Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Cynehelme ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )

Cynehelme

by kmf

Rating: PG13

Warnings: AU

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Chapter Twenty Two

The timing of the Sussex army had been impressive; even if they had tried they would not have been able to pick a worse possible moment. Treize finally had in his hands Relena Peacecraft, the key to the High King's throne. He had firmly in his grasp the woman who would be able to grant him the power that he so desired.

She was pretty, although Treize had always preferred his women dark not blond, she had a nice figure, although her stature was a little on the short side. She was also feisty, willing to speak her mind and make demands. Those demands had been unreasonable; Treize had no intention of stopping his siege of Mercia; the Mercian's actions demanded punishment. Nor would he allow the nun to go unpunished for taking Une away from him. But still, she showed to him in the short five minutes that she was literally in his hands that she would make an interesting Queen.

But then Sussex attacked and Treize had been forced to move away from his prize and defend his rights to her.

Treize was suitably annoyed that the guards had not perceived Sussex's approach, they had been more interested in eyeballing the princess and keen to see Treize's reaction to the return of the nun. He was even more annoyed that Une had not had any indication of the approach of the troops. Of late she had been next to useless as a Shaman, her contact with the spirits of nature had left her and she had been reduced to being pathetically dazed or irrationally angry. Both states caused her to lose the fear and respect that she had amongst his troops. And as they became less fearful of her, they also became less fearful of him.

And so, when the fighting began, Treize found himself in command of a troop of warriors who were no longer fighting for him, but rather for themselves. And it showed; orders called out by Treize were not followed and soon the Lindsay warriors were being overwhelmed by the precise attack by Sussex.

Relena had disappeared together with the nun and maid, Une stood dazed and useless in the midst of the battle and the only man who seemed to take any notice of what Treize was ordering was Wufei. And even he was looking askance at Treize as if seeing him for the first time. Obviously discontent rumours had come to Wufei's ears; rumours that Treize was firmly involved in the slave trade despite what he had told to Wufei.

And that, of course, was true. Usurping the crown of a country was not a cheap business; it took a great deal of money, money that was earned through slavery. Not just the simple trade of slaves, but the active collection of new slaves through association with seawolves that attacked foreign merchant ships enslaving entire crews. It was in this way Wufei had come into Treize's possession.

Treize had not been aboard the seawolves vessel, rather on his own merchant ship at the ready to take on the human prizes. His men had seen Wufei fall into the ocean and had taken it upon themselves to rescue him. At the time Treize had been annoyed; a man who was willing to die so easily would not be an asset to him. But after he had seen Wufei's fighting stance when he had regained consciousness on the deck Treize had realised that Wufei was a true warrior and could help bring about what Treize most desired.

Wufei's abhorrence of the ones who had killed his wife made it easy for Treize to manipulate him. Treize had simply given Wufei his freedom and in doing so had gained the man's trust and devotion. By keeping Wufei away from the slave pens in the bowels of the ship, Treize had kept Wufei ignorant of the fact that Treize had been in part responsible for Meiran's death.

Once off the ship it had been easy to keep the farce going. Those men who knew about Treize's activities held their tongues in fear of what would be done to them by Treize's Shaman and were equally in fear of Treize himself. But once Une had begun to lose her spiritualism, the men's fear eroded and mouths began to whisper half-known truths.

But still Wufei fought for Treize, despite what he had heard. And Wufei even fought for Une, a woman who Treize knew he disliked. Wufei had been closest to Une when two men had set upon her with their daggers. Treize had known that neither he nor Wufei would be able to defend Une in time and for the first time during the battle despair had welled up in his throat; the sense of wanting to protect her and being unable to almost overwhelmed him. And then Trowa was at Une's side, with swift efficient movements had dispatched the attacking men before making off with Une before Wufei could reach him.

Part of Treize was grateful that Une had been saved, whilst part of him was howling with anger that Une had been once more taken from his side by the Mercian.
And there was nothing that he could do at this point to get her back; indeed it was uncertain that he would even survive this battle. Lindsay was losing and losing badly.

Those of his men who were not dead or dying were fighting, but they were not fighting for him. Treize could see this in their stance, the way they fought in desperation; each eager to break free of the encircling enemy. And once free Treize knew that they would not stay to aid their fellow men, instead they would bolt and run back to the villages they had been drafted from. Treize had to accept that Une was lost, the battle was lost and the High King's Crown was lost. He had come so close to having it all, but it had all slipped through his fingers.

