By the Red Moon Part 32
Duo did not sleep very well. And judging by the traces of circles under Heero's eyes when he stepped into the banquet hall for breakfast, neither had he. For their friends' parts, they made little move to act as though they noticed and carried on with their quiet conversations.
At the end of their meal, the room slowly emptied out starting with the King and Queen of Pisces and the other royals who planned to spend the day together. With that opening, Heero excused himself and quickly left the room under the watchful eye of his friends remaining around the table.
Silence fell over the lot and heads were lowered to avoid gazes. A few people played with what little food was left on their plates, the scraping of their silverware over the porcelain the only sound in the room.
Finally, Catherine raised her head to look at the braided prince across from her and asked, "Are you going to go after him, or what?" Beside her, Trowa nearly choked on the water that he had been in the process of drinking from his chalice.
His own head snapping up to meet her green eyes, Duo blinked in shock and sputtered, "W-what?" Looking from the redhead to her brother, he realized aloud, "You mean that you both knew about us?!"
Shrugging, the gifted smirked, "We might not know the details to why you and Heero have been tiptoeing around each other since last night, but it was pretty obvious to us by watching you that you have been quite fond of each other for a while."
The amused smile on her face growing, Catherine tilted her head and commented, "I get the impression that perhaps you were the last ones to find out." Biting their lips against the laughter that almost broke from them, Wufei and Anna nodded to her.
With a sigh, Maxwell sank in his seat and replied, "Yea. I guess so."
Folding her hands together, the fire starter leaned forward and grinned in that 'older sisterly' way of hers, "Then, I would suggest that you go after him and work out whatever happened yesterday so that you can both stop avoiding each other. Nothing will change until one of you does something about it."
Unable to argue with that logic, Duo did let out a laugh. As nervous as he may have been about confronting the Captain, he had to admit that he was going to have to take the initiative to break the ice between them. Rising from his seat, he winked to the gifted, "You're right. Thanks, Cathy."
"Of course I'm right," she smiled back as Trowa snorted and rolled her eyes. Waving the prince and clapping her brother with the other hand at the same time, Catherine urged, "Now quit standing around and get going."
Both Wufei and Anna moved to get to their own feet when the prince turned to face them. "No offense, you guys," he began, "I know that you both want to keep an eye on me, but I really would like to be alone for this."
The couple stayed in their seats and shared a brief, understanding glance. Speaking on her lover's behalf, Anna grinned, "Okay. Good luck." Wufei nodded to second the sentiment. Quatre and Relena gave their own smiles of reassurance.
On that note of support, Duo took a deep breath and rounded the table to step from the room. Somehow, he had a good feeling to exactly where the knight would have gone and so headed out of the castle to head in that direction.
A light drizzle had fallen over Pisces, blocked by the clear dome shield where it hit and run down the sides. What was sure to be a chill from the wind over the ocean was also kept back by the water walls protecting the city to keep the atmosphere inside at a pleasant warmth. Besides actually looking up to see the droplets, no one would have noticed that it was raining besides just being a particularly cloudy morning.
On his way to the stables, the braided prince adjusted his red tunic and belt when he spotted Howard just inside the entrance. Poking a large pitch fork into a pile of fresh hay, the old man looked up and gave his famous smile.
As he moved aside the bushel that he had gathered up, he gestured to the back of the stretch and informed, "If you are looking for the Captain, you came to the right place. Make sure that you see to Scythe while you're back there. She and Wing were pretty upset over something last night. Sad thing that dragons can't talk to tell me how I can help, but I am pretty sure you know what is going on."
Wincing at that, Duo recalled how he and Heero had left their steeds behind when they clearly had picked up on their unease. No doubt they had been worried about that and needed to know that everything was all right.
The Head Squire dug the end of handle end of his fork into the soft floor to have it stand upright. Keeping a hand wrapped around the tool, he smirked, "I will make sure the staff keeps their distance while you two talk." Ever the gentleman, Howard was good enough not to pry over the matter.
