Two hours later, Quatre's insight proved to be right. An invitation was brought to them by a messenger, dressed in a uniform with white pants and a dark green cloak, wearing golden stars and stripes all over as if he were someone of high military rank. He arrived with three large carriages, pulled by the best and strongest horses Auda and Iria country had to offer.
Duo made a show of not accepting the invitation at once, and according to Trowa, it was all part of the game to not look too eager. With a lot of praise, bowing to each other, showers of compliments and whatnot, Duo finally announced with a booming voice that he accepted. The messenger seemed relieved and urged the esshan-dars to hurry, forgive the impoliteness, as they would be in time for dinner, then? A few servants had been brought along to help everyone pack, as they were going to spend the night at Catalonia Castle, courtesy of Duke Dermail, of course.
Heero didn't like that 'of course', but went to retrieve his sollevar as Relena changed quickly into the light brown dress -- Duo giving her a matching, yet much warmer overcoat and a large shawl to cover her hair. She thanked him for the clothing, but refused to leave Vayeate behind, who was in the stables of the Summer Swan, together with Mercurius. To avoid any more delay, the messenger ordered the servants to get both horses out of the stables and have them trotting next to the other horses pulling the carriages.
Catalonia Castle was not that far away by carriage, but they needed to go up a mountain and before everyone was ready, nightfall had set in. The messenger was complaining about the delay, but after one glare of Heero he quickly shut up, fidgeting.
"Please, esshan-dars, get in," he kept telling them, "esshava, please, the first carriage is for you only."
Relena stood on the footboard of the second carriage, an angry look crossing her face as she was about to get in the same one as Heero. Duo, who arrived as the latest on the scene, had to explain her that Auda country kept men and women separated on certain occasions, and this was one of their occasions. She protested, saying out loud that it was absurd to keep men and women separated while traveling, and it took Duo quite some time to convince her to get into the first carriage -- alone.
The messenger was greatly upset by then and hastily gave the command to go, as it was getting later and later. The first carriage left, and Heero stared outside the window to see where it was going. Wufei sat next to him, wearing something different than his armor for a change: rather loose-fitting white pants tied with a black sash around the waist, and a dark blue shirt with a golden animal of some sort embroidered on it. Heero didn't recognize it and he didn't care; he too thought it was absurd to travel in separate carriages, but there was nothing he could do about it. If something should happen to Relena, though...
Finally, the carriage started moving at a respectable distance from Relena's. It made him nervous, and for some reason, Wufei's presence made him nervous too. The Nataku warrior was silent and obviously not up for a conversation, though Heero wanted to ask him again what he had meant with his words in the Summer Swan. Kill Duo...never.
"There is Catalonia Castle," Wufei suddenly pointed out after an agonizingly silent ride.
Ugly, was Heero's first thought when he saw the hugely large and thick walls looming over the hills, the towers contrasting ominously with the dark, falling night. The roof tiles were a dark blue and the windows were covered with heavy, dark wooden shutters. It looked more like a graveyard than a castle to him, and when the carriages rode over the drawbridge, it sounded like someone was grinding bones. He shivered, and his fingers around his sollevar tightened their grip. Wufei hadn't said a thing about him taking the weapon inside the carriage, but shifted nervously -- not from the weapon, but from the thick, suffocating atmosphere descending over them.
Dorothy Catalonia was waiting at the gate, an ecstatic look on her face. No one could say that she didn't have a taste for dramatics: the girl was dressed in black robes, a rather simple dress reaching her ankles, with several fragile lace layers draped over her arms, a sea of black flowers shifting around her when she moved her hand to wave majestically at the arriving guests. She wore long black gloves and golden rings flashed in the torchlight the inner court was lit with. Unlike the women in the capital city, her hair wasn't covered at all; only a simple black band around her head held the long blond strands out of her face. Some black roses were attached to the band, and she welcomed them with exaggerated gestures, announcing: "The warriors have arrived, finally!"
As Relena was the first one to arrive, she stepped out of the carriage before the others and Dorothy approached her, even going as far as to kiss her very lightly on both cheeks as if welcoming a long lost best friend. Heero frowned at the girl's intimate greeting; even Relena was taken quite aback by the bold gesture. Dorothy herself turned to meet them and bowed deeply, holding up her dress as she sank a little through the knees.
"Welcome, warriors. Welcome, dorshini, to Catalonia Castle. May the Twelve bless you on your journeys and shine upon you with their blessings in good fortune and health."
It was the first time that Heero saw Duo scowl; the title that had been used to address him and Quatre was probably not the proper one even though nothing but a smile was visible on Quatre's face. Heero took Duo for a Fire mage based upon the robes he wore, even though he was now dressed in a simple dark red one, without any embroidery.
The way Duo was scowling was enough for Heero to assume that mages were to be referred to based upon their powers, and that a 'dorshin' was too plain to address him. Neither he nor Quatre corrected the girl; the blond mage bowed to her in return, not as deep as her, and thanked her for her warm welcome and expressed their collective happiness about the hospitality and friendliness that was showered upon them.
Heero had to refrain from scowling just like Duo; what hospitality and friendliness exactly? This castle looked morbid, dark and empty, and Dorothy Catalonia herself was an enigma come to life; what were her intentions? He couldn't believe that she invited them 'just' for dinner, with the way she was talking about warriors. She looked very ecstatic to receive them, but he knew that look in her eyes. Calculating.
"Hn," he muttered under his breath, resulting in Relena looking a little strangely at him.
"Dorothy, I see you have welcomed our guests," a low voice boomed over the inner court and an elderly man stalked towards them. He was accompanied by a few servants ready to take on their luggage and coats, if any, and a few burly men who were obviously bodyguards. They all wore short swords on a belt, almost casually touching them; but their eyes immediately fixed themselves on Heero's sollevar and the staffs of the respective mages.
"Duke Dermail," Duo said and nodded, a movement so small and fast that it was easily missed. It was hardly out of respect, but merely an acknowledgement of the man's presence.
The man plucked at his moustache, his perfectly groomed hair matching his impeccable clothing; the same type of white pants his servants wore, combined with a dark green jacket with a red sash over it, and laden with golden stars and stripes; unmistakably Khushrenada's hand.
