Edgeland Fortress

Relena paced back and forth clenching her fists at her sides. Every sound in the hallway made her turn to the door expecting to be dragged away as Trynity had been hours ago. Although she was worried sick about Trynity, Relena was even more terrified thinking about what might become of her. When the men had come to take away Trynity, she had marched out boldly, with as much nerve as when tried to hold off the Demon's forces with just her. She managed to kill four men before she was captured. Relena still shuddered as she remembered the screams of the women as they were captured, raped, or killed. Were it not for Trynity's stupid courage, they have been left amongst dead and dying of the Warlord's camp. Dax the Demon himself had disarmed her with his whip, then claimed Trynity for himself. Relena had almost fallen under the sword despite Trynity's efforts to include her in Dax's reprieve, but help came from an unexpected source. Lady Une had been riding with the men, and her slick handling of the Calabrian lord resulted in her being brought to this luxurious prison where she waited to learn what was to become of her. Une had quickly pointed out the value of Dax's prisoners although Dax was seemed to put only one value to a woman. The men had taken Trynity to Dax, and Relena feared for her in that fiend's hands.

Footsteps stopped outside the locked door, and Relena spun to face it. When it opened, she was disgusted to see Lady Une enter. The door locked behind the other woman when she had stepped into the room "Are you comfortable, princess? Are they treating you well?" she asked with false concern.

"Are you completely insane?" demanded Relena, taking a step toward her. "What do you think you can gain from these people?"

Une shrugged. "A little revenge, I suppose." She laughed. "I'm getting some right now. If it weren't for that little bitch Trynity Stryfe, Lionel Nelson and I would have defeated the Cinq Kingdom, and your peace-loving hypocrite of a brother would be under my heel instead of spreading his deadly dull message of peace. If Lt. Stryfe had followed orders, the battle would have been ours. Now she's getting what she deserves. Trust me, Dax the Demon is not the kind of man a woman dreams about!"

The disgusted look on Une's face made Relena even more anxious for Trynity. "What are you going to do with us?"

"If there is anything left of Miss Stryfe after Dax gets done with her, I imagine we can put her brain to use. As for you," Une's smile sickened Relena. "Your brother would pay to have you returned, and I will make him pay dearly before I deliver your rotting corpse to him."

Relena took a step back. "You are insane! Why would you do such a thing? How can you ally yourself with these people?"

"Why would I do such a thing? Because I despise your brother and I detest peace. How can I ally myself with these people? Theirs is an honest civilization, one which glorifies the powerful and will never espouse the ideal of peace."

"You're wrong! When Trey regains his power, he will bring change to this planet." Relena believed her words. His time among them on Earth and fighting in the colonies had not been wasted. He would introduce a new concept to the Calabrians.

Une threw back her head in laughter. "Are you talking about Trowa Barton? He is nothing to these people but an impostor." Une narrowed her eyes as she stared at Relena. "And I will do whatever I can to see that he remains just that."

Before she could say anything more, the door swung open and guards filed in preceding the entrance of a man that Relena did not need to have announced to her. Trey looked so much like his father that Relena was startled. But as the older version of Trey scanned the room with cold disdain before coming to come to rest on Lady Une, Relena knew that two men could not be any less alike.

Une had the sense to lower her head. Her humility made Relena feel nauseous.

"Earth woman, is this the princess of whom you spoke?" Zeno's gaze fell on Relena, and without waiting for Une to answer he asked, "Are you the princess of Earth?"

Relena knew Trynity would make some smart-ass Duo Maxwell type reply, but she could only nod speechlessly. The emperor came closer to her, and Relena shrank back, coming against Une who grabbed her shoulders to keep her from putting any more distance between her and the emperor of Calabria. As Zeno looked her over from head to foot, Relena felt hysteria mounting inside when she realized she was about to suffer the same fate as Trynity.

"Shall I prepare her for you, lord Zeno?" asked Une with too much enthusiasm.

