Darkness at Dawn Part 27
Abdul was surprised the next morning when, as he prepared to saddle the horses, Noin interrupted his work with a soft, "No, don't bother. We need to build the fire back up."
He turned his dark eyes on her incredulously. "Noin? My Lady? Whatever for?"
She was rummaging through a saddlebag, but looked up to answer, "My cousin will find us, I believe... Easier for him than for either you or me, and we can be ready to treat his comrade when they get here."
Abdul stared for a short moment longer before he shrugged. "Makes sense. What must I do?" He reached over and snatched a saddlebag from her, slinging it over his own shoulder.
Noin flashed him a smile. "Well... we'll need to rebuild the fire up- heat always helps an injured man, and then we'll need to boil some water, though we probably don't want to boil it now. We can wait on that." She sighed, planting her fists on her hips. "And then I'll need to fix these herbs to give him the right remedy..."
Abdul carried the bag back over to where the fire had burned the night before and set it down. "I'll go find us more wood while you sort through all those plants of yours, and when I come back, you can show me which ones you will use, okay?"
Noin's grateful smile was made only stronger by the light squeeze she gave his shoulder. "Perfect. Thank you, Abdul."
He smiled back down at her. "My pleasure."
~*~
Cree swooped down silently to land next to Duo's sleeping form- it amused him to see the Angel and his Duo so close together, close and tender enough in their embrace that his master would not sense his approach and be more alert than this...
Heero stirred and opened his eyes to find the bird staring back at him intelligently, almost as if it was greatly amused by his bleary-eyed blinking. He smiled at him. "Good morning, Cree."
Cree nodded his golden head at the Angel before turning his dark eyes once again onto his master. Heero grunted in amusement. "Is it important enough to wake him?"
The bird once again turned its dark eyes on him, almost as if to say 'of course it is, dolt! Why else would I be here?' Heero shook his head and swallowed a laugh as he reached over and gently prodded his lover in the shoulder. "Wake up, Duo-love. You have a visitor."
"Urgahmph," came the reply, as the braided Dawnchild snuggled closer to the Angel's broad chest, his face almost child-like in its innocence and peace.
Heero was loathe to disturb him again, but Cree had no such problem. Hopping closer, the bird grabbed hold of Duo's silky braid in his beak and gave it a tug-
"Wha..." Violet eyes flew open in shock as Duo's hands flew up to his head. He relaxed seconds later, seeing Heero laughing so hard he was almost crying. He turned his head glowering-
"Dammit, Cree! That wasn't nice!" He glared at the bird until he dropped the braid he was still tugging upon, and petted his hair as though it were a cat.
Cree hopped from one foot to another, already chirping away in his excitement.
Duo's glare melted from his face as he listened to the bird, and he began chirping back at it animatedly almost immediately, his painful wake-up call forgotten. Heero merely shook his head, a small smirk on his face.
Sunlight glittered off the bird's wings as Cree gave a loud cry and took off again, circling high into the air. Heero stared off after him until he could no longer make out the tiny sparkle that was the golden eagle, high overhead.
He turned back around to find that Duo was already mostly packed, buttoning his leather jacket with a smile on his face. The Angel felt a smile of his owning threatening to bloom over his face. "What did he say, Duo?"
The smile he got was easily brighter than the dawning sun, peeking its head over the horizon. "They are close, Angel. Very close, and the Princess is apparently waiting for us to find her. She's smart."
"Hn," Heero commented. "Good. Expected, though- she is a member of your family."
Duo spun and gave the angel a light kiss. "Flattery will get you anywhere, Angel-mine. We should be able to find them by noontide, I think." With one last smile to set Heero's heart beating double time, Duo bounded off to wake the others.
The Angel smiled to himself as he turned back to his own packing. Thank you, Father, for giving me this. Thank you so much!
