Chapter Fourteen
Relena and Dorothy searched for Heero but to no avail. It has been five days now and Relena was getting discouraged. The hope that was previously burning in her was now diminishing. Still, she kept on looking. Somewhere deep in her heart, she believed in miracles. And she believed that she would be led to Heero sooner or later.
Dorothy sank down onto a root of a tree trunk, jaded. The girls had travelled from one place to another, first in Dorothy's car and now on foot. It had run out of gas in one village. Since most of the villagers were poor people, no one owns a car. Even the supposedly more wealthy ones travel in horse-carriages. It was pathetic and most distressing to Dorothy. She had sulked and yelled at them, hurling such ugly abuses that the people there had drove them out.
" I can't go on," Dorothy complained petulantly.
Relena sighed. " Let's take a rest then."
" I'm thirsty."
Relena handed Dorothy her water bottle and she gulped it down. Still unsatisfied, she said, " It's not enough."
" It's the last we have," Relena said, neither angry nor annoyed by her ceaseless whining.
Dorothy switched to another complaint. " I'm getting hungry. How long is it to the next town?"
Her good-tempered companion checked the map. " It's a village, not a town," she told her.
" Another village?! Oh my god, how many more are there? How come these people are so backward? Those old turtles."
" Dorothy, don't say that."
" Hello." A shadow fell on the ground in front of the two girls. They looked up. It was Lucrezia Noin. She was dressed in a rose-patterned dress and a scarf. Her sunglasses dangled from her fingers. She placed her hand on her hip and smiled – at Relena. Relena did not return her the smile.
" You," Dorothy addressed her curtly. She was as surprised as Relena to say much.
" Glad you still remember me."
" I'll never forget you," Relena said coldly.
Noin collected back her smile. " I know you hate me and want me dead. My feeling was mutual but not now. I want you to meet a person."
" Who?"
" You'll know if you come with me."
" Sorry. I have better things to do. Let's go Dorothy." The two started to leave.
" Aren't you looking for someone?" Noin called out. Relena stopped abruptly. Slowly, she turned back to face her. " How do you know?" she asked, pronouncing the words carefully.
She shrugged. " Any fool can guess. Which person in her right mind would wander about in such a god-forsaken place?" A wolf howled mournfully, right on cue. It sent shivers down their spines. Relena glanced around her apprehensively.
" If you haven't heard, OZ captured a rebel some days ago. News like this spread like wildfire. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it." Noin could see Relena walking into her trap. No, you don't call that a trap. More of an insinuation, a kind of clever persuasion. She smiled again.
Relena had heard of the news just this morning, from the village they had left. But she had forgotten about it, as the women who were gossiping about it did not seem serious. Noin brought that back to her again. Heero…he flashed into her mind. Could it be him?
" What is his name?" she asked.
Noin studied her slyly. " I only said a 'rebel'. I did not say whether the person is a he or a she. How did you know it's a boy we caught?"
" Um…" Relena was at a loss for words.
" If you want to see him, come with me. I believe he is your friend."
Relena was certain that they had Heero with them. Though she felt that Noin had something else in mind other than bringing her to see Heero, she followed her nevertheless. Dorothy trailed behind, trying to fathom what Noin was up to.
***********************************************************
Sweat trickled down Heero's forehead. He glanced across at Trowa, who was just as exhausted but still going strong. Neither side was willing to give way, and neither does it look like either party is going down. Treize was panting.
" You are tough," Treize praised. He looked sincere.
" So are you," Trowa said.
Heero gritted his teeth. His arm was bleeding profusely. In this tedious match, his wound had broken once again. Trowa cast a worried glance in his direction.
" You're injured. Take a rest. I don't like to take anyone's advantage," Treize said.
" I can still fight," Heero shot back.
" You'll die if you keep this up."
" Then you'll die with me."
Heero rushed forward at Treize with his Beam Saber. Treize blocked his swift moves with his magical sword. Trowa joined in, backing up Heero.
Lady Une stood some distance away watching the fight. Her palms were wet. She hoped that Treize would win. The battle has been going on for about three hours now. Many of the soldiers were slumped on the ground, tired from watching the fight. Lady Une knew the fight would end soon. She whirled round to the soldiers to get them ready.
