By the Red Moon Part 44
The morning of the move from Pisces brought on a bright, clear sky as the sun rose over the horizon. With their stomachs full and hopes rejuvenating, the soldiers of the newly deemed Alliance army grabbed their belongings and prepared to set out.
Instead of joining his wife and daughter atop their horses or in the wagons, Zechs grinned from ear-to-ear as he walked up to Peacemillion when their unit began to head out. Fixed with a leather saddle outlined in gold leaf to fit her new rider, the orange steed smiled and craned her neck down to him.
Patting the side of her long snout, the king greeted, "It is a fine day for a flight, wouldn't you say, girl?" His steed purred deeply in response.
Without hesitation, the tall blond climbed up and secured himself into his harness and rested his palms on the hand hold as they sat and waited for the last of their group to arrive. After only having had a few chances to soar in the skies since acquiring his dragon, he was eagerly looking forward to the journey ahead.
As it came time for the fresh-faced Pisces army to follow their comrades, Mueller turned sharply to face them. "Right, men!" he called in a thunderous voice. "Note the formation of those before you! Forward march!" Heads high and shoulders back, the knights followed the suit of their more experienced fellow soldiers.
Staying back to watch them, the Commander smirked to himself, "Well, there is hope for them yet. Still a long ways to go, but at least they can follow formation now." Lady Une sat on the bench of a wagon passing by and shook her head in amusement, knowing that Mueller was right in his element and loving every minute of it.
At the entrance of the castle, King Septum and Queen Maralee were waving off the troops passing by. Hearing footsteps approach them from behind, the queen turned back to find the last few of her guests remaining- the prince and his closest of friends.
Maralee walked up to them with a sad smile on her face. Folding her hands together, she said softly, "May the Creator and good spirits look after all of you. We will continue to pray and hope that somehow, this nightmare will end well for all of us."
"Well, I certainly hope that we will remain friends after all that I have done," Septum added, his voice thick with the guilt that he still carried for his actions. Taking a deep breath, he stated, "I very much look forward to our paths crossing again some day."
It was Quatre who moved forward first. Giving his long-time friend an embrace, the empath urged, "Let it go." With that, he sent a trace of his gift to block out the more damaging depths of the shame and self-loathing that would have eventually been harmful. The king had suffered enough, after all. And no one wanted to see him continue to plunge into his depression.
Though it did the trick to take some of the edge off, Septum's memory of what he had done was left in tact. One needed memories like that to learn from their mistakes.
When he pulled back, the empath smiled when the tall man blinked in confusion. Realizing what had been done as the lightness in his chest resonated, the king smiled widely to his friend and and pulled him back into a one-armed embrace while the others were biding their own farewells to the queen.
Heero raised his head from its deep bow and met Maralee's eyes as he stated, "Thank you again for everything, your highness. I hope that you and your people somehow manage to move on from what has happened here. And rest assured that we will do everything in our power to stop Dekim."
Smiling, the queen replied, "I have no doubt of that, Commander. Every one of you is a true inspiration and you will all be in our thoughts." She turned her head to look out to her nearly crushed homeland. "And do not worry about us," Maralee reassured as she straightened herself proudly. "We will rebuild from this and be better from this experience.
Walking into the scene, Septum informed the knights, "As for your army, I have the feeling that you can expect more to be joining the cause." The corner of his mouth curled up and the king smirked, "Many more."
To the confused expressions, he shrugged, "Dekim Barton is not the only one who can send a message. Already, word is spreading to the southern kingdoms who have not yet allied with you as to what has happened here. That should get many of those leaders off their asses."
Blinking in surprise, Heero grinned, "That it should. In that case, we will certainly be on the look out." Since formalities were no longer the norm, he extended his hand and exchanged a firm handshake with Septum. Nodding firmly, he gave a quiet, "Thank you."
"It was the very least that I could do," the tall man responded sincerely.
Maralee focused on the braided prince and closed the distance between them to bend down and wrap him in a tight embrace. "You are a remarkable young man, Duo Maxwell," she whispered by his ear. Taken aback momentarily, the boy's cheeks burned as he returned the hug.
As the queen stepped back, she told him, "Never lose yourself. You are going to be tested with this madness that is going on, but hold onto that which makes you who you are. We could all stand to have more like you in this world."
Duo could feel his face heating all the more at the compliment and smiled, "Thank you, Maralee. It was an honor meeting you." Holding out his hand to Septum for a tight handshake, he led the others down the front steps of the castle to shield his embarrassment.
Within moments, the prince and his friends were securing themselves in their saddles and waving their last good byes to the royal couple. When they took to the skies and caught up with the rest of their dragon fleet, Sand Rock soared up to his left.
Giggling as she kept her arms around her husband's waist, Relena smirked, "I knew that you would have the king and queen smitten with you."
Instantly recalling the seer's urging him to be himself when they were heading for Pisces, Duo's blush returned. "I really don't know what it is about me that so many people like so much," he mumbled low enough that his voice was almost carried away on the breeze.
