'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy
Daystar's Prophecy Part 20
Waking from his deep sleep some time later, Duo blinked his eyes slowly, the room around him coming into focus as his mind replayed the event that had happened prior to his nap. Almost immediately, he realized he was still sitting cradled on Heero's lap with the other boy's arms still wrapped securely around his waist. By this time though, the blue-eyed boy had drifted to sleep as well, his head leaning back against the cold, stone wall. Smiling softly at the face he so loved made even more beautiful relaxed in sleep, Duo felt his heart melt, safe in the knowledge the boy was now his.
Finally pulling himself away from his contemplation of the other's features, he turned his attention to the stone pedestal sitting in the middle of the chamber. The pedestal itself stood nearly four feet high and was approximately two feet by two feet square. On the top of the stone was a deep, blue velvet cushion of the same size and on top of it was a gleaming, silver sword. From were he sat, the exact details of the blade could not be determined but he could clearly tell it was extremely beautiful.
Moving cautiously, so as not to wake the other boy, he slipped out of Heero's grasp and made his way across the room to stand before the pedestal where he allowed himself to study the sword more closely. With an approximate length of five feet from pommel to blade tip, of which nearly four feet constituted the blade itself, the sword was an incredible weapon. The guard that divided the pommel from the blade was simple yet elegant while the pommel was fashioned into the shape of a leaping wolf. Most intriguing though were the runes that were carved into the blade, running through the blood groove, which look vaguely familiar but he could not place at that moment. Quickly casting a look over his shoulder at the sleeping boy, Duo reached out and placed both hands directly above the weapon.
Immediately, the blue glow appeared around his hands before transferring to the sword lying beneath, engulfing it and in a flash only a ball of white light remained. Guiding the ball toward his chest, Duo felt it enter him and steeled himself for the burst of magic that always followed the absorption of an artifact. However, he had never dealt with an object quite this powerful before, and was therefore not prepared for the intensity of the magic, causing him to cry out sharply as overwhelming pain flooded his senses. With both hands, he grabbed at his chest where he could still feel the heat of the sword's entry as he felt his knees collapsing beneath him.
"Duo!" Heero called, having been awakened by his lover's pain-filled cry only to watch as he collapsing to the floor. Quickly pushing himself away from the wall and toward the longhaired boy, he pulled the trembling and gasping fairy into his arms as he examined him for any sign of injury. "What's wrong?"
"The sword." Duo gasped as another burst of magic hit him, nearly rendering him unconscious. "Magic's too strong."
"What can I do?" Heero asked, his fears rising at seeing the sudden pallor of the other boy's face. However, Duo merely shook his head in answer, indicating there was nothing he could do.
"Have to harness it." the violet-eyed fairy whispered, his face contorting in a grimace of pain. For several long minutes, Heero merely cradled Duo's tense and trembling body close to his chest, hoping that just by that action alone he would be able to ease some of the fairy's discomfort. Then suddenly, the fairy went limp in his arms, sending an alarm through his mind and he quickly placed his fingers on the smooth skin of the fairy's neck, searching for a pulse. Finding one, although it was not quite stead and far too fast, he hefted the boy into his arms and rushed toward the exit.
The trek back through the tunnel proved to be uneventful for which the blue-eyed boy was eternally grateful since he knew he would stand no chance at defending against the traps. Stepping through the tunnel entrance and onto the plateau, he could not hold the gasp that escaped him as the frigid wind gusted across the open area. A quick survey proved they were alone, meaning they had either arrived between the dragon's checks or they had been gone so long, Josadia had given up. Having no idea of exactly how much time had passed since they entered the passageway, he could not be positive which choice it was. Therefore, moving back to the cliff wall, he found a relatively protected area where he could set them both down and either await the dragon's return or to simply freeze to death.
He had only been sitting there for a few minutes however when the fairy in his arms began to shiver almost uncontrollably as small whimpers escaped the soft lips. Quickly pulling the boy more firmly into his arms, he tried to conserve more of their body heat. However, when that did not work and the tremors began to become more violent, he untied the sash around his waist and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. Then, wrapping it around the boy as best he could, he turned until he could block the majority of the remaining winds with his own body. Luckily, a few minutes later, the shivers settled.