A smile of appreciation spreading across his face, Duo walked past the old man and patted his shoulder with a quiet, "Thanks, man." Chuckling in response, the squire took his tool back up and resumed his work.
Walking to the end of the first stretch of stalls, the prince found Heero standing in front of Wing's stall. His large head hanging over the closed door, the steed lightly nuzzled his rider's side. Snickering, the knight wrapped his arms as far around his dragon's muzzle as he could while whispering some kind of an apology.
In the stall across from them, Scythe was looking on with wide eyes, yearning for that kind of attention. When she spotted her own rider approaching, she let out a muffled cross between a whimper and a grunt as her tail thumped on her bed of hay behind her.
As soon as Duo was close enough, she stretched her neck out to press her head against him. "Hey, girl," he whispered, running a hand over her snout.
Finally, a smile worked its way across his steed's mouth, the first that he had seen since the morning before. It never ceased to amaze him just how important it was to the dragons that they receive affection from their rider as a sense of reassurance.
Heero's voice said quietly, "I sometimes take for granted just how perceptive they can be to our own emotions." Peering over his shoulder, the prince saw that Wing was in far better spirits with a wide grin and his tail wagging. The knight, in the meantime, was patting his steed while watching the braided teenager.
Swallowing roughly under the intensity of those cobalt eyes, Duo turned his attention back to Scythe. Relieved that the Captain was the one opening a conversation with him, he replied, "Me, too. I guess that I was a little too... preoccupied to think about that."
There was a long pause after that while the two tried to think over what to say next. Chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought, Heero paid his focus on Wing and stated, "Quatre told me that he, Relena and Anna told you about the prophecy around me."
When he stopped there, Duo guessed that the empath left out another certain detail that surrounded him. Then, the Captain added, ""He also told me how he mentioned my true feelings for you."
Violet eyes widening, the prince spun around and rushed out, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked him for that, but I needed to know! You just bolted out of here while I had my heart out on my sleeve and-"
That stream of thoughts was cut off when a finger gently fell over his lips to stop them. Blinking in surprise, he silently wondered how Heero had managed to close the distance between them so quickly without him even noticing.
Their eyes locked, time froze for a few escalated heartbeats. And for just a second, Duo was afraid that his legs were going to give out. Really paying attention to his own body, he realized that he had been holding his breath.
Heero's mouth curled up in that rare, warm smile of his. "It's okay," he said softly as he lowered his hand away. "You are right in that it was not fair that I left you behind when you had made your feelings known." That smile fading, he cleared his throat and stepped back.
Never before had Duo ever seen the knight as vulnerable as he appeared in that moment, head lowered and searching for what to say. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head when those words came. "I... I hope that you never doubt how incredibly important you are to me," he breathed. "The thought that I could ever hurt you-"
It was the prince's turn to cut him off as he shook his head, "But you wouldn't hurt me, Heero. You're the last person alive that would ever betray everything that we're fighting for. There is no way that vision was a certainty."
His eyes widened and he went completely stiff, breath hitched in his throat again when a hand reached up to brush the bangs back from his face. That same hand's fingers lightly trailed along his jaw line, leaving a linger of tingles in their wake.
"I know that nothing is a certainty," Heero nodded. "I just cannot live with even the chance of that coming about." The braided teenager frowned deeply, already sensing that their relationship was about to end before it even began.
Slowly inhaling, Yuy concluded, "But... I know that I cannot ignore my feelings for you, either."
At that, Duo gasped, his eyes widening as far as they could. "Then... you mean you're going to give us a chance?" he asked, a hopeful smile splitting his face. His heart began to pound in his chest in anticipation.
With a lopsided grin, the Captain responded, "Yes." Raising a finger, he added cautiously, "I only request a little time. These nightmares have haunted me for a very long time, so I need things between us to move slowly. That way, I might actually be able to move on without thinking about those fears."
