Started: March 31, 2001
Finished: April 3, 2001
Disclaimers: G-Wing isn't mine... the story plot is mine, though!! I worked
long and hard for it!! G-Wing belongs to Bandai, and NightMare, Hyan, Dae,
Triton, Keon, and Wayne and everyone one else in the past are mine. Wanna
borrow? Just ask! ^_^
EPIC. C&C very welcome... 1+2/2+1- used to be 1x2, as well as 3x4 and 5xM(N?)
NOTE!!! Most historical information here is true- although I had to alter
some of it to suit my needs. Conosere is a lot more sophisticated than the
average Medieval village. That's because their Guaridans would not stand for
miseducation. By the way, there was never a Conosere in France.
Imminent Fate, part 16
Shamera
sitafire@hotmail.com
Conosere village in Champagne, France 1332
"Someone outside the village?" Lady Ann stood up, dusting the small
pieces of dirt off her dress. She glanced at the child who had alerted her,
and smiled, "Alert the Guardians. Invite the outsiders into the village and
if they have no intentions of harm, allow them food and board for however
long they like. We don't often get visitors."
The scruffy looking ten year old child nodded vigerously and mentioned
to his friends to go back to the strangers that they had found.
The Lady stood looking after them, and then turned her head, smiling
at her appretice. "Do you suppose they'll bring news of the outside world?"
The chestnut-haired boy looked up at her from where he was sitting and
reading his book, and gave her a dumbfounded expression. Lady Ann only
rolled her eyes and sighed overdramatically.
"Really, Dae. You don't pay any attention to your surroundings."
"I have no need to," Dae replied smuggly, blue-violet eyes sparkling
in delight, "With the Guardians making sure that no one enters or exits this
village without them knowing? I can't even go for a walk in the woodlands!"
Lady Ann sat down on a rock nearby to Dae, and clutched at her herbs
thoughtfully. "You do know that our Guardians allow people outside once they
reach twenty, if they really wanted to... so they could leave the village."
Dae returned his eyes to his book. "I'm eighteen, m'Lady. I'm getting
married in two days and 'Mare still won't let me out for a walk without
either her or Hyan at my side." He paused. "And if I don't go with either the
two of them, she'd want me to go in a group larger than ten. How am I
to get peace and quiet like that?"
"Ahh, I have to say she *is* a tad overprotective." Lady Ann conceeded.
"But she must have her reasons."
"Yes." Dae rolled his eyes. "I'm her first charge. Honestly, though,"
he said, "she shouldn't baby me. I do have plans to travel the world."
"It's a large world," Lady Ann commented.
"That's something that I want to find out for myself." Dae said. "But
if Hyan wants to be here... I guess that's the only way I'll opt to not go.
It isn't as if I wouldn't come back. I just want to know what's been going
on ever since the Guardians settled here. How the rest of the world is
without their influence."
"Hyan would probably agree to anything that you want to do," the Lady
mused. She leaned forward and brought a hand to rest under her chin, ignoring
the small tickles that was caused by the herbs. "Do you think the danger of
the Void breaking through is going to happen anytime soon?"
Dae shut his book, realizing that the Lady was not going to allow him
to read no matter what. "I'm pretty sure it will, but I'm worried. The
Guardians will find some way to stop them. Even if it meant calling on the
Angels. I'm sure nothing too bad's going to happen."
"Yes." Lady Ann agreed. She stood up again. "Join me in greeting the
visitors?"
Dae raised and eyebrow in question, and then shrugged. "Sure."
"It worked?"
"It worked."
"It worked?"
"Yes."
"It- shhhhhhhhhhhhit!!!"
The small group stopped as Duo let out his proclaimed curse and turned
in the direction that he was looking at. While they had been tolerating him
and his shock at actually have travelled through time, they knew he didn't
curse like this just because.
"That's fucking huge!!"
Or maybe not.
As they all turned and looked, they saw a grass field with children and
villagers tending to it, as well as large dragon watching over them. Yes, a
dragon.
The dragon turned its eyes from the villagers to the Gundam boys for a
moment and just looked at them. It looked like a lizard with wings each
twice as large as it was, and horns atop its head. The scaly crimson hide
also told that it wasn't normal.
Well, in the sense of the word, anyway.
Giving a small huff, the dragon looked back at the villagers and
didn't pay any more attention to the boys. Almost like it had judged them as
something not worth its time.
"It's incrediable." Wufei breathed out. The others didn't say anything,
but it wasn't hard to tell that they agreed with him. Wufei greedily took in
the sight of the dragon before him, commiting it to memory.
