Into to room stepped a tall, broad-shouldered man in full armor. His
sword rested on his shoulder, ready to strike and his sharp blue eyes
calmly scanned the room. "You disgust me," he sneered, taking into account
the rumpled sheets and the half-dressed state of the girls. "Sleeping with
this whore of a princess, I see."
"TREIZE!" Duet cried and struggled against Heero, but he held her fast. How she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face…
"Oh, so she is something more to you than another plaything. I always knew, Prince Juni. I always suspected… Now you have no choice but to surrender the throne!" With his last words, Treize brought down his sword and sliced open the front of Duet tunic, revealing who she was to all who didn't know.
"It's bold of you to stage an attack here in my brother and your lord's own castle," Relena stuttered, finding her voice at last. Treize turned to face her and his smile widened.
"Your brother is dead."
Relena's face paled and her eyes welled with tears. Duet could stand it no longer. She leaned her head back and whispered to Heero, "If you ever loved me or my kingdom you would release me."
Heero obeyed, and with one swift motion, Duet pulled his sword from its sheath. He was mildly surprised, but backed away, knowing full well that she could use it.
"MURDERER!" the prince cried, raising the sword above her head to kill Treize with one swing. But the sword was too heavy. She aimed wrong and it glanced harmlessly off his mail.
Trowa struggled to keep Relena back as Treize drew his own sword. The two fought for what seemed like hours, but in the end Duet lost due to her disadvantages in stature and stamina (not to say she didn't fight well).
Treize cornered the braided girl against the wall and was about to run her through when, like a streak of lightning, Heero fell upon him. Duet tossed him his sword and the shorter soldier drove Treize back, almost out the doorway, before lunging and slicing a neat crimson mark across his chest. The mail gave way before the newly sharpened edge and Treize stumbled into the hall.
It would have been over then and there had his guards stepped up. They stalled Heero, and now Trowa who had joined the fight, as long as it took to lead Treize to safety.
Relena leaned out her window and caught sight of horses galloping off as fast as their hooves would carry them. Relief was fleeting though. The thought of her brother dead was too much to bear. He was the only family she had left. The delicate girl bowed her head, ashamed that the others would see her cry, but Duet wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Relena relaxed in the reassuring embrace and let her tears flow.
She wept until there was nothing left inside her. Duet ran her fingers through the blond girl's hair and whispered comforting words about protection and avenging her brother. Vengeance. The word struck home and Relena straightened up.
"I will avenge my brother!" she cried and Duet looked down in surprise.
"But… Relena," Duet began, but Heero cut her off. He whispered in her ear,
"She's only a little strange because of the circumstances. Give her some time. She will come back to her senses."
Just then, Quatre came running in carrying a small bundle. He had been at the river, washing Duet's clothes (for the castle servants would certainly have asked some questions concerning certain articles) but had rushed back the moment he had seen the soldiers marching. He knew there was a hunting party out, but he didn't want to be caught with Duet's clothes so he had hidden.
When Quatre had returned, the men were just galloping off. He snuck in through the kitchen door and hurried to Duet's room as fast he could and that is where he stood.
"What happened?" he asked, innocent turquoise eyes full of unspoken questions. Since he was being stealthy, he had not entered through the front gate and seen the carnage the soldiers had left.
"King Milliardo was attacked and killed by Treize," Trowa said evenly, resting a solid hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Quatre's eyes shot open and he rushed to Princess Relena, clinging to her like a small child does to an older sibling. It eased Relena's pain some to see such an innocent face.
"Tomorrow we will ride. We shall find that dog and slaughter him!" Duet roared, her eyes glowing an angry sapphire.
"I'm coming too!" Relena said firmly, taking Duet's hand.
"Little bird…" the braided prince warned, but Relena gave her such a look it would be impossible to refuse. "Trowa, get her a bow and proper armor. You do know how to shoot?" she asked, directing this last sentence at the ivory-skinned angel clinging to her arm.
Relena nodded. She was actually quite good, for though she never shot live prey, she could roundly beat her brother's archers in games of targets.
Trowa left, returning a moment later with a longbow of silver birch and a quiver of silver-headed arrows. Over his arm was draped a glittering mail shirt, light and fine as silk, but sturdier than solid steel.
Relena was given all these thing which she placed on her vanity stool for tomorrow.
Noticing the hour, Duet's guards bowed goodnight and left to inform their soldiers of tomorrow's ride before nightfall. Quatre remained and helped Relena undress climb into bed. When she had fallen asleep with her head resting in Duet's lap, he departed.
Quietly, the braided girl tucked the princess in and walked to the door.
"I'm afraid to be alone…" came a small voice from the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Tori: I really like how this doujinshi is turning out…
Ke: *wipes little tear* It's things like this that make me proud to be a muse…
Tori: We finished illustrating chapter two! They're selling like Pokémon!
Ke: …or hotcakes…
Tori: And we owe it all to our wonderful illustrator, Hinoto! [wild applause]
Ke: She's got a great art style. Think CLAMP…
Tori: Okay, this was just a pointless little update, but if you want, you can try searching for them on E-bay. We put sixty copies up for auction. They're under "Young Love" or "UchuTosuta." Happy reading, doujinshi otaku!
