By the Red Moon Part 59

Duo woke alone.

His violet eyes blinking open, he stared at the space beside him that was empty and cold for the first time in a long time. Trying to imaging the pillow beneath his head to be the firm shoulder that he would normally have his head rested on, he took in a deep breath to take in what little of Heero's scent remained in the sheets of the bed that they had taken up during their stay in Aries.

There would be a time to focus on the pain that came with the final piece of evidence that what had happened the night prior was not simply a bad dream. For now, the prince knew that he had a lot to do. And staying busy would keep his mind from drifting back to his missing lover.

Getting out of bed, Duo washed himself in what could still serve as the adjoining bathroom. Simply going through the motions, he cleaned, brushed and braided his hair before it had a chance to completely dry. Finding a fresh, red tunic and a new pair of brown trousers, he pulled the clothes on and stepped into his high traveling boots.

A quick appraisal in the cracked mirror reveled the faint tracing of lines under his eyes. Cupping his hands beneath the cool sink water, the prince splashed his face to conceal the darkened skin. As much as he needed to be strong, he needed to convince everyone around that he was more than fit to the tasks that lay ahead for them. With so many watching him for his guidance and the hope that he provided, it would not do for anyone of them to think that he was on the verge of collapse.

Really, that could not be further from the truth.

There would be many more restless nights ahead. Duo knew that. However, his resolve and his intent were not about to be wavered. Dekim, Dorothy and every man or beast that sided with them were about to see what he and the Alliance were really capable of. Death was coming for them all.

Even if he could not stop them himself, the braided teenager was content to die trying to get as close to that goal as possible. Heero's capture and the loss of countless good souls in this world would not be in vain. The dark sorcerer's reign was going to be challenged for the first time since he had taken Sanq.

With a deep breath, Maxwell straightened himself and rolled his shoulders back as he collected himself one last time before considering himself ready to be seen by anyone. Finally, he wrapped his hand around the doorknob to the bedroom door and opened it.

On the other side, Anna stood in the hallway facing him. Her quiver and bow strapped over her, she gave her prince a warm smile and greeted, "Good morning." It was strange to see the 'Shield' without the 'Sword.' When her companion frowned and began to look around, the archer explained, "Wufei is with the other officers and the werewolves discussing the route that we will be using to reach Cygnus."

"Ah," Duo nodded. Now that he was the Commander of the Alliance, that would be one of the many responsibilities that Chang would have to oversee. Tilting his head, he commented, "As his second-in-command, don't you need to be with him?"

The smile on her face returning, the knight replied quietly, "I am where I need to be. As much as Wufei wanted to be here, he could not avoid his duties. However, I can represent the both of us by playing a most important role... your friend and, in a way, your sister." His violet eyes blinking widely, a grin spread across the other youth's face.

Closing the distance between them and risking his emotions catching back up with him, Duo wrapped his arms around her tightly and breathed, "Thank you, Anna." She returned the embrace with a giggle and kissed his cheek.

As they pulled away, the archer took a deep breath and announced, "There are many outside who wish to see you before they leave the city for their safety in the south. Queen Noin and Princess Hilde are amongst them." Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she suggested, "And I believe that the civilians could use some encouraging words from you, as both their rescuer and our greatest hope in this war."

Duo swallowed roughly. While he agreed with the proposal, he had never had to address such a large group of people before. "I really would like to, but I don't know what to say."

"My advice would be for you to simply be yourself," a familiar voice offered. Turning their heads, the knight and the prince found Lady Une approaching them. Dressed in a deep red dress, the queen smiled to her braided pupil, "You have shown me many times that simply speaking from the heart is always the best when speaking to anyone."

Resting her hands on the boy's shoulders, she said, "My dear friend, after months of guiding you in accepting and understanding your place as a royal, you have come a long ways from when we first met. However, what you have with your natural ability to connect with everyone you meet cannot be taught. Whatever it is you have to say, it will be nothing short of brilliant."

On a morning when there would be many difficult 'good byes,' Duo's heart broke all over again. Lady Une had been one of the kindest people to him and she would be parting ways to take as many survivors as she could into her homeland of Virgo. More than a mentor, she had become a confidant and a close friend to him.

Before his eyes could mist over, Maxwell hugged her tightly. He couldn't being himself to say anything because he did not trust his voice. Judging from the way the queen wrapped her own arms around him, he was pretty certain that she understood how much she was appreciated... for everything.

It was Lady Une who was wiping her eyes when they pulled away. Smiling sadly, she chuckled, "Now, no 'farewells.'" With a deep breath, she stated, "I firmly believe that we will meet again, and so I will not take this as a goodbye. This is simple a 'see you later,' as you would put it."

"Right," Duo grinned back, willing himself to also believe that as well. He reached up to run a hand through his bangs and sighed, "We better get going, then." Anna was instantly walking up before him, ever his shield from any possibly oncoming danger, as she led the way through the residence.

Stepping outside to clouded skies and the organized chaos of people lining up either in their army ranks or into wagons for the caravan into the south, the three made their way through the crowds to where the Commanders were gathered. Nearby, Zechs, Noin and Hilde were embracing and whispering their parting words.