Zeno gently took Relena's chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him. It took all her willpower not to faint as she looked into eyes that were almost identical in color and shade to Trowa's and Shamara's. There was no doubt in Relena's mind that this man was his father and that Trey was who he claimed to be.

She couldn't help but tremble as he looked down at her, and she felt ashamed of her cowardice when a half-smile touched his lips. "Do not worry, Princess. You are too young for me. But I may offer you to my son."

"Which one?" Relena regretted her question when he saw a fleeting look of pain in his eyes that was quickly replaced by anger.

Releasing her, Zeno stepped away. "I have only one son! The man who pretends to be my son is a liar who dishonors my house. He will soon pay dearly for his treachery." He looked at Une. "You promised superior weapons. Where are they?"

Une looked directly at Relena. "Where are the gundams? You will surrender them to the Calabrian Empire."

"I don't know where they are!" Relena thought they might be on the pirate satellite, but she wasn't sure. She wasn't about to tell them anything.

"If you are here, then Heero Yuy must not be far behind. He's always pulling you out of your stupid escapades, and usually it requires the use of his gundam," said Une with her repulsive smug smile. "And while I have no doubt he would try to keep the gundams out of Calabrian hands, I think he might do anything to save you."

"He would rather detonate his gundam than surrender it to you and your new friends!" The moment she said it, Relena snapped her mouth shut, mortified by her outburst.

Zeno threw back his head in laughter. "You Earth women are full of spirit! That is what I liked about my Virineia."

"Perhaps because such spirit burns too brightly it flickers out quickly." Another woman had entered the room without notice, and by the ornate garments she wore and her audacity to speak to the emperor, Relena guessed that she was important.

Zeno did not turn to look at her. Relena wasn't sure what she read in his eyes. Disgust? "Ah, Xuxa, you are always there with an unsolicited observation."

"I seek only to please you, my lord."

Relena had heard Trey speak of this woman, so she knew that she was the emperor's concubine and the mother of Prince Dilan. There was no denying the faire-haired woman was beautiful, but there was something about her pale blue eyes that was repulsive. She viewed the occupants of the room with as much contempt as the emperor, but she included him in her condemning gaze.

"Did you bring your worthless son with you?" asked Zeno without looking at her.

Another man stepped in behind Lady Xuxa and Relena recognized him from their skirmish with the Calabrians shortly before arriving at L10. He was undoubtedly Prince Dilan. "I am here, father."

Zeno did not bother to hide his aversion to the sight of his heir. "This woman is a princess of Earth whose army of four defeated your imperial guard in battle and chased you back into our system like fleeing females."

Dilan's face colored with shame. "Their technology was superior to our own."

"You have the opportunity to rectify that. Do you want this woman? An alliance through marriage to one of them would be beneficial to Calabria. Since you have so displeased the princess from Bayman, this is your only option to regain what you have lost."

Relena looked at Dilan, silently praying he was not interested.

Dilan didn't even look at her. "I wanted Arora! She is still alive in the Wastelands! I have seen her with my own eyes! I would still take her as my wife."

"Arora is not for you," stated Zeno. "She is dishonored, and if not dead in reality, dead in our eyes."

Xuxa moved toward the emperor. "You allowed Dax to dispose of her when you knew our son wanted her to be his wife!"

"Perhaps you should argue that point with Dax. As head of his house, he has the right of disposal of any females." Zeno raised his brow, daring Xuxa to speak again. Relena held her breath, wondering if his concubine would extend the argument because she felt Zeno's suppressed violence as if it were a living thing, and any further words from his concubine would probably be her last.

But Xuxa knew when to defer. She lowered her head. "As you say, my lord."

Zeno turned his attention to Dilan. "As for you, I want you to deliver the pretender's head to me. If you fail, I will settle for yours."

Dilan's face turned white. "I will do all that I can to please you, my lord father."

"I am sure you will." Zeno sneered at his son. "But as usual, you will fall short of accomplishing anything worthwhile."

Dilan's hand went to his sword, but before he could touch it, his mother hissed for him to stop.

