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A/N: ENJOY!!!
Chapter Two: Tahlmorra
Her dreams had always been a constant, unchanging, norm for Relena. That is they were, until she met Heero Yuy. One afternoon with the man and already her dreams were crowded with his image. He had morphed himself into the man who had always been in her dreams, but now she saw his face and he was Heero. And the tiger… the orange tiger… she knew it was Dante, it had to be.
Relena walked over to her bed and picked up the black cloak that lay there… Heero's cloak. She wrapped it around her shoulders and breathed in deeply.
"Now Relena, I don't want to hear anymore of this foolishness." King Julius said sternly to his youngest daughter. The King had been blessed with three beautiful daughters: Sally was the oldest and wisest of the three, Dorothy was the middle child, strong, cunning, but a bit of a Tom Boy, and then there was Relena… she had to be the most beautiful of the sisters, the most vibrant and full of life, but defiant of her position. "Lord Bastion is coming to see you today, he has been calling on you all week and you have been refusing him because of your work." Relena's eyes flashed dangerously at her father. "Now I don't mean to demean your work, you're a wonderful painter dear, but you cannot continue to ignore a Lords attention. You will send an apology to Trowa and Catherine, they will understand your duties."
Relena felt a surge of panic, if she didn't go to lunch with Trowa and Cathy she wouldn't see Heero. "No Father!" Relena nearly yelled, her eyes were windows into her soul at that moment, she could not hide when she was thinking of Heero. "I have to go today, it's very important."
Julius looked down at his daughter curiously. She was never like this. Out of his three daughters Relena was the most in control of her emotions, she had the best 'game face', those unbreakable walls protecting the vulnerable psyche of a girl of standing. He nodded slightly, "Okay, you can go, I will tell Lord Bastion to return tomorrow."
A grin spread quickly across Relena's face as she looked up at her father. He couldn't help the smile that curved his lips.
"Go on or you'll be late."
Trowa, Catherine and Relena followed the river north of Majhara, staying close to its shores. They reached a large field with a beautiful old oak tree in its center. They headed toward the oak at a canter, Relena's horse had a new shoe and was performing as though nothing had happened the last time he had seen the river. Catherine and Trowa rode on similar looking dun Akhal-tekes, the only real difference was size, Trowa's being about a hand or so taller. They stopped at the tree and dismounted. Cathy had brought the food and a blanket and spread it out under the tree as Trowa tied the horses to a low branch on the other side.
"Now let's see…" Trowa said once his task was complete. He was looking straight up at the tree. He jumped, grabbing a branch in his hands and pulling himself up. Relena watched as he climbed higher. He looked out at the woods upstream. "I can't see them!" he yelled down.
"Trowa dear brother, they have farther to travel then we do." Catherine yelled back. Relena laughed a little.
Trowa cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a long howl, like a wolf. Cathy rolled her eyes, but just as she was about to say something about it two distant howls joined his. She looked back at Relena. "That would be Heero and Aresa." she stated with a shake of her head. Relena watched the woods intently as Trowa climbed down the tree. She saw Heero first. Who could miss the huge black horse emerging from the woods at a gallop? Then she saw who had to be Aresa. Her horse was tiny compared to her brother's, a small chestnut Arabian, possibly a pony. As they got closer she noticed that Aresa's hair was brown like Heero's, long, possibly down to her knees, or longer, but her eyes were also brown, instead of Heero stunning sapphire.
As they got closer Relena smiled. Heero made eye contact and smiled back. Then all of the sudden Trowa was tackled to the ground. Relena looked at him in shock to find the illusive orange tiger Dante standing on his chest, licking his face. Trowa's arms were trying to push Dante away as he made noises of disgust, yet smiling. Heero and Aresa slowed and dismounted. Instead of tying their horses they removed the bridals and saddles and let them loose. Trowa had gotten himself out from under Dante and was talking quietly to Aresa who smiled brightly.
Dante sauntered over to Catherine. Relena's eyes were riveted to him. It is the orange tiger from my dreams! Catherine leaned over and scratched behind Dante's ears, he looked to be enjoying himself. Cathy turned away from him to unpack the food. Dante turned to Relena and cocked his head to one side. His intelligent yellow eyes looked curiously at her. He walked up to her, sniffing the wind.