"Welcome, welcome," he repeated his granddaughter's words. "Come, let us not stay outside, it is getting cold fast. I'm very grateful that you accepted my invitation...you must be very busy..."
Heero wondered why Dermail picked out Duo as his main conversation partner, but the Fire mage smoothly hung up a story about him 'being busy' using so many words that no one could make heads or tails out of it, but Dermail nodded enthusiastically as if taking every word for granted while he led the way, taking the group inside the castle, passing a large door studded with iron bonds. One would need an extraordinary battering ram to tackle that particular door. Heero wanted to ask Quatre, Trowa or even Wufei if they knew more about Dermail, but Dorothy walked next to him, her eyes glued to his sollevar.
"You have a wonderful weapon," she said, eyes wide in adoration. She gave him the creeps. "Have you killed many men with it?"
"I don't kill unless it's really necessary," he answered and flinched. He had just admitted to killing, but nobody turned around or was shocked to hear it; Relena was fortunately involved in the ongoing conversation so she didn't hear him.
"So you have killed," Dorothy said breathlessly. "Tell me -- how did it feel? How does it feel to bring justice?"
"It feels sick," he snapped at her, but the girl wasn't deterred by his answer. If he wasn't mistaken, she even reached to touch the sollevar...and then he bumped into Trowa. Everybody had come to a standstill in front of a double door which was opened by servants, revealing a large dining room. Dermail invited them all cordially inside, and the servants flooded the room as soon as they took place at the table, set with the most beautiful silk and lace linens Heero had ever seen.
Relena touched the embroidered napkins -- who would embroider napkins of all things? -- and her fingers traced the intricate patterns woven into the lace. She felt out of place with her simple light brown dress, and stole a quick glance at Dorothy's dress with the black lace layers. Dermail's granddaughter sat next to the man at the head of the table, which was large and wide enough to seat a whole army. Every utensil, every plate was made of silver -- a fortune, a gigantic fortune used to eat with. Heero was appalled at the blatant display of all the luxury and felt just as out of place as Relena.
The servants grated on his nerves with their constant bowing, and when one wanted to draw up his chair to the table, he all but snarled at the young man to leave him alone.
"Go back to your work," Dermail said when the servant looked a bit upset. "Have the chefs serve dinner; we have been waiting long enough as it is."
The man bowed again, his face still twisted in horror and after one more look at Heero he quickly left the room, while the other servants arranged the utensils and even some flower decorations in the middle of the table, ignoring the scene.
"I hope you all have worked up an appetite," Dermail spoke, wringing his hands. "You have traveled from afar to Auda country, right?"
"We've been to several places," Duo answered neutrally, leaning a little to the side when a servant placed a silver plate next to him on the table, taking away the lid to reveal a roast meat, perfectly prepared. Other servants put more and more plates on the table, gracefully taking away the covers before retreating into the corners of the room, patiently awaiting new orders.
There was enough to feed a whole army; the best and the freshest ingredients were used for the roasts, a grilled light pink fish and the numerous dishes with vegetables, potatoes and sweet rice. Herbs and spices gave off the most heavenly scents, and Heero didn't know where to start. Dermail looked like a cat that had just been served a bowl of cream; his complacent smile was something that Heero would gladly like to wipe off of his face.
"The world nowadays is at the edge of a new beginning," Dermail said while he helped himself to a large portion of the white meat closest to him. "Orders are changing, new ranks are forming. It's not like it used to be."
"There was nothing wrong with the world to begin with," Relena immediately gave back. Her plate was empty. "No one asked for armies to invade their country, their homeland, and turn their lives upside down."
"Esshava Darlian, there's no need for all of this," Dermail said, talking to her as if addressing a small child. "You wear the b'ker, a shawl around your head to cover your hair. I refuse to let my granddaughter participate in such an outdated tradition that's degrading to women."
"My personality isn't being degraded just by wearing something out of respect for the prevailing traditions," the girl answered. "Traditions and customs are unique; it's the character of the lands."
Dermail snorted. "What's so wrong with one man trying to unite the world, to bring everything under one rule instead of little bits here and there, governments doing what they see fit, rules and regulations that differ from country to country? Do you like chaos that much?"
"There was no chaos in this world until Khushrenada appeared on the scene," Duo joined the conversation. Some of the light pink fish was on his plate, together with some vegetables.
"Your accent..." Dermail looked pensive for a moment as he stirred the food on his plate. "Epyon, right?"
Heero kept a close eye on Duo. Epyon country had been one of the first to be run over by Khushrenada and his army, after the man had 'dismissed' the government of his homeland, Oz country.
"Epyon was ruled by Officials," Duo said. "All wise and reasonable men. No one had complaints about the way they handled things."
One of the servants, an elderly man, stumbled and dropped his tray with empty cups on the floor. The other servants rushed to his side to help him up and take care of the mess before anyone could pay much attention to it.
"It's not about competence," Dermail dismissed the servant and continued the conversation, chewing on a bit of meat. "It's about chaos. With Khushrenada in place, the world will be brought to one, neat order that will benefit us all."
"How, exactly?" was Relena's question.
She had finally helped herself to a little bit of rice, but she barely ate -- even Heero refrained from eating his usual amount. It didn't feel right, especially when the citizens had nothing to eat. This table was a scream of decadence, demonstrating exactly what tyrants would do: take care of themselves first, and condemn the people to poverty. Maybe that was why the others followed Relena's example; it wasn't the food itself, because of what Heero tasted, it was very delicious -- but there was a weird, bitter aftertaste knowing that Dermail had gone to great lengths for this dinner, while starving his own citizens.
"The countries are reduced to one state, one nation, but instead of a fair and just ruler we have a tyrant, a usurper who won't stop until he has every country under control, not to unite them, but to submit them to his will and power."
Dorothy put down her fork and took some time to elaborately dab at her mouth with a napkin.
"Esshouin Khushrenada doesn't deserve this hostility," she said. "Every country has a choice to fight or to surrender." Her eyes shone brightly. "Fight for their honor, for their freedom in a glorious war that will determine people's lives! The outcome will either be submission or domination -- but they have a choice..."
