Darkness at Dawn Part 35
Duo and Trowa blinked to adjust their eyes to the half-light of the stables.
Over breakfast, the Dawnchild lord had remarked that he felt vaguely guilty for having left Shadow to his own devices, and as a result he and the Earth lord were making this small pilgrimage.
They stepped aside immediately as several men in armour trooped past them in a definite hurry. The stables were always a busy place, but with war preparations filling the castle with supplies and men, they had become a circus. And just over the din, they could hear -
"For the last time, sir, we have no spare horses for you to ride! Maybe if you tried being nice to the animal, it would not throw you off again!" Trowa caught sight of Miranda, the diminutive Mistress of the Stables, hands on her hips, glaring for all she was worth up at a man easily twice her size. He tapped Duo's shoulder to get his attention, then headed in her direction.
The man gestured threateningly in the air. "Listen here, girl, there are plenty of horses in here that are unused! Look at that one!" Duo frowned, seeing the man pointing at Shadow, tethered off in his own stall.
Miranda laughed up at the bear of a man. "That horse? Guardians, you have no idea how quickly he would throw you! I've seen how you handle beasts, sir!"
He shoved her aside, though, and made for Shadow's stall with a light in his eye.
A strong hand arrested his movement just before he could open the stall, and he turned in annoyance. "Take your hands off me, sir."
Trowa glared and tightened his grip. "You owe the Stable Mistress an apology, sir, and you'd best make it good."
"Lord Duo!" Miranda cried, dodging around another horse handler as she made it to their side. "I swear it to you - I told him to stay away..."
"Please don't worry yourself, Miranda-friend," The Dawnchild said in his soothing voice, "we saw it all."
The man might not have recognized Trowa for who he was, but Duo was another story, altogether. He turned white as he pivoted to face the glaring Dawnchild. "My Lord! I did not know he was yours - he is a fine animal..."
"Aye, that he is," Trowa said softly, "and not to be even breathed upon by the likes of you!" Shadow nickered and flung his head, looking up at both Trowa and Duo, and the Earth Lord heard the horse's voice in his head, ~He beats his horses, Sir. Why not invite him in here, and I will trample him like the bug that he is?~
He gave the horse a small shake of his head before turning back to the man and glaring darkly. "If I hear of your abusing any animal given into your care, you will join the baggage train and discover how difficult it is to carry twice your weight on your back, is that clear?"
"Yes, my Lord."
Trowa shoved the man. "Get out of my sight." He fled.
Duo turned to Miranda and gave her a calming smile. "Don't worry about him, my dear. I would ask how things are going, but..."
She laughed, throwing her arms up in an all-encompassing gesture. "It keeps me on my toes, sir!" she replied cheerfully. "Will you be taking Shadow out for a ride? He has been restless, with so much going on around him."
Duo gave her a sad shake of his head. "No time for that, unfortunately, though perhaps Trowa would consent..."
Green eyes lit up at the prospect. "If you don't mind?"
Miranda smiled at the two men. "I'll saddle him myself, my Lord."
Duo slapped Trowa on the back and grinned. "Have fun - if you're nice, Shadow might just show you all his paces."
Trowa nodded and followed the Stable Mistress back into the depths of the stable, and Duo quickly made his way out and turned back towards the castle.
~*~
The Mad Four looked up in surprise and stood as the door to their chamber opened and Quatre walked in, alone. "My Lord?" Orin queried, nervously.
Quatre waved them all back to their seats and took the last chair himself. "It comes to this, gentlemen. We are marching to war in three days time, and my men are frightened. You offered once to help me and to help our cause. Does that offer still stand?"
Heller met the King's stare. "It does, my Lord. We are honoured that you still choose to trust in us."
Quatre shook his head slowly. "Just remember that it is not my trust that you should work the hardest to earn, but my cousin's. You are being given a second chance, and I've heard that he does not do that easily."
"No, indeed he never has," Gerald said, flinching slightly. "My lord, I just don't know what we can do, to be honest with you. Your men are human, they don't..."
"There must be a way!" Quatre exclaimed, rising from his seat to pace by the window. "I refuse to believe that there is no way for a human army to overcome and defeat the Army of Shadows!"
Quatre's determined voice hung in the air for long moments before Simon cleared his throat. "Well... there might be one way, but Lord Duo will need to be present to discuss it. I won't lie to you, sir - it is both dangerous and fallible, but it might help."
Heller's face went red as he caught on. "Don't tell me..."
Simon smiled and nodded. "Yes, Heller. The Song of Joining."
