Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Cynehelme ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Cynehelme

By kmf

Rating: PG13

Warnings: AU, violence

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Chapter Three

Heero hated pushing the horses after they had been ridden so hard for days but he had a gut feeling that they were close to the nun and her captors and he did not want to risk losing her. When Trowa had informed them that their prey was on foot, Heero was sure that they were dealing with a petty band of thieves or slavers. Whilst he was relieved that Kushrinada had not yet sent men to take the Peacecraft heir, he could not be certain that they were not close. If the bandits encountered the Kushrinada war band before Yuy's men, Heero was in for a major battle rather than a small skirmish. A hard battle did not frighten him, indeed he looked forward to the moment when he actually got to test his skill against Kushrinada, but he did not want to put the Peacecraft heir at risk. Not when the peace of the Kingdom was at risk.

After dusk had fallen they dismounted to start leading their horses through the gloom. Heero was unwilling to risk injuring the horses for the sake of speed, but nor was he willing to stop. His men, hardened warriors, had no trouble keeping up the pace and did so without complaint. His war band was made up of twelve men he had long trained with and trusted.

Whilst the Kingdoms had been at peace for many generations, that did not mean that minor skirmishes didn't occur. Borders had to be patrolled regularly to try and prevent raiding parties from minor tribes who were greedy for wealth in the form of grain, meat and women. Heero had led his war band for two summers and was renown as a skilled fighter and leader, although a young one. Heero well remembered the murmurs of dissent that had greeted his father's decision to trust him with a troop of his own because he was known to be young. However, those whispers had faded as he had proved time and time again how skilled he was in all aspects of leadership.

A grey blur against the snow accompanied by a small owl's hoot announced that Trowa had once more returned from scouting ahead. Trowa signalled the rest of the warriors to stop, holding a hand up and pointing behind him. Heero peered past the man and in the distance could just see a faint orange glow of a distant campfire. He grinned as he realised that they had caught up with their prey. Another figure joined Trowa and Heero saw with hidden gladness that it was Duo, looking tired and cold but determined.

Silently Heero embraced his foster brother, taking in the wound in his shoulder and gauging the amount of blood loss. Duo grinned silently assuring Heero that he was not in any danger. Explanations of what had happened would wait for later, for now it was time to plan an attack. They spoke in whispers; sounds travelled easily in the cold frosty air of night and they did not want to alert their prey of their presence. All twelve warriors crouched in a small circle as Trowa outlined what he had seen in the bandits' camp.

"There are eighteen in total. Slavers. They're all by the camp fire. The women are to the east by a large tree, bound but not secured. They seem in good health." He said quickly.

As soon as Trowa mentioned the trade of the men who they hunted, Heero's eyes narrowed. Their occupation effectively sealed their fate. Heero hated slavers; he despised their trade and the misery that they left behind them. No mercy would be given to any of the men that sat blissfully unaware around their campfire.

"Weapons?" Heero asked in order to calculate how much of a threat they posed to him and his men.

Duo supplied the answer "Spears only. Most are proficient but not expert."

Heero paused and gave Duo a surprised look, his eyes upon the wound that a 'not very proficient' slaver had managed to inflict upon him. Duo read the look and scowled, looking down at the snow.

"Look, I'm not used to fighting in a dress, and certainly not with wheat breasts putting me off balance. And I didn't have my blade," he justified himself.

The rest of the men snorted at the remembrance of Duo's grain bag breasts, and even Heero could not refrain from his mouth twitching into a little smile. He held his hands up in a passive gesture wanting to calm his embarrassed brother. Heero nodded at one of his men who moved to one of the horses and returned carrying a short sword in a birch bark lined scabbard covered in heavy linen and decorated with embroidery made up of intertwined knots and swirls. The warrior held it out to Duo, who took it reverently.

"Hilde made the scabbard for it in your absence and sends her greetings to you." Heero said.

Duo stared at the design and felt sudden guilt as he discerned that the knots were love knots and that this was a message from Hilde signifying her regard for her betrothed. Pushing the guilt away, he nodded as he pulled the blade part way out of the sheath. The cold metal gleamed in the moonlight and Duo felt a whole man again. Too long had he been parted from his weapon. He pressed his lips against the cold metal kissing it as he would a lover. Looking up he grinned and strapped the belt around his waist patting the scabbard in contentment

Heero felt curiosity as he saw the flash of guilt in Duo's eyes as he regarded the scabbard, and made a mental note to question him later when they were in private. Heero felt a great protectiveness towards Hilde, a girl who his father had taken in to foster when her father had died. Heero was sure that he would not allow Duo's wandering eye to hurt her. But there was time for that later, for now they had to plan their attack and rescue the nuns.

