The Knights' Chronicles Part 26
Curled up together with his wife in a corner of Wing and Scythe's shared stall, Wufei smiled warmly, "We made good on our promise."
"That we did," Anna chuckled softly as she rested her head on his shoulder and held their sleeping son closer against her. Biting her lip, she said quietly, "For a long time, that vow was the only thing that held me together."
Her free hand reached for the swordsman's to squeeze it with a soft and sincere, "Thank you." Wufei hummed an affirmative as their heads turned to share a soft kiss before the rest of the world around them returned.
In one of the further corners, Hilde giggled quietly to her husband, "Those two really are adorable." Smirking, Trowa nodded firmly in agreement along with Relena, Quatre, Noin and Zechs who were all within earshot.
Snickering when Wing rested his large head before him with an adoring expression in his large eyes, Duo reached forward to run his hand over the smooth scales of his muzzle. "So, you were a natural dad right from the start, huh, buddy?" he mused. The dragon wiggled with a wide grin as he leaned into the braided king's hand.
Heero lightly nudged the side of his steed's head and snorted, "It took some doing to pull him away from you after our first watch. You would have sworn that he was being taken away from his own baby." Wing huffed, his eyes shifting to his rider with a sheepish expression that had the others around laughing.
The corner of his mouth curling in a smirk, Duo nudged his husband, snickering, "Well, he was not the only one taken from the sounds of things."
Blushing a vibrant shade of red, Yuy all but yelled, "There was nothing wrong about me admiring an infant! You were one of the few that I actually got to spend any time with and I knew the challenges that you had ahead of you, so I was especially protective!"
Loud laughter filled the stall as the braided teenager leaned in to kiss his lover on the cheek. "I know it was totally innocent," he grinned as the others collected themselves. "I actually find the whole thing cute." Unable to make even a half-hearted glare, Heero snorted and shook his head with a small smile.
The whole telling of his birth and the reaction to it through the eyes of the knights was surreal for Duo. Resting his head against his partner's chest, he watched his friends with a new understanding of what they were all enduring at the time.
And it was an overwhelming thing for Maxwell, who once had longed for such a family as he grew in the world that he had crossed into, to know how loved he was from the moment he was born by so many.
Just as the emotions began to catch up, he was given reprieve in the form of a distraction. The sound of feet crunching straw in the wake of their steps was approaching the stall.
"You mean to tell me those eggs still have not hatched?!" Howard's voice cried seconds before he threw the door to the stall open to stalk inside. Chirping at the sight of the First Squire, Scythe raised her head with a relieved smile and shifted to give him an easy view of the bundle beneath her hide.
As he lowered himself to his knees, the old man placed a hand over every one of the five eggs for an assessment. "Ah, well the good news is that your little ones are warming up beyond your body temperature," he smiled to the anxious parents-to-be that were watching him closely.
Pushing himself back up to his feet, Howard brushed the straw from his hands and announced, "Yep, I would say anytime in the next couple of hours those babies are going to be cracking."
Scythe pressed her head in close, her green eyes wide and hopeful. Gently patting the end of her muzzle, the squire snickered, "You have my word on that, little mother. I have been through countless a dragon hatchings, so I know the signs." That said, he sat himself alongside the Epyon family and declared, "I will be staying put until then."
The black dragon's long neck and head dropped to the straw with a groaned snort of relief as she shifted the rest of her body to shield her eggs once again.
Crawling over to his steed, Duo hugged her snout as far around as his arms could stretch as he grinned, "You're doing an awesome job, Scythe. Not much longer to go now." With a deep purr, his dragon turned her head to lick the side of his face in appreciation.
"If my memory serves me right, there is little more in the lead up to the war," Quatre stated. Running his fingers through his daughter's hair as she slept with her head pillowed on his lap, he turned towards his knight friends and realized aloud, "Though there was the official citing of the prophecy that you attended."
Duo returned to his place beside Heero, violet eyes widening as he replied, "That's right. Odin never wrote anything about that visit because he stayed behind to watch me while the rest of you were in Romefeller. I've wondered for a while now what the seers' proclamation of a true prophecy is like."