"He won't hurt you." Heero's smooth deep voice sent chills up her spine. She knew he was behind her and had to consciously stop her body from leaning back in an attempt to touch him. "Come here." He said, moving beside her and taking her hand. They knelt together in front of Dante. "Dante, this is Relena, Relena this is Dante."
Relena smiled at the formality in Heero's voice but gasped when Dante bowed before her. She giggled as Heero moved her hand toward Dante. Dante himself fell onto his side and then sprawled out on his back. Relena's hand came in contact with the soft fur of Dante's chest. He purred affectionately and Relena smiled.
"He's very happy to be back." Heero informed her, releasing her hand and standing. He walked over to Catherine and offered her assistance in unpacking.
Relena rubbed Dante vigorously and he closed his eyes in enjoyment. A dull pounding made Relena look up in shock. It was Kahn, Heero's Friesian. Kahn stood over then, pawing one hoof into the ground and looking intently at Dante. If tigers could smirk Relena would have sworn she saw one form on Dante's lips as he lunged at the huge black animal. Dante jumped on Kahn's back, who took off at a run, bucking the whole way trying to get the tiger off. Once he had done this he ran and Dante followed in a friendly game of tag. Every once and awhile Dante would turn and Kahn would chase him.
Relena scanned the field for Aresa's small Arabian. It had wandered toward the river and was resting under the shade of a tree there. She looked back at the group of people around her. The attraction between Trowa and Aresa was obvious. They were both deeply enamored with each other. She wondered for a moment if it was love… She then turned to Heero and Cathy. Cathy had refused Heero's assistance and was unpacking steadily on her own, carefully and gently removing the contents and setting them on the blanket. Heero was under the shade of the tree, sprawled out on his back much like Dante had been. Relena had the sudden urge to go over to him and rub his belly, thinking he would close his eyes in contentment. A bubble of laughter escaped her when she thought of the similarity between the human and his tiger.
She walked over to Heero and settled down in the grass beside him, picking at various blades of it as a distraction. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem to notice her.
"What's it like?" He asked, abruptly breaking the awkward silence Relena felt.
"What's what like?" She replied, unsure of what he was talking about.
"Being royal." He said as he cracked open one eye a little.
"What makes you think I'm royal?" Relena dodged, careful for a carefree tone.
"Perhaps it was the people bowing to you at Trowa and Cathy's… or maybe I asked Trowa if you were."
She frowned. "I don't like being royal."
"Is that why you try to hide it?"
"Yes," she looked up at Trowa and Aresa standing in sun, just enjoying each other's company. "and at the same time a huge no."
He looked at her curiously and she sighed. He wasn't asking to make conversation, he wanted to know. She looked back at Kahn and Dante. "I hate obligation. Not responsibility, that's something different, this is obligation, this is stupid traditions that do nothing but hurt people."
He looked confused, "You're not talking about obligation in general, you're talking about something specific."
His intuition astounded her and she just stared at him a moment. He suddenly seemed a strange creature, one more of emotion than flesh and blood. She didn't understand him. How could a person go through life without any walls? He was completely vulnerable, and what's more, completely comfortable with it. "I believe in love, pure love. A princess is obligated to marry politically, love is rarely, if ever, a factor."
He seemed shocked, but nodded in understanding. "The rules of my culture are very similar, yet infinitely different. It's curious. I understand your plight, but there is a conflict inside me because of the system in which I was raised the goes around such a condition." She looked curiously at him so he elaborated. "When I marry it may or may not be for love. Political weddings are very common amongst my people. However, we have meijha. A meijha is what you would call, a mistress, sort of. She would be the man's true love partner. If his marriage is political, both he and his majhara, his wife, would know and understand this and would stay together for the good of the people, if not for themselves, but he is still allowed his happiness. The meijha is welcome and honored amongst our people, she has made a sacrifice for the good the masses. She will spend her life with the man she loves, in the open, there is no hiding, no disgrace involved. She is simply the woman he loves, the one he wants by his side."
