When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams, I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again
-Lyrics to 'Waiting For My Real Life To Begin' performed by Colin Hay
Elements of Great Design Part 54
Crumpling the letter that had been sent from his commanding officers in the more northeastern reaches of the darkness, Chaos set the paper aflame and watched it vanish into thin air. A pleased smirk on his face, he turned towards his winged messenger in a far better mood than what he had been in prior to reading of the progress achieved by his forces.
"Now, you are absolutely certain that the travelers you saw were, in fact, the Alliance?" the beast asked. Raising a clawed hand, he extended a razor-sharp talon and warned, "And you are confident of the course that they are taking?"
Bowing its puffy head deeply, the red Vepal replied, "Yes, Sire. I can say beyond any doubt that they were the Keepers that I saw and that they are moving towards the Fire Stone next. I did not stay with them because of the pace that they have been keeping. There are no forces near enough to mobilize and take them as they are days ahead of them."
A deep breath sighed through Chaos' nostrils as he nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you made the right call in coming to tell me what you discovered," he stated. "They have purposely deviated from any straight course to shake us off their trail. I had hoped that we would have crossed enough ground to intercept them along the way, but I have left enough surprises for them when they reach the realm of flames."
Lightly brushing his 'hands' together, he added, "Should the Keepers be lucky enough to escape with the stone, they will find any and all of their possible paths to the Earth Stone far less easy to cross."
Dekim sat up in his chair beside Mariemaia's throne, frowning, "You speak as though you expect them to thwart your defense of the Fire Stone. With three of those weapons in their possession, they will have a great deal of power on their side, no matter what the challenges they may face along the way to the fourth."
"I am aware of that," Abaddon's right hand growled lowly, a heated glare fixed on the old man looming over him. "And I am not assuming anything when it comes to what will and what will not happen in this turn for the Fire Stone."
Wings unfurling, he snarled, "We have already seen time and time again that this lot is already capable of impressive feats. But what I can do is understand them, predict them better, should they somehow find the way to storm into Paramecia. Knowledge is far more valuable than any small battle in the grand scheme of a war like this."
Mariemaia was quick to defend the monster, "He is right, Uncle. Even now, we are completely unaware of what more the Alliance is capable of. Do you really believe that in light of what a defeat would mean for him as well as our Dark Lord that Chaos is not taking everything into consideration with his actions?"
The monster's lips curled up into a smug smirk while the Sorcerer's face quickly turned as red as his own.
Clearing his throat, Dekim made a point of aggressively brushing down his robes as he glared down at the child, gritting, "How foolish of me to question such a thing. You are right to correct me, child." Burrowing himself closer against his Mistress's side, Cid ducked his green head under her arm at the sight of the reined fury.
Though she was more than aware of the lines that she was crossing by leaps and bounds when it came to her uncle, the Queen nodded firmly, "Good. I have no concern of the Alliance or their progress when we should be focused on spreading our control as far as we can since we have complete control over that aspect of our mission."
"Once again, my dear, you show far more poise and intelligence that exceeds your youth," Chaos praised, an arm draped across his chest and body bent forward in a deep bow. "I have no doubt that Abaddon already has a special place for you amongst his ranks in light of my reports of how consistently impressed I have been with you."
Swallowing roughly at that, the redheaded girl ducked her head in put on modesty. In reality, the thought of the Dark Lord having any such accolade for her had Mariemaia's stomach churn. By the end of the fighting, when her soul was taken away, not the Creator nor Abaddon would want her in the afterlife. She would be left to suffer for the remainder of eternity.
But for as long as she was still alive, Khushrenada was more than happy to continue making her Uncle miserable. Whether her end came from the old man or the Alliance, it really did not matter as far as she was concerned. Should Barton make a move to take her out of the picture, she would see him wiped from the face of Gaia first...
Of course, the Sorceress would have already seen to the deed if the Creator's warriors did not need more time to acquire the Elemental Stones and reach the goal of bringing Abaddon's influence down at its stronghold. Every step needed to be carefully timed and executed for that to happen.
In the meantime, there was enough joy in watching Dekim have to struggle in holding his tongue as he was in that moment with his fists shaking at his sides and dark eyes blazing. Smiling down at her scaly friend reassuringly, Mariemaia tightened her arm around him.