~*~
Wufei and Treize bowed to each other courteously before turning back to take their weapons from Heero and Zechs respectively. Both Wufei and Trowa had opted to let Duo choose a weapon for them to use, and while both choices were interesting, to say the least, they also both seemed to reflect the individual who would be bound to them in ways that they could not put into words.
Gold sparkled liberally, interlaced with blood red, all along the weapon Heero handed to the Air Lord; unlike a normal polearm, this weapon had a blade at either end, sharp, curved blades that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. At Wufei's touch, the weapon seemed almost to shimmer.
Facing him, Treize's sword was likewise covered in intricate tooling, though his was glowing the same deep, soulful blue of his eyes, intermingled with streaks of silver that made the tooling appear to move, like ripples on a pond.
The two men circled each other, never breaking eye contact as either sought to find a weakness in the other. The tension between them grew steadily until auras burned into existence around them.
Wufei's lunge was almost too fast to be seen as he darted forward, blade slashing upwards at his lover in a deadly dance as gravel flew from beneath his feet. Treize was in motion already, almost as though he knew where the strike would come before the move was made. With a grace unusual for a man his size, the Water Lord moved and struck back.
Heero and Zechs watched wide-eyed as the two combatants seemed to dance around each other to a music made of solely by the ringing of blade against blade. The staff in Wufei's hands spun as though it had a life of its own, but for every deadly attack it made, Treize's blocks and counter-attacks were effortless and perfect, each movement flowing into the next.
Steel rang against steel faster and faster as gold and blue clashed in a whirlwind of movement, but suddenly was no longer the only sound to be heard...
Both combatants drew to a standstill as a slow sound of a single set of hands applauding broke through their senses. They turned.
Dorothy Catalonia stood at Zechs' shoulder, her grey eyes glinting with amusement. "Very impressive, gentlemen, but you will need more than that to defeat your enemies."
"How do you mean?" Treize asked, leaning slightly on Wufei's shoulder as they both took deep, steadying breaths.
She stepped forward. "Simple. You've seen a battle against Darkchildren already. Superior skill with your blades will only get you so far - you need to combine that skill with the power within you."
Heero nodded and stepped forward, seeing confusion on their faces. Grinning to himself, he summoned a massive ball of energy. "If an enemy were to summon this in battle and hurl it at you while you were deep in your swordplay, Treize, what would you do?"
Comprehension struck. "Ah - you mean the difference between stabbing the blade into the ground and summoning up my own energy, or channelling it through the blade to 'block' the strike as I would a sword blow."
Dorothy smirked at Zechs. "He learns quickly... for a human."
The blond man raised an eyebrow. "Should I be offended, my Lady?"
She rolled her eyes. "The male ego - doesn't change, no matter the race. Gentlemen, shall we practice?"
Wufei grinned evilly. "You are entirely too smug, even for a Dawnchild, Lady. Practice we shall; just don't complain if we wipe the floor with you."
Dorothy's grin was just as evil. "Famous last words."
~*~
Something was tugging at the edges of Quatre's consciousness.
He shook his head resolutely and tried to focus on what Auda was telling him about supply lines. Baggage train... wagons...
A green place. It was a familiar green place, somewhere along the banks of the Raberba River, lit by a bright sun, its light sparkling in the waters...
He began hearing strange sounds, and he strained to recognise them. It sounded almost like singing, but he'd never heard voices like these in his life, nothing quite so pure and simple, but ethereally beautiful. The song, for that was what it was, seemed to be getting louder, accompanied by a steady beat.
He saw the banners first. Brightly coloured and billowing in the light breeze, they seemed to make the air shimmer around them. Quatre wondered at this - what could possibly...
The approaching shapes came into focus, and his eyes widened. Horses and riders! Thousands of them, or so it seemed. The riders all wore heavy cloaks, but their hoods were thrown back, so that sunlight kissed hair in so many shades it made his head spin. These creatures were making no secret of their travel, singing as they rode, including several at the very head of the company.
Quatre gasped. It looked so much like Trowa, but with that dark hair... It wasn't his Trowa, he was certain of that.
He heard a nicker, and he turned his head just in time to see a familiar horse with an even more familiar rider canter into view. Trowa's face lit up as he saw the approaching riders, and he galloped over, nearly vaulting from the saddle in his excitement as he was surrounded by the riders. The strange one who looked so much like him was off his horse as well, pulling the slender young man into a tight embrace that Trowa returned freely.
The Dawnchild Army...
With a jolt, Quatre found himself back at his table, and he blinked.
"... So you see, my lord, we will need... My Lord?"
Quatre smiled at Auda, second Captain of the Man'gua'nacs. "Forgive me, Auda. I'm sure you are right, and I will approve your requests as long as you can justify them. But I must go now."