Relena's eyes were wide as she assimilated this knew and profound information. It was startling. Her immediate reaction was to call it unethical and an excuse for men to stray but she refrained. He made sense in a strange way. "Would you ever do it?"
"Would I marry a woman I didn't love, and make the woman I love my meijha? I don't know if I'm built for it." He shook his head as if trying to clear away his own clouded psyche. "I would think I am a man of monotony, but if it came to that, I don't think I could make a decision that would make two people miserable." He shook his head again. "I don't know. Perhaps I have spent too much time around Homanans."
It was a welcome deflection for some reason. Relena was very curious about Heero's people, but did not want to upset his mood. She wondered what they called themselves. She looked again at Aresa's Arab pony laying by the river in cool shade. It suddenly seemed more lonely than content.
"Heero, your lir is about to get into trouble." Trowa said as he turned to them.
Heero stood and Relena followed his gaze to where Dante was standing on a log that hung over the water and was making spitting noises at Kahn who couldn't reach him.
"Dante!" Heero called, his voice a mixture of emotion Relena could not seem to separate.
Dante's yellow eyes shifted to them. Heero's eyes seemed to unfocus and a sort of silent communication took place. After a long moment Dante carefully climbed down the log back onto the solid ground and began a slow trot in their direction. Heero sat back down beside her calmly as Cathy announced that it was time to eat.
As the meal slowly winded down Relena remembered the word Trowa had used in regard to Dante. She turned to him, "What did you mean by lir?"
Trowa looked startled, as if caught between two conflicting emotions and turned his gaze to Heero.
"Dante is my lir." Heero said slowly, as if being careful of his wording. "It's a relationship, like friend. I would say you are my friend and I am yours, Dante is my lir and I am his. You once asked me if he was my pet. He isn't. The relationship is very hard to understand if you come from such a dissimilar culture, but Dante is the other half of me. I am a creature who is born with a hole in my soul, Dante is the missing piece, it is a lir-bond… a sacred bond."
Relena nodded her head. She understood what he said, but was having considerable difficulty fathoming such a concept.
At that moment a large brown hawk flew into the clearing above then. It screeched and began to descend. Heero stood and outstretched his arm. The hawk landed deftly. Tied to one leg was a small piece of paper, which Heero removed. Once its burden was dropped the hawk took to the sky again. Heero carefully unwrapped the paper. They all stood and Relena looked over his shoulder at it. It was written in a strange, runic language. Relena looked at the others but Trowa and Cathy's blank stares served to tell her that they could not read it either. Heero whistled between his teeth and Aresa turned toward the forest they had exited as her Arab trotted up beside her and Kahn beside him. They immediately began to saddle their horses.
"Is everything alright?" Relena asked after a moment.
Heero didn't turn completely to her, but she saw him in profile when he looked out over the forest. She had never seen him so closed. He was suddenly very mechanical, like the soldiers around the palace. The change startled her as his cold tone cut through the air. "Our home has been attacked by raiders."
Relena's stomach dropped. He didn't look like the soldiers. This mask wasn't emotionless, it was all emotion… anger.
"I'll come." Trowa said firmly, moving around the tree to untie his Akhal-teke. The three didn't spare another word, though Heero glanced back at Relena as they rode away. She saw his anger falter into regret. Had he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her? She stopped herself from answering.
"Relena do you mind if I come with you to the palace? I don't want to be up all night when I know Trowa will most likely not be back with news for a few days."
"Of course Cathy. Besides, there is something I want to show you."
Relena slowly ascended the stairs of the North Tower in the Homana-Majhara Palace. Cathy walked silently behind her.
"No one but my father and sisters have ever been up here." Relena said over her shoulder. Cathy put on a soft smile. "This is very important to me, so you can't laugh."
"Laugh at what? Perhaps you should prepare me."
They reached a solid looking wooden door and Relena turned. "I have been painting all my life, I'm good, or so I'm told. But that's not what's important. When I was eleven my dad and I went to Ellas's capital, Rheghed, for a party. Anyway, on the way there I saw a white tiger." Cathy's eyes widened. "Now, don't laugh, I really did. And since that day I have had dreams about this tiger, and others… I didn't know who they were, until recently…"
Relena opened the door and led the way inside. The sun cast a glow to the polished stone walls in the large circular room. Those walls were lined with paintings, over fifty held in one room.
