Utopian Kingdom
Chapter 1
By Moony
Relena looked around the forest for her wizard. The forest was damp and cool, so Relena had no problem with the heat, but her wizard's ability to blend in very well with the scenery was another story. She noticed in the corner of her eye movement. She took a quick bound over to it, but to her dismay it was only a rabbit. She continued to search the forest. Finally after an hour of searching she gave up. She threw her hands down to her side.
"Alright Quatre, you win again. Come out! I give up!" Relena called through the trees. Usually Quatre would pop up in front of her and comment on his skills, but he did not. "Quatre?" Relena called again.
"Princess, come over here!" she heard Quatre's voice over to her right and above her. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the voice. She stopped eight yards from where she started. She looked up and saw Quatre at the top of a tree. His cape was waving with the wind and his blond hair with it. Relena noted how handsome he was and smiled. Quatre looked down at her. "Well don't just stand there! Get up here!" He cried with a loving ring. Relena could hear the worry in his voice. She did not hesitate and began climbing the tree with grace only she could muster. She reached Quatre and sat beside him.
"What is it?" She asked as she studied his worried expression.
"Look," he whispered and pointed. Relena looked and saw her dear brother's castle, but it had a black cloud around it while the rest of the sky was as blue as Quatre's eyes.
"What is it?" Relena asked.
"I'm not quite sure. I feel negative forces at work. We, I must get there soon," Quatre corrected himself. He knew better than to put the princess in danger. It was funny, but he felt more like her play mate than her guardian, but none the less he would stand strong on his pledge to protect the girl. "You stay..." Quatre started but he stopped as the cloud suddenly erupted and the screams of women and children reached the two in the tree ears', but above all the screams Relena heard the cry of her dear beloved Sister-in-law crying for the king, Relena's brother. Relena saw two dark shadows leaving the castle as the cloud fell back into the darkness in which it came. One of the shadows carried a second body with it. Relena knew who it was, it was Noin, the Queen.
"Quatre, that thing has Noin!" Relena cried. "We must stop it!" She leaped down to the branch below her.
"Princess!" Quatre cried after her. Relena did not listen and leaped to the ground and began to run. "Relena!" Quatre disappeared off the top of the tree and on to the ground. He saw she was far ahead of him. "How that girl can run," Quatre mumbled and headed after her. "Princess, slow down! Please... STOP!" Quatre cried and threw his right hand out and pointed at her and she stopped.
Relena could not move, but she could scream, "Let me go now Wizard!" she cried. "My family's in trouble!"
"And you will do no good to them running and getting yourself in trouble before we even know what has happened," Quatre said as he walked beside her. "Do you promise not to run off if I take my spell off?" Relena looked at him with fire in her eyes but she agreed. Quatre smiled and flung his hand in front of her face and Relena was freed from the freeze spell.
"I should hit you," Relena said coldly and shoved past him. Quatre ignored Relena's anger. He understood how upset she must be. He understood the loss of a family, for he had seen his own die.
He was a born wizard and had the longest life span than any other human. A Born Wizard is found only in one Wizard generation, which is generally one thousand years. Although there were many wizards, Quatre was the only Born Wizard. He was born with the magic in his blood. He had spells memorized before he even saw them. It was all natural, but there were miserable down sides. He aged very slowly in human terms. He aged only one year every ten years. He saw his family die and he knew he would see the girl walking quickly in front of him become old and die. He feared falling in love with her at times because he knew he would stay young and she would grow old. He was one hundred and fifty now and Relena was only fifteen. Although their ages were the same if you just glanced at them they were many years apart, but now Quatre had no time to worry or even think of these things. His lord was in trouble and he did not know what evil forces had just come upon the castle. He trudged along side Relena until the castle came into view. Quatre saw and felt no more danger, so he decided now the two could move quickly. The castle had come to a complete silence and this worried Quatre profusely.
"Now we may run," Quatre said to Relena, distressed. She looked at him and then moved as quickly as her legs would allow. "Relena, Not so fast. You know I can't keep up with you!" Quatre cried. Quatre gave up and let her go out of his sight. When he arrived to the castle the area where the Royal chambers would have been was blown off. He walked around viewing the damage. He saw families huddled together crying and in fear. They saw him and looked at him with questioning eyes. He smiled lovingly and told each one as he saw them, "it will be okay. I am here." Soon he found Relena. She ran to him.
"I talked to some people they told me what happened. Millardo is still in the rubble! We must find him! A creature came and took Noin. It had a wizard with it. She clamed to be a Born Wizard like you," Relena explained.
"That's impossible. I'm the only Born Wizard," Quatre replied. "But that's the least of our worries. We must find the king!" The two wasted no time. They came to the rubble. Relena began trying to pull a big rock off. "Hold on, Relena. I'll pen point where he is." Quatre closed his eyes and pressed into his magic. He found the place. He waved his hand over the area and the rocks moved up.
Relena watched him. She had seen him do this many times and each time he had her retrieve something from with in or underneath what he moved because he had to concentrate all his thoughts on keeping the rocks up. She quickly ran over and saw her brother's body. She grabbed him and dragged him from the ruins. Once at a safe distance she called to Quatre.
"Okay! He's safe come and help!" Relena cried. Quatre opened his eyes and the moment he did the rocks tumbled to the earth. They made a loud sound and Relena felt the ground beneath her shake. Quatre was soon by her side. He squatted beside Relena. Quatre examined the king.