Slow? That was more than acceptable as far as Duo was concerned. Yes, he could definitely do slow.
Not even willing to trust his voice, he lunged forward to throw his arms tightly around Heero's neck. Stunned for only a moment, Heero froze and blinked in surprise. Quickly recovering, he eased and smiled whilst returning the embrace.
Instead of pushing the knight further than he may have been comfortable with right then, the prince pulled back and opted out of a kiss. 'There'll always be more time for that later,' he thought to himself.
Slow and steady wins the race. That was going to be his motto for this relationship. As long as it kept them together, he was perfectly happy with that. Heero had fears that needed to be put to bed. Duo understood and appreciated that, so he would be patient and do whatever was needed to make their relationship work.
"Now," Heero smirked while turning his attention to the stable's main doors, "shall we head out for another day of sword training, then?"
Groaning, the braided teenager shrugged, "Well, it's not exactly my thought of what we could do for a first date. But, yea, I guess that's an idea." he laughed when Heero lightly pushed him towards Scythe before he headed back towards Wing.
Tension behind them, they climbed into their saddles and headed off, looking forward to whatever the rest of the day held for them.
* * * * * *
Later that same evening, King Septum stood out on the highest balcony of the Pisces castle. Gazing out to the city, he rested his hands over the glass railing and sighed. The gloomy weather beyond the protective shield that night certainly matched his sullen mood.
"Darling?" his wife called before stepping out behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist when he did not respond, she rested her head on his shoulder and asked quietly, "What is troubling you so?"
Her husband leaned back into her touch and continued to watch their homeland. "I keep thinking of the inevitable," he answered, a worried frown creasing his face. "We have both discussed how we should not dwell on the future that we cannot change, but it is difficult not to."
Biting her lip, Maralee nodded against his shoulder and replied, "I know. But we should not allow it to ruin what days we still have. As long as we still have our guests, we should not bring their spirits down by worrying over things beyond our control."
Gently turning her husband so that he was facing her, she cupped the side of his face and suggested, "Come to bed early tonight. I have noticed that you have not been sleeping as well as you should. A good rest should put you in a better state of mind."
Septum smiled and kissed her forehead. "Yes, my love," he replied. "You are right. And I will retire shortly after just another moment here." Satisfied with that, the queen grinned and pulled away from him to move back into the castle.
Watching her leave, the king took a deep breath and ran a hand over his slicked back hair. At the sound of something flapping to land on the railing behind him, he jumped with a startled gasp. Spinning around, his heart beat all the fasted at the sight of a pigeon perched on the ledge watching him with glowing red eyes.
His jaw falling open, a chill ran up his spine at the growl of a coo that rumbled from the bird. Along with those eyes, for the creature to both be able to penetrate the dome that protected the city and not have a drop of rain on it from the outside, it could only mean one thing. "Dark magic," he breathed.
A closer look revealed the small barrel wrapped around the pigeon's right leg and the rolled up scroll secured inside. A message from the dark sorcerer, no doubt.
Raising a shaking hand, Septum tentatively reached out to remove the note as the bird continued to give him that eerie stare. Soon as the note was freed, he pulled his hand back and turned away from the carrier to unravel the paper.
Once the message was opened, the king read the black, rough script aloud in a whisper, "To the leader of this land, I make one last offer of pardon from the plight that will be wrought down on you and your people."
Blinking in surprise, he looked back to the pigeon to find that it had not moved. The bird's eyes remained on him as another growled coo rose from it.
Franticly scanning around to be certain that there were no other eyes or ears around, Septum read on, "It has come to my attention that one of several of you may be aware of the location of the army that had been building against me. Along with them would be Prince Duo of the fallen Sanq Kingdom. Should you wish to keep the same fate of his homeland from happening to your own, you simply need to tell me where I can find them with the return of this message and you have my word that no harm shall come to you or your own."