As Treize fought, he considered what he would then do. He could not return to Lindsey. He was a proud man from a proud family; he would not live with shame. But nor would he give his life to the riffraff that attacked him now; he would not allow his blood to be drunk by a sword of Sussex. But perhaps he could have one last duel, one last fight to recapture the invigorating spirit of battle that he had lost. There was only one here that would fulfil those requirements, one who would normally not fight him but if he knew the truth would not hold back.

Again, Treize looked towards Wufei before making his decision. Redoubling his efforts, he began to cut a path through the men who attacked him, ignoring his own warriors and concentrating instead on his own path to freedom. Wufei gave him a startled glance, surprised by his sudden energy, but then matched him stroke for stroke and together they inched their way to the boundary of the battle.

Once at the edge, he turned to look back towards the battle. Soon it would be over; already there were more Sussex alive on the field than Lindsay. Treize turned and addressed Wufei who was panting at his master's side.

"You have a question?" he asked, his mouth pulling into a little smirk.

Wufei's eyes narrowed and he glanced back at the battle. His face was puzzled as if wondering why Treize chose to speak of such things when the remnants of his men were being slaughtered. Frowning he turned back to Treize.

"Are you a slaver?" he asked, his voice low and terse.

Treize could not help but allow his mouth to pull into a smile.

Wufei's eyes went dark with rage, his hand clenching his sword tightly. As he threw himself towards Treize, screaming out his battle cry, Treize's mouth pulled into a wider smile.

One last glorious fight…

* * * & nbsp; * *

Dorothy sat high in the tree watching the battle play out beneath her. She sat perfectly still; it would not do for a casual movement on her part to draw attention to her location. Dressed as a boy she would be mistaken for a deserter or a spy; either assumption would mean an arrow bringing about her demise.

She had arrived late on the scene, delayed by her unwelcome emotions concerning the druid. It had taken great effort on her part, but finally she had managed to push down her concern and guilt into the pit of her stomach binding it with thoughts of worldly rewards. However, those rewards were not going to be immediately forthcoming as already Sussex had surrounded the Lindsay camp making it impossible for her to present herself to her cousin. Not that she had any intention of doing so given his present circumstances. Rather she had intended to sit up in the tree and wait to see who would prevail before offering her services to the tribe that won Relena Peacecraft.

It had been irritating, therefore, to see that the blond warrior who had stolen Relena from her grasp once before was doing a repeat performance, this time cuckolding Treize. Dorothy knew as soon as he had begun to cut a path through the battling warriors that he had no intention of aiding Treize, but rather was securing his own escape route. She had wished bitterly that she had arrived half an hour earlier and had been able to warn Treize of this warrior's past treacherous deeds; instead she had to just sit in her tree quietly and observe.

Heero's arrival had been not entirely unexpected. The man had an inbuilt sense of when Relena was in danger and it was just like him to come riding to her rescue. Dorothy had had to stifle a yawn; this was, after all, the third or fourth time he had performed the task and she found the whole scene a little boring. Instead she watched as his companion Trowa headed into the thick of battle to snatch Treize's Shaman from what had been potentially a sticky end.

Une had not moved from where Treize had left her, and had stood a slightly forlorn figure amidst the battle. Although she carried a knife, she had not raised it to defend herself even when she was approached by a couple of warriors with murder in their eyes. Dorothy had raised an eyebrow as she had noted that the warriors were men of Lindsay; obviously the Shaman had made her fair share of enemies and these men were not going to let an opportunity for revenge get by them. Treize, distracted by the battle, had not immediately seen Une's predicament, but Trowa had and had leapt to her aid quickly dispatching the two men and leading the compliant Une away to safety.

As interesting as that was, something even more interesting was about to happen. Heero appeared to be challenging the blond warrior for possession of Relena and his challenge was accepted. And as they started to fight Relena shouted out her wish for the blond warrior's demise. Dorothy had raised an eyebrow at this; the princess who was usually most annoying in her belief that all life was sacred was baying like a dog for the death of a man who was apparently trying to protect her. And Dorothy was not the only one shocked by such a display. The look on both the men's faces was a sight to behold and Dorothy had felt her lips twitch into a smile.

Relena suddenly throwing herself between the two men had spoiled the moment, her arms outstretched in an effort to separate them. At that point Dorothy had almost thrown herself down out of the tree in an effort to berate her for ruining such a magnificent battle. Instead, she remained still and watched as Heero had pulled the girl into his embrace declaring to all that could listen that Relena Peacecraft had chosen him.

And then he kissed her.

