Love Conquers All Part 5
Thin shifts of dawn-colored sunlight crossed Heero's face. He tightened his eyes against the unwelcome brightness. Lying an arm over his face to hide from the prodding light a little longer he sighed deeply. Gradually he was aware of the scent of clean sheets mixed with some other delicious aroma. The unmistakable smell of hot oat porridge and freshly baked wheat bread helped to stir him fully awake.
Pushing up on his elbows Heero saw Quatre sitting cross-legged by a pot floating above the floor. Strangely there was no fire beneath, no heat source of any kind to cause the porridge to cook but nevertheless it bubbled filling the bedchamber with the wonderful morning smells.
More surprising was the immaculate state of his room. There were no traces of the wine bottles or soiled clothing that had littered the floor. The pools of blackened blood from his foolish attempt to take his life had vanished. Heero knew that the porous planking would have absorbed the blood making it impossible to remove all the stains yet the space was spotless. "More magic." he murmured to himself shifting to sit up.
Trowa sat on a chair by the window wiping down Heero's sword with a soft cloth. Occasionally he would hold the finely honed blade up to the light studying the way the sunbeams bounced off its polished surface. A fleeting smile showed his approval. His sensitive hearing must have heard Heero's mumbled reference to the magic worked in his room. "Something had to be done to this pigsty." he snorted the sudden sound of his voice causing Yuy to jump in spite of himself.
Quatre glanced up smiling first at his lover then at his wakened comrade. "Good morning." he beamed happy to see Heero looking so rested.
Heero wrapped the coverlet around his bare body to tame the morning chill. Carefully he slipped his legs over the bed's side knowing that getting up slowly would be in his best interest. Just as carefully he stood pausing to be certain that his legs would hold him up. When they complied, he took several shaky steps towards Quatre.
The Light God stirred the pot then lifted the spoon for Heero to taste. "Is it good?" he inquired.
Heero eased down tucking the coverlet under his legs. "Yes it is very good." he praised.
Quatre waved his hand and a pitcher of fresh water appeared at his side. A cup soon followed. He filled the cup handing it to Yuy. "Water is as strong as you need this morning." Heero gladly accepted the cup. He sipped slowly letting the cool liquid wet his parched throat and quench his thirst.
"How do you feel?" Quatre wondered noticing that his comrade was a bit pale.
Heero finished the cup setting it on the floor, "I feel like a huge spider has been weaving a web in my head and that bugs have been crawling in my stomach." he answered honestly.
"Breakfast will help. I do know you slept well." Quatre replied spooning the porridge into a bowl that had just as magically materialized. "Be careful it is hot." A goodly portion of warm wheat bread was also offered.
"I hope you don't mind me clean your sword?" the God of Darkness asked holding up the fine weapon for closer inspection. 'The workmanship is masterful." he commented extending the sword to admire its perfect balance.
Heero turned to watch with pleasure Trowa's admiration for his treasured weapon, "My father had a master sword smith make it for my sixteenth birthday. I hold it as one of my most prized possessions. It is a symbol of my status as a soldier and defender of my King." he proudly declared, "I don't mind the cleaning. I will admit I have been lax in my duties lately but as of this morning all that will change.
Then Heero's relaxed mood suddenly went tense, "I didn't think anything could have ever mean as much to me as my sword until I found Duo." he whispered his beloved's name as renewed fear lanced through his heart. "Oh Duo have I lost you forever?"
Quatre sensing Heero's pain laid his hand on his arm, "Duo is still with us but I will not lie, we need to reach him soon for I fear he cannot endure much longer."
Trowa joined his lover and brother in arms on the floor. Wrapping an arm around Quatre's shoulders he placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "We will win this time." he proclaimed. Then he offered his hand to Yuy in a gesture of unity. "Together we will send Ryuujin back to the hellish pit of his occult birth, back to the viper's nest of evil where he can suffer forever with his witch."
Heero took the offered hand giving it a firm shake, "Together," he reaffirmed his commitment to his lover, his comrades and his King. "we will rid my world and yours of the damned spawn of Hades."