"Nonsense," Duo cut her short, rudely. "What kind of choice is that? Khushrenada doesn't want to listen to reason. He only wants the countries so he can add them to his empire and have them ruled by soulless, will-less, heartless puppets on a string!"
"Khushrenada doesn't win anything by trampling the countries," Relena chimed in. "What purpose does his aggressive expansion serve? The countries had their own governments, traditions, rules and classes -- maybe not to perfection, but people make mistakes...at least there wasn't war anywhere! People long for peace, not for war!"
"War will decide who has the right to live and who not," Dorothy snapped. "Life itself is a fight!"
"Not for people who live in castles and have warm beds and enough food to eat," Quatre commented. It was the first thing he said, and the atmosphere seemed to chill significantly.
A silence fell, but not for long. Dermail started to chuckle behind his own napkin, and Heero expected him to burst out in boisterous laughter, as he took great effort to muffle his sounds.
"Young and heated," the man finally said. "A discussion that brings out the fire in all of you! Come, come, don't let a difference of opinion allow to ruin our nice dinner. Enjoy it, we have much to discuss -- of course, not tonight only. You are all my guests, and Dorothy, I don't allow my guests to be offended in any way. We will exchange our arguments in a polite and mature matter."
"Yes grandfather," the girl answered immediately and showed a large smile that didn't reach her eyes. As the servants bustled about to keep everybody's cup filled, to place new dishes on the table and to take away dirty or empty plates, the atmosphere dropped below zero. Only Dermail didn't seem to be affected by it; he kept talking about nonsensical things, avoiding delicate topics at the moment, and Heero couldn't wait until this horrendous dinner had finished.
Two hours. It had taken them two hours to finish the meal, or at least when Dermail had decided that the servants could clear the table. Everyone had declined politely, but determinedly the desserts and a warm drink that was called 'coffee', claiming to be tired. Heero had felt Dorothy's eyes on him during the dinner, even though he was seated opposite of Duo. He had wanted to feel the mage's eyes on him, but Duo had been occupied with Dermail's talk of Khushrenada and the war. To be honest, Heero was quite hungry -- but he would rather eat nothing than to participate again in such a charade as dinner had been.
He had no idea how late it was, but he wasn't feeling tired at all and wandered through the long hallway of Catalonia Castle. He wasn't exactly admiring the collected art; suits of armor, paintings, weapons that looked like they could fall apart any moment. Standing in front of a statuette of a woman with a vase, he knew he wasn't alone.
"Esshan-dar Yuy," a voice floated towards him. He didn't have trouble recognizing her; she didn't speak as melodious as Relena, and though she tried to make her words sound lightly and sweetly, there was a harsh tone to it that she couldn't hide as well as she thought. Heero wanted to turn away, but out of politeness he stayed where he was, pretending to study the statuette. It was real pretty; the white stone it was carved from was smooth and gave extra texture to the frame of the woman, clad in various robes -- not mage robes, as far as he could tell.
"Real marble," Dorothy said. "Very precious, very beautiful. Do you take an interest in arts and crafts, esshan-dar Yuy?"
"You're mistaken," Heero answered in his own brusque manner. "I'm not to be referred to as such."
"Then as what?" she asked, her lashes batting at him. She had changed -- her dress, as black as the previous one, was low-cut and showed a lot of her chest, but not enough to be offensive. A black, silk shawl was draped around her bare shoulders, the fabric thin enough to show her skin.
"I don't have any rank or power, I'm just a servant," he said. "So esshan will do." For a moment, he thought he saw disappointment flicker in her eyes. It was gone in a flash, and she showed him another smile, though a lot smaller than during the dinner.
"I should really be calling you esshan-dar," she said and tilted her head a little. From this distance, he could see her eyebrows were quite typical, they almost seemed forked. It gave her an even more dramatic look. "You don't know what you are, do you?"
"I'm a servant, a laborer who worked on a farm," Heero answered in a deadpan tone. This time, she barked a short laugh; it echoed hollowly in the hallway.
"A servant," she repeated and brought up her gloved hand, putting it on her cheek as if she had been shocked to hear his answer. "No, no, esshan-dar, you're as far from being a servant as I am from being a nice country girl."
"I don't know what you mean," Heero said cautiously.
Her smile widened, but just a little. "Follow me."
He frowned at her, but did as he was told; he followed the girl down the hallway, around the corner, until they entered another wing. She stayed a few steps ahead of him, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpets on the stone floor. It was cold in the castle, the bricks isolating all the warmth from outside, and due to the high ceilings and small open windows, draft had free reign. He shivered when a particularly cold gust of wind blew past his shoulders.
"Where are we going to?"
"We're already there," she said and halted, turning around to gaze at him. Her smile was still in place, but it was just the corners of her lips curling; her eyes held the same calculating look he had seen earlier. "Did you know that our family possesses the last piece of what's left from the era when the Five lived, the legendary warriors who founded Sanq and battled to the death to protect it?"
"I didn't," he said. "I don't know much about history, Sanq, or those warriors."
She tsk-ed at him and made a gesture with her arm, pointing at a large tapestry hanging on the wall. Its width and height were impressive; if it were to be put on the floor, Heero was sure it could cover easily the town square in Romefeller country. The colors were faded due to old age, and the scenery suggested a battle between five people on the left side and an ominously large, oncoming army on the right. A white city in the background was visible, dark clouds looming over it. The five on the left bore unmistakable resemblances to the statues Heero had seen before, in both Romefeller country and here in Auda country.
Dorothy kept a close eye on him as to gauge his reaction. The clothing and armor on the people were outdated, but recognizable. Two held mages' staffs, one a short sword, and one a bow with a quiver, and the one, in front of them all...
"That's you," she said. "The brave warrior in the front. The one dealing the first strike."
Heero took a closer look to humor her, but suddenly all the blood drained from his face. The warrior clearly held a sollevar raised above his head, exactly the same weapon as his.
"A legendary warrior with a legendary weapon," she chirped, coming to stand next to him. "He doesn't need the protection of a shield, or the force of a broadsword to fight with, only a sollevar to keep the people from as much as touching him."
"A coincidence," Heero grumbled. He couldn't believe that a smith from his hometown had given him a legendary weapon -- it was just a coincidence. Maybe Howard had seen it in a history book and had tried to model it after the original sollevar...