"Please sires," the young boy who was leading them to the village that
they were aiming for, Conosere, tilted his head and beakened them over. "The
village isn't far. Lady Ann will talk to you and lead you through the rules
and soothes(1) of our humble village."
"Humble indeed," Wufei muttered as they started walking again, his
eyes parting for one last glance at the proud dragon guarding the land.
"Ah. But Conosere is known for our Guardians." the boy said, smiling.
He was going at a brisk walk that made sure that the older boys behind him
were able to walk their normal pace. "I'm sure you've heard?"
"Never." Quatre replied, seagreen eyes curious. "Tell us?"
"Of course!" The boy said happily. The Gundam pilots couldn't help but
get a sense that he looked quite familiar. Perhaps it was the bright blue
eyes and wheat-blonde hair, but he looked related to Relena. "Our village has
a short history. Our Guardians appeared eight years ago. I was an infant back
then, and don't remember it like the older children do. Others used to call
the Guardians monsters," the boy wrinkled his brow while looking back at
them. "I don't understand why."
"I guess not." Quatre mused.
"But," the boy continued, "Our Guardians have been taking care of us
ever since then. They're the ones who raised me and every other body in this
village except for the outsiders."
They arrived at the town walls, where there were no walls at all. Duo
looked on curiously, remembering somewhere in his Chivalry(2) class that all
towns had walls to ward off invaders in the High Middle Ages.
"There's no walls," he said aloud, directing the statement at the boy.
The boy beamed. "Conosere does not need walls. Anyone who seeks shelter
and sancuary are welcome here." He winked. "We do know some of the ongoings
of the outside world, after all." (3)
He lead them into the village, where there were children of all ages,
from three year olds playing outside in the dirt to twenty year olds walking
down the roads and talking with each other. The buildings itself in Conosere
looking much more sophisticated than they should be, with cleanly washed
walls and tidy roof tiles. Of course, they were all according to the time,
though, even if there were a few pieces of machinery here and there that
looked like it should have been invented in a much later time period.
The people there didn't pay mind to the boys, though. Although the
boys were all different nationalities and wearing different clothes and with
strange postures, the villagers walked about them as if they had seen things
like that everyday.
"Don't mind the others," The boy said, walking backwards to talk to
them as they walked, "The others are all too used to seeing people like you
around. Even when you might bring news of the outside. They will pay no heed
of you unless you ask for attention. It's just their way."
"So there's others like us before?" Wufei asked.
"Yes. Of course, they do not dress like you, but we have had visitors
from all over the world. We are all used to having strange customs around us
to be able to accept strangers' personalities."
Wufei was awed. "Discrimination was not outlawed until a millenia
later," he breathed, making sure that the boy guiding them did not hear. "And
this is the very first place that such an idea like that started?"
"Too bad this place never existed," Quatre remarked. "It would have set
a lot of things into motion ages earlier. And maybe this would not have been
known as the Dark Ages."
"Dark Ages came after the Black Plague." Heero corrected, watching
their guide as the boy whirled around and talking to the people around him.
"This should be around the time of the Black Plague."
"Meaning: Kill rats, kill fleas." Duo translated. He looked around him.
"No one here looks sick, though. We could be in the time before the Black
Plague. We can't be exactly sure what year we're in, remember?"
"Or we could be in the beginning stages." Heero reasoned.
"That's something I really don't want to consider." Duo said. He then
tightened the grip that he had on the red book that had gotten them there.
"But all the people died because of the Void here. No one was said to have
died of disease."
Heero didn't counter that one.
"Here we are!" cried the boy as he lept to a stop. There was an old
house before them, with smoth coming through the small hole at the top around
the roof. "You can stay here during the nights. Will you be staying for the
wedding?"
"Wedding?" Duo asked dumbly as Quatre elbowed him in the ribs.
"Between two of our villagers." the boy explained. "It's in two days...
you really should stay for it. You'd be more than welcome, I'm sure!"
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
They turned to see a young woman and teenaged boy walk up to them.
Again, they felt some sort of deja vu. The boy called to them in delight and
turned his responsibility over to them as he ran down the streets for his
friends, giving the boys a wave goodbye.
"I'm Lady Ann." she introduced herself, raising a hand to her chest.
She was clad in rich garments of that time, although they were not made of
sild or satin. They were cotton, in colors of wheat and brown, which suited
her brown hair. She had bright brown eyes that glittered with amusement and
intelligence. In one hand were strange grasses, and with her other she
pulled out the boy that had been standing behind her. "This is my apprentice,
Daeon."
The boy in question looking slightly annoyed to be pulled out, but
gave the Gundam pilots a small smile and quietly welcomed them to Conosere.
