Oh the land of an unclouded day
Oh the land of an unclouded sky
Oh they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh they tell me of an unclouded day
-Lyrics to 'Unclouded Day' performed by Audra Mae
Elements of Great Design Part 71
Their hands slipping away, Wufei and Anna peered deep into the darkness that lay ahead for as a far as they could see. Where they stood, not a single cloud blocked the rising sun's light that fell over the White Fang at their backs.
At the edge of the line defying the edge of Abaddon's influence, armored demons stood with their lips curled up in ruthless smiles of jagged fangs. This retaliation for the assassination attempt had been expected. And the Sorceress's hoard was ready to accept the response.
Little did they know that the Fighter was still alive.
And it would stay that way for as long as the Alliance could manage...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Flashback]
"So how are we going to get word back to Paramecia that Abaddon's mercenary failed?" Duo smirked to his family following their meeting with Firion only hours before. Beyond the Commander's tent, the sounds of shouting voices and feet stomping along the cold ground painted enough of a picture to the roused army.
Wufei shook his head, "Heero is clearly the primary target at the moment. We should keep this as close to home as possible since we will already have enough of a challenge in simply reaching the palace. Add on having the surge potentially after him at the same time will only amplify the odds against us."
His hand stilling in his wiping down his thick blade, the Fighter's eyes widened.
Up until the Monk had spoken, he had never given thought to the possibility that he could still be a marked target out of the team. How he had suddenly become such a focused enemy was beyond him when he was surrounded by Keepers and Shinigami's most beloved child. Suddenly, he felt more exposed than he ever had in the war.
Slipping her adjusted bowstring across her chest, Anna smiled warmly when she picked up on her brother's nervousness. "Do not worry, Heero," she urged quietly with a nudge, "No harm will ever come to you as long as I am around... not to mention the others that Mariemaia's forces would have to get through first."
It was a great reassurance, of course. But it was a burden carried by the ones that Yuy cared for beyond comprehension. The fact that he could very well be the reason they might be in any more of harm's way than they had already been because of him was not something that sat well on his shoulders.
Unable to trust his voice, he swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat and leaned heavily back against his sister in a gesture that expressed 'I love you' better than speaking the sentiment ever could.
Briefly taken aback, the thief blinked against the sting that had crept into her eyes and forced a brave grin as she mussed Life's already unruly hair to return the emotion.
Tugging the long nose of his helmet down over his hair, Trowa was back in his full Dragoon uniform as he stated, "I do not think anyone could argue with your logic, Wufei. I am sure that Mariemaia will have enough lookouts throughout her soldiers that the news will travel back to her on its own, but any delay in the reaction would only serve us."
Quatre nodded firmly, "So now that we have established that much, we had best discuss our plans of how we get to the castle." Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he informed, "If I may, I think that I might have a potential solution that I've been sorting out for a while now."
"Oh yea?" Duo grinned. Folding his arms across his chest, he pressed, "So let's hear it." The remainder of the family huddled in closer, their focus trained on the youngest Keeper of their team.
A hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck, the White Mage winced, "Now it might sound pretty crazy, but I think that we just might be able to pull this off..."
Yes. It was a crazy notion that Winner had concocted. And yet that was what they needed to take Mariemaia's forces by surprise... making it the best idea that anyone could have imagined.
Before long, with the six very different backgrounds that made up the Alliance, that strategy was forged.
[End Flashback]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rolling his shoulders back, Wufei kept his gaze on the endless sea of soldiers that continued to stare him and Anna down. "Ready, love?" he asked, a low growl in his voice.
"I have always been ready for this," the thief responded in kind.
Moving as one in a near blur from the speed at which they descended, they sank to a knee and slammed the ground with their right fists.
Upon the impact of their touch, the ground tore apart, the wide crevice it opened traveling at the ease and velocity of a raging river for the demons as streams of molten lava shot for the skies to rain down on them. Screaming and backing from the quake and outbreaks of explosions caused by the unending waves of flame, the lines of the first several miles of troops broke.
Her eyes narrowing while she came back to her feet, Anna brought her palms together in a loud slap of a clap at her chest. From deep within the recesses of her own being, she felt the flight of the great phoenix of fire that screeched and descended upon those monsters that had narrowly escaped the first strike.
In the wake of her assault, Wufei tuned into the power of his own Elemental Stone as he stood and raised a hand out to the scrambling hoard.
Beneath the lines resting just beyond the initial harm, a massive hand of rock, only unlike its wielder's in its size, shot upward to wrap its fingers tightly into a fist that crushed the screaming beasts that had tried to leap from its possession. His own fist pounding into his other opened palm, Chang brought the rock hammer up and down repeatedly to stomp out those creatures within its reach.
And so within a few minutes, thanks to their combined talents, the star-crossed lovers had cleared a way into the darkness that went for miles into its reach.
For those human and gifted soldiers in the White Fang, they stood gawking in awe for only a moment before Firion gripped onto the reins of his horse and raised his sword overhead to catch its last flicker of sunlight before the charge into the 'night'.