"Mankind has always known war," Dorothy said. Her voice had sunk a few octaves. "It's the way people deal with life -- to fight. Fight for their freedom, for their right to live, for their children...humans will always fight. War is inevitable, be it because of a warmonger like Khushrenada, or any other man or woman jumping up on the barricades to cry out for revenge, for victory. Who knows what's going on in the heart of mankind? There's only one thing to be sure of -- death and destruction is in everyone's character."
"What has all that to do with this tapestry?" Heero interrupted her. He refused to look straight at the girl; he tried to discern more of the faces of the warriors, to see if it was Duo, or maybe even Quatre...
"Relena was right, you know," she said. He turned his head to her now; this was the first time he heard her so informally address Relena. "People long for peace. The majority does. Fighting is in mankind's nature -- but so is the need and longing for peace."
"That can't be. You can't wage war and long for peace at the same time."
"Not everyone gives in to their desire to fight." Dorothy looked at the tapestry herself, her smile a little fond. "I love this scenery. These Five are legendary. They united their own countries -- Oz, Epyon, Maganac, Nataku and Romefeller -- and founded the Kingdom of Sanq. The world had been soaked in blood, there was no organization, no control, only chaos." She licked her lips as if it excited her to talk about it. "Can you imagine, these brave people defying war and chaos to make a pact, to unite their countries, to promise to each other to abstain from fighting and only strive for peace?"
"If they truly did so, I can only commend them," Heero said dryly. He really didn't share Dorothy's passion, and was searching for her ulterior motives. Duo had hinted earlier at...certain things that had to do with him as well, asking him those questions, and Heero had noticed himself that some things weren't exactly...well, normal. The fact that he barely tired; that he was far stronger than anyone else; that he needed more food than usual to sustain himself. But still...a warrior?
Her expression was hard to describe, and she turned her attention towards the tapestry again.
"The Kingdom of Sanq was established to commemorate their pact," she finally continued. "It was going to symbolize hope and sanctuary, build upon the foundations of peace, equality and justice. Anyone, from farmer to criminal to king to servant, would be welcomed in Sanq and would be equal in terms of law and justice. No one would ever have to be afraid..."
"Sounds like a far-fetched utopia to me," Heero said. He had heard Relena using that name, and Dorothy snorted.
"Utopia? Paradise? A disaster! A farmer equal to a king? Disarmament in the whole world?" She flicked a few strands of long, blond hair over her shoulder and gazed at the tapestry as if she wanted to destroy it with the sheer look in her eyes, despite looking at it so fondly earlier. "It was a dream, a fantasy that could never be upheld -- though, I have to admit, it held up longer than I thought."
"How do you know all of this?"
"I studied it," she made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "There aren't many documents left, and certainly their first treaty hasn't survived the ages. Maybe they just agreed orally, and didn't know how to write it all down."
Heero ignored the jab, not taking the bait. His jaw tightened as he also stared at the tapestry. The mage with the fire orb in his hand had a staff just like Duo's with that typical centerpiece...he couldn't remember at the moment how Quatre's staff was shaped, though.
"They got their precious peace," Dorothy said. One of the black roses on the band in her hair was sagging. "For centuries, the world was one, smooth place to live in; until mankind's primal instinct couldn't be suppressed any longer. Sanq was attacked, and the warriors went under with their dream."
"Why would people attack the symbol of hope?" Heero asked. "Isn't hope something..." he hesitated to use the word 'beautiful', "...that lasts us forever, the last thing to hold onto, no matter what the situation?"
"Very deep," Dorothy answered, and she looked at him with new-found admiration. "You're a very surprising man, esshan-dar Yuy. I don't know the answer to that, though -- who knows, maybe people were insane, or they thought that with tearing down the white walls of the Kingdom they could demonstrate that even hope can be destroyed. In any case, Sanq didn't have any defenses but the five warriors, who couldn't manage to fend off the armies."
"Two mages couldn't fend off...?"
She plucked at the sagging rose, some petals falling over her shoulder. "Is there any way to tell how it really happened? I wish I was there to witness the fight, to see the battle first-hand. I don't know a thing about the strength of the mages -- they could have been weak, they could have been killed first so as to prevent from being a threat. Powerful or not, the sheer number of people fighting against them was far too much to take on."
"So you think I...we are those warriors again?" Heero was getting fed up with the girl; he wanted her to get to the point. Legends upon legends was nothing he was interested in, and without solid proof, he wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Yes, I think you are," Dorothy replied breathlessly. "Fate, the Twelve, an unknown divine entity or whoever, has made it so that these five warriors exist again in this world -- with only one reason."
"Which is?"
She looked at him, dumbfounded. "To resurrect Sanq, of course!"
"That's enough of legends for one night," Heero snapped. "You're not even sure about all of this."
She tapped at the fighter in front of the others on the tapestry. "I'm sure that this is you," she said. "I don't know how and why, but the dorshin has brought everyone together, gathering the Five again to resurrect Sanq, the symbol of hope and peace for the people to go to, to escape from Khushrenada's reign."
"Duo," Heero said. "His name is Duo."
"Duo," she repeated, a ghost of a smile lingering on her face. "Think about it, esshan-dar Yuy," her voice was nothing but confident, "a Fire mage, a Nature mage, a Nataku warrior and an archer that can hit something from a mile away. Legendary in their own sort and you're the fifth one -- the warrior in the front, who will deal the first blow."
"Enough." Heero tore his eyes away from the tapestry. "I'm going to bed."
"It's not always brute strength," Dorothy suddenly said, taking a step into his direction as to follow him. "It's about intimidation, imagination, manipulation. The glory of war will rule all over the world!"
"There's nothing glorious about war," Heero shot back.
"True warriors fight for the war they believe in."
"I believe in peace," he immediately rebuked.
"Peace! Like Noventa, like Peacecraft? Not everyone cares equally for peace! Why else did the Kingdom go under? Fighting is the answer!"
"That's easy for you to say," Heero said, and turned away from her. "You're here, safe in a castle, high and dry, in your dress wandering through hallways and gawking at ancient tapestries from ages no one can verify. You're not out there, where you can die any moment, or see people burn to their death with nothing you can do about it!"