Zeno threw back his head in mocking laughter. "I am surrounded by cowards and fools."

"We are in good company," said Xuxa, her eyes on Zeno.

Zeno's smile faded. "One day you will go too far, bitch."

Without responding, she walked out, daring to turn her back on the emperor.

"If she wasn't Joran's sister, I would feed her to the hogs," remarked Zeno.

Relena was hoping that the little family squabble would work in her favor, but Dilan turned his attention to her again.

"She looks weak and pale," assessed Dilan. "She would not last a week."

"Who says you are going to last a week?" Zeno stared straight at his son before his eyes dropped to the younger man's sword. Even Relena could see the challenge in the emperor's eyes.

Dilan stood trembling with silent rage but he made no move to retaliate. "I don't want the Earth woman."

"Then we will let Dax have both women." Zeno glared at his son. "Get out! Go find the pretender and bring him back to me. You will forget about Arora." After Dilan left, Zeno looked at Relena. "Until you remember where those gundams are, you will remain with Dax. He may do with you as he wishes."

Relena wanted to shout their location to save herself, but she managed to control her cowardice. "I don't know where they are!"

"A few days with Dax might give you a revelation or two." Zeno looked past her to Lady Une. "Come with me woman."

Une left with the emperor without looking again at Relena. She hoped Zeno would kill the witch, but she knew that the Calabrians were using her to get information so he would keep her close by until she had outlived her usefulness. Relena couldn't even feel any consolation in the fact that Lady Une would end up like any other used up female on the planet. Emperor Zeno struck Relena as even more cruel and heartless than the Demon that had brought them back to this fortress, leading them like animals with the females he had carelessly left for his men's amusement. Relena could not believe Trowa was Zeno's son. Were it not for the physical resemblance, they would have nothing in common. She felt sorry for Trey to have grown up in the horrible man's household. He had no affection for the mother of his heir, and he openly despised Prince Dilan. But she could not feel sorry for Dilan. If he had something to do with usurping Trey's position on Calabria, then he well deserved whatever fate Zeno had planned for him. Anybody could see that Zeno had no intention of allowing Dilan to rule in his place. Dilan would have to use treachery to wrest the throne from his father, and Relena knew by the chill that his gaze sent down her spine that Zeno was more than his son's match.

When they had gone, she resumed her pacing. Wringing her hands, Relena worried about how Heero would take the news of her capture by the imperial forces. He was a soldier with ten times her own common sense, so he must surely have concluded when he didn't find her among the dead that she was worth more alive than dead to the Calabrians. But she was sure that Heero was making plans to rescue her.

The door opened, and seeing Dax standing in the doorway, Relena stepped quickly back, looking frantically for something to protect herself. Dax watched her with expressionless dark eyes, then yanked on a chain, bringing Trynity stumbling into the room wearing nothing but the metal collar around her neck. Bruises marked her body, a testament to the not so gentle hospitality. One side of her face was swollen and one of her eyes was dark and puffy. Relena took a step toward her, but Dax snarled, then dragged her to the wall where he chained her to a metal ring. Relena didn't spare a thought as to why the man had such a thing in her personal chambers.

Dax turned his attention to her. "The emperor has informed me that I may take you into my house."

"You will never live to see that day!" taunted Trynity. Relena wished she would keep her mouth shut.

Dax turned around to look at her. "You have not had enough?"

In answer, she spit on the floor.

Dax started towards her, and Relena was about to throw herself in his way in a feeble attempt to protect Trynity, but a rap at the door preceded the entry of Prince Dilan. "Dax, there is small force approaching."

Dax reluctantly turned away from them. "Is it the Warlord?"

"One of the scouts reported that the pirate chieftain is on the surface with an army. It can only be them."

Dax looked at Trynity. "I regret, my dear, that I will have to finish this later." He looked at Relena. "As for you, be ready to do my bidding when I return. As a princess, you are worthy to become my wife, and the flame haired warrior shall be my concubine. Perhaps she will breed me a son of which I can be proud."