Taking up a small stick Heero started to draw in the snow. "We will lead the horses near, surround the camp and at my signal attack on horseback. We will need to be swift, they could scatter in a dozen directions. If they make the trees they will be difficult to track tonight. Be sure to allow no harm to come to the women. Only Duo knows what the Peacecraft woman looks like, but she is supposed to be big and plain."

Trowa glanced at Duo an eyebrow raised. "Perhaps Peacecraft is not there then for I saw none that matched that description."

Heero narrowed his eyes again and turned to Duo, who had the grace to blush a little but remain silent. This was getting more and more interesting. Had Duo lied about what Peacecraft looked like because he was enamoured of her? With a look that promised Duo that he would explain fully later, Heero went on. "Whatever she looks like, make sure that none of the women leave the camp. I want to sleep this night, not look for nuns in the snow." he glanced at Duo again "Describe the man who stabbed you so that we will leave him alone for you to deal with."

When he was finished, all nodded that they had understood the instructions and returned to their horses. They had to move slowly to skirt around the enemy encampment without being detected. The snow had frozen and crunched alarmingly underfoot if not careful. The horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth to help muffle their footfall, but even so they could not approach in absolute silence. Heero smirked as he realised that the bandits were so sure of their escape that they had not even posted sentries. That would be their downfall, and for being so foolish they deserved it.

When they had nearly surrounded the camp the bandits realised that something was wrong. All chatter stopped and Heero saw them peer into the gloom in alarm, hands going to spears, muscles taut in worry and readiness. He grinned. They were too late. His band of men had trapped them; there would be no escape for any of these thieves. He climbed up onto the back of his horse, pulled his sword from its scabbard and held it up high.

Giving a loud whoop, Heero urged his horse forward. His signal was repeated by his other men and they all rode into the camp, swords held high reflecting the orange of the fire. Swinging down Heero felt his blood lust rise as his blade cut into a spearman. The man dropped to the ground silently, and Heero tightly wheeled his horse to chase another that was fleeing. Cries of alarm and defiance echoed in the night and Heero laughed in reply, the joy of battle upon him. His blade decapitated another man sending arcs of blood spewing across the white snow.

Looking around he spotted the women in the distance all running away. He cursed their idiocy; didn't they know that they were being rescued? He hesitated for a moment wondering which to chase. His decision was made as he saw a man running after a small woman with long golden hair. Heero felt laughter bubble in his chest again as he urged his horse to pursue the slaver. The man hearing his laugh turned and looked at him in horror before screaming and running as fast as he could. Heero had no mercy and swung his blade down catching the man's shoulder, the sharp edge of the sword slicing him through to the waist. Heero could not help the laugh of victory that burst forth again.

The woman was looking at up him in horror, backing slightly before touching her bound hands to her face. Pulling them away he saw her regard her captor's blood where it had splattered upon her. She looked back up at him, her eyes focussing on his mouth that was still pulled into a grin. Her eyes went wide before she spun on her heals and ran.

Heero's mirth left him immediately, sobered by her look of horror. He grunted in irritation knowing that his laugh had frightened her. However, he was also annoyed that she had chosen to flee. He urged his horse forward again, swinging his blade to clean it of some of the gore that was upon it. He looked around checking to see that no other slavers were about before giving all his attention to the fleeing nun.

As he got closer, he swung down from his horse and hit the ground running. He could hear her panicked breathing as he caught her, tackling her around her narrow hips and pulling her to the ground. She let out a shriek as they fell, that was cut off by the impact of the hard snowy ground. For a second she was still and Heero almost let her go, and then she started to struggle for all she was worth.

Her bound hands struck at him, catching him a glancing blow around the side of his head. It was a lucky strike that caused his ears to ring in pain. He growled in his irritation and pinned her arms above her head. Finding that she could no longer use her arms, she instead used her legs kicking up at him catching his unprotected groin.

Heero cursed as his eyes watered and resisted the urge to strike her back. Instead he said as calmly as he could "Hold still, I will not harm you." But she did not listen and still struggled, her eyes wide and frightened. Heero used his entire body weight to pin her down so that she could not move. His face close to hers he stared into her pale blue eyes until the panic faded and she actually focused on him.

