Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Cynehelme ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

Cynehelme

by kmf

Rating: PG13

Warning: AU

Standard Disclaimer applies!

Chapter Fourteen

Heero saw nothing of Relena the next morning; her cough had worsened during the night and she had been isolated in the women's room, attended by Catherine. Heero had felt relieved on two counts; firstly he did not think he could look at the girl without seeing her once again relaxed in the bath house and secondly Trowa had not yet returned and he did not have to face his sister's questioning eyes.

The rest of the warband had arrived midmorning the next day, tired and cold. They had been welcomed eagerly by the residents of the stronghold; all of the warband were known and welcome. Duo, unusually quiet, had reported that they had found no sign of Dorothy around the village and had left it quiet and peaceful. They had travelled as soon as all the warriors were ready, but had unfortunately left it too late to arrive the same day as Heero.

From that Heero ascertained that most of the men had suffered hangovers of a similar magnitude to Duo. He accepted this; the men all needed time to relax especially when they had been travelling as hard as they had been of late. However, this was a potential war situation and such lapses would need to occur less often. Faint protests were made when Heero ordered that the ale be watered that night, but it was accepted as a sign that no more lapses would be tolerated.

Hilde had looked blissfully happy, hovering near her man as he reported to his Prince. For this Heero was glad; she was as dear as a sister to him and he would not tolerate Duo carelessly hurting her.

"Where is Relena?" Duo asked casually as they walked through the hall towards Heero's private room. As lord of the stronghold Heero was the only person not to sleep communally. He had a large room, one half sectioned off with a large cloth hanging behind which was his bed. The other half of the room was reserved for private consultations and discussions with his advisors.

"Yes, how is Relena?" Hilde chirped up, making her presence known.

Heero watched from the corner of his eye as Duo faltered a little as he walked obviously unaware that his betrothed had been but a step away from him when he asked the question.

Hilde nodded to Heero as he turned to regard her, her eyes bright in the dim interior of the hall. For some reason Heero suddenly thought that perhaps Hilde had an inkling as to what had occurred but wanted Duo to tell her himself. Heero smirked a little as he wondered just how much she knew and how much trouble Duo was in.

Gesturing that they both should follow, Heero led them from the hall walking down the corridor towards the women's quarters. "She is in there suffering from a fever and cough," Heero nodded towards the door as they came level with it. "Quatre is attending her."

Hilde grinned and ran towards the door. Looking towards Duo she tilted her head to one side and said sweetly "Perhaps I ought to help look after the Princess," her eyes narrowed, "After all, she is very precious and delicate!"

This time Heero blinked at the tone of her voice. There was an element of vindictiveness in it. Duo's eyes did not meet hers, but rather were cast down at his sandals. He was frowning as if he felt fault with his shoes. Then, he looked up at his betrothed, his eyes pleading.

"She will have plenty of women attending her!" Duo looked like he was in a panic "Don't go in there."

Hilde rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could Heero held up a hand silencing Duo and gaining Hilde's attention.

"Do not go in there if you mean to create mischief," he said. "I will not tolerate that."

Hilde bowed her head a little and when she lifted her eyes again she looked shamed. In a voice more serious than she had used since he had been reunited with her she said "I will go and help. Heero, I will do her no harm."

Heero nodded and with a quick grin Hilde was gone behind the door.

Duo groaned as she disappeared from sight and shook his head. "Now why did you have to encourage her, Heero?" he demanded as they continued along the corridor.

"Perhaps she needs to see what you cannot tell her," Heero replied pushing open the door that led to his own room. "It seems only reasonable that your betrothed should learn the whole truth from the lips of her lover."

Duo muttered under his breath as he entered striding over to the fireplace where he held his hands out to warm them. "There is no truth between Relena and me as well you know," he said, turning to warm his posterior. "I told Hilde that I enjoyed Relena's company and she blew it completely out of proportion," he glared at Heero "Like someone else I know."

It was Heero's turn to glare "I believe it was a little more than 'enjoying Relena's company' if you are honest with yourself. It is your guilt that Hilde is picking up on," he too had approached the fire and was warming himself in front of the flames "Remember what I said about hurting Hilde," he warned.

Duo linked his hands behind his head and adopted a posture of carefree boredom "As if I could ever forget," he said. He watched Heero move away from the fire to the long table that graced the room. Upon it was a map at which Heero was now peering. Duo straightened and moved over to his foster brother and looked down at the map. It showed the borders of Mercia with major towns and fortresses marked. "Do you think Treize will mount an attack?"