" Once they're down, get them immediately. Understand?"
" Yes!"
" Feathers of Light!" Heero shouted out suddenly, spreading his arms out in semblance of a pair of wings. This Wing Zero magic produced a white light, blinding the eyes of everyone. It took shape of a pair of enormous wings. Heero's Prussian-blue eyes burned with intensity. The force was enough to send a normal person flying across the field at top speed. And this was exactly what happened to most of the soldiers. Lady Une moved back some steps. She stopped and staggered back again. Stopped and walked back again.
Even Trowa had to back off from Heero. However, he was much more stable than Lady Une. Shielding his eyes from the light, Treize moved back too. He managed to peek through his fingers to see the wing-like force looming before him, threatening to swallow him whole. It was even more powerful than the Twin-Beam Buster Rifle. Heero has been keeping his best for the last. And he was struggling to keep up with such an overwhelming and awe-inspiring magic.
Heero would have done better, unleashed more of its potential if he had not been injured. The Feathers of Light that he released now was merely half of its magnificent power. But it was enough to send any idiot scampering for his dear life. But Treize was of a different, idiotic material. He stayed and countered it with an unorthodox magic that he had been keeping for emergency use or any unforeseen circumstances. And this was it.
Treize forced his arms away from his eyes. He sucked in one breath, long and deep. He muttered something and held out his hands in front of him, just as the Feathers of Light was concealing him.
" Treize!" Lady Une screamed.
" I am born from the womb of Mother Earth," he chanted dreamily. " The child of Nature am I. The sky I hold, the ground I step. The air I breathe, to keep me alive. Heaven hears my command, Hell knows I'm Master. I cannot die. For I am the child of Mother Earth. In her womb – was I reborn!!!"
With a yell that originated from his very soul, he burst out from the cover of the wings. Heero staggered back from the impact. Trowa steadied him. The wind howled, blowing with all its might.
" Shield!" Trowa said. " Let's go, Heero."
" We have failed?" Heero said weakly.
" No. But I think we need to make some more improvements. Come on."
When the wind finally subsided to a dejected breeze, all that was left was dust and swaying grass. Lady Une ran up to Treize. " Treize! Are you okay?"
" I'm fine," he assured her. A small line of blood ran down the side of his lips.
" You're injured!" she said, alarmed.
" Just a minor one," he replied brusquely. " Une, I have met my match. Those boys are none below me."
" You'll find a way to defeat them. I'm confident about it," she said. " What was that spell you used…"
" It's an unorthodox spell. I have never dared to use it because of its unpredictable effects. If you fail to unleash it out, it will accumulate inside your body and kill you."
" That's too dangerous!"
" I know. But he has forced me to use it. That boy is something. I wonder how it will be like when all five of them combine their best magic together."
Lady Une shook her head. " I hope it will never happen. It will prove to be a disaster for us."
" A very spectacular disaster."
***********************************************************
Over at Mountains of Dream, Wufei and Sally were hard at work, driving the OZ soldiers out of the realm. Bodies lay unnaturally on the cold ground, some closed together, some scattered. Wufei swung his Twin-Beam Trident with the best of his strength; Sally fired magical balls at them.
Before long, all the MDs were dead and the few lucky soldiers were all gone. Sally sank to the ground in exhaustion while Wufei shouted into the air, " If you dare come back here, I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than your comrades!"
They had done it – they had driven the OZ soldiers out of this realm. Mountains of Dream is a small realm, and the number of OZ soldiers stationed here were lesser than in any other realms. With some help from the local citizens and dogged determination exuded by the two, they won.
Instead of feeling happy, Wufei felt a sense of loneliness. He did not know why, but his heart just felt empty. After spending days fighting with those weak wastrels, he did not know what to do next. Should he stop for a rest or move on immediately? Wufei was tired.
" Hey Wufei," Sally said. " What's next?"
Sally has spoke aloud his thoughts. He looked at her. She was grinning at him triumphantly. He did not smile back. Instead, he frowned.
" Are you always so serious? Come on, give me a smile," she said.
" I think our enemies were too weak."
" Sure they are. Compared to Treize, they are very weak. But there are so many of them around and this makes up their weaknesses. At least, we have driven away. I doubt they'll come back here. For the time being."
" I need to be going."
