By the Red Moon Part 18
A couple of armed guards just inside acknowledged Duo with curt dips of this heads and allowed him to proceed deeper within the garden when he walked through the entrance.
Sunlight poured into the oasis that had been built without a roof to allow the elements in. Filled with flowers varying in brilliant colors and sizes, the smells from those plants only added to the serenity of the room.
Slowly approaching the bench before the 'living' fountain, the prince cleared his throat. With a small grin, he asked, "Mind if I join you?"
Her head snapping up, Lady Une's wide eyes fell on him and she calmed from the initial surprise of being broken from her deep thoughts. Smiling back, she patted the space on the bench beside her and answered, "Of course not. I could certainly stand for some company right about now."
Duo took up the space beside her and watched the leaping water arches with her for a moment of companionable silence. Thankful for a moment to collect himself, he focused on not thinking too much on the fact that he was about to have a conversation with a queen.
In the end, it was his hostess who spoke up first. "There was a time, when I was much younger, when I knew the name of everyone who worked in the palace," Lady Une shared with a wistful smile on her lips as she continued to watch the fountain.
Lost in her recollection of the past, she continued, "I would run around as a little girl greeting them all and having conversations with them. You were really living that statement you had made during our meeting last night about how everybody is somebody."
Chuckling, the prince nodded, "That was taught to me by the first woman to look after me when I was a baby in the world where I grew up." Like any other time when he thought back to Sister Helen, a smile tugged his lips and he shrugged, "It was one of her teachings that I just never forgot."
Her smile slipping, Lady Une shook her head, "It is a wonderful lesson. At some point in my raising to become queen, I had lost that without even realizing it... until this morning. You had not even been here a whole day and already you had taken the time to learn the names of my staff and you treat them as your equal. Never in my days have I ever known a royal to do that... including myself."
She fell silent for a brief moment and lowered her head, "I am very ashamed for that... for allowing myself to let go of such a simple and profound thing as appreciating everyone. You must look down on me for that as well."
"What?!" Duo laughed as he looked over at her. "I don't look down on you at all for that! The fact that it's bothering you so much just means that you really do care." Biting his lip, said quietly, "As far as treating your staff as my equals, I do that because they are." The queen blinked her reddening eyes and met his gaze in surprise.
He took a deep breath and shrugged, "Mueller was right in saying that I'm not a leader. I'm just a kid who found out only weeks ago that I'm a prince when I don't know the first thing about how to act or even dress like one for that matter. All that I can do is stick to who I am and hope that I do something right."
Gesturing to the woman with a hand, he frowned, "But you... you're an incredible ruler with responsibilities that I'm realizing more and more I don't think that I'm ready for, so you're not envied by me. And believe me when I say that I have nothing but complete respect for you."
Lady Une blinked at Duo as though looking on him in a whole new light, remaining silent as he sighed once more and turned back to the fountain. "I never asked for any of this. Not for having to be a prince or to be a hope against a dark army that's consuming everything here," he thought aloud, voice soft. "There's still a large part of me that wishes I could just give all of this up."
Intrigued, the queen sat up and asked, "Then... what is it that keeps you from doing that?"
The corner of the teenager's mouth tugged up as he met her brown eyes and answered simply, "This world is my home. And it's being destroyed. Even if I can't remember a damned thing of my past here, this is where I'm staying and I won't just sit back to leave it to Dekim if there's anything that I can do to stop him."
Leaning closely to his hostess, he whispered, "Truth be told, I'm not just scared... I'm absolutely terrified. But I guess there just comes a time to choose if you're going to hope something good will come or if you're going to make it happen."
As he straightened himself, Duo stated, "My choice was made when I heard what had happened to my homeland of Sanq... to my parents who sacrificed themselves so that I could live and return to stand against the shadow in the north that grows every day. I may not do everything right, but I'm going to do the absolute best that I can. Really, that's the only thing that I can promise, for what it's worth."
Sitting back, Lady Une regarded him in a long silence.
Then, a small smile curled her lips as she replied, "That... is the kind of promise, and you are the kind of leader, that I would be more than willing to stand behind." Rising to her feet, she locked onto the young man's wide eyes and announced formally, "Duo Maxwell, your army will be reinforced with the army of Virgo without condition."
His jaw falling open, the prince sat stunned for a second before shouting, "Really?!" Jumping up, he threw his arms tightly around her, only to pull back instantly. A blush coloring his face, he snickered, "Uh... sorry about that. Not exactly the way that a royal should act, right?"
"I honestly could not care less about any of that," Lady Une giggled, opening her arms.
Beaming, Duo embraced her tightly. When they pulled apart, the queen cupped her guest's face in both of her hands and urged sternly, "Do not ever lose yourself in this. Whatever responsibilities or challenges may come, you stay exactly as you are now. Other leaders like myself could certainly learn much from your example."
