Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Knights of Destiny ❯ The Making of Zechs Merquise ( Chapter 13 )

Part 10b - The Making of Zechs Merquise

Soon after he completed his basic training Zechs was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and was put in charge of a small patrol unit. Several of the soldiers under his command had gone through training together with him, so it was not surprising that he formed a rather close friendship with them, especially with Walker.

The four young men usually spend their off-duty evenings at the village inn, drinking a few goblets of wine and playing cards.
Zechs was on his way to join his friends at the tavern, and decided to take a stroll through the marketplace on the way there. He wasn't really planning to buy anything particular. He was just looking around and enjoying the feeling of being amongst people.

The young soldier made his way through the crowd, when his eyes caught a familiar face across the road.
"Hilde?!" he called out.
The black-haired girl turned toward him. The expression of surprise on her face turned to delight when she recognized him. For a moment it looked like she was going to hug him, but then she just seize him by his shoulders, and took a step back so she could get a better look at him.

"Zechs Merquise!" she exclaimed." I'll be damned. Look at you, all dressed up in that fancy uniform. Seems to me things have gone well for you since you left."

Zechs nodded. "I suppose you could say that."

He placed a hand on her arm and he pulled her aside where they could talk more privately. "What are you doing here in Levingtown?"
"Shopping." Hilde pointed at her basket. "I had to get my horse shoed and Catherine needed some healing supplies. So here I am. I would have never guessed that I would meet you here. I'm sure the others will be glad to hear that you are doing well, Zechs."
"Do you have time for a drink?" the young man asked. "Perhaps we can talk a little. I would love to know what happened to you and the others since I left."
"That sounds like a great idea." she agreed.
The tavern was just around the corner. As Zechs led the girl to a table in the far corner of the room, they walked past where his friends were sitting. He ignored their questioning looks and settled down on one of the wooden benches.

Sarina, the serving maid, walked over to their table with a pitcher of wine and goblets. "Good evening, Lieutenant Zechs. Can I get you or your lady something to eat?"

Zechs shook his head. "No, I think we are fine for the moment."

The two of them sipped their wine and talked, or better Hilde did most of the talking while Zechs listened. He was glad to hear that Howard, Catherine and the others were doing well. After all, he considered them the closest thing to family he had right now.

"How is the food here?" Hilde asked after a while.
" The stew is quite tasty, but their roast is the best I have ever eaten," Zechs replied, as he gestured for Sarina to come to the table.
"I think we are ready for supper now."

The young woman nodded. "The usual, Lieutenant Zechs?"

"No, bring us two servings of your best roast, fresh bread and another pitcher of wine. Put it on my tap."

"Zechs, that isn't necessary," Hilde protested. "You don't have to pay for my food.
"I insist," Zechs told her.

"Thank you."
"My pleasure."
"Perhaps I should go and check on my horse, while we are waiting for the food," Hilde suggested as Sarina had left. "I will tell the Blacksmith the other shoes too in case he is finished with his work before I return."
"Very well, I'll be waiting here," Zechs agreed.
He watched as she left, and poured himself another glass of wine.

Walker walked over to Zechs' table and took a seat across from him. "Isn't she a little young for you?" he asked with a gesture toward the door though which Hilde had walked out.
Zechs gave his friend an annoyed look. "She is an old friend I have not seen for a while and nothing more. Get your head out of the gutter, Walker."

The other man laughed. "In that case perhaps you can introduce her to me."
"Forget it. She is too young for you too."
"I don't think I have ever seen her around here. I would remember that face."
"She is not from this area," Zechs replied evasively.

He was glad that Walker was satisfied with that answer. He hated the thought of having to lie to his friends, but it wasn't that he could tell them the truth either. Although Lord Alnwick's troops had never clashed with the White Fang, the group was considered a band of outlaws, and their members wanted for. As pleased as Zechs was about meeting Hilde, it concerned him at the same time. If she was here in town, it could only mean that the rest of the group was somewhere in the vicinity as well. He was afraid that the day might come when he and his men were ordered to fight the White Fang, and he would be forced to choose between his loyalty to his lordship or his gratitude toward the people who saved his life.

When Sarina brought them their food; two large cuts of roast and a basket with warm bread, Hilde hadn't returned yet. The meal smelled delicious, but Zechs, being the gentleman he was, decided to wait for the girl.

As time passed by he begun to wonder what was taking Hilde so long. It was only a short way to the smithy.

Zechs rose from the table. He told Sarina that he would be back shortly and left to look for Hilde.

