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Journey of a Thousand Miles

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

-Confucius-

Part 21

Not a single light was burning at Blue Lake Manor when I rode up to the house. I dismounted quickly and tethered my horse to a pole. It was an unpleasantly cool night, but at least it had stopped to rain a while ago.
Everything was quiet inside the house, but as soon as I pounded against the front door, Boreas and Aeolus started to bark. Moments later a light came on somewhere, and I could hear somebody coming down the stairs.
Trowa opened the door, a gas lantern in his hand. He looked like I had woken him up, but any trace of sleepiness disappeared from his eyes the moment he recognized me.
"Quatre," he exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and concern. "Please come in. Is everything alright?"
Before I could answer, Zechs appeared at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a dressing gown over his night clothes. "What is wrong?" he asked.
"I…I'm," I stammered, still somewhat out of breath from my wild ride. "I'm looking for Treize. Please tell me he is here."
"Treize?" Zechs asked with a frown. "I'm sorry, Quatre, but I haven't seen him in days."
My shoulders slummed and I closed my eyes with a sigh. I knew that it had been a long shot, but still I had hoped to find my cousin here.
Zechs, who had come down the stairs, put his hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to tell us what happened?" he asked softly.
"Treize and I had an argument earlier this afternoon. I said things I probably shouldn't have, and he got angry. He left for a ride. About an hour ago his horse returned to the mansion alone. I thought that perhaps he had been surprised by the rain and while he took shelter in the gamekeeper's cabin, his horse had got free and run off. But I checked the cottage already and there is no sign that anybody has been there for weeks." I gave another sigh as I looked up at Zechs. "So, I was hoping that he might be here, waiting for the rain to stop."
Zechs turned toward Trowa, resolve in his eyes. "Trowa let's get dressed and search for him." He gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry, Quatre, we will find him."
I managed to return his smile as I nodded. "Thank you. Xander and the other servants at Rosehill have already started looking for the duke," I explained.
"Excellent! We will meet with them and form small search parties. That way we will be able to cover more ground," Zechs replied.

*****

"Over here! I have found him!"
My heart jumped at the sound of Zechs' voice. He, Trowa and I had been searching the woods for the better part of an hour. We had spread out but stayed within calling distance of each other. Zechs had suggested searching near the lake, since he knew that the duke loved to come and sit there whenever he wanted to be alone.
Let him be alright! Please, let him be alright! I prayed silently. Then I saw my cousin laying face down and unmoving on the ground, and my heart skipped a beat. I could feel the blood drain from my face.

Zechs knelt down next to him on the forest floor, turning the limp body over slowly and carefully. Treize's forehead and part of his ginger-blond hair was crusted with dirt and dried blood.
I gasped in shock. Oh god, what had I done!
"He is breathing, but he is unconscious." Zechs looked up at me. "Trowa," he ordered, as the young man rode up behind us. "Ride ahead and tell the others that we have found the duke. We will take him to Blue Lake Manor. Send somebody to town to fetch Doctor Baker. We will also need hot water and blankets when we get home."
"Yes, Sir," Towa replied. He spurred on his horse and galloped into the darkness.
"Quatre, come here and help me. We need to get Treize home as fast as possible. His clothes are wet and he is cold. We don't want him to catch pneumonia on top of his injuries."

I nodded as I dismounted. "What would you like for me to do?" I asked.
Zechs had taken off his coat and wrapped it around the duke. "Help me get him onto my horse." He looked at me and gave me a tiny smile. "He will be fine, Quatre, trust me. It takes more than a bump to the head to kill a Khushrenada."

*****

Dawn was breaking, and the morning sun was painting the first golden streaks onto the sky, by the time my cousin slowly regained consciousness.

Both, Zechs and Trowa had tried to convince me to go to bed and get some sleep, but I had insisted on staying up. Dr. Baker, who had examined Treize a few hours earlier, had confirmed that the duke's injuries were not life threatening. But I knew that I would not be able to find peace until I saw with my own eyes that my cousin was fine.
His accident was my fault, after all. If I hadn't yelled at him; wouldn't have made him angry, he would have never left the house and gone for a ride. Thus, all of this would have never happened. I felt miserable.