He was small, yes, but not enough that the pilots would think him to be but
a child. There was something solid behind the kind grey eyes. And something
familiar in the way he gave a tug on his shoulder length arburn hair that
was tied back.
"I'm here to welcome you to Conosere," Lady Ann continued, looking
formal somehow in the casual clothes that she wore. "Visitors are always
welcome here, and you can stay as long as you wish as long as you do not
isolate yourself from everyone else."
Trowa raised and eyebrow while Heero glared. Wufei sputtered a bit and
Quatre and Duo both looked either happy or snickered.
"Why can we not isolate ourselves?" Heero asked emotionlessly.
Lady Ann suddenly broke out in a wide grin, tilting her head to one
side and leaning forward to them, waving a finger. "Because... isloation
means that you find Conosere to be nothing but a place where you can leech
off of. We won't allow you to do that. If you're here to recoup, you make
friends and feel better." she winked. "Then we can kick you out."
Duo smiled at her. "Hey- works for you guys?"
Lady Ann smiled back. "Always. But it could just mean that we gain some
permenant vistors. Means that they'll also have to work, but that doesn't
seem to bother them." She nodded to herself, having already told that and
checking it off in her mind. "Another thing. We all have dinner together.
Strange thing to manage, but we're all family here. You have to be out by the
time the sun is over the mountains. We all take turns making what we want,
and the others would sample it. We spend evenings together. That's how we
can introduce you to everyone else in the village."
"Wow. This really is a family here." Quatre commented. He gazed at
Daeon intensely, trying to figure out why that boy was just *so* familiar,
even as Lady Ann was only a portional familiar.
"Yes. That's about the only thing you have to do. Everything else,
you're free to go about as you will. I hold no responsibility if you anger a
Guardian, though. I cannot tame them."
"Thank you." Quatre said sincerely.
"No thanks is needed." the Lady amended. She gave a respectable bow
towards them, and pulled Daeon along behind her. "We'll leave you to your
quaters to settled down."
The others all said their thanks, and the two left, leaving the boys
to survery where they were. The place they had been left with was pretty big.
"And I thought people of the Medieval Ages had bad living conditions,"
Duo mused as he pushed open the door to the cottage and saw a fire in the
middle of the room roaring happily, with four smaller doors leading to four
smaller rooms. "I always thought they only had one room with a hearth."
"From what I remember, they did," Quatre contributed as he also went
inside to look. "This is more sophisticed than its supposed to be.
"I'm not complaining." Duo said. He looked at Heero. "Looks like
someone has to share rooms. Up to it?"
Heero snorted as he eyed the small doors. "Or someone could sleep in
this room."
"I think that's what they intended it to be," Trowa said. He was also
eyeing the doors. "Quatre and I will share a room."
"Ah!" Duo exclaimed, smiling, "I guess that we get the same rooms
again, ne? And Wufei can either get a room to himself or sleep in the warm
room where we can all wake up early and embarress him, our alibi being that
we needed to go to an outhouse." he paused. "Or something like that."
"Kisama!" Wufei cursed, steaming at Duo. "I'm sleeping in one of the
rooms also, idiot!"
Duo smacked a fist against his palm. "Damn. There goes all my perverted
plans."
"I don't suppose you ever get your mind out of the gutter, Maxwell?"
Wufei said, resigned as Duo snickered.
"Nope."
"Keon- ow! Leggo! You know, what would Triton say to this sort of
behav-! Hey! Ow!"
Keon blew his best friend a rasberry as Dae huffed a breath and rubbed
at his injured arm where Keon had been grasping him to pull. "Like Triton
will say anything about this!" Keon said, blowing a strand of blond hair away
from his eyes. "We're going to be late! Because of you!"
"We are not!" Dae exclaimed. "Besides, it was Hyan's fault! He- oooh."
Keon noticed that Dae had turned red and snickered softly. "Can't you
guys wait two more days? At least Triton and I waited. You two are
impossible!"
"We are waiting very patiently, thank you!" Dae shot back. He crossed
his arms as they reached the table that would soon be full of people as they
exchanged the food that they had cooked. "We were just... occupied."
"Your wedding's in two days!" Keon exclaimed, exasperated.
"I know." Dae grinned. "More than anyone." He watched as the sun
started to go down below the mountains. "But Lady Ann is afraid that the
Void will make a move soon. She's trying to persuade the Guardians to call
on the Angels for help. I'm afraid that it will take too long."
Quatre laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Nothing will happen."
He grinned. "It's too sad to happen! People don't die anymore... not after
the adults all went away."
"True." Dae agreed, and smiled. "Oh! We have more visitors today. It
was strange, though. It felt as if I knew them, and they knew me. Maybe I'll
be able to show them to you today. Lady Ann's invited them to stay."
