Shizuko: We so sorry it took so long!
Astra: *glare* School eevviill when it comes to fanfics…
Shizuko: You might (key word) be able to expect another chapter within the next few days.
Astra: Probably some over Thanksgiving.
Shizuko: And definitely Christmas.
Astra: Again sorry…we'll keep trying; don't give up on us! We will finish it!
Shizuko: On with the new chapter!
Chapter Fourteen
Upon reaching the cottage, Noin opened the door and beckoned him in. Upon entering, they walked into a small living area. Through doors beyond he could see a kitchen and a bedroom, but the other doors were closed. Noin gestured towards a small couch. "Sit down, I'll get the map,"
Zechs did as he was told and sat. Noin walked across the living are towards one of the doors. She knocked on it lightly, saying "Master Kushrenada?"
Master? Zechs thought. Is she a servant of some kind? I couldn't imagine someone with enough money to hire a servant would live out here…
The door swung open. Standing there was a man four or five years older than Zechs. He was also slightly shorter, but he carried himself with such greater confidence and understanding that he seemed taller. Ice blue eyes flicked to Zechs, who stood upon their recognition, though he didn't know why.
"We have visitors,"
"Yes, he was…" Noin and the man's eyes met, "…lost,"
"Intriguing," The man must have seen the question in Zech's eyes. He added, "Not many find themselves in this area,"
Zechs stepped over and offered his hand saying, "Zechs Merquise."
The man's grasp was strong, "You may call me Treize Kushrenada,"
Flashback
"What's that about me?"
Relena spun around; leaning in the doorframe was another figure.
…a man four or five years older than Zechs. He was also slightly shorter, but he carried himself with such greater confidence and understanding that he seemed taller. Ice blue eyes… Relena added brown hair to the man's list of characteristics. This must be Treize Kushrenada.
"You must be Relena," he said walking over. Brushing his lips over her cheek he murmured so only she could hear, "So much depends on you,"
What does that mean?
"I was…filling her in," Zechs said.
"As you should. Continue?"
"Perhaps you should,"
"As you wish," he looked to Relena. "I had been minding my own business when this fool walked into my house…and ruined everything…"
Flashback
Treize walked over to the bookshelf in his study and snatched a book from the top shelf, flipping it open. Scanning the pages, he placed a bookmark in and tossed it on the desk next to him. He grabbed another book from the shelf, this one a little more gently, and began reading, leaning against his desk. A voice interrupted his work.
"Master Kushrenada?"
She always picks the most inopportune moment…never should have taken her as an apprentice… He looked to the door. This is one of those days I wish I could do it the easy way. Placing the book on his desk, he strode over to the door and opened it.
Upon looking out he saw something he hadn't quite expected, and something he had a feeling he didn't want…
Oh all the deities ever thought of or created…don't TELL me she has been hiding some boyfriend…
"We have visitors,"
"Yes, he was…" Treize looked at Noin as she started to speak, "…lost,"
Lost? No one can get lost HERE. I made SURE of that…
"Intriguing," The boy questioned Treize with his eyes so the man added, "Not many find themselves in this area,"
Not many at all.
Flashback
"I all ready told her that part. And what do you mean 'ruined everything'? If I remember correctly it was your fault," Zechs interrupted after Treize had spieled for a while.
"You remember wrong. It was your fault…if you hadn't come along, I wouldn't be here right now…"
"No you'd still be there. It's your fault,"
Treize looked like he was going to say something else, but Noin stood up and corrected, "No. It was both of you. You know that quite well, AND you know that I fixed most of it,"
The two men in the room looked to each other but didn't say anything. Neither of them was going to argue with her. Relena grinned.
"Now…finish Zechs…this girl is confused enough as it is without the two of you bringing your pride into it…"
"Anyway…introductions over there we were…"
Flashback
"I was going to get a map," Noin eyes flicked from Treize to Zechs and back again, "and bring him back to the capitol,"
It was a statement, but Noin intoned it slightly so as to convey to Treize that she was asking his advice.