"Such a thing only happens but once in a lifetime normally," Relena informed. Leaning against her husband, she sighed, "And there are few things like it, especially for a seer like myself, who had only just joined the Council that saw it through."
Wufei added, "And it is even more the wonder to behold for the those non-gifted that are fortunate enough to be there firsthand for the declaration." Heero and Anna nodded their heads to back the sentiment.
* * * * * *
(Flashback)
From the moment that Heero, Wufei and Anna stepped into the Romefeller palace, they were able to feel the tension in the air as if it were a palpable thing hanging over them.
The normally filled hallways and floors over them now only had a few gifted walking quickly to whatever their destination was. What would have been a busy time of day in the early afternoon for the castle came only with an eerie hush wherever the knights-in-training moved.
And when they did come into the presence of a resident, that person's eyes followed them until they disappeared around a corner or behind a closing door.
Swallowing roughly, Heero tugged at the collar of his tunic that seemed be tightening around his neck. "This is already nothing like our last visit," he muttered. Shrugging, he frowned, "I expected that there would be a difference considering what is taking place, but I was not prepared for such a dramatic change."
Wufei nodded and grumbled under his breath after a handful of people poked their heads over the banister overhead for a look at their guests, "I would not mind it so much if we did not have to deal with being stared at." Eyes widening, the heads hanging over the balcony quickly ducked away again.
Her blue eyes rolling, Anna lightly smacked her lover on the arm as she chided under her breath, "Be nice, Wufei. I doubt that non-gifted are often invited to a telling like this, so it is not their fault that we stand out. Let us try to be a little more respectful as guests in their home."
"More than that, there is no telling how many of them can still feel Galon's gift with us, if they do not already know our parts in the seers' visions all together. That is bound to stir up their interest," Heero added.
Chang winced at that as he turned towards his 'family' to sigh sheepishly, "You are right about all of that." Glancing when they rounded another corner, he sighed, "I am just not used having so much attention paid to me... nor am I very comfortable with it."
The archer smiled and brought their joined hands towards her face to place a soft kiss on the back of his. "Understood, my love," she reassured softly. "We are all on edge considering what we are here for."
She was rewarded with a warm grin and a wink of appreciation from the swordsman as he squeezed her hand back when their arms lowered to their sides again.
Finally, after what seemed like a brief and anxious eternity, they reached the corridor of living quarters where their friends' 'home' awaited them.
Reaching the closed door at the end of the stretch, Heero reached up to knock when it suddenly opened.
Quatre's head peeked out to find his friends blinking in surprise at him. "Relena saw you coming," he smirked in explanation.
Pointing at her empathic friend, Anna fought a shiver as she shook her head, "See, there she goes freaking me out again."
His head falling back with his laughter, Winner stepped aside and opened the door fully to grant the soldiers access inside. Stepping into the living room of the residence, the trio found Relena rising to her feet wearing a crystal headpiece along with the headband that she always wore.
"I am so glad that you were all able to make it," the teenage girl greeted as she brushed back the long skirt of the gold dress she wore. Making her rounds to embrace her visitors, she only noticed their looks of shock when she took a pace back.
Giggling, the seer peered down at herself as her cheeks reddened. "I know, I think that it is a bit much," she shrugged. "But it is traditional for the seers serving on the Council to dress our best for the declaration of a prophecy."
Wufei smiled, "Well, you look beautiful so you should not be embarrassed." Eyeing himself and his comrades in their very plain attire, it was his turn to look uncomfortable. "I hope that we are not under-dressed for the occasion," he frowned.
Quatre's silver dress tunic and trousers of brown silk shimmered in the natural light pouring in through the window behind them as he stepped beside his wife to wrap an arm around her waist. Waving his free hand, he reassured their friends, "You all look fine."
The corner of his mouth curling up, he snickered, "Besides, this is the first time in our history that anyone born without a gift will be present for something like this. No matter what, you will stand out for that reason enough."
At the thought of there being more eyes on them, Chang grumbled quietly, "Wonderful." He received a light nudge in the arm from Anna for the comment while Heero chuckled quietly in amusement.
"I have already secured a place in the great hall where you will be able to listen in privately," Relena grinned. When the knights-in-training physically eased with deep sighs, she giggled again.