Maxwell grinned widely in appreciation and nodded, "Got it... Thank you."
Her hands falling away, the young woman thought aloud, "There is much that needs to be done, but I will have my men ready to move by first light tomorrow. But before that..." Holding her arm out, she smirked, "I believe that we should catch up with your friends in the banquet hall for lunch before I call upon another meeting with my advisors."
Gladly taking her arm into his, Duo was practically itching in the anticipation of seeing Mueller's face at the announcement to come. "That sounds like a great idea, my lady."
Laughing quietly, they walked for the garden doors.
* * * * * *
Lunch was a relatively quiet affair with Lady Une taking the time to learn more about all of her guests. No mention was made of her decision so as to keep that a surprise between her and Duo. Occasionally, when the others were not watching, the queen and prince would exchange private smiles over it.
Following their meal, it was announced by a palace messenger that the advisors were gathered and waiting in the throne room for the meeting that had been called. The knights, the gifted and the scout all looked to one another in surprise over the realization that a decision must have been reached.
Quietly following their hostess from the banquet hall, they stood before the platform where she took her seat on her throne. Her advisors waited in their own, golden seats that flanked the platform and all wore their black, hooded robes.
Violet eyes roaming over the men, Duo made note of the trio to the right that went by the initials of their names- S, H and O. To the left, Mueller sat beside the eldest, Hron, the thickly bearded Andrew, the bald-headed Nathaniel and the Europeanesque Fernando.
Not a one of them bothered to cast so much as a glance at the braided prince or his friends when they entered the room, keeping their attention solely on their queen.
"As I am certain you have all come to assume by my calling for this gathering," Lady Une began, "I have come to a decision in regards to our discussions last night."
Leaning forward in their seats, the advisors seemed to silently will her to continue. All around him, Duo could hear his escorts holding their breaths as the couples linked hands without looking away from the brown eyes that were fixated on them.
When he peered out of the corner of his eye, he was taken aback when he saw that Heero was watching him in kind. Somehow, there was an understanding... a knowing in the Captain's cobalt gaze that he was aware that the private meeting in the garden must have had an impact on this announcement.
Under that stare, Maxwell swallowed roughly when that feeling of being completely exposed returned as it always did whenever the knight stared at him. It took a good couple of accelerated heartbeats before he could turn his violet eyes away to look forward at the queen again... to be able to breathe again.
Smiling, Lady Une declared, "I have promised the full extent of Virgo's army and resources to the cause of uniting all of us to the common good of defeating Dekim Barton."
At the exception of the prince, everyone in the room gasped with wide eyes. Those surrounding Duo all turned their heads to face him in shock.
First to find his voice, an enraged Mueller jumped to his feet and shouted, "My lady, you cannot be serious-!" Cut off by both a fierce glare from the queen that leveled him as well as the hand raised to stop him, he froze.
Her voice low, she warned, "One more word of objection from you..."
Scanning all of her stunned advisors heatedly, the woman added, "From any one of you, that will be the last word you speak as a member of my advisory board. My decision is final and it will be carried out." When her eyes fell back on the Commander, she hissed, "Is that clear?"
One-by-one, the board members reeled back their raised claws and lowered their heads.
Clearing his throat, after a crack in his throat when he tried to speak, a suddenly humbled Mueller nodded and all but whispered, "Yes, your highness." Slowly, he sank back down into his seat as the proud badges on his uniform shimmered in the light.
"Good," the queen grinned. "Then by sunrise, you are to have every able soldier prepared to leave the city tomorrow morning. Also see to it that Howard and his squires have the steeds fed well and ready for the journey. As for the provisions and supplies, I believe that the rest of the board can oversee those things?"
Smirking, she looked around to the other men at either side of her for their response. Every wide-eyed head nodded enthusiastically. "That is all for now then," Lady Une smiled. "We all have a lot of work to do, so let us not waste any time."
Not needing to be told twice, her board members quickly rose and hurried from the room together.
The queen then stood and descended the steps of her platform. "I have much that I need to tend to myself," she informed her guests. "We will meet again shortly to go over the travel arrangement details."
"Sounds good," the prince grinned. Taking a deep breath, he concluded sincerely, "Thank you, Lady Une. For everything. It's been wonderful meeting with you and staying here in Virgo."
Chuckling, the young woman winked, "Well, no need for goodbye's just yet. It is my responsibility to show my people that I am not above the call to stand against Dekim, so I will be joining the trek to your army as well."
Her arms folding behind her back, she offered, "Also, seeing as how you could use some guidance in how to become a leader, perhaps I could be a mentor to you of sorts. If that would be alright with you."