Heero rubbed the bridge of his nose fighting off another headache that threatened to overwhelm him. He nodded in response to Duo's question "If I were in his position, I would," he said "He will be preparing for it now. It will take at least seven days to get his troops from Lindsey, but once they are in place he will mount a siege."

Duo pushed his braid back over his shoulder as he squinted at the map. "That is if he thinks she is here," he stated.

"Trowa has not yet returned. He should have taken no longer than you," Heero leaned back crossing his arms. "Once Treize learns that it is me who has possession of the girl, he will attack here. And I would rather he have a target to attack rather than randomly pillaging villages."

Duo nodded his agreement. "Is the King on his way?" he asked, noting Heero's deepening scowl.

"I have sent a messenger appraising him of the situation," he said turning away to stare at the fire, "No doubt he will soon be on his way to assess his bride."

* * * *

Dorothy crouched behind a tree, her cloak held firmly around her; the browns blending in with the bark that she leaned upon. She no longer played the part of a nun, rather she now was pretending to be a boy. A simple tunic, breeches and sandals had been stolen from a hovel and her long nun's habit discarded. To the casual observer she looked the part, her hair cut short, a sword hanging from her side. Only if she was looked at closely would breasts become apparent; she had no lengths of material to bind them.

She had, after the distressing loss of Relena, made her way back to the village. Activity was high there, warriors readying horses and patrols combing the woods. Dorothy had spent an enjoyable morning evading the scouts although she had not found it too difficult. In her mind she had rehearsed her scathing remarks to Heero about the ineptitude of his men when she finally had possession of Relena and he had been defeated.

That thought alone had kept her warm as she had endured the hardships of the winter weather. That and anger at finding that Relena had already been taken on ahead by a now wary Heero Yuy.

Her only course of action was to follow the warband and as they went on horseback she could not possibly achieve that on foot. Too that end, she had once again turned to stealing what she needed. A horse from the village, its owner too hung over to more than give a token protest before a blow from her sword had knocked him out. Some bread was added to the list of acquired items, together with a flask of wine. Once that had been appropriated she followed the men at a suitable distance.

The snow had made it easy for her to track them although she had no skills as such. When dusk had fallen and she no longer had light to follow the tracks, she settled down for the night huddled in the horse blanket not caring if her mount suffered from the chills of the night. She could not light a fire for fear of it being spotted and drawing the enemy to her, and so she spent an uncomfortable night shivering from cold, chewing on stale bread and taking long sips of rough red wine.

When morning dawned she was on her way again eager to move her limbs and try and rid them of the cold. Again, she saw nothing of the men, nor heard them, but rather followed their tracks hoping that they would lead her to Heero Yuy and her prize. It was only when the sun was dipping down below the tree line that she finally located their destination.

A fortified dwelling, well guarded and secure. She could see that the horse tracks entered in through the manned gate, and more than that she could not see. From the noise carried out across the cold evening air there was much rejoicing and Dorothy could imagine the warm scenes within the shut hall. She had grimaced and added her hungriness as yet another reason to hate Heero Yuy, before she had slipped away to find anything edible to keep the cold at bay.

And now, a day later and with a full stomach from the bread and cheese she had taken by force from a young traveller, she had returned to her viewpoint to watch the comings and goings from the fortified hill. She had spotted Duo earlier when he had emerged to check that all was well with his horse and had sneered as she saw that he was being followed by the girl who had declared herself as his betrothed.

Of Heero and Relena, she saw nothing. But judging by the level of activity around the hall she was certain they were within. People from dwellings outside the hall were drifting in, herding livestock and carrying sacks as if they were preparing for a siege. Makeshift dwellings were being erected to house the additional animals and people, whilst guards ushered them this way and that.

Dorothy grinned. It was organised chaos. A situation that she could easily take advantage of. Bending down, she scraped snow aside and lifted some mud and clay to her face. Grimacing she proceeded to smear it over her features to disguise her a little. More into her hair dulled her bright golden head to a dull dirty mess. She stood and discarded the sword. A boy would not carry such a thing and she would be questioned if she was caught with it. It was a poor tool anyway and easily replaceable where she was going.

Satisfied that she was wearing the best disguise that she could given the circumstances, she made her way down towards the fort, blending in with some of the refugees and crept into the fort, a smile upon her face.

* * * * * *

Relena had spent an uncomfortable night, despite the relaxing bath she had enjoyed. She had been woken by Catherine who had held up a length of linen cloth for her to wrap herself up in and dry the water from her skin and hair. She had been disorientated at first, aware that she had been dreaming, but unable to completely rid herself of its threads in the steamy atmosphere of the bath.

