Dragonheart Part 10
The cockcrow found Heero tending to his responsibilities. First he saw to it that his father was bathed, dressed in a clean nightshirt and settled into different bedchamber. He hoped that relocation to a tidier, fresher room would quiet Odin's restless spirit.
Heero rounded up several burly field hands and put then in charge of watching his father. Heero had often been on the receiving end of Odin's temper so he knew that strong men were required should the unbridled anger boil up again. It was only a matter of time before Odin would call for his wine and when he was denied then all hell would surly break loose.
Heero then sent a servant to town for the doctor whose medical recommendation for Odin was bed rest and daily doses of a syrupy liquid designed to keep Heero's father drowsy and well behaved. The kindly physician begged Heero's pardon for not being able to do more to improve Odin's condition.
"My father put himself in this position," Heero replied, "and he is the only one who can pull himself free."
The doctor promised that he would make weekly visits but could not give any sure diagnosis as to when, or if, Odin Yuy would fully recover. Heero paid the doctor his usual fee plus an added incentive to return on a regular schedule.
Giving into Anna's persistent prodding to eat, Heero had a late breakfast of oatmeal and eggs. He did break his rule about wine before noon. Allowing for the harrowing night and the busy morning he needed the brew's reinforcement.
After checking in on his father and finding him sleeping in the peaceful embrace of the doctor's drug, Heero and Wing went in search of a suitable hiding place for Shinigami.
Everything that had happened since his return had given Heero ample encouragement to send for Duo. He missed his friend, longed for the pleasure of his company as he had never wanted anything before. Quiet conversation, leisurely meals and perhaps an occasional shared bath were the substances of his sanity.
Riding into the surrounding hills Heero sought out a cave large enough to comfortably accommodate the massive reptile. The dragon dwelling also had to be close enough for Duo's nightly singing to his scaly comrade. Finally the third cave hidden among the gently sloping landscape seemed more than adequate for Shinigami's needs.
"Everything is in place." Heero told Wing as they stood in front of the murky entrance.
Wing snorted and shook his head as if he understood his master completely. "You miss Duo, too, don't you boy?" Again the midnight stallion shook his shaggy mane and let out a soft whinny in agreement.
On the way back Heero formed the plans to send for Duo. He wanted so badly to fetch the Dragon Keeper personally but the demands at home were too great. The spring planting would soon be underway and he feared without his supervision it would not get done on time. Also his father's physical and mental health was still too fragile for Heero to leave him totally in the other's care.
By the time Heero and Wing crested the last hill before home he had set his plans firmly in his mind. By week's end Duo and Shinigami would be welcomed into his home and be considered part of the family.
"The room next to mine will do nicely." Heero told Wing then a sly smile graced his lips as he realized that the two bedchambers were the only rooms on that end of the hall. "Privacy." he grinned, "yes that will do the trick."
The morning had been overcast and now the gray blanket of moisture decided to shed its tears. A steady rain had begun to fall as Heero brushed Wing down and made sure that he had adequate food and water. The black stallion was happily munching on a mouthful of hay as Heero secured the stall and headed for the house.
Cascades of droplets pattered on the roof. Intermittently the wind blew up and splattered rain on the kitchen windows. As he stared into his soup Heero's thoughts were faraway. Memories of thunder and lightning and the violet glow in Duo's eyes tugged at his thoughts and caused a lonesome ache in his heart.
Heero shifted his sight to the fireplace watching the flames dance in the hearth. The subtle scent of smoke-the crimson blaze-recalled the cracking fire that had dried him and Duo after their ride in the rain. The radiant heat stirred recollections of snuggling close to Duo in bed as the wind howled and the rain rapped on the windows of his humble hut.
A log hissed then popped releasing a blast of tiny embers. "Shinigami's breath." Heero whispered turning to watch the rain's tiny teardrops slid down the wavy windowpane.
Steady drizzle set in. All afternoon the wind blew in mournful wails. The gloomy sky shrouded the sun and stole its warmth. Heero roamed about his boyhood home, crept along the stairs as he had in the past when he wished to avoid his father. He paused in the great room's door but couldn't make himself go in. There were too many painful memories within the dim room with its dark wooden panels and heavy furniture.
Heero could see his father sitting at the end of the long table. Sullen and brooding Sir Yuy would eat his supper without a word. Only when Odin required something from a servant would he speak and then his shout could be heard in every corner of the house.
