Darkness at Dawn Part 29
Berani momentarily considered the option of panicking, but quickly tossed it aside as she considered her options. It would only make her death come swifter. Retreating as far as she could in the small storage pen she was being kept in, she nodded her head once to the new arrivals. "My Lady, General. Greetings."
Dorothy stepped forward to the very bars of the cage. "Why have they done this to you! And... Huntress, why are you here?"
"She was on her way to Sandrock with a message for the King," Duo answered quietly for the caged creature, "though how she ended up in a cage is a story I'd love to hear."
Heero turned wide eyes on his companion. "A message?"
"She stole from us!" an irate yell came from the crowd of people surrounding the cage. They had backed off at first as Duo and his party removed their hoods, but they were moving in closer now, weapons gripped tightly in their hands, faces grim.
Heero spun to look at the approaching people. "No being should ever be caged like this! How could you!" he proclaimed in a loud voice-
It was enough- Duo strode forward as the crowd drew back in obvious consternation, not understanding the feelings running through their minds. Before anyone could react, he tore the cage door from its hinges and lunged inside, dragging the Huntress out again by her arm. Without a word, Dorothy and Heero formed up at his side, and they marched Berani straight out past the dumbfounded people.
~*~
The Huntress shuddered as the forced march finally came to an end and she was shoved down onto a fallen log for a seat. Duo Maxwell was standing over her, his eyes dark and stern, and she couldn't help wondering if he'd be able to catch her, were she to shift right there and then and try to escape...
Heero stepped up to Duo's side, his hands on his hips. "Now, would you mind telling the rest of us what you mean about a message?"
Violet eyes swung down to meet Berani's, and she spoke up in a small voice, "Lord Roth has sent a message to the Raberba. It is in my keeping."
Dorothy looked up at the braided Dawnchild. "And how exactly did you know this?"
"Noin told me- they ran into each other," Duo replied, his eyes still on the Huntress. He waited until she looked up at him before continuing. "She gave you a token for your protection, Huntress. What on Earth possessed you to abuse it?"
Bernai's lips curled back in a snarl. "I made a mistake, General. You do know what those are, don't you?" Her eyes swung around until they rested on Heero. "And what is your place in this? An Angel has no business in this realm..."
"Most don't, but he does," Duo interrupted in a voice that not even the Huntress would contradict. She was once again mesmerized as their eyes locked. "Where is your message?"
She found herself handing it over without even the slightest sign of resistance, and Berani marvelled at it. Dorothy simply shook her head.
Heero crowded close as Duo began to read-
To the Raberba,
Though you do not know me and have no reason to believe in my sincerity, I beg you to accept my message. Second in Command to General Ramar am I. By the time this reaches you, the Army of Darkness will be well on its heels, and I believe your esteemed cousin will be at your side.
It might interest you to know that not all in this encampment cherish him as our leader. The messenger who bears these words saw her entire clan murdered by him and was powerless to stop it. The Lady Dorothy, who I believe is in your cousin's company, was terribly used by him, much though she will never admit it of her own volition. They are but two of many, myself included.
I have many loyal captains among our troops. I wish to offer you our alliance. When the time for an attack comes, whether you wish our aid or not, we will not stand behind the man who has terrorized and beaten us into submission any longer. We no longer accept to be governed by fear and hatred. And we will never return to our banishment- I believe I may speak for all my men when I say that death would be a favour compared to that. Even an alliance with He who is synonymous with the Devil in our minds is preferable.
The hole in Ramar's defences will be on the left flank. Use this knowledge well.
Roth, Captain
Duo was frowning as he read, but it was nothing compared to the look of rage on Heero's face. "'Synonymous with the Devil,' indeed! They don't have a clue what they are..."
"Hush, my love," Duo quieted him gently, a hand on his arm. "It is a reputation that I well and truly earned- few in that camp have a reason to love me." He folded the note and handed it to Dorothy before moving over to sit at the Huntress' side. "He murdered your cubs, did he not?"
She was taken aback by the compassion she saw in those violet eyes. "I could do nothing, and I was forced into his allegiance, to be his pawn..."
Rage quickly passed through Duo's eyes, as well, and Berani nearly leapt out of her skin as she felt his anger and pain radiating forth from his heart. Understanding came, though, as the Angel moved to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, the rage and despair cutting off almost instantly, to be replaced with a much brighter emotion. He reached out to touch her, and she did not flinch this time. "We must move quickly, Huntress. Sandrock is not far."
As he stood and moved swiftly away with Heero at his side, Berani was left sitting with a bewildered look on her face. "That... that's it? You're not going to..."
"What? Bite your face off? Chop off your head and have you stuffed and set on the mantle?" Dorothy said sarcastically. She hauled the other woman up by the arm and gave her a wry look. "You're going to find that Shinigami is nothing like what you expected."
Dorothy, too, turned and hurried after the other two immortals. Closing her mouth, Berani gathered her wits and jogged after them.
~*~
"I'm waiting for Duo's arrival, and that's final!" Lucas heard Quatre shouting somewhere ahead. He shared a concerned look with Trowa before both men increased their walking pace and were waved into a side chamber by Rashid, Quatre's captain-
Lucas froze upon seeing the Five Dawnchildren arrayed before the throne the young blond was seated upon, but Trowa strode forward purposefully. "Is there a problem here, gentlemen?"