Both of us know he shouldn't be here. Noin looked to the young man standing in the living room. ESPECIALLY him.
"Ah…come with me Noin, I believe I will need your help getting the appropriate…maps,"
Noin followed Treize down a hallway to the left and into what looked to be a larger library. The door closed. Zechs stayed where he was, just watching. Suddenly, there was a slight flash around the door. Zechs started and walked over, listening at the door.
He heard Noin's voice, "Its magicked. He shouldn't be able to hear,"
Magicked? WHAT?
"How did her get in here?" he heard Treize snap.
"How should I know? You're the master,"
"Don't get smart with me. You ARE my apprentice, and you would be QUITE lost without me, so behave. And you unfortunately are a very bad apprentice, or our new friend has very strong innate abilities,"
"What?"
"Millardo Peacecraft…I mean Zechs Marquise…whatever you call yourself…just open the door and come in instead of eavesdropping,"
Zechs opened the door. Noin sputtered for a moment and then said, "How'd he do that? Why doesn't it surprise me? Why did this day have to be so PARTICULARLY awful?"
"It seems, my dear apprentice, that our future king has some abilities that his daddy would not admire,"
Zechs had had enough of this cryptic…mess. "What are you talking about? How did you know who I was? And what do you mean by MAGIC because it…"
Treize raised a hand. "Yes, we know. Your father has made 'magic' illegal. Actually…if you read the original manuscript, it actually forbids BLACK magic…of course your father couldn't tell the difference if it hit him in the face,"
"Are you insulting my…"
"Yes,"
Zech's mouth gaped for a moment before Noin spoke. "Sir, I think it would be best if you shut up. Insulting him isn't going to help our case,"
"I don't care what your case is…I'm leaving…now…and there's nothing you can do about it…"
Zechs spun on his heel and head out of the door. His horse was waiting outside, leaping into the saddle he took off.
Treize looked to Noin. "I think you're capable of handling this,"
Noin nodded.
Zechs tore along the trail, not caring where he was going. Suddenly, a figure was standing in the middle of the trail. Zechs reined his horse to a stop, narrowly missing the person.
"I'm sorry…" Zechs shut up. It was Noin. "How did you?"
She pointed behind him. There, ten feet away was the cottage.
"What happened?"
"I just pulled a few strings,"
Suddenly the air around them was filled with crossing and entangling vines of light. They were golds and blues…reds and whites. Noin reached up and pulled one of the blue lights towards her. A faint breeze ruffled her hair.
"This is what I see. In time, you could see it too,"
Zechs turned around in his saddle, staring. Green light sped up the trunks and branches of trees. A pale yellow speck denoted a bird asleep in its nest now that the sun had gone down.
"It's…amazing…"
The air changed. At first, Zechs thought she had doused all of the lights, but then he looked at himself. Golden strings ran through his body. He looked at his hair. Each stand was filled with a gold dust. He whirled around to look at Noin.
She was filled with the golden light as well, but her's was traced with a slight blue. He wondered why his was slightly different.
"Zechs…what were doing isn't wrong. It's an art…it's emotion. It's just something your father doesn't understand…"
"My father is king…"
"But he isn't a god. Look at yourself, Millardo Peacecraft! That's magic running through your bones…more magic than I have. You could rival Treize in everything but experience. Think about this before you run off to have us executed, though it's very doubtful you would ever find us again anyway,"
Zechs looked down at Noin. In her eyes he saw innocence, and truth. But also a little pain. He didn't want there to be pain in her eyes. And I don't want to never find her again. He dismounted and stood next to her. He lifted his hand and felt her cheek.
"We just met…" he murmured.
She looked up into his eyes.
Zechs pulled her into his arms.
I love her. I don't know why…but I do. She isn't some witch casting a spell on me like the stories say… He looked down at her. She's fallen as hard as I have.
Unknown to either of them, two golden strings of light twisted around each other, binding together.
Flashback
Zechs stopped talking.