"He's hurt badly, but he just needs rest. I believe he is unconscious," Quatre said thoughtfully.
"Then lets find a place of shelter for him. I do not think it would be wise to go back into the castle. It is still falling apart I'm afraid," Relena sighed and another piece fell from the top of the castle onto the rubble. "I will go speak to the peasants. They must not stay here. It's dangerous."
"Then go Relena, but be careful yourself," Quatre ordered.
"Will you, for once, stop acting like my guardian?" Relena asked angrily and walked away. Quatre stayed with the king. Soon Relena returned with a group of women. "These women are going to take care of the king," Relena explained. Quatre looked up at them
"Why? You will be here to do it," Quatre replied.
"Be here my foot. I know you. You will be going to find the queen and I will be going with you!" Relena replied. Quatre stood up.
"And who, pray tell, says you can?" Quatre said, becoming angry.
"I do and I will not hear of how dangerous it is because I know you'll need me and weather or not you think so, you will be killed going alone. If that wizard is who she says she is, you will already have a hard time with her and there was a second person who was with her who seemed to be ordering her. You will not survive with out me," Relena huffed.
"And you will not survive with me!" Quatre retorted. Relena crossed her arms.
"I will find a way to go and you know it," she said. Quatre threw up his arms in aggravation and stormed off. Relena smiled and turned to the women.
"I put the king in your hands, with all my trust," Relena said. The women smiled.
"We will do him well, my lady," a woman confirmed. Relena nodded.
"I know." She helped the women pick up Millardo, to carry him to safety.

* * * *

"We may have danger," a woman said to a dark man sitting on a throne.
"What danger could we have, Dorothy?" he asked.
"A wizard and a young woman are planning to venture after the queen," Dorothy said.
"A mere wizard can not stand up to you Dorothy. What makes you so foolish?" he asked.
"Nothing, Heero, but the girl, she is of interest to you..." Dorothy turned and smiled.
"What would a girl do to interest me, other than being my food?"
"The sister of the king," Dorothy explained.
"He has no sister, only his wife, which I have. The queen would have inherited the kingdom. I will marry her, then rid myself of her and the kingdom will be mine."
"Not if I am right, your majesty," Dorothy corrected. "This girl will surely fight you for it."
"And what can a insignificant girl do?" Heero asked.
"Much," Dorothy said thoughtfully. "Much... And I believe I have an answer that would solve all our problems."
"What would that be?"
"We simply kill the queen and you marry the girl, then do the same with her. After all that the kingdom is still yours and you will have a younger, more to your tasting, wife for a short time."
"Show me this girl," Heero said. "You speak of her like she has the beauty of a goddess."
"Come with me," Dorothy said. Heero stood and they walked down the corridors of his large castle to Dorothy's chambers. She opened the door and walked in. She went to her dresser and picked up a hand mirror. "Mirror, mirror in my hand show me the princess of the king's land." The mirror fogged up then revealed a beautiful young woman speaking with a group of peasant women. Dorothy handed the mirror to Heero. "That is the princess."
"I see," Heero said with out a change in his expression. "And the mirror does not lie. She is truly the princess."
"She was kept well hidden just for the very purpose that we have caused. If the king was to die and the queen forced to marry, then by the king's royal decree this girl would fall heir to the throne, not the queen's new husband," Dorothy said. Heero sat the mirror down.
"Then we must go and fetch her," Heero said.
"It is not quite that easy. As I said, she has a wizard with her. He is her protector. He is powerful, my lord. Unlike any other magic I have seen. I believe he may be the other one, the second Born Wizard the mirror told me of."
"Then ask it, you fool. Ask the mirror who the second Born Wizard is," Heero ordered.
"Do you think I haven't? He is protected by his magic. The mirror can no penetrate it to show me. However, we need not worry. They will be heading here soon, looking for their dear queen. We must keep her alive for now," Dorothy explained. Heero thought for a moment.
"I will send her dreams," he said. "I will seduce her in her sleep. Unlike the queen, this girl has no partake in a lover?"
"I see none around other than the wizard, but if he is who I believe he is, he will not allow himself to love a normal human," Dorothy replied.
"Just because one is not loved in return does not mean that they still do not love. Have you yet to learn that, Dorothy?" Heero said and walked out of the room with Dorothy behind her. "Bring me one of the women. I am hungry," he said when he reached his thrown room.
"Of course," Dorothy said and bowed.
'I will have to find for myself weather or not she is in love,' Heero thought to himself. 'I sincerely hope not. Her beauty will make her a delicious meal.'
Soon Heero thought no more of the princess, for Dorothy had brought in his meal. The demoiselle seemed frightened. Heero stood and walked over to her. He took her hands.
"Leave us," her ordered to Dorothy. She smiled and did so. "Come now my dear, it won't hurt... long," Heero said and smiled, revealing his two pointy K9 teeth. The girl gasped and tried to pull away from his hold. She was unsuccessful. Heero's eyes became dark and he threw her to the floor, he on top of her. He held her down and brought his mouth to her throat. He quickly bit and drained her of all life. After his meal was complete he stood and ordered a different servant to take the body away. He resumed his seat on his throne, with one leg dangling over the armrest and his back against the other armrest. He closed his eyes, and with his stomach full, fell asleep.