By the Red Moon Part 41
"Good girl," a deep voice chuckled quietly, stirring Duo awake.
Blinking his eyes open, he found himself by the fireplace in the stables in the same position he last remembered before finally drifting off after a very long night.
Lying on his side, a strong arm draped around his waist and a firm chest against his back, he was first greeted with Scythe and Wing. Curled up only a few feet before him, the pair craned their necks in close to gently lick at the side of his face.
His voice thick from just waking, Duo chuckled and reached up to pat their noses.
Following his emotional episode the previous night, both steeds made sure to stay close to him for their own certainty that he was alright. ""Morning, you two," he whispered. He was answered by their tails wagging and long mouths curling upward.
Slowly, the prince turned his head to find Heero propped up on an arm and watching him with a warm smile. A blush burning his cheeks, the prince grinned, "Do you always watch me when I'm sleeping?"
With a shrug, the Commander smirked, "When I'm fortunate enough to wake up before you to get that reaction." Leaning down, he placed a kiss on a red cheek and chuckled against it, "You are quite adorable when you blush." Duo snorted as his face only turned a deeper hue.
Heero planted a much more sound kiss on his partner's lips before he pushed himself up. Gesturing to the empty spaces where their friends had been lying, he stated, "You have been sleeping pretty deeply for the better part of the morning. The others all stepped out to get breakfast together for us and should be back any moment."
Accepting the hand offered to him, Duo stood and adjusted his clothes. "More talking, then?" he guessed.
Since he had been a little too overwhelmed to go over the details of what little was known of his gift the night before, it would only make sense that they needed to discuss the matter.
Lightly rubbing his back for reassurance, the Commander nodded, "Yea. But you have three excellent mentors to help in Quatre, Relena and Catherine. They have all assisted many gifted with their abilities. With the three of them working together to assist you, I do not have a doubt that they will help you gain a handle on your powers."
Duo swallowed roughly, hoping with everything in him that Heero was right. The last thing any of them needed was for his so-called 'gift' to get out of control with his inexperience. A shudder ran up his spine at the thought of that.
"Your family is also here," the knight announced softly. "They came to check on you. Since you were still asleep, Relena took the time to explain what we know to them so that you would not have to. We thought the more support that you have the better."
Letting out a relieved sigh, Maxwell lowered his head and replied, "That's good. I really wouldn't have known how to tell them about all of this... about what I am."
Heero placed a finger under his chin to gently lift his head. A small smile tugging his lips, the knight responded, "You are Duo Maxwell, the prince of the Sanq kingdom. That is who you are and who you will always be. And there is no magic in this whole world that could ever change that."
Blinking, the braided teenager's face brightened with a grin before he threw his arms tightly around Yuy's neck. "Thank you," he whispered. Somehow, the Commander never failed to know the right thing to say to him. Pulling back to give a quick kiss, he smirked, "I needed that."
That deep voice he had heard earlier came back to chuckle, "Good job, Peacemillion. Ready for another go?"
Now that he was alert, Duo recognized who the timbre belonged to. Zechs... and he was with Peacemillion? Chuckling at the confusion in his partner's violet eyes, Heero explained, "From what I have been overhearing, the steed has taken quite the shine to your uncle."
"Really?" the prince snickered.
Leading the way from the living quarters of the stable, they made their way around a corner to where the first long line of stalls sprawled out. In the center of the space, he found his uncle spinning himself to heave a large stick that required the use of both his hands to throw towards the entrance of the building.
The moment the large branch was tossed, Peacemillion's orange and red-streaked face shot up and she charged after it. Gathering it back into her smiling mouth, she hurried back before her new friend. Keeping her head high and proud when she stopped just before him, her tail wagging excitedly behind her.
Zechs' head fell back as he laughed, "Excellent work, girl." Dropping her head and releasing the stick, the dragon's wide grin stayed in place as she nuzzled him with her snout. Closing her eyes, she let out a rumbling purr from deep in her chest. From where they watched on the side benches, Noin and Hilde giggled and shook their heads in amusement.
Standing by at the other half of the room, Wufei and Anna chuckled and spoke quietly amongst themselves until they spotted their friends emerging. "Good morning," the archer greeted as the couple walked up. Her blue eyes falling on the braided youth, she asked, "Feeling better?"
"Yea," Duo nodded honestly. "I do, thank you." By then, the game of fetch had come to an end and his family stepped into the scene to exchange their embraces at their reunion.
The last to reach him, Noin pulled back after their hug and held onto his shoulders. "How are you, sweetheart?" she questioned softly. Running a hand through his bangs, she said, "When Relena told us of your ability, we have been worried about how you have been holding up with all of this."
Eased by her attentive care, the prince admitted, "I'm better off today than how I was last night. It's all still a pretty big shock that I'm trying to get over."