~*~
The Ferien River was higher than it had ever been before, and Ramar grumbled as he realised it. Even the strongest of horses would not have been able to ford that angry water, and even then their horses had been fighting them more and more of late than ever before. It gave him pause- the Elemental Lords were reaching out farther than ever before with their powers- they were becoming stronger by the day. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Air, water, earth... Fire as well, if the tales he had heard of an attacking dragon were true.
Roth rode up to his side and gave him a small bow from the saddle. "We will have to stop, my Lord. There's no way our horses will swim that river!"
Ramar's eyes glinted darkly. "Do you not think I would have noticed that already on my own, idiot?" he hissed angrily. Presumptuous, little... His eyes flared in his face, and Roth's mount reared, bucking madly under his rider until the Darkchild was thrown roughly into the gravel at Ramar's feet.
Ramar nudged at his Lieutenant with the toe of his boot. "Not so grand now, are you, Roth?" he asked, prodding him harder until he rolled over, blood streaming from a cut on his forehead. "When I want your input, I will ask you for it. Do not assume that you could possibly tell me how to best run my army." He turned to the assembled people behind them, finding that he would have to shout over winds that were rising and whipping around him yet again. "We will stop here until we find a way to cross. Break out and set up our sentries."
Roth glared at his superior's back as the General turned and strode away. He wiped blood from his forehead. "Soon, my General. Very soon."
~*~
One minute, there had been no one there.
Noin's head came around with a snap as she heard Abdul muttering a curse under his breath, the sound of steel being drawn from its sheath-
"No need for that, if you please, young Abdul," a voice called to him.
Three people were standing where there had been no one only seconds before, but their eyes gravitated to the central, smiling figure. The grass rustled behind him and parted as more people stepped forward.
Noin could only stare in shock as her eyes met Duo Maxwell's and he smiled at her.
She stood, self-consciously brushing her hands on her pant legs. "You are D-Duo Maxwell..."
"The one and only." He made her a sweeping, deep bow and, straightening, held out a hand to her.
Her own hand shook a bit as she reached out- she was going to do it- reach over and touch a living legend, a figure from her childhood stories and dreams...
His hand was warm and strong, and Noin felt her heart swelling as joy washed over her and she was pulled into a tight hug. She hugged back. "It's really you- you are real, after all..."
Duo laughed, the sound bright on the air as bells chiming. "Oh yes, I'm very real. Goodness, you're Iria's... what? Great great granddaughter..."
He winked at her, his hands on her shoulders. "Why do I feel terribly old all of the sudden?"
She laughed along with him. "Heaven knows, cousin." She motioned Abdul closer. "I would introduce my guard, but it seems you already know much about him, including his name..."
Duo shook his head. "No- only what I could readily read from him. Greetings, Man'gua'nac. It is a pleasure to find that my Aunt's family is still protected by their faithful guard."
Abdul bowed. "Lord Maxwell. My apologies for drawing my sword on you..."
Duo smiled and chuckled. "I would have been rather more upset if a sudden arrival hadn't triggered that reaction from you. Quatre chooses his faithful well."
He took Noin by the arm and walked her back towards where the rest of the group was waiting, watching with small smiles on their faces. "Well, this is almost everyone. Everyone, this lovely Lady is my cousin... give or take a few generations of separation, Princess Noin Raberba of Sandrock." He led her towards a group and Noin felt her confidence coming back as she recognised at least two of the people standing there.
Duo pointed them out to her. "This gentleman here is Treize Kushrenada of the North, Elemental Lord of Water."
Treize bowed deeply. "My Lady, a true pleasure."
She barely had the time to give him a smile and a nod in return, though, before she was looking at another person- someone who was rather familiar... "May I present Wufei Chang, Captain of the Royal Guard of Sank and Elemental Lord of Air."
Noin smiled- she knew she had recognised him from somewhere!
And her smile only grew wider as her eyes came to rest on the next man, his unmistakable hair and piercing blue eyes sparkling in return. "Lord Zechs of Sank, who you already know..."
"Indeed, I do. Welcome, My Lord," she said, giving him a full bow of her head.
He bowed in return. "Lady Noin, a pleasure, as always. And may I introduce Dorothy Catalonia of the Dawnchildren?"
