The next morning the wind still howled through the houses and spats of rain
drummed against the windows. The storm was yet to blow itself out, and the
villagers of Whitely stayed in the safety of their houses, sitting around
open fires and having fun.
In the home women could be treated very different. Out of the public eye and in the confinements of the family home, many husbands treated their 'inferior' wives as equals. For this reason the home was generally a happy place.
Relena stirred in her sleep and rolled over. The floor was hard, but she was used to a hard bed so she did not at first realise where she was. She was vaguely aware of warmth all around her, and somewhere in the back of her mind something told her that this was strange. In The Fort there were no fires or sources of heat other than the sun. She opened her eyes slowly, but her vision was blurred. She blinked hard and scenes began to swim into view.
It took a while for her to realise where she was. When she did, she leapt to her feet and began looking around fearfully. Her eyes came to rest of Heero, who was sitting near to her. He stood up when he saw that she was awake.
Without waiting for an explanation Relena rushed towards the door, limping slightly because her ankles was throbbing. But Heero was too fast for her and he blocked her path.
"Let me go!" She shouted as he grabbed her wrist. She screamed but he held her tightly, with one hand over her mouth. She struggled as he forced her over to a chair and pushed her into it. She bit his hand hard and felt him wince, but he did not relinquish his hold on her. She tasted his blood in her mouth and this only served to intensify her struggling.
But she was still weak from a month of malnutrition and bad treatment, and Heero was a young, strong man. Eventually her struggles ceased. She felt Heero bind her hands behind her back as she sat on the chair. The rope bit into her wrists through her paper-thin skin and she cried out in pain, tears of frustration and anguish running down her face.
Heero stood back and surveyed her thoughtfully. "I know where you are from." He said eventually. "The Fort."
Relena looked at him. "Then you will know that the guards will search for me. I take it you will be handing me over as soon as they come near to your house."
Heero crossed to the window and looked out at the mud filled street. "It does not pay to disobey The Enforcers." He said finally.
"I know." Relena sighed.
Heero returned to her said and knelt next to her; he was holding something in his hands. "You're hurt." He said, running his warm hand down her cheek, where a long cut disfigured her face. She closed her eyes as he touched her, expecting him to hurt her. For the past month all she had known was pain. She had got used to the fact that when someone, especially a man, touched her it meant pain. It was strange now to feel a man touching her and not inflicting suffering.
Relena opened her eyes with a jolt when she felt something cold and stinging on her face. She cast a sideways glance at Heero. He was bathing her cut with antiseptic. His movements were deft but gentle. She winced as some antiseptic stung her.
"Sorry." Heero said. Relena was amazed. She had never heard a man apologise before. Heero moved down to her feet and began examining her injured ankle. "It's just a bad sprain." He said. "How did you hurt it?"
"Escaping." Relena replied. Heero nodded and slowly removed Relena's worn shoe so that he could get a better look at her ankle.
"Why did you escape?" He asked.
"Why do you think?" She asked, groaning as Heero jarred her ankle. She looked at him and saw that he didn't understand why she had escaped. "I don't want to cause you any trouble." She said finally. "When the guards come for me they may think that you helped me to escape. Let me go whilst the storm is still raging, I'll get away from here and you won't get any blame."
"You can't go." Heero said calmly. "I have a feeling that the worst of the storm is still to come, and besides you can barely walk on your ankle." He gently elevated her ankle onto a stool and crossed to a cabinet nearby. "I'll patch you up and then hand you over."
"NO!" Relena cried. "You don't understand. They would hurt you if they thought you helped me. They might think that you are a traitor and torture you for information. And that's nothing compared to what they would do to me."
Heero returned with a bowl of warm water and rested Relena's foot in it. The warmth soothed the continuous pains that shot up her legs and she was able to relax slightly. "What would they do to you?" He asked.
"Only the death penalty awaits women who disobey the rules of Black Keeper." Relena said. "They will kill me." She could tell that Heero was shocked by this revelation.
"But you are a woman." He said finally.
"Exactly!"
"They can't do that. It's so wrong." Heero said.
"They can do it, and they have before." Relena insisted. "Only two weeks ago it was my duty to dig the grave of one of my friends. She tried to escape and hit a guard. She was shot for her troubles." She shivered at the memory. "We prisoners were made to watch her execution."
Heero made a deep noise of surprise in his throat. "What did you do to deserve that?" He asked.
"I was sent to The Fort because I spoke out." Relena said bitterly. "I told a friend of mine that we should run away from our masters and find a place where men and women are equal. But she told her master and I was turned in to The Enforcers. They think that I am too dangerous, so they sent me to The Fort."
Heero lifted Relena's foot out of the bowl and began to strap it up. "They sent you away just for that?" He asked. "How long was your sentence? When were you due to be released?"
"You don't know about The Fort, do you?" Relena asked. "You haven't been told the truth about what goes on in there?"
"It's a correction prison, isn't it?" Heero asked, finishing strapping Relena's ankle and looking up at her from where he knelt on the floor.
