He had loved her his whole life. She had been stolen from him; his mind wiped of any trace of her. If it had not been for the giant stag, he might never have found her. Now that he had, he had no intention of letting her go. Try as he might to enjoy the moment, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her eyes lacked the shimmer they had before and her touch was colder than it should be. Her smile, while enchanting, lacked warmth as well. He knew she had to be tired. It couldn't have been easy to sneak away and the journey to the castle was a decent jaunt. Still, there was something missing.
He could feel the eyes of the entire ball room on them as their spun their way around the floor. It was stifling. He knew he needed to make the announcement and break the curse, but he couldn't yet. He needed to talk to her, to find out what exactly he was sensing. If she was having second thoughts, he wanted to give her an out. Using his lead, he directed them to the veranda doors and led them out onto the garden.
The intricately carved fountain surrounded by strategically placed candles added to the ambience with the soft echo of the music flowing through the garden. The evening was perfect. She was perfect. Standing in the glow of the candles, the light danced off her honey-colored hair like magic. When had he become so sappy? Duo once said love changed men; made them say and do crazy things. One look at Relena and he knew he would do anything for her, no matter how crazy so it seemed as though the braided man's words were true.
Tonight was different. When he looked at her tonight, something nagged at him. He couldn't feel that sense of peace and completeness when he looked at her. He needed to know why.
"Relena… are you happy to be here with me?"
"What would make you ask such a question?" The look she gave him seemed off; pensive and surprised and yet completely void.
"I don't know… It's just that, something doesn't feel right. You seem different somehow. Have you changed your mind?" Relena walked to him and took his hands in hers. Again, he felt that same coolness. He fought the urge to pull his hands away.
"Heero, I promise, nothing has changed. After tonight, our fates will be decided." She smiled and leaned forward as if to kiss him, and in that instant, he saw something, or-rather-nothing in her eyes. Something was wrong. He skillfully pulled away and led her over to seat her at the fountain. He needed time to figure this out. He knew his Relena and this certainly wasn't his Relena… but then, who was she? Erring on the side of caution, he decided to play along until he could find out where she truly was.
"I was so relieved when I saw you. I was afraid that hack of a sorcerer had stopped you." Heero grabbed a flower off the vine and walked over to 'Relena'.
"Well, he is very powerful. It would not have surprised me if he did." Heero noticed the hint of irritation in her voice.
"And it was so nice of Dorothy to arrange this. The dress is lovely."
"It is. I will never be able to thank her enough. She has truly been taught well to exhibit such skill." 'Relena' walked over to him and took his hand. Again, he felt the chill. "I wouldn't be here without her." Heero held his breath. The response to his next statement would tell him all he needed. He turned his back and began to walk to the fountain.
"Do you remember when we were younger? I promised I would always protect you? I climbed up into tree to make my declaration more dramatic, but you were too scared to follow me."
"Oh… What a silly thing to remember. Of course I do! You always were a bit of a show off!" Heero turned then and pulled out his sword, pointing at the figure's heart.
"Heero, what are you—?"
"Relena climbed the tree first. She had always been stronger and braver than anyone I know." The figure began to laugh; a low, haunting sound.
"Well, done, young prince." The voice was hers and wasn't. It was hollow and distant as though coming from a cave. With a flick of its wrist, the doors to the ballroom slammed shut: "You are far smarter than I had anticipated. I had hoped to have killed you before you could connect the obvious dots, but it appears I underestimated you."
"Where is Relena?"
"You won't have to worry about her any longer! After all, the dead have no worries!"
Duo noticed the absence of his friend and snickered to himself. It seemed as though the prince and his princess had snuck off for a little canoodling. He couldn't really blame them. There had to be a lot to discuss after all those years of unjust separation. They deserved the time alone to just enjoy each other's company.
That didn't mean he couldn't sneak a peek for some tease-able ammunition for later.
He made his way over to the garden doors and watched as the two lovers seemed to be at ease in each other's company. Duo frowned. If it had been him, e could already have swept the girl into his arms and showed her how happy he was to have her back. As it was, the prince was giving him nothing to go on. He sighed. It didn't look as if the couple were going to do anything noteworthy.
Deciding his time would be better spent elsewhere, he made to turn away when he saw the figure that had been Relena crumble away. When the figure that replaced her began to attack his buddy, he flew into action. He drew his sword.
"Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Heero needs us!" He saw each respond to his call and made to charge when he found himself unable to pass. He cursed under his breath. There was an invisible barrier block their way. Undeterred, he and his three comrades grabbed their weapons and searched for another way to the garden, praying they would not be too late.
Relena flew as fast as she could, her wings beating against the cold night air. Every muscle strained and the cut on her wing stung unbearably. It had taken so much energy and strength to break through the barrier. No matter how tired she was, she had to keep going. She could feel the blood from the wound trickling across her feathers, but she couldn't stop. At any moment Heero could be killed! She had to get there! She had to prevent that from happening. Her vision was beginning to blur but she could still see the distant lights of the castle. The flashing of green and purple lights from the garden caught her attention immediately. The battle had already begun.
She flew in the direction of the commotion until she saw what was transpiring. Heero was trying desperately to divert the sorcerer's attention from the inhabitants of the ball room. He couldn't see the magical barrier that stood between the fight and the party. He would be killed trying to protect them from a danger that didn't immediately exist.
Heero was tired; she could tell that the fight had been going on too long. Heero was cornered and the last blast had disarmed him. Dermail had his hand pulled back for one final strike.
'Heero!' Tired as she was, Relena urged herself forward. There was no other choice. She knew what she had to do. 'Forgive me, Heero…' Using every ounce of strength she had left, she flew between them, taking the blast in his place. 'I love you…' This was her final thought before the blast surged over her. She heard Heero cry out her name before darkness overtook her and her consciousness slipped away.