As the other man bowed, Quatre gave him a nod of acknowledgement and stood. He walked towards the door with a purposeful stride.
"Is something amiss, my Lord?"
Quatre turned back and smiled. "Not at all, Auda. We will have more guests, though. And soon."
~*~
Ramar glared at the Huntress. "Where were you?"
A tremor of fear ran through Berani, but she forced it down. "I was scouting ahead, General."
"Indeed." He raised an eyebrow but did not comment. He walked around her in a broad circle.
He stopped in front of her again. "And what did you see?"
Berani's gold eyes met his squarely. "The people here have known of our coming for a long time, Sir. Most seem to be in hiding, and the armies are gone. I would guess they have gathered to the Raberba in his City."
Ramar frowned. "Hiding, are they? It will give us good sport to find them out, then."
Berani shook her head. "Sir... I think we could reach the Raberba much faster if we did not waste our time hunting the humans. We can always go back and find them once the objective has been accomplished."
"Truly?" Ramar moved closer to the Huntress until he was staring down into her eyes from inches away. "Concerned for them, are you?"
Berani struggled to keep her thoughts hidden. "My only concern, my Lord, is to bring the evil ones to justice as quickly as is possible."
His hand latched onto her arm, and Berani gasped as her vision blurred and scenes flew before her eyes - her own pack being cut down mercilessly...
He released her, and the Huntress fell to her knees, gasping.
Ramar stared down at her. "Keep your secrets, Huntress. But know this - I am watching you."
~*~
Noin struggled with the straps. No matter how she pulled, she couldn't get the damned armour to fit properly... Sighing in exasperation, she walked to the door and opened it slightly. "Abdul?"
The young man looked up at her in surprise. "My lady?"
She swung the door open and waved him in. "Join me, if you please."
Abdul couldn't help the smile on his face. The Princess' cheeks were red from her exertion and annoyance, eyes sparking in a way that told him their would be consequences for his laughter, but somehow didn't stop him...
"Do you require some assistance, Noin?" he asked, with as straight a face as he could manage.
She glowered at him. "It isn't funny, you know. This thing is terribly uncomfortable..."
"You just need to straighten the straps, my lady..." Abdul smothered his grin as he stepped forward and began to expertly adjust the armour at her shoulders. "If you don't mind me asking, why should a lady such as yourself worry herself over armour?"
She shot him a sour look. "My abominable brother, why else? The little imp had the nerve to suggest that I might need it."
He smothered another smile. "I'm sure he is only worried for your safety, Princess."
She squirmed as the mail shirt seemed to slip into place easily. "Please don't call me that."
"Sorry, Noin." Reaching around her, he yanked a strap hard -
She stumbled a little, but he caught her easily. "I should have warned you," he said, setting her back on her feet carefully. He was terribly aware of how close she was, in his arms.
Noin blushed. "That's alright. I'd better get used to it if I have to wear this get-up... Heavy, too, not just uncomfortable. I don't know how you get used to it, Abdul."
He shrugged, helping her with the belt. "It does take time, Noin." She smelled so good... He slowly drew his arms back. "There."
She stepped away from him and swung her arms experimentally, and then turned with a smile. "It doesn't pinch or constrain me at all!"
He smiled. "It never should. I'd be happy to help you with it in the future, as well. Your armour should never be too tight."
She held her hand out to him. "That would be wonderful."
He smiled and kissed her hand gently. "My pleasure." Abdul bowed to her and stepped back.
Blushing, Noin turned away from him and tried in vain to calm herself. Why was the spot he'd kissed still burning?
And why, indeed, did she miss the heat of his arms around her so strongly?
~*~
Quatre froze at his desk as something touched his arm, and looked down.
He couldn't help the grin on his face. The small creature staring up at him was a dark, mottled brown, with bright green eyes that sparkled up at him from over a wide smile of white teeth. "Greetings, little one. How can I help you?"
It quickly jumped into his lap and wrapped small arms around his neck. Quatre wrapped his arms around it and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Did Trowa send you to me?"
It nodded cheerfully and pulled the blond's hand to where a scrying stone lay on the desk. "He wants to talk to me?"
It nodded and patted his wrist before it turned as if to jump off the desk -
"Wait!" Quatre cried, catching hold of the little thing. "You are leaving already?"
It nodded and pointed to the door, pantomiming a bouncing stride and waving one arm behind itself, as though mimicking a long braid of hair.
Quatre smiled. "He is having an audience with the Mother Healer, I believe," he said.
The creature winked at him before it waved and jumped to the ground, disappearing before it landed.