They were some of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen, turning as one to face him. The long-haired one hissed slightly as he spoke. "Nothing that concerns you, young half-breed, a matter between ourselves and Lord Quatre..."
"Silence, Jareth!" another bellowed, a shorter fellow with wild hair and a nose that looked so misshapen as to be fake. "Do you not know who is standing before you?"
"Trowa!" Quatre was out of his seat already and down the dais to stand at the taller young man's side. "And Lucas, as well, welcome to my planning room." He drew both forward. "My Lords, may I introduce Trowa Barton, Elemental Lord of Earth, and..."
Lucas locked eyes with Jareth, the first of the Five to speak. "No need to introduce us, my Lord. We've met before." Jareth took a step back.
Simon stepped forward, though. "My Lord Trowa, you have been away from your kind for long enough that maybe you don't know how serious this is. Blood magics take time to work and are tricky matters. If we wait..."
"I know more of them than any creature could want to," Trowa's low voice cut the Dawnchild off in mid-sentence. "I have held Deathscythe in my hands and felt its power. I have fought with it singing in my mind, sir. Do not attempt to tell me I don't know what I speak of."
Lucas stepped to the blond King's side. "If the Raberba wishes to wait for Lord Duo's presence, than it would be best for you to listen to him, gentlemen."
"Out of curiosity," Quatre couldn't help asking, flanked by Lucas and Trowa, "what made you change your minds? Only last week, you were telling me that I had to wait. I'm getting tired of your conflicting advice."
Gerald spoke for the first time, "My Lord, while waiting for young Duo is an idea with some... merit, we have read the signs. The Army of Shadows will not be far behind him. We cannot risk failure!"
"Be that as it may," Quatre answered quietly, obviously considering the Dawnchild's words, "trying this without him is as foolhardy today as it was then..."
Lucas grinned widely. "And you obviously haven't been reading any signs lately, or you'd know that Ramar's army has been... delayed. I doubt seriously they've yet been able to move from the far backs of the Ferien."
Quatre turned wide teal eyes on the still smirking Dawnchild. "What? How?"
Trowa answered for him, "Duo and his pet dragon, that's how."
"We should take our leave, gentlemen," Heller suggested quietly. He sketched Quatre a bow before turning and striding away, boot heels clicking on the polished floor, his compatriots not far behind. Trowa noticed how Jareth gave Lucas a wide berth, and filed the information away. He would drag answers out of his infuriating companion later.
"Well, nice to see them squirming for once," a woman's jovial voice commented from a seat on the far side of the room, and Trowa's eyes strayed over to her for the first time. He immediately gave her a deep, reverent bow. It wasn't every day you met the Mother Healer.
She stood, blue eyes sparkling with good humour. "I was about to say something, myself, when you walked in. I decided to simply sit back and watch, and I'm glad I did. A pleasure to meet both of you." She gave them a stately bow of her head before turning to Quatre. "It is rather strange that they changed their minds so quickly, my Lord. There must be more to it than the shortness of the time we have left."
"Indeed!" Lucas laughed.
Trowa turned to his companion. "Why is that?"
The Danwchild shrugged. "Jareth is unbalanced, if you ask me. He was once willing to sacrifice an entire village full of people to stage a trap for Ramar's forces. It was the last time he and Lord Duo ever met face to face- I had never seen my kinsman so angry!"
"It was memorable?" Quatre asked, intrigued.
Lucas smile. "Oh yes, especially for Jareth. It was the night he lost his hand."
"Oh, my!"
Lucas shook his head. "While I doubt Duo will pull that old argument out again, I wouldn't blame the Old Man for wanting to be far away before the person once known as Shinigami gets here."
Sally tilted her head. "Duo is your kinsman? I never knew that."
Lucas nodded. "He is my third cousin, twice removed on his mother's side- Iria was his father's sister, so I am not related to you, my Lord," he finished, sparing a smile for Quatre.
Sally snorted. "That will shut them up for a while, at least! By the Guardians! When should Duo and the others get here?"
Trowa considered that. "Give them a couple days, my Lady. After all, Shadow is not an average horse. We made excellent time."
"Ahem." The all turned to find Rashid bowing to them. "If you would care to follow me, Lady and Gentlemen, I believe dinner is served."
~*~
"Quatre owes me for this... kick him out of his suite and steal that bathtub of his..." The men with her exchanged amused looks over her head as Princess Noin swung herself back into the saddle.
She was covered in mud. Literally. Granted, it hadn't been her fault that the horse became spooked. The beast finally managed to throw her, and Wufei had immediately taken off in pursuit, even as Abdul swung down from his mount and reached to help the bedraggled lady...
He bit back a smile as Wufei returned with Noin's mount and he held her stirrup... "I can hear you laughing in your head, Abdul. It's no good," she grumbled.
He finally cracked a grin. "Didn't one of the other ladies at court once comment that mud was good for the complexion?"
She glared at him. "But terrible for the hair. And for one's clothes. And my damned ego!"
