive the treatment she was given? He was using her, too...
Recovering enough to move, Dorothy gave what looked to be a painful bow. "I beg your forgiveness, General."
He smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead gently. "Of course you do, my dear. Of course." He looked at the others. "You three," he said, pointing to three of his Captains, "will go with a third of our army to the North. You will obey the commands coming to you from Captain Roth's man. Is that clear?"
They nodded silently, and Ramar stroked Dorothy's hair again. "Good. I will keep Dorothy and Roth at my side, of course, along with the rest of you, for good measure."
The meeting was clearly over, and even Dorothy rose obediently to leave, her face a study in blankness.
Ramar stopped the blonde, though, as she turned to go. "Oh, and have someone see to my pet over there," Relena felt her insides churning as she realised that he was talking about her, "it is beginning to stink."
She felt herself trembling with rage as though from a great distance, and Relena tried to hold it back. She screamed, though, as she saw him turn towards her memory-self, that predatory look in his eyes as he reached for the laces of his britches...
"ENOUGH!" Sally Po's voice reverberated in her mind as she felt the fog around her beginning to swirl. She shut her eyes tight-
She was back in the small chamber, on her pallet.
The first thing she realised was that she was in fact very safe, far away from her tormentor. The second thing was that both Sally Po and Hilde were standing over her with flashing eyes, as though daring any of the five Dawnchildren in the room to approach them.
Orin frowned darkly. "Do not meddle in our affairs, Mother Healer!"
Sally's lip curled in a snarl. "She has relived enough! Disobey me, and you will find out exactly why I was chosen as the Mother Healer!"
The five Dawnchildren paled, and Relena couldn't help wondering why. What was it about the Healer woman that made even creatures such as they obey her commands?
Simon sketched her a bow. "Of course, Lady. Our humble apologies."
Sally snorted. "None of you have ever been humble! Now get out." She turned her back on them. Relena almost smiled as she watched the Five disappear out the door, closing it softly behind them.
Sally was gently supporting her to sit her up. "Easy now, my Lady. Take it nice and slow." Someone was holding a cup of water to her lips, and she gladly sipped at it.
She eventually worked up the courage to look Sally in the face. "Now you know."
The woman gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry about that right now. We have learned much- some things that Lord Duo will have to know as soon as possible."
Relena cocked her head. "Why do they obey you, Lady? Meaning no disrespect, but why would Dawnchildren bow to one of our kind?"
Sally's smile was enigmatic. "Do you know what it means to be a Healer, my Lady?"
Both Relena and Hilde shook their heads, and Sally continued, "Half of the art of preserving life is knowing when to take it away, as well. Certain people are born with these innate powers inside of them. In some, the power runs stronger than in others. I was named Mother Healer because the talent is stronger in me than in any other human being." Sally looked down at her hands. "I have in me the power to end a person's life, but like all Healers, I have made the blood oath to never misuse my power, to do anything but good with it."
Both young women were shocked as the Mother Healer's words died out. A human with such power?! Such a thing was completely unheard of...
Sally caught their bewildered looks and smiled. "You see why we keep this a secret? How do you think most people would react to it, hm? I am as powerful as a normal Dawnchild, but I live a restricted life, unlike them..."
Relena's wide eyes swung up to meet Sally's. "You could have killed me at any time- I was at your complete mercy..."
Sally nodded. "Jeremy is a worthy Healer, but only one in a generation will have my power. He could not end your life simply by using the power inside of him. As for me..." She sighed. "I can feel it still- you have a role to play in this, Relena, and it might actually lead to your salvation. Hope for it."
With that, she stood and left the room.
Relena and Hilde stared at each other for a moment before the blonde girl began struggling to rise. "I'll be fine in just a moment..."
A hand planted itself firmly against her and pushed her back down onto the pallet. Hilde smirked. "Your orders are to stay where you are until you feel ready to move again, is that clear?"
Relena smiled back, relieved. "Yes, and thank you."
~*~
Treize and Wufei had just joined Zechs after a light breakfast when the tall blond was stopped by a small hand, pulling at his hair. He turned in shock-
A small, blue sprite was standing at his elbow, smiling at him. "Gentlemen, I think we have a massage awaiting us."
The blue creature nodded, as if to show his approval of the statement. It capered for a few moments before sticking its tongue out at them and disappearing with a popping sound. All three laughed as they turned towards the smouldering coals of a cooking fire. With one Elemental Lord's hand on either of his shoulders, Zechs was amazed to see a face appearing in the glowing embers of the fire. He bowed to the apparition, though, recognising the woman for who and what she was. "Mother Healer."
The face laughed. "So you are Relena's brother! She is doing well, my Lord, very well."
He smiled in gratitude. "My thanks."
Sally's attention strayed to the two men on either side of him though. "Good morning! I had tried to speak with Maxwell, but it appears he's still asleep, or so the Sprites told me..."
Wufei nodded. "Yes, well... it would be unwise to disturb Heero and him right now. What happened over there last night?"
She looked shocked for a moment. "Don't tell me the Angel could feel it?! By the Guardians! Relena consented to let us look back into her memories for any useful information she might have overheard while... when she was Ramar's prisoner."
Zechs' face twitched in what was supposed to be a smile. "No need to sugar-coat your words for me, Lady. My sister has no doubt paid her price in full for what she did."
Treize asked, "What did you find out?"
Sally's face fell into a frown. "The army you faced was two thirds of their total strength, and we're estimating that half of that group, at least, survived the battle. That group will be joined by the last third, which is somewhere in the Northern mountains, waiting for marching orders."
Treize nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"
Sally's frown darkened even more. "Your prisoner, young Dorothy... Have a healer look at her. Relena remembered something... that Dorothy might have been victim to Ramar's nastier habits, as well. As good as Duo is, I'm not certain he would have seen that for himself. Oh, and have him contact me."
Wufei nodded. "Very well, Lady."
As they turned away from the fire, the two Elementals were surprised when Zechs barked out a light laugh. They turned-
The man was smiling at them with an evil glint in his eyes. "The Northern Mountains? How far away is that?"
Wufei looked to Treize, who shrugged and replied, "I'm not sure- we'd have to ask one of our hosts about it."
Zechs shook his head. "No- it's probably much too far for us to get there, but think about it! What if we sent them a present? Like they sent us, only I doubt it will listen to them..."
Comprehension dawned, and all three smiled as they turned and ran back towards the green tent, where Heero and Duo should have been waking up already, anyway. This was too good an opportunity to pass up!
TBC...
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