Zechs spoke up, "Well, you know that we are here for you if you ever need anything. The fact that you wield dark magic will not change that. Family always sticks by their family." Noin and Hilde nodded in agreement.
Grinning widely, Duo breathed, "Thank you. I... I really could use your support through this." His aunt winked and brushed his bangs back, making his smile grow at having that hint of a real mother in his life.
Quietly clearing away the lump in his throat, the prince gestured to his uncle as he subconsciously ran his hand along the bottom of Peacemillion's jaw when she lowered her head beside him. "I see you've made a new friend," he smirked.
His eyes widening, Zechs turned to face the dragon and grinned sheepishly. "She is a remarkable creature," he commented as he continued to pat the content steed. "I do not exactly know why, but she has been my shadow since we arrived earlier."
"Not that you are complaining at all. You have been like a kid with a pup," Hilde giggled. The king half-heartedly shot her a glare while his face changed a light shade of pink. Noin laughed outright with the knights. Tilting her head, Peacemillion blinked and continued to lean into the touch from the kind man.
Before Zechs had a chance to speak in his defense, Quatre called from the main entrance, "Well good morning, everyone." Nodding to Duo when the prince looked up, he smirked, "Good to see that everyone is up and about."
Alongside Relena, Trowa and Catherine, the empath walked up to the remainder of their friends. Holding the filled satchel on his own shoulder up high, he announced with a wide grin, "Breakfast is served."
* * * * * *
To keep their discussion private, the lot gathered back together in the squires' living quarters. Closing off the first room, they made a ring before the fireplace and enjoyed their mix of breads, fruits, meats and juices that were rounded up from the available rations.
Relena sat back to rest against a stack of hay behind her as she stared across to the royal family. "So, you cannot recall anyone in your bloodline ever being gifted?" she asked, a thoughtful frown on her face.
Shaking her head, the queen answered, "Not a one. I have been going over and over my known family history and cannot come up with a single relative who had an ability... let alone having the ability to harbor dark magic. Something like that would surely have been kept on record. Duo would be the first."
"Lucky me," the braided teenager muttered under his breath. Heero smiled sadly and rubbed his back. Biting his lip, Duo leaned into the touch.
Catherine said quietly, "It's all balance." As every eye around fell on her, she shrugged, "Everything in life and death has balance. The Creator balances the Keeper." Meeting the violet-eyed gaze, she waved her hand in vague gestures as she explained, "From the world you came from, they were also known as God and the Devil... good and evil."
Blinking in realization, Quatre continued, "Light and darkness... There needed to be a balance to Dekim Barton being able to harness dark magic by giving someone to oppose him the same ability to counter that."
A small smile spreading on her face, Relena nodded, "But one cannot be born with dark magic without it consuming them. That was why Dekim had to sell his soul to the Keeper to be able to wield that side of the gift." Slowly facing Duo, she breathed, "You had to be born with both the light and dark for your survival and ours."
"That is why the prophecy said that we needed the prince if we hoped to defeat Dekim," Anna all but whispered. She also looked to her braided friend and stated, "The beam of light and that black darkness were both in use when your ability was unleashed during the battle yesterday. We never would have lived through that had you not been there."
Wufei nodded, "This whole time, we have been going into this war knowing that the odds have been stacked against our survival. Suddenly, the stacks of cards are a little more even than we had realized before."
Becoming more encouraged by what he was hearing, Duo sat up and shrugged, "By only a bit because I have no idea how the hell to use my ability right now." A sudden thought striking him, his jaw fell open.
His head shifting to the gifted, he stated, "It was the light side of my gift that kept the dark from killing everyone I considered an ally. I was enraged at Dekim's men and those were the only targets that my dark ability went after."
"Exactly!" Quatre cheered, his hands making a sharp clap as they came together. "Both sides balance themselves within you and they balance the struggles taking place around you. Any enemy of you is destroyed while every ally remains unscathed."
Letting out a deep breath, Duo rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, "Well, that's a relief." Finally coming to terms with what he was capable of, he declared, "But I would like to know how to get a handle on this without losing my senses the next time we need it."
Catherine spoke up for the others by smiling, "That is where Quatre, Relena and I come into it and work with you. Since we have not ever worked in mentoring one as powerful as yourself, it will take time and be very challenging. However, we believe that we will be able to have you in control of the light and dark powers to where they can be used on their own."
That was certainly an... exciting concept to the prince. Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be nearly as bad as he had first thought.
"Okay," Duo sighed, resigning himself entirely to doing whatever it was he needed to do. Leaning forward and resting his forearms on his bent knees, he questioned, "What's the game plan, then?"