By now the sun had set and the previously crowded market place was almost empty. For a moment Zechs wondered if the girl might have just left, but that didn't seem to make any sense. And when he learned that her mount was still at the smithy he really started to get concerned.
As he walked back to the tavern he heard some muffled sounds from one of the side alleys, then Hilde's familiar voice: "I said take your hands off me."
Alarmed, Zechs followed the noises, and when he rounded the corner he saw the girl struggle in the hold of a young man in a castle guard's uniform. The soldier was holding her by her arms and tried to pin her against the wall behind her.

"Just hold still you stupid little whore," he growled.
Zechs recognized the man instantly. He was only slightly older Zechs. His name was Cehn Bunt. He was a Commander in charge of his Lordship's personal guards. Rumor had it that he got that rank and position only because his father was the head of the castle security.

"Hey," Zechs called out to him. "She told you not to touch her?"
Bunt glared at him, annoyed about the interruption, without letting go of the girl's wrists. "What is it too you, Lieutenant? Do yourself a favor and keep out of this."
"Let her go," Zechs warned, dangerously low.

The other man chose to ignore him.
Hilde used the moment of distraction to jerk up her knee and kick the man where it hurt. Bunt screamed out in fury and pain. He lifted his hand to hit her, but Zechs was already beside him. With his left arm the blond blocked Cehn's strike, while his right fist connected with the commander's face. The impact threw the man to the ground.

Bunt struggled back to his feet, both hands pressed over his bleeding nose. "You broke my nose, you bastard," he shouted.
"I recommend that you leave now, before I break a few other parts of yours," Zechs suggested coldly, his face a mask of perfect calm.
Cehn glared at him, but turned and started to walk away. "You are going to regret this, Zechs Merquise," he yelled once he was far enough to deem it save. "This is not the end of it, I promise."
Zechs ignored the man and turned toward Hilde who was leaning again the wall. "Are you hurt?" he asked concerned.
She shook her head. "No, just a little shaken, I suppose. You came at just the right moment. Thank you, Zechs."
"Think nothing of it," Zechs answered. "Let's get back to the tavern."
Hilde shook her head. "I believe it would be better if I leave. But what about you? His threat sounded serious. I really hope you don't get in any kind of trouble because of me."
"Don't worry about it. You didn't cause this incident. He did. I doubt he will add to his embarrassment by telling anybody about his little misadventure. Besides, he was the one who did wrong."
After he walked the girl to the smithy to retrieve her horse, and made sure that she safely left town, Zechs went back to the tavern.

Sarina asked if he wanted her to heat up the roast, but he just told her to take it away. Suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore. He took his wine and walked over to the table where Walker, Bryn and Laine were sitting. When they asked him what was wrong Zechs told them what had happened.
"That bastard," Bryn exclaimed in a mixture of fury and disgust. "You would think his father had brought him up better than that."
Zechs could hear the tavern door open, but since he was sitting with his back toward it, he couldn't see who entered. The expression on Walkers face however made him turn his head to face a quartet of castle guards.
"Lieutenant Zechs," one of them addressed him. "We have order to put you under arrest. I suggest that you don't resist."

***

After he spent the rest of the night in a cell in the dungeon, Zechs was taken before his commanding officer.

"Would you care to tell me what prompted you to assault a superior officer, Lieutenant?" Captain Ventuno asked him.

"As you wish, Sir." Zechs nodded.

He told the captain what happened the night before, leaving out nothing but the fact how Hilde and he knew each other. He expected nothing less than to be cleared of any wrong doings and released, but he was in for a surprise.

Captain Ventuno's face was a blank mask when he told Zechs. "The commander's story varies from yours in several points. According to him he was talking to a girl, a girl you had spent some time with earlier the evening, when you showed up and attacked him in a fit of jealous rage."
"Sir," Zechs protested. "You should know me better than that. I would never…"
"Nevertheless," the captain cut him off. "That's what he said. It's his word against yours. And he is filing charges against you for assaulting him."
"I supposed it will be up to Lord Alnwick then to pass judgement in this case. I'm sure he will see that I my action was more than warranted."
"His Lordship already made it perfectly clear that there will not get involved in this matter. He is not planning to waste his time on this."

"Excuse me?" Zechs frowned.

Being a lord under the crown came with certain obligations and one of them was to keep peace and justice amongst his subjects. "But isn't it his Lordship's responsibility to decide over feuds like this?"