Noin felt a strange tightness on her chest as she watched how the tall man's eyes swept to the woman at his side, and she made her eyes move, as well, almost steeling herself to hate whoever he could be-
She sucked her breath in. A blonde woman with piercing grey-blue eyes and a delicate face that was only rendered even more exotic by her strangely forked eyebrows... By the Guardians... how could a mortal woman possibly stand a chance against... this? Noin forced herself to smile. "Welcome to my brother's kingdom, Lady."
Duo's strong arm was urging her one, and she tore her eyes away, forcing her mind to focus again... "These two worthy men are both Sank Guardsmen, Otto and Walker of New Port City."
Both men bowed to her and she managed a still somewhat distracted nod in reply before being whisked on-
And feeling a thrill that swept down to her toes.
The last three members of the group were just arriving, one leading a beautiful horse, upon whose back the other two sat. Her eyes met those of the young man leading the horse- bright, soulful green eyes in a well-chiselled face half hidden behind amber-brown hair, tall, broad-shouldered, well-built, though still slim. "And you are Trowa Barton."
He bowed to her, smiling. "Princess Noin, it is good to finally meet you." Without thinking, she stretched out a hand to him, and he took it gently, kissing it and smiling at her. Oh, Quatre, I think he'll make a perfect brother in law! Guardians... wow...
Duo was urging her on, though, and she allowed herself to be drawn to the horse's side as the last man slipped down from the saddle, a limp form cradled gently in his arms. Her eyes flew to the wounded Dawnchild immediately. "Oh, Guardians! How long has he been like this?"
Heero carefully readjusted the weight in his arms before stepping towards the space prepared near the fire. "Only as of this morning, my Lady. He has been fading fast- I did all I could..."
Her eyes swept up to meet Heero's and she bit back a gasp as she realised who and what he was. "You have done well, Hand of the Guardian. You've been letting him feed off your own life energy, haven't you?"
Heero's stressed nod brought a distressed Duo to his side immediately. "Why didn't you say something about it, Angel? I could have shared the burden with you..."
Heero shook his head as he gently set Lucas down. "You were so excited about meeting your family again... I can take it, Duo. It's what we do."
Noin vaguely heard Duo's reply of, "Come here, Heero, let me help you," but her attention was focused on the man in front of her. His hair plastered back against his head with sweat, limps trembling with the effort of keeping his cries of pain at bay...
She placed a hand on his forehead, hissing a little at the height of his fever. "Guardians, you poor man..." She could feel it so strongly that it frightened her- pain, infection setting in, weakness from blood loss...
Her voice rang out, authoritative and commanding. "I'm going to need helpers, two of them, and I need them now."
Abdul was at her side immediately, and Noin felt a certain sense of relief at his proximity and comforting presence...
"If I may?" She turned in surprise, hearing Dorothy's musical voice at her side. She only stared for a moment before she nodded her acceptance.
~*~
Dorothy Catalonia felt a sense of trepidation as she moved to the human woman's side and offered her assistance. The woman was... well, she was rather pretty. And she hadn't missed the flush to both Noin and Zechs' faces as they met up... They knew each other. They might even... know each other well.
"Here- hold this," Noin said to her, and she automatically held out her hands to receive a bowl full of herbs soaked in chamomile water. "I'll need that after I purge the pain and hurt out of him. Abdul, please hold him down. This is... going to hurt him. A lot."
"Of course, Noin," the man said, moving into place at the wounded Dawnchild's head, holding down his shoulders and arms.
Noin met Dorothy's eyes for a moment, waiting for a nod of assent of her readiness. Dorothy gave her a terse nod.
Peeling back the wrappings over Lucas' wound, Noin clapped her hands together with a percussive sound. Clapping her left hand around her right wrist, Noin slowly lowered it over the wound and threw her head back.
Duo and Heero both looked over in surprise as a blue glow began to grow around the Healer and her patient. "Sally never said she was this powerful..."