"I have more, in a storage area."
Cathy could not speak, she stared into the paintings and saw Heero, and Dante… She moved closer to Relena's most recent. She had painted it the day after meeting Heero. His face was clear, completely free of the shadows that bound it in the other paintings.
"Relena, this is tahlmorra!" Cathy breathed out.
"What?"
Cathy raised her hands, palm up and fingers spread in the gesture she had seen Heero do a million times. "In Heero's language... Tahlmorra lujhala mei wiccan, cheysu. It means, roughly, the fate of a man rests always within the hands of the gods. It's usually shortened to tahlmorra. The hand gesture means the same." She looked Relena in the eye for the first time since entering the room. "It is meant to be. All of it. You're fall in the river, your meeting of the white tiger when you were a child, it was all for a greater purpose."
"What purpose?" Relena was entranced.
"Tahlmorra Relena. Your purpose. Once you accept that it's there, you may feel it. Feel your tahlmorra. When you can feel it, it will guide you."
Trowa didn't return for another three days and when he did return he mumbled in his sleep deprived voice and fell onto the nearest bed. Cathy had sent a message to Relena and she had arrived early the next morning to talk to Trowa when he awoke.
Trowa walked slowly into the large drawing room Relena and Cathy occupied. His movements were sluggish and tired. He slumped into the nearest chair and yawned loudly.
"Well?" Cathy pressed.
"The raiders come looking for Cheysuli gold, thought they could get some and when they didn't get enough for their tastes they burned the place to the ground." He said through grinding teeth.
Relena was startled. Cheysuli gold? Why would there be Cheysuli gold?
"Was anyone hurt?" Cathy asked, her displeasure evident in her tone.
"No one was killed, though Heero's father had the worst injuries, he's resting now. They've already started rebuilding. Heero sent me home. He said I looked like hell and you would never forgive him if he ran me to the ground. It's going to take awhile, the complete reconstruction of the whole Keep." He sighed, and then his sigh turned into a yawn and he closed his eyes a moment.
Cathy was shaking her head but seemed at a loss for words. She suddenly remembered Relena was there and glanced at her. "Trowa, I want to show you some of Relena's paintings."
Trowa opened his eyes and looked at Relena curiously. "You paint?"
She nodded silently as Cathy stood and took his arm and led him into another room where the two had put a few of Relena's paintings the day before after deciding they would tell Trowa. Relena waited for them there.
At one end of the room the stone fireplace stood with a warm fire lit. On one side of the room the windows went from floor to ceiling and the morning sun lighted the room brightly.
When the two reentered the room Trowa stared at Relena in something akin to amazement. He sat down across from her and stared deeply into her eyes for a long moment.
"Your tahlmorra lies with him." He said simply as he blinked and sat up a little straighter, as if satisfied with his own conclusion.
"What are you talking about Trowa, I barely know Heero."
"Yes you do, you've known him all your life. Or since you were eleven… Heero would say the same thing. He always follows his tahlmorra."
((A/N: Thank you all for reviewing and please do so again!!!
Sage - Thank you for reviewing! Heero will sometimes slip into that character but I don't believe it happens at all until Chapter three. I'm glad you like this and I agree about the brooding Heero.
White Witch - Thank you for your review! Just wait until I get going ::Rubs hands together:: this HOPEFULLY is not going to be predictable. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Jem Star - HERE'S MORE! Thanxs for reviewing, I hope to hear more from you in the future!
Darth - I'm glad you like it. I've been trying to make my chapters longer but I'm not really sure if I succeeded. Thank you for reviewing!
Sorrow - Thank you for your words of encouragement. I will keep going! BOOYAH!
Jaxie - I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes science fiction. The Cheysuli are fascinating, but I won't say anymore, I don't want to give anything away. Thank you for the compliment.
Ladybug - And here it is. Thank you for reviewing.
Angeltearz49 - I hope this didn't take too long. You like magic eh? There will be magic in this story, hopefully not to the point of distraction though. Thank you for reviewing.))