Ventuno's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Do you want to tell his Lordship what his duties are, Lieutenant?"
Zechs swallowed hard. "No Sir, of course not. I just…"
"Captain Bunt thinks that both, you and his son might have had a little too much to drink last night. He is willing to drop the issue if you publicly admit to your mistake and apologize."
"My mistake? Sir, I told you what happened."
"And I told you that it will be your word against Commander Bunt's," the captain answered.

"And somehow it appears to me his word is taken more serious than mine," Zechs replied bitter. "That seems hardly fair."
Ventuno laughed, but it didn't sound very amused. "Wake up, Zechs. Life isn't fair, especially not if you are not the son of an influential father. I know that might be hard to accept, but its reality. Take Bunt's offer and you will probably loose a month' pay and that's it. Be a fool and loose your rank and your command. So, do yourself a favor and apologize."
"I will not do such a thing," Zechs responded resolute. "How can you even suggest it?" There was a furious sparkle in his eyes and his fists clenched in anger.
The captain sighed. "Don't do this to yourself, Zechs. I know you are a spirited young man. But this is a battle you can not win."
"Then at least I'll lose with dignity," The young soldier replied, with his head up high in defiance.
Ventuno sighed inwardly. For some reason he had expected nothing less from Zechs. He called in the guards to take the Lieutenant back to his cell.

"Think about it, Lieutenant." He urged the young man before they left.

***

When Captain Ventuno asked to speak to Lord Alnwick he had hoped that it would be a private meeting. He had not expected Captain Bunt to be present as well.

"Captain I suppose you are here because of Lieutenant Zechs?" the lord asked.
Ventuno nodded. "That's correct. I would like you to reconsider his punishment." With a look in Bunts direction he took a deep breath. "Quite frankly, I do believe him."
Bunt's face went dark. "Are you saying my son is lying?" he spat.
"Perhaps he is just twisting the truth a little, Sir. Zechs Merquise is an honorable man. He wouldn't attack somebody without a reason. Besides, if he really wanted to hurt your son I'm sure he would have given Cehn more than just a broken nose."

"With all due respect, Captain Ventuno," Lord Alnwick intervened. "You have been taking a special interest in that young man since the day he arrived at the castle. I'm sure you have your reasons. But don't you think your judgement might be a little clouded? Besides there is no question at all, that Zechs attacked and struck Commander Bunt. He admitted that much himself. And there is also no question that he should be disciplined for that if we don't want to encourage fights amongst our men."
"Disciplined perhaps, my Lord, but I think the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Zechs is a good soldier and an excellent leader. He will be hard to replace as head of his patrol group."
"I'll consider that when making my final decision about his punishment, Captain?" the lord said. "Unless there is anything else you are dismissed."

***

Zechs found it hard enough to believe that he was going to be demoted and loose command of his patrol unit for doing, what he considered, the right thing. But what really shocked him was the fact, that his punishment also included a public flogging.
So much for losing with dignity, he thought bitter. How perfectly humiliating.
He managed to keep his face blank, as he was led into the yard by two guards. Calmly he took off his uniform top and shirt and allowed the guards to tie his arms above his head to the whipping post.

"Consider yourself lucky, Merquise" one of the soldiers told him, as he moved Zechs' long pale blond hair out of the way. "The initial sentence was 50 lashes, your Captain got it reduced to 30."
"Am I supposed to show some kind of gratitude for that?" Zechs asked coldly.

Just when he started to wonder who was going to execute the punishment, Cehn Bunt appeared with a coiled up leather whip in his hand, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, and a nose two sizes too big for his face.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you didn't accept my fathers offer, and gave me the opportunity to do this. But then again, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised about it. Zechs Merquise, always a man of honor." Cehn taunted. "But let me tell you something, Zechs. Honor is highly overrated."

Zechs stared straight ahead, not even dignifying the remark with an answer. He had never been flogged before in his life. Although he wasn't exactly sure what to expect he knew it was going to be bad.

"Because of you I missed out on some fun last night. But I think I'll enjoy this almost as much." Cehn told him with an evil smile on his face.

The man unfurled the whip and let it crack in mid-air just for the effect. The first time the whip actually crashed against Zechs' bare back it left an angry red welt without breaking the skin. It came down again, crossing the first mark, and Zechs bit down on his lip trying not to cry out.

"Come on, let us hear your voice," Cehn sneered. "It's not nearly as much fun if you don't scream."
Zechs pressed his teeth into his lip till he tasted blood, but he didn't make a sound as the whip left another dark red mark on his back. He wasn't going to give his tormentor that kind of satisfaction.

