Chapter 7
Relena felt funny as she walked back to the market. Maybe it was because she had lied to Heero, but she had had no other choice at the moment. He had looked lost and not only in a physical way and somewhat in pain, she had noticed a tension about his posture and a discreet limp in his step… If Sally had still been around Relena might have suggested a visit to the physician, but she had left the night before and would have been half way to the colonies by that time. It was none of her business anyway whether the foreigner was in pain or not. He had not said a word about it and she respected his need of privacy, besides she did have to focus on finding the dragon rider before the guards did.
The house where he had fallen had not told her much, all it did was give her an idea of which way he had probably headed in his escape. He should have been wounded… No. He must have been wounded. There was no way a human could withstand a fall like that and leave unharmed, but then again… She knew close to nothing about him so how could she be so sure he was human? But if he was not human then what could he be? Could he have sprouted wings and flown away? No. If he could fly he would not have fallen in the first place. Relena sighed, realising that she had been standing there, in the middle of the market, for some time.
It was when the horns sounded. People were soon looking up in alarm, searching the sky for dragons, others were already running towards the forest behind the castle and a third group merely resumed their activities apprehensively. A guard soon appeared, running past her and into the heart of the crowd. 'OZ is attacking!' he shouted. 'We're under attack! You must all seek shelter in the woods!'
The princess watched wide-eyed as people started shouting and running in all directions. Women picked up crying children crushing them against their bosoms, merchants raised their hands up in despair as pottery crashed and boxes of fruit were knocked over, its contents destroyed by the stampede. There were people running her way as well to try and gather as many of their belongings as they could in case their houses were sacked and burned. A particularly burly man almost knocked her down, she stumbled to the side and had to use the wall of a nearby house to steady herself.
She stuck to the safety of the walls as she pushed through the crowd and towards the castle. Then she remembered Heero… Relena hesitated, unsure why she was even thinking about him. It was not like she would be able to help him anyway. Maybe if he stayed hidden in the inn he would be safe… For some reason she doubted that would be possible. If OZ made it into the town all houses, shops and buildings would be broken into and those inside would either be killed or… She shuddered thinking of those women and children that were rushing by.
I will be of no use here, but if I make it back to the castle I may be able to help. Her mind made up, she resumed moving. The Alliance members would probably ignore anything she had to say, but she would try and she would fight. If necessary she would ride to the battle front and lead their forces herself. In the background, she could hear the clashing of swords and the screams of dying men mixed up with the desperate shouts of the remaining civilians. The mob had dispersed enough for her to be able to pick up her pace. As she started running she heard an archer shout from the rooftops.
'They broke through the gates!'
Relena kept on running as she prayed for her people's safety. It was all she could do.
XXX
Heero was half way to the castle when the sounds of battle reached his ears. The horns had sounded not long before, announcing the arrival of OZ or so he assumed. It did not bother him at all, in fact it would make it easier for him to make it into the castle grounds unseen if the guards and knights were distracted by the upcoming battle. He hid inside one of the half burnt houses as a group of knights rode down the street towards the city gates, their strong battle horses nervous on their hooves. Heero thought about his own horse that he had left at the public stables… If he could not find Wing, he would probably have to go back on foot. Not a very attractive idea.
The gates to the patio were wide open as groups of archers, swordsmen and knights were coming out at all times. He could hear a strong male voice shouting orders. An Alliance member most definitely since the princess had yet to be crowned. There was too much going on there for him to be able to slip in unnoticed. He would have to find another way. Following the tall walls that surrounded the castle he found a second gate, this one led into a garden that stretched all the way into the heart of the castle where it became a sort of courtyard, the castle's stone walls forming an 'U' around it. The gate was unguarded much as the gardens themselves.
He tried to squeeze through the metal bars, but even though he was lean he was not lean enough. Digging underneath it would mean losing more time than he had for, if he had understood the shouts he had heard before correctly, OZ had already made it past the main gates and into the city. They were born and raised to fight and if Sanc Kingdom's royal troops had any chance it rested solely on their numbers. Heero frowned at the gate. Should he try climbing or look for yet another way in?