Sally rose to her feet. " What? So soon? Don't you want to take a rest first?"
" It isn't necessary. The sooner we beat them, the sooner we can get back to our normal lives," he said.
" I know you are eager to defeat them but think of your health. If you fall sick, you won't be able to kill a mosquito, let alone kill them," Sally said, trying to inject some humour.
Wufei glared at her. " Miss Po, I'm calling you Miss Po because you are after all a principal."
" Were," she corrected him.
He went on as if she had not said anything. " I know myself best. You don't know. I have never like to work with women or anyone else for that matter. I prefer to be left alone. Do you understand?"
Sally understood it perfectly. But it was not right. No man is an island, and everyone needs friends. Especially Wufei. She could not help but wonder what he had went through in the past but she was sure it had something to do with his present attitude. Back at the Magic School, he was not like this. Or so she heard. He has friends – Heero, Duo, Trowa and Quatre. This war must have brought back something unhappy, painful and poignant.
" Can you tell me why?" she asked tentatively.
He paused, and then said carefully, " Why what? What do you mean?"
" You know what I mean. I'm sure you are not like this. Back at school, you were perfectly normal. You were a boy. But now…"
" But now I'm a monster?" he finished for her.
" That's not what I mean!"
" Woman – Miss Po, you don't know me," he said through gritted teeth. " So don't try to know me."
" Of course I don't know you. You didn't tell me."
Wufei narrowed his eyes into two thin slits. Sally challenged him by raising her chin high. One thing both of them have in common is stubbornness. Wufei clutched his Shenlong tablet and held it in front of him.
" Don't force me to do something that you'll regret," he warned.
" I won't regret it. You will," Sally countered back.
Wufei turned his back on her and walked off. Sally stayed where she was, watching him.
***********************************************************
" Down with OZ! Kill those bastards! Down with them!!!"
Quatre was floating well above the heads of the three hundred odd people gathered round him and the Maganac people. These people had all suffered under the rule of OZ. Quatre understood them – he was like their saviour.
" Please, listen to me!" Quatre shouted so as to make his voice heard over the throng of noisy crowd. " We mustn't be so rash. OZ will not relinquish so easily. You cannot just rush in there and kill them. You will get killed instead."
" Then what do you suggest we do?" one man cried out. All at once, the noise started again.
" I understand how you are all feeling." The people hushed upon hearing these words. " I feel helpless and full of anguish myself. Helpless in watching so many innocent people dying because of OZ and angry that there seems to be nothing to stop them. But those tyrants will not live long here. Together, we can drive them away! But we need a plan, a foolproof scheme, in order to make it work."
" Then do you have a plan?" another asked.
Rasid stepped forward. " Master Quatre thinks that we should try to find the headquarters of OZ. But in the meantime, we shall continue to try to abate the forces of OZ by making destructive attacks on their bases. Also, we shall be going round to recruit more anti-OZ members. So once their headquarters is discovered, we can launch a full-scale and unprecedented attack on them and wipe those abominable bastards out!"
The people cheered. Rasid gave Quatre a thumbs-up sign and he smiled back at him.
***********************************************************
Noin had changed back into her OZ uniform. They were now in Paradise. Zechs did not know they were back yet. Noin wanted to give him a pleasant surprise, and also, the shock of his life.
" How's dinner?" Noin asked in a congenial manner.
" Scrumptious!" Dorothy complimented. " You have some great cooks."
" We sure do." Noin smiled.
" Can we see him?" Relena burst out, unable to contain her anxiety.
" In a while. First, you shall go see him."
" Who?" Dorothy asked.
Noin did not give them a clue 'who' they were going to meet first. " Follow me."
Zechs was sitting in his office, studying the Deathscythe tablet with utmost interest. He pondered over the words written at the back of it, Death, the angel of darkness. He certainly did not want to die. Yet. Did this mean that Duo Maxwell boy thought of dying?
Two quick knocks on the door told him that Noin had returned. He grinned. Noin has a way of handling things that was both efficient and effective. Even knocking on doors, she has her own unique style. This was her charm.
" Come in, Noin," he answered. He wondered what news she had brought back.
Noin opened the door. " How did you know it's me?" she asked.
