We said wed walk together baby come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
If as were walkin' a hand should slip free... I'll wait for you
...And should I fall behind... Wait for me
-Lyrics to 'If I Should Fall Behind' performed by Bruce Springsteen [1]

Elements of Great Design Part 26

"So, have you ever heard anything to what this Howard the Elder might be like?" Duo asked his veiled friend as they carefully secured Anna onto the cart that Wufei had constructed for her to travel comfortably on.

Quatre set the harness around the 'sleeping' Keeper's waist as he shook his head, "There is not much that even my kind know of him." His thoughtful expression brightened a bit as a thought crossed his mind. "Although, I do remember hearing that he is a bit eccentric. But given how long he has lived, I suppose that much is to be accepted."

Seated in Wing's saddle close by, Heero sighed, "I just hope that this trip will actually be of help to us in finding the Elemental Stones. We are going quite a bit out of our way to reach Epyon Ridge to lose time on a dead end."

Wincing at the words 'dead end,' the Fighter remembered the possible trouble from Mariemaia that they could be heading into... as well as the very real potential that they could all meet the last moments of their lives. To the glaring faces that spun to meet his cobalt gaze, he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. That was by no means an implication to what we might have to look forward to."

Maxwell gave a small, reassuring grin. With a squeeze to his sister's shoulder, he righted himself and brushed his hands together, announcing, "Well, let's get a move on, then." Gesturing to the looming rises of rock that had become more prevalent in the distant skyline that waited for them, he said, "If we push on hard enough, we could still make those cliffs by nightfall according to Trowa."

At the mention of his lover, Winner stood and scanned the open field around them until he spotted the Dragoon in his full gear at the sitd where they had set camp with his back to the rest of the team. Not much further ahead of Barton, Wufei was facing the same way except that he was bent onto a knee.

Exchanging confused glances, the Fighter and the Mages lowered themselves to the ground and moved towards their distracted allies. When they stepped closer to the Air Keeper, they were also near enough to see that Chang had a hand pressed against the grass beneath him. While they could not see his face, it was more than clear that he was in deep concentration.

"Trowa, what's going on?" Quatre asked in a whisper when he reached his partner's side.

Slowly leaning close to the Water Keeper, the Dragoon kept his emerald eyes on the Monk as replied just as softly, "We spotted a heard of wild horses that had run off into the woods only moments ago."

Gesturing to the thick patch of trees to the west that they had been avoiding for the last couple of days, he stated, "Wufei is trying to summon one back to make them his steed." Wide-eyed, the three onlookers turned their attention back the teenager before them.

His own eyes closed and his breath coming in calm, even pulls, the Monk remained beyond the conversation taking place behind him as well as the whole world around as he lost himself to his gift. Creating low tremors deep within the ground that would only be felt by one of his intended targets, he waited patiently for a response until finally he was able to make out the distinct sound of sharp gasps filling the air.

Instantly broken from his spell, Chang's onyx eyes blinked open to find a tall shadow that was quickly making its way towards them. A pleased smile curling his lips, he chuckled deeply and slowly rose onto both feet as the dark brown Clydesdale stallion that had answered his call approached, its head shaking with a snort.

"Hello, friend," the Earth Keeper greeted warmly, stretching out a hand as the long, white-streaked muzzle came into reach. Wuffling, the horse with long-haired 'boots' leaned into his touch.

Laughing, Duo cheered, "That's incredible! So, you can actually control the animals that are tied to your elements?"

The small grin on Wufei's face never faded as he glanced back over his shoulders to his comrades in arms, replying, "Not exactly." Centering on his fellow Keepers, he explained, "We can make suggestions, summoning through our abilities but the creatures that we seek out still have their own minds to answer as they so wish."

He shrugged, "However, it does not hurt that they feel comfortable enough around the wielders of the air, sea or earth that they occupy. It does make them a little more inclined to assist us however they can." Quatre and Trowa came out of their stunned stupors as they took the information in.

"It would only make sense," Barton commented softly. "All this time I had assumed that Scarlet and other dragons like her were able to trust me because of my uniform... but then I had never been around other Dragoons to realize that it was actually because they can sense my elemental powers since they rule the skies.

Unable to keep the awe from his expression, Heero shook his head and muttered, "Wonders never cease with you Keepers." To his growing surprise, he watched as strings of vines rose from the ground to make their way up the sides of the steed to take the form of a sturdy saddle atop its back.