Over breakfast, the sharing of the fortifying nutrition of grain and water, the warrior trio made plans to face the Dragon God. It would not be easy but nothing worth having ever was. Heero would face his most formidable foe. A cunning creature who had nature's most violent elements under his command. Ryuujin had no conscience, no sense of honor. When they did meet there would be no rules; any battle strategy would be fair play. Heero knew he would have to forget all his proper soldierly training and call on his most primitive nature if he was going to defeat the evil Son of Satan.
*********
Duo woke with a shudder his entire body recoiling in panic. Tense tightness gathered in his shoulders. Not one inch of the aching body was dry. He threw up his arms to ward off the advancing beast charging with frightening clarity in his mind's eye but something stopped them with a hard jerk. Chains clanged against the floor, heavy metal bands torn at his wrists. Panting to catch his breath Duo opened his eyes with a start. Sulfur's stench was sucked into his nose with each pounding gasp for air, its bitter taste laid rancid on his tongue. It took a few moments before his addled senses registered his surroundings. Another minute until his pain-racked body let him do more than fight for his next breath.
He shivered on the Incantation Chamber's floor kept in his prone position by the familiar shackles secured by short chains attached to iron rings set into the damp stone. This time there was no straw mattress to cushion the hard surface. Chang had left the thin blanket but it was not much help against the constant soul-numbing cold. Duo was dressed in a new tunic but the rough fabric was stained with dried blood. His auburn hair was held back in a loose ponytail.
The slight movement was rewarded with pain that fluctuated between the feel of stinging barbs and a dull ache. Through his weakness induced haze one question slowly seeped into Duo's brain. "How had he survived Ryuujin's rape?" With sluggish responses governed by the tenderness of his body and the cloudiness of the mind Duo somehow managed to sit up against the soot-stained wall. Now his surroundings were known. The cruel instruments, the death masks, the pristine polished cross all helped him to recall where he was.
The question asked again in a more demanding manner. "Why? What had intervened to save him from the horrible death?"
"Mercy my Pretty One." a hauntingly familiar voice replied in his head. Duo jumped at the sudden invasion of his thoughts. His eyes darted trying to see everywhere at once. Duo was alone as far as he could tell, physically anyway, but the Dragon's voice echoing in his head told him that he would never be free from Ryuujin. Would total submission ease his pain? Was his situation hopeless?
"No." Duo answered auguring against his muddled mind's urging to give up. "I will not lose hope as long as there is breath in my body." Closing his eyes Duo concentrated on his lover. He pictured Heero's face, the way his muscles rippled as he practiced with his sword. The memories of days filled with laugher, nights filled with passion. They would give Duo the strength and courage to endure whatever he must. His reunion with his beloved soldier that was all that mattered.
Outside the Incantation Chamber's archway Chang stood in silence. Reading Maxwell's thoughts he drew up against the power of love. The Dragon knew, at that moment, he would never have Duo's heart. But maybe, if Heero Yuy was dead, Chang could possess his pet's pure soul for surely with Yuy's death Duo would finally give up.
*********
It would have been an easy act for Quatre and Trowa to transport to the Dragon's Lair for time and space were no obstacles. But, unfortunately, his realm's physical laws bound Heero so the immortal pair would have to accompany their human counterpart the old fashion way, on horseback. Another factor also dictated their need to arrive together, the element of surprise. The God of Light and the God of Darkness could not risk Ryuujin sensing their presence. If their rescue plan was going to work total anonymity was essential.
A line of riders aboard their equine transportation snaked through the valley's forest. They would keep to the trees to avoid Ryuujin's excellence eyesight and hopefully the wood's earthy scents would fool the Dragon's equally keen sense of smell. Heero rode in the lead as it was his home they traversed. He knew the shortest and less traveled route to the river. Duo's soldier had armed himself with his trusted sword and his sharpened dagger. Yuy had donned his dark blue uniform with the King's Double Lion Crest attached to his coat. The embroidered patch of crimson and gold was centered over his heart.
Magic and mystic fortitude were the immortal's weapons of choice. Luck and fate's blessing were also counted among their arsenal. From Quatre's saddle a crossbow hung on one side, a quiver of special arrows empowered by a poison spell hung on the other. He believed that the addition of the "human weapons" did not show weakness but wisdom as Chang could take many forms and being human was one of them. Trowa had his own means of protection that was not as obvious but just as deadly.