She was beautiful even in the sorry dishevelled state she was in. Her golden blond hair spread around her head like a halo, her skin was pale and soft. Her lips were full and a soft delicate shade of pink and Heero found himself strangely drawn to them. As he felt her body still under his he wondered what it would be like to taste those lips. His head dipped down even closer to hers so that he could smell her and feel the warmth that radiated from her skin.

A sudden blow to his side brought him back to himself. Hissing in pain he looked up to see another nun, her eyes narrowed in rage, her strange forked eyebrows drawn together and her foot pulled back to deliver another blow.

"Get off her!" the nun hissed, kicking again. Heero let go of the girl under him so he could intercept the next kick with his hands. Grabbing onto her leather slipper encased foot he pulled her trapped leg up causing her to fall back into the snow. He blinked as some very un-maiden like curses issued from her lips.

The longhaired nun, now free of most of his weight, shoved him off her and started to try and crawl away. Heero was getting annoyed by now and grabbed her hair to stop her moving far. He pulled her back, not so sharply as to cause her a lot of pain, but firmly enough so that she gasped and held still.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I mean you no harm," he grunted, his free hand rubbing at his ribs as he glared at the shorn haired nun. Anything else he was about to say was cut off by a blow to the back of his head. Dazed he found himself lying prone on the ground, the long haired girl desperately trying to pull her hair free from his grip. Looking up he saw the third nun with a log of wood in her hand that she had apparently used to hit him over the head.

"You animal!" she cried "How dare you try and rape a nun!"

In his surprise he let his grip of the girl's hair loosen and she pulled free, standing surprisingly quickly and edging away to stand with the nun who had just hit him.

"Don't you women listen!" he said, checking his hand to see if his head bled "I am not trying to hurt you I'm trying to-"

Another kick impacted on his ribs and the forked eyebrow nun spat at him, before looking behind him, eyes widening. Heero suppressed a groan. His could hear his war band approaching and knew that he would never hear the end of being brought down by three nuns. Again the three women made to flee, and again Heero lunged for the legs of the pretty blond, pulling her down with his body weight. As he lay across her he braced himself for another attack from the other two, but it never came.

Looking up he saw that Trowa held the one wielding a log and was in the process of disarming her, whilst it took two to restrain the short blonde one whose language was at the point of making even some of the war band blush. His own nun was struggling so hard Heero was sure she was going to hurt herself. He was about to knock her unconscious when Duo suddenly crouched beside them and placed his hands on the frightened girl's shoulders.

"Relena!" Duo said softly trying to calm the girl. Heero felt shock as he realised that he was restraining the High King's heir. He gave Duo a look that promised his foster brother that he would have to explain exactly why he had told Heero that Relena was a large ugly woman. Duo, intent on the wide-eyed girl, ignored him.

Relena had turned her head towards Duo, her eyes puzzled. Heero could see that she was wondering just how the warrior knew her name. Duo continued to talk "Relena, it is alright. We won't harm you, we are here to rescue you," he said, rewarded with seeing that Relena stopped struggling. Recognition dawned in her eyes and her mouth opened in shock.

"Helen?" she asked, going quite still as Duo nodded. Heero took the opportunity to get off the girl and pull her so that she was sitting up. She reached up her bound hands to touch Duo's face as if reassuring herself that she was not talking to a ghost. Heero watched the gesture and felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach. Irritated, he pulled her hands back ignoring her startled gasp. He unsheathed a dagger held in the leather bindings around his calf and carefully cut through the ropes that bound her. She kept her gaze on Duo, wincing as the blood started to circulate through cold swollen wrists. Heero rubbed them, careful of her fragility; his hands seeming in his mind large and clumsy in comparison with her delicate structure.

Trowa's captive was looking at Duo in horror and amazement and paid little attention to Trowa undoing her bonds. "You are Helen?" she whispered, her face pale and her eyes angry "You were a man in my nunnery!" her voice was becoming louder as her temper got the better of her.

Duo winced. "I can explain-" he began, holding his hands up in front of him.

"Oh really, Sister!" eyebrow nun was rolling her eyes. "How could you think that he was a woman?"

"You knew Dorothy?" the other nun said in irritation and amazement "And you didn't say."