Dorothy's eyes widened as she felt the human Healer's power spreading around her. All this... from a human? Check that- a human descendant of Iria and a relative of Duo Maxwell...
Lucas gave a strangled cry, and Dorothy heard Abdul struggling, though she couldn't see a thing-
The glow faded abruptly, and she blinked hard...
"The bowl, Dorothy, now!" Noin was reaching for the container cradled in her hands, and she held it closer, allowing the dark-haired woman to scoop some of the mixture it contained into her hands and breathe on it before smearing it over the wound carefully.
Looking down, it was a little like watching Springtime coming on all in a moment. The angry red colour of the wound was fading, and by the sounds coming from Lucas, it had to sting terribly, hurting like hell...
The wound was closing rapidly, but Dorothy's eyes strayed to the Healer, who was beginning to sway a little in her place. "Duo, we need you..."
The Dawnchild Lord was at their side in seconds, his hands settling on Noin's shoulders-
Noin's eyes flew back open again as she felt raw power flooding into her, and she smiled.
Her smile widened into a full-fledged grin as Lucas abruptly stopped struggling, and his eyes opened. "Welcome back."
~*~
It was beginning to get chillier as the sun went down, and the whole group gathered around the fire comfortably. Lucas was well wrapped in several blankets to keep him warm, but everyone felt better just looking at him- he had colour to his face for the first time since those mountains, and his eyes were bright and painless in his face.
Of course, there were several people who were minus blankets due to this, but neither Duo and Heero nor Treize and Wufei seemed to mind having to share. Noin thought it was pretty cute, actually.
Dorothy automatically moved to her normal place at Zechs' side, but she hesitated a bit before sitting, and he turned to look up at her. "Dorothy? Will you join us?"
She gave him a quizzical look. "You don't mind?"
"Of course not, Lady. Please sit," he replied, patting the patch of unoccupied ground at his side.
She sat, noting with growing calm that Duo had called Lady Noin to his side to talk. She shivered a little in the breeze. "Are you cold, Lady? Here, take this..." She looked up in surprise as a warm blanket came down around her shoulders.
"Zechs, it is cold. You can't possibly..."
"Hush," he chided softly. "I'll steal it back in a bit."
"My thanks," Dorothy settled back, her eyes on Duo and the woman he was talking to on the far side of the fire.
Zechs watched her closely. "Does something bother you, Lady?"
Startled grey-blue eyes swung back to meet him. "Zechs?"
"Something is bothering you, Dorothy, and I don't need Duo's powers to tell."
She sighed. "Nothing I can't handle, Zechs. You need not worry."
He smiled at her. "I am your friend, correct?"
She smiled. "Yes, your point being?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Well, why not tell your friend what is bothering you?"
Clever ploy, indeed! She hung her head, so as not to meet his eyes. "Friend though you are, my thoughts and worries are my own to handle."
They sat in silence for a bit.
~*~
Noin was surprised at how easily she had been accepted into the small group, but it was refreshing. These travellers had obviously been through quite a lot together and come through it much closer, but they had been willing to accept her and her guard among them...
"Tell me, dear cousin, how is your brother and how are things in Sandrock?" Duo asked.
She shook her head. "We are preparing for war, cousin. Things are as they must be."
He shared a look with the angel, wrapped up in the same blanket with him and smiled. "Could you be a little more evasive, Noin?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
She ducked her head to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry- we've been trying to keep so much hidden, my Lord, so as not to frighten the lesser Lords. Quatre is..." she noticed how Trowa's eyes swung up and she smiled, "Quatre is handling it as best he can. He has been much better since the Mother Healer and her party arrived."
Heero's eyes met hers. "She brought the Lady Relena out?"
Zechs' face came up as well.
"Yes- she had been badly hurt, but she is much improved now and readjusting to her new position," Noin said, trying to avoid having to speak of the severity of Relena's injuries.
Zechs spoke up, "New position?"