"Spoken like a true warrior," she said.
"You're insane," Heero replied and walked away. His head seemed to burst from all the information, and he was sure he overlooked something -- something Dorothy had said and what was probably important, but he couldn't recall it right now. He was annoyed, and it even annoyed him more that she had been toying with him -- those smug smiles, that complacent, calculating look in her eyes...whatever Dorothy Catalonia was up to, he didn't want to have any part of it.
He decided to retreat to his room; it was late after all, and though no one of the servants looked at him in passing, he thought they turned around to stare at his back whenever he went by. They probably knew where his room was; he hadn't bothered to ask before. After addressing one with a particular plethora of golden stars and stripes on his uniform, as if he was the Dermail under the servants, he learned that he needed to go into the north wing, where the guest rooms were located. He politely declined the offer to be accompanied and stomped off, wanting to be left alone.
The hallway to the north wing was long, and torches were far in between. The small, arched windows didn't allow for the moonlight to shine through, and when Heero by coincidence looked out of one, he saw someone standing in the garden. It was a very small garden, probably only used for herbs to grow; it had a statue and a water basin, nestled in between two flower beds. Despite the faint moonlight, he didn't have any difficulties recognizing the person in the garden -- though he had expected Quatre to be outside, not Duo. It took him only a minute to find a small wooden door hidden behind another tapestry to gain access to the garden.
"You can't sleep?" Duo asked.
"Neither can you?" Heero replied.
He closed the door behind him; as far as he could see, this was the only entrance to the little garden, and he knew exactly why. Heavy scents of bread, meat and other food hung in the air; the kitchen was very close. It confirmed his earlier thought that this was mostly an herb garden, and whoever did the maintenance was a very meticulous person -- every bed had precisely the same dimensions.
Heero wondered briefly why he could see Duo so well despite the modest amount of moonlight. It was like he could fill in his silhouette and see him standing in front of him as if in broad daylight. The mage held his hands in front of him, fingers laced together. It was the first time they were together, alone, since the sudden kiss next to Seditch' house.
"Duo..."
"Heero."
"No, you first."
"Ah no, you go first."
Heero brought up his hand into his hair, tousling it even more. He didn't know what to say. I liked kissing you, and now I would like some more? He had never given romantic interest much thought. Marrying Relena was out of the question simply because of the social difference between them -- that and he didn't care for her that way. Her husband was going to be personally approved by him, though; the girl would not end up with a deadbeat, good-for-nothing jerk as long as it was up to him. Heero had never asked himself if he had feelings for either boys or girls -- he just assumed that he would know if he met the right one, regardless of gender. How he ever was supposed to meet the right one when he was only staying on the farm working all day long, was another question.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he blurted out. From all the things visible, Duo's eyes weren't, regrettably.
A short laughter was all he got in return.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You didn't hurt me. I was just...thinking you were going to say something entirely different."
"Like what?"
"Like what your heart wants to say," Duo said. He moved forward. The hem of his robes floated behind him, just above the ground. He suddenly stretched out his hand. Heero looked at him quizzically, but returned the gesture. Their hands entwined, Duo turned his palm upwards.
"So warm," he said. "So full of life...so much life."
"What do you mean?"
Duo smiled, baring his teeth. "You're very strong, but you know that already."
"Does that have something to do with what you asked me in the city?"
"Yes, it does."
"I never wondered why..."
"Shh."
"Huh?"
"Not now."
"I don't get..."
He was cut off. Duo was kissing him. This time it felt much gentler and better than their first, fierce kiss. Duo brushed his lips, which felt disappointing to Heero. His touch was like fire -- already burning, and he wanted to warm himself, dive into the flames...he didn't mind if he got burned -- he could only think of the warmth. His hand rose, touching Duo's neck and with every intention to bring his head closer. Duo leaned into him, turning his head away at the last moment, and his lips brushed his cheeks.
"We know the entrance to the dungeons," he whispered, breathing against Heero's ear. "Be at the east gate in two hours."
"Tonight?" He kept his voice low. They couldn't be overheard in this small garden, but there were some servants still up and around. Duo nodded, nuzzling Heero's neck. A hand crept along his sides, and Heero's hand slipped into Duo's hair, the thick, chestnut strands framing his face, before being captured in the massive braid.
"Are you one of the warriors?"
Duo seemed to stiffen. Heero tightened his grip, but created a little room by tilting his head and looking straight at Duo.
"I'm not sure about myself," he answered. "But I think you are."
"Why?"
A small smile. "We don't have much time left."
With a swift movement, Duo freed himself from Heero's embrace and turned around to leave. It wouldn't be of any use to holler after him, and he watched him move away.
"Be there in time," was all the mage said. "We have a girl to save."
Rather cranky, Heero made sure that he was on time, if only to ask Duo what game he was playing. He couldn't talk to him though, as the mage was standing next to the others and Heero didn't feel like involving them in the matter. He could still feel Duo's touch burning, the soft nuzzling, it felt like his neck was tingling with...something he didn't want to name.
He shot the mage a rather murderous look nonetheless, but Duo returned an awfully neutral look, leaving Relena to look dumbfounded from one to the other. Heero hadn't expected Relena to be here anyway, and certainly not with Vayeate and Mercurius by her side. The hoofs of the horses were wrapped in thick cloth to muffle their sounds; their backs were saddled, some packs and other luggage tied behind the large saddles. The east gate was for servants only; no one was guarding this.
"The dungeons are just a little east from here," Duo spoke, voice low. "We could reach them from inside the castle, but there are too many servants around, and Trowa found the lower floors to be guarded quite heavily. Hilde has made us a sketch; there's a sewer entrance we can use, which has a connection to the dungeons."
Wufei had thrown a cloak around his conspicuous armor, and when he shifted a little, he revealed a long sword hanging from his hip. It was the first time Heero saw him actually carrying a weapon -- much longer than the warrior on the tapestry...he shook his head forcefully, which earned him a deep frown from Wufei. He needed to put that legend talk out of his head -- his whole conversation with Dorothy Catalonia didn't make any sense.