Dilan didn't bother to look at them before leaving with Dax and Relena heard the door lock behind them. Relena hurried to Trynity who was examining the lock on the collar around her neck with fingers that were shaking.

"Are you all right?"

"Do I look all right? For the love of God, Relena, you can be such a dolt sometimes! Find me something like a hairpin. There must be something small and straight around here that I can use to short out this lock."

Relena left her to search and managed to find a brooch from which Trynity tore the pin. She poked around at the lock for a few moments while Relena stood by watching uselessly. Finally it sizzled, shooting sparks before the collar popped open, and Trynity tore it from her neck.

"Bastard! I'm going to kill him!" Trynity had such wild look in her eyes that Relena put herself in her path so that she could not go to the door.

"Use some sense, Trynity! He is with his men! You can't kill him now. They would kill you before you could even find him." But Trynity was still staring at the door as Relena forced her away, then made her sit on a bench while she found water and tore a cloth to take care of her wounds.

"He thought he could break me," mumbled Trynity, staring past Relena. "I didn't break. I won't break. I won't!" Tears pushed out over her lashes.

Relena put aside the cloth and put her arms around her. Trynity was trembling. "You are safe now. Maybe the pirates will kill him."

"A man like that doesn't get killed on a battlefield!" Trynity's voice cracked. "He is a demon, just as they call him. A monster."

When Trynity burst into tears, Relena gathered her in her arms and rocked her until the other woman managed to regain control of her emotions, then she left her to find a garment while Trynity took care of her own cuts and bruises. She found a plain white tunic that Trynity slipped over her head.

"Is the baby all right?" asked Relena.

"He wouldn't hurt me like that! He thinks I'll breed for him. Pig!"

Relena looked at her face and took her hands. "Did…did he…" She couldn't even bring herself to ask the question.

Trynity didn't answer as she squeezed Relena's hands. "We have to get out of here! They want the gundams and will do anything to get them."

"I…I can't be as brave as you," confessed Relena.

"I'm not brave! I'm stupid!" Trynity laughed, then cried again. "It would have been so easy just to give up! But I couldn't! He kept hitting me and laughing, and then I would smart off to him, and…"

Relena hugged her, tears in her own eyes as she imagined the hell Trynity had been to with the Demon. "You spend way too much time with Duo Maxwell."

Trynity laughed, then pushed away from Relena to check the room thoroughly. "Did you see that witch, Une? She watched Dax beat me for a while."

"Une hates us. She is with Zeno now."

Trynity looked at her. "Zeno seems to like that type of woman. Xuxa paid Dax a little visit during our playtime. I wonder if Zeno knows his concubine gets the imperial treatment from Dax."

Relena stared at her incredulously. "I cannot believe Zeno would put up with that. I could see that he hates that woman. Are you sure?"

Trynity winced. "Trust me. I know what I saw. She allowed him to treat her like a bitch in heat so that she could nag him about Arora."

"Does he know that Arora is alive?"

"He does now and he is furious. I can't believe he is her father, or that Apolo is his son." Trynity shuddered. "I would choose the Wasteland over him any day. I feel sorry for the woman who was his wife."

"Do you think the pirates have attacked?" asked Relena. "Maeryn did say she was going to return. Maybe they are coming to rescue us!"

"Don't get your hopes up. They have laser guns to hold them off although I can't imagine Dax wanting to do anything but cut them up with his sword." Trynity went to the door and examined it carefully. "There is some type of electronic lock on the outside." She put her back to the door and slid down to sit on the floor. "I can't reach it from here."

Relena went to sit beside her. "Do you think Heero and Duo will get us out of here?"

Trynity looked at her. "They will do everything they can." She laughed. "They got me out of your brother's palace."

"Actually, it was me," Relena reminded her. "You had already left."

They were silent for a moment, then Trynity said, "I think they'll come."

"If they haven't been killed by that Wasteland lord Joran that Trey had gone to meet. I heard Zeno say that Xuxa is that man's sister."