Wufei ran a hand back over the impressive animal's muzzle, saying quietly, "I'll name you Shenlong, a word of honor and justice from my homeland's history." With a snort, the beast nodded its large head as though in response. That settled, the Monk rose onto his steed and faced the rest of the Alliance, smiling, "Right. Let's move, then."

"Just one last thing first," Maxwell smirked. Raising his right hand, his violet eyes glowed through the use of his gift just before the brilliant spark of Anna's soul appeared to hover over his upturned palm. The humming, dancing light floated towards the stunned Monk without pause and leaned against a cheek as though pressing a kiss there before it perched itself on his right shoulder.

Chuckling when those wide, shimmering onyx eyes settled on him, the Black Mage shrugged, "She told me that she wants to stay close to you for the trip." He tapped a finger against his temple, reassuring, "Don't worry. She's still more than near enough to me that I'll keep her safe if anything should come up. But it is only right that you can continue the journey you started together in the same fashion."

Practically glowing himself through his tears, Chang smiled widely to his passenger and breathed, "It would be my honor. Thank you..." Nodding to the braided teenager, he clarified, "both of you." Duo bowed dramatically to the chuckles of his 'brothers.'

"Are we ready now, then?" Trowa grinned. Firm nods made their rounds and the Alliance was mounted moments later to resume their surge for the ridges waiting for them.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Treize's legs nearly gave out when he and Lady Une had been brought to their new prison. Panting heavily, the sweat-drenched King sat himself beside his wife on the rock that she had practically collapsed upon. It had been a very long, difficult couple of days that they were forced to travel on foot once again. And it would not be very long before the next time such a journey would be made.

Reluctantly peering through the wide mouth of their high 'cell,' the royals had a perfect view of Salamand's distant landscape amongst the lush forests that protected it. Such had become the cruel intent of Mariemaia's minion... taking the Sovereigns to the edge of the progressing darkness so that they may lay their eyes on the lands that would soon crumble under the brutal force of their army....

...Giving them a couple of days to take in the changed scenery after every conquer, they would be pushed onward to enjoy the last moments of Gaia as they knew it.

It was an effective way of completely crushing their already shaken spirits.

This was a particularly personal thing to behold in that King Victor and his husband, Lord Joshua were good friends of the Khushrenada family. Most talks between the northern Sovereigns ended in long, friendly discussions between the four rulers when their neighbors kept to themselves and returned to their lands... now those kind young men and their people were on the brink of being destroyed.

"Dear Creator, I do not know how much more of this I can take," Lady Une whimpered as she turned her head from the cave's opening. Reaching up to wipe the tears that began to fall, she shuddered and managed brokenly, "To be this close and not be able to get a word of warning out... it is devastating to be this helpless."

Try as he might to remain strong for his distraught wife, Treize could only lower his head deeply as his own eyes welled up. "All is not lost yet, my love," he murmured with an emptiness in his voice. As much as he wanted to believe that there was still hope, that glimmer was fading quickly for him... and their poor daughter hurled into this terrible nightmare.

For the ogres and other gruesome beasts looming about in their guard, the state of their prisoners could not have been more entertaining. Snickering, they exchanged elbows to their sides as they watched the grieving pair.

And unbeknownst to all within the cave, a spyglass was being lowered behind the cover of thick tree leaves miles before the low-rise mountains. Its bearer, a young woman with wavy black hair that reached the middle of her back told herself softly, "That's them, alright." She shifted on the branch that she stood atop and peered down to the ground far below her.

Running into her view, a dirtied boy of little more than the appearance of eleven years in age craned his head skyward to meet her green gaze. "Got something, Rebecca?" he called up anxiously.

"Yea," the young woman nodded. "I have a message you need to get to Commander Firion as quick as you can, Toby."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"And this is Sally Po, the head of our Healers here in camp," Firion introduced with a hand held out to a lovely, white-robed young woman with her hair pulled into thick braids that fell against either shoulder. Finishing up her task of drying her hands that had been cleaned of grime and blood in a deep basin, she stepped beyond the opened flap of the tall tent that she stood in and approached her company.

Bowing deeply when she approached the King and Queen, the Healer smiled kindly, "Word travels quickly in the White Fang. There have been whispers that we have been graced with the presence of royalty and their brave reinforcements. You have no way of knowing how much we appreciate the help."

Zechs exchanged a firm handshake with her as he replied, "It is the very least that we can do. You and your entire organization deserve the full credit for being in the front lines from the beginning." Her head nodding to second the sentiment, Noin stepped forward to squeeze one of Po's hands in greeting.