The old Sorcerer knew to bide his own time as well. It was still far too soon for him to lash out now when the girl's magic alone was strong enough to keep the gates into Hell open for the forces that were needed to blanket Gaia.
Until victory was not a question, he would have the whole dark army wanting his head if he killed the demons' Mistress before they had the living world within in their grasp.
Dekim was not in any way a foolish man. He could see the hint of enjoyment that his 'sweet' niece was having at his expense. Just more fuel for the fire that he would unleash upon her when the opportunity struck.
So, the chess pieces knew where they fell on the board, countering and striking based on what the their opponent did....
And the game played on.
* * * * * *
One week later...
Pulling back on his new weapon, Trent closed his right eye to focus better on the round target that had been strung against a thick tree trunk forty yards ahead of where he stood. Teeth gritted in the straining effort to keep the arrow that he had nooked steady, he released the shaft with a loud snap from the bowstring.
At the sight of the arrow embedding itself in the furthest outer ring of his mark, the Fighter's shoulders slumped. Sighing in defeat, he did his best to ignore the amused snickers from Alex and Mueller at the sidelines. Both Meiran and Dorothy slapped the arms of their mates while fixing them with glares that instantly silenced the soldiers and caused the heads to drop in chagrin.
Relena smiled warmly as she approached her suitor. "You have only had a brief amount of time to work with a bow," she commented softly. "Archery is not exactly something that can just be picked up without practice."
"You know, a little encouragement from you hyenas would be a good thing right about now," Meiran snapped at the Fighters beside her. "I have not seen either one of you have the gall to try and do better with a weapon that neither of you have had any experience in."
Quick to please his lover as well as to prevent being challenged into making a fool of himself, Alex righted himself and cupped the side of his mouth to call out to his friend, "Well, look the bright side of this, Trent... at least you are finally starting to hit the target."
Nodding, Muller did not even think before adding, "That is a vast improvement from your previous over and under shots from the past few days."
Instantly, the two were fixed with narrowed eyes from all around. Their faces reddening at considering how what they had meant to be motivating words had actually sounded, the Fighters cleared their throats and muttered a string of apologies.
Dorothy shook her head, "Nice work, boys. Remind me to never ask either of you for what you think lest I begin to doubt everything about me." Pushing herself up from the raised tree roots atop which she sat, she moved to join Quinze and Peacecraft as she grinned, "Do not worry, Trent. You still have time to work on your skills before they will be needed... so long as the course of fate continue as it is."
The officer met the Oracle's pale blue gaze and frowned deeply, "Yes, but what if it is still not enough? "
Staring down at the thick bow in his hand, he murmured, "I have already had some of the best archers here try to teach me their tricks, but nothing seems to be sticking. At this rate, I would need months to prepare and I have a funny feeling we will not have that long before this war comes to a head."
"Being so hard on yourself is not exactly going to help you improve, either," Meiran stated as she approached. "It took me weeks to feel comfortable in wielding a sword to defend myself, but it eventually came to me. This will not be any different for you."
Leaning towards his best friend, Mueller whispered under his breath, "Wow. Women really are good at this encouraging stuff. We will have to take a few lessons from them since we are not the most trained in being nurturers." Alex nodded vehemently. Together, they rose to their feet and completed the ring of their little band in the center of the clearing.
A small, real smile finally curled Trent's lips as he told the girls sincerely, "I appreciate the support. It is just... a lot of pressure right now." Raising an eyebrow at Catalonia, he snorted, "And has anyone told you Seers how annoying it is that you can never provide a clear answer to any questions around your visions?"
Her head falling back as she laughed along with the rest of the lot, Dorothy replied, "It is an unfortunate nuisance for us as well." Calming herself, she shared, "The clear future is not for anyone to have laid out to them. We only see pieces of what may be and put together what we can from what is provided."
Peering up at the colorful light peering through the treetops, Alex announced, "The sun is beginning to set, so there would be little point in continuing at this rate with what little light we will have at our disposal."
