The Knights' Chronicles Epilogue
"Wufei. Anna. I need to see you in my tent, please," Heero called to his friends when he finally found them and their steeds amidst the growing aligned forces of their world. Not waiting for a response from the pair, the Captain turned on his heels and walked off.
Sighing deeply, the archer gave her lover a frustrated glance and huffed under her breath, "Well, that was a fine 'welcome back from your scouting the enemy, glad that you both made it back safely.'" The swordsman smirked and shook his head in amusement, leading them from the campfire that they had been standing by with the other 'Elite' knights-in-training.
Lightly resting a hand on the small of the redhead's back as they followed their 'brother' through the camp, Wufei smiled sadly, "Heero is just especially on edge with the nearing of the next Red Moon." Peering over his shoulder, he stated, "Everyone is a little more unsettled because of it."
Anna shook her head, "It is more than that with him, and you know it. He has changed over the years of this war... he is colder than usual... harder. That is not to say that we are the same people that we were before the Keeper's army came to slowly claim our world." Frowning sadly, she said quietly, "It is just that I do not like the things that this has done to Heero."
"You are aware that he remembers Relena's vision," Chang muttered, linking their hands together so that he could squeeze hers. "It will never matter how many times you and I try to convince him not to give it another thought, it will always be on his mind. Now, he knows that our only chance in stopping the Keeper is about to return and be in his presence again. That sort of thing would shake even the strongest resolve in any one of us."
Biting her lip, Fraise squeezed his hand back and met his eyes to nod shallowly. The anger in her voice replaced by a deep concern and sadness, she replied, "You are right, love. I only wish that he had the same faith in himself that we do in him." Wufei cupped the back of her neck to rub it with the pad of his thumb soothingly, his head nodding in a seconding of the sentiment.
When they reached the Captain's tent, the couple smiled to Wing and patted the end of his muzzle as he stretched his head out to them. Leaving Nataku and Ingier behind to stay with the white steed, they pushed aside the cloth door to step inside where they found Heero pacing anxiously behind his desk.
In their 'brother's' hands, they noticed a rolled up scroll.
His head snapping in the direction of the Sword and Shield, Yuy froze. Running a freed hand through his hand, he gestured with it to the two seats before his desk and urged, "Please have a seat." Silently, the pair did as requested, their own nerves tingling with the tension in the air.
Swallowing roughly, Heero took his own seat and gathered a deep breath before he announced, "I am sending the two of you to the portal. You will be the ones to bring Prince Duo to camp safely."
"U-us?" Fraise sputtered, blue eyes growing along with Chang's at the order. Tilting her head, she frowned, "We had just assumed that you would-"
Quickly cutting her line of thought off, Yuy informed, "I am entirely too busy here with my duties now that we have other armies due to arrive any time over the next few days. There is no way that I can leave here. So, I chose you for the job since you are the best ones for it."
There was no denying the last bit of what the Captain said. By no means was it bias because of his closeness to Wufei and Anna that he considered them. Leaps and bounds, they truly were amongst the best on the Alliance ranks. Time and again over the last nine years, they had proven themselves be it, leading people in the northern lands to safety or taking out wandering scouting teams of the Keeper's demons.
Frustration finally setting in, Wufei glared at his long-time friend and said, "There is more to it than just your responsibility here. Odin is more than capable of handling the army if you were away for a few days... especially considering the mission you would be on."
Opening his mouth to mount a retort, Heero could not find his voice to speak one. Whatever he said would all be a lie, anyway. And his 'siblings' would see right through it. So, his jaw closed with a snap and he lowered his head. Bowing his own, Wufei cast his guilt-filled eyes to the ground at his feet.
Silence filled the tent for a time before Anna's heart that was breaking for the Captain could not take it any more. Rising to her feet, she relented, "If it would put you at ease, Heero, then we will go. Only because you want it, though, and not because we are at all worried about your loyalty to defending this world." Her lover stood beside her with a firm nod of resolve.
With another deep breath, Yuy lifted his head and forced down the lump in his throat. "Thank you," he breathed. Slowly getting to his feet, he held out the scroll in his hand and told them, "I have drawn the map to the portal. It will need to be destroyed once you reach the destination and our prince is to be brought straight here without delay."
The archer rolled her eyes and sighed, "Damn. Here I was hoping that we could give him a tour of the world and pass location of the portal away to just anyone." Change snickered quietly, having been just as surprised that they needed to have such specific instructions.
Blushing, Heero bit his lip and looked away to clear his throat. "I am sorry," he said sincerely as he looked back to his friends, a sense of loss in his eyes. "I just..." Falling silent, he shook his head.
Anna was around the desk and wrapping her arms around his neck. "We love you," she whispered in his ear. "And we know what you are dealing with. Just please, do not shut us out anymore when you know we are here for you."
It was only when he blinked in surprise that the Captain realized tears had formed in his eyes. At his first hug in a long time, he melted against his 'sister' and returned the embrace tightly. "You always know when I need one of these," he chuckled quietly. Stepping back, he beseeched, "Be careful out there."
Wufei walked up and smacked Yuy on the arm and smirked, "We will be back with Prince Duo before you know it." Accepting the scroll, he grinned to his lover and suggested, "We should go now while we will still have the better part of the day to cover ground."
Straightening themselves, the Sword and Shield saluted their superior officer and headed back outside. A sad smile on his face, Heero returned to his seat and dry washed his face with his hands with a sigh. Folding his hands on his desk, he stared at the swinging door of his tent.
"Let us all just hope and pray that Prince Duo truly will be the hope that we need to end this war," he murmured.
* * * * * *
(End Flashback)
Closing Odin's journal, Duo smiled, "Well, we all know what happened after that." Quiet laughter filled the air and slowly but surely, those gathered in Scythe's stall rose to their feet.
"I think that it is about time we returned to the castle to turn in," Quatre yawned, stretching his arms overhead. Turning towards the new parents, he smiled at the babies sleeping soundly between them and said, "It has been a long day for all of us."
'Good nights' were exchanged while pats and congratulations were offered to Wing and Scythe before the small crowd filtered out of the stable. Side-by-side, Duo and Heero moved to their steeds to wrap their arms around their muzzles. "I am proud of you, little mother," the braided king whispered to his beaming dragon.
When he turned to find his 'siblings' as they were about to gather their sleeping son from the bed they had made for him, Heero chewed on the inside of his cheek before he suggested, "Maybe we all could just spend the night here... like we always did."
Blinking their widened eyes, Anna and Wufei smiled at each other. "That would be wonderful," the archer smiled. Lowering themselves to lay on the straw, the knights pulled blankets over themselves.
Almost feeling out of place, Duo bit his lip at where he fitted in the picture. At Heero's gentle urging, he grinned and stretched out between Anna and his husband as Wufei spooned the archer from behind. His heart threatening to implode from the warmth and sense of belonging that he felt with those three remarkable people, the braided teenager fought a shimmer of joyful tears in his closing eyes.
Howard chuckled to himself, shaking his head in amusement. On his way out of the stall, he extinguished the candles glowing around.
"There are sure to be other adventures for us," Wufei smirked in the darkness. "Who knows what else life has in store for all of us."
Without hesitating, Heero smiled, "As long as we're all together, as I know we will be, I look forward to all of it." Hums of agreement answered the sentiment.
High overhead, the star-filled skies flecked the sky brightened by the full moon. And with the sunrise looming, so came the promise of another day of adventures miracles for the Terrible Trio and their King...
...and they would all live happily ever after.
OWARI
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