Sweat beading on his brow, he breathed, "In the event that the army is near you, this message has been laced with magic that will block your emotions from any empath to keep you from being discovered before we have arrived if you agree to these terms. My carrier will not wait long to send your response, so I would take the offer while it still stands."
There was no signature at the end of the letter. No signature was needed. The sorcerer was far too proud to feel the need to announce who sent the message.
"Dear spirits," Septum gasped quietly. Reaching up with a free hand, he ran it over his face as the words of the message sank in.
A extended pardon... A promise that his own people and kingdom would not share the same fate as Sanq and so many others that had crumbled at Dekim's feet.
This was just what he had been hoping for. But... to make such a pact with the dark sorcerer by sending the young prince and everyone linked to the army was the last thing that he ever wanted. If Maralee had read the letter, he knew that she would have torn it up without a second thought.
But there were so many lives at stake in this on either side of the argument. There were friends and family involved, people that Septum had known for many years who were all going to eventually die if he ignored this rare opportunity,
On another thought, how many other lands were there who's leaders would gladly take up this chance? Scouts would be sent throughout the furthest reaches of this world in search of the army to be the ones granted the offer of being looked over.
Why should they be the ones to be spared?
Though it was not said outright in the message, it was clear that this would be the last opportunity to come out of the war unscathed. Was he really strong enough to turn it down? Could he really give up those thousands of brave souls that had made the vow to fight Dekim and his minions to the death?
Pacing back and forth, the king covered his mouth and muttered his options quietly to himself. There were good points to be looked at when it came to accepting or refusing.
Commander Odin Lowe had said how grim it looked for them to win this fight. There was little to no chance of victory. Meanwhile, there was a certainty of living through this dark age literally right in his hand.
How long he had been out there pacing and pondering over his options, Septum really did not know. He did, however, catch the hint that the pigeon was about finished waiting when he growled deeply and spread its wings out.
Letting out a strangled cry, the king reached for the small pen hooked to the bird's leg along with a tiny bottle of ink at its base. With the edge of the railing used as a surface to write on, he trembled as he held the blank page of the letter open. Biting his lip, he took one last moment to consider his options.
The decision came. And it was finalized with the stroke of his hand to the scroll. It was such a simple message for carrying such a heavy burden with it. Somehow, something of this sort of importance felt as though it should have been much longer.
But before Septum knew it, he was rolling the paper back up to stick it back into its holder along with the pen. As soon as its goods were secured, the pigeon opened its wings again with a shrill cry and took to the skies.
Arms hanging heavily at his sides, the king watched it gather speed and soar through the shield over the city. Tiny as it was, no one would have spotted it so high in the heavens. And within moments, it completely disappeared from sight.
What was done was done. There was no going back now.
As if in a dream, Septum turned and headed back into the castle. Paying no mind to the guards around, he headed for the royal chamber at the end of the long hallway. Numb from the inside out, he entered the room and closed the door behind it to change into his night attire mechanically.
Slipping beside his wife under the covers of their bed when he blew the last glowing candles out, he curled up to her when she wrapped her arm around him in the darkness. Maralee sighed, "Good night, my love."
With a rough swallow, the king whispered, "Sweet dreams, darling." Pulling her closer against him as she drifted back off into sleep, he vowed softly, "Everything is going to be just fine."
Those words... of course, were more for his sake. And it did little to help him sleep that night.
* * * * * *
Orsloiv was not happy. In fact, he was downright livid.
There were eyes on him wherever he went, so he could not communicate with his master to let him know of the army's whereabouts.
More upsetting than that, he recognized the messenger bird from Dekim that arrived at the castle. He, and only he, would be able to recognize the spawn of Dorothy Catalonia when they were present. A messenger to the king could only mean that the dark sorcerer was trying to cut a deal in finding the prince.
He could not wait any longer now. Giving the location of Prince Duo was one thing, but to be the one to kill him was something that would thrill his lord.
Eyes around or not, he would have to strike.
Soon.
TBC...
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