He smacked Quinze's shoulder, smirking, "A good meal after your hard day will put you in better spirits as well as rebuild your strength to hit that bull's eye tomorrow." To the Peacemillion soldier's relief, he was rewarded with smiles from the faces watching him including a particularly proud expression from Meiran that had his heart skip a beat.
Slowly filing into the thick forest, the gathering of friends weaned down until only Trent and Relena remained. Kissing her partner's lips, the Queen kept their faces close as she breathed, "We can always eat later. Go wash up then come back to our tent. I just might have a way of taking your mind off of that pressure that is wearing you down."
Breath hitching in his own lungs, the officer's eyes grew and his heart began to race. "R-really?" he stammered. Humming an affirmative, Peacecraft's smile turned crooked as well as wicked before she closed the short distance between their mouths for a fierce kiss that left little to the imagination of what she had planned.
Dizzy when they came up for air, Trent finally acknowledged just how sweaty he was under his thick clothes thanks to his long workout. Nodding, he grinned, "Right. Washing up. I will be with you soon." Relena gave him a wink, spun on her heels and hurried over the light dusting of snow that covered the ground on her way back into the forest.
Still stunned over what was awaiting him back at his quarters as he watched the object of his affections disappear from his sight, the Fighter gulped down roughly past his constricting throat. To be with his childhood crush was something that only months before was something that he believed he would only dream of. Now...
Eyes widening, Quinze chastised himself, "What the hell am I still doing here?!" Feeling the rest of his body, he threw his bow on over his shoulder and tightened the strap of his quiver that crossed his torso before he ran out of the clearing for the cleaning station.
In his haste in addition to his growing need to hurry back to Relena, the officer was surprised to find that he still had the capacity to recognize three voices speaking only a few feet past the tree line. Based on the nature of those individuals' status, curiosity overcame everything else that was going on in his mind.
Bringing himself to a slow walk and then to a halt, Quinze turned in the direction of the conversation when the first person all but whimpered, "I swear to you that our little girl must still have good in her. She is just a child... impressionable and so easy to be taken advantage of. There must be some way of saving her."
Lady Une.
Since she had been rescued, the Queen was not one to speak very often. Given the nature of what she was saying now, Trent could understand why since not many people would find any sympathy for Mariemaia. Even though he knew of the position that the Khushrenadas had taken, he, himself, wanted to see the Sorceress pay for her actions with the ultimate punishment of death.
To hear even her mother suggesting that there be a way of preventing that had the Fighter's blood boiling. Completely pulled into the conversation, he clinked his way to the edge of the foliage that shrouded the Paramecian royals and Howard. The Sovereigns were huddled close together, eyes shimmering and pouring out their desperation as they fixed their gazes on the old man.
Gently kissing his wife's head, Treize held her all the tighter as he insisted, "We know how impossible a thing it is to ask of anyone in Gaia after what Mariemaia has done. However, she is still our daughter. We know that it would infuriate anyone else in the White Fang to hear of our request, but we simply cannot go without doing all that we can to protect her-"
Unfolding his crossed arms to have the long sleeves of his white robe fall back from his hands waving in the air, Howard cut the King off. "I would expect no less from either of you. It is your responsibility as parents to see that what you believe in your daughter is preserved."
There was certainly a measure of real sympathy in the Elder's voice, but also a definite firmness that made it clear he had already made his mind up on the matter and would not be wavered from it. Quinze held his breath for that stance to be revealed.
With a deep breath, the Mage smiled kindly, "I also believe that there is more than enough good in your child that would make it worth sparing her life. My Descendants and fellow Elders have discussed this very matter at great measures and we have all come to the conclusion that we will do all in our power to see that Mariemaia is protected."
Both Treize and Lady Une gasped in shock. Whatever the remainder of their reactions may have been were lost to a certain Fighter who had been completely shaken to his core with a rage that he had never felt before.
Trent gritted his teeth, pulling against the snow-covered grass beneath his hands that clenched into tight fists in his low crouch.
Had it not been for all of the lives the officer had witnessed being cut down... had he not seen first hand how mercilessly the dark army moved to crush the life of every living creature that they came across... maybe then Firion, Sally and the Sovereigns might have convinced him that Abaddon's little puppet was worth saving...