Relena was the one to answer, "Whenever you are ready, we can begin working with you. Quatre will assist in your being able to recognize the feeling of your gift within you, Catherine in how to use those abilities to their fullest potential in battle, while I mediate and help you bring everything you learn together."
Lifting a hand in warning, Quatre was quick to add, "While we will not push you into when you should begin, I must let you know that now that your ability has been established, there is no telling how volatile it may be within you now. The sooner we can help you keep it under control, the better."
Swallowing roughly at that, the prince considered what was being offered and gave a shallow nod. In the end, there really was no other option for him. "Alright," he agreed. "To be honest, I would like some time to recuperate after everything."
More than understanding of that, Catherine grinned, "Of course. If we have to, we can have our training with you as we are on the move again." Focusing on the Captain, she inquired, "Do you have any idea when that may be?"
"Nothing would be soon enough for my liking as far as that is concerned," Heero muttered, the agitation wrapped around his voice.
Absently tossing a handful of hay into the fireplace, he informed, "We have already been here far longer than I would have liked. However, we have many repairs to our carts and other transports that need to be taken care of before we can head out. As it stands, I do not yet know the exact number of soldiers that we have left."
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Anna thought aloud, "By best estimates, we should be able to mobilize within the next three days. And as far as the numbers that have been coming in, the average lost for every land's forces are more than a hundred casualties each. I am still waiting on the other officers to get their figures to me."
"Three days is a good calculation, as well as the absolute longest we would want to sit here," Wufei suggested. "I have had scouts sent out around the shoreline's perimeters to keep a constant lookout for any further wave of Dekim's forces."
Relieved to have had a good deal of his work handled before he needed to worry, Heero smirked to his officers, "Nice work." Proud smiles lighting their faces, the couple nodded firmly in response.
With a deep breath, the Commander sighed, "Let's just hope that what happened to the army yesterday was able to knock out a little of Dekim's steam. One would think that with so many soldiers sent to take us out yesterday, there will not be time for him to get enough reinforcements together before we leave."
Chuckling quietly, Trowa shook his head, "I give anything to be a fly on the wall wherever my uncle is so that I could see the look on his face right now."
* * * * * *
Dorothy was worried.
It had nearly been a whole day since Orsloiv had contacted Dekim to relay what had occurred in Pisces. And since then, the dark sorcerer had not spoken a single word...
..He was just sitting in his throne... staring out at nothing. Both hands gripping the end of his armrests, he simply sat and stared. His face completely blank of any expression, he made no movement for almost a whole day.
Whatever needs Dekim had were completely forgotten... spelled away as he simply remained still as stone while allowing the information he had received to sink in.
Sitting beside Treize in their own seats beside their master, Dorothy swallowed roughly when at last she could feel something brewing in the old man. There was something coming to the surface of his blank palette. And it was not good.
Finally... after long, tense eternity, the black-robed sorcerer shot to his feet, let his head fall back and released a scream that tore from deep in his chest and echoed through the throne room. Even the ogres standing guard all blinked in shock and ducked their heads at the ferocious rage of their leader.
Once the last bit of his air was used in his cry, Dekim began pacing back and forth. "I was so close to having that ability," he whispered, bringing a hand up to wipe the tiny spotting of drool on his bottom lip. "So close, I could almost taste it. What an amazing gift."
Blinking in surprise, Treize stood and pleaded, "Sire, I sincerely hope now that you understand why we need to kill Prince Duo. Untamed magic like this cannot be allowed to exist so long as the wielder stands against us."
"We will find a way to see that he has to see things our way," the sorcerer smirked to his Commander. "There is always a way to your enemy, Treize. You of all people should understand that. We need to know his weakness... expose it and use it in such a way that he has no choice but to come to me."
His shoulders sagging heavily, the knight bit his tongue to hold back any further argument over the matter. There was no point in fighting Dekim when there was something he wanted.
And he never knew the old man to want anything more than what he now knew Duo Maxwell to have in his gift. To be Death itself was something never before known at the fingertips of any mere human.
Resuming his pacing, the sorcerer ran his fingers over his lips again and whispered, "I will have that power. I was close once. I will get to it yet. All that I need is that weakness... that one thing that will turn the prince."
Treize cleared his throat and asked, "Your Excellency, there are more soldiers to replace the ones lost being reestablished as we speak. I can have another large force sent to Pisces within a matter of days."
"No," Dekim quickly replied. "They won this last round and I will allow them to move on to fight another day. When the time is right, we will strike. Until then, we simply lay low and wait once again."
Taking a deep breath, Dorothy shifted uncomfortably in her seat,
She knew exactly the reason behind that plan. The dark sorcerer wanted the prince to have time to bring his ability to its full potential so that he could see exactly what they were dealing with.
What she was not about to say was that even she was not sure she was prepared to experience what that ability was capable of if yesterday was only a taste of that.
TBC...
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