Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
-Lyrics to 'Lullaby' performed by Loreena McKennitt
Elements of Great Design Part 29
Stepping from the confines of the cave that had become their temporary home, the Alliance was greeted by the first signs of sunrise in the form of the star-filled sky brightening in the east. From their perch high in the Epyon Ridge, the view of the world below the gold-and-red rocks on that perfectly clear day was a breathtaking one.
"It's beautiful up here," Anna breathed as she looped an arm through her lover's and leaned against his side. Humming an affirmative, Wufei smiled in content as he pressed himself against her warmth and rested the side of his head on her shoulder.
The serene moment was broken when Howard suddenly appeared, gracefully bounding over the slanted stones ahead of them as he waved both hands in the air. "I was worried that you might miss it!" he laughed. His hands never stopped their wild flailing as he continued towards the team, urging, "Come, come! It is absolutely spectacular in the sunrise!"
Frowning, Trowa asked, "What is *it*? In all my days as a Dragoon, I have heard that the only thing up here is rock and more rock."
A finger raised to his nose as he came to a stop before his guests, the Elder smirked, "Ah, that is true to those who do not know to look deeper. But there was a very big reason to why I chose this as the place where we should meet." Turning on his heels, he urged, "This way. Follow me." Not waiting to see if the others were actually tailing him, he skipped from split stone to split stone with the agility of a cat.
Whistling through his teeth, Duo muttered, "Sure gets around for an old man." He shrugged to his friends and sprang forth to mimic Howard's steps over the jagged top surface of the ridge with Heero and the Keepers right behind.
Before long, the slanted and parted terrain changed back into a flat surface with rises of the ridge that created more caverns with some low enough that the travelers needed to duck down to walk through them. In the particularly dark spots, Anna burned a wide tongue of flame in the palm of her hand so that she and her fellow entities could see with their human eyes. All the while, the Elder seemed to only pick up his pace.
In the longest of the tunnels that they had been led into, the shift in the ground beneath had shifted again to have a bit of a slope on which extra effort and balance to stay upright was needed. "It feels like we're descending,"
Heero noted aloud after a few awkward steps before he found his footing, his quiet voice echoing off the thick walls around and overhead. Silently grateful that the ceiling was high and the walls wide apart, he stayed close to his braided partner's side.
"You would be correct in that assessment," Howard grinned from the front of the line, his white hair tufts reflecting the light from the Fire Keeper as he peered back over his shoulder. "This is where it takes a person who explores beneath the surface of what they are looking at to appreciate what they might otherwise miss."
Over his words, there was a steadily rising hum that was quickly becoming a roar with every inch that the lot drew further down the shaft of stone.
Blinking widely, Quatre frowned in confusion and asked, "Is that a waterfall?"
The growing sound caused Howard to have to snicker loudly, "I knew you would be the first to recognize what that was... And here we are!"
At his announcement, the Alliance looked up in surprise to see the bright light waiting before them at the sudden end of the leveled out stretch. Calling off her fire, Anna's eyes grew along with her friends as they stepped out into a great opening that they had never imagined existing in the thick of the ridge.
What greeted them was almost an entirely different world, hundreds of feet within the stone with a wide opening that at the top of the cliffs would appear to be an impassable gap in the rocks. Inside of the hallowed cavern, the walls glistened in the last rays of moonlight with millions of precious gems varying in size and color. Across from the cliff where the visitors were standing, two great falls flowed wide and free- one of water and the other of burning lava.
The steady gushes plummeted down into the dark ring of emptiness below from which a cool wind rose and wrapped around the tunnel to climb up the full length of the hidden paradise into the heavens.
Awe-struck, the travelers stared with slack jaws at the remarkable scene. Only it was not only the beauty of the cavern that had taken them by surprise...
"I.... I remember this place," Wufei breathed, his vision shifting beyond the tears that filled up on him. His hand that had been holding onto Anna's tightened as he murmured, "We created it." When he lifted his head, he noted his fellow Keepers nodding with a shimmer to their own eyes.
Folding his hands together behind his back, the Elder turned to face his companions and smiled, "That's right. I had a feeling that bringing you here might bring back some of your ancient memories that had been lost."
He freed a hand to hold it out to the striking view around them, reminding, "The four of you made this place to represent the unbreakable pact of your friendship by having each of yourselves present in this display. Quite amazing, if I may say."
Slowly turning to take in the Fighter, the thief whispered, "Heero-" She quickly shook her head, correcting, "Life, you were the one who had suggested this... the first great war that we had to stop thousands and thousands of years ago."