Shaking his head, Quatre picked up the stone and stared into it intently. ~Trowa.~
The stone's surface fluoresced almost immediately, clearing to show a smiling, familiar face. ~You aren't going to believe this, Quatre...~
The blond laughed. ~How many are there, love?~
Trowa seemed to pout, though his eyes were glowing merrily. ~Tell me something - will I ever be able to surprise you?~
~If you try hard enough, I'm sure you will,~ Quatre replied evenly.
Trowa shook his head. ~We won't make it there tonight, love. There are too many to make the trip in an afternoon. At least six thousand of them!~
Quatre whistled. ~Guardians! So many? Duo will be quite pleased.~
~He doesn't want to lead them, Quatre, you know that,~ Trowa countered smoothly. ~It will be up to you.~
~I know.~ The blond King frowned. ~To think that all of this is based on an event that took place over two hundred years ago! I... I wish there was a way to just let the past go.~
~Me, too.~ Trowa kissed his fingers and held them to the stone, and Quatre smiled as he saw the image ripple slightly. He held his hand over the ripple and imagined that he felt the warmth of his lover's touch. Trowa smiled again for him. ~It will work out in the end, I promise you.~
An impatient nicker sounded on Trowa's side, and the green-eyed half breed sighed, shaking his head as his smile spread into a grin. ~Shadow is getting impatient that I call to Duo, so I think I must leave you for now. Be safe, Quatre.~
Quatre nodded. ~I will. You too. Will we see you tomorrow?~
~Absolutely, love.~ The image began to ripple again as it dissolved, but Trowa's voice lingered a few moments longer. ~I love you.~
Quatre smiled and absently lifted a green sprite to his lap as it began to tug at his trouser leg. "I love you, too, Trowa."
The small creature grinned at him and pinched his cheek, but before he could react, it waved and disappeared with a puff of air.
~*~
Wufei glared at the slim, blonde Dawnchild standing at Zechs' side. "How is it that you make this look so damned easy?! What am I doing wrong?"
Dorothy shook her head and was about to speak, but Treize beat her to it. "You have to try and reach past what you know, Wufei! It isn't just a weapon any longer; think of it as an extension of your mind."
Wufei's glare switched to the tall form of his lover. "Easy enough for you to say..."
"He is right, Wufei," Heero commented from the side. "Remember how Duo speaks of Deathscythe as though it is a part of him? Well, it is. The same applies to you."
The Captain shook his head. "I don't..."
Heero was suddenly at his side. "Then let me show you." Not giving Wufei the time to react, he reached out and set his hand over the Captain's heart.
Wufei's eyes opened wide in shock as he felt the Angel's power washing over him. Even as he attempted to block it, it was everywhere at once, breaking down his barriers until he felt his mind expanding and touching the power buried inside-
He belatedly realised that Heero was attacking, and he reacted without thinking.
In his hands, the polearm swirled, poetry in motion, and Wufei smiled as he felt power welling up and pouring from him, both blocking the attack and striking out in turn.
Too surprised to react in time, Heero flew backwards and crumbled to the ground.
Zechs rushed to the Angel's side, but was surprised to find him smiling. "Heero?"
Heero looked up and gratefully accepted the blond's hand, pulling him to his feet. "I'd say he'd got it."
Dorothy laughed, the sound floating over the breeze. "So he did."
~*~
Howard plopped down at Trowa's side that evening, around the fire. "So! I hear you've been getting rather friendly with my great-great-great-great-great grand-nephew."
The Earth Lord had the decency to blush. "Quatre's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"If he brought that smile out, I'd have to agree," Barton commented, popping up on Trowa's other side. The Dawnchild laughed as Trowa ducked his head, still smiling. "Aww... he's blushing! How cute!"
Trowa dropped his face into his hands. "Someone remind me why I was happy to meet you and to stay here with you."
"Because we're family, boy, that's why," Barton replied, throwing an arm around the half-breed's shoulders. "I should think you'd be used to it, having been around Duo, Lucas and Niles for so long..."
Trowa looked up at that. "Didn't you know?"
Howard's face darkened. "Know what?"
Trowa's green eyes were dark and sad in the firelight. "Niles... attacked us in the Haunted Pass. Attacked Duo, to be precise. Lucas got in the way of it, but... while we were distracted, whatever lurks up there took Niles. He is gone."
All conversation around them stopped, and pale faces swivelled around to focus on Trowa. Barton grabbed his kinsman's arm. "Gone? Guardians..."
Trowa nodded. "We had no choice but to retreat, with Lucas so badly injured. I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news."
Howard patted his shoulder. "It's hardly your fault, lad."
The cheerful mood around the fire was broken, though, and the party soon broke up to go to their beds.
TBC...
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