Trynity sighed. "I'm not giving up hope. I believe in Trey, and I trust Duo."

"I believe in Heero," said Relena. He had never failed her.

"This is ridiculous! I can't believe we're doing this!"

"Tough luck, Wufei, paper beats rock." Duo looked at the others as he rubbing his hands in anticipation. "Whose next?"

"This is a waste of time," pointed out Heero. He was next. Maxwell had beaten everyone so far for the privilege of sneaking into the fortress. "You are going to beat me, too. I think you have somehow figured this damn game out."

"I think you're right," remarked Trey, who stood watching with his arms folded over his chest. He had been the first to go down. "Maxwell, get in there and disable the security when the troops move out."

"I am more qualified to do that," pointed out Heero.

Duo grinned. "I'm a lot better at re-wiring doors than you are."

"Plenty of practice on Miss Stryfe's door," piped up Quatre.

"The practice will come in handy now!"

They all fell silent as the pirate forces appeared on the horizon. After launching a few missiles at the fortress that caused minimal damage, the pirates waited until the imperial troops charged out of the fortress before dropping back in order to make the Calabrians chase them into the Wastelands. Duo, who had managed to reach the fortress in the confusion of the missile attacks, slipped inside through the open portal as the mounted troops charged past.

"Now we wait," said Trey.

"Do you think he will sabotage the security first or find Miss Stryfe?" asked Wufei.

They looked at each other.

"Stryfe." They said together.

Heero chuckled. "So what if he does. She's more competent anyway."

"We don't know what shape she is in," pointed out Trey. "Dax isn't called the Demon because it sounds nice with his name."

"Guys, I don't believe it! Isn't that Duo's signal?"

Heero looked to the fortress. There was a flashing light which was the agreed upon signal. He was sure everyone was just as surprised as he that Duo had put the mission before his personal feelings.

They made no more comments as they dashed across the sand and slipped into the fortress where Duo met them as they came through the door.

"Careful! I overheard some guards talking. I understood enough to know that Dax is still inside. Prince Dilan led the troops out."

"Dilan was here?" Trey put his hand on his sword.

Heero grabbed his arm when he would have headed back to the door. "We aren't here for your personal revenge."

Trey dropped his hand away. "You are right. Let's divide and look for Relena and Trynity." He looked at Quatre. "You are not coming with me."

Quatre grinned.

"Someone's coming!" Wufei called softly from the corner where he was keeping watch.

Heero pressed buttons on the door to the room nearest, but it wouldn't open. "Duo, get over here and do your thing."

The sound of many footsteps was getting louder as they approached and Duo pried off the panel to the door to pull and re-rout the wires. In a matter of seconds he had a tangled mess of wiring that Heero hoped he understood.

"I expect this problem to be taken care of," Heero heard an authoritative voice.

"Zeno!" gasped Trey. Heero saw that he had become pale at the sound of his father's voice.

"I will do all in my power to rid Calabria of both the pretender and the warlord, my lord."

The footsteps stopped. "What do you know of the pretender? Is it possible, Dax, that…"

"That man is a fraud! Trey could not possibly be alive."

Heero glanced at Trey. He was visibly upset by the conversation between his father and his imperial guard. He stood ready to seize his friend in case he tried to confront them, but Trey seemed to have his emotions in check. Now was not the time to challenge Zeno and Dax, and he knew it. Until Trey remembered exactly what had happened the first time he had challenged Zeno, he should not attempt to re-enact the fateful duel with his father.

"But if he is…"

"I know that man." It was Lady Une. "He is not your prince. He is an impostor who specializes in stealing identities. Before he took this identity, he called himself Trowa Barton. The real Trowa Barton had been murdered by his people so that he might pilot the gundam."

"You are certain?" Heero thought Zeno sounded ambivalent. If the man had any feeling for his son, the appearance of a pretender must be upsetting to him if he honestly believe him dead. What did Zeno know about Trey's disappearance? By his questions, he probably was not directly involved in the disposal of his heir.