It was nearly a half an hour before Heero caught a glimpse of the huge black dragon once again winding his way toward the plateau even though in the cold, it had seemed much longer. Standing once again as the figure came closer, the blue-eyed boy lifted Duo back into his arms before stepping a short distance from they wall, allowing them to be seen but still giving the dragon room to land. Once the great beast had landed with his unerring grace and his wings were folded against his side though, the dark-haired boy wasted no time in approaching him.
"Can you mount with him in your arms?" Josadia asked without preamble, leading Heero to believe the dragon expected Duo to be unconscious when he returned. A sharp nod and grunt were his only answer as he waited for the beast to position itself. Then scrambling up the dragon's side as deftly as a mountain goat, the dark-haired pilot lowered himself behind the neck plate and cradled the fairy close to his chest before leaning forward and bracing himself for the take off.
The hour flight back to the clearing where the others waited was far less enjoyable this time around since he was too worried about the small boy in his arms to watch the scenery. As it was, almost immediately upon leaving the plateau Duo's shivers returned and it took every thing he had to try and keep the boy from freezing to death. The moment they were once again on the ground, he slipped off the dragon's back and rushed toward the fire burning in the middle of the clearing, ignoring the questions and entreaties thrown at him by the others.
"What the hell happened?" Solo roared, stepping dangerously toward the dark-haired boy.
"It was not the human's fault, elf." Josadia snapped, his deep voice booming across the clearing. "Duo has found and absorbed the sword of light; it is that which has caused his unconscious state."
"What are you talking about; no artifact has incapacitated him like this before." the elf sneered.
"He's never dealt with this powerful an object before either." Jess stated from where she was busy helping Quatre wrapping both Heero and the small fairy in what blankets they had in their supplies.
At the grey-eyed elf's words, Solo turned his full attention toward her, his eyes narrowing in uncontained suspicion. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
"I knew it was a possibility, yes." she answered before standing to face him.
"Why the hell didn't you say something?" Solo snapped, his fist clenched purposefully at his sides.
"What would you've done Solo, stopped him from retrieving it?" Jess asked and received a curt nod from the other elf. "Then that's your answer; the sword is needed if we plan to win the coming war and Duo's the only one who can give it to us."
"And if he's not strong enough?" Quatre asked quietly as he brushed the violet-eyed boy's bangs back from his face. "Would you willingly and purposefully sacrifice him for it?"
"I swore when I started the resistance that no matter what it took, no matter who had to die, I would free my people." she said simply, refusing to back down from their combined glares.
"How can you claim to fight for your people, when those are the very ones you're prepared to sacrifice." Trowa asked.
"I don't expect any of you to understand." the elf said with a shake of her head. "But sometimes, sacrifices have to be made to achieve your goals."
"That's where you're wrong, we do understand; probably more than you'll ever know." Heero said softly as he cradled Duo's limp body tighter. "But using innocents and allies like this makes you no better than the tyrants you're trying to overthrow."
"Heero's right, by doing what you've done, you've tarnish your honor and brought injustice to your cause." Wufei added.
"You're just children and human at that, you have no idea what it's like to fight for your survival."
"Yes they do." a soft voice whispered, bringing everyone's attention to the bundle of blankets, relief flooding them at seeing those luminous violet eyes peering from among the folds. "They've been fighting a war in their own world, even at their young age. So you have no right to call them children."
"Duo." Heero breathed bringing those eyes up to meet his and earning him a tired smile.
"Hey, sorry about passing out on you." the fairy said but the blue-eyed boy simply shook his head as he returned the soft smile.
"Duo." Josadia began, causing everyone in the clearing to turn his way, having forgotten about the dragon during the revelation concerning Jess. "There is a wooded and sheltered valley about a half an hour's ride from here where I believe you will be more comfortable."
"Thanks Jo." the fairy smiled even as his eyes began to slide shut.
"Duo?" Heero asked, his voice laced with heavy concern. However, the small gestures and words had sapped what little strength he had so, giving the dark-haired boy a reassuring smile, Duo settled once more into sleep.
********************
The relocation to the sheltered clearing was accomplished in relatively short order and once camp was set, the six travelers settled down for dinner while Duo continued to sleep peacefully at Heero's side. Some hours later though, once everyone has bedded down for the night, Duo woke with a pained gasp, his whole body convulsing with the sword's movements.