Gently patting the gifted's shoulder, the Commander shared, "Sally and I are two of the few that had been fortunate enough to escape Paramecia alive. For years now, she had served as a personal aid to our own King and Queen." His eyes narrowing, he gritted through his teeth, "At least that was before Dekim Barton sank his claws into Mariemaia."

Frowning deeply, the royals exchanged those confused glances once again. "You seem to always be passing blame for what had happened to our world from the one person that we see as the one who bears all responsibility for opening Abaddon's gates," Lucrezia commented, keeping her voice low and with a bite of ire for the child. "What are your reasons for that?"

It was Sally to respond first, quickly moving back to the tent that she had been working in to call, "Jessup, I am going to need this space, dear. That graze wound will not gave you any more troubles now." With a small smile, she added, "Try and be more careful the next time you decide to climb a tree using only your bare hands."

"Okay," a bright voice answered at the same time that a boy no older than thirteen physical years ran out into the open. making his way speedily past the audience that he was completely unaware of along his way deeper into the woods, he never caught the surprised expressions on his regal onlookers' faces.

Noin continued to stare after the child, breathing, "Dear Creator... he is only a baby."

Grunting, Firion sighed, "Most of the younger soldiers like Jessup had lost one or both their parents in the attacks and have insisted in being some part of our movement."

Slowly tearing his eyes from staring down the direction in which his charge had disappeared, he focused on his new friends and reassured, "Their roles are limited to serving as messengers and the like so that they are never in the face of immediate danger. Should we ever come under siege, they are small, fast and more than able to get themselves to safety."

As comforting as that news was, Merquise shook his head, muttering, "The whole world truly has gone mad." Swallowing roughly, he joined his wife in following the Commander and the Healer into the tent that had been cleared for them.

Once inside, the couple peered around to the rows of long beds fixed with pails and tables of equipment to aid the staff that would work on patients- no doubt items picked up from those leveled cities as well as the few that had been fortunate enough to evacuate while there was still time. Whichever the sad case, there was a relief in knowing that those losses were able to at least bring support to the White Fang.

Turning to face the royals, Sally drew a deep breath and began, "I know that we have only just met, but this is a topic that both Firion and I are particularly passionate about." At the mention of the Commander's name, the braided gifted peered over to her silver-haired counterpart with a warmth that both Zechs and Noin were more than familiar with...

...she was in love with him... deeply as a matter of fact.

Po rushed to compose herself before her glance was caught and she returned her attention to their guests, continuing, "Having worked in the palace for many, many years, we both came to understand every dealing within its walls from how the cooking staff prepared their meals to which visitors our King and Queen were hosting whenever our neighboring Sovereigns decided to stop by..."

"Right down to how their only child was cared for," Dissidia concluded, his solemn expression never wavering. Meeting the Healer's eyes briefly, his chest rose with a deep breath of his own. Shaking his head, he said, "Mariemaia's talents in dark magic were realized when she was very young. At first, Treize and Lady Une began to seek out the guidance from other gifted in those ways to show her how to harness her abilities for good."

His deep blue eyes narrowing, he gritted through his teeth, "That was until the Queen's brother, Dekim Barton, insisted that he was powerful enough in his own gift to train the girl. At only the physical age of six, Mariemaia's powers clearly exceeded her uncle's, but the old man was insistent and our leaders could not deny his request seeing as he was family."

When her Commander's growing ire gave him pause, Sally went on, "Their sessions were behind closed doors and no one thought anything of what might have been happening behind them. It was years into their training when the news of the landslide that destroyed Eblan had spread when there was cause to worry since Dekim had taken Mariemaia on what he called a 'field test' at about the same time."

Skin paling, the air rushed from Merquise's lungs as his eyes widened in horror along with his wife's. "Then... what happened at Eblan was not an accident?" he managed in a little more than a breath.

"No," Firion replied, a profound expression of grief. "We all came to learn too late that the land was used to experiment the first opening of Abaddon's gates. What exactly transpired there is unknown, however Mariemaia's gift and Dekim's influence over here were responsible for its demise all the same. I imagine that the fate the poor Monks and their loved ones experienced was not terribly different to what our own homelands had endured."

A hand raising to fall over her mouth, Noin muttered, "Dear Creator. We all had our warning of what was coming years ago and we never knew it." Biting his lip, the Commander gave a firm nod in response.