Peacemillion soared in to fly overhead and twisted until Zechs' upside down face was before him. "It is a rare trait, but you have a natural and genuine charm. You earned that quality from your mother. Even now, I cannot think of a person who knew her that did not like her. I am convinced that she could charm the stars from the skies if she wanted to."
Smiling at the thought of sharing something with his mother besides her eyes, the prince felt a swell of warmth in his chest. "Really?" he asked quietly. The king grinned and nodded as Peacemillion turned upright and took up Sand Rock's place.
"And just how were you able to take on flying a dragon so naturally?" Duo chuckled to his uncle in amusement.
Confused, Zechs tilted his head and stated, "A dragon would never let anything happen to their rider. I am safer in the skies on Peacemillion than on the ground. Everyone knows that."
Just ahead of Deathscythe and Wing, Anna and Wufei snickered. Peering over her shoulder, the archer smirked, "Well, not everyone. It took us pushing Duo out of his saddle in mid-flight before he believed our telling him the same thing." The swordsman grinned and nodded to back up the report.
Quickly cutting off the laugh that burst from him, the king cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly to the glaring violet eyes on him. "Sorry," he chuckled.
The half-hearted glower faded instantly as the braided prince smirked. Even he had to admit, looking back on that experience, that it was funny... not hysterical, but funny. It certainly taught him to just trust his friends' words.
Sighing deeply in content as he watched the end of the sunrise from their high vantage point, Zechs grinned wistfully, "This truly is spectacular."
"Yea," Duo agreed quietly. "It really is."
* * * * * *
It had been an incredibly long journey back to the north. Riding day and night with little to no sleep in-between for over a week, Orsloiv could hardly walk through the halls of Dekim's castle. He was exhausted, dirty and famished... but he made it.
After losing several horses along the way from pushing them too hard, there were a few occasions when the advisor had to steal or kill for a new mount. His rations were whatever he could manage to scavenge, making the whole ordeal the most difficult that he'd ever had to endure.
But he made it.
Now, Orsloiv was home to be rewarded for his service to his master. No, he did not succeed in killing Prince Duo, but he was successful in so many other ways in acting as a spy amongst the army that stood against them.
Reaching the closed doors of the throne room, the grimy messenger sighed deeply in relief. Home at last.
With a deep breath, he stepped inside and walked down the long stretch to the raised seats at the other half of the space. At Dekim's right sat Dorothy and to his left, Treize watched along with them as the spy approached. His stench reached the dark sorceress and she crunched her nose in disgust.
Finally coming to a stop before them, the tall man fell to a knee and deeply bowed his head. "Lord Dekim," he began reverently and raised his head. "I have returned to continue my service to you."
Banishing the foul smell from the air, the sorcerer descended the short rise of steps to his throne. As his servant rose to his feet, he rested his hands on his shoulder and smiled, "Orsloiv. I am very happy that you managed to find your way back safely.
Of course, Dekim really did not care at all whether or not the advisor returned or was killed. But he did know that people tended to remain loyal to their leaders if they felt appreciated by them. And so, he was going to put on his best smile and smoothest words.
A wide grin tugging his lips, Orsloiv nodded firmly, "Thank you, my lord. I only hope that my acting as your spy while it lasted was to your pleasing."
The sorcerer smirked, "That it was." Turning towards the steps, he stated, "You were able to get quite close to Prince Duo for a time and I have been most eager to learn everything you have come to know about him."
"Yes, mater," Orsloiv replied. Clearing his throat, he frowned deeply, "I wish to express my deepest apologies for not being able to stay close to him. Unfortunately, I completely lost that opportunity when I was discovered and held prisoner."
Freezing with his foot on the first step, Dekim's eyes widened. In their seats, both Dorothy and Treize stiffened at the unexpected news. Their eyes narrowing, they watched the bald man a bit more closely.
Before he lowered his foot and faced his servant, he schooled his face to be the picture of complete tranquility. "You never mentioned to me in your last communication that you had been captured," he said with put on concern. "That must have been a terrible ordeal for you."
Orsloiv nodded, "That it was, Sire. Had your soldiers not arrived when they had, I am certain that I would not have lived through it. I had been sentenced with treason and locked away in the Pisces holding chambers the day before the attack."
Rolling his shoulders back, he snickered, "But I knew that you had men coming, I managed to catch sight of the carrier pigeon that had been sent to King Septum. That was why I thought that I needed to hurry and strike while I had the opportunity. When my efforts failed and I was taken, I still knew that at least those bastards would all pay since I was certain there would be an army on the way."
Treize blinked his growing eyes as Master O spoke. Shaking her head in disbelief shallowly, Dorothy held her tongue. They shared a side-long glance at each other. Already, they could sense the building tension in their master.