"Duo?" Heero called as he tried to stop the fairy's flailing limbs. Finally managing to calm the boy down, he found himself surrounded by concerned faces.
"What happened?" Quatre asked.
"I don't know, one second he was sleep then--"
"Heero?" Duo's soft voice called, his hands coming up to grip the arms wrapped firmly around him.
"What is it Duo, what's wrong?" the blue-eyed boy asked.
"The final ritual, it's begun."
"What?!" Solo demanded. "But it's only been a few hours; nothing has ever finished up in such a short time."
"Doesn't matter." Duo gasped. "It's started and I have to finish it."
"Do you need us to stand back?" Heero asked.
"No!" the fairy exclaimed as he grabbed tighter onto the blue-eyed boy's arms. "Stay with me please; hold me. I don't have the strength to create the shields."
"Are you sure it's alright?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm not going anywhere." Heero said as he buried him nose in the violet-eyed boy's hair.
"Thank you." Duo breathed as he squeezed his eyes shut and began casting the magic that would bring the sword's transmutation to completion. Utter silence settled on the traveling party then as everyone placed themselves around the cuddled pair, waiting with bated breath for the outcome.
********************
"So, you're the one who is destined to unite the magics." a haughty voice said almost immediately after the longhaired boy completed the spell, causing Duo to snap his eyes open only to find darkness wrapped tightly around him. "You are merely a child, how do you presume to prevail where we could not?"
"I'm not a child." the fairy snapped as he fought his way to his feet, surprise washing over him at the act since, on some level, he could still feel Heero's arms wrapped tightly around his body.
"Compared to us, you are a child." the voice said, seeming to come from all directions at once.
"Where am I and who are you?" Duo snapped, feeling his anger grow at the condescending tone the person had adopted.
"We are inside your mind and I am Reestlin, the spirit of the sword of light." the voice intoned and immediately afterwards, a man appeared directly in front of the longhaired fairy. He was dressed in a long flowing set of robes the purest of white with golden hair and deep blue eyes.
"That's not possible; the spirits don't talk to me." Duo argued.
"Oh, and you've met very many to confirm that?"
"I've transmuted three of the seven weapons and none of the spirits talked to me during the process."
"That may be true, but this is different." Reestlin stated, giving the boy before him a calculated look. "You cannot simply transmute the sword. In order for you to complete the transformation, you must pass a test."
"What?! Wasn't getting through that cave test enough?" the fairy exclaimed.
"The tunnel proved you were worthy to take the second and more important test." the spirit explained. "Of course, the fact you passed through is quite a miracle if you ask me."
"Well I didn't." Duo growled and crossed his arm over his chest. "What's this test? I want to get it done and get back to Heero and the others before they worry themselves sick."
Once again looking the fairy over closely, Reestlin finally nodded his head before giving a wave of his hand, transforming the darkness into an open desert, complete with blistering sun and sweltering heat.
"Be warned, the test is dangerous in its simplicity, treacherous in its honesty, and unforgiving in its goal."
"Huh? What do you--" Duo started but before he could finish, Reestlin vanished, leaving him in the heat alone. "Great, just great."
Looking around the area closely, Duo could not see anything except endless sand. Finally flexing his back muscles, he attempted to spread his wing, his thought to fly across the desert in search of the spirit. However, shock ripped through his system when nothing happened and he nearly felt his knees buckle when he reached over his shoulder to find nothing.
"Ok, so he took my wings. Big deal, he did say this was inside my mind, so that means it's not real." he stated, fighting to calm his racing heartbeat. Then reaching his hand out, he called upon the element of water, trying to create a small fountain to cool his already parched throat. However, nothing happened and he quickly realized, his wings were not the only thing the spirit had left him without.
"Fine." he growled and took a step forward, choosing a direction at random. He seriously doubted he could die of thirst in his own mind. However, before he could take a step he heard a voice call his name, and turning, he saw Solo off to his right; the elf was stripped bare of clothing except for a pair of shorts and was tied to the sun baked ground. At first sight, Duo could not figure out what was going on, but as he watched, his brother slowly began to sink into the sand.
"Solo!" he screamed and started in that direction but halted when another voice, this one just as familiar called from the other direction. Turning back, he saw one of his worse nightmares, for nearly twenty feet away was Heero in the same position as Solo.
