Utopian Kingdom
Chapter 5
By Moony
Heero's anger could not be denied when he woke up. He yelled and stormed about. Any servant who dared to interrupt him or intrude on him was used to ease some of Heero's stress. Even though it was a dream Heero could still feel the sting of her slap.
"Why am I doing this!" Heero roared and grabbed a table. He threw it across the room and gave a loud roar.
"Heero!" a voice cried behind him. He turned, ready to attack. There stood Dorothy. She carried a shocked and unhappy look on her face. "What are you doing?"
"Get out!" Heero yelled in response. Dorothy glared at him. Heero grabbed a chair and held it up. "Get out now!" he roared.
"Put it down," Dorothy said calmly. Heero glared at her for a moment then let the chair fall. "What has befallen you?" she asked and walked beside him.
"I wish to know myself," Heero replied and sank to his haunches.
"How long has it been since you ate?" Dorothy asked.
"I've lost count of the days," Heero replied. Dorothy smiled secretly.
* * * *
"You seem down today, Relena," Quatre said as he and Relena walked out of the Enchanted forest. They had left the castle with the blessing of the king and queen. Relena, however, could not enjoy the coronation. She didn't understand what she was feeling. Why was she so upset about quarreling with Heero?
"I, I am just tired," Relena replied and sighed. Quatre eyed her skeptically, but pressed her no more on the subject.
'What is that Vampire doing to you Relena?' Quatre questioned to himself.
* * * *
All Dorothy could do was smile at the image she was watching. Quatre and Relena had passed through the Enchanted Forest and now were on their way to the Forest of Mirth.
"Only a little farther, dear princess," Dorothy hissed lightly. "Then soon everything thing will be perfectly set."
* * * *
Relena sat across Quatre, a fire between them. Relena was picking at the bread Quatre had provided for her. She looked up when she felt Quatre's eyes on her. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes confused.
"What?" she asked. Quatre shook his head and looked away from her, up into the sky.
"I can not wait to meet you again," Quatre sighed to it. He thought he had spoken too softly for Relena to hear, but she had heard.
'What is he talking about?' she wondered to herself. 'He can't be in love… can he?'
After their meal, Relena and Quatre settled down on their own pallets. Relena turned away from the fire and Quatre. She stared out into the forest.
'I will not sleep tonight,' she forced herself to believe. 'I am not going to see him tonight.' She listened to Quatre as his breathing slowed. She leaned up to check if he was asleep, he was. She sighed loudly and looked around. 'I'll keep the fire going,' she thought. 'That ought to keep me awake.' She stood up and found some small pieces of wood. She played lightly in the fire until her eyes began to droop as the fire sparks mesmerized her. She closed her eyes and shook her head then reopened them. She sighed and reached over to her bag. Relena pulled it into her lap and flipped the lid open. After digging in it for a while she felt a hard circular thing. She pulled it out of the bag.
Even in the darkness, the apple gave an eerie glow.
'Maybe if I eat then,' she thought. 'I'll stay awake.' She thought of Quatre. This was really his apple. 'Oh, he won't mind. He has that stupid bag full of food.' And with that, Relena brought the apple to her lips. She took a deep bite. The apple was rich and juicy. She had never tasted something so good. She closed her eyes and savored it as she chewed. She opened her eyes and looked down at the apple. There where she had bitten was a small hole and out of the hole came a slimy black worm. Relena gasped in disgust. Suddenly her head began spinning. She knew she was passing out. With the last bit of strength, she threw the apple into the fire. It caused it to roar up just as she fell back on her pallet. She could barely hear Quatre screaming her name as she slipped into unconsciousness.
She stood in the room and looked around. No one was there. She felt rather annoyed that she was here again.
"That stupid apple!" she murmured angrily. "Well, where are you Vampire? I'd be very obliged if you would appear, spat your words and demands at me and get it over with!" she called through the room. The echo was her only reply. Relena suddenly became frightened. She didn't know if he had something planned or he really didn't want to see her…
* * * *
"She's bitten the apple," Dorothy smiled and walked out of her chambers. She walked into Heero's where he sat looking out his window.
"I want to just take her from that damn wizard…" He said.
"She's taken a bite of the apple. I am sure she's waiting on you," Dorothy replied. Heero looked up at her.
"It would be easier to take her from him, at least then we're in the flesh and she can not run away from me so easily," Heero sighed.
"Try your luck with her now. I'll make sure you have all the time you need," Dorothy assured. Heero glared at her for a moment.
"Leave me," Heero ordered. Dorothy nodded and walked out of the chambers back into her with an evil smirk on her face.
