Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Moirai ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

AN: This fic was written quite some time ago. However… I’ve been going back over a lot of my stuff, and I realized this fic was far from what it could have been and could be. So, I’m reworking it. Heck, who knows. Maybe this version will have a happy ending. :-P

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, unless an OC pops up in here somewhere.   Moirai   Prologue   By: Penybright

A somber young man sat hunched under a sheltering oak, it’s leafy branches fanning out in wide array. Green splashed with vibrant hues of gold, red, violet and orange surrounded him. He was deep in thought, his musings troubling. He often came to this particular spot in the palace gardens when he was troubled. Something in nature called to him; beckoning. A soft breeze whispered through, caressing everything in its silky embrace. Velvety ripples cascaded across the small man-made pond, pulling water lilies in their wake. Tousled russet locks were lifted to reveal stunning blue eyes, dark as a midnight sky. Those deep eyes shifted to the right as he sensed someone approach.

"Brother," he nodded, noting the other man’s presence.

"I just can't sneak up on you, can I?" the taller man chuckled, his violet eyes dancing. The grin slipped from his face when he saw his brother's grim countenance. With a sigh, he lowered himself to the mossy ground.

"So, how are you taking things?"

A glare was his response.

"Ah, still upset about your upcoming wedding I see."

"You’re the one who should be getting married off.”

An eyebrow arched in mild amusement.

"What if something... happens? What if she discovers about... it?"

"Are you still having trouble with that?" the elder asked in concern.

"It's getting easier to control... At times. Sometimes I have no control over it. I don't like it."

"I'm sure everything will be fine. And, if Princess Sylvia discovers your ability, maybe it's for the best. She is going to be your wife and, one day, Queen."

"…What if I inadvertently hurt her?"

"I don't think you could hurt her. Your heart is to pure."

The statement earned him a snort from his younger brother.

"I don't know where you get such crazy ideas."

"I've looked into your soul, little brother,” he responded cryptically. “You have much to learn, and many great things await you in the future."

"You Mages are all alike, spouting riddles," he huffed. "I can't even get a straight answer out of my own brother."

"In time you'll understand."

"Yes, well, until then I have to get ready for tonight. Maybe we can talk later?"

The elder brother nodded as the younger stood up, dusting himself off. Sadly, he watched the young man depart, his cloak rippling behind him in the wind. His younger brother's life was about to take a drastic change, and it wasn't going to be for the better he feared.   [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Heero Elijah De’Yuy, Prince Heir to the kingdom of Iekan stood in the throne chamber before a large audience of noble men and women. Courtiers of every rank and station filled the wide halls. They were all dressed in their finest silks, all embroidered in excess and giving the illusion of a rather large, very strange tapestry. His father and mother were seated on the high-backed thrones atop the dias at the forefront of the hall. Large columns marched down the sides of the chamber, each framing large stained-glass windows. Arches drew the eye upwards towards the domed ceiling covered in arabesque. Garlands had been hung from the heavily scrolled column tops for the occasion, filling the room with the sweet, pungent scent of jasmine.

The abbot walked forward, his staff clinking on the polished tiles. Stepping up onto the dais that held the thrones and their rulers, he raised a hand for silence. Heero glanced quickly to his right, finding his brother standing beside him with a knowing smile. His head snapped back to the large oaken doors as he heard several murmurs.

Vibrant blue eyes locked on the slim figure approaching. She made her way down the long aisle, her expression unreadable. Heero wondered how she felt about this arrangement. He had only met her once before, when they were both very young. The most prominent thing he could remember was her naiveté. She had lived her entire life inside her family's palace, never once setting foot outside the walls. Until now. Her dress had been picked to match the green of her eyes. Orange blossoms were woven in a wreath to crown the golden waves that cascaded down her back. A blue ribbon was tied around her left arm symbolizing purity, which was also worn around Heero’s left arm. A large stone of Sardonyx hung around her slender neck; chastity and humility. Sylvia offered a small smile when she finally reached his side.