"M'Lady invites *everyone* to stay," Keon corrected. "But if an
apprentice magic-user is saying this, then I'll have to meet them."
"Ah." Dae smiled, then his eyes lit up as he saw some figures making
their way over to the table. "And here's everyone. Including Wayne."
Indeed, the children were starting to appear, some armed to the chin
with food that they felt like treating the others. Wayne was one that was
among them, with strange foods on either arms.
The black-haired boy smiled at his friends and tipped his head, unable
to wave. Settling the food on the table, he dusted off invisible dirt and
waited as his two friends settled around him and grinned.
"Just what is that?" Dae asked over Wayne's left shoulder. He reached
out to give the reddish food a poke with his fingers.
"Hands off!" Wayne commanded, slapping away Dae's fingers. "Food from
India. Recipe curtasy of one of our visitors." He nodded in satisfaction.
"Your wife has certainly softened you," Dae marvelled. "Not as you
used to boast anymore- and cooking! Isn't that only supposed to be a job for
the women?" he teased.
Wayne winced. "Nataku refuses to have anything to do with the cooking
fire. Yet she adores all food. I don't understand either."
"It's a women thing, Wayne. Don't try to understand it." Dae resolved.
He patted the black-haired teenager on the back. "It's just good that you're
settling down for a domestic life."
"How can I not, with my wife ordering me around?" Wayne deadpanned.
Dae smiled, "You forget I am getting married?"
"Ah. But you order Hyan around."
Dae gave Wayne a playful swat on the head. "Hn!"
"Sunset?" Duo blinked. "Already?"
Heero nodded and walked away from the window and towards the door. He
gave a small pause next to Duo. "Coming?"
Duo sat still for a moment, then let a manic grin slip on his face.
He jumped off the makeshift bed and stood up quickly. "Of course! Food!"
Heero only snorted, but followed along where Duo was going.
Duo opened the door and poked his head out, then realized that the
others had already left without them. Probably because he overslept. He
grinned to himself and jumped out, almost running to the door of the outside
to breathe in the air that was so much cleaner then he'd ever breath it.
There was a tug on the back of his black shirt to keep him from falling
over in his hurry to enjoy the air of sunset. Grinning sheepishly, he looked
back at Heero and gave his thanks, once again speeding out and breathing in
deeply as soon as he was out the door.
Closing his eyes and allowing himself to just enjoy for the first time
in weeks, Duo heard Heero's soft footsteps behind him and smiled slightly.
There had been some rough times back then, and they still needed to talk
about what happened, but that would happen as soon as they were finished what
they were sent to do.
The footfalls stopped and Duo opened one eye to look at the boy besides
him. "Oy, Heero. I thought Medieval air was supposed to stink of body odor
and waste."
"This is Conosere." Heero replied simply, his eyes on Duo's lithe
form. He looked like he was enjoying the view as much as Duo was enjoying the
air. "Maybe it's an exception."
Once again closing his eyes, Duo breathed out, "Maybe." and just stood
there for a moment with a smile on his face. "You think they'll miss us if
we stayed here for just a little moment?"
"No." The answer was barely audiable.
"Then you want to enjoy the sunset with me?"
Heero turned his eyes from the chestnut maned boy to the sun which was
setting down and filling the sky with a brilliant red color, swirling with
violets and soft hues of orange and blues. There was no clouds to obscure the
sky, and the birds that perched on the rooftops of the village only enhanced
the image of surreal peace.
"Sure, Duo." He said softly, tipping his head downward slightly so that
Duo wouldn't see his contented smile under the shadows of his bangs.
"Anything you want."
Duo didn't reply but Heero soon found a hand sneaking into his and
holding it tightly. He gave a squeeze in reassurance to Duo, and then used
that link to pull the boy over to him, wrapping his arms around Duo and and
settling his chin atop his shoulder.
"Anything you want."
1. Soothe=Truth. O_O Timeline, Timeline, Timeline!! Great book, go read.
2. I have Age of Chivalry for history this year, I might have told you.
3. Sactuary was a Christian belief that started in the Middle Ages. You'd
have to know just how sheltered Conosere is to get the joke.
End part 16.
*falls over* *wails* School suuuuuuuucks!!! I have so many things due that my
head is swirling, and I can't find the time to write this!!! Arg! I hope it's
easier once all my projects are due. I have two projects to do over spring
break already, and I still have so long to go! ;_;
Anyway, to the chapter. It's a bit longer than usual. I think you're right,
Chris. I need to expand the chapters in order to make the story shorter. This
is really getting out of hand- I never expected the series to be this long!