Heero looked at Trey. Was possible that four years ago he had attempted to flee Calabria to seek the aid of Bayman? And if not, who had been responsible for his disappearance?

"I am quite certain," responded Une. "He is an opportunist."

"Trust me, my lord, this man is not your son."

"I have no choice but to trust you Dax. I am returning to the imperial city. Rid me of the pretender and the Warlord. If Dilan proves incompetent, rid me of him, too."

The door slid open, and as they filed into the room, Duo slapped the faceplate back on the control panel and joined them. The door closed before the emperor and his entourage turned the corner.

"Dax is very sure that I am dead," commented Trey.

"Dax most likely had something to do with your disappearance," suggested Wufei.

Trey put his hand to his head and closed his eyes. "If only I could remember!"

Nobody commented about the emperor, but Heero drew the same conclusions the others probably had. A man who could callously order his imperial guard to dispose of his crowned heir now had probably done it before.

"Do you know the layout of this place?" asked Heero to distract Trey. "Where might they be?"

"If he considers them prisoners, he may have put them in the detention center. If Dax has other plans for them…" he paused and Heero knew exactly what he meant. By the look on Duo's face, he knew too. "He will most likely have put them in his personal suite."

Heero raised a brow. "You knew the man. Where are they?"

Trey frowned. "I wouldn't bother checking the detention center."

"If he touched my Trynity…" started Duo.

"Save the threats for later," said Wufei. "Quatre and I will stand guard. You guys go find Trynity and Relena."

Heero and Duo followed Trey through the twisting corridors. Although there were cameras and infrared scanners, Duo had done an admirable job of shutting them off. Heero wondered how long they would have before the Calabrians discovered that their security system had been tampered with. His question was answered when they rounded a corner and came up against a half dozen men who drew swords.

"This ain't good odds," said Duo, but as Heero and Trey drew their sword, Duo pulled a gun from behind his back and shot three of the men. "That ought to improve the odds a little."

Heero looked at him. "How long have you been carrying that thing?"

Duo shrugged. "Got it from Newt back on the satellite but I haven't had a need for it. Not many bullets left anyway."

Trey took out two of the men while Heero disabled the remaining guard and they continued on. Soon they came to the residential wing of the fortress, and after trying two of the doors and coming up with empty rooms, they found the one they were looking for. That room appeared to be deserted also when they walked in, but suddenly the door slammed shut behind them, and Heero turned quickly enough to avoid being bashed over the head by an ornate vase.

"Heero!" Relena dropped the vase and threw herself into his arms. He held her tight against him.

"Are you all right, Relena?" When she nodded vigorously, he held her close to him, then looked over her head to Trynity and Duo. Miss Stryfe was battered and looked almost as bad as she had the time they had pulled her from the cockpit of the Shadowhawk after the battle against the coalition.

Before Duo could say anything or even take a step toward her, Trynity blurted, "I'm all right, Duo! It's not as bad as it looks. I've been through worse."

"Yeah! After a blast in your gundam!" Duo clenched his fists at his side, and Heero could see that he was shaking with fury. "Who did this to you?"

She rolled her eyes. "There was a battle, Duo. Must have been about a hundred of them, so I got a little banged up. I'd say I got off rather easy."

Duo came closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Stop joking. I want an answer, because that man is going to meet the god of death."

"Let's just get out of here!" she snapped, pushing herself away from him. "Now is not the time for the god of death to make an appearance."

"She's right," agreed Heero. He didn't need the beseeching look from Relena to know that he should intercede for Trynity. Duo might do something stupid to avenge the beating she had obviously received. "We have to get away from here before the imperials return."

"Can you walk, babe?" Before she could reply, he lifted her up to carry her. Heero wondered why any of them doubted Duo's feelings for her.

"This is silly! You're going to drop me!" But Trynity put her arms around his neck and buried her face against his neck.