"Well?" Relena began. "That's lovely and all…but…uh…what happened to the shame and exile part?"
Treize grinned. "Oh…that part…it wasn't exactly exile…"
Noin rolled her eyes, "No, it was one of those escape from execution things."
Relena's eyes widened. "Maybe you should continue?"
Zechs went and sat down next to Noin. "Why don't you tell this part Treize?"
"Very well,"
Flashback
Zechs looked down over the city. Lights flickered off in houses as night set in deeper and deeper. Light filtered out of is room and onto the balcony, bathing him in warmth. In the distance he could see ships floating in the harbor. It was the same view he saw every night.
With sudden determination he turned on his heel and walked down the center of the balcony and into his room. He would tell his father all that had happened, that with and warlock would be found and everything would return to what it was.
Zechs reached for the doorknob but for some reason he turned back to the balcony. Through the thin and gauzy drapes he could just make out the night sky. He had never really looked at the sky before. Stars shimmered and flickered, oh so like the magic she had shown him.
No! It was some trick…lust…I don't feel anything for her…she's nothing to me…this is my life…
He walked out onto the balcony once more, staring at the magnificent night sky. He fell to his knees, real tears falling for the first time in his life.
I can't…I can't…
*
Treize sat at his disk, his fingers slowly tapping on its surface in perfect rhythm.
That boy has power. More power than a single person should have been able to hold unknowingly for so long. How?
The tapping stopped.
Even so, he will make a powerful ally once he's through with his training, if he makes it through his training.
*
A week later Zechs found himself walking out of the palace towards the stables. He was going back…whether it was curiosity or necessity that drove him he didn't know…but he was going back.
Before entering the stables he caught a glimpse of the practice yard. He smiled. His twelve-year-old sister was there, giving the horse master misery over making her ride sidesaddle. The master's focus shifted for a moment when a stable boy called to him and Relena took off galloping, her golden hair blowing in the wind and childish face bright. The horse master chased after her. Zechs couldn't help but laugh.
He turned back to the stable and entered. Once his horse was saddled he mounted and headed out. He traveled in the general way he had last time, but he knew that he was only going to find what he was looking for if they wanted him too.
And they did. An hour later Zechs found himself facing the cottage once again. Treize was leaning in the doorframe of the front door. Zechs dismounted and walked up the path.
"It won't be easy."
"I know."
"Good."
Flashback
"I trained him for months," Treize said and looked at Zechs. "You had more raw power and talent but absolutely no technique or skill."
"Zechs could force a rock to turn into an apple within a week but it took him six months to figure out how to start a fire," Noin giggled.
Treize grinned and looked turned his head to look at Noin, "He was awful, wasn't he?"
Zechs cleared his throat and said, "Well, thank you all for that wonderful assessment. Shall we continue?"
Noin stood up and said, "I'll talk for awhile. Zechs was beginning to actually get the hang of it when the world came crashing down."
"What happened?"
"Daddy found out."
Flashback
Noin and Zechs sat in the herb garden behind the cottage. Noin was weeding; Zechs was being pretty much useless.
"You better start helping or I'm going to tell Treize and he'll start drilling you again."
Zechs made an act of groaning and leaned over face to face with Noin, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers. "You wouldn't be as cruel as all that."
Noin smiled sweetly for a moment and then grinned and yelled, "Master Treize! Zechs is acting like a palace brat again!"
"Zechs! Get in her and stop flirting with Noin!"
"I can't believe you did that."
"You better believe it," she said and poked him in the ribs with her spade.
As Zechs stood up to leave they heard shouts from the front yard. Treize came bursting out the back door.
"They've found us," he looked at Zechs, "Actually…more like they found you."
"What?"
"Soldiers, in your father's colors. Take Noin, go back home, and pretend like you never left. I'll take care of them."
Zechs grabbed Noin's hand, pulling her up off the ground and they took off running. As they ran Zechs heard Noin whispering under her breath, "Borders clash, limits change." He didn't hear the rest but he did see her reach out her left hand. The world around them began to ripple like a disturbed pond.