The river fog drifting above the forest's green canopy told the warriors that they were nearing the first part of their quest, crossing the water's strong currents. The rocky cliffs that would surely be slippery from the early morning mist was their next obstacle. When the cliff's sheer heights were conquered then the Dragon's Lair and its vile Master would be within their reach.
Quatre and Trowa had made several reconnaissance trips to the lofty keep. They had observed the Dragon's routine, studied his habits. They were not sure if the addition of Duo to his castle had altered his routine but they would have to go with what they knew as facts and adjust to any changes when it became necessary.
Heero knew from experience that even the best battle plans were fallible. All the warriors could do was trust their instincts, apply their knowledge and training and pray that the fates would grant them victory. Heero hated having to partly rely on external circumstances but he had no other option. For Duo's sake Yuy had to defer some of his control to a power greater than himself and hope that power would not fail.
Rushing water sounded at the forest's edge. The lonesome cry of the hawk bounced off the towering rock walls. The Gods and the Soldier could not worry that Ryuujin might, at that very moment, be crouched in the sheltering outcrops high above them. That the wicked winged monster could take flight, snagging them from the horses. That they could be carried to the top, slain and consumed in a primal feeding frenzy.
Heero hoped if they were snatched from the riverbank that Ryuujin would, if for no other reason than to prolong the torment, take his captives to his castle. Then maybe Heero could see Duo one last time. Perhaps he could hold him and tell him that he never betrayed him and that his love was still the center of his world.
All was quiet except for the thrashing black liquid beating against the sandy bank. Standing at the water's edge brought back a sudden flood of memories that took Heero by surprise. The awful afternoon when he found Duo's clothes, the letter, they all came rushing back with frightening force. The red ribbon. Heero lifted his arm to reassure himself that the scarlet symbol of his lover's connection was still there. Now he could not afford to dwell on past memories, not when the future depended on his mind, body and soul acting as a single unit. Duo was his focus, his sole reason for pursuing Ryuujin and nothing short of the Dragon's death was acceptable.
"Are you ready?" Quatre asked dismounting his white mare. Trowa climbed down from his black stallion staring across the swift water, "Yes."
Heero stood beside his roan stallion whose coat was the same fiery color as Duo's hair. He lifted his eyes locking them squarely on his objective. "I am ready.' he answered boldly leaving no room for doubt. Heero started forward leading his horse into a swallow part of the cold currents.
The horse followed without hesitation trusting that he and his Master would reach the other side. Quatre and Trowa tightened their hold on their steed's reins stepping bravely into the river. When the soggy trio emerged on the opposite bank they paused to look back knowing that it might be the last time they saw the forest, heard the hawk's call or returned home.
The horses were left to forge for grass by the river. Trowa placed an invisible border around the four-legged beasts to keep them from wandering off and to protect them from predators so they would be safe and satisfied until their return.
Heero's sword hung from his belt resting securely in its sheath. The dagger was tucked in his left boot well hidden by his pants. As Quatre had said before Yuy's immortal brothers in arms could lend him courage and heal wounds but their could not revive the dead. When Heero came face to face with the Dragon God he would be subject to all of his mortal frailties but he would have it no other way. Warrior against warrior was the only true measure of one's abilities and risking death the only true test of a man's spirit.
*********
Duo stirred restlessly tangled in the flimsy blanket. He drifted somewhere in between being awake and an odd dark dreaming that probed inside his head. There were visions, voices and something that sounded like the cry of a hawk. Splashes of water touched his skin making the Chamber's chill more acute. He felt a touch in his mind, a cerebral connection that was just beyond his comprehension. A face shrouded in mist floated before him. Intense blue eyes stared straight ahead as if they were totally focus on a goal. A flash of red flared at his side-vision.
"Am I going mad?" Duo inner voice wondered at the peculiar sensations.
Duo strained to see through the hazy fog. He reached out his hand to touch the phantom face. His fingers lightly brushed the tanned skin. "Heero." his lover's magical name echoed in his mind.
TBC...
Back to Karen, The Huntress's Fanfictions Page