Heero always sat at the table's opposite end...so small in the large chair. He would cringe with each curse-laden shout and pray that a dish or knife would not be hurled either at him or a servant who moved too slowly.
Even as the boy grew into youth and the youth into a man Heero felt small in his father's presence. He could not recall a time when his father had been happy. Heero's mother had managed to temper Odin's sore personality with her charm and soothing voice but Heero never knew if Odin appreciated the woman who had left her homeland to become the wife of a Lord.
Cold currents slithering around Heero as he gazed on the ghostly images that haunted the great room. The gloom had not changed nor had the years altered Heero's dread of that hated space.
Upon his arrival Heero had braved his fears, had met his father in his territory and stood up to Odin's attempts to bully him into being that timid boy again. With a sigh Heero turned from the door leaving behind all the memories.
"Once Duo is here," Heero hoped, "he will exorcise the ghosts." Together they would breath new life into the fearsome space. It might not be fair to expect Duo to be his salvation but right then Heero could not afford to be fair.
"I will make it up to you." he swore on his honor as a soldier.
*********
The clouds kept their dark sway over the sky bringing on an early evening. Supper was pleasant with Anna at the kitchen table but Heero couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something was not right. His instincts had been sharpened by his soldierly duties, he had come to rely on their council and now they were edgy inside his head.
The uneasiness did not seem to stem from the house or Heero's concern for his father. Disquiet rumblings in his mind offered no sure direction.
"Damn." he muttered under his breath.
"What?" Anna asked looking up from her plate.
"I was thinking out loud."
"Troubling thoughts?"
"Uncomfortable."
Anna shook her head. "You haven't had a moment's peace since your return. Your body and mind need to rest."
"Perhaps it is as simply as lack of proper rest." he agreed. "I will not tarry long tonight before bed."
*********
Heero stood outside of his father's bedchamber and gathered his courage. As he eased the door opened Robert glanced up from his vigil at Odin's bedside. Silently Robert touched Heero's shoulder as he passed then closed the door for privacy.
Odin lay on his side facing the wall, eyes closed, hands clutching the sheet. His color had improved but dark circles still shadowed his eyes. Heero sat down. Resting his hands in his laps he studied his father's sleeping form. Oddly Odin didn't seem nearly as intimidating in his sober state. His body didn't seem as large or his hands as threatening.
Heero's was surprised by the slight tremble in his hand as he smoothed down the coverlet but he was even more surprised that he did not jerk it back when Odin stirred awake.
"Leia." Odin called hoarsely.
Heero's heart skipped a beat at the calling of his mother's name. The quivering increased and he suddenly found that it was difficult to breathe. His father mumbled something else then his sluggish eyelids slowly parted.
Odin started to speak but Heero was so afraid that his father would repeat his calling that he interrupted his words. "It's me father."
Odin turned his head in the voice's direction. "Heero?" he questioned.
Heero leaned nearer so his father could better see his face. "I wanted to check on you before I went to bed."
Odin remained quiet for a moment then his eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown. "You are still here?" The question was not asked with bitterness but with a degree of confusion.
"Yes I am here and I'm not going to leave." Heero offered his reassurance. "Do you need anything?"
Odin eyelids drooped as if he wanted to drift off again. Heero hated the effect the medicine had on his father, hated the way it kept him artificially calm. A part of Heero wished that his father would fly into one of his drunken tirades, screaming out his demands and sending the household staff scurrying for cover.
But Heero knew all too well the devastating damage the overindulgence of wine and the trauma of rage had on his father. Odin's fragile condition of both body and mind had almost brought him to ruin and Heero could not allowed that ruin to come to term.
If his father had to be medically modified for his sanity then that was how it had to be. It would take time and patience but Heero believed that miracles were possible, Duo had taught him that. And once the Dragon Keeper was living in the house Heero had no doubts that magic would be worked in everyone's lives.
Heero took Odin's hand and squeezed hoping that the contact would rouse his father from his drug-induced lethargy. Odin's hand twitched then his unfocused eyes fixed their gaze on his son.
"Tell your mother not to tarry too long." he instructed before slipping his hand free and curling tighter under the covers.