Finished: April 3, 2001
Disclaimers: G-Wing isn't mine... the story plot is mine, though!! I worked
long and hard for it!! G-Wing belongs to Bandai, and NightMare, Hyan, Dae,
Triton, Keon, and Wayne and everyone one else in the past are mine. Wanna
borrow? Just ask! ^_^
EPIC. C&C very welcome... 1+2/2+1- used to be 1x2, as well as 3x4 and 5xM(N?)
NOTE!!! Most historical information here is true- although I had to alter
some of it to suit my needs. Conosere is a lot more sophisticated than the
average Medieval village. That's because their Guaridans would not stand for
miseducation. By the way, there was never a Conosere in France.
Imminent Fate, part 16
Shamera
sitafire@hotmail.com
Conosere village in Champagne, France 1332
"Someone outside the village?" Lady Ann stood up, dusting the small
pieces of dirt off her dress. She glanced at the child who had alerted her,
and smiled, "Alert the Guardians. Invite the outsiders into the village and
if they have no intentions of harm, allow them food and board for however
long they like. We don't often get visitors."
The scruffy looking ten year old child nodded vigerously and mentioned
to his friends to go back to the strangers that they had found.
The Lady stood looking after them, and then turned her head, smiling
at her appretice. "Do you suppose they'll bring news of the outside world?"
The chestnut-haired boy looked up at her from where he was sitting and
reading his book, and gave her a dumbfounded expression. Lady Ann only
rolled her eyes and sighed overdramatically.
"Really, Dae. You don't pay any attention to your surroundings."
"I have no need to," Dae replied smuggly, blue-violet eyes sparkling
in delight, "With the Guardians making sure that no one enters or exits this
village without them knowing? I can't even go for a walk in the woodlands!"
Lady Ann sat down on a rock nearby to Dae, and clutched at her herbs
thoughtfully. "You do know that our Guardians allow people outside once they
reach twenty, if they really wanted to... so they could leave the village."
Dae returned his eyes to his book. "I'm eighteen, m'Lady. I'm getting
married in two days and 'Mare still won't let me out for a walk without
either her or Hyan at my side." He paused. "And if I don't go with either the
two of them, she'd want me to go in a group larger than ten. How am I
to get peace and quiet like that?"
"Ahh, I have to say she *is* a tad overprotective." Lady Ann conceeded.
"But she must have her reasons."
"Yes." Dae rolled his eyes. "I'm her first charge. Honestly, though,"
he said, "she shouldn't baby me. I do have plans to travel the world."
"It's a large world," Lady Ann commented.
"That's something that I want to find out for myself." Dae said. "But
if Hyan wants to be here... I guess that's the only way I'll opt to not go.
It isn't as if I wouldn't come back. I just want to know what's been going
on ever since the Guardians settled here. How the rest of the world is
without their influence."
"Hyan would probably agree to anything that you want to do," the Lady
mused. She leaned forward and brought a hand to rest under her chin, ignoring
the small tickles that was caused by the herbs. "Do you think the danger of
the Void breaking through is going to happen anytime soon?"
Dae shut his book, realizing that the Lady was not going to allow him
to read no matter what. "I'm pretty sure it will, but I'm worried. The
Guardians will find some way to stop them. Even if it meant calling on the
Angels. I'm sure nothing too bad's going to happen."
"Yes." Lady Ann agreed. She stood up again. "Join me in greeting the
visitors?"
Dae raised and eyebrow in question, and then shrugged. "Sure."
"It worked?"
"It worked."
"It worked?"
"Yes."
"It- shhhhhhhhhhhhit!!!"
The small group stopped as Duo let out his proclaimed curse and turned
in the direction that he was looking at. While they had been tolerating him
and his shock at actually have travelled through time, they knew he didn't
curse like this just because.
"That's fucking huge!!"
Or maybe not.
As they all turned and looked, they saw a grass field with children and
villagers tending to it, as well as large dragon watching over them. Yes, a
dragon.
The dragon turned its eyes from the villagers to the Gundam boys for a
moment and just looked at them. It looked like a lizard with wings each
twice as large as it was, and horns atop its head. The scaly crimson hide
also told that it wasn't normal.
Well, in the sense of the word, anyway.
Giving a small huff, the dragon looked back at the villagers and
didn't pay any more attention to the boys. Almost like it had judged them as
something not worth its time.
"It's incrediable." Wufei breathed out. The others didn't say anything,
but it wasn't hard to tell that they agreed with him. Wufei greedily took in
the sight of the dragon before him, commiting it to memory.