The sight of his love beginning to sink caused him to start forward only to be halted once again by Solo's call. Standing in indecision, Duo could only look from one to the other in quick succession before a booming voice echoed through the vast area, "Choose."
At that moment, Reestlin's words came back and they finally made sense but how was Duo to choose between the one who would forever be his brother and the one who owned his heart.
"No." he whispered. "I can't"
"Choose." the voice boomed again. "One must die for the other to live and you must make the choice."
"I can't!" the longhaired fairy screamed.
"You must, or you will all perish."
To prove the point, the ground beneath Duo's feel suddenly turned soft and he had to take a step to keep from being sucked down. However, the area of soft sand began to grow and before he knew it he was running. Looking up, he realized he was headed directly toward Solo and the realization made his heart stop because in moving he had actually made a choice. Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned back to see Heero slowly sinking into the sand and let loose a piercing cry.
"No!" he screamed and tried to cross the soft sand toward the dark-haired boy but the ground was not stable enough to allow him to pass. "Dammit, if you have to take someone, then take me. Please, I beg you, take my life for theirs."
Just as suddenly as the scene appeared, Duo once again found himself in the pitch blackness he had opened his eyes to not that long ago. Feeling the force of his emotions ripping through his system at witnessing Heero's slow death, he crumbled to the ground and tears ran freely down his face.
"I must admit." Reestlin said softly as the spirit knelt before him. "I didn't really think you had it in you. After all, there are reasons why fairies don't fall in love; one being that they lose the ability to be self sacrificing."
"What do you mean?"
"While fairies are not forbidden to fall in love, the majority that have, have lost their desire to give to anyone other than the one who owns their hearts. In truth, I had expected you to choose him and allow your brother to die, as the others would have."
"But why?" Duo asked in a small voice.
"That I do not know, my child, but I must say, I'm rather pleased that you have not allowed that to cloud your true sight."
"So, what now?"
"Now, you wake up and release the sword from your body; you've passed the test and completed its transmutation." Reestlin explained, and then gently cupped the fairy's soft cheek. "He is a very lucky person to have you."
In a flash, Duo felt himself falling backwards and with a gasping breath, his eyes snapped open to find Solo staring at him in concern.
"You alright little bit?"
Before he could answer though, the push of the sword became too much and scrambling into a sitting position with Heero's help, he held his hands out and a second later, the white ball of energy emerged from his chest. Staring in undisguised curiosity, the others watched as the light quickly elongated before a bright flash made them look away. When they turned back, a beautiful sword lay across the violet-eyed fairy's hands.
"Heero." the fairy said softly and the dark-haired boy quickly took the sword from his hands, laying it aside as he carefully eased him back down to the blankets they were sleeping in. Then, closing his eyes, Duo swiftly fell into a deep sleep.
********************
Several hours later, Duo woke once again, only this time to find the others sitting around the fire talking quietly. At the sight of his lover and brother sitting so close together, he felt a twinge in his heart, remembering the test and the choice he had inadvertently made. Being as quiet as he possibly could, he rose from the bedding that had been placed around him and walked off into the strand of trees, needing the space in order to come to grips with what had happened.
Not far from the camp, he found a large boulder with a relatively flat top and climbing up, he settling himself there to think. Unfortunately, he was not aware of the presence watching him so intently from the shadows as his chaotic thoughts and heavy heart caused him to let his guard down. Sensing the attack at the last moment, he tried to turn and avoid the streak of green magic only to have it hit him in the right arm, knocking from the rock and almost immediately sending him back into oblivion.
********************
"Where's Duo?" Quatre asked, having just glanced over to check on the violet-eyed fairy only to find the spot he had been lying in vacant.
"Huh?" Solo asked and turned only to find the same thing. All at once, everyone was on their feet, scurrying around the campsite in search of a sign that might led to the missing boy. They had only starting looking though before the two elves stopped in their tracks, both turning toward the forest surrounding them.
"What the--?" Solo exclaimed.
"You felt that?" Jess asked.
"Felt what?" Heero asked.
"An earth magic attack and it was close." Jess explained and without waiting for a response, she rushed into the woods, the others following close on her heels.
TBC...
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