* * * * * *
Following a pleasant lunch with their gifted friends, Heero, Wufei and Relena were led by Quatre to the private balcony high in the main hall of the castle that had been all but closed off for them. Their eyes widening at the expansive atrium, the trainees took in the countless other such booths sporadically etched out of the marble wall.
Below them, the white-stoned floor was chiseled into long isles of seats that wrapped around the half-circle-shaped room as hundreds of gifted filtered in to take their seats in those rows.
At the front of the space, a great platform rose to the eye level of those sitting on the ground level. One great podium stood higher and taller than any of the tall-backed chairs waiting behind it. Draped by a flag made of parts of the flags of every land in the world, the pedestal was trimmed in gold to further draw all attention to it.
Overhead, thousands of tiny holes broke through the ceiling to allow the sunlight to rain down in perfect beams that reminded the 'family' of the trails of shooting stars they had seen in the night sky countless times before.
In many ways, the auditorium was simple in its design with little decorating to instead allow the white rock of the mountain to be the backdrop. But there was nothing about the whole scene that was anything but captivating.
"I wonder how many more wonders like this my eyes will be fortunate enough to take in," Anna breathed when her wide eyes made their way up to the ceiling.
Closing the door behind them, Quatre smiled proudly, "I had a feeling that you would like this. You are the first of your kind to ever set foot in this room."
Their kind... Non-gifted... Ordinary people.
Only now, the soldiers knew that they were anything but ordinary all thanks to the prophecy that they were about to hear.
Even with all of the other rounded balconies around that were being filled with people, the knights-in-training were able to be in their own perch without having attention drawn back to them. Taking the high-backed chairs that had been arranged for them, the four friends waited in silence for the last of the gifted to take their seats.
The few quiet discussions that were taking place throughout the auditorium were silenced when the Council of Seers, men and women of varying ages in fine attire stepped out onto the platform and sat in their places of prestige behind the podium.
One of the last to appear, Relena made her way across the stage as her eyes sought out the balcony high in the walls to find her husband and the Terrible Trio. Spotting the familiar faces and their reassuring smiles, she fell at ease as she sat at the front line of her peers.
When a middle-aged man wearing a pristine white robe entered the room, Heero and his 'siblings' held their breath at the striking presence that he made.
"That is Jasper," Quatre whispered as he leaned towards his companions, "the head of the Council of Seers. His empathic wife, Sarah, will be joining him soon to assist in carrying his voice into our minds in a moment."
His long brown hair falling to his waist, Jasper moved purposefully towards the podium, the 'third eye' against his forehead glistening. And just as Winner had informed, a redheaded woman in a peach-colored gown stepped beside her partner when he reached the podium to give him a small nod and a tiny smile.
Lowering his head, the head of the Council took a deep breath. Slowly raising his head, his brown eyes scanned the massive audience before him as the gifted all seemed to shift forward to the edges of their seats at the same time in rapt attention.
"Friends," he began in a deep timbre that came as clearly to the knight-in-training as it would have if he were standing nose-to-nose with them. Suddenly looking directly at the booth where the Sanq soldiers sat, he bowed his head with a reverent, "Most honored guests." Taken aback, the trio exchanged wide-eyed glances before looking back to the seer.
Clearing his throat, Jasper turned his head to take every face that he could in as he frowned deeply, "As I am sure many, if not all of you already know be it through rumors or your abilities, the true prophecy that you are about to hear is one that comes with... a most disturbing glimpse into the future that will soon grip our world."
Throughout the room, lungs pulled in deep breaths that they held on tightly to and throats swallowed roughly. Turning to his partner, the head seer gave her a nod and held out his hand for the scroll that she removed from the folds of her dress.
Even in its rolled form, the gold paper shonee in its passing between their hands.
Jasper unraveled the scroll from both its ends. Before he read the words that had been carefully sculpted into the shielded paper, he gazed back to the eyes watching him and stated, "What you are about to hear is what we of the Council of Seers have spent over a year confirming, reliving, and looking for every angle of the events to unfold. This prophecy is stripped down to the undeniable events that will take place.