Heero felt Relena shiver as he massaged her wrists, her eyes still on Duo, her gaze a little dazed. He got to his feet pulling her up with him.

"Enough." he said, "Once we make camp there will be time for explanations." He took his cloak off and wrapped it around Relena's shoulders then led her over to his horse. "We will put a couple of miles between us and this filth before we camp."

Heero climbed up onto his horse before reaching down and pulling Relena up before him. He saw Duo look up at them giving Relena a wistful look. Relena was no longer looking at Duo, but rather holding her head down staring at her lap. For some reason it gave him a perverse sense of joy.

"What about burying the dead?" The older nun said gesturing around at the slavers who had all been slain their blood staining the snow pink.

Heero snorted "Let nature look after their wretched carcasses. I will spare neither time nor award them any honour by burning them." He ignored her look of disgust, instead pulled Relena tighter to him. Spurring his horse into movement he took her away as fast as he could from the now eerily quiet campsite.

* * * * *

Relena allowed herself to be lifted up onto the warrior's horse without protesting. Her mind was whirling with the sickening scenes of the slavers being cut down, their blood staining the pure white snow, their screams echoing in the night. Underlying this was the knowledge that Helen was alive and that she was not a she, but a he. Relena closed her eyes as the warrior tightened his grip around her then spurred his horse forward.

So many deaths. So many lives cut short in such a short space of time. At one moment they had been talking, laughing, eating, breathing. The next they all lay in the snow. Their deaths had not been the peaceful passing of old age, but rather their lives had been torn from them.

And she felt as if she were responsible.

The warriors had slain the slavers in order to free her. They had died because of her. How many had wives and children waiting for them to return home? How many had parents waiting patiently for their sons to send word that would never come? How many had dependants that would starve because they no longer had someone to provide for them? Relena felt suddenly as if she could not breathe. She hunched forward in pain at the guilt that she felt, her stomach rebelling.

The rider shifted his grip on her as she leaned forward, and pulled in the rein of his horse so that its stride slowed. She had both hands to her mouth, her brow felt sweaty and her mouth watered unpleasantly. The warrior seemed to understand her discomfort and brought his horse to a halt allowing her to slide to the ground. She stumbled forward a couple of steps before falling to her knees. Her stomach heaved uncontrollably, but she brought up nothing. She had not eaten since breaking her fast that morning. She absently heard the warrior give instructions for camp to be made a little further on, before her stomach again rebelled.

When next she raised her head she found a skin of some sort of fluid held out to her. She shook her head, wiping her now watering eyes and looked at the one who offered it to her. His distinctive blue eyes were narrowed as he watched her and Relena suspected he was impatient at her being so weak as to vomit at the sight of dead men. His hair was tied back in a thong, but his fringe was long and messy and fell forward partially obscuring his eyes.

Looking at him Relena found herself remembering how he held her down on the frozen earth. Her stomach tingled again as she recalled him lowering his head close to hers and this time the sensation was not nausea. She swallowed a little in nervousness wondering just what the unfamiliar sensation was and lowered her eyes away from him unable to endure his gaze for long.

The warrior did not seem to sense her discomfort because he moved alarmingly close. He held out the fluid again, waving it this time under her nose.

"Drink it." he said, "If you don't drink willingly, I will make you drink it."

Relena's lurching stomach sensation faded as anger rose in its place. She lifted her head again and glared at the man. "Leave me in peace," she said, her fists clenching in unfamiliar anger "I cannot forget-"

Abruptly she was cut off as his hand came up and captured her jaw, tilting her head back whilst his other hand brought the neck of the skin to her lips. Strong undiluted mead poured into her mouth burning her throat and making her cough. It flowed so fast that it spilled over her chin and down the front of her habit. When the man was satisfied that she had indeed swallowed a good couple of mouthfuls, he pulled the skin away and took a mouthful himself.

"Now at least you have something to throw up," he said smugly as she stared at him in shock, her hands wiping her face and smoothing her now damp dress. He was looking at her with curiosity in his eyes "You have never seen death before" he stated, rocking back so that he crouched on his heels.

Relena's anger died as swiftly as it had grown. She hung her head. "I have seen death before, I just have never been responsible for it," she whispered.

His hand touched her shoulder, again Relena felt a spark of something deep in her stomach that made her heart race. She tilted her head up to see him regard her with cold eyes.

"Get used to it," he said "This is just the beginning."

TBC