As shaken as he was at having only some of the past he had forgotten catching back up with him, Yuy nodded, "I remember." Facing his braided partner, he grinned, "And you were the one to design this concept from that idea... completing me as well as whatever might come from me... the way you always have."
Duo swallowed roughly at the profound compliment, a blush to his cheeks and a shy smile on his face. Not willing to trust his voice, Death stepped close against his eternal lover as they looped their arms around one another.
For a long moment, the Alliance stared ahead at their masterpiece to bask in the old memories of their long history together. Huddled close, the joy at having their team radiated far beyond their mortal bodies in an overwhelming surge. And with the arrival of the first sun rays beaming down into the cave, the Elder's urgency to reach the spot quickly was realized. The brilliant aura cast the walls to glow the rainbow of colors that speckled them.
Then, a thought coming to him, Trowa was the one to break the silence. Meeting the old man's gaze, he asked, "Howard, as an Elder, you are seen in Gaia as a man with every bit as much authority as a King or High Priest, correct? What you decree goes?"
Completely taken aback by the odd inquiry, the White Mage tilted his head and answered, "Well, yes. That is true. why do you ask?"
Heero instantly picked up on where Air was going with his questions and brightened as he gazed on Wufei and Anna's confused expressions. Nodding to the Dragoon with a smirk, the Fighter told the Elder, "Before we have to discuss the Stones and focus on our responsibility... perhaps you can take the time to use that influence to oversee something that is long overdue."
* * * * * *
Further to the northwest, it was still dark in the early morning hours before the sky would shift for the rebels hidden throughout the thick forest that would soon be crawling with Mariemaia's demons.
Those original members of the White Fang who were particularly familiar with the woods secured their places amongst the trees, rocks and countless other natural shrouds. Amongst their ranks, Noin was pressed up against a thick trunk, axe in hand with mud on the sides of her face to mask the scent of her skin and blood as the civilians had discovered.
For the Fighters who had spent the hours making certain that there would only be one clear path that could be used for wagons carrying provisions and whatever else that could not be carried bu a single person, they were joined by Firion and Zechs as they all lay beneath the cover of brush and leaf flanking the wide stretch in anxious wait.
Having only the gray start to the morning as a means to see their foggy surroundings, the rebels heard every beat of their hearts in their ears and fought to even their breath that came out in light puffs of vapor.
Alex's eyes grew as a low vibration was felt below his hands. Pressing himself down closer to the ground so that he could place his ear against the cool dirt, he focused on the soft buzz that was steadily growing. Wagons. Quickly lifting his mud-streaked head, he whispered, "They're coming! Get ready!" A few soft warnings of the like made their way down the lines to reach all of the soldiers hanging in the balance of what was about to unfold.
Suddenly, the world was silent again save for the chirping of early morning birds and the occasional rustle of leaves on the wind overhead. And just as quickly as the stillness had settled, it was broken by the nearly deafening moan of a horn blown beyond the mist.
Immediately following, the thunder of bony hooves and the squeal of wheels rolling under massive weight was all that could be heard. Through the white fog, dark shadows of incredible height made their way steadily into view along with the distant glow of torches.
Back deeper in the forest, Noin held her breath with a sharp gasp at hearing the snorts and grunts of a large beast sniffing its way through the tall grass. It was a sound that she would never forget having come close to it in a couple close encounters when Coneria had fallen. It was a behemoth... one of what was soon to be many others scouting the land.
Steadying herself, the Queen gripped the handle of her axe with both hands. From the corner of her eyes, she could make out the readiness of the other rebels where they hid.
When the four-legged monster stepped across the line that had been established as the last that any oncoming enemy would safely step, a young man shot up from under the rocks of which he had blended into. Glaring heatedly into the red eyes that flared on him, the fang-tripped guerrilla screamed, "Come on, you freak! Want something to kill, try taking me!"
Its head reeling back in a bellowing howl, the behemoth snarled and shot for its target in a mad charge. Where there was momentarily only the one creature, over a dozen other monsters from ogres to winged dangers materialized from the gloom, all snapping their jaws with their weapons raised in their joining the headlong dart forward in a bellow of roars and horrific screams.
Answering those cries with their own, the White Fang rose up to greet those oncoming challengers.
Taken aback at how the very forest seemed to come to life before them, the hoard of Abaddon's minions gave pause enough to have their first numbers cut down by their surprise. Metal clanged and hissed when they met violently. Hand-crafted nets and trip ropes were released from the civilians to catch up the flying beasts and to send those running creatures plummeting to the ground in heaps.
Noin yelled along with her allies as she swung her body around to hack an arm, a tail of whatever came into her range. Without giving herself a moment to freeze up, she spun around and continued slashing until finally there was a notable gap in the storm of attackers.