"Noin…what did you do…"
Zech's head began to hurt. His bones felt hollow.
"Almost over," he heard Noin gasp.
The shimmering stopped. They were standing outside the palace gates. Zechs heard a thump behind him. Turning around he saw Noin lying there unconscious.
What did she DO?!
He picked the girl up and slipped through the gates unnoticed. A minute later he found himself in his room with an unconscious girl in his arms.
Okay…first get rid of Noin.
He opened the door to his closet and laid Noin down on a blanket inside. He walked back out, closing the door behind him.
Second…think of a really good excuse as to why no one has seen you the entire day…
Zechs didn't have the time. His father came barging into the room.
"Millardo! I want you to tell me exactly where you've been…"
"Uh…here?"
"Really…that's interesting. The mud on your shirt and the family crest ring we found in some black magician's cottage would speak otherwise,"
"Crest ring? What are you talking about?" Zech's held his hand behind his back and focused some of his power in the palm of his hand. An illusion of the crest ring he had left at Treize's appeared in his hand. He held it up. "My ring's right here!"
"Hmn. That wizard must be up to something…Sorry I suspected you so quickly, my son, you've just gone missing so often lately…"
Zechs dropped his head. He hated lying to his father…going against his father's beliefs, whether or not they were wrong.
His father turned to walk out the door. Zechs was about to sigh in relief when suddenly he heard a muffled gasp from the closet. Unfortunately, so did his father.
*
Zechs banged against his bedroom door. "Let me out! Anyone!" He stopped pounding his fists against the hard wood and slowly slid down its smooth surface.
What am I going to do?
His father's advisors had managed to find some magic dampeners from decades past. Zechs couldn't use any of his magical abilities and human fists weren't going to do much against walls of stone.
They're going to kill her…
Tears slid down his cheek. His hands brushed a small bandage wrapped around his wrist. Only a day ago her smooth and caring hands had helped set it…
For a moment her smooth hand brushed the tears away from his cheek…
Zechs…
"Noin…Lucrezia," he whispered. His head snapped up from its position leaning against the door.
"I can't leave her!"
I can't…
*
Zechs sat in the middle of his room…hands left limply in his lap.
This will be the stupidest thing I will every do…if there is a god out there…please forgive me for this atrocious and idiotic act…
His eyes snapped closed. He drew up every ounce of power he had…delving into his very life source. Thread by thread…ounce by ounce he gathered it up around him. Slowly he began to wind the power around him in an inescapable net.
Some far corner of his mind registered his door opening…
"Milli?"
No!
"Relena," he gasped, "Get out!" He raised his hand weakly.
He saw her blue eyes widen in fear. He knew what she saw…by now he would be glowing a scarlet red…golden power erupting out of his skin…looking like the demon his father believed a warlock would…
Don't come closer…
It would be too much for her. If she touched him their minds would meld together…hearing each other's thoughts…feeling each others emotions…in such close proximity to so much magical energy it couldn't be evaded…
She would be living two lives at once…
He saw her take a faltering step forward…her small white hand raised.
No Relena…She reached out to touch his face…
The spells almost complete…if she doesn't leave…
"Brother…"
He felt himself turn white…his skin began burning, except for one place, his left shoulder where she touched him. Together they screamed…
*
For a moment Zechs felt nothing. Then, slowly, a light appeared ahead. He felt like he was running through a long tunnel, unable to stop, hoping desperately that he would run out of the end and not into it. In his head he heard tapping…like footsteps.
The light grew…he could discern shapes…
Lucrezia!
She was there…draped in white linen…two soldiers tying her to a post in some far field.
Her hair…
Her long hair had been shorn short, hacked close to her skull.
Now he saw his father…his lips were moving.
"Burn the witch…"
No…
The light engulfed him.
Astra: It's an all flashback chapter (basically)!
Shizuko: Everybody say "oooooo!"
Astra: We'll try to get the next chapter up soon!
Both: Bye!