She had blushed as the sleep was driven from her eyes by Catherine's lilting laugh and had wondered whether she had spoken in her sleep. Relena had been too afraid to ask as she had dreamed that as she lay floating in the warm pool, Heero had come to her side and smoothed yet more oils into her already glowing skin. She specifically remembered that Heero had been naked, his chest smooth and well defined, although lower than that had been obscured by the water. Not that she knew what was hidden beneath a man's breeches; she had been protected from that sight when she had aided in the infirmary in the abbey.

Catherine had gently teased her for her sleepiness as she had thoroughly dried her hair, wishing to protect her as much as possible from the cold that she would have to cross through to return to the hall. Relena had listened quietly to the woman's chatter enjoying the feel of a comb soothing away the knots in her hair and had let her eyes close. She had replayed her dream in her mind trying to etch it into her memory for she knew that dreams were elusive and if she didn't do so she would lose it forever.

Once Catherine had declared that her hair was as dry as it would get in the damp air of the bath, she had dressed the now dry Relena in a simple white shift ready for sleeping and wrapped a warm clean cloak around her shoulders. New soft leather slippers were produced to encase her feet and Relena had luxuriated in the feel whilst mentally noting that she ought to pray forgiveness for coveting such items of material wealth.

Unfortunately, as soon as she exited the bath house the cold air on her lungs made her cough return with vengeance. By the time they had made it to the shared room Relena was bent over feeling sweaty from the effort that each cough cost her. Lying in bed had not eased the symptoms, but rather had aggravated them. When she lay flat on her pallet it pained her to even breathe; only when several pillows were placed under her to prop her up did she get any sleep.

By morning she felt wretched and could do no more than sip a little of the mead that they brought her to break her fast. The bread, though light and fluffy, did not tempt her appetite, and Catherine had watched her closely her mouth smiling but worry in her eyes.

Relena tried not to be a burden to the woman; her brother still had not returned and she had enough to worry about without looking after an invalid who only had herself to blame for her cough. She tried to look as cheerful as possible and made a great pretence of eating the bread, but Catherine was not fooled and eventually summoned Quatre.

The druid came without delay, his kind eyes taking in Relena's paleness and the sweat upon her brown. He crouched beside her pallet and held a hand up to her head, before making a great show of holding it up to his own briefly.

"You have a fever," he said again reaching his hand out to stroke her hair.

Relena watched the man cautiously. She knew little about Druids, other than what was rumoured amongst the nuns. His touch was gentle, a little sensual even, as he trailed his cool fingers through her hair whilst watching her closely. Catherine hovered nearby and Relena saw that there was nothing in the woman's face to indicate that she should be concerned with the man's actions. After all, he was a Druid. A Holy Man. Much like a Priest, she supposed. Quatre had probably taken his own oaths to abstain from the pleasures of the flesh and was therefore trustworthy.

Quatre smiled, and poured forth some oils, which he mixed together in a fragrant blend. He reached down and pulled her slip down a little to expose her creamy flesh and poured a measure of the oils onto her skin. His fingers massaged them in to her skin and Relena instantly felt her lungs eased as the wonderful fragrance soothed her. She closed her eyes revelling in the relief until she realised that Quatre's fingers had not stopped their massage and were slipping further down towards her breasts.

Her face flamed. At the same time, the sound of a door opening halted the Druids fingers much to Relena's relief.

"Hilde, it is good to see you. Are you here to help?" Quatre asked, his fingers still resting on Relena's chest.

"Quatre, I wondered if you would be here."

Relena opened her eyes to see that the shorthaired girl who had declared herself as Duo's betrothed had entered the room. Hilde was looking at her from behind Quatre, and as she smiled down at Relena, her eyes suddenly widened as she saw just where Quatre's hand was. Hilde's eyes then narrowed. Quatre, following the direction of her eyes, flushed a little and pulled his hand away. He pointed silently at the oil, which Hilde snatched from him.

"Really Catherine, I should have thought that you would pay closer attention to where his hands were," Hilde exclaimed placing herself between the druid and the patient.

Catherine crossed her arms and looked at Quatre who beamed at her with innocent eyes, before looking at Hilde. "Please don't judge all men on the basis of Duo's morals," she said before taking Quatre by the arm and leading him further away from Relena. "I think that we can carry on from here," she said firmly directing her speech to the druid.

Quatre smiled and allowed himself to be directed to the door. "I will speak to Heero about your health," he said to Relena as he went, "You will soon be better if you continue with the oil rubs."

Catherine shut the door on him only to have him push it back open.