"Please sires," the young boy who was leading them to the village that
they were aiming for, Conosere, tilted his head and beakened them over. "The
village isn't far. Lady Ann will talk to you and lead you through the rules
and soothes(1) of our humble village."
"Humble indeed," Wufei muttered as they started walking again, his
eyes parting for one last glance at the proud dragon guarding the land.
"Ah. But Conosere is known for our Guardians." the boy said, smiling.
He was going at a brisk walk that made sure that the older boys behind him
were able to walk their normal pace. "I'm sure you've heard?"
"Never." Quatre replied, seagreen eyes curious. "Tell us?"
"Of course!" The boy said happily. The Gundam pilots couldn't help but
get a sense that he looked quite familiar. Perhaps it was the bright blue
eyes and wheat-blonde hair, but he looked related to Relena. "Our village has
a short history. Our Guardians appeared eight years ago. I was an infant back
then, and don't remember it like the older children do. Others used to call
the Guardians monsters," the boy wrinkled his brow while looking back at
them. "I don't understand why."
"I guess not." Quatre mused.
"But," the boy continued, "Our Guardians have been taking care of us
ever since then. They're the ones who raised me and every other body in this
village except for the outsiders."
They arrived at the town walls, where there were no walls at all. Duo
looked on curiously, remembering somewhere in his Chivalry(2) class that all
towns had walls to ward off invaders in the High Middle Ages.
"There's no walls," he said aloud, directing the statement at the boy.
The boy beamed. "Conosere does not need walls. Anyone who seeks shelter
and sancuary are welcome here." He winked. "We do know some of the ongoings
of the outside world, after all." (3)
He lead them into the village, where there were children of all ages,
from three year olds playing outside in the dirt to twenty year olds walking
down the roads and talking with each other. The buildings itself in Conosere
looking much more sophisticated than they should be, with cleanly washed
walls and tidy roof tiles. Of course, they were all according to the time,
though, even if there were a few pieces of machinery here and there that
looked like it should have been invented in a much later time period.
The people there didn't pay mind to the boys, though. Although the
boys were all different nationalities and wearing different clothes and with
strange postures, the villagers walked about them as if they had seen things
like that everyday.
"Don't mind the others," The boy said, walking backwards to talk to
them as they walked, "The others are all too used to seeing people like you
around. Even when you might bring news of the outside. They will pay no heed
of you unless you ask for attention. It's just their way."
"So there's others like us before?" Wufei asked.
"Yes. Of course, they do not dress like you, but we have had visitors
from all over the world. We are all used to having strange customs around us
to be able to accept strangers' personalities."
Wufei was awed. "Discrimination was not outlawed until a millenia
later," he breathed, making sure that the boy guiding them did not hear. "And
this is the very first place that such an idea like that started?"
"Too bad this place never existed," Quatre remarked. "It would have set
a lot of things into motion ages earlier. And maybe this would not have been
known as the Dark Ages."
"Dark Ages came after the Black Plague." Heero corrected, watching
their guide as the boy whirled around and talking to the people around him.
"This should be around the time of the Black Plague."
"Meaning: Kill rats, kill fleas." Duo translated. He looked around him.
"No one here looks sick, though. We could be in the time before the Black
Plague. We can't be exactly sure what year we're in, remember?"
"Or we could be in the beginning stages." Heero reasoned.
"That's something I really don't want to consider." Duo said. He then
tightened the grip that he had on the red book that had gotten them there.
"But all the people died because of the Void here. No one was said to have
died of disease."
Heero didn't counter that one.
"Here we are!" cried the boy as he lept to a stop. There was an old
house before them, with smoth coming through the small hole at the top around
the roof. "You can stay here during the nights. Will you be staying for the
wedding?"
"Wedding?" Duo asked dumbly as Quatre elbowed him in the ribs.
"Between two of our villagers." the boy explained. "It's in two days...
you really should stay for it. You'd be more than welcome, I'm sure!"
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
They turned to see a young woman and teenaged boy walk up to them.
Again, they felt some sort of deja vu. The boy called to them in delight and
turned his responsibility over to them as he ran down the streets for his
friends, giving the boys a wave goodbye.
"I'm Lady Ann." she introduced herself, raising a hand to her chest.
She was clad in rich garments of that time, although they were not made of
sild or satin. They were cotton, in colors of wheat and brown, which suited
her brown hair. She had bright brown eyes that glittered with amusement and
intelligence. In one hand were strange grasses, and with her other she
pulled out the boy that had been standing behind her. "This is my apprentice,
Daeon."
The boy in question looking slightly annoyed to be pulled out, but
gave the Gundam pilots a small smile and quietly welcomed them to Conosere.