"Let's go," Duo said and opened the gate, hinges perfectly oiled. How many servants would pass through here each and every day? The two mages went first, followed by Wufei and Trowa, then Heero and Relena. He wanted to ask her what she was doing here with them, but it seemed better of course not to talk right now; she led the two horses who, for once, followed without any problem.
It took them only ten minutes to arrive at an iron gate overgrown with wild plants; Heero would have overlooked it if Duo didn't stand still, consulting a small paper that he put away in his sleeve when the others were looking.
Quatre cocked his head. "Is this really the only entrance, Duo? It's such a shame to remove the plants. These are quite rare, you know."
"Can't you harvest them and use them for one of your potions?"
He shook his head, regrettably. "No, they don't have any healing or restoring powers. It's just...a shame to remove them."
"If you please, Quatre," Duo said, a little impatience reflecting in his voice.
The other mage nodded and a faint, light blue glow enveloped his hands and with a small gesture, the plants just...dissolved. A few leaves fell down, but the iron gate was freed and Duo reached for the bars, yanking at them.
"Ah! I can't move them!"
"Let me try it," Heero demanded. The others let him pass, and he had no trouble at all bending the bars. Relena gasped loudly, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth, but no one else seemed to be much surprised by his strength. Heero wormed himself through the gate, his sollevar firmly in hand. Wufei followed him, and then Trowa, Quatre and Duo closed the line. When Relena moved to come with them, both mages halted and turned towards her.
"Princess, you wait outside," Duo said, friendly and his voice resonating as usual, but his tone clearly told her not to argue about it.
"I want to help," Relena insisted.
"We don't know what's inside that dungeon," Heero said. "You stay outside with Vayeate and Mercurius."
"There's nothing I can do here," she whispered angrily. "I won't allow you to face all that danger by yourself!"
"Relena," Heero shook his head. "You can't just..."
"Your friend is going to need all the help she can get once we free her," Quatre said, voice neutral and calm. "Without a doubt, Khushrenada will have had her exposed to his...activities, and she'll need to cope with what happened."
"You're the only one who can help her," Duo agreed.
Relena was still hesitating, and she even took another step forward as if she wanted to follow them after all. It took a few precious minutes before she nodded and backed out, her hands gripping the reins of both horses.
"Just a moment," Duo said. "Quatre?"
"But of course," he answered and stepped forward. Holding up his hands which turned an icy blue and white, he muttered a spell and the air seemed to freeze, especially around Relena. Wind surrounded her, cocooning her until some kind of transparent shell formed around her.
"What are you doing?" she asked curiously, her eyes shifting a little nervously.
"We nature mages call this an 'embrace'," Quatre said, and he smiled when he was done. "Look at it as some kind of...force field, a protective screen. No one will be able to harm you with any weapon until the effect wears off."
"Really?" she asked and poked at it, finger stabbing into the shell. Immediately, Quatre winced.
"Please Princess, don't touch it unless you really need to," he said. "I can feel anything touching the embrace, so if anyone tries to attack you, I'll know immediately."
She nodded. "All right, I'll wait outside, but you better be careful."
"The embrace isn't making you invisible," Duo commented, "or invincible. You have to be careful yourself -- if you see anyone approaching or walking guard or whatever, take the horses with you and hide. We will always find you."
Relena nodded again, lips pursed in a determined grimace. After one look at Heero she finally turned around, stepping a little to the side. The embrace was faintly visible around her. As soon as she had left, Quatre turned towards the group and started muttering again.
"What is he doing?" Heero asked.
"He's giving us an embrace as well," Trowa explained. Heero had all but forgotten about the archer; it was almost startling hearing him speak. "It's a protective shell, just like Relena's. It also temporarily boosts our abilities -- very handy, but it drains a lot out of Quatre."
It wasn't as thick or complex as Relena's embrace and Heero didn't feel any different, but he assumed it would suffice. He barely refrained from poking at the strange force field around him. Wufei looked impatient, whereas Trowa calmly took his bow and a few arrows, just in case.
"Bad light here," Duo said out loud and with a small gesture of his hand an orb of energy appeared, its light surrounding the group. "Now we can at least see where we're going."
Wufei snorted but took the lead, venturing further into the dungeon without allowing Heero to go in front. There wasn't much to see in the dungeon but rubble, broken tiles, shards of broken pottery, and lots of cobwebs. Sometimes they had to climb a few steps down, and the torches mounted on the wall lit the very moment Duo passed them. Wufei, Trowa and Heero opened some chests and large boxes scattered everywhere, but they held nothing but burlap sacks, some rusty swords and axes or insects. They also opened some doors, searching for Sylvia Noventa, but she wasn't in any of the rooms -- cells, with rusted shackles and dried blood on them. The stench was horrible.
Heero was getting frustrated. It seemed they were walking down here for hours now, and no sign of the girl whatsoever. No sign of someone ever having been down here in a long time anyway.
A large wooden door gave access to a large, square room. The door had oiled hinges, and some of the metal bands holding the wood together sported brand new nails. Quatre took a few steps down and frowned, concentration visible on his face. Duo followed him to the center of the room -- the floor was neatly swept here, not a single shard of pottery or dust soiling the neat environment. Even the walls were smoothly plastered.
"There's no one down here," Duo said, and was startled by the echo of his own voice. "I guess Hilde was wrong," he continued, lowering his voice.
"Something stinks here, that's for sure." Trowa wore an unhappy expression. His arrow went to his bow, tightening the string. "Something very close."
"Where?" Heero didn't smell a thing. The group moved into a lineup that almost felt natural; the mages in the back, behind Wufei and Heero, and Trowa with his bow behind the mages. His bow was long-range; he tightened the string some more while Wufei drew his sword. Heero held such a strong grip on his sollevar that his knuckles turned white.
"North," Trowa spoke, voice grim. He had barely finished his sentence when the door they were facing opened. The silence was breached by the loud noises of a pulley mechanism, hoisting up the door extremely slowly. Heero's eyes went wide. Some of the...whatever creatures they were behind the door were already trying to get through, and large, hairy paws with extremely sharp claws were visible -- and now the snarling and vicious growling of the beasts were audible as well. By the Twelve!