Cehn was skilled in what he was doing. Soon Zechs could feel blood run down his back. Cehn grinned viciously as he raised his arm again. The following strikes, skillfully aimed, landed where the skin had already broken. Zechs felt his knees give away as the leather of the whip connected with the raw flesh of an open wound, and it took all his resolve and willpower not to scream. He had lost count of the strikes and could only pray that it would be over soon. Eventually the pain became just too much to bear. Zechs was almost grateful when he felt the dark wave of unconsciousness wash over him.

***

He came to face down on his bunk in the troop quarter, with something cold and soothing covering his throbbing back.
"Lay still," Walker's voice reached him, as he began to stir.

Zechs hissed when his friend replaced the wet cloth.
"Sorry, Zechs," the man apologized, "but there is no easy way to do this."
"What are you doing here anyway?" the blond asked. "Shouldn't you be out on patrol?"
"The Captain told me to stay here with you," Walker answered. "To make sure you don't do anything foolish when you wake up."
"Something foolish?" Zechs echoed. "Like what?"
Walker shrugged. "Like breaking Cehn's neck I suppose. But seriously, you need to take it easy, Zechs. He worked you over good. Be glad you can't see your back. I'm going to the healer and get you something for the pain. Promise me not to try to get up while I'm gone."
Zechs nodded. Considering how much he was hurting it was a promise easy to be made.

Walker wasn't gone for long. He came back with a mug filled with some kind of steaming brew.
"What is it?" Zechs asked as he eased himself up and swung his feet over the edge of the bunk.
"I'm not sure," Walker shrugged. "It will lessen the pain and make you sleep. At least that's what the healer said."

The blond emptied the cup slowly He could feel the tranquilizing effects of the tea almost instantly. He fell into restless, dream and nightmare filled, sleep only moments after he stretched out on his bed.

The little boy lying over his father's knees let out a small sound of pain as a large hand landed heavily on his bare backside.

"Milliardo I want you to know that you are not being punished for playing in the bell tower without permission, but because you lied about it. Dishonesty is something I can not and will not tolerate." The man's voice was firm, but without any indication of anger. "A man of honor always takes responsibility for his actions. Anything else would be cowardly. Do you understand me?"

He swallowed hard as the hand stuck him again, leaving another red mark. The boy was determined not to cry, but he couldn't suppress the tremor in his voice when he answered.
"Yes Sir."

The boy turned his head to look up at his father, but found himself staring into the scornfully ginning face of Cehn Bunt.
"Honor and honesty are highly overrated, Zechs. Look where they have gotten you."

Zechs woke up sweat drenched but didn't open his eyes. For a while he just lay there reflecting on his dream/ nightmare. He knew that the dream wasn't entirely a product of his imagination. At least part of it was made up of memories. Like the sound of his father's voice, his name. His name was Milliardo, wasn't it? The pieces of his past had slowly begun to fall into place, but Zechs knew he still had a long way to go.

The Captain had given him three days off so that he could recover, but Zechs didn't take that long. The very next night while everybody else was sleeping he packed up what little belongings he had, and prepared to leave. In the stable, when he was saddling his mount he was confronted by Captain Ventuno.
"Where do you think you are going, Lieutenant? You have no permission to leave the castle grounds."
"I do not care about permissions. I don't take orders from anybody in this castle anymore. I'm leaving." Zechs answered calmly.
"That would be desertion. You could get yourself court-martialed for it. You swore an oath of allegiance to his Lordship."
"I also swore to protect those who can not protect themselves," Zechs shot back. "And now, with all due respect Captain, get out of my way or I'll go through you."

For a moment it looked like Ventuno was going to try to stop the young soldier, but then he just stepped out of the way.

Zechs left Alnwick castle behind him and spurred his mount into a light trot. It wasn't very long until he noticed that he was being followed. He frowned and slowed down. He was somewhat relieved when he recognized Walker, Bryn and Laine. Zechs allowed the three men to catch up with him.
"If Ventuno sent you to take me back let me warn you. It won't happen without a fight," he told them, his hand on the haft of his sword.
"Take it easy Zechs. Nobody sent us," Bryn assured him. "We are going with you."
Zechs' frown deepened. "You shouldn't get yourself involved in this. You are better off turning around while you still can."

"Wrong, Zechs. We promised that we would stick together no matter what, or have you already forgotten about that?"

Of course he hadn't, but back when they made that promise to each other a situation like this had never crossed his mind.