Treize rode to her side, swiftly putting himself between the enraged princess and her guard, who had finally given in and burst out laughing. "My lady, we aren't far from the river. I'm certain we can spare enough time for you to wash the mud away."
She studied him for signs of laughter- it almost hurt, but he managed to keep his face from twitching. Noin finally nodded. "Very well. I need a half hour. If I'm not back here in a little over an hour, you may come looking for me. Are we clear?"
He bowed gracefully. "Of course!"
She ignored the laughter she heard behind her as she made for the river, grumbling the whole way.
~*~
"Tell me more about this Roth," Duo demanded quite suddenly, looking over at the Huntress and Dawnmaiden, sitting side by side. They looked up from the evening's fire in surprise, and he continued, "I find it hard to believe that anyone in his position would wish to plot against Ramar."
Berani's jaw worked soundlessly for a moment before she let her eyes fall. "Speak to them, Lady. You knew him far better than I."
Dorothy sighed. "Roth... Roth was always a talented man. He had far more natural talent than he realised, and I think it was the only reason Ramar kept him around- to keep an eye on him. Certainly not for his attitude."
She looked up and across the flames into Duo's face. "Roth is not a follower. He is a leader, a good one. He was always the one to come to me with problems on behalf of his men, with concerns. But he was never obedient. Hated taking orders."
Heero snorted. "Such a man shouldn't last long as Ramar's second, from what I've heard."
Dorothy nodded. "He's quite powerful, though. I suppose... his insubordination could be overlooked, given that he could be watched at all times. Even more so, I'd guess, after I left."
Berani smiled wickedly. "Not watched closely enough, it would seem."
Dorothy did not share the smile though. She hesitated before looking up again, this time into Heero's face. "You have to understand, Ramar knows how to... control people. He knows how to... to do things, and..."
She stopped, shocked, as Berani's hand closed gently on her arm. "Most of us knew, my lady. And we cheered when you got away from him, finally."
Dorothy's face wavered- for a moment, she looked close to tears, her fingers trembling where they rested on her knees. In the next moment, though, her eyes were cold and hard, as neither Duo nor Heero had seen them since before the Battle of Sank. "You knew nothing, Huntress. You forget who you are speaking to."
"I think she knows precisely who she speaks to," Heero's voice whispered in her ear. She spun around- she hadn't heard his approach, but there he was, blue eyes shining brightly, almost as though she could fall into them and...
"You've never openly admitted what happened, have you, Dorothy?" he asked quietly. "How did he control you?"
She trembled, unable to break away from those blue eyes, so full of knowledge and understanding. "He... Guardians... he had so much to teach me..."
Berani jumped as a hand came down on her shoulder, but relaxed in the next second. It was only Duo, and his full attention was directed at the Dawnmaiden sitting next to her.
Dorothy was trembling, and clasped her hands together in a vain effort to hide it. "He said... his use of me... it would make me stronger, more able to hold up when things got difficult. He said the pain... it would teach me strength..."
"He hurt her on purpose," Berani whispered, staring at the blonde's face in fascination as Dorothy fought to keep from crying. "We could hear him, enjoying it..."
Heero's voice was hypnotically soft and gentle. "Is that true, Dorothy?"
He breathed a sigh of relief as, finally, a tear worked its way free from her burning eyes. "Yes, it is."
Her lip trembled and her eyes closed.
"Damn YOU!" Everyone jumped as she screamed the words out to the sky, backing away-
It was all she needed. Up like a shot, Dorothy took to the sky and vanished almost immediately.
Berani turned incredulous eyes up at her remaining companions. "Aren't you going to go after her?"
Duo shook his head. "She will be back- give her time."
~*~
Something woke Zechs in the small hours before dawn- he sat bolt upright, bleary eyes searching around him wildly...
"What does it feel like to truly love, Zechs?"
He turned at the softly spoken question, his eyes going wide at the vision that hovered just out of his reach, where he sat. "Dorothy?"
There were tear streaks on her face, and she was windblown, as though she had been in the air all night, without rest. "Tell me! Does it hurt you when there is love behind it?"
He felt her pain and fear radiating off of her, and it struck him to his soul. He moved until he was on his knees, and she settled down across from him in a mirrored pose. "The answer... No. Someone who loves you would never hurt you, Lady. Not willingly, never on purpose."
Grey-blue eyes searched his face. "Would you?"
His throat felt dry- she was truly asking him... Oh, Guardians... "Never, Dorothy. I swear it to you."
The trembling smile on her lips made his heart ache, but it was a good sort of ache. "Could... Zechs, would you just hold me?"
He wordlessly folded her into his embrace, rubbing her back gently, in soothing circles. She was trembling against him, wary of his every move, as though expecting that he'd...
Whoever did this to you will answer to me for it, Dorothy. I promise you that. He slowly lowered them to the ground and pulled his blankets up to cover them both, and Dorothy quickly succumbed to sleep, lulled by Zechs' gentle heartbeat under her ear.
He stroked her find blonde hair back and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Dorothy..."
He finally fell back asleep, his arms tight around her slender form, a smile on his lips.
TBC...
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