Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Maids of Silva ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

The Maids of Silva
Chapter Four By Goldberry





The sun dawned pale and colorless in the white world, casting prisms
of light over the white-covered fields and dripping icicles. Small
birds made v-shaped tracks in the snow, fluttering here and there,
alive in the brisk wind. Deer walked silently through the burdened
trees, peeling bark off the trunks as they went, content that the
land lay quiet around them. Everything was pristine and crisp and
new, and it almost seemed that the morning was the first that had
ever been, so glorious was the feeling in the air. Nothing could
shatter the brightness on the horizon.

"Lie tame piss Pooh-oh."

Well, almost nothing. Certainly words uttered by the large mountain
cat did cause a flurry of blushes and gasps of startled distress. The
magical creatures of the snowy night had woken with the sun's first
rays, leaving Relena and Hilde little time to discuss just what they
could be. How was it that they could talk? Were they some wizard's
familiars? Two creatures of a realm far outside their own, perhaps?
Unfortunately, these questions prompted answers from the cat that
could not be deciphered no matter how much the girls strained to make
out words in the strings of nonsense. Furthermore, the big cat seemed
to become more and more disgruntled at their lack of comprehension,
prompting Hilde to pat its head sympathetically.

"Maybe this is just the way cats speak," Hilde said to Relena as her
sister tended to the ice falcon. "Because we can't speak his language
it just sounds garbled to us." The cat growled low in his throat and
Hilde looked sharply at it until it subsided.

Relena, the raptor perched on her padded wrist, smoothed the bird's
pure feathers almost lovingly, being careful to avoid the splint and
bandages that bound his broken wing. "Perhaps," she said absently,
tilting her head. "I have never seen such beasts as these. Do you
think they are Quatre's?"

"I'm not sure," Hilde replied, a small frown marring the beauty of
her face. "At least he might know something about them. After all, he
knows all the names of the animals under his protection. We should
ask him."

"But not today," Relena answered, casting her gaze to the small
window and out to the cold landscape outside. "It's too cold to go
far and Peygan will want company." Both girls looked to where their
guardian lay, still asleep in his pallet bed, his breathing deep and
sometimes raspy. The old man's bones often ached in harsh weather and
it would be up to them to keep the cottage warm and draft-free for
him. "Besides, the falcon can speak quite clearly, if seldom." She
looked into the wild blue eyes and bowed her head to the noble
bird. "If you please, would you tell us your name? I am Relena and
that is my sister, Hilde." For a moment, Relena was afraid the great
falcon would not answer or that she had somehow offended it, but then
it's voice echoed in the small room, soft but full of something that
could only be described as power.

"My name is unknown to all the creatures of the world, even me."

Relena felt her heart ache suddenly in her chest and she looked to
Hilde who sat with the cat by the fire, a fierce desire to help the
bird written clearly across her face.

Hilde cleared her throat. "How did you come to be here? Do you belong
to someone? You seemed to be very travel weary when you arrived on
our doorstep last night."

The falcon gave a distinctly hostile look to the cat sprawled near
the fire. "I was fleeing this predator who you have unknowingly let
into your house. I have flown from him many times, as it seems his
greatest wish is to kill me." There was a slight pause and a note of
smugness entered the bird's voice. "Although, as you might have
guessed, he has never succeeded."

Hilde frowned, thoughts racing across her eyes. "That doesn't seem
right. He had the perfect chance to eat you last night and yet he
dropped you, unharmed but for your wing, on our floor."

The falcon gave an odd kind of chirp and remained silent. Relena
guessed that it was probably skeptical, if a bird of prey could be
such a thing. She looked to the cat.

"And you? Do you know who you are?"

Immediately, the cat spoke. "Lie game piss Rinse Pooh-oh canned
pisses by siege, by sword canned by other, Wing Zero."

Hilde titled her head. "I think he's saying something about a war. I
thought I heard `siege' and `sword' in there."

"And `wing', too," Relena added. "Maybe he's saying the bird broke
it's wing in a battle?"

The cat growled again and the girls jumped. "Pisses die other, Zero.
Lie same piss Pooh-oh. Guts a fatter tissue? Bar too cupid? Lie bed
by game piss Pooh-oh."

"Pooh-oh? Is that your name?" Hilde queried, glancing at
Relena. "He's said it twice."

"Lie bed by game piss Pooh-oh! Snot GOO-OH!"

Relena shook her head, golden hair glittering in the candle
light. "He's vehement about something but I can't make it out." The
cat slumped where he lay. "Just call him `Cat' for now, until we talk
to Quatre. He'll know their proper names, I'm sure of it."


The falcon shifted on her wrist tilted its head almost sideways as it
peered sharply at the lounging cat. "No wonder the beast cannot catch
anything. He seems to be rather dimwitted." The cat growled in
response but the falcon continued, ignoring him. "At least it might
keep quite if it has nothing useful to say."


In a blur of dark gold fur, the cat lunged straight for the falcon,
causing Relena to scream as she was toppled backwards, the bird
hopping ungraceful to the floor in an attempt to avoid the jaws that
lunged for him. Awakened by Relena's cry, Peygan sat upright in bed,
blinking in surprise and half reaching for a sword that no longer
hung at his hip. He was no quicker than Hilde, though, who reached
for the broom against the wall to smack the cat in the face with the
bristle end, an indignant look on her face.