Violet eyes widening, Duo gasped, "Seriously? That'd be awesome! I could use all the help that I can get." Glancing over to the seat that Mueller had occupied, he smirked back to his hostess, "Maybe someday you can teach me how to put somebody in their place the way you did back there?"
Outright laughing along with the others, Lady Une nodded, "Oh, I could certainly do that." Lightly patting her braided guest's shoulder, she walked past with a kind, "Until we meet later, then." That said, she headed from the throne room.
The moment that they were alone, both Relena and Anna let out excited cheers and latched tightly onto Duo with embraces. Snickering, Wufei watched on as the prince adjusted himself enough to stay upright and met his dark eyes. "I do not know what you did or said," the swordsman shook his head, "but you pulled it off."
"And in a big way," Quatre commented. "I felt how torn the queen had been for some time now. The last that I had felt, she was leaning heavily to keeping her army here and seeing how they could fend for themselves."
Green eyes shining in the light filling the room, Trowa smiled, "You single-handedly enlarged our forces by almost three hundred soldiers today. That is absolutely remarkable."
Heero simply stood back as the girls removed themselves from the prince, arms folded and a smirk on his face as he shrugged, "I never doubted it for a second." Duo blinked and met the Captain's cobalt gaze, knowing full well that he really did always believe in him.
Smiling almost shyly in appreciation, the braided teenager said, 'Thank you' but only managed to mouth the words when his voice would not work in that moment as they stared at each other.
Taken by surprise over his bodily reaction to the knight, Maxwell fought a blush when the grin on Heero's face only spread further across his face in reading his lips.
"I can't wait to see the looks on the other knights' faces when we return with the reinforcements," Anna giggled as she slapped the prince on the shoulder. "Between Deathscythe and the Virgonians reinforcements, anyone who still doubts that you are the hope we have been looking for will have to seriously reconsider their initial impressions of you."
Relena kissed Duo's cheek and told him quietly, "And I am very sorry that I had ever thought that you would need to be anyone but yourself to Lady Une. I could not have been more wrong for that, and I will never question that again."
He faced her and reassured, "Aw, no need to apologize, 'Lena. We're past that now." The oracle smiled in relief and bowed her head.
Wufei looked to the stained glass windows to gauge the time by the direction that the sunlight was pouring in. "I suppose that we best enjoy the last couple hours of daylight that we have here while we can," he suggested. He smirked to the archer, "I have a feeling that our steeds are most likely itching for another flight around after their stretch this morning."
A flash of concern crossing her face, Anna replied, "I would not be surprised if Ingier was gnawing off the doors of his stall by now." Taking the swordsman's hand, she grinned, "We better take to the skies again before Nataku and the squires have to subdue him."
Unable to believe what was about to come from his mouth, Duo sighed, "I guess that I could use some more time with Deathscythe." To the surprised, wide eyes that fell on him, he stated, "If I'm going to get used to flying, I should get all of the time in with her that I can."
Focusing on the Captain, he pointed over to Wufei and Anna as he asked nervously, "Are you going to come along to make sure that they don't kill me up there?" The couple just snickered and shook their heads in amusement.
Heero bowed at the waist and smirked, "Of course."
"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to come along," Trowa requested. "Aside from exercising Heavy Arms, this training is just something that I have to see." He laughed when Duo shot a glare at him.
Looping an arm around her husband's, Relena told the others, "You all have a good time. Quatre and I will go into town with SandRock to collect supplies at the markets."
The empath nodded and their friends exchanged waves and parting words before leaving the room. On their way out, Heero and Duo shared a small grin as the last ones to disappear around the corner.
Once he and his bride were alone, Quatre chuckled, "Well now, that is certainly an interesting development between those two."
Relena smiled, "Sometimes, I think that women's intuition is just as good as your empathic abilities, love. I have been picking up on subtle exchanges that have hinted what I am sure you are now feeling."
His eyebrows rising in surprise when their gazes met again, the empath responded, "Then, that would mean that they have both been unclear about what they have been experiencing around each other. Duo is really catching more onto his emotions than Heero."
Tilting his head, he smirked, "However, our good Captain is not exactly unresponsive, either. Since there is still a lot of uncertainty on both of their parts, this could also just be a fleeting thing."
"Only time will tell if anything more comes of it," the oracle sighed. Biting her lip, she giggled, "But it would be adorable if something more were to come of it. It would be quite the poetic thing- the prince and the knight who saved him."
Half-heartedly rolling his eyes, Quatre snorted, "Let's go and get SandRock before you start planning their wedding, shall we?" Securing their linked arms to her side, Relena laughed as they fell in step to leave the throne room.
* * * * * *
"The prince and the army will be leaving tomorrow to rejoin the army, Lord Dekim."
"Excellent. I want you to tell me the course that they will be taking. I will have Dorothy plan... a surprise for Prince Duo as a welcome home gift."
TBC...
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