Once she had a chance to offer her father her best, Hilde stepped away to give her parents a moment to kiss and have their privacy. Sniffling when she managed to get away and find a bit of seclusion, she kept her head lowered and reached up to wipe at the tears on her face when another's hand moved in to gently brush them away with the pad of a calloused thumb.

Gasping, the princess looked up to find Trowa watching her with a sad grin. "May the Creator and the good spirits keep you and your mother safe, Hilde," he said quietly. "And try not to cry for us, since we're doing the right thing... and I never liked to see you sad."

Unable to help herself, she managed to smile back. Since they were children, the First Scout always had a way of making her smile no matter what she was dealing with. Taking a deep breath, the girl smirked as Heavy Army leaned her head in. Lightly patting the steed's head, she said sincerely, "Thank you, Trowa. I will pray that the Creator will watch after all of you as well."

Tapping the red-yellow's snout, Hilde smirked, "You be sure to avoid those dragon arrows, dear. I don't think that he would be able to handle another scare like the last time." Snorting, Heavy Arms attempted to appear undignified, but her wagging tail gave away her appreciation for the concern.

Her dark eyes meeting the emerald eyes on her, the princess bit her lip and all but threw herself into a fierce embrace with her best friend. When they broke away, the booming voice of their army's commander shouted from deep within the crowd, "Knights of Epyon, fall in!"

Peering over his shoulder at the call, Trowa frowned, "Time to go." He faced his princess to bow deeply at the waist with a smirk on his face. "Until we meet again," he winked. Her heart sinking, Hilde swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. Straightening himself, he turned on his heels and led his steed towards where their force was gathering.

An overwhelming feeling of alarm over the possibility that they may have just had their last moment together, the girl's pulse rose as she heard herself cry, "Wait!"

Not even acknowledging the scout's surprised expression when he froze and looked back to her, she recalled one of her favorite sayings of her cousin and muttered to herself, "Oh to hell with it." Talking long strides to stand before him, she grabbed the front of his tunic. Before she could second-guess herself, she pulled him towards her, tilted her head and closed her eyes while pressing their lips together in a rough kiss.

His green eyes widened, Trowa all but fell over in surprise as Heavy Arms let out a bright chirp as her head shot up. The knight held onto the princess to stabilize himself and actually felt himself kissing back just before she pulled away.

Keeping her hands gripped tight to his shirt, Hilde smirked against his mouth, "You had better return from this in one piece. Otherwise, I will find a way to find you and drag you back to kick your ass."

A wide smile tugging his lips, Trowa stammered, "T-that would be the plan. You know how I live to make you happy, your highness."

Satisfied with that, Hilde leaned in for a quick peck and released the scout. "Good," she nodded firmly as she brushed down the front of her lavender dress. Taking the hem of its skirt, she held it to the side and curtsied. "Then until we meet again."

Her air of calmness melted the moment she spun on her heels and an elated smile lit her face. Fighting the urge to cheer and dance off, she headed back to search for her family with a lightness in her step.

Mentally reeling over the sudden kiss, Trowa watched her disappear in the masses and reached up to brush his fingertips over his lips. The deep, purring chuckle of his steed brought his attention up to see a very pleased Heavy Arms looking upon him with her large head tilted.

To his added embarrassment the knight felt his cheeks burning. Glaring at her, the scout huffed, "Oh, quit your staring. We have to go." The red-and-gold beast just snickered all the more when her rider tuned on wobbly legs and followed him back through the throngs of people to their division.

Peering back over his shoulder to where the prince had disappeared, Trowa blinked as the tingling sensation on his lips continued. In that brief moment of their kiss, he had completely forgotten about Dorothy. And so it seemed that he now had quite a bit to consider when it came to his friendship with Hilde.

Deeper within the crowds of civilians, Duo was embracing his aunt tightly. When they pulled away, Queen Noin smiled sadly and cupped the side of his face with a sincere, "I have every faith in the world in you, dear. Whatever happens from here out, I know that you will always do the right thing."

Leaning into her always comforting touch, the prince replied, "Thanks, Mo-" With a sharp gasp, he froze and cut himself off. Clearing his throat, he corrected sheepishly, "I mean thank you, Aunt Noin."

Just as caught off guard by his slip, the woman's widened eyes softened. Wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, she rested their foreheads together and breathed, "I would never look to take the place of my sister, Duo. However, I would be most honored by your considering me a mother to you. The Creator knows that I am as proud of you as any parent could be of their own child."

Unable to fight back the tears that he had been on the verge of breaking all morning, Maxwell pulled her into another hug. Kissing his cheek, Noin return the gesture and allowed her own tears to fall.

Reluctantly pulling away, the braided teenager wiped away his tears just in time for Hilde to hurry into the scene to latch onto him. Snickering once he managed to regain his footing from the surprise 'attack,' Duo sighed and held tightly to his cousin. Peacemillion chirped brightly before moving in for some pats from her new family.

Keeping a reasonable distance but staying close as she had promised, Anna watched the sad exchanges with a deep frown on her face. Even Ingier was in a solemn mood, his head hanging low and sadness in his brilliant, green eyes. That changed when he craned his neck around to spot Wufei and Nataku nearing them.