"Stop this instant!" she ordered, watching as her blow stunned the
cat and allowed the falcon to half flutter under a stool out of
harm's way. Sprawled on the floor, Relena rolled over and up on her
elbow, her other hand rising to rub a shoulder that would soon sport
a bruise. Hilde looked to her, still pointing the broom at the cat
like a saber. "Relena, are you alright?"

Her sister nodded. "Yes, I'm alright. He just surprised me." From his
bed, Peygan rubbed a hand over his face, banishing that last sands of
sleep.

"What is going on here, girls?" An eyebrow arched as he took in the
scene before him, causing Hilde to blush and lower her makeshift
weapon. Luckily, Relena came to her rescue.


"It's alright, Uncle," she said, stepping over the prone cat and
kneeling by the stool. "Everything's fine. The animals are a bit
restless, I think, and it's making them irritable. I don't think they
are used to staying in such close quarters." Relena moved the stool
and offered her wrist to the falcon. "How is your wing, Falcon? Are
you alright?"

"I am unhurt," it replied somewhat stiffly, eyeing the awakening cat
with a dark look. "Although I do wish the maid had hit him a bit a
harder."

Relena lifted her wrist as the bird settled on it again. "You
shouldn't antagonize him, Falcon. He could have eaten you if he had
wanted to."

The falcon remained silent.

"Poof."

Hilde, hands on her hips, stood over the cat as it shook itself and
looked up at her, clearly disgruntled. Hilde only shook her
head. "Don't look at me like that, Cat. You have shown poor manners
to my sister and could have seriously further injured Falcon.
Apologize." The cat gave her a pleading look but Hilde remained
firm. "Go on."

With a slight growl, the cat said, "Snorry."

Relena smiled faintly, taking the word in good faith. "It's alright."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Pegan said gruffly, but
with a twinkle in his eyes. "It looks to me as if those animals needs
some fresh air. Why don't you take them out for a romp in the snow?
Stay close to the cottage, of course, and don't go into the forest."
He smiled slightly. "Let them stretch a bit and then we will break
our fast."

Excited at the prospect of enjoying the first fall of snow, the girls
bundled themselves against the cold amidst laughter and fumbling for
scarves and cloaks. Once they were properly attired, they waved
goodbye to Peygan and set out, the Falcon perched on Relena's
shoulder.

Once outside, breath misting in the air, the Cat gave a playful growl
and began to romp through the snowdrifts, flinging crystal flakes
into the air as Hilde pretended to chase him. Relena, feeling more
serene in the pale light, watched them sedately, laughing when Hilde
began to arm herself with snowballs. Everything was so peaceful. Even
the addition of their two new friends only caused brighter smiles and
cheery faces. Winter had always been an enchanted time for her and
this one promised to be more magical than all the rest.

"If only Quatre was here," she said softly, her words forming little
puffs of cloud in the frosty air. Sometimes the fairy seemed so sad,
so…alone, as if he carried some great secret that he could not
unburden. It would do him good to have some happiness.

"Quatre?" the falcon questioned, it's voice seemingly coming from
everywhere at once. Relena nodded.

"He's a friend of ours. He's looked after us since Hilde and I were
infants." She pulled the hood of her cloak closer around her
face. "Perhaps you will meet him during your stay with us. Your wing
needs time to heal and I think Quatre might be able to answer the
riddle of your name."

The falcon fluffed his feathers until he looked like a fat little
fluff ball. Relena giggled at the sight and the bird tilted his head
at her, his eyes that strange shade of blue she had never before seen
on a raptor. Abruptly, her laughter was cut short as a snowball hit
her square in the face, spraying ice and slush all over the falcon
who cried angrily. Relena wiped snow from her eyes to find Hilde
rolling in the snow with laughter, the great cat by her side, its
thick fur already sporting many splattered snowballs. Relena grinned
in anticipation.

Hidden within the trees ringing the clearing where the cottage sat, a
pale yellow shadow flitted in the shadows, ice blue eyes hard and
yielding as they watched.

"How heartwarming," the shadow cooed, its voice laced with
sarcasm. "It looks as if the beasts have been taken in by two
innocent girls. I'm sure they'll make wonderful house pets." Harsh
laughter grated through the air. "My, my." A slender finger tapped
pink lips. "Perhaps I'll let them play a little longer." Arrows were
replaced into a quiver. "After all, I would not want to be
responsible for spoiling their last moments of fun." The shadow
watched a few seconds more as snowballs flew everywhere in the
clearing and the tinkling sound of happy laughter echoed through the
trees. "I will come and get you two soon. Never fear, I will continue
to wait and watch. Your time will come."

Down below, the falcon turned its intense gaze to the tree line, it's
sharp sight trying to discern something with the shadows. Relena,
caught by its movement, followed its line of sight.

"Is something wrong, Falcon?"

The bird didn't answer and she felt a distinct chill run down her
back, as if unfriendly eyes had fallen on her for an instant. Relena
called to Hilde. "We should go back inside. Peygan will be waiting
for us."

Her sister nodded and the four of them entered the cottage once
again, closing the door firmly against shadows and unseen eyes.
Unfortunately, their happy lives were about to change, heralded by
the changing winds and a certain heaviness that sometimes made both
animals raise their heads as if listen to something only they could
hear.

Relena saw it and felt her heart quiver in her chest.
Hilde saw it and felt suddenly afraid.
Peygan saw it and felt abruptly weary.

Change had come at least to the small cottage in the glen and he
wondered if, perhaps, the incredible story was coming to an end.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he was wrong.

It was only just beginning.


TBC...