"Start drawing them back more!" the Queen shouted to the rebels in earshot. On her lead, the first wave of the White Fang offensive sprinted deeper into the wood to draw their foes into further territory that they would be unfamiliar with.
By the time the sounds of the initial onslaught reached the main path, the caravan carried by skeletal horses was deep within the line of Fighters that they had unknowingly walked into. From their place close to the ground, Trent nudged Mueller and gestured his head towards the row of ugly beings ahead on the road. In their midst, two distinctly smaller shapes walked sluggishly amongst the soldiers.
Heads lowered and their feet dragging along the ground with every agonized step, none other than King Treize and Lady Une were in plain sight of their potential rescuers. Though most of the soldiers present had never seen the pair, there was no doubt in a single one of their minds that the two humans were certainly the Sovereigns of Paramecia.
Biting his lip, Trent nodded shallowly to his dark complected friend. Hand signals made their rounds to the other Fighters laying close by to have their attention set on the King and Queen so that the brunt of the attack to come would be centered on reaching them.
The lead ogre pulled back on the reins of his giant steed, causing the red-eyed animal of white bone to halt and snort smoke through its hollow nostrils. Raising a hand without looking back at the rest of his team, the officer's black orbs thinned as he glared in concentration. Once the wagons screeched to a stop and the marching feet dulled down, the distant echoes of the fight taking place could be clearly made out.
Releasing a frustrated roar, the commanding ogre turned his horse around to order at the top of his lungs, "Spread out and reinforce the sco-!"
Before he finished his shout, a metal arrow pierced clean through his exposed temples to kill him in a blink. As his body fell to the ground, the remaining beats howled and took on their weapons at the same time that the Fighters leapt to their feet, hollering every bit as viciously as their opponents as they shot out to take the surprised monsters with everything they had.
Firion, ever the brave leader of his clan, was the first to sprint forward and met their challengers without a moment's hesitation. Not far behind, Zechs had the steel of his blade meet the steel of a great lance that had been hurled at his head. Pushing themselves into the fray, neither young man waited for the fight to come to them... they brought it to the monsters that had terrorized their world unopposed for far too long.
One of the Fighters in armor of emerald green and gold managed to find a big enough gap in the beasts to reach one of the wagons. Taking hold of an ogre's torch along the way, he set the vehicle ablaze to the hollers and cheers of his comrades. All along the line, other such breaks were realized and even more fires were lit even as some of those brave soldiers were cut down violently.
Before long, it was difficult to make out the difference between pained screams and battle cries on either side of the brutal struggle.
Huddling close against her husband's side, Lady Une panted through her panic as they watched the intense battle unfold around them. And all of a sudden, the monsters that had been looming the closest around them had to abandon their guard to join in and fend for themselves.
"Get ready to move as soon as we can!" the King called to his wife, his voice raised just so she could hear him with his lips by her ear. Swallowing roughly, the Queen nodded against his shoulder and remained transfixed on the fight around them.
Trent, Mueller and Alex managed to stay relatively close, shouting warnings to their friends to keep them alert of an unknown danger. Moving as though engaged in a dance, their armor and faces were splattered with green blood to mix with the mud that had protected them. By working as one unit, they managed to push an opening towards where they knew the Sovereigns to be.
Hacking off the head of an ogre that he had knocked to its knees, the Coneria warrior found himself staring directly at the stunned prisoners. He freed a hand from the hilt of his blade to wave towards the King and Queen that had spotted him. "Come on!" he yelled as loudly as he could manage. "We'll bring you out of this!"
Not about to wait another moment, Treize gripped his wife's arm and ordered, "Run! Now!" Before her nerve kept her where she was for one more second, Lady Une shot forth with her husband right behind... into the thick of the grievous crusade.
Time did not exist for those engaged in the campaign for survival. There was only kill or be killed, strike first and strike last. Everything in the world had been thrown into complete chaos as bodies upon bodies from both lines of the fight fell to the ground.
And just when it seemed as though there was no end in sight nearly an hour later, a gargled voice shrieked desperately, "Retreat! Retreat! Pull back!"
The demand had not come from Firion, the mortals new that much. Before they could truly process what was bellowed, Mariemaia's demons ran, taking everything that they could with them atop of every steed that had not been smashed into the pile of bones that they were.
Already low in numbers because they had not be reinforced by the rest of their army before moving forward into Salamand, the creatures were taken by complete surprise and so the force that they did have was lowered to less than half of what they started with.