* * * *
Millardo awoke with many maidservants around him. He leaned up.
"Where is my wife?" he asked.
"Oh your majesty, do not move," one of the women cried and gently pressed him back down on the bed. "Do you not remember what happened?"
"Vaguely," Millardo replied. "The vampire attacked… did he take Noin?"
"Yes, your majesty, but do not fret. The Born Wizard is on his way to save her," the woman replied.
"Then where is the princess?"
"She is with the Born Wizard in his protection."
"I must venture after them. How long have they been gone?"
"About five days, my lord." Millardo nodded. Relena was safe and soon so would Noin. His kingdom would no longer be in danger. Quatre would end the Vampire for good. Millardo fell back asleep.
* * * *
Relena had seated herself on the throne and was sleeping in the dream world when Heero approached her sleeping figure. He ran his fingers over her cheek.
'I could watch her like this forever,' Heero thought. Relena's eyes opened and she met Heero's.
"Why did you bring me here?" She asked. Heero's jaw tightened and his expression changed to cold and heartless.
"You know very well, Princess," Heero said and looked away from her.
"Yes," he heard Relena sigh. "Very well." There was a slight moment of silence before she began again. "And you know that it is hopeless with me, so why have you made me come back here? And the apple!"
"Dorothy's idea," Heero explained.
"Dorothy?" Relena questioned.
"She is a Born Wizardess. The first female one. I found her at her birth," Heero elucidated. Relena was shocked.
"Two Born Wizards?" she questioned to herself.
"Yes," Heero turned and smiled at her evilly. "She is my key to victory. Your Born Wizard is a match for me and against another Born Wizard, well, lets just say you're as good as defeated." Relena's blood ran cold.
"You're forgetting one key element in all of this," Relena sneered. Heero turned and looked at her.
"And that would be?" he asked.
"Me," Relena stood up.
"You!" Heero laughed. "You are just a girl! A weak pathetic girl!" Relena's shoulders squared and her jaw tightened. Her eyebrows lowered and she glared at Heero.
"You are underestimating me," She said plainly. "Just you wait, Vampire. Your defeat will be at my hands."
"You really think so don't you?" Heero said lightly. He came over and touched her hair lightly. "And how will you kill someone you're in love with hum?" Relena jerked away from his hold.
"In love with you?" she cried. "Never! How could I ever love a horrible demon like you?"
"Oh, but you do and you know it," Heero smiled. "It reads in your eyes. I read it last time I was with you. You were willing to give me everything you had to offer, that must be love, no?"
"Protection of one's country by sacrifice is more like it," Relena replied harshly.
"You are so stubborn," Heero commented gingerly. "I admit you are a brave little wench, but you will not over throw me, so why don't you give up this little crusade and submit to me?" Heero offered his hand to her. "You know you want to." Relena looked down at his hand. The black lace hanging down from his wrist, the soft patterns on his hand. Oh she did want to take his hand. She wanted to get lost in his eyes forever, but she knew it would mean the death of everyone she loved, including herself. Relena slapped his hand away.
"I told you before. You're wasting you time on me. I will not be succumbed by you, ever!" Heero shrugged.
"Have it your way. But you will break. You're not going to be able to run away from me as you do in your nightly dreams. That apple is going to keep you here with me for quite a while," Heero laughed. Relena's eyes became big.
"What was in that apple?" She ordered to know.
* * * *
Quatre sat over a book with a bowl in his hand stirring a mixture.
"Add two squal of Gill," he mumbled to himself.
"Trying to fix the problem?" a voice said behind him. He didn't look up.
"Yeah, the one you made," he replied.
"It's all for the good of the kingdoms," the voice explained.
"I know, but you could have at least warned me," Quatre then turned to the person, his features dark with anger, but taking one look at the person who stood behind him they lightened.
"I will next time I promise. I just came to give you the antidote," the voice explained. Quatre looked over the person. He reached his hand out for it. The person placed the bag in it. "I must go now. If he wakes he will want me to know where I am."
"Very well," Quatre sighed. "I will see you soon. Good bye."
"Good bye, Quatre dear," the person sighed and disappeared.
Quatre looked at the area where the visitor had been standing for a moment, then turned back to his mixture. He pulled a glass of water out of his food bag and dropped the powder that had been in the pouch into it. After it was fully dissolved he walked over to Relena and held her nose. Her mouth opened and Quatre poured the liquid down her throat. He released her nose after she had swallowed. She moved slightly, but remained asleep. It would be about twenty minutes until she was awake. Quatre looked up at the sky. It was about ten in the morning. They could still make quite a way today.