A fierce battle cry erupting from his chest, the Commander's cry was quickly echoed by the deafening response of the White Fang.
Sealing the wide fissure that he had created in the earth, Wufei brought in its place a thick mantle of flat bedrock fortified by towering stone walls on either end to thin out the oncoming reinforcements.
Fully aware that he had accomplished all that he needed to achieve before separating far enough from Howard that he would no long maintain his true form, the Monk turned towards the redhead at his side and pulled her in for a desperate kiss as the rebels began to rush past them.
Caught by surprise, Anna blinked widely. That shock evaporated in the next heartbeat as she closed her eyes and returned the passionate exchange with all of her fervor.
Loathe as he was to pull away, the Earth Keeper did so for the sake of their task at hand. Resting their foreheads together, he smirked, "Until we are like this beneath an unclouded sky again, Anna."
Beaming, the thief nodded and stripped away his robe when he fell away into a glowing and constantly shifting shape until he reemerged as the wolf.
Reverently slipping his clothes into her quiver, the Fire Keeper shouted over the commotion, "Archers! Guard those walls when we are off!" Well set to their roles, her teams picked up the pace of their run for the open, above-ground tunnel.
Making sure to be amongst those first in line was none other than the former leader of Paramecia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Flashback]
Treize pulled on the last of his armor to the sound of blaring horns and bellowed orders from the officers outside.
Lady Une secured the straps of the chest plate against his shoulder blades as she frowned deeply, "This is it, then." What she said was more of a statement than a question. A verbalized confirmation of what they both realized was taking place around them.
Picking up his helmet, Treize met her gaze and nodded firmly, "Yes." Shoulders squaring, he vowed, "And I will reach the castle along with the Keepers to protect Mariemaia, myself. We are fortunate to have some very strong allies in Heero, Duo, Howard and Queen Sylvia..." Clearing his throat when it began to constrict on him, he shook his head, "But I am her father. It is my responsibility to defend her with my last breath if I must."
Already emotional over the thought of losing their daughter, the Queen nearly unraveled over the harsh reality that she could well have her beloved husband taken away as well. Beside herself as she was, there was not going to be an argument raised against his need to have a say in Mariemaia's fate.
Even if she wanted to fight it, she knew that it would have come to no avail.
Instead, Lady Une cupped Khushrenada's face in her hands and shared a deep kiss with him. Coming back up for air, she whispered, "Whatever it takes, she must return home to us."
"Whatever the price," Treize promised just as fervently. Kissing his wife's forehead, he murmured by her ear, "I love you. Be safe. And if the Creator be kind, our family will be together again soon."
Not allowing a second of remorse to set in, the King turned away and stepped through the door of their tent.
[End Flashback]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With King Zechs and Queen Noin falling behind him, the Sovereign continued to run as faat as his legs would carry him. As much as he cared for his friends, Khushrenada could only hope that they would remain at his back as two more dangers to his daughter that he could surpass when they reached his homeland.
Suddenly, a fully armored rebel made their own bolt into the scene and kept at an even step-by-step pace beside the Paramecian.
A quick glimpse over brought him to a complete halt along with the Merquise Sovereigns as he shouted in disbelief, "Une?! What are you doing?!"
Coming to slow to a stop before him, the Queen raised her shielded head and grasped the hilt of the sword at her side tightly. "I am not about to sit back here with the Healers when I am perfectly capable of making my own stake in this battle," she gritted through her teeth. "You will not be able to have me turn back, Treize. You are not the only one who has a responsibility here."
The parts that she had specifically left out were perfectly clear in their absence. She was Mariemaia's mother. And she had every right to have her own hand dealt when it came to their little girl's safety. Nothing was about to move her.
No one else needed to hear it. Khushrenada was the only one that the message had been intended for in the end because his opinion was the only one that mattered to her.
Over the course of their many years together, there had never been a time when Treize had been more proud of his bride. He held her fast for a deep kiss filled with more in its gifting than any other that they had shared in the past.
Raising an eyebrow to his own wife, Zechs smirked, "Well, at least I will not be the only Sovereign out in the field worrying the way I do in looking after his Queen." Noin snorted and lightly hit him in the arm with her club.
A few feet away, Howard smirked to the lovely fey floating onto his shoulder. "Ready for a wild ride, my dear?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Queen Iria gripped onto his white robe, smiling back. "Ready."
Satisfied that they had everyone they needed to bring into the fight when Wufei and Anna moved back to rejoin the rest of the Alliance, Quatre hollered, "Hang on, everyone!"
Raising his hands overhead, he called forth the buried water beneath the surface of the dirt until it mounted into a powerful river that picked the White Fang troops from their feet and pushed them through the channel at a breakneck pace.
Through the dizzying runoff along the pike, snarls and threatening snaps from the monsters that were beginning to climb over the sides of the cusp filled the air. Bows ready, the arches sent off a hailstorm of arrows into the fray while the swords of those Fighters closest to the beasts that managed to break through sliced at their opponents.