Wufei moved his hand, lifting up the sword as if saluting the oncoming enemy. Heero shivered and started to sweat at the same time -- Quatre on his left had summoned some kind of cold spell, lowering the temperature on his side, and Duo on his right had summoned a fire spell, raising the temperature on his other side. This was pretty awkward, and he gritted his teeth in concentration. I want to protect Duo. And the others of course, but Duo came first. A train of thought he didn't have time to explore right now. The sollevar pointed towards the door. He would be the first to kill any of those beasts.
"Spitting wrouven," Trowa suddenly said. "Watch out for their spit! It's poisonous!" One of the first animals to slip past the door immediately spat as if to demonstrate, and a large puddle of...goo ended up on the floor close to Heero's right foot. A revolting stench rose from the spit, and he made a sound of disgust.
"Silence!" Duo yelled. "Here they come!"
The door all but burst open, and a wave of spitting wrouven poured in, gnarling, howling, teeth bared in an all-destroying urge to kill. Heero had never seen such ugly animals before. No, these weren't animals, these were beasts -- brainless beasts bred to destroy, with their beaks filled with poorly fitting razor sharp teeth, and an overwhelming stench of filth accompanied them.
He was thankful for Quatre's magical embrace; he was sure that some of the spit would have hit him and burned away his flesh if it hadn't been for the embrace surrounding him. Trowa hit wrouven after wrouven with his arrows, the beasts going down with a high-pitched yelp. Fire scorched them immediately to the bone, adding the disgusting stench of burning flesh to the heavy smell. Huge chunks of ice impaled them, ripping their intestines apart.
Wufei's sword and Heero's sollevar swung and hit, striking beast after beast, the high-pitched yelping and guttural growling deafening. There were so many of them! Heero stabbed with the sollevar, skewering a wrouven lunging for him. From the corner of his eye he noticed Wufei's armor covered with bad spots -- Quatre's embrace was strong, but not infallible and the magic was wearing off. Heero had managed to stay away from any spit, though he was stepping in the puddles as he moved -- it was eating away his boots, but he couldn't afford to stand still or to carefully avoid anything on the floor. His weapon was as pristine as ever, as was Duo -- the fire mage whirled around the room without the littlest drop of spit on him, covered to his elbows with liquid, living, dancing fire, the heat too intense for anyone to bear. He was a dancing flame himself, burning everyone who touched him, scorching anyone who came close to him, frying anyone who turned towards him.
He thought that they were finally holding the upper hand when suddenly Quatre collapsed, crying out weakly as he fell to his knees, the magical embrace dissolving.
"The embrace!" He wheezed. "Relena...she's in danger!"
Another wrouven lunged for Heero, but was dead before he could move, the sollevar splitting the animal right open. Heero growled, hearing Quatre's voice over the noise -- Relena was in danger, and he wasn't there to protect her! Turning around, he reached for Quatre to help him get up, but Wufei bat his hand away as Quatre got up himself, a little trembling.
"You stay here," Wufei said. "I will take care of it!"
"No," Heero said angrily, "Relena is my responsibility!"
"You have to stay here," Wufei said, and his dark eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to fight Heero over it.
"Let him go!" Duo yelled just before unlashing another wave of large fireballs, fending off more of the despicable beasts. Heero wanted to disagree, and opened his mouth already to yell back, but Wufei had taken Duo's words as his excuse to leave and was already halfway across the room, towards the door. Gritting his teeth, Heero swung his sollevar again and chose to stand next to Quatre, who had barely collected himself. Arrow after arrow flew through the air, waves of fire thickening the atmosphere; Heero's lungs struggled for fresh air, to breathe without feeling smothered...
"Hold on!" he managed to cry out. "These are the last of them!" A howling noise close to his ear startled him, and a wrouven missed his ear by just a millimeter, teeth flashing wildly. An arrow protruded from its mouth, gurgling with blood.
"Thank the Twelve," Quatre muttered. He pulled his robes around him a little, face pale and obviously tired. His blond hair was plastered flatly in his face, another testament to the strength that had been sapped. His eyes searched out Duo, who was standing as straight as a ruler, eyes darting through the room.
"Was that really the last of them?" He sounded gruff.
The only sound was Trowa stepping forward. "I'm not sure," he said, voice nothing but a whisper. "It still smells."
The floor of the room was covered with carcasses, the revolting spit lying everywhere, blood and guts exposed to the air. Heero wanted to throw up if it weren't for his throat feeling as if he was being choked. He would gladly call upon any deity if he just could get out of here. His fingers tightened around the sollevar again, as if he could derive strength from the weapon... and he knew he needed the very last ounce of his strength when the door on the west side opened, revealing a fresh pack of spitting wrouven, hissing and growling and snarling with the same zeal as their predecessors.
A curse escaped Duo so loudly that it took Heero by surprise; the Fire mage stared at the oncoming wave, curling the fingers of his hands. Quatre looked pale, about to keel over any moment. Trowa was standing next to him. Without Wufei, they were short one powerful warrior, but if Relena truly had been in danger, they couldn't have abandoned her, not now, not ever... Heero shot Duo a look, as the others had obviously listened to his orders before.
"Too many!" he pointed out unnecessarily.
Duo didn't answer. His hands, covered in liquid fire again, slowly grabbed his staff, curling around the long shaft and tilting it a little. Heero didn't understand -- what was he doing? The wrouven were just a little distance away -- they had to fight!
"What..."
It was Trowa who suddenly pushed Heero to the ground, elbowing him in the back.
"Take cover for the dortang!"
He couldn't even protest -- the archer was far stronger than Heero had expected, and he fell to the floor, his knees landing in a puddle of animal blood. Turning his head around, he was just in time to see Duo raise his staff, hands glowing, the orb of the staff glowing, and an ominous dark red light flashed, just once. The next moment, a thundering sound echoed through the room, ripping the wrouven to pieces. The scorching heat of the explosion blackened the walls, blowing the doors out of their hinges and destroyed stone, wood and metal. Chunks of flesh rained down on them, blood spattering, sickening, and this time Heero threw up. There was no one paying attention to him anyway -- Duo stood in the middle of the room, leaning on his staff and taking deep breaths, while Trowa was shielding Quatre, both on the ground, hair and clothes covered with blood and bones.