A roar sounded at that very moment. Wing had caught his scent. That meant he was near. His mind made up, he took distance and ran, jumping as high as he could. He missed the horizontal bar by a few inches. At that moment, he honestly wished he was Trowa or just a tad bit taller. This time, before jumping, he took impulse on one of the lower horizontal bars safely reaching the highest one. Then he carefully passed between the sharp lance-like tips at the top and dropped at the other side just as two guards turned the corner on their way from the patio.
'Hey, you! Stop right there!' one of them shouted, pointing his lance in Heero's direction.
A good fifty metres separated them and the guards were advancing cautiously which gave him all the time he needed to scan his surroundings. The gate had limited his vision from the outside so he had not been able to see the building that now stood to his left… The royal stables. Immediately, he knew that was where Wing was being kept. Those guards had come to check on him after hearing the roaring.
Heero looked down at his right hand wrapped around the hilt of his long sword. The glowing blade was meant for the princess not just anyone… If he wasted the wizards' magic on one of those guards he would be in more trouble than he already was. His bow was on his back, underneath his cloak, if he tried to ready it he would be dead before he was done.
Betting on agility rather than fighting skills, he ran towards the stables at the top of his speed. With their heavy armours, the taller, clumsier guards would never catch up to him. They followed anyway when they noticed he was not trying to escape, but to get inside the stables. The doors were barred and locked with chains, but Heero's sword cut through it all as if through thin air. He sensed the guards' hesitation as they approached and could not help but smirk as he pushed the door open.
Wing blinked at the sudden light, screeching as it hit his pupils. Heero started severing the ropes and chains that bound him with incredible speed. The dragon watched him, wondering if all that was for the two already retreating guards' sakes. He emitted a snort like sound, making Heero stop and turn to the door.
The guards had turned tail as soon as they had realised the intruder's intentions and, even though Heero did not like to kill fleeing men, he knew if they called for backup he might get in trouble. He pushed away his cloak, pulling out the bow and tightening the string without a thought. They were almost at the point where they had spotted him when the first man fell. The second looked around shocked, but the arrow hit him before he could scream.
Heero turned to the dragon then, watching as he stretched his wings and shook away the pieces of rope and chain that still clung to his back. The cut under the green eye had already healed as had all other wounds if there had ever been any. He mounted, rubbing the creature's neck in a calming manner. As they stepped out and took off, he realised they were extremely close to the castle's towers and many of the balconies were big enough for Wing to land on. One of them had the doors to the room inside wide open, he could see the curtains floating with the wind. That might be his only chance to make it into the castle, kill the princess and leave unseen.
Wing seemed to read his mind as he slowly descended towards the balcony in smooth circles. His landing was so light it did not make a sound. Heero could see a bed as he dismounted and someone was obviously lying in it. He stepped cautiously around, trying to get a glimpse of the bed's occupant through the waving curtains. It was when he noticed a second person. Sitting on the bed by the convalescing figure was none other than Princess Relena herself, except… He had seen that hair before, but it had been covered by a hood, not bearing a crown.
'I don't know if you can hear me, mother, but I am sorry.' She was talking now. Her voice confirming her identity. 'I need to go. I need to do something or the Alliance will lead our kingdom to ruin… I know you would not approve, but I must do this.'
As she stood up, Heero noticed she had been holding the woman's hand. She let go rather reluctantly, a pained expression on her face. It was when she turned to leave that she saw him. Her eyes widened slightly as she moved away from the bed to stand in the middle of the room. He stepped through the curtains, unsheathing his sword, his expression completely blank.
'Heero.' She whispered his name again, as she had done only a couple of hours earlier, and he froze. 'I'm glad you have found each other.' Her eyes met Wing's through the curtains and she smiled sadly. 'Please, spare my mother.'
Without knowing why, he nodded. He took the sword in both hands, holding it ready in front of him, its blade glimmering. As he stepped forward, he saw the princess close her eyes and then he plunged the sword through her.