Fighting for air, Firion winced as he straightened himself. His blue eyes growing when he spotted the long, bleeding cut in his left side, he quickly wrapped his right arm around to clasp the wound closed though his sliced armor. Scanning the stunned faces of the Fighters around, he slowly turned himself to find that there was not a single monster standing amidst the rubble, flames and bodies.
Covered in sweat, Zechs was one of the first to meet the Commander's gaze with eyes of his own. Slowly, Noin and her fellow flank officers appeared to take in what remained of the main road's ambush. Every bit as weary and battle-tried, the successful team nearly crumbled in relief at seeing that their enemies had been pushed back.
Together, Dissidia and Merquise looked over to the line of trees around in time to watch as three certain Fighters stepped out into the open... with the bewildered King Treize and Lady Une that they helped rescue.
Bright tears filling his eyes at the sight of his Sovereigns, Firion whimpered sharply. With his free hand, he raised his bloodied sword overhead as he spun back to his warriors and let out a prolonged cry that was soon joined by the brave survivors standing by.
It was a clear victory... the first for the rebels. And it could not have come at a more needed time.
* * * * * *
Hours later...
"So... how do I look?" Anna asked nervously as she hooked some of her loose hair behind her ears.
Gazing down, she took in the long-sleeved, knee-length dress forged of white flowers that Wufei had made for her earlier that day. Fitting her like a second skin, the flattering gown was finer than any that the thief could have ever hoped to have worn in all of her life.
Biting her lip, Fraise muttered under her breath, "Had I known that I was waking to my wedding day this morning, I might have actually taken the time to be more presentable for Wufei." Her hands worrying together at her waist, she frowned, "He deserves far more than what I can ever offer."
Trowa wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss against her temple, urging gently when he pulled away, "Hush, sister. That is not at all true. You look stunning. Chang sees that in you every day and this time will be no different." Blushing, the redhead blinked her watering eyes at the Air Keeper and bit her trembling bottom lip before she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug to express her appreciation that her voice could not speak at the moment. Chuckling, the Dragoon held her back just as fiercely.
"Except you are not exactly a bride just yet," Quatre smile as he stepped into the scene. Climbing onto the small stack of red rocks behind Fire so that was able to look down on the crown of her head, he removed his white veil from his own. "Something borrowed," he announced quietly as he pinned back the sides of his fellow Keeper's hair and secured the delicate, sheer material to fall gracefully over her fall of curls.
A wide grin spread across Barton's face and he nodded firmly, "Perfect." Winner stepped down to have a look for himself and could not contain how pleased he was with the difference that had the simple veil had made in his sister. Snickering, he found himself taken by a fierce embrace that he gladly returned with a kiss to the thief's cheek.
He held a hand out to his lover when the White Mage returned to his side to accept a couple more pins. Revealing the large, purple flower that had traveled with the thief since Wufei had gifted it to her at their first meeting, he smirked, "Something old."
Giggling, Anna turned the right side of her head towards him so that he could fix the bud just behind her ear. Her anxiety quickly fading, the archer stepped back in her simple, white sandals and ran her hands over the waist of her flower dress, declaring, "Something new."
Duo approached with a wide bouquet of colorful flowers that were tied together at the stems by a ribbon cut from one of his shirts of a certain pale hue. Holding up the result of his handiwork, he beamed, "And something blue." Swallowing past the lump that formed in her throat, Fraise took up the offered arrangement and mouthed a 'thank you' to her brother Death.
Soothingly rubbing her arms, the favorite son of Shinigami informed, "Wufei, Heero and Howard are in their places and ready whenever you are, sis." He raised an eyebrow, teasing, "If you are still too nervous, we could always postpone this until perhaps after the war-"
"I think not!" Anna exclaimed, cutting off the suggestion. Taking her place between Trowa and Quatre, she looped either of her arms through her presenters' and smirked, "I have only waited nearly a hundred years to be Wufei's wife..." She paused a moment, adding sheepishly, "Well, and since the start of time to be wed to Earth. So, I think that it's beyond time this happened." Air, Water and Death chuckled deeply in amusement as they nodded.
That decided, Maxwell cheered, "Great! Let's do it, then." Leaning in, he exchanged a kiss to a cheek with the thief before he winked at her and turned on his heels to lead the way for the tunnel that descended into the cavern where the rest of the wedding participants were waiting.
Air and Water turned towards Fire with subtle smirks as they patiently prepared for her to move them. Drawing a deep breath as she stared down the dark opening that her braided friend had disappeared through, Anna drew a deep breath and straightened herself in setting herself to greet her long-overdue destiny lying at the end of the stretch before her.
"Okay," she grinned to the Keepers that would give her away. "I'm ready."
TBC...
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