Heero closed his eyes fighting the stinging in their blue centers. A steadying breath was employed before he opened his eyes. "I will." was all he could manger to whisper before the emotional floodgates burst under the strain.
In the encroaching nighttime solitude Heero wept. He cradled his head in his hands and gave himself permission to grieve, to release the pain of the earthly severance from his mother and the estrangement of his father. His silence cries went up to heaven, to the comrades lost in battle and the enemy that he had slain.
Wiping his bloodshot eyes on his sleeve Heero bent over and kissed his father's pale cheek. "Things will not remain this way between us." he promised for Odin's sake and his own.
*********
Lying in his own shadowy seclusion Heero stared out of the double doors leading to the balcony. The expanse of heaven was studded with sparkling astral patterns. The moon played hide and seek among the drifting rain clouds as they lifted their watery veils over the mountain.
Sleep tugged at the corners of his mind but Heero refused to grant it entrance. The reflection of wispy clouds painted an odd picture on the door's square panes. In the mirrored images of moonlight and shadows a peculiar countenance floated over the wavy glass.
Heero narrowed his cobalt sight, squinting to discern the foreign face. A sigh escaped over his lips as his mother's kind eyes beheld her son. But this time Heero did not cry or bemoan his loss. This time he embraced the visage that had not materialized to cause pain but to give comfort.
*You are not alone.* a voice spoke inside his mind. His mother's consoling words came yet again as they had so long ago. *Heero you will be alright.*
"Yes mother I know." he answered the disembodied promise.
Heero braced his elbows on the bed and sat up. The clouds flowed on baring more of the moon's silver glow. He tilted his head in a perplexed attitude. The kindly face began to change. Soft curves of cheekbones transformed, distorted into rigid lines. Brilliant sparks like a thousand fiery embers replaced expressive eyes.
Now another face stared back at Heero. Shiny scales shimmered in the moonlight. Scarlet pinpoints glistened through the rain-streaked glass. A massive head bobbed with an insistent nod.
Heero straightened and leaned forward. "Shinigami?"
His brain told him that the dragon was merely a hoax, the result of stress and fatigue but his instincts overruled the mental trickery. Dressed only in his breechcloth Heero moved quickly to throw open the doors. Leftover droplets clinging to the panes sent an icy spray over his bare feet and legs. An equally chilled wind brushed in face and ruffled through his tousled hair.
Frozen in amazement Heero gazed up into a familiar face. Was it indeed Shinigami or had Heero, like his father, finally surrendered to madness? Without realizing what he was doing Heero reached out to touch the mystic mirage, to find out if the dragon was real or a product of lunacy.
His hand hesitated just short of its goal. What if his searching fingers passed through, what if nothing was real anymore? What if?
The scaly reptile lowered his head and gently nuzzled Heero's hair in the same acceptance that he displayed when Duo made their proper introduction so many nights ago.
"What in the hell?" Then the rest of the sentence stuck in his throat.
If Shinigami was there, where was Duo? A knot seized in his stomach, his entire body began to tremble. "Duo?" he choked out his friend's name as a wave of desperation made him weak in the knees.
Shinigami waggled his head then took a single step backward. Lying in a heap at the great beast's feet Duo looked like a half-drowned scarecrow. His cloths were torn and soaked through with rainwater, his hair had frayed from his braid into a disheveled mess.
Dropping to the balcony floor Heero ignored the rough stones tearing at his knees. Forcing back the rising panic he moved his hand to mop back frazzled bangs and reveal Duo's ashen features. Running his hand under Duo's tattered shirtsleeve Heero found his arm cold. Resting his other hand on his forehead it found to be on fire.
Carefully sliding his arm under Duo's shoulders Heero raised his friend until his head flopped on Heero's chest. "Mercifully saints what happened?" he implored Shinigami to supply the answer. All the mournful dragon could do was bow his head as crystal tears beaded on his scales and splattered on the floor beside Heero.
"Duo. Please." Heero begged for some response, anything to tell him that Duo had not slipped beyond reclaiming.
A low moan mixed with the battering breeze. "Heero." The name was barely above a whisper.
Heero stroked Duo's cheek, "I'm here." Binding up his embrace he leaned closer to Duo's ear. "Duo can you hear me?"
Duo's eyes parted until thin slits of violet showed through. "Help me." the Dragon Keeper beseeched before succumbing to unconsciousness.
TBC...
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