"You are not coming with me." His voice didn't leave any room for argument.
"Say's who?" Walker asked. "You seem to forget something Zechs. You are not our commanding officer anymore. We don't have to take orders from you no more."
"Absolutely right," Bryn agreed. "And this is a free land. We can go wherever we want."
"Fine then," Zechs shrugged. "I won't stop you. But don't blame me later on."

***

"Zechs, you do know where you are going, right?" Walker asked.
Dawn was breaking and they had left Alnwick castle and Levingtown behind them a long time ago. Ahead of them lay one of the large and luscious forests that were plentiful in Alnwick county.
The blond nodded. "Of course I do."
"Care to tell us?"

"You will have to wait and see..." Zechs replied. "Or you can turn around now."
As soon as the three riders entered the forest Walker had the strange feeling that they were being watched by somebody. He tried to tell himself that he was just imagining thing. But apparently he wasn't the only one who had that impression.

It was Laine who said, "Somehow I have the feeling we are not alone."
"You are right about that," Zechs confirmed calmly. "Make sure you keep your hands away from your weapons if you want to stay alive."

Bryn blinked. "You are not joking, are you?"
"You can not say I didn't warn you," Zechs remarked, slightly amused, as he turned toward his companions. And then, directed at somebody they couldn't see, he called out. "Rens, aim your weapon somewhere else, will you? Is this a way to greet people?"
A young man dropped down from a tree just in front of the four riders, his crossbow still pointed in their direction.
Zechs frowned, as he brought his mount to a hold. "You have been following us for quite a while now. Didn't you recognize me?"
"I did. I just wasn't sure of your intentions. And I'm still not sure." Rens didn't take an eye of the men.
"I told you that I would come back some day, didn't I?" The blond answered.
"So you did, but we didn't expect you to come with a group of soldiers." There was a definite trace of hostility in the young man's voice.
"These are friends of mine. If I had planned to harm you I would have brought more than just a handful of soldiers, wouldn't you think so?"
"I don't know," another voice joined in from behind them. "You have always been overly confident of yourself, Zechs. Perhaps you think you are good enough to take on the White Fang alone."
Zechs snorted. "Nichols of course, I didn't expect anything intelligent out of you. - Are you going to take us to Howard or are we just going to stay here and make small talk?"
"Hand over your weapon," Nichols demanded.
"Try to take it and I'll break your neck." Zechs' tone of voice left no doubt that he was dead serious.

"Oh yeah, let's see about that…"
"Stop it!" Rens interrupted. "The Captain told us the watch them, Nichols. There was no word about starting a fight."

"So, I should just let him insult me?" the brown-haired ex-imperial soldier growled, but backed off anyway.

***

A short time later Zechs was sitting together with Howard in the captain's tent. The old soldier seemed genuinely happy to see the young man again.
"So, you are here to stay?" Howard asked.

Zechs nodded.
"What about your friends?"

"I can't speak for them. They will have to make that choice on their own. They are good fighters though, and if they should decide to stay you will not have to worry about there loyalty."

The captain nodded in acknowledgement. "What about you? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Zechs just shrugged. "In a way I suppose. I've decided to stop looking. Perhaps it's better to let the past be just that, the past."

Howard's eyes narrowed, as he wondered what it was that Zechs had found out about himself. But of course he didn't ask. If the young man wanted to talk about it he would do so on his own.
"Hilde told me about the two of you meeting in Levingtown. I take it that what happened there is the reason for your desertion."

Zechs almost cringed at that word. But of course that was exactly what he was a deserter, so there was no reason to sugar-coat it.
"Yes it was, but there is no reason for you to tell Hilde that and have her feel guilty about it. She did nothing wrong. I'm somewhat glad it happened. It opened my eyes to a few things I might have otherwise never seen. Besides, somebody once told me that everything in life happens for a reason."

"Well, whatever the reason might be, Zechs. I'm glad you are back." Howard slapped the blond on the back as he got up.

Zechs hissed in pain and tensed.

The captain looked at him surprised. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," the young man answered evasively.

"You almost jumped out of your chair when I touched you, so don't give me that "nothing" nonsense." Howard scowled at him. "Let me see your back."
"There is no reason for you to be concerned."

"Stop being stubborn, I have seen you topless before, remember."
Zechs sighed, too tired to argue with the old man, and took off his shirt. The captain took a sharp breath at the wounds on the young man's back. He didn't have to ask what had happened. It was pretty obvious.
"You need to have Catherine take a look at that." It sounded like an order not just a suggestion.