The archer brightened as well when her husband wrapped an arm around her slender waist and kissed her cheek in greeting. "Hello, love," he smiled and gestured to their prince with his head. "How is he holding up?"

"All things considered, extremely well," Anna answered, taking her eyes off of their braided friend to meet the swordsman's gaze. "What news did Alex and the werewolves have this morning regarding Dekim's army?"

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Wufei relayed, "Their scouts have picked up on the scent of a large number of reinforcements heading for Cancer. There has yet to be any sign of interest on their part in strengthening their numbers in Cygnus."

Her eyes widening, the archer felt a chill run up her spine. "Dear Creator," she breathed as her skin paled. "Queen Sylvia was right in her assessment. We would have been walking right into a trap."

Nodding, Chang's dark eyes revealed how chilled he had been by the report when he first heard it that morning. He lifted his head to peer around the many people lingering around and stated, "I have actually been searching for her so that I could thank her personally for her advice before she leaves."

At that, his wife frowned, "We have not been able to find her either. Lady Une had mentioned that she was quite distraught over having to say goodbye and so she has been keeping busy in helping where she can with the other travelers. After having her parents taken away from her, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for her to go separate ways with those closest to her now."

With a knot twisting in his stomach at the sentiment, Wufei nodded. Sylvia had begun to show signs of how upset she was for that very reason the night prior. Few people had lost as much as she had while at the same time having to keep up a strong demeanor as a royal who was looked up to.

...Really, Duo was the only person in the world now who could relate and offer any real understanding to the girl. With Heero gone and his responsibilities pushing him on, it was a marvel that their prince was able to collect himself as well as he had.

Gently rubbing the archer's back, the swordsman reassured, "Well, we will simply have to express our appreciation to her when this is all over." A wide grin tugging her lips, Anna hummed in agreement. Uncertain as their futures were, they had to remain hopeful that they would somehow survive the turbulent times that they were facing.

It was what had helped them survive as long as they had. With some luck and a bit of effort on their parts, maybe there was a good chance of that remaining the case.

Having had the time that he wanted with his family, Duo looked around to see almost every civilian around looking at him. And before long, every face within his sight was turned towards him and the discussions hanging in the air all fell in anticipation. Swallowing roughly, he took a deep breath and peered up to Scythe and nodded. The black steed lowered herself onto her stomach.

Easily climbing onto her back, the teenager was able to have a good view of the crowd around. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice and began nervously, "Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the most comfortable with public speaking." Several people, adults and children alike chuckled in response. Spread throughout the masses, those who were closest to him smirked encouragingly.

A small grin tugging the corner of his mouth, Maxwell continued, "Right now, we are all going through the hardest experiences that we've ever had to live through, but we are still living. And I know that many of you are wondering why we are going off into harm's way to stand up against Dekim and his army when we all have lost so much already-" His voice cracked at the end of his last phrase to abruptly halt him.

Trying to not focus on his most personal loss of Heero, he went on, "But you, more than anyone, should know that we cannot sit back and just wait for them to claim us... not when we can fight. And we will do that with everything that we have in us." Those soldiers standing back and listening in all nodded with a gripping determination in their eyes.

"We cannot allow those fallen to have passed in vain," Duo declared with more volume in his voice than before. "And the Keeper's army will not progress another step deeper forward without their having to go through us first!" An explosion of cheers, applause and cries rose up along with clenches fists and clapping hands.

From her place at the back of the crowd, Sylvia bit her lip and looked around to the many horse-drawn vehicles and wagons that sat in wait for the move. Using the distracting noises and sights, she slipped into the back of one of the covered wagons.

Once the cheers finally died back down, Duo concluded, "For as long as we continue to fight, you will be in our thoughts just as I am sure we will be in all of yours. May the Creator and the good spirits watch over all of us and a safe journey to you."

Descending from his steed's back to the chorus of a new round of applause and accolade, the prince smiled as me moved through the civilians. Accepting and returning the embraces and handshakes offered to him, he walked towards the massive, wheeled bed where Wing lay. Raising his head, the dragon blinked his widened blue eyes and wiggled as his tail wagged.

While his long scars were beginning to heal, the white steed would not be in any shape to fly for another couple of days yet. And Duo was not about to let him go without company over the course of their trip in his condition.

Much to his surprise, Scythe did not put up a fuss at all. Instead, she joined Nataku and Ingier as their riders took to their saddles and waited for when they would take flight.

Sitting by Wing's muzzle, the boy ran his hand over the smooth scales and grinned, "Ready to get some payback, buddy?" The beast's smile turned mischievous as he snorted in response and leaned into his hand.

As he looked up, Duo found Noin, Hilde and Lady Une gathered close atop their horses. Smiling sadly, they raided their hands to wave and turned to join the others that had already begun heading south. His own hand slowly rising to wave back, he sighed and turned his attention to the north beyond the border that he'd created.

Then the cart was pulled into motion as the army headed off for the dark-blanketed lands that belonged to Dekim.

TBC...

 

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