Barton turned his head up towards the darkened heavens, brought two fingers to his lips and released a bright whistle.
Leading off the assault, Scarlet reeled her long neck back before she poured a burst of flame followed by the hundreds of other dragons sailing into the scene to take out what creatures they could before they reached the tunnel's edges.
All around, Fighters and the damned sank beneath the water surface in the heat of the fight for survival... many of which never reemerged following the fatal wounds they received.
Everything was a flurry of chaos... but it was all necessary to bring the White Fang deep into the heart of Mariemaia's territory as quickly as the Keepers could transport them.
With the channel open, those injured and within the realm of being treated could be easily lifted onto the backs of their winged allies.
Before long, those scaly steeds were gathering up the injured and hurtling back for the clear skies that were growing all the more distant in every second that passed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Heart hammering in her chest, Relena bit her lip at the sight of the growing specks along the thick clouds that were heading straight for the encampment.
"Something is coming!" she shouted, falling back towards the large infirmary tent behind her while the hundreds of troops that remained behind as the only defense hurried forward with their weapons raised at the potential threat.
One of the young scouts, a boy of no more than ten years of age, suddenly appeared at the removal of his mystic shroud. "It's the dragons!" he cried, fighting for breath from his run through the forest to pass the news along. "They are carrying our Fighters!"
The Air Keeper had told the lot that he would be bringing his beastly friends into the battle. But having such a thing mentioned and actually seeing those great steeds in person was an entirely different situation for those mortals and gifted standing by.
When none of her fellow Healers had moved, Sally took the lead. Eyes narrowing in determination, she hollered, "Just like we've been over, everyone! Get to your stations and let's take care of these patients!"
As if they had been set on fire, the mix of gifted scattered for their marks just as the dragons began their descent with their wailing charges.
The scores of Fighters standing by followed their own practiced jobs to the letter by bringing in stretchers and hefting their fallen into the tents in an even spread out so that no one team was overwhelmed.
Queen Relena, Dorothy and Meiran headed for the piles of fresh linens to scoop up armfuls. Resting her chin over the top of her stack, the raven-haired rebel commented, "So far it looks as though Heero was right in saying that the encampment would not be assaulted straight away once the fight began."
Nodding, the Oracle followed her friends with sheets under both of her arms as she replied, "Yes, it was a calculated risk but a sound one. Those monsters know that if Paramecia falls they will as well." She kept to herself that there would still be stragglers who would not be able to join the runoff into the heartland of Abaddon's control.
There would be strikes made and so the soldiers standing by would see their own fair share of challengers. All that they could hope now was that those few hundred would be enough... hope that the Alliance could see to their end in concluding the war before the clearing was under full attack.
So many variables... so little that could be done beyond anyone's own power.
But then there were those wounded who needed help. And those crying, nearly dead souls were going to receive the best treatment anyone in Gaia could offer. Dorothy and her comrades were determined to see to that...
...a good thing since it did not take long for all of the beds in the main infirmary tent to fill up.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Trent pushed off the wall closest to himself so that he could float on his back and take aim at an ogre that was coming up over the wall ahead fast.
Once he was close enough, the Fighter closed an eye and sent his arrow free. Breath holding fast in his lungs, he watched as the descending creature took the projectile in the neck and fell the rest of the way lifelessly into the water.
Unleashing his excitement, Quinze threw a fist into the air with a loud cheer. Close by, Mueller turned towards Alex and smirked, "Our brother has become a hell of a shot." The blonde soldier snickered, nodding in agreement.
"Just so long as I make the one shot that really counts," Trent muttered to himself as he reached behind himself for his quiver to reload his bowstring. From the corner of his eye, he noted the Fire Keeper near the front of the line sending off one flaming arrow after the other and never missing one of her intended adversaries.
Recalling their friendly challenge, the Fighter grinned in the anticipation of seeing which of them might the one to remove Mariemaia from the world. After all, the thief was going to be busy enough working with her Elemental Stone. And Quinze had all the time in the world for luck to work in his favor.
At the end of the long tunnel, the rush of water broke away and evaporated while the warriors it had carried were settled to their feet.
The sheer velocity that they had coursed left the rebels momentarily set back in pulling their senses together. Having traveled for what felt like an eternity between having to defend themselves and keep themselves afloat, had in fact only lasted a few minutes.... and they had crossed over hundreds of miles in the process.
Now finding themselves atop a series of hills barren of any snow or grass due to thousands of feet that had trampled the earth down to its raw dirt, the White Fang troops blinked widely at the looming towers in the very near distance.
It had been a place that only those survivors from the area recognized from their own personal memories. For everyone else, they did not need to share in those past experiences to be all too clear on where they were.
They had made it into the Paramecian Empire.
And all around, countless pairs of glowing red eyes gleamed on their unwanted arrivals.
TBC...
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