Heero took Relena's hand, and they all left the room with Trey leading the way, and they encountered only one guard, which Duo promptly shot, before they reached the fortress entrance. Wufei was waiting for them and told them Quatre had already left. Heero had never thought that Quatre was a coward, and as he was wondering why Quatre had fled, they managed to get across the sands without being seen. Quatre was waiting by the horses and in the sand on his knees there was a man with his hands tied behind his back.

"Dax!" gasped Trey.

Quatre giggled. "He was just there for the taking, and I hoped I might redeem myself for that little fiasco with Miliardo and Noin."

The emperor's personal guard glared at Trey. If he recognized him, he was very clever at hiding it. "You must be the pretender. So very good of you to come to me so that I don't have to waste my time hunting you down."

Before Trey could reply, Trynity jumped from Duo's arms, grabbed his gun from behind his back and stumbled to the man on the ground. She put the barrel against his temple. "There is no good reason to keep a man like you alive."

No one was fast enough to stop her from pulling the trigger.

Instead of an explosion, there was a click. The chamber was empty.

Dax threw back his head in mocking laughter, and Duo caught Trynity when she would have fallen. There were tears pouring down her cheeks. No one needed to be told who had been responsible for her beating.

"Is that boy your mate?" asked Dax with a malicious smile. "You would be better off with a man who can protect you. When this is all over, my dear, I will take you back, but you will have to find a good way to make me forget your attempt to kill me."

"Shut the hell up!" Duo pulled a dagger and lunged toward him, but Trey grabbed his arm and shoved him back.

"He may be useful to me alive, not dead." Trey looked at Quatre. "Took some guts to snatch him."

"Not really," bragged Quatre. "He was just standing around, so I knocked him over the head. He didn't even hear me coming."

Heero raised a brow as he looked at the smirking imperial guard. "We might be making a mistake bringing him along."

"Mistake or not," said Trey as he stood over Dax. "Now that he is in my hands, I intend to make him pay."

Dax made no attempt to escape as Trey hauled him to his feet, dragged him to his horse and took a rope to tie to his hands. The dark man did no more than watch Trey, scrutinizing silently, and there was something in that regard that made Heero uncomfortable.

"He's evil," whispered Relena.

Heero looked down at her. "He didn't touch you, did he?"

She shook her head although she glanced quickly at Trynity who was held safely in Duo's arms. "But he warned me that he intended to make me his wife and Trynity as his concubine."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Heero couldn't help but chuckle. "The poor guy wouldn't have stood a chance against the two of you."

Relena glared at him. "How can you joke about such a thing! We were in danger!"

Heero bent down and hefted her over his shoulder. "Not much confidence in me, princess?"

"Put me down! I hate when you do this!" She started pounding on his back.

Wufei and Quatre looked at each other, then at Heero. He was amused by their shocked expressions. "Don't worry, guys. She's my wife. Isn't that right, Relena?"

She stopped pounding and turned to look at the other gundam pilots. Heero was afraid she was going to deny it, and when she did speak he let out a sigh of relief. "Of course! You don't think I would let just any guy do this, do you?"

He slapped her backside. "A little peace, now, woman!" When he managed to mount his horse, she shrieked in fear until he brought her down to sit before him. "I know just the thing to shut you up."

Relena blushed. "Not here!"

"I was talking about a kiss." Heero chuckled. She really did have nasty thoughts, but that was to his advantage.

"Let's get going," called out Trey. He had tied Dax with a rope to his horse. "We have a long way to go to reach the new camp."

Relena slipped her arms around Heero's waist and held him tightly. "I knew you would save me."

"When haven't I?"

She opened her mouth to retort, then must have thought better of it. There really was no argument. Relena needed constant saving from her ridiculous judgment. Although this time it hadn't been her fault that she had been captured unless you counted the fact that she shouldn't have followed him to the planet, shouldn't have followed him through the wormhole, shouldn't have stowed away on the transport to follow him to L10…

"What do you think is so humorous?" she asked, and he realized he was laughing.

"How interesting you make my life."