She nodded. "I don't know how much of this you would know, my Lord, but Relena threatened one of her Ladies in Waiting to force her into her service as a spy at my brother's court. When she arrived, she knelt at the Lady Hilde's feet to ask for forgiveness. As a punishment for her deeds," she took a deep breath, "I ruled that she would serve her former Lady in Waiting as she would have forced said Lady to serve her."
Dorothy let out a chuckle. "If only the same could be done to my General!" A laugh spread through everyone seated.
Zechs gave the blonde a look. "Is he well-loved in his camp, Dorothy?"
She shook her head. "Not by all, but any man who rules so by force will always have enemies."
Walker met her eyes. "How is it, then, that you stayed by him for so long?"
A shamed smile. "I had nothing, sir knight, and no one left of my family. All I had was the pursuit of the power he showed me. Power... and revenge on the world for what it had done to me. I was brought up hating humans in general, hating members of the Raberba family in particular, and Duo Maxwell, the Shinigami of legend, most of all."
There was silence for a long moment, then-
Abdul's voice remarked drolly, "Good thing that has changed." More general laughter.
Dorothy found herself laughing as well, and felt heat spreading over her face as Zechs reached over and squeezed her fingers lightly.
"I'm happy to hear that Lady Sally has arrived, at any rate. He has someone else to advise him," Duo commented.
Noin nodded. "Lady Sally and five others, five Dawnchildren, in fact."
Duo froze at the declaration, though. "Five of them?"
She nodded. "Yes, five, and some of the strangest looking creatures I have ever seen if I might say so..."
She stopped short, though, as Duo's hand closed over her wrist with frightening power. "Their leader was a long-haired fellow by the name of Jareth?"
Noin nodded. "Yes, but what..."
"Oh, Guardians above!" he exploded, leaping to his feet and walking straight through the fire without even noticing it. Everyone exchanged uneasy looks.
"Of all the stinking, bloody nuisances..." Duo gestured at the flames and set the leaping on the air angrily. "The Mad Five..."
Heero caught the pacing Dawnchild Lord by the arms. "Duo, you need to calm down..."
"The Mad Five, Angel!" he almost shouted. "The Mad Five are in Sandrock!"
Heero shook his head. "We are at a loss, love. Who are they?"
Duo stopped pacing, glaring down into the flames so that they reflected coldly in his eyes. "The Mad Five. Five veterans of the Elder Wars."
Trowa asked, "And how is that bad?"
Lucas answered when Duo remained silent, "They mean well, but they are utterly ruthless creatures who will stop at nothing to defeat Ramar."
Noin shook her head. "But I don't understand! The one called Heller went to great lengths to convince my brother not to go ahead with their plan until you could get there, Duo..."
Duo spun around. "What plan?"
She caught and held the fiery gaze, forcing down her fear. "Blood weapons."
Lucas and Duo shared shocked, pale faced looks of horror. Duo's jaw flapped uselessly for a moment before words finally formed, his eyes hardening angrily. "Talked him out of it, did he? Of course he did! He knows precisely how I'd react if I got there to find my cousin gone mad because of their folly... Lucas, we need to move tomorrow, and move fast."
The other Dawnchild nodded, though his face was still pale. "I will be ready, Duo. I understand."
Duo nodded once and turned on his heel to leave. With a worried glance to the others, Heero stood and went after him.
Trowa's eyes came to rest on Noin. "How far is it to Sandrock from here?"
Abdul responded, "It took us six days, sir, and we will have to go more slowly until all can be horsed at the home of the nearest vassal."
The green-eyed man nodded. "It will have to do."
Noin shook her head. "What is so urgent?"
Zechs' low voice rose from the far sided of the fire. "Blood weapons, my Lady. I have felt their power, myself since I carry one myself. To see that power go wrong..." He shook his head. "I can see his fear and frustration."
Treize nodded. "The sooner we can get there, the better."
Only Noin noticed Trowa's small smile, but she said nothing. The green-eyed man stood, wiping his palms on his pants. "Let's get some sleep then. We ride at dawn."
TBC...
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