Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Battle of the Heart (formerly untitled) ❯ We all Fall Down ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: Sorry it took awhile. Classes are almost over, so updates should come more often…*crosses fingers* Hopefully…

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I am not making any money off of this measly fic.

"We All Fall Down"

Sally sat on the windowsill in her room, eyes vacantly looking out into the horizon. The knights had marched out hours ago, and it was only a matter of time before Treize's army made a move against the manor. Buildings obstructed her vision, but she could get a basic lookout on those entering the court square outside the manor. The fading daylight cast a gloom about the room, adding sparkle to her glossy eyes. So much was happening at once...and it was so hard to keep track.

Hilde had been in a frenzy all day, one minute crying over Duo, the next minute bustling around in preparation for the battle that would take place much closer...and nothing the tawny-haired lady did would calm her frantic friend. So the two women separated themselves: Sally sat in contemplative silence, thinking about everything and nothing all at once. Hilde had run off on some odd job or another, doing her very best to keep busy. She really couldn't blame the maid, who had possessed a strange, yet close relationship with Duo.

The setting sun, normally a healthy, relaxing gold now seemed to be a pool of crimson blood bathing both the sky and the earth. In the distance, Sally could just make out great bursts of light, almost as if the setting sun was reflecting off of metal...

Sally jumped off the windowsill and onto the floor of her room as if she'd been burnt. Metal!? Treize's army must be approaching. Growing anxious, the young woman ran out of her room, intent on finding her friend. The halls were empty as many servants had left, and some had gone into hiding. There was so much to do...Treize was coming...her father...

"Hilde?!" Sally called out loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth to magnify the sound. "Hilde?! Hilde, where are you?!" No reply was forthcoming, so she continued running the corridors, shouting for her friend.

Running towards the courtyard doors of the manor, Sally poked her head out the window. She could now distinctly make out people walking towards the manor. The banner in front was a deep navy; the banner of the Po manor was a scarlet, so that could only mean one thing...

"Treize is coming..." Her father was dead. Tears sprung to Sally's eyes, sliding down her cheeks and into her mouth. The saltiness was bitter to her, and she turned away from the window, walking into a side room of the corridor. Inside a beautiful blade rested against a velvet cushion. The young woman opened the case and took the sword out, holding it shakily in one hand.

Her father was dead, the knights were dead...they had all fought bravely defending the manor-this manor. And that's how she would die: fighting. She would wait in her room with the blade, and she would fight-keep fighting-until they killed her. She walked down the hall to her room, where she had left the door open.

She was unprepared for the arm that wrapped around her neck and covered her mouth, nor was she prepared for the arm that pinned her arms to her waist, rendering her immobile. The sword dropped to the ground uselessly, making a thud against the cushiony rug.

"Don't scream. You have to get out of here, Sally," said an oddly familiar voice in a hiss, hot air brushing against the back of her neck and sending chills all down her spine. She pulled against the arms and they released her. She whirled around...

"Oh my God..."

Wufei...

Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around him in a quick hug, releasing him almost immediately. It was so relieving that someone-on her side!-was alive. She wouldn't have to fight alone anymore...she wouldn't...

"I thought everyone had died..." she whispered, in awe of the former squire in front of her. He ignored her comments, his expression hard and anxious.

"You have to get out of here now, Sally!" he reiterated, shaking her shoulders slightly to wake her out of her shock. He added, "I'm going with you. Hilde, too...she's in the stables all ready. We have to go to Lord Antwan." Sally shook her head, coming to her senses.

"We cannot," she told him. "Lord Antwan is King Peacecraft's guest for the time being." She had heard from her father of Lord Antwan and Lucrezia's visit to King Peacecraft. At the time, she had been glad for the safety of her friend.

"Minor difficulty," Wufei said quickly, leading the woman over to her bedroom window. "We'll take you to the king's castle, then! We just cannot remain here." She nodded, swinging a leg over the window and beginning to climb down the ivy vines. Once both her and Wufei had reached the ground, she turned to him in question once more.

"What about-"

"Hilde already has knapsacks with a few belongings," he answered before she could even ask, earning a peculiar look from Sally. Uselessly, the young woman followed behind him, darting glances every once in awhile towards the oncoming soldiers. If they were seen...

A thought suddenly struck her, like a punch square in her gut. It winded her. She was running away...running away like-like a scared puppy. She was fleeing from Treize, rather than face him squarely and bravely. The sudden onslaught of guilt caused her to stop mid-stride, and Wufei turned to her, looking slightly annoyed.

"I'm running away..." she whispered, ashamed.

"There are times to be strong and there are times to be smart," Wufei whispered harshly, yanking on her arm to keep her moving. "I learned that the hard way, so just trust me for once!" The stables were just ahead, and Hilde was there, too, leading the reins of two horses. The woman's cornflower blue eyes were slightly bloodshot, but she handed the reins of a dappled gray horse to Sally without hesitation. The German woman mounted a chestnut horse herself.

Sally slipped her foot into the stirrup, pulling herself up onto the mare's back. Wufei chose that moment to emerge on a tall roan, kicking the horse lightly in his sides to move him into a trot. Sally followed after quickly, turning to see Hilde right behind her. The pace picked up as they left the manor's cobblestone ground in favour of the countryside's grassy hills. Ahead of her, Sally could see Wufei's back, as well as his horse's tail whipping out with the wind, like a banner. The adrenaline pumping through her from the quick ride was almost enough to make her forget about her father's death...

But the strange thing was that Sally wasn't totally sorrowful...there was relief, too...

Wufei was alive...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A tall figure sat mounted on a shadowy black horse, his form concealed in a long black cape. The hood was pulled up over his face, hiding any features that might have been visible. He gazed at the small town up ahead, the golden light from the houses' windows creating a warm feeling. The warmth didn't spread through to the man, though. It was almost as though he was set apart from it all…

In all actuality, he was lucky to be alive at all. But he didn't care. All of his friends had died…and the woman he loved was going to die, too. What was left for him…what mattered to him…what should he do…?

He felt like he had lost everything... all that mattered was...

A thought struck him.

Nothing mattered...

Digging his heels into the horse's sides he rode off at a canter, hoping to find the town's inn and tavern.