Zechs, his anger only boiling anew in his veins, snapped to his new allies, "The Monks of Gaia were amongst the most peaceful and innocent in all of Gaia and yet that girl saw that they were all wiped away. Even if this Dekim Barton manipulated her into using her abilities to bring the nightmare that is claiming all that we know, I still need to know how it is anyone could believe that she has any good in her."

It was Sally who straightened herself and answered, "We have all of the proof of that we need based on the fact that we are still alive." The royals blinked widely in confusion at her words. Shaking her head, she stated, "When the Paramecia palace came under siege, those demons that had been unleashed were mad with their intent to kill everyone that stood in their way. And once all was said and done, only a handful of us had managed to survive."

Trembling at the dark memories that flooded her, the Healer leaned against Dissidia while he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Still, she pressed on, "We were all rounded up and brought before the same little girl that we all had in some way helped raise from the time that she was born. At her right, Dekim stood ordering her to have those monsters that had overrun the city to kill us..." Her words trailed off with a sharp sniffle when her emotions got the better of her.

Firion cleared the lump that had formed in his throat as his own eyes shimmered. Pulling the braided young woman closer against his side, he went on for her, "Mariemaia not only refused, but she granted us safe passage through what was left of our city."

Stunned stiff, that took all of the heat and wind from the Sovereigns in that simple revelation.

Raising a finger, the Commander declared softly, "That glimmer of the sweet child we have known her to be is still there. She is in over her head and had been trusted to the wrong guidance. But she is not the villain that the rest of the world believes." He lowered his hand, admitting, "Now, that does not clear her of guilt entirely. However, there is hope that she might be saved."

Never before had Zechs or Noin ever considered such a thing. But as their eyes met, it was plainly clear that they both believed it now.

"Commander Firion!" a high-pitched voice called from beyond the tent. It drew closer quickly, shouting all the louder and more desperately, "Commander Firion!"

Worry washed over the silver-haired leader's face. Quickly moving for the flap, he threw it open as one of his youngest charges came running up to him. Lowering himself to a crouch so that his gaze was on the same level as the panting boy, he urged gently, "What is it, Toby?"

The shaggy-haired messenger swallowed roughly in catching his breath. "The scouts have found the new whereabouts of King Treize and Lady Une."

*   *   *   *   *   *

The Alliance was nearly upon the base of the Epyon Ridge by the time the sun was in its early stages of setting. Tall rock formations stood along the way, making gullies and valleys of their own to be passed before the start of the main climb of the red, brown and gold-striped rise of stone.

Over the course of the trip, SandRock and HeavyArms remained close as their riders conversed amongst themselves while occasionally linking their hands together for brief squeezes when they thought that no one was looking.

It was a rare moment when Wufei did not have pen to paper to write a love letter in response to the one that Anna had written him. Keeping Shenlong to a comfortable canter beside the carriage that carried his sleeping lover so that he could keep a constant vigil over her, he glanced over at the redhead nearly every minute to be sure of her safety. All the while, the brilliant, humming spark of her soul stayed close against his shoulder.

Watching his friends with a warm and heavy heart, a bittersweet smile crept across Duo's face. To his right, Wing was brought up close and Heero reached out to wrap their hands together. "Are you alright?" the Fighter asked softly.

"Yea," Maxwell whispered, his smile growing as he turned to lock onto the cobalt eyes on him. "Just thinking of how bad I wanted what the others have... and now I do. What we share might not be perfect, but that does not make it any less special."

Unable to help the wide grin that lit his own face, Yuy brought his partner's hand up to kiss the back of it. "No, it does not," he agreed with a smirk.

Deciding to stop the horses to give them a fresh drink when they came upon a narrow stream running through the stones, the team dismounted and stretched their legs. "Good timing of finding this water before we begin taking the trail into the ridges," Trowa commented as he stretched his arms overhead.

Quatre faced his lover, asking, "How far does it look like we have to go before we catch up with Howard?"

As he reached for the rolled up map hooked to his uniform's belt, the Dragoon replied, "Let's have a look-"

"No need to bother with that," a voice spoke behind a pile of tall, red rocks.

Wide-eyed, the Alliance spun with their weapons drawn to find an unfamiliar man making his way atop the perch that loomed over them. The wild, gray-haired old man standing in flowing white robes smirked in amusement, "It is a good thing that I am not much older than I already am or I would have died of boredom waiting for you to finally arrive, Alliance."

TBC...

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04mRvBaEku4 Beautiful rendition of this incredible song by the whole E-Street and.

 

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