He was small, yes, but not enough that the pilots would think him to be but
a child. There was something solid behind the kind grey eyes. And something
familiar in the way he gave a tug on his shoulder length arburn hair that
was tied back.
"I'm here to welcome you to Conosere," Lady Ann continued, looking
formal somehow in the casual clothes that she wore. "Visitors are always
welcome here, and you can stay as long as you wish as long as you do not
isolate yourself from everyone else."
Trowa raised and eyebrow while Heero glared. Wufei sputtered a bit and
Quatre and Duo both looked either happy or snickered.
"Why can we not isolate ourselves?" Heero asked emotionlessly.
Lady Ann suddenly broke out in a wide grin, tilting her head to one
side and leaning forward to them, waving a finger. "Because... isloation
means that you find Conosere to be nothing but a place where you can leech
off of. We won't allow you to do that. If you're here to recoup, you make
friends and feel better." she winked. "Then we can kick you out."
Duo smiled at her. "Hey- works for you guys?"
Lady Ann smiled back. "Always. But it could just mean that we gain some
permenant vistors. Means that they'll also have to work, but that doesn't
seem to bother them." She nodded to herself, having already told that and
checking it off in her mind. "Another thing. We all have dinner together.
Strange thing to manage, but we're all family here. You have to be out by the
time the sun is over the mountains. We all take turns making what we want,
and the others would sample it. We spend evenings together. That's how we
can introduce you to everyone else in the village."
"Wow. This really is a family here." Quatre commented. He gazed at
Daeon intensely, trying to figure out why that boy was just *so* familiar,
even as Lady Ann was only a portional familiar.
"Yes. That's about the only thing you have to do. Everything else,
you're free to go about as you will. I hold no responsibility if you anger a
Guardian, though. I cannot tame them."
"Thank you." Quatre said sincerely.
"No thanks is needed." the Lady amended. She gave a respectable bow
towards them, and pulled Daeon along behind her. "We'll leave you to your
quaters to settled down."
The others all said their thanks, and the two left, leaving the boys
to survery where they were. The place they had been left with was pretty big.
"And I thought people of the Medieval Ages had bad living conditions,"
Duo mused as he pushed open the door to the cottage and saw a fire in the
middle of the room roaring happily, with four smaller doors leading to four
smaller rooms. "I always thought they only had one room with a hearth."
"From what I remember, they did," Quatre contributed as he also went
inside to look. "This is more sophisticed than its supposed to be.
"I'm not complaining." Duo said. He looked at Heero. "Looks like
someone has to share rooms. Up to it?"
Heero snorted as he eyed the small doors. "Or someone could sleep in
this room."
"I think that's what they intended it to be," Trowa said. He was also
eyeing the doors. "Quatre and I will share a room."
"Ah!" Duo exclaimed, smiling, "I guess that we get the same rooms
again, ne? And Wufei can either get a room to himself or sleep in the warm
room where we can all wake up early and embarress him, our alibi being that
we needed to go to an outhouse." he paused. "Or something like that."
"Kisama!" Wufei cursed, steaming at Duo. "I'm sleeping in one of the
rooms also, idiot!"
Duo smacked a fist against his palm. "Damn. There goes all my perverted
plans."
"I don't suppose you ever get your mind out of the gutter, Maxwell?"
Wufei said, resigned as Duo snickered.
"Nope."
"Keon- ow! Leggo! You know, what would Triton say to this sort of
behav-! Hey! Ow!"
Keon blew his best friend a rasberry as Dae huffed a breath and rubbed
at his injured arm where Keon had been grasping him to pull. "Like Triton
will say anything about this!" Keon said, blowing a strand of blond hair away
from his eyes. "We're going to be late! Because of you!"
"We are not!" Dae exclaimed. "Besides, it was Hyan's fault! He- oooh."
Keon noticed that Dae had turned red and snickered softly. "Can't you
guys wait two more days? At least Triton and I waited. You two are
impossible!"
"We are waiting very patiently, thank you!" Dae shot back. He crossed
his arms as they reached the table that would soon be full of people as they
exchanged the food that they had cooked. "We were just... occupied."
"Your wedding's in two days!" Keon exclaimed, exasperated.
"I know." Dae grinned. "More than anyone." He watched as the sun
started to go down below the mountains. "But Lady Ann is afraid that the
Void will make a move soon. She's trying to persuade the Guardians to call
on the Angels for help. I'm afraid that it will take too long."
Quatre laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Nothing will happen."
He grinned. "It's too sad to happen! People don't die anymore... not after
the adults all went away."
"True." Dae agreed, and smiled. "Oh! We have more visitors today. It
was strange, though. It felt as if I knew them, and they knew me. Maybe I'll
be able to show them to you today. Lady Ann's invited them to stay."