"It's more than that." She replied. "It's hell!"
In the home women could be treated very different. Out of the public eye and in the confinements of the family home, many husbands treated their 'inferior' wives as equals. For this reason the home was generally a happy place.
Relena stirred in her sleep and rolled over. The floor was hard, but she was used to a hard bed so she did not at first realise where she was. She was vaguely aware of warmth all around her, and somewhere in the back of her mind something told her that this was strange. In The Fort there were no fires or sources of heat other than the sun. She opened her eyes slowly, but her vision was blurred. She blinked hard and scenes began to swim into view.
It took a while for her to realise where she was. When she did, she leapt to her feet and began looking around fearfully. Her eyes came to rest of Heero, who was sitting near to her. He stood up when he saw that she was awake.
Without waiting for an explanation Relena rushed towards the door, limping slightly because her ankles was throbbing. But Heero was too fast for her and he blocked her path.
"Let me go!" She shouted as he grabbed her wrist. She screamed but he held her tightly, with one hand over her mouth. She struggled as he forced her over to a chair and pushed her into it. She bit his hand hard and felt him wince, but he did not relinquish his hold on her. She tasted his blood in her mouth and this only served to intensify her struggling.
But she was still weak from a month of malnutrition and bad treatment, and Heero was a young, strong man. Eventually her struggles ceased. She felt Heero bind her hands behind her back as she sat on the chair. The rope bit into her wrists through her paper-thin skin and she cried out in pain, tears of frustration and anguish running down her face.
Heero stood back and surveyed her thoughtfully. "I know where you are from." He said eventually. "The Fort."
Relena looked at him. "Then you will know that the guards will search for me. I take it you will be handing me over as soon as they come near to your house."
Heero crossed to the window and looked out at the mud filled street. "It does not pay to disobey The Enforcers." He said finally.
"I know." Relena sighed.
Heero returned to her said and knelt next to her; he was holding something in his hands. "You're hurt." He said, running his warm hand down her cheek, where a long cut disfigured her face. She closed her eyes as he touched her, expecting him to hurt her. For the past month all she had known was pain. She had got used to the fact that when someone, especially a man, touched her it meant pain. It was strange now to feel a man touching her and not inflicting suffering.
Relena opened her eyes with a jolt when she felt something cold and stinging on her face. She cast a sideways glance at Heero. He was bathing her cut with antiseptic. His movements were deft but gentle. She winced as some antiseptic stung her.
"Sorry." Heero said. Relena was amazed. She had never heard a man apologise before. Heero moved down to her feet and began examining her injured ankle. "It's just a bad sprain." He said. "How did you hurt it?"
"Escaping." Relena replied. Heero nodded and slowly removed Relena's worn shoe so that he could get a better look at her ankle.
"Why did you escape?" He asked.
"Why do you think?" She asked, groaning as Heero jarred her ankle. She looked at him and saw that he didn't understand why she had escaped. "I don't want to cause you any trouble." She said finally. "When the guards come for me they may think that you helped me to escape. Let me go whilst the storm is still raging, I'll get away from here and you won't get any blame."
"You can't go." Heero said calmly. "I have a feeling that the worst of the storm is still to come, and besides you can barely walk on your ankle." He gently elevated her ankle onto a stool and crossed to a cabinet nearby. "I'll patch you up and then hand you over."
"NO!" Relena cried. "You don't understand. They would hurt you if they thought you helped me. They might think that you are a traitor and torture you for information. And that's nothing compared to what they would do to me."
Heero returned with a bowl of warm water and rested Relena's foot in it. The warmth soothed the continuous pains that shot up her legs and she was able to relax slightly. "What would they do to you?" He asked.
"Only the death penalty awaits women who disobey the rules of Black Keeper." Relena said. "They will kill me." She could tell that Heero was shocked by this revelation.
"But you are a woman." He said finally.
"Exactly!"
"They can't do that. It's so wrong." Heero said.
"They can do it, and they have before." Relena insisted. "Only two weeks ago it was my duty to dig the grave of one of my friends. She tried to escape and hit a guard. She was shot for her troubles." She shivered at the memory. "We prisoners were made to watch her execution."
Heero made a deep noise of surprise in his throat. "What did you do to deserve that?" He asked.
"I was sent to The Fort because I spoke out." Relena said bitterly. "I told a friend of mine that we should run away from our masters and find a place where men and women are equal. But she told her master and I was turned in to The Enforcers. They think that I am too dangerous, so they sent me to The Fort."
Heero lifted Relena's foot out of the bowl and began to strap it up. "They sent you away just for that?" He asked. "How long was your sentence? When were you due to be released?"
"You don't know about The Fort, do you?" Relena asked. "You haven't been told the truth about what goes on in there?"
"It's a correction prison, isn't it?" Heero asked, finishing strapping Relena's ankle and looking up at her from where he knelt on the floor.
"It's more than that." She replied. "It's hell!"