Dorothy had wanted more than anything to look away from the passionate embrace, but it transfixed her. And unwillingly once again the druid's image flashed up in her mind. She found herself wondering what it would be like to be held in his arms, what it would be like to be held in his tight embrace, what it would be like to feel his lips against hers. Unbidden a tear welled up and slipped down her face. Such sensations she would never know because she had run her sword through Quatre's side. Even if he had survived her blow she was sure that he would never forgive her.

Relena allowed Heero to lead her away, Sally following in their wake a sword held out before her. Dorothy allowed herself to sneer at the nun; she couldn't even hold the weapon properly. If she tried to block any attack the only thing she would succeed in doing would be to break her thumbs. Interestingly Noin, who had been annoyingly loyal to Relena up until now, flew to the blond warrior's side and he slid an arm around her before moving off in a different direction. Dorothy frowned at this wondering just how it was that the servant woman was so familiar and trusting of the warrior. She was not the only one to observe what had occurred. Heero noted the exchange but made no mention of it to Relena as they picked their way into the forest and out of Dorothy's view.

And so Mercia had once more claimed Relena and it looked like Treize was not going to fight to get her back. Dorothy's blood boiled that Treize could be so passive, but as she surveyed the battleground she realised why he did nothing. Treize was losing badly, and he knew it. At this point he only had three options: flee, surrender or die.

The Kushrinada family was a proud one and Dorothy could not imagine Treize surrendering. It was inconceivable that he would subject himself to the shame of giving himself to his enemies to do with as they wished. Nor would he run away from the battle; no one of their lineage would do such a cowardly thing. Which left the only option left: to die.

However, it seemed that Treize was unwilling to take up that option. Dorothy watched in horror as instead of surrendering his life, he fought his way to the edge of the battle. Her fingers gripped the trunk of the tree she was perched in tightly, she could feel splinters make their way into the pads of her fingers as she thought that perhaps he was seeking to flee rather than face up to his defeat like a man.

But then he paused at the edge of the battle and turned to speak to the foreign warrior that always accompanied him. Dorothy was too far away to hear their words, but she could read Wufei's body language easily enough. His shoulders were hunched angrily as he spoke to Treize, his hand gripping his sword so tightly that his knuckles shone white. Treize in comparison looked calm; he stood tall and proud his own hand holding onto the pommel of his sword lightly, he mouth pulled into a wide smile. He looked almost happy.

With a loud battle cry that was lost amidst the noise of battle, Wufei threw himself at Treize his sword falling in a heavy downward arc. Treize countered easily, as Dorothy knew that he would. Treize was an expert swordsman and although Wufei came close to Treize's level of skill, he was not as proficient as her cousin. But he did have a surprising amount of energy and force behind his blows, it seemed that Treize had goaded Wufei by the few words he had spoken to him.

And then Dorothy realised what Treize had done. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Treize had no intention of running away; he was not a coward. Nor did he intend to surrender. He had chosen, instead, to end this day fighting a warrior whose skills were near his own and who was a worthy challenger. He had said something to Wufei to cause him to fight Treize with all his soul. Treize would fight back to give honour to the warrior he had chosen to take his life. But in the end Treize would lose.

A woman's scream sounded through the sounds of battle so full of anguish, helplessness and sorrow that it cut into Dorothy's bones making her feel all the loss the sound contained. She slowly opened her eyes knowing what she would see before her.

Wufei stood panting over Treize, his sword slick with his master's blood. His face was twisted into an expression of surprise and shock as he looked from his stained blade to the body that lay before him as if he couldn't quite comprehend how he had won. Treize was prone on the ground, his sword still grasped in his hand, his face hidden from her view. But Dorothy didn't need to see his face to know the truth.

Treize was dead

* * * & nbsp;*

The flight from the battle was a frantic one. After Heero had made his declaration of ownership of her, Relena had found herself being dragged by him through the trees to where his and Trowa's horses were hidden. Once there, he unceremoniously lifted her and placed her on the horses back, his fingers bruising and forceful.

Not once did Heero speak, nor did he look at her. His face, she could see, was stormy and she suspected that he was more than a little angry at her escape. Trowa, calm as always, had lifted the dazed Shaman up onto his own horse, together with Sally who still held a sword in her hand, and was leading them away from the battle.

Looking around Relena sought Lucrezia and the baby and was alarmed to see that they were no longer with them. Sliding down off the horse, she stumbled a few paces back towards the battle before Heero grasped her arm and spun her back to him. She grimaced as his fingers once again dug deep into her arm and she saw that his face was livid.

"Get back on the horse!" Heero said, his eyes narrowed and cold but his voice calm. The very calmness of his voice made Relena shiver in fear.

"But L-Noin!" Relena tried to pull her arm out of his grasp, but he was unrelenting.