With another deep breath, he lowered his head and read, "The battle between the Creator and the Keeper's own is upon this world. Both entities have chosen their warriors. Soon, nightmarish creatures of the damned will rise to follow the one who has sold their soul for powers and control beyond their wildest imagination."
Sharp gasps, cries and murmurs filled the room as the gifted took in the frightening details. Eyes filling with tears, the young children seated around clung onto their mentors as their little bodies shook.
Jasper wet his drying throat with a swallow before he went on, "The kingdom of Sanq shall be the first city to fall to the helm of the dark army as the first of many to be claimed. The innocent shall go unaware of the terror to come and the flames of their lives will be extinguished in the most terrible ways possible. Knights and their steeds will fall from the skies. And the king and queen will be tormented to their end."
Actually hearing such details of their beloved royal couple's demise, the knights-in-training were unable to hold back the tears that flooded their eyes. Whimpering, Anna lowered her head as Wufei sniffled and rubbed her back. Heero took in a shuddering breath, his hands tightly gripping the arm rests of his chair.
None of them realized that many of those in the balconies had turned their heads around to look on the trio with wide eyes. Brushing away a stray tear, Quatre focused his gift on those onlookers to have their attention shifted back to Jasper to at the very least help his friends retain their privacy.
"From the ashes of Sanq shall fly the only hope for our world," the high seer continued when he cleared his throat. Straightening his back, his voice was steady once again when he resumed, "The infant Prince born by the Creator's will to stand in our defense will be spared and taken to the portal by the one shown the way. He will then be carried away, from this hell by the light of the Red Moon alone."
Shaking his head as though still not believing the things he was saying, Jasper frowned deeply, "Left to grow to the rightful age to aid us, the Prince shall not know anything of our world. Over the course of his absence, the northern lands shall fall one-by-one."
"Those stubborn enough to try and stand against the enemy will only face death. The heavens will blacken, stretching out over those kingdoms that the Keeper claims as an ever-present sign to those beyond it how his minion are coming for them as well."
Relena and her peers behind the pulpit shifted in their seats as their leader sighed, "Another dark shroud shall cover the ability of the seers to prevent them from aiding in the war with their gifted sight. They shall be like any other human, just as blind to the events to come."
A deep sigh escaping him, he concluded, "And by the Red Moon on the night of his sixteenth birthday, the Prince will return to become the one true match to the leader of the dark forces. With his Sword and his Shield as his side, he will fight."
"The future of the good in this world is unclear, but not entirely lost," Jasper proclaimed, his tone clear and firm. "For by the same Red Moon that had taken him, the only salvation for all that is good in this world shall return a young man... the Prince of Sanq... the god of Death to the wicked... the one who will fight to banish the darkness when all other hope seems lost."
Slowly rolling the scroll by its ends, the tall man sighed and raised his head to take in the pale faces and shimmering eyes centered on him. "I am sure that I do not need to tell any of you how important it is that this prophecy not leave this room until the first strike occurs," he said.
Heads nodded all around.
Folding his hands atop the pulpit, Jasper smiled sadly, "Very good. Fellow gifted, it is our responsibility to have this word spread through the central and southern lands the moment the war comes. We cannot allow despair to rule those who can still rise up to fight for our existence."
His brown eyes moving over the balconies in the back, he added, "Furthermore, we must all spread out to those surviving lands to be their protection and support. Survivors from the north will need our aid in their flight to safety. As in any war, we cannot allow favoritism amongst the lands."
More heads bowed in agreement as the head seer commented, "A battle of this magnitude will dissolve lines between kingdoms as we will all become simply people fighting for survival. Capricornians, Virgorians, Librans, Leos... none of these names will pertain to how anyone will see themselves or their neighbors."
Biting his lip, he all but whispered, "Now, we all know that the next Red Moon is just over a year away."
Silence fell over the room, so bristling with tension that it was as though the air could have been snapped in two.
Lowering his head, Jasper whispered, "May the Creator watch and protect all of his children. With this reading and the confirmation of the Council of Seers gathered here today, the prophecy has been proclaimed."
A silver gavel appeared in his hand that fell to strike it against the stone podium with a sharp crack that echoed through the stillness.
TBC...
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