"And sweetened mulled mead," he said quickly "And perhaps it would be a good idea to isolate her from the other women. I will speak to Heero," he added before being pushed out once more by Catherine who rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Men!" she declared, walking back to Relena and plucking the oil from Hilde's hand as she went passed her. Crouching by the invalid she placed more oil in the palm of her hand, warming it for a moment before rubbing it again on her chest.

Relena sighed wondering whether she was correct to assume that just because Quatre was a holy man that he had taken a vow of abstinence. Perhaps the opposite was required for druids. She blushed at the thought and looked up to see Hilde regarding her closely. She smiled at the girl who after a little hesitation smiled back.

"You are Hilde?" Relena asked, "I remember seeing you the other night back at the village." Catherine finished with the oils and tucked a blanket up around Relena's shoulders, whilst Hilde nodded. "I heard that you are betrothed to Duo. He is a good man," Relena continued as she rested her head back against the pillow, feeling tired.

"I am going to get some mead and honey," Catherine nodded to Relena and Hilde and left the room.

An awkward silence rose between the two remaining women, Relena conscious that the other's gaze was directed at her as if she was trying to read her. Feeling uncomfortable she shifted slightly on the pallet, her hands pulling the blankets closer around her. Still Hilde stared, assessing her. As the seconds turned into minutes and still nothing was said, Relena began to feel irritated. She had done nothing wrong, there was nothing to justify to this little woman. Having realised that she began to relax, holding the other woman's gaze in hers. Finally, Hilde relaxed too and smiled her first genuine smile at Relena.

"I like you," Hilde said, turning to the fireplace and throwing some more wood on to it.

Relena raised an eyebrow wondering just what she had done to pass the test Hilde had apparently set for her.

"Duo likes you too," Hilde continued, wiping her hands on her dress, before turning to look again at Relena. "But understand this; he loves me," her voice was honest and there was no maliciousness contained within it. "Duo flirts, he always has and he always will. I accept that and I hope that you understand that."

Relena gave a little half smile. "I understand," she said nodding, "But even if I did not, my destiny is not with him. It seems that I am to wed the King of Mercia." She had to lower her head not wishing to show that her eyes were filling with tired tears.

Hilde came over to her and sat cross-legged on the foot of her pallet. Her voice, when she spoke, was mischievous. "Oh! Does another man then take your fancy?" she asked placing a hand on Relena's blanket covered leg.

Relena felt herself flush. "No, there is no-one that I desire," she said firmly looking towards the fire and trying to rid herself of the sudden vision of an undressed dream Heero smoothing oils into her skin, "I just wish that I had more control over my destiny. I am nothing more than a pawn to be claimed by the strongest man." This time she could not help herself and hot fat tears over spilled from her eyes trailing down her cheeks to drop onto the blankets.

Hilde gave a tut of sympathy and crawled up the bedclothes to pull Relena into a comforting hug. "There, there," she murmured, comforting the weeping girl, "All will be well, you will see," she rubbed Relena's back as her sobs turned into coughs, "King Odin is a kind man; if he chooses to wed you he will treat you well."

Relena pushed away a little, bringing her the backs of her hands up to wipe away the remaining tears. "If he chooses to wed me."

Hilde nodded "It will be him or it will be Heero," she sighed a little gazing towards the fire, "Either way the result will be the same; war with Lindsey."

* * * * *

Wufei followed tracks of the two horses that Trowa and Sally had stolen, pushing his own horse as fast as he could. Treize had given him the task of retrieving the Shaman with the additional order to kill the fleeing captives. He had not argued with Treize on this point, although he had wanted to. Sally had been following Trowa's lead and in Wufei's mind innocent of any wrong towards Une. But Treize, although apparently calm, had been adamant.

"They have dared to touch her and they will pay," he had said turning away dismissing Wufei.

It was not in his heart to kill the nun. He had observed her over the last few days and found her reminding him more and more of his lost Meiran. She had a fiery temper that she kept hidden behind an apparently placid exterior. He had seen the spark in her eyes before she had meekly obeyed commands. He had no wish to end her life.

But Treize had ordered it. And Wufei owed his life and freedom to Treize.

Distracted, he was nearly knocked off his horse by some low branches. Muttering a few curses, he shifted his position so that he lay flat against the withers of the horse, and urged it to greater speed. His pursuit was nothing more than a race; Trowa did nothing to hide his tracks, instead relying on the speed of his mount for his escape.

But Trowa had the disadvantage, his mount was carrying two and Wufei knew that he would eventually outpace him. And when he did he would take great pleasure in killing him for forcing Wufei to take the nun's life.

tbc