Zechs was sitting at the edge of the bed, dabbing the duke's forehead with a damp cloth. My cousin's face was almost as white as the bandages around his head.
Trowa and I were sitting together in one of the large velvet chairs by the window. Trowa had put his arm around me. Somehow I found his closeness very comforting right now.
Treize's eyelids fluttered, and then opened slowly. He seemed rather disoriented for a moment, before he focused on the blond aristocrat by his side.
"Zechs?" He frowned a little, confusion in his eyes.
"Good morning, Treize." Zechs smiled softly.
The duke looked around. "Where am I?"
"At my house," Zechs told him. "Do you recall what happened?"
The frown deepened as Treize tried to remember. "I had been sitting down by the lake when it had started to rain. I was trying to make it home before the major storm hit. Hunter suddenly got spooked and I was thrown off. And then everything went black. How did I get here?"
"You have to thank Quatre for that," Zechs told him. "Your horse made it home on its own. He got worried and started looking for you."
Treize turned his head a little and looked at me. "Thank you, Quatre."
"I don't think I deserve any credit." I replied quietly. "It was Zechs who actually found you, unconscious in the forest." Unable to meet his eyes any longer I averted my gaze. "And it was my fault that you left home in the first place. I'm so sorry, Cousin. I really am an ungrateful person."
"No, you are not," Treize replied firmly. "And you have nothing to be sorry for. To tell the truth I'm glad that you spoke up. I think I needed that little verbal "kick in the behind". While I was sitting by the lake, after I had sobered up a little, I had a lot of time to think, and I realized how right you were."

"Still," I answered. "Those things that I said…I had no right to."
The duke gave me a tiny smile. "Well, I think we both used a few words that we didn't really mean." He tried to sit up, but Zechs grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him back into the pillows with gentle force.
"I promised Dr. Baker that I would make sure that you are not going to move too much for a while," he explained. "The doctor said you were lucky, but you lost a lot of blood."

"May I have something to drink, then?" Treize run his tongue over his dry lips.
Zechs nodded. He rose and walked to a small table by the window and poured some chilled water from a pitcher into a glass. He helped my cousin move into a half-sitting position.
Treize closed his eyes momentarily and gave a quiet moan.
"Are you alright?" Zechs asked.
"Feeling dizzy," the duke confessed.
"Dr Baker said that you might have a concussion." Zechs held the glass with the water to Treize's lips and he took a few careful sips. "He mentioned that dizziness and nausea is usually associated with one. That's why he wants you to stay in bed for a few days."
I tried to stifle a yawn; with little success. Now that all the tension and worry was over I suddenly felt utterly exhausted.
Trowa gave me a sympathetic look. "You should get some sleep, Quatre," he suggested. "Let me show you to one of the guest rooms."

"Trowa is right," Zechs agreed. "There is really no reason for the two of you to sit here, getting cold and tired. I can take care of Treize by myself."
I didn't argue but rose from my chair. "Good night, Zechs." I said. "Good night, Cousin Treize. I hope you feel better soon."

"Good night, Quatre. Good night, Trowa."

*****

Trowa walked me to the guestroom, the same one I had stayed in while I was living here at the manor.
"Good night, Quatre. Sleep well."
"Trowa," I asked quietly, pleadingly. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Trowa looked at me. "People might get the wrong impression."
"I'm not really concerned about what other people think." I told him. "I need you tonight, Trowa. I don't want to be alone."

He gave me a tiny smile. "What if I stayed until you fall asleep?" he suggested.
I smiled back at him and nodded. That sounded like an acceptable compromise."Thank you."

Always the gentleman; Trowa turned away and looked out the window while I got undressed and slipped into bed.

He stretched out next to me, on top of the covers, and put his arm around me. I nestled against his warm body, and rested my head on his chest with a contented sigh.

I felt tired and exhausted, but I had a hard time falling asleep. Too many thoughts were running through my mind. I couldn't help but worry about what might happen to my relationship with Trowa, when he and Zechs really moved away.

"No matter what happens between Master Zechs and Duke Khushrenada," Trowa spoke gently, as though he was reading my mind. "I will always love you, Quatre."

"Thank you!" I whispered.
"Now, go to sleep, Dear." Trowa placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. As he ran his fingers through my hair, in a very soothing and relaxing manner, I fell asleep listening to the soft beating of his heart.

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)