"She went with Zechs," Heero said as he once again lifted her and put her back on the horse.

This time, Relena did not protest. Of course Lucrezia went with Millardo. She was, after all, his wife and the mother of his child. Relena bowed her head as she replayed Lucrezia's admission in her head, reliving the shock of finding that her brother was still alive.

She found it difficult to comprehend. He had been alive all this time but had allowed the world to think that he was dead. He had allowed Relena to become a pawn in power games when all the time it was he who was heir to the throne and not Relena. He had saved her once from falling into Treize's hands, and yet he himself appeared to have been aiding Treize. It made no sense at all.

Heero watched her, his eyes still dark with anger. He grabbed the reins of the horse leading it in Trowa's wake.

"You chose me," he muttered so quietly that Relena almost missed it.

Yes, she had chosen Heero over Millardo. Once she had discovered who Millardo was she could not stand to watch and see the two most important men in her life fighting over her. She could not have allowed either of them to spill each other's blood. And so, she had declared her wish to go with Heero and endured the look of betrayal that her brother had given her and the crushing possessive kiss that Heero had given her.

Relena brought her fingers to her lips that still felt bruised from his mouth. It had been her first kiss. And it was one that had invoked such intense feelings in the pit of her stomach, even now as she remembered it she felt a fresh flurry tingle through her. Had Heero felt the same? He had declared that Relena was his; did that mean that he intended to oppose any claim that his father had on her? Did he intend to take her to wife?

But if Heero knew the truth of the matter, if he knew that she was not the heir to the High King's throne, would he still want her? Would he be disgusted that so many lives had been lost to secure her when she was, in fact, worthless. She felt herself pale at the thought, slumping forward again, hugging herself. Only days ago she would have given anything to not be the heiress to the throne. And yet now when that had become a reality, she hesitated in telling Heero. What would she do if, because of her loss of status, he no longer wanted her.

He glanced back at her taking in her pale features and slumped form. He frowned and stopped, reaching up to touch her leg, his touch gentle despite his angry face.

"Are you hurt?" he questioned, assessing the blood that stained her clothes.

Relena looked down at him, her head still bowed. Slowly, she shook her head.

"No," she answered, "But there is something I must tell you."

She needed to tell him about Millardo, even though it might change his regard of her. She would not lie to him about her status. But Heero turned away from her, pulling on the reins.

"We will...discuss...what has occurred later," he said, "We need more distance between us and them."

"But-" Relena tried once more to speak, if she did not tell him now he might believe that she deliberately kept Millardo's whereabouts a secret. But before she could utter the words a scream interrupted her.

Relena twisted around in her saddle at the sound, her hands clutching the horse's mane. She half expected to see that they were once again under attack and looked frantically around to see what had caused Une to suddenly scream in such agony. For it was Une who screamed. The Shaman's mouth was still open, although no sound now issued from it. Her eyes were wide and staring, and her hands were clutching at her heart. Sally, sitting behind her, was trying to support the distressed priestess, her hands around her waist. But even as Sally offered this support, Une's eyes rolled back and closed and she toppled from the mount.

Trowa caught her before she hit the ground, crouching as he was jarred by her weight. His eyes travelled over her form quickly to assess her for injury, before cradling her to his chest. Her head lolled back limply revealing just how pale she was, although her chest rose with even breaths. Her lips moved slightly as she murmured something.

Heero remained at Relena's side, his position one of wariness. He had not drawn his sword, but his hand remained on the pommel. When no attack was immediately coming, he relaxed a little his hand drifting away from his sword, but he remained close to Relena. He looked questioningly at Trowa, who had stood up with the now unconscious Shaman and was lifting her up to Sally.

Trowa waited until Sally had a secure hold on Une, before taking up the reins of the horse again. He led the horse close to Heero, before glancing back up at the Une. Her cheeks, though still pale, were not as ashen as they had been moments before. Satisfied that she was alright, Trowa looked toward Heero before saying in his quiet voice.

"Treize is dead."

Relena automatically looked back towards where they had come from. She could no longer hear the sounds of battle but realised that it must still be going on. How was it that Une knew that Treize was dead? She looked at the unconscious priestess. Was Une's bond to Treize so great that she knew the moment of her Lord's death? Unexpectedly Relena felt a little twist in the pit of her stomach. How wonderful, yet how sad, to be so bound to a man to know when he no longer existed in this world.

Unwillingly Relena felt her eyes travel to Heero. He sensed her glance and looked up at her. For a moment they stared at each other, before Heero glanced away. He pulled on the reins of the horse.

"Odin needs to know this," he said grimly.

TBC