Having known the sorcerer as long as they had, they both flinched when his rage began to smolder, even as he kept a kind smile on his face. It was very much like a wild animal coaxing its prey into their opened mouth right before devouring them.
Slowly approaching his spy, Dekim's smile only grew. "Strike?" he repeated, his voice rising and coming out in a singsong fashion. "You intended to strike? How did you intend to strike? Whom did you intend to strike? I do not recall ever giving you orders to strike anyone at anytime, so I am confused."
"Well, I wanted to surprise you, master," Orsloiv explained, still convinced that he had done nothing wrong. He had been serving his leader. He was doing the work of the Keeper in his attempt to eliminate their greatest threat.
Keeping himself tall and proud, Master O announced, "I wished to bring you the head of Prince Duo myself. He is nothing but a mere child scared of his own shadow. Truly, I do not know why the prophecy deemed him as our one true challenge to our domination over this world."
At the same time, Dorothy and Treize lowered their heads.
Not only had their messenger unknowingly sealed his fate with his admission, he'd also made the fateful mistake of saying 'our domination' as opposed to the dark sorcerer's domination and his alone.
Using the word 'our' suggested that Orsloiv assumed himself on the same plane as Barton... one of the many things that the old man did not appreciate.
Dekim batted his eyes and replied in his falsetto, "Oh. I see. And exactly how did you attempt to carry out this strike of yours, as this is the first time that I have ever heard about it?"
That tone... that question... together, they may as well have been the metallic ring of a sword bring drawn on Master O. His dark skin paling, his eyes widened and throat dried as he realized too late what he had set himself up for.
...Far too late. Nothing was about to save him now.
After a long pause, Dekim's eyes narrowed in that rage that he had been holding back as he screamed, "Answer me!"
Jumping, Orsloiv's mouth opened and closed with a few unintelligible sounds. Not speaking up or lying only meant certain death. He simply had to tell everything and hope that he could defend himself.
It took a couple of attempts for him to swallow before he stammered, "I-I w-was running out of time. While it was not the most sophisticated plan, I was desperate. I thought that I had the guards handled and slipped into the prince's guest room to slit his throat."
Stunned, Treize snorted quietly to himself, "Fool." Even Dorothy grinned in a rare moment of agreement with the Commander.
Large droplets of sweat rolled down Master O's face as he peered from one member of his audience to the next and cried, "Prince Duo is merely a boy! I can handle a simple boy myself! And I would have succeeded in my plan if I had only known that I was being watched! It was Mueller and that damned knight-in-training who is involved with the prince that worked together to stop me!"
Dorothy seized up along with Dekim, their eyes wide with surprise. The first to recover, Dekim questioned, "The prince is... involved?" Leaning in close enough that their noses almost touched, he whispered, What is the name of this knight-in-training?" Behind him, the sorceress was practically salivating for the information as she also bent forward in anticipation.
Shaking his head, Orsloiv frantically racked his brain to call up that information. As it came, he gasped, "Yuy. Heero Yuy. Of the Sanq kingdom, he is First Captain of the army... if he lived through the attack."
With a deep breath, Dorothy sat back in her chair. Committing that name to memory, a vicious smile curled her lips. "So... the prince truly does have a weakness after all," she muttered to herself.
Barton's smile returned. Chuckling, he cupped the sides of his spy's face and told him, "You have served me well, my friend. Very well, indeed. In spite of your great error, you have just made up for it tenfold."
All of the air that the advisor had been holding rushed out in a puff of a sigh. Releasing the tension that had built up with a gusty laugh, his shoulders sagged. "Thank you, master," he breathed. "You know that I would never do anything to anger you."
Lowering his hands and stepping back, Dekim chuckled deeply, "Oh, not intentionally, maybe."
He raised a finger and smirked, "But I do have to tell you that we are not dealing with a 'mere boy,' as you think." Wrapping an arm around Master O's shoulders, he questioned, "Do you recall that incredible magic that was unleashed in Pisces that destroyed my army?
The spy frowned, "Of course I remember. I will never forget that horrific sight."
Patting his back, the sorcerer smiled, "Well, that came from Prince Duo. We had come to learn not long before then that he wields light and dark magic." Instantly tensing again, Orsloiv's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw fell open.
Eyes narrowing, Dekim hissed, "And you would have stolen away my chance to obtain that power if you had been successful in killing him." Taking a deep breath, he said, "In the end, while I forgive you that mistake, I simply cannot work with someone who would willingly act out on their own."
In a blink, his free hand gripped the hilt of the long dagger hidden in his black robe and plunged the jagged blade into his servant's heart. The air built up in Orsloiv's lungs pushed out of his agape mouth as his eyes bulged out as far as they would.
When the body fell to the ground, it convulsed violently on the floor. It was the Keeper coming to claim the soul of his own. The thrashing around continued for a long moment before the corpse lay still.
His eyes still narrowed, Dekim looked back to his sorceress and grinned, "See to it that we find a way to this... Heero Yuy."
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page