...but that time had long passed.
What was to happen at the end of the war if the Elders had their way and they prevented the soldiers from slaying the dragon that they had set out to destroy? What justice was there in defending the Sorceress who had brought nothing but terror and death into the world?
Snorting bitterly to himself, Trent pushed himself back and away from his hiding place with a darkness in his thoughts. 'Good luck to anyone trying to stand in my way of killing that girl,' he thought to himself. 'Good luck stopping everyone in the resistance who want the same. It will never happen. We are not going to take the risk of having history repeat itself if she is allowed the chance to destroy life as we know it.'
Too vivid were those dreams of cutting Mariemaia down. For that to be taken away would go against every lesson of a means to an end that Fighters lived by. And so it simply would not happen if Quinze had any say in the matter.
Feet moved on their own accord, taking Quinze through the camp without his processing that he was actually moving. Consumed by that discussion he had listened in on and what it meant to his personal goal for the conclusion of the nightmare that had wracked Gaia, he was not aware that he had brought himself to the Queen's tent until he was walking up the path leading to it.
Suddenly aware of the building frustrations that were threatening to shatter him, the soldier fought to put all of his strong emotions away. There was no point in lingering over Howard's infuriating wish to protect the self-named Queen of Paramecia until the time had come to do something about it.
When that day came and the child's life was in the balance, Trent vowed to see to her demise. Obviously, there was no point in counting on anyone but himself to see to the deed if the gifted were so crazed as to want her to live. No... he would be the one to show them all the way by showing her the way into Hell.
Content with how he was handling the numbing challenge at hand, Quinze entered the tent at the same time that he calmed his soul once again. As soon as the flap of the door closed behind him, a welcoming pair of arms wrapped around him and lips met in a scorching kiss that put all other thoughts to rest as nothing else in the world mattered than their long put off joining.
Just as she had promised, Relena managed to take away all of the pressure that had weighed him down... even if only for that night.
* * * * * *
Brushing a soft kiss against a long scar that ran up his lover's exposed torso, Heero smiled at the sigh that filled his ears. Their naked bodies still damp from their round of lovemaking, the Fighter took his time in seeing that each marking of a hard life endured was reverently touched with either his fingers or his mouth.
There was a real beauty to how marred Death was as it spoke volumes to how he had pushed through some of the worst things imaginable that had been thrown at him. For Duo to have overcome so much and still be the smiling, good person that he was in spite of it all only made him all the more beautiful in Yuy's eyes.
"Hm. Nice," Maxwell smiled as he turned onto his side so that he could face his partner. Reaching out to run his hand through the disheveled bangs that fell in the cobalt eyes that had locked on him, he smirked, "As much as I hate to break this up, we have a bit of pressing business waiting for us."
Nodding, Heero replied, "That we do." He held out a hand after rising to his feet and gently pulled Duo up to his own.
Lighter material trousers and short-sleeved tunics that had been gathered in the last, abandoned kingdom that the Alliance had passed through were the clothes chosen for this particular day. Empty canteens of water were slung over shoulders and other than their weapons, the couple did not bother to carry anything more on their persons.
Stepping out into the open, Life and Death quickly found their comrades dressed in the same state for comfort in light of the especially warm air.
Trowa and Quatre nodded to them as they neared the ring around the small campfire where their breakfast cooked. Exchanging greeting nods, the friends sat and ate in relative silence as they watched the back of their remaining teammates standing on the ledge of the cliff a few dozen yards ahead.
Before the drop, a realm of red, oranges and golds filled all that there was to see. Throughout the land below, there were small rises with large holes that would spurt tall spurts of cracking lava at sporadic times. And through the burning lakes of molten rock and fire was a single pathway of earth only a half-mile wide across that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Her back taut and the hand at her side burrowed in the thick fur of the wolf beside her, Anna stared out into the cusps that contained the Fire Stone.
Unable to take his gaze from the archer, Quatre commented softly, "She looks ready."
"Yea," Duo smirked, "and Creator help whatever might be waiting out there to get in her way."
Even amongst the already brilliant light from the northern Burning Lands, they could make out the glowing light that emanated to outline the Fire Keeper.
TBC...
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