"M'Lady invites *everyone* to stay," Keon corrected. "But if an
apprentice magic-user is saying this, then I'll have to meet them."
"Ah." Dae smiled, then his eyes lit up as he saw some figures making
their way over to the table. "And here's everyone. Including Wayne."
Indeed, the children were starting to appear, some armed to the chin
with food that they felt like treating the others. Wayne was one that was
among them, with strange foods on either arms.
The black-haired boy smiled at his friends and tipped his head, unable
to wave. Settling the food on the table, he dusted off invisible dirt and
waited as his two friends settled around him and grinned.
"Just what is that?" Dae asked over Wayne's left shoulder. He reached
out to give the reddish food a poke with his fingers.
"Hands off!" Wayne commanded, slapping away Dae's fingers. "Food from
India. Recipe curtasy of one of our visitors." He nodded in satisfaction.
"Your wife has certainly softened you," Dae marvelled. "Not as you
used to boast anymore- and cooking! Isn't that only supposed to be a job for
the women?" he teased.
Wayne winced. "Nataku refuses to have anything to do with the cooking
fire. Yet she adores all food. I don't understand either."
"It's a women thing, Wayne. Don't try to understand it." Dae resolved.
He patted the black-haired teenager on the back. "It's just good that you're
settling down for a domestic life."
"How can I not, with my wife ordering me around?" Wayne deadpanned.
Dae smiled, "You forget I am getting married?"
"Ah. But you order Hyan around."
Dae gave Wayne a playful swat on the head. "Hn!"
"Sunset?" Duo blinked. "Already?"
Heero nodded and walked away from the window and towards the door. He
gave a small pause next to Duo. "Coming?"
Duo sat still for a moment, then let a manic grin slip on his face.
He jumped off the makeshift bed and stood up quickly. "Of course! Food!"
Heero only snorted, but followed along where Duo was going.
Duo opened the door and poked his head out, then realized that the
others had already left without them. Probably because he overslept. He
grinned to himself and jumped out, almost running to the door of the outside
to breathe in the air that was so much cleaner then he'd ever breath it.
There was a tug on the back of his black shirt to keep him from falling
over in his hurry to enjoy the air of sunset. Grinning sheepishly, he looked
back at Heero and gave his thanks, once again speeding out and breathing in
deeply as soon as he was out the door.
Closing his eyes and allowing himself to just enjoy for the first time
in weeks, Duo heard Heero's soft footsteps behind him and smiled slightly.
There had been some rough times back then, and they still needed to talk
about what happened, but that would happen as soon as they were finished what
they were sent to do.
The footfalls stopped and Duo opened one eye to look at the boy besides
him. "Oy, Heero. I thought Medieval air was supposed to stink of body odor
and waste."
"This is Conosere." Heero replied simply, his eyes on Duo's lithe
form. He looked like he was enjoying the view as much as Duo was enjoying the
air. "Maybe it's an exception."
Once again closing his eyes, Duo breathed out, "Maybe." and just stood
there for a moment with a smile on his face. "You think they'll miss us if
we stayed here for just a little moment?"
"No." The answer was barely audiable.
"Then you want to enjoy the sunset with me?"
Heero turned his eyes from the chestnut maned boy to the sun which was
setting down and filling the sky with a brilliant red color, swirling with
violets and soft hues of orange and blues. There was no clouds to obscure the
sky, and the birds that perched on the rooftops of the village only enhanced
the image of surreal peace.
"Sure, Duo." He said softly, tipping his head downward slightly so that
Duo wouldn't see his contented smile under the shadows of his bangs.
"Anything you want."
Duo didn't reply but Heero soon found a hand sneaking into his and
holding it tightly. He gave a squeeze in reassurance to Duo, and then used
that link to pull the boy over to him, wrapping his arms around Duo and and
settling his chin atop his shoulder.
"Anything you want."
1. Soothe=Truth. O_O Timeline, Timeline, Timeline!! Great book, go read.
2. I have Age of Chivalry for history this year, I might have told you.
3. Sactuary was a Christian belief that started in the Middle Ages. You'd
have to know just how sheltered Conosere is to get the joke.
End part 16.
*falls over* *wails* School suuuuuuuucks!!! I have so many things due that my
head is swirling, and I can't find the time to write this!!! Arg! I hope it's
easier once all my projects are due. I have two projects to do over spring
break already, and I still have so long to go! ;_;
Anyway, to the chapter. It's a bit longer than usual. I think you're right,
Chris. I need to expand the chapters in order to make the story shorter. This
is really getting out of hand- I never expected the series to be this long!