"TREIZE!" Duet cried and struggled against Heero, but he held her fast. How she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face…
"Oh, so she is something more to you than another plaything. I always knew, Prince Juni. I always suspected… Now you have no choice but to surrender the throne!" With his last words, Treize brought down his sword and sliced open the front of Duet tunic, revealing who she was to all who didn't know.
"It's bold of you to stage an attack here in my brother and your lord's own castle," Relena stuttered, finding her voice at last. Treize turned to face her and his smile widened.
"Your brother is dead."
Relena's face paled and her eyes welled with tears. Duet could stand it no longer. She leaned her head back and whispered to Heero, "If you ever loved me or my kingdom you would release me."
Heero obeyed, and with one swift motion, Duet pulled his sword from its sheath. He was mildly surprised, but backed away, knowing full well that she could use it.
"MURDERER!" the prince cried, raising the sword above her head to kill Treize with one swing. But the sword was too heavy. She aimed wrong and it glanced harmlessly off his mail.
Trowa struggled to keep Relena back as Treize drew his own sword. The two fought for what seemed like hours, but in the end Duet lost due to her disadvantages in stature and stamina (not to say she didn't fight well).
Treize cornered the braided girl against the wall and was about to run her through when, like a streak of lightning, Heero fell upon him. Duet tossed him his sword and the shorter soldier drove Treize back, almost out the doorway, before lunging and slicing a neat crimson mark across his chest. The mail gave way before the newly sharpened edge and Treize stumbled into the hall.
It would have been over then and there had his guards stepped up. They stalled Heero, and now Trowa who had joined the fight, as long as it took to lead Treize to safety.
Relena leaned out her window and caught sight of horses galloping off as fast as their hooves would carry them. Relief was fleeting though. The thought of her brother dead was too much to bear. He was the only family she had left. The delicate girl bowed her head, ashamed that the others would see her cry, but Duet wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Relena relaxed in the reassuring embrace and let her tears flow.
She wept until there was nothing left inside her. Duet ran her fingers through the blond girl's hair and whispered comforting words about protection and avenging her brother. Vengeance. The word struck home and Relena straightened up.
"I will avenge my brother!" she cried and Duet looked down in surprise.
"But… Relena," Duet began, but Heero cut her off. He whispered in her ear,
"She's only a little strange because of the circumstances. Give her some time. She will come back to her senses."
Just then, Quatre came running in carrying a small bundle. He had been at the river, washing Duet's clothes (for the castle servants would certainly have asked some questions concerning certain articles) but had rushed back the moment he had seen the soldiers marching. He knew there was a hunting party out, but he didn't want to be caught with Duet's clothes so he had hidden.
When Quatre had returned, the men were just galloping off. He snuck in through the kitchen door and hurried to Duet's room as fast he could and that is where he stood.
"What happened?" he asked, innocent turquoise eyes full of unspoken questions. Since he was being stealthy, he had not entered through the front gate and seen the carnage the soldiers had left.
"King Milliardo was attacked and killed by Treize," Trowa said evenly, resting a solid hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Quatre's eyes shot open and he rushed to Princess Relena, clinging to her like a small child does to an older sibling. It eased Relena's pain some to see such an innocent face.
"Tomorrow we will ride. We shall find that dog and slaughter him!" Duet roared, her eyes glowing an angry sapphire.
"I'm coming too!" Relena said firmly, taking Duet's hand.
"Little bird…" the braided prince warned, but Relena gave her such a look it would be impossible to refuse. "Trowa, get her a bow and proper armor. You do know how to shoot?" she asked, directing this last sentence at the ivory-skinned angel clinging to her arm.
Relena nodded. She was actually quite good, for though she never shot live prey, she could roundly beat her brother's archers in games of targets.
Trowa left, returning a moment later with a longbow of silver birch and a quiver of silver-headed arrows. Over his arm was draped a glittering mail shirt, light and fine as silk, but sturdier than solid steel.
Relena was given all these thing which she placed on her vanity stool for tomorrow.
Noticing the hour, Duet's guards bowed goodnight and left to inform their soldiers of tomorrow's ride before nightfall. Quatre remained and helped Relena undress climb into bed. When she had fallen asleep with her head resting in Duet's lap, he departed.
Quietly, the braided girl tucked the princess in and walked to the door.
"I'm afraid to be alone…" came a small voice from the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Tori: I really like how this doujinshi is turning out…
Ke: *wipes little tear* It's things like this that make me proud to be a muse…
Tori: We finished illustrating chapter two! They're selling like Pokémon!
Ke: …or hotcakes…
Tori: And we owe it all to our wonderful illustrator, Hinoto! [wild applause]
Ke: She's got a great art style. Think CLAMP…
Tori: Okay, this was just a pointless little update, but if you want, you can try searching for them on E-bay. We put sixty copies up for auction. They're under "Young Love" or "UchuTosuta." Happy reading, doujinshi otaku!