" I just do." He looked at the two girls Noin had brought back – Dorothy Catalonia and Relena Peacecraft. " What are they doing here?"
" I brought them here. I believe after you heard what I have to say, you will think differently. At least, towards one of them."
" You want us to meet him?" Relena said in an incredulous voice.
" What is going on here?" Zechs asked, equally puzzled.
" So he was the 'rebel' you were talking about?" Dorothy said with heavy sarcasm.
" What rebel?" Zechs asked again.
" Please, allow me to explain." They turned to look at Noin, who was smiling mysteriously. She cleared her throat and put on a grave front. " I'm afraid I had to lure you here to meet him, Relena. You won't have believed me if I told you what this was all about in the first place. You won't have agreed to come here at all."
Relena cut in, " So that piece of news about you capturing a rebel was rubbish?"
" No, it's true. We caught one of them. He's in the room below us." She inhaled a fresh supply of air before breaking the news, " Zechs, I want you to meet your sister – Relena Peacecraft. Relena, this is your brother."
None could believe their ears. Dorothy covered her mouth in surprise. Zechs went dumb, along with Relena. Silence filled the room. It was so quiet that every one of them was aware of the ticking of the cuckoo clock. Noin let the news sink in first before she continued her explanation.
" I believe I should start with the history of Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was once one of the most powerful and influential magical realms. Under the rule of competent and benevolent kings – King Truss, His Majesty Martis, Emperor Anderson and you father, the Great King Peacecraft, Magic Kingdom prospered and flourished. All of them had only one thing in their mind – peace. Especially King Peacecraft, who decided that the best way to achieve this goal was to have it in the blood of the people. So he ordered every single citizen in the realm to take up his name – Peacecraft. He hoped to let everyone in the other magical realms understand this point and do away with violence and wars.
" King Peacecraft had four good friends – King Edward from EverlastVille, Queen Ocean from Waterworld, Royal Adam from Paradise and Majesty Calm from Garden Paradise. King Peacecraft enjoyed the company of his friends, but at the same time was aware of their weaknesses and ambitions. It was Queen Ocean who first came up with the idea of a merge between the five realms. 'Since we are such good friends, we might as well merge and live together,' she told them. It was just a harmless suggestion on her part, for Queen Ocean was a straightforward person. Royal Adam, being ambitious, took that as a sign of power – the power to be able to rule five realms and maybe all the rest of the realms. For you see, there could only be one king. No such thing as sharing of throne. And so he agreed to the idea and starts advocating the rest.
" King Edward, being a weak king who can hardly think on his own was persuaded by Adam. Majesty Calm was doubtful at first too but soon his greed for power surfaced and he agreed too. But King Peacecraft was against the merging of the five realms. He could see what was wrong with it. Cupidity, power, fame, inadequate ruling were all in it. Not to mention the different cultures of the people. It would take a long time to settle them down under capable ruling but this does not seem to be the case to his friends. Royal Adam was aware of his disagreement and so he would try to silence him and seize the throne. If he were to rule, the people would suffer. Though King Peacecraft had long known about his friend's ambitions, he did not take it seriously until now.
" Suddenly, all the bad sides to human nature were exposed. Your father, he protested vehemently and called for the voice of the people. And Edward, Calm, Ocean and Adam had to silence him. Though Queen Ocean realised the mistake later, it was too late. Your father had already being killed. But knowing she was powerless against the rest, she had no choice but to swallow every resentment and injustice. But the murder of King Peacecraft was not enough for Adam and Calm. They wanted to get rid of every royal member in the family. Howard and one your father's men managed to whisk the two of you away. But your mother was unlucky. She was murdered. You were barely two years old then, Relena and your brother was six. So this was enough to give him the thought for revenge.
" But Adam and Calm's soldiers soon caught up and in the confusion, your brother went tumbling down the hill. OZ saved him. And he joined it. Howard passed you on to a normal family and here you are today. Meanwhile, the people realised the problems of the merge and led a protest against the four rulers. Even the military turned against them. Ocean stepped down immediately, glad to be off the matter and returned to her realm, mourning for her deceased friend. The other three had no choice but to abandon the merging plan under the people's strength. Magic Kingdom fell without a good ruler to pass on the throne. But it is now recovering. At last.
" This all happened about 13 years ago," Noin finished.