The two young adults knelt on the step, clasping their hands together as the abbot began the long, formal ceremony. Heero found himself unconsciously shifting as it neared to a close. After today, he would be married to a woman he barely knew. It was customary to be wed by your fifteenth year in his kingdom. He had already reached his sixteenth year and was approaching his seventeenth. He had put it off as long as he could, trying to escape the inevitable and stalling at every opportunity.

What seemed like eons later, the young couple rose to their feet. Wrists bound together lightly by a golden cord, they were presented to the court as husband and wife. Cheers and applause broke out, quickly turning to screams and shouts of surprise as the large stained glass windows lining the walls shattered inward. Armed men broke through filling the large chamber.

The massacre began.

Heero grabbed Sylvia's hand pulling her with him to where Duo was shouting at them. Mumbling a few words, Duo waved his hand over the wall. The wall swirled and then opened to reveal the grounds surrounding the palace. He quickly shoved his brother and new sister-in-law through the opening, leaping after them. Unfortunately, outside was no better than inside. Heated combat was going on between the Palace Guard and the, as of yet, unknown attackers. The three began to weave their way through the battle, trying to reach the relative safety of the walls and their battlements.

Heero watched in horror as both soldier and innocent alike were cut down brutally. Blood flowed freely, staining the green grass and making it slippery. Dead bodies were strewn about the once peaceful fields, horrid screams slicing through the air. Grotesque wounds gaped open from the fallen revealing, to Heero’s horror, their insides, raw and bloody. He felt bile rise in his throat and fought to keep it down. The air stank of blood and death. It was unthinkable. It was like nothing he had ever seen, or hoped to ever see again.

They had almost reached the wall when a group spotted them. Duo shouted for Heero and Sylvia to run as he turned to faced the enemy. Heero didn't hesitate, dragging his bride along with him, desperate to get her to safety as he heard his brother begin to mumble an incantation.. She had already seen more than some hardened soldiers could bear, and he suspected she would be haunted by nightmarish visions of the carnage for the rest of her life.

Sylvia screamed as she was jerked from Heero's grasp, harshly falling to the ground. Heero turned to help her, only to be seized roughly by two men. He watched in dread as a third man kneeled over Sylvia, a leer spread across his coarse features.

"Let her go!" Heero spat, struggling against his captors, kicking and squirming, trying to break free of their grasp.

They only chuckled, twisting an arm tightly behind his back and forcing him to his knees. Heero averted his gaze. He couldn't watch what was about to happen. How could anyone…One of his captors roughly grabbed his hair, pulling his face up.

"Watch," he commanded, giving a harsh tug.

Sylvia's sobs cut Heero to the bone. She cried out, begging for it stop. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Heero clenched his eyes shut, mortified and unwilling to watch as the man had his way with her. Even though he managed to block out the images, he was helpless against her screams. Sylvia continued to scream through the entire ordeal until, finally, her cries died down to gurgles as a dagger was pulled across her throat. Heero felt a hand smeared in blood grab his chin and haul him to his feet.

“Look at me, boy.”

Heero refused. He wouldn’t, no couldn’t open his eyes and see her…

A fist connected with is jaw. He stumbled to the side before regaining his equilibrium. As soon as he was balanced, the blows began to rain down. Gasping and coughing up blood, Heero collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees. His entire body throbbed and protested. One mercenary sneered, kicking Heero in the stomach. He rolled onto his back with a painful groan, eliciting several pleased chuckles from his attackers.

"Consider your wench lucky, boy. She died fairly quick. I'm going to make sure you live for a while."

Heero watched with hazy vision as the man drew his sword. Dull light glinted off the razor sharp blade. He found himself oddly fascinated by the way the light hit the metal, refracting away… His body jerked as he felt the flesh of his abdomen rip open, hot blood oozing out.

"I'll see you in hell," the man spat, brandishing his bloodied weapon.

Heero gasped, trying to breathe through the pain. He listened as the sounds of fighting died down. An eerie silence replaced the chaos, interrupted only by the last sounds of the dying. He didn't know how long he lay there, feeling his lifeblood seep from him. The darkness began to pull at him, drawing him into the land of the insensate.