The sound of the blast was still ringing in his ears as he got up, mimicking Duo and leaning on his weapon as well. The small, light shaft of the sollevar didn't bend one bit despite his weight, but Heero was too preoccupied to notice it. He looked around the battlefield at the carnage. These were animals, monstrous beasts, not humans, but the sight of all the blood and guts wasn't any less horrifying. It was sickening, and if he hadn't thrown up already, he felt like he was going to do it again. One dead wrouven, killed by one of Trowa's arrows, rested close to his feet, lips curled up in a death defying snarl. He bent his knees, trying to get a closer look...
"Don't touch them," Duo said brusquely, followed by a cough. Trowa knelt down next to another animal that had miraculously survived the dortang intact, but dead. Heero figured that Trowa, being an archer and a hunter, was probably interested in its fur -- but he studied the animal silently, eyes gazing upon the carcass.
Heero straightening himself, careful not to touch anything, but his boots were soaked with blood and spit. It felt like he was wading around barefoot through a very thick kind of jelly, and he didn't want to think about what caused that feeling. He shivered. Duo didn't look as pristine as before; a dark look had settled into his eyes and his face looked a little pale, just like Quatre's. Magic, and especially such an outburst as the dortang, took a great toll on one's body, and they still hadn't found Sylvia Noventa. They needed to hurry up, before both mages were too exhausted.
"What about Relena?" he asked.
"She's fine," Quatre breathed, brushing away a few strands out of his face. His eyes were half-lidded and he was swaying on his feet no matter how hard he tried to stay upright. He probably needed days to regain his strength from summoning two embraces and wielding his own magic. Duo's cheeks were pinkish, and his braid hang half loose; he did, however, keep a close eye on Quatre.
"The embrace is still working, if that's what you mean. Whatever danger there was, Wufei certainly must have disposed of it. If something happened to Relena and the embrace was ruptured, I would have known."
"What if she's unconscious, or forced to stay in one place, not touching the embrace?"
"Calm down Heero, I would have known," Quatre repeated. "She's not unconscious."
"We go on," Duo said before Heero could press Quatre for more answers. The Ice mage flashed Heero an apologetic smile, but Trowa frowned outright at him when he fell in line with Quatre, staying close to his side.
Heero muttered something inaudible under his breath. He didn't like it at all that Wufei had saved Relena. He didn't want it to bother him, but it was already nagging at the back of his mind. It felt like he had broken his promise to Darlian, and with a sour look on his face, he went to the head of the group. The warrior in the front.
Even though he looked tired, Duo still kept a firm pace, his feet crushing slivers of stone beneath them. Heero could easily keep up with him and studied the mage's profile.
"You never told me you could do that Detonation thing as well," he said. Duo snorted.
"I told you that every mage has a dortang, a trademark, his or her magical signature, but that doesn't mean they have any exclusivity to them."
"Oh," was all that he could answer. Silence fell and it was pretty clear that Duo wasn't in the mood for talking so Heero took the lead, walking in front of the rest, his eyes sweeping the area. To his surprise, Quatre caught up with him.
"Duo taught Merquise the technique," Quatre explained. "He feels guilty about it enough already, though it's a fairly common technique. Every Fire mage knows how to perform a Detonation, but not every mage is strong enough to do it. Duo and Zechs are the only ones who are consistently...destructive with their Detonation."
"I didn't know that," Heero said, appalled.
"With people's general fear of magic," Quatre heaved a loud sigh, "we keep too much information to ourselves. I would love to teach people about magic, that it can be beautiful and wonderful, and such an amazing addition to life in general. I would love to take away that fear, but the more people know about magic, the more they fea--"
"Silence," Duo said again.
On closer inspection, the door to the west led to a confined room with nothing but hay on the floor, drenched with feces and something that passed for food -- bones and skulls, and chunks of flesh that looked disturbingly human. Heero was glad Relena had waited outside after all.
For a moment he feared Sylvia had maybe been served as dinner, and from the look on Duo's face, the Fire mage thought the same. It was hard to draw any conclusion from these few bones alone, so they decided to continue. Behind the door to the north, another long hallway stretched out in front of them. As they walked down the hallway, Heero was itching to ask where the animals had come from, besides from the room to the west, and who exactly had put them there. Judging from the solemn looks on everyone's faces, no one was in the mood to talk, and he refrained from asking out loud. It didn't take long to stumble upon another room, smaller than the previous one, and Heero walked briskly in front to check for any danger.
"Wait! If you pass that magic barrier, no one knows what's going to happen!"
"Magic barrier?" Heero froze on the spot. He couldn't see any barrier.
Quatre lifted up his hands, his staff tingling, and the temperature was lowered considerably. A faint, purplish barrier suddenly showed up, the ice crystals revealing the invisible magic force to the naked eye. He whistled as soon as he finished showing Heero.
"That's not good."
"What?"
Duo scowled. "Death magic. Methinks someone in the Castle has been dabbling too much in forbidden books and knowledge."
Heero felt a chill running down his spine, and it wasn't because of Quatre's magic. He took in a deep gust of breath, almost shakily. Death magic was forbidden, and access to the little knowledge in existence was severely restricted. There were no active Death mages in this world -- at least, he very much hoped so -- and anyone caught in the act practicing this particular stream of magic would be incarcerated, if not executed.
"Dorothy?" he asked.
Duo shrugged. "If we want to find Sylvia, I'm sure she must be behind the barrier," he said. "Anyone who takes this much trouble to protect a run-down dungeon has something, or better said, someone to hide. If the potential rescuer hasn't been turned to wrouven dinner, he would certainly die from this little thing here. Whoever constructed this...he or she must have at least basic knowledge of Death magic."
"Can you dissolve it?" Quatre asked.
Duo snorted. "It's not that difficult."
"Duo..."
"Yes, I know."
Heero looked at Duo who simply stuck his hands into the barrier, and wondered why a Fire mage could deal with Death magic as well and certainly wasn't afraid of it. He watched Duo work, as if he was knitting -- or rather, pulling some threads out and back in again, short but slender fingers, and before he knew it, pain exploded in his head, knocking